| Bill O'Flaherty | |
| Birth Place: | Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada |
| Player Years1: | 1967–1970 |
| Player Team1: | Clarkson |
| Coach Years1: | 1971–1979 |
| Coach Team1: | Clarkson (assistant) |
| Coach Years2: | 1979–1985 |
| Coach Team2: | Clarkson |
| Coach Years3: | 1984–1997 |
| Coach Team3: | Clarkson (Athletic Director) |
| Coach Years4: | 1997–2006 |
| Coach Team4: | Los Angeles Kings (Dir. of Player Personnel) |
| Coach Years5: | 2006–2007 |
| Coach Team5: | Pittsburgh Penguins (Scout) |
| Coach Years6: | 2007–2010 |
| Coach Team6: | Florida Panthers (Dir. of Pro Scouting) |
| Overall Record: | 134-59-12 |
| Championships: | 1981 ECAC Hockey West Region Champion 1981 ECAC Hockey Champion 1982 ECAC Hockey West Region Champion 1982 ECAC Hockey Champion |
| Awards: | 1981 Spencer Penrose Award |
Bill O'Flaherty is a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. He was the head coach of Clarkson for six years before moving on to become the school's Athletic director, compiling one of the highest winning percentages in the history of college hockey.[1]
Bill O'Flaherty began attending Clarkson in 1967, playing under legendary coach Len Ceglarski for two full seasons and graduating in 1971 with a bachelor's in Humanities. O'Flaherty immediately moved to coaching afterwards, taking a position at Clarkson first under Ceglarski, then Jerry York after the former left to become the head coach at Boston College in 1972.[2] O'Flaherty remained as an assistant until York himself left to take over at Bowling Green[3] and O'Flaherty was chosen as his successor.
O'Flaherty had immediate and consistent success with the Golden Knights, winning 21 games in his first season (1979–80) and continuing that trend for his entire tenure. In his second and third seasons O'Flaherty got Clarkson 26-wins which provided the team with their only 2 back-to-back ECAC Hockey regular season titles in school history and getting them to their first NCAA tournament in over a decade.[4] In six seasons behind the bench O'Flaherty provided five 20-win seasons, 6 winning records, 3 NCAA tournament berths, and 2 conference regular season titles. O'Flaherty was awarded the Spencer Penrose Award in 1981 for prompting Clarkson to a superb season, the fourth consecutive coach at Clarkson to earn the honour.[5]
O'Flaherty moved into the front office, assuming the sole duties as Clarkson's Athletic Director in 1986 and remaining at that post until 1997 when he jumped to the NHL to serve as Director of Player Personnel for the Los Angeles Kings. O'Flaherty joined the staff of the Pittsburgh Penguins as professional scout for one season (2006–07) before becoming the Director of Pro Scouting for the Florida Panthers, remaining there until 2010.[6]
Bill is the son of former NHLer John "Peanuts" O'Flaherty who spent most of his career in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Hornets.[7] Bill's brother Gerry O'Flaherty was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970 and spent parts of 8 seasons in the NHL as a player, eventually winning 3 Stanley Cups as a scout.[8]