Flatley was born in Toronto, Ontario. As a youth, he played in the 1976 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Shopsy\'s minor ice hockey team. He attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he played for the Wisconsin Badgers men\'s ice hockey team for two seasons, helping the team capture the 1983 NCAA Men\'s ice hockey championship, and was himself named a tournament all-star, a WCHA first team all-star, and a 1983 All-American.\n', '

Flatley was drafted 21st overall by the New York Islanders in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, and scored on his first NHL shot on goal, against Doug Soetaert of the Winnipeg Jets. Playing for the Canadian National Team in 1983–84, he scored 34 goals in 54 games. Rejoining the Islanders for the 1984-85 season, he was put on a line with Brent Sutter and Clark Gillies, and scored 9 goals through the first three rounds of the playoffs, becoming a big contributor in the Islanders\' drive for their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup. However, the Islanders lost in the finals to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers.\n', '

Although he never emerged as a top scorer, Flatley did become a highly effective role player, adding smart positional play, strong defense, and grit to the Islanders teams in the late 1980s and 1990s. Flatley was sometimes referred to as "the chairman of the boards" because he rarely failed to dig the puck out in battles in the corners. In 1991 he was named the Islanders\' fifth captain. Prior to the 1996-97 season, Flatley signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers.\n', '

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