Bobby Clarke

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size = 200px
position = Centre
shot = Left
height_ft = 5
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 176
nickname = Clarkie, Whitey
played_for = Philadelphia Flyers
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1949|08|13
birth_place = Flin Flon, MB, CAN
draft = 17th overall
draft_year = 1969
draft_team = Philadelphia Flyers
career_start = 1969
career_end = 1984
halloffame = 1987

Robert Earle Clarke, O.C. (born August 13, 1949 in Flin Flon, Manitoba), better known as Bobby Clarke, is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Philadelphia Flyers. During his 15 season playing career, he led the Flyers to two Stanley Cups and was awarded the Hart Trophy as league MVP three times. A 1987 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Clarke was rated number 23 on The Hockey News' list of "The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time" in 1998. [Steve Dryden, [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0771041756/ The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time] , 1998]

A talented playmaker, he had three 100-point seasons, twice led the league in assists,Cite web|url=http://broadstreetbullies.blogspot.com/2006/05/bobby-clarke.html|title=Philadelphia Flyers Legends: Bobby Clarke|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=BroadStreetBullies.blogspot.com|year=2006] and played in eight NHL All-Star Games. He was also a great defensive player, a great checker, and one of the best in the face-off circle. One of the game's great leaders, Clarke was the captain of the notorious Broad Street Bullies during their heyday in the mid-1970s. The Bullies were a reflection of their captain, who had a tireless work ethic, a strong will to win, and a willingness to do anything it took to win even if it meant bending the rules.Cite web|url=http://www.1972summitseries.com/clarke.html|title=Clarke Did What He Had To Do|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=1972summitseries.com|year=2007] The latter, some say, [Steve Simmons, [http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Simmons/2005/11/08/1297735-sun.html Nobody will let Clarke forget slash] , accessed July 8, 2007] is exemplified best by Clarke's infamous slash to the ankle of Valeri Kharlamov during the Summit Series in 1972, which is still the source of controversy to the present day.Cite web|url=http://proicehockey.about.com/library/blhenderson-clarke.htm|title=Classic Hockey Quotes - great hockey quotes past and present|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=proicehockey.about.com|year=2007]

Clarke retired following the 1983–84 season with 358 goals and 852 assists for a total of 1210 points in 1144 games, and immediately became general manager of the Flyers. He spent 19 of the following 23 seasons as a GM of the Flyers, also briefly serving as GM of the Minnesota North Stars and Florida Panthers, and reached the Stanley Cup Finals three times with the Flyers and once with Minnesota. His time as an NHL GM had its share of controversy, perhaps none greater than the rift between him and star player Eric Lindros during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He resigned from the GM position less than a month into the 2006–07 season and is currently the Flyers Senior Vice President.

Early life

Born in the small northern Manitoban mining town of Flin Flon, Clarke began playing organized hockey when he was eight years old.Cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=P198701&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName#photo|title=The Legends - Honoured Player - Bobby Clarke - Biography|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=LegendsofHockey.net|year=2007] Around the time he was 12 or 13 years old, he learned he had diabetes.Cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot oneononep198701.htm|title=Spotlight - One on One with Bobby Clarke|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=LegendsofHockey.net|year=2003] Even though he progressed into a highly touted prospect playing for the Flin Flon Bombers, leading the league in which the Bombers played in scoring in each of his last three years of junior hockey, NHL teams feared Clarke would never be able to play in the NHL because of his diabetes.Cite web|url=http://english.sport-express.ru/articles/9 68/|title=Sport Express - Bobby Clarke: "I WAS NO FIGHTER..."|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=Sports Express Daily|year=2006] Bombers coach Pat Ginnell took Clarke to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota following the 1967–68 season and the doctors concluded that as long as he took care of himself he could play professionally. Ginnell asked the doctors to write that statement down and when NHL scouts came to watch the Bombers play during the 1968–69 season, Ginnell showed them the doctor's verdict.

Even with such assurances Clarke fell to the second round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft and was finally selected by the Philadelphia Flyers 17th overall. After Gerry Melnyk, a scout and administrative assistant with the Flyers, tried to convince general manager Bud Poile to draft Clarke with their first round pick and failedCite web|url=http://www.flyershistory.net/cgi-bin/hofprof.cgi?002|title=Flyers History - Hall of Fame Profile - Bobby Clarke|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=FlyersHistory.net|year=2007] — Poile drafted Bob Currier instead, a player who retired five years later and, ironically, never played a game in the NHL — Melnyk called a diabetes specialist in Philadelphia who said Clarke would be fine if he looked after his health. Melnyk then successfully convinced Poile to draft Clarke when the Flyers second round pick came around. The Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens immediately offered the Flyers a deal for Clarke, Detroit offering two veteran players and Montreal offering a deal "Flyers management could hardly refuse." The Flyers refused both offers and made it clear Clarke was not for sale.

After he suffered two serious diabetic seizures during training camp that fall after eating light breakfasts, Flyers trainer and equipment manager Frank Lewis came up with a pre-game diet plan that Clarke followed the rest of his career. He would drink a bottle of Coca-Cola with three spoons of dissolved sugar before a game, drink a half glass of orange juice with sugar added between periods, and then a full glass following the game. Lewis also kept chocolate bars and a tube of glucose in his bag on hand in case of an emergency.

NHL career

.

A tooth abscess was the cause of a slow start to the 1971–72 season; 20 pounds underweight, Clarke only managed 5 goals and 11 assists 31 games into the season. He rebounded over the final 47 games, scoring 30 goals and 35 assists and bringing his totals to 35 goals and 46 assists. His dedication was rewarded when he became the first Flyer to win a major NHL award, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, and the Flyers re-signed him to a 5-year contract worth $100,000 per season, a raise of $75,000 per season.Cite web|url=http://www.flyershistory.net/cgi-bin/player.cgi?Bobby_Clarke|title=Individual Player Stats - Bobby Clarke|accessdate=2007-07-11|publisher=flyershistory.net|year=2007]

A few months following his strong play during the Summit Series for Team Canada, Clarke was named the Flyers team captain at age 23, the youngest to ever assume that role in NHL history at the time. As leader of the brawling Broad Street Bullies, Clarke became the first player from an expansion team to score more than 100 points in a season, 104 points (37 goals, 67 assists) total. Facing the Minnesota North Stars in the first round, the Flyers and Clarke received a scare. Clarke was hit in the eye with a stick which broke his contact lens and was rushed to the hospital. After removing parts of his broken contact from under the eye, Clarke returned to the lineup the next game despite having suffered a scratched cornea and the Flyers won their first playoff series. The Flyers lost to the Montreal Canadiens during the next round, but Clarke was later awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP.

Legacy

On November 15, 1984, Bobby Clarke Night was held at the Spectrum [philadelphiaflyers.com, [http://flyers.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=344523&page=NewsPage&service=page Great Moments: Bobby Clarke Night] ] . The Flyers retired Clarke's #16 jersey and unveiled the Bobby Clarke Trophy which is awarded annually to the Flyers' Most Valuable Player. Three years later Clarke was a first ballot inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Flyers created a team Hall of Fame in 1988, and the first two inductees were Clarke and Bernie Parent.

In addition to his NHL honors, Clarke was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.). The trophy he won in 1968 and 1969 with the Bombers, given annually to the Western Hockey League's top scorer, was re-named the Bob Clarke Trophy. He was inducted into three more halls of fame, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 as a charter member, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. [mbhockeyhalloffame.ca, [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=7&id=4 Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame profile] ]

Records

Clarke finished his career 4th all-time in assists and 11th all-time in points, [NHL.com, [http://www.nhl.com/features/clarke_qa101804.html Clarke's goal: Another Cup in Philly] ] but he has since fallen to 22nd all-time in assists and 40th all-time in points (as of completion of 2006–07 NHL season). His back-to-back 89 assist seasons in 1974–75 and 1975–76 is still the Flyers team record [flyershistory.net, [http://www.flyershistory.net/cgi-bin/rec-scoring.cgi Flyers Scoring Records - Single Season - Assists - All Players] ] and he also owns several other Philadelphia Flyers records, [flyershistory.net, [http://www.flyershistory.net/best.htm Flyers History - Career and Season Records] ] including:

;All-time regular season
*1st place - Most games played (1144)
*4th place - Most goals (358)
*1st place - Most assists (852)
*1st place - Most points (1210)
*4th place - Penalty minutes (1453)
*1st place - Plus/Minus (+506)
*1st place - Shorthanded goals (32)

;All-time playoffs
*1st place - Most games played (136)
*5th place - Most goals (42)
*1st place - Most assists (77)
*1st place - Most points (119)

Awards

References

ee also

* List of NHL statistical leaders
* List of NHL seasons
* List of NHL players with 1000 points
* List of NHL players with 1000 games played

External links

*Legendsmember|Player|P198701
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1969/69017.html Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com]
*hockeydb|00001019
* [http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot_oneononep198701.htm Legends of Hockey Spotlight - One on One with Bobby Clarke]
* [http://www.cshof.ca/hm_profile.php?i=177 Bobby Clarke's biography] at [http://www.cshof.ca/index.php Canadian Sports Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=7&id=4 Bobby Clarke's biography] at [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/index.html Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/honoured/1987/bClarke.htm Bobby Clarke’s biography] at [http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/ Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame]