Bobby Clarke

At 75 years old, Bobby Clarke has this physical status:

Robert Earle Clarke (born August 13, 1949), also known as Bob Clarke (since retirement as a player) and Bobby Clarke (while active as a player), is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team.

Clarke is acknowledged by some as being one of the greatest hockey players and captains of all time.

He was captain of the Flyers from 1973 to 1979, winning the Stanley Cup with them in both 1974 and 1975.

He was again captain of the Flyers from 1982 to 1984 before retiring.

A three-time Hart Trophy winner and 1987 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Clarke was rated number 24 on The Hockey News' list of The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time in 1998.

In 2017 Clarke was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.Clarke had three 100-point seasons, twice leading the league in assists, and was selected to play in nine NHL All-Star Games.

He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1983, as the league's best defensive forward. Upon retiring at the end of the 1983–84 season with 358 goals and 852 assists for a total of 1,210 points in 1,144 career games, he immediately became general manager of the Flyers.

He spent 19 of the following 23 seasons as a general manager of the Flyers, also briefly serving as general manager 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 general manager 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 general manager position less than a month into the 2006–07 season and is currently the Flyers' senior vice president.The image of Clarke, with a toothless grin, embracing the Stanley Cup and winking following the Flyers' victory in the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals is considered one of the most iconic and famous photos in the history of the sport of hockey.

Early life

Born in the small northern Manitoban mining town of Flin Flon, Clarke began playing organized hockey when he was eight years old. Around the time he was 12 or 13 years old, he learned he had type 1 diabetes. 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. 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 failed — 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.

Personal life

Clarke and his family have been long-time residents of South Jersey. When first playing with the Flyers, Clarke lived in Mount Ephraim, New Jersey, later moving to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, then to Moorestown and in Haddonfield when he returned to the area after working in Minnesota and Florida.

Bobby Clarke remained close friends with NHLPA head Alan Eagleson even after Eagleson was indicted for (and subsequently found guilty of) fraud and embezzlement.

Clarke and his wife, Sandy, have four children, sons Wade and Lucas and daughters Jody and Jakki. They live in Ocean City, New Jersey.

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NHL career

Clarke, who wore #6, made his NHL debut against the Minnesota North Stars on October 11, 1969. He scored his first point against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 22, an assist on Lew Morrison's 3rd period goal, and scored his first goal against the New York Rangers on October 30, defeating Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin 16:36 to start the 3rd period. Clarke spent the entire 76-game season on his rookie season and gained 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) while awaiting a trip to the NHL All-Star Game. He was also named NHL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News, and finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy. Clarke led the Flyers in scoring during his second season, 1970–71, with 27 goals and 36 assists for a total of 63 points in 77 games. Clarke's efforts helped the Flyers make the playoffs, but Clarke was held scoreless in his first playoff appearance, and the Flyers lost in four games to the Chicago Black Hawks.

Clarke's downswing began with a tooth absces; 20 pounds underweight; Clarke only played 5 goals and 11 assists in 31 games; He bounced back from the last 47 games, scoring 30 goals and 35 assists, leading to his totals of 35 goals and 46 assists. He was rewarded for his efforts as the first Flyer to win the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, and the Flyers re-signed him to a five-year deal worth $100,000 per season, a decrease of $75,000 per season.

Clarke was named the Flyers' captain at age 23, the youngest to ever play in a major league position at the time, just a few months after his solid play during the Summit Series for Team Canada. Clarke, the head coach of the burgeoning Bulls, became the first player from an expansion team to score more than 100 points in a season, with 104 points (37 goals, 67 assists). The Flyers and Clarke got a scare when he was struck in the eye with a stick that broke his contact lens and was rushed to the hospital after being rushed to the hospital. Clarke returned to the lineup the next game after removing portions of his broken contact from under the eye, and the Flyers won their first playoff series. Clarke lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the next round, but the Flyers received the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's best player and the Lester B. Pearson Award was named as the league's Most Valuable Player as voted by the league's players later in the season.

Clarke's output dropped to 87 points in 77 games during the 1973–74 regular season, but the Flyers' leadership and Bernie Parent's stellar goaltending led them to the second-best record in the league and to the Stanley Cup Finals to play the Boston Bruins, the team with the highest record. Clarke scored arguably the highest goal of his career in overtime of Game 2 in overtime, defeating Bruins goaltender Gilles Gilbert after losing Game 1. The Flyers won three of the next four games and became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. Clarke was instrumental in the Finals in defending the Bruins' star players, winning 48 of the 66 face-offs against Phil Esposito and neutralizing Bobby Orr by chasing him down. Following a confrontation between Clarke and Orr that sent both players to the penalty box, the Stanley Cup winning goal in game six was scored.

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Clarke set the NHL record for the most assists by a centerman with 89 during the 1974–75 season, he was ranked as the best centerman in the NBA at 116 points. With a score of plus 79, he came in second place in the league in plus-minus ratings, demonstrating his good two-way play. In six games, the Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup Finals, repeating as Stanley Cup champions. Clarke received the Hart Trophy for the second time in addition to the second championship, while the league's First All-Star Team was named.

Clarke's 1975-76 season was a record-breaking season. Reggie Leach and Bill Barber, who are playing on the LCB, set a record for the most goals by a line with 141. With 89 assists, he tied his best season of the past season, a personal record, and franchise record for most points in a single season (later broken by Mark Recchi in 1992-1993). He also led the league in plus-minus status with a score of 83. The Flyers, without Parenthood and Rick MacLeish, made their third straight Finals appearance. However, Montreal coach Scotty Bowman's tactics kept Clarke's line from scoring, and the Flyers were swept in four straight games. Clarke was named to the NHL First All-Star team and was given his third Hart Trophy. Clarke's numbers will diminish over the next few seasons; in fact, his point total fell six seasons in a row. However, the Flyers remained a candidate, reaching the semifinals and losing to Boston in 1976–77 and 1977–78.

Clarke was appointed an assistant coach after a quarterfinal loss to the Rangers in 1978-1979. Mel Bridgman was named the fourth captain in Flyers history in order to become an assistant. The Flyers' first season as a playing assistant coach, 1979–80, saw them win 37 games, not only the longest in NHL history, but also the longest in North American professional sports history. The Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing in six games to the New York Islanders. Clarke scored 8 goals and assisted on 12 others in 19 games, with all eight goals being based on power play. Clarke, Flyers owner Ed Snider, and former Flyers coach Fred Shero were among the prizes given out during the playoffs.

Clarke wore the number 16 for his entire NHL career, except for two games during the 1980–81 season. Clarke's jersey was robbed prior to a road game on February 27, 1981. In the next two games, Clarke wore his only other jersey, number 36, in the upcoming two games. Clarke made a personal debut in memorable fashion a month later. Clarke was struck by a Reggie Leach slapshot during a Boston Bruins match on March 19. He regained consciousness moments after escaping the ice and his jersey was smocked in blood. Clarke scored Bruins goalie Marco Baron's 19th goal of the season and his 1000th career goal.

Clarke was remarkably resilient despite his diabetes and hard-nosed sports. For the first time in his career, he played fewer than 70 games in a season, he had a broken foot in 1981-82. Clarke, who was no longer an assistant coach, recalled Bill Barber's captaincy from 1982-83. In his 1000th career game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 23, 1982, he skated in his 1,000th game. Clarke had his best season since 1977–78, scoring 85 points in 80 games. He also earned the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is given annually to the league's best defensive forward. After Bob McCammon was fired from the playoffs for the third straight season, the Flyers were promoted to general manager of the Flyers on May 15, 1984.

Clarke attended the Wells Fargo Center's 50th anniversary alumni game against the Pittsburgh Penguins' alumni, Bill Barber, and Reggie Leach, which resulted in a 3–3 draw before a sold-out crowd of over 19,000. Clarke revealed that this would be his last alumni game prior to the game.

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