Bobby Clarke

Bobby Clarke's Bombers jersey on display at the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver.

Born in the small northern Manitoban mining town of Flin Flon,[9] Clarke began playing organized hockey when he was eight years old.[10] Around the time he was 12 or 13 years old, he learned he had type 1 diabetes.[11] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[10]

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[12] — 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.[9][11][12] Melnyk then successfully convinced Poile to draft Clarke when the Flyers second-round pick came around.[12] 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."[10] The Flyers refused both offers and made it clear Clarke was not for sale.[10]

Clarke playing for Philadelphia Flyers in 1983

Wearing #16, Clarke made his NHL debut on October 11, 1969, against the Minnesota North Stars.[13] He recorded his first point on October 22 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, an assist on Lew Morrison's 3rd period goal,[14] and he scored his first goal on October 30 against the New York Rangers, beating Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin 16:36 into the 3rd period.[15] Clarke played the entire 76-game schedule his rookie season and recorded 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) while earning a trip to the NHL All-Star Game.[16] He was also named NHL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News,[17] and finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy.[16] Clarke led the Flyers in scoring during his sophomore season, 1970–71, with 27 goals and 36 assists for a total of 63 points in 77 games. His efforts helped the Flyers make the playoffs, but Clarke was held scoreless in his first playoff action and the Flyers lost in four games to the Chicago Black Hawks.[10]

A tooth abscess was the cause of a slow start to the 1971–72 season;[12] 20 pounds underweight, Clarke only managed 5 goals and 11 assists 31 games into the season.[12] He rebounded over the final 47 games, scoring 30 goals and 35 assists[12] 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,[10] and the Flyers re-signed him to a five-year contract worth $100,000 per season, a raise of $75,000 per season.[16]

A few months following his strong play during the Summit Series for Team Canada, Clarke was named the Flyers' captain at age 23, the youngest to ever assume that role in NHL history at the time.[6] 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,[6] 104 points (37 goals, 67 assists) total. Facing the Minnesota North Stars in the first round, the Flyers and Clarke received a scare, as he was hit in the eye with a stick which broke his contact lens and was rushed to the hospital.[12] 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,[12] 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 and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's most outstanding player as voted by the league's players.

Clarke's production fell to 87 points in 77 games during the 1973–74 regular season, but his leadership and Bernie Parent's stellar goaltending led the Flyers to the second best record in the league and to the Stanley Cup Finals to play the team with the best record, the Boston Bruins. After losing Game 1, Clarke scored arguably the biggest goal of his career in overtime of Game 2, putting a rebound shot in over Bruins goaltender Gilles Gilbert.[12] The Flyers won three of the next four games and became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup.[6] Clarke played a key role in the Finals in countering Bruins' star players, winning 48 of the 66 face-offs against Phil Esposito, and neutralizing Bobby Orr by chasing him down. The Stanley Cup winning goal in game six was scored after a fight between Clarke and Orr that sent both players to the penalty box.

Clarke set the NHL record, at the time, for most assists by a centreman with 89[12] during the 1974–75 season on his way to a 116-point season. He finished second in the league in plus-minus rating with a plus 79, which illustrates his strong two-way play. The Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the Buffalo Sabres in six games, repeating as Stanley Cup champions. In addition to the second championship, Clarke was awarded the Hart Trophy for the second time, while being voted to the league's First All-Star Team.

1975–76 was a record breaking season for Clarke. Playing on the LCB line with Reggie Leach and Bill Barber, the trio set a record for most goals by a line with 141.[18] He also tied his mark of the previous season with 89 assists and set a personal best and franchise record for most points in a single season with 119 (later broken by Mark Recchi in 1992–93).[19] He also led the league in plus-minus rating with a plus 83. The Flyers, without Parent and Rick MacLeish,[12] made their third straight Finals appearance. However, Montreal coach Scotty Bowman's strategy successful prevented Clarke's line from scoring and the Flyers were swept in four straight games. Clarke was awarded his third Hart Trophy and named to the NHL First All-Star team. Clarke's production would drop off over the next few seasons; in fact, his point total fell six seasons in a row. But the Flyers remained contenders, reaching the semifinals and losing to Boston in 1976–77 and 1977–78.

Clarke pictured during the Alumni game for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic on December 31, 2011.

After a quarterfinal loss to the Rangers in 1978–79, Clarke was named an assistant coach.[12] In order to become an assistant he had to give up the captaincy due to NHL rules,[12] so Mel Bridgman was named the 4th captain in Flyers history. His first season as a playing assistant coach, 1979–80, saw the Flyers go on an undefeated streak of 35 games, not only the longest in NHL history, but the longest in North American professional sports history.[20] The Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the New York Islanders in six games. During the playoffs, Clarke scored 8 goals and assisted on 12 others in 19 games, all 8 goals coming on the power play.[16] Following the playoffs, Clarke was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy along with Flyers owner Ed Snider and former Flyers coach Fred Shero.

Clarke wore the number 16 throughout his entire NHL career except for two games during the 1980–81 season.[21] Prior to a road game on February 27, 1981,[22] Clarke's jersey was stolen.[21] Clarke wore the only other jersey available, number 36,[21] in the next two games.[22][23] A month later, Clarke hit a personal milestone in memorable fashion. On March 19 during a game against the Boston Bruins, a Reggie Leach slapshot struck Clarke.[12] After leaving the ice, he re-appeared moments later stitched up and with his jersey covered in blood.[12] 31 seconds into the third period Clarke beat Bruins goalie Marco Baron for his 19th goal of the season[24] and his 1000th career point.[12]

Despite his diabetes and hard-nosed play, Clarke proved to be remarkably durable. A broken foot suffered during the 1981–82 season[16] limited him to 62 games, the only time in his career he played fewer than 70 games in a season. No longer an assistant coach, Clarke reassumed the captaincy from Bill Barber during 1982–83. He skated in his 1000th career game on October 23, 1982, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Clarke had his best season since 1977–78, scoring 85 points in 80 games. He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy, given annually to the league's best defensive forward. After the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the third straight season in 1983–84 and the general manager position opened up after Bob McCammon resigned,[25] Clarke retired on May 15, 1984, to become the general manager of the Flyers.[26]

On January 14, 2017, Clarke played in the Flyers' 50th anniversary alumni game against the alumni of the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he combined with his longtime linemates, Bill Barber and Reggie Leach, which ended in a 3–3 tie before a sold-out crowd of over 19,000 at the Wells Fargo Center.[27] Prior to the game Clarke announced that it would be his last alumni game.[28]

Bobby Clarke

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Canada Cup
	1976 Canada	Ice Hockey
World Championships
	1982 Finland	Ice Hockey

Clarke played for Team Canada three times during his career. He played a major role in defeating the Soviet Union during the Summit Series in 1972, captained the Canadian team to gold at the 1976 Canada Cup, and won a bronze medal at the 1982 World Championships. In addition, he led the Flyers to the only outright victory over the Soviet Union's best team, Soviet Red Army, during the 1976 Super Series, and took part in the 1979 Challenge Cup with the NHL All-Stars. After his playing career, he served as one of Canada's four general managers during the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups[18] and served as Canada's lone general manager during the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Following his retirement, Clarke's first stint as Flyers general manager lasted six seasons and included two trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 1985 and 1987. After making the playoffs in each of his first five seasons in the front office, the Flyers fell off during the 1989–90 season and missed the playoffs, resulting in his firing by Flyers President Jay Snider.[35]

Clarke moved on to the Minnesota North Stars[36] and spent two seasons as the North Stars general manager, one of which saw a surprise run to the Final in 1991.[18]

Leaving Minnesota, Clarke returned to Philadelphia to assume the role of Senior Vice President during the 1992–93 season, and served as a mentor for young phenom Eric Lindros during his first season.[18] Clarke moved on shortly after and took the general manager position with the expansion Florida Panthers, a team which set the expansion team record for wins and points during a season in 1993–94. He returned to the role of Flyers general manager prior to the 1994–95 season (Florida was compensated with cash and Philadelphia's second-round draft pick in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft),[37] and he rebuilt the team into a Cup contender. During his second tenure as general manager of the Flyers, the team made the playoffs 11 seasons in a row but reached the Finals once (1997). Following a poor start to the 2006–07 season, Clarke resigned citing a possible burnout and a lack of desire.[38] Clarke returned to the franchise on December 4, 2006, and was named Senior Vice President.[7]

Clarke and his family have been long-time residents of South Jersey. When first playing with the Flyers, Clarke lived in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, later moving to Moorestown and then Haddonfield.[48]

Bobby Clarke remained close friends with NHLPA head Alan Eagleson even after Eagleson was indicted (and subsequently found guilty) of fraud and embezzlement.[49][50]

Clarke and his wife, Sandy, have four children, sons Wade and Lucas and daughters Jody and Jakki. They live in Ocean City, New Jersey.[51]

Clarke prepares for the ceremonial puck drop with Bobby Orr prior to the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.

On November 15, 1984, Bobby Clarke Night was held at the Spectrum.[52] The Flyers retired Clarke's #16 jersey and unveiled the Bobby Clarke Trophy which is awarded annually to the Flyers' Most Valuable Player.[52] Three years later Clarke was a first ballot inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[12] The Flyers created a team Hall of Fame in 1988, and the first two inductees were Clarke and Bernie Parent.[12] He also played in the 2012 Winter Classic Alumni Game at Citizens Bank Park against the New York Rangers alumni.

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 renamed 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.[53]

• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bobby Clarke.

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• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Bobby Clarke's biography at Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
• Bobby Clarke's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• Bobby Clarke’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame
• Bobby Clarke, winner of the Lionel Conacher Award and the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award: Virtual Museum of Canada Exhibit