Bobby Clarke

**Bobby Clarke** (born Robert Earle Clarke on August 13, 1949 in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Clarke was drafted 17th overall by the Flyers in the 1969 NHL Entry Draft where he won two Stanley Cups with the team in 1974 and 1975.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

Bobby began playing organized hockey when he was eight years old. Around the time he was 12 or 13 years old, he learned that 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 that Bobby would never be able to play in the NHL because of his diabetes.

Bombers coach Pat Ginnell took him to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota following the 1967–68 season and the doctors concluded that as long as Bobby 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, Bobby 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, player who retired five years later (and ironically, never played a game in the NHL).

Melnyk called a diabetes specialist in Philadelphia who said that Bobby would be fine if he looked after his health. He then successfully convinced Poile to draft him when the Flyers second-round pick came around.

The Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens immediately offered the Flyers a deal for Bobby, Detroit offering two veteran players and Montreal offering a deal "Flyers management could hardly refuse." The Flyers refused both offers and made it clear that he was not for sale.

### Professional

Wearing #16, Bobby made his NHL debut on October 11, 1969, against the Minnesota North Stars. He recorded his first point on October 22, 1969 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, an assist on Lew Morrison's 3rd period goal. He scored his first goal on October 30 against the New York Rangers, beating Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin 16:36 into the 3rd period.

He 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. He was also named NHL "Rookie of the Year" by The Sporting News and finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

Bobby 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 he was held scoreless in his first playoff action and the Flyers lost in four games to the Chicago Black Hawks.

A tooth abscess was the cause of Bobby's slow start to the 1971–72 season; twenty pounds underweight, he 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, 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. The Flyers re-signed Bobby to a five-year contract worth $100,000 per season, a raise of $75,000 per season.

A few months following his strong play during the Summit Series for Team Canada, Bobby was named the Flyers' captain at age 23, the youngest to ever assume that role in NHL history at the time.

As the leader of the brawling Broad Street Bullies, he 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 Bobby received a scare, as he 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, he 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 Bobby 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.

His production fell to 87 points in 77 games during the 1973–74 regular season, but Bobby's 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, Bobby scored arguably the biggest goal of his career in overtime of Game 2, putting a rebound shot in over Bruins goaltender Gilles Gilbert. The Flyers won three of the next four games and became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup.

He 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 Bobby and Orr that sent both players to the penalty box

At the time, Bobby set the NHL record for the most assists by a centreman with 89 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, he was awarded the Hart Trophy for the second time, while being voted to the league's First All-Star Team.

The 1975–76 season was a record breaking season for Bobby. Playing on the LCB line with Reggie Leach & Bill Barber, the trio set a record for most goals by a line with 141. 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).

He also led the league in plus-minus rating with a plus 83. Without Parent, the Flyers and Rick MacLeish made their third straight Finals appearance; however, Montreal coach Scotty Bowman's strategy successful prevented Bobby's line from scoring and the Flyers were swept in four straight games.

Bobby was awarded his third Hart Trophy and named to the NHL First All-Star team. His production would drop off over the next few seasons; in fact, his point total fell six seasons in a row. Despite that, the Flyers remained contenders, reaching the semifinals and losing to Boston in 1976–77 and 1977–78.

After a quarterfinal loss to the Rangers in 1978–79, Bobby was named an assistant coach; in order to become an assistant, he had to give up the captaincy due to NHL rules, 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. The Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the New York Islanders in six games.

During the playoffs, Bobby scored 8 goals and assisted on 12 others in 19 games, all 8 goals coming on the power play. Following the playoffs, he was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy along with Flyers owner Ed Snider and former Flyers coach Fred Shero.

Bobby wore the number 16 throughout his entire NHL career except for two games during the 1980–81 season. Prior to a road game on February 27, 1981, his jersey was stolen and we wore the only other jersey available, number 36 in the next two games.

A month later, he hit a personal milestone in memorable fashion. On March 19th during a game against the Boston Bruins, a [[[Reggie Leach]] slapshot struck Bobby.

After leaving the ice, he re-appeared moments later stitched up and with his jersey covered in blood. Thirty-one seconds into the third period, he beat Bruins goalie Marco Baron for his 19th goal of the season and his 1000th career point.

Despite his diabetes and hard-nosed play, Bobby proved to be remarkably durable. A broken foot suffered during the 1981–82 season limited him to 62 games, making it the only time in his career he played fewer than 70 games in a season.

No longer an assistant coach, he reassumed the captaincy from Bill Barber during the 1982–83 season. Bobby skated in his 1000th career game on October 23, 1982, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He 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, Bobby retired on May 15, 1984 to become the general manager of the Flyers

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

## NHL Management Career

Following Bobby's retirement, his 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. Bobby moved on to the Minnesota North Stars and spent two seasons as the North Stars general manager, one of which saw a surprise run to the Final in 1991.

After leaving Minnesota, he 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.

Bobby 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) 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 (in 1997).

Following a poor start to the 2006–07 season, Bobby resigned citing a possible burnout and a lack of desire. He returned to the franchise on December 4, 2006, and was named Senior Vice President.

### Controversy and criticism

Bobby failed to win a Stanley Cup over the 22 seasons he was a general manager with Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Florida.

During his 19 seasons as Flyers manager over two stints, the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup finals three times and amassed a regular season record of 714–443–199, but for one reason or another, they always came up short of a Cup title.

His Flyers in 1985 and 1987 were considered underdogs to the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers, as were his North Stars to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991. During his second tenure as Flyers manager, the team lost in the postseason, frequently to lower-seeded teams.

While goaltending was a strength during his first tenure with two Vezina Trophy winners between the pipes (Pelle Lindbergh and Ron Hextall), only Hextall in 1995, a combination of Hextall & Garth Snow in 1997, Brian Boucher in 2000 and Robert Esche in 2004 got the Flyers past the second round of the playoffs during his second stint.

By contrast, the New Jersey Devils (their Atlantic Division rivals) were stable in net with Martin Brodeur and beat the Flyers in the Conference Finals en route to Stanley Cups in 1995 and 2000.

Bobby received his harshest criticism after first round playoff exits, including a string of four in five years from 1998 to 2002 and several coaching changes.

After Terry Murray was fired following the team's sweep in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals (some suggested that Murray lost the players' respect by describing the 6-1 loss in game three as a "choking situation"), five more coaching changes were made in the next five years. Wayne Cashman, Murray's replacement, was replaced three-quarters of the way through the 1997–98, by Roger Neilson due to inconsistent team play.

Some suggested Bobby's handling of Neilson, who took a medical leave in February 2000 to undergo cancer treatment and was replaced by Craig Ramsay, was disrespectful. He explained "The Neilson situation - Roger got cancer - that wasn't our fault. We didn't tell him to go get cancer. It's too bad that he did. We feel sorry for him, but then he went goofy on us."

Ramsay guided the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000, but was fired after a subpar start in 2000-01, being replaced by Bobby's former linemate Bill Barber.

Barber was named coach of the year for the 2000-01 season; however under his watch, the Flyers suffered two consecutive first round eliminations as their 2001 playoffs ended with an 8-0 defeat to Buffalo in Game Six, and their offense was held to just two goals by Ottawa during the 2002 playoffs; this led to calls for Bobby's dismissal after he fired Barber.

He hired Ken Hitchcock as head coach for the 2002-03 season and Hitchcock remained until Bobby's resignation four years later, guiding the team to the 2004 conference finals.

Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he signed 6'5" defencemen Derian Hatcher & Mike Rathje to four-year and five-year contracts respectively.

While the moves were initially praised and even led some to label the Flyers Cup favorites in the 2005–06 season, some suggested that Bobby could not compete in the new NHL after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Buffalo, a smaller, quicker team that proved to be effective against such slower defencemen as Hatcher and Rathje.

Such criticisms became louder after a poor start to the following season which led to Bobby's resignation.

### Eric Lindros

Nothing was more controversial during Bobby's time as a general manager than his dispute with Eric Lindros and his parents, particularly his father Carl who was Eric's agent.

The trouble began following the 1997–98 season while negotiating a new contract for Lindros. Bobby threatened to trade him, saying, "If you want to be the highest-paid player in the game or close to it, you've got to play that way."

While Lindros was not traded and he played well during the 1998–99 season, his season was cut short after he sustained a collapsed lung during a game on April 1, 1999 against the Nashville Predators.

Lindros' parents criticized team trainer John Worley, claiming that Bobby tried to kill their son by trying to put him on a plane back to Philadelphia, which would have been fatal given his condition. After Lindros criticized Worley in March 2000 for failing to diagnose a concussion, (his second of the season), he stripped Lindros of the role of team captain.

A few weeks after suffering a third concussion during practice, Lindros returned to the Flyers lineup for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals and sustained his fourth concussion of the season (his sixth in 27 months) during Game 7.

Afterwards, Bobby said he did not dislike Lindros, but he had a problem with his parents, saying, "If he's going to come back, he can't have his dad calling us and telling us who to trade for and who he wants to play with Eric and who can't play with Eric."

Lindros never played for the Flyers again, as he rejected the Flyers qualifying offer in the off-season and sat out the 2000–01 season. He pushed for a trade to Toronto but that move fell apart at last minute when Clarke and Leafs manager Pat Quinn were unable to agree on terms.

Bobby finally traded Lindros to the New York Rangers in August 2001. Following the trade, he said, "I don't give a crap whether he ever plays again or if I ever see him again. All he ever did was cause aggravation to our team."

Upon Lindros' retirement in November 2007, Bobby stated that he belonged in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He and Lindros both played for the Philadelphia Flyers Alumni during the 2012 Winter Classic Alumni Game on December 31, 2011. The opposing team was the New York Rangers Alumni. Both men acknowledged the game as an opportunity to mend fences.

## International Play

Bobby 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, Bobby served as one of Canada's four general managers during the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups and served as Canada's lone general manager during the 1998 Winter Olympics.

### Nagano Olympics

Named general manager of Team Canada on January 30, 1997, Bobby was tasked with picking which NHLers would compete for Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the first time NHLers would compete in the Olympics.

A few of his choices were the source of some consternation, in particular omitting Mark Messier in favour of surprise selection Rob Zamuner and choosing 24-year-old Eric Lindros as the team's captain over the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Ray Bourque and Steve Yzerman.

Ranked number one going into the tournament, Team Canada played strongly until being stymied by Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek in the semifinals, losing in a shootout. They then lost 3–2 to Finland in the bronze medal match.

## Personal Life

Bobby and his wife, Sandy have four children: sons Wade & Lucas, and daughters Jody & Jakki. They reside in Ocean City, New Jersey. He and his family have been long-time residents of South Jersey. When he first started playing for the Flyers, he lived in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, later moving to Moorestown and then Haddonfield.

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

As a Canadian citizen, Bobby was putting himself at risk for associating with Eagleson, who was fighting extradition to the United States so as to not face charges. He was warned by top NHL officials, but he continued to associate with Eagleson.

When Clarke invites Eagleson to games, he would ask that the television cameras in Maple Leaf Gardens not show him and Eagleson sitting together in the press box because he knew that he’d get in trouble for it.