Gretzky's Office: Thank Bobby Clarke

Toronto Maple Leafs coaching legend Punch Imlach on a young Wayne Gretzky:

"They told me Gretzky was slow, but it was a lie. He doesn't have end-to-end speed. That's true. But covering, let's say, 20 feet, there's nobody quicker. And that can be enough.

"I've never seen a guy control the puck behind the other team's goal the way he can. He waits and waits until he spots a man in the clear. Now you tell me why a defenseman can't nail him back there or get the puck away from him, or, at worst, spoil the pass. I can't understand it. Maybe he's magic."

He wasn't magic, of course. In fact, he learned it from another hockey superstar. He told the story on, of all places, the late night talk show Conan with Conan O'Brien:

Gretzky, who talked about everything the trade to his appearance on Saturday Night Live, but he also talked about Gretzky's office. Gretzky credited learning the strategy from Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke.

"I had a coach when I was 14 years old that said: 'Go watch this guy Bobby Clarke play and watch how he plays. He's not very big, he's smart, he passes the puck and he plays sort of from the corner and a little bit behind the net,"' Gretzky recalled. "So at the age of 14 I started watching him day in and day out.

"He probably had the most influence on my career as far as learning how to play the game and the style of game that I played. I learned to play behind the net, and when I started doing that, it was so unique. Nobody had ever tried to defend that. And so I was able to really master it and become really good at it, and that was sort of my forte."

Bobby Clarke And His Spittoon

Here is an unexpected find from a Jim Coleman column from December 1979. It's about Bobby Clarke and his chewing tobacco habit. 

"My wife won't let me chew at home, unless I'm out cutting the lawn."

I bet Bobby cut the lawn often.

Here's the Coleman column: 

Hockey History Photo of the Day: Guy Lafleur and Bobby Clarke

Here's an old issue of The Sporting News from 1980 featuring Guy Lafleur and Bobby Clarke.

Photo: Darryl Sittler vs Bobby Clarke

Hockey Card of the Day: Phil Esposito and Bobby Clarke

Phil Esposito & Bobby Clarke Scoring Leaders 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee OPC #3

Hometown Heroes: Bobby Clarke and the Flin Flon Bombers

This is Bobby Clarke's jersey he wore when he led the Flin Flon Bombers in the late 1960s. Clarke was born in the small Manitoba mining city in 1949. He started playing hockey at the age of 8, and went on to become the star of the local hockey team.

Here is a nice history of the Flin Flon Bombers. Did you know Flin Flon got it's name from a fictional character named Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin in the novel The Sunless City by J. E. Preston Muddock? Did you know the Bombers got their name as the result of a name-the-team contest back in the 1930s. And the original exploding B logo was donated by an explosives company.

Other NHLers from Flin Flon include Ken Baird, Ken Baumgartner, Dean Evason, Al Hamilton, Eric Nesterenko, Reid Simpson, and Ernie Wakely. Retirement banners of Ted Hampson, Mel Pearson, Paddy Ginnell, Gerry Hart, Dale Fox and of course Clarke and Reggie Leach hang high in the rafters for all future generations of hockey stars to admire. Yes, the same Reggie Leach who teamed up with Clarke for those great years in Philadelphia in the 1970s.

Flin Flon, located right on the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border, may be best known for mining and Bobby Clarke, but in 2002 the town gained international notoriety for their attempts to broaden their economy. It was announced that a Saskatoon company, with a grant from the Canadian government, would open the national medicinal marijuana plant in the city. Actually, for security reasons, several hundred meters under the city in an abandoned mining drift. The company ceased operations in 2009.

Summit Series Heroes: Bobby Clarke

Twenty two year old Bobby Clarke launched his career into the superstar stratosphere in these 8 games in September of 1972. Which may have been a surprise to some, as he was the last player to make the team.

The Philadelphia Flyer's infamous yet voracious leader made the team loaded with center icemen thanks largely to a great gelling with linemates Paul Henderson and Ron Ellis. Right from early on in the series, this surprising trio emerged as Canada's best line. Clarke is quick to credit the trio's status as borderline players as to whether or not they would make the team as their biggest advantage, as they took the training and preparations more seriously than many of the superstars who were all but guaranteed a spot on Team Canada.

Clarke earned the respect of many in the series for his determined play, his near-flawless faceoff ability and his solid two-way play.

"There were guys on Team Canada who took their game to new heights in that series. A perfect example would be Bobby Clarke," stated Wayne Cashman.

Paul Henderson, who benefited greatly from playing with Clarke, admired him greatly.

"Bobby Clarke turned out to be one of the most dedicated hockey players that ever played the game. The best thing that could have happened to Ronnie (linemate Ron Ellis) and me was to get this young kid making plays for us. He was terrific!" Henderson enthusiastically stated.

The "Flin Flon Bomber" also earned the despise of many  as he is of course remembered for a vicious two handed slash on Soviet superstar Valeri Kharlamov's sore ankle, which caused him to miss the final game. Many have chastised Clarke for his dirty actions. It is a bit of a trademark image for Clarke, who was known as a gritty but sometimes dirty player who would do whatever it took for his team to win.

Clarke was once asked by famous hockey journalist Dick Beddoes about the slash. Clarke, in typical fashion, downplayed the "tap on his sore ankle" as a part of hockey. "If I hadn't learned to to lay on a two-hander once in a while, I'd never have left Flin Flon."

"Team Canada '72 is right at the very top of my hockey life. I always considered winning the Stanley Cup more important, but certainly, they're close to being equal," Clarke stated in Brian McFarlane's excellent book: Team Canada 1972 Where Are They Now?

Bobby Clarke: All Hart

In 1973 Bobby Clarke was named as the league's most valuable player. In this photo below, none other than Rocket Richard gives Clarke the Hart Memorial Trophy as his reward.

Clarke would win the Hart trophy again, and again. In 1975 and in 1976. But he was kind enough to let others look at the Hart Trophy. Below he shows it off to Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr. Nice bow ties, boys.

Clarke outdistanced the two Bruins to win 1973. In 1974 Clarke finished 4th in balloting, behind the same two Bruins and Flyers teammate Bernie Parent. In '75 Clarke edged out LA's Rogie Vachon to regain the title. And in '76 Clarke won in a landslide, easily outdistancing runner up Denis Potvin of the Islanders.

By the way, Clarke finished second in balloting in 1977, too. Guy Lafleur won that year.

Clarke's take on his MVP status?

I played the way I thought was right. My motto was: "Give everything to the team". To some extent, my individual trophies are a result of playing for a very good team. For me it was very important to realize that I was a team player, one of the guys; on the ice, in a fight, and after the game when we went out for a beer with the rest of the guys.

Bobby Clarke: Choir Boy

If I did not tell you this was Bobby Clarke, you would never believe me:

It's a photo of Bobby Clarke at the 1971 NHL All Star Game. He's looking awfully clean cut in that photo, but he looks like some teen heart throb in this following photo. He even has teeth still:

The notorious Philadelphia Flyers bad boy is much better remembered for this look:

Those Were The Days: King Clancy

King Clancy talked about the 1935 Stanley Cup finals, as well as sharing his impression on hockey in the 1970s, in the book The Stanley Cup by John Devaney and Burt Goldblatt:

"The two teams were pretty evenly matched in that 1935 series. The difference was in the goaltending. The star of the series was Alec Connell for the Maroons in the nets. He was sensational. I used to play with him when we won the Stanley Cup at Ottawa in 1927. The only thing about Connell, you could sometimes knock in a rebound against him. My job at Ottawa was to get that puck out of there, clear those rebounds, and I think that's how I scored my only goal of that series - on a rebound.

"In those days most goals were scored from close up. It was a positional game, and most every play ended up in front of the nets. In my Stanley Cup days I can't remember many of those long shots going in, as they do nowadays. You didn't see so many of those ricochet shots going in off somebody's skate. The scores were 1-0 and 2-1 affairs, none of these 5-4 and 7-6 things. Those ricochet shots make it tougher on the goalkeepers today.

"But the game today is much more exciting, gosh, yes! And don't let anybody tell you that the players of today aren't as good - they're probably better - than the hockey players of the old days. You wouldn't get a better checker than Bobby Clarke of that Philadelphia club. In those Stanley Cup finals in 1974, the Philadelphia club was the hardest working hockey club I have ever seen in my life - from goalkeeper on out.

"And I have never seen any hockey player the equal of the Bruins' Bobby Orr."

Who Is This Kid?

Believe it or not, this is Bobby Clarke!

Greatest Photos In Hockey History #18 - Bobby Clarke's Toothless Grin

It is a very stereotyped but strangely endearing image of hockey - missing teeth.

Perhaps no photo better captures this unique hockey sentiment than Bobby Clarke's toothless grin.

Full Bobby Clarke Biography

1974: Broad Street Bullies Are First Expansion Champions

The year is 1974. It has been six years since the National Hockey League doubled in size from six to twelve teams. No expansion team had ever won the Stanley Cup. Until now.

The Philadelphia Flyers were the talk of hockey, with their aggressive and downright dirty tactics earning the label "Broad Street Bullies." But in the spring of 1974 they would fend off the favored Boston Bruins and earn another eternal label - Stanley Cup champion.

The Flyers are led by superstar center Bobby Clarke, a face off and defensive wizard but more importantly the heart and soul of the Flyers. Rick MacLeish be the offensive dynamo, leading all scorers with 22 points. But it was goaltender Bernie Parent who was the essential key to the championship. With a playoffs best 2.02 GAA, 2 shutouts and 12 wins, Parent was the obvious recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Flyers also had an unlikely secret weapon from which they drew strength, or at least luck. Kate Smith warbled her way into hockey history by singing "God Bless America" in place of "The Star Spangled Banner." Much to the delight of the Philadelphia faithful, Smith became the Flyers good luck charm. FlyersHistory.net lists game by game results when Smith's trademark song was either played or performed live. Her record 74-20-3, including the 2007-08 season.

For the Bruins and their star Bobby Orr, it was the second time in the last three years that they were upset in a year when they should have won the Stanley Cup.

Bobby Clarke: Lindros Should Be In Hall of Fame

Eric Lindros is set to announce his retirement on Thursday. That is no surprise, as injuries have decimated his career and he has not actively sought on ice employment this season.

With his career now over, it is also no surprise that the Hall of Fame debate has begun in earnest. Should he be included? It's a fitting time, given that it is Hall of Fame weekend up coming, although The Big E will have to wait until 2010 before he is eligible to be enshrined.

It is also no surprise that a lot of fans don't think he should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. TSN.ca's poll suggests 75% of fans don't think Lindros is deserving. Fans love to hate Lindros.

What is surprising is that one of Eric Lindros' biggest detractors has publicly joined the yes campaign. Bobby Clarke, the ultimate Philadelphia Flyer and long time general manager feuded with Lindros for a long, long time. But when TSN's James Duthie asked him whether Lindros should be in the Hall of Fame, Clarke said yes, calling him the dominant player of his time and even going as far as to compare him with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

"I believe he should be in," said Clarke. "This was the first big, powerful, dominant forward with the skill, not (Wayne) Gretzky or (Mario) Lemieux, but close."

"He won MVP, he was an All-Star, he went to the Stanley Cup final. If you eliminate the crap that circled him, he is easily a Hall of Fame hockey player," said Clarke.

"The last few years were really tough but prior to that Eric was just a player playing hockey," explained Clarke. "Had his parents left him alone I don't know what this kid could have done because he could really play."

Video of Clarke's thoughts are available here.

For what it is worth, I too think Eric Lindros deserves to be included in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I explain it in my Eric Lindros profile from last week.

Look, I don't expect you to like Eric Lindros. It is not the easiest thing to do. He dug his own hole, taking unpopular stances about dictating where he was going to play. He's guarded, moody, abrupt and has no visibly likable personality, and he pissed off a lot of fans and a lot of hockey people along the way.

But if you're capable of removing the soap opera off ice stuff that surrounded him, the injuries and your personal dislike of him, you have to give the guy his due. Hey if Bobby Clarke can, you can too.

Here's a nice little YouTube tribute. It appears to originate from one of Don Cherry's Rock 'em, Sock 'em videos.