Bobby Clarke

Lore & Background

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, 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. 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.

Clarke made his NHL debut on October 11, 1969, against the Minnesota North Stars. He played the entire 76-game schedule his rookie season and recorded 46 points while earning a trip to the NHL All-Star Game. He was named the Flyers' 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. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy three times and the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1983. Clarke set the NHL record, at the time, for most assists by a centreman with 89 during the 1974–75 season.

Reader's Guide

Clarke's significance lies in his role as the captain and driving force behind the Philadelphia Flyers' back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975, making the Flyers the first expansion team to win the Cup. He is acknowledged by some as being one of the greatest hockey players and captains of all time. His three Hart Memorial Trophies as league MVP and the Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in 1983 demonstrate his two-way excellence. Clarke was rated number 24 on The Hockey News' list of The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time in 1998 and was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history in 2017. After retiring, he spent 19 of the following 23 seasons as general manager of the Flyers, reaching the Stanley Cup Final three times with Philadelphia and once with the Minnesota North Stars. 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.

From Flin Flon to the Flyers: Overcoming Diabetes

Born in the small northern Manitoba mining town of Flin Flon, Robert Earle Clarke first played organized hockey at age eight. By his early teens, a type 1 diabetes diagnosis loomed over his future. Yet he still became a top junior prospect with the Flin Flon Bombers, leading his league in scoring during his final three seasons. NHL front offices, however, remained deeply skeptical that a diabetic could handle professional hockey. His coach, Pat Ginnell, arranged a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota after the 1967–68 season. The doctors concluded Clarke could compete at the highest level if he managed his condition, and Ginnell secured a written statement to show visiting scouts. Even with that clearance, Clarke fell to the second round of the 1969 draft, picked 17th overall by Philadelphia. Flyers scout Gerry Melnyk had initially failed to convince general manager Bud Poile to use a first-round pick on him, but after consulting a local diabetes specialist, Melnyk persuaded Poile to select Clarke in the second round. Detroit and Montreal both immediately offered trades for the young centre, but Philadelphia flatly refused, making clear Clarke was not for sale.

The Broad Street Bullies and a Captain's Crown

Clarke made his NHL debut on October 11, 1969, against the Minnesota North Stars, and within three weeks he had recorded both his first assist and first goal. His rookie campaign produced 46 points and an All-Star selection, while The Sporting News named him Rookie of the Year. A tooth abscess and a 20-pound weight loss derailed his 1971–72 season early, but a furious second-half surge earned him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the first major NHL award ever won by a Flyer. Following a standout showing for Team Canada in the Summit Series, the 23-year-old was named Flyers captain, the youngest to hold that role in NHL history at the time. Leading the gritty Broad Street Bullies, Clarke became the first expansion-team player to surpass 100 points in a single season. In the 1974 playoffs, a stick broke his contact lens and scratched his cornea during a first-round game against Minnesota; after surgeons removed fragments from under his eye, he returned the next night. That same postseason, he scored the overtime winner in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against Boston, a moment many consider the defining play of his career.

A Career of Consistency and Hardware

Clarke spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, a loyalty that set him apart in a league defined by frequent trades. Over 1,144 games he tallied 358 goals and 852 assists for 1,210 points, recording three 100-point seasons and leading the league in assists on two occasions. He was selected to nine All-Star Games and collected the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1983 as the league's top two-way forward. His three Hart Memorial Trophies as league MVP underscored his dominance across the 1970s and early 1980s. Clarke served as Flyers captain from 1973 to 1979 and again from 1982 to 1984, guiding the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987, he was ranked 24th on The Hockey News' all-time top 100 list in 1998 and named among the NHL's 100 greatest players in 2017. Many observers regard him as one of the finest players and captains the sport has ever produced.

From Captain to Front Office

Upon retiring at the close of the 1983–84 season, Clarke immediately assumed the role of Flyers general manager, a position he held for 19 of the next 23 seasons. During that stretch he also briefly served as GM of the Minnesota North Stars and the Florida Panthers. Under his leadership the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final three times, and Minnesota made the Cup Final once as well. His tenure was not without turbulence; the most prominent controversy involved a prolonged rift with star forward Eric Lindros during the late 1990s and early 2000s, a dispute that became one of the most talked-about player-management conflicts in NHL history. Clarke ultimately resigned as general manager less than a month into the 2006–07 campaign. He has since remained with the organization as the Flyers' senior vice president, continuing his decades-long association with the franchise that drafted him out of Flin Flon and made him a household name in professional hockey.