Former Philadelphia Flyer and Captain of the Broad Street Bullies  Bobby Clarke turns 63 today. Bobby Clarke was one of those players who if he was on your team you loved him if he was on the opponents team you hated him.  During his career he scored 358 goals, 852 assists for a total of 1210 points. He  also accumulated 1453 minutes in penalties. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Flyers.

He was a  center, a playmaker. He had a great work ethic and it wasn’t beyond him[ or any of his teammates} to break the rules if that is what was called for. His most famous incident that is still talked about today was in the famous showdown between Team Canada and the Soviets in The Summit Series. He was the last player to be picked on the team but he ended up playing on the most effective line for Team Canada with Ron Ellis and Paul Henderson who was the hero of the series. He was one of the few Canadian players who reported to camp in shape. In Game 6 with Team Canada on the ropes he slashed the best Soviet player Valeri Kharlamov from behind- a two handed slash that broke Kharlamov’s ankle and although he finished the game was ineffective the rest of the series.

Bobby Clarke led the Flyers to two Stanley Cup Championships in the mid-1970’s. They haven’t won a Stanley Cup in Philly since. Clarke would later be the Flyers General Manager for 19 years.

During his career Clarke won the Hart Trophy for MVP 3 times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. The Hockey News named him as the 24th greatest player of all time.  Bobby Clarke was diagnosed as a teenager with type 1 Diabetes. He played his entire career having to deal with his diabetes which makes his career even more amazing.