Hanging out with Rinaldo.
- MJL

how was your evening cliff? any thoughts on how you think hextall is doing in pitt so far? how would you grade is performance so far

What a cowardly. No wonder this franchise os the way that it is right now with him calling the shots. I've never been more disappointed in a childhood favorite player then I am right now. I'm speechless...and disappointed. What a coward
- Bob Habib

If Clarkie had fought every single one of his own battles, he would have spent half the season in the box, the other half injured, and the Flyers would have never won any Stanley Cups.

He was competitive, not idiotic.

Plus if he drops the gloves or whatever then he becomes a Malkin, superstar taking himself off the ice in a close game over stupid poop.
- Tomahawk

That’s quite a stretch. First off, it wasn’t a close game, he engaged with TK, and he had a foot and 50 pounds on a guy. If there was ever a time to send a message to your team this was it. G, Crosby, Ovie, Mackinnon, all of these guys have dropped the gloves. No one likes a Nancy.

Clarke was famous for it. Slash someone from behind and then let Dave Schultz handle it. If anyone even tried to breath on Clarke , they got pummeled
- MJL

He was more of a Richard than a coward. I always thought he was just trying to get away with anything he could without the refs seeing him. He was too valuable to sit in the box. If anyone came near him there’d be 4 other flyers ready to pummel them. I vaguely remember an embarrassingly silly fight between him and Orr once.

That’s quite a stretch. First off, it wasn’t a close game, he engaged with TK, and he had a foot and 50 pounds on a guy. If there was ever a time to send a message to your team this was it. G, Crosby, Ovie, Mackinnon, all of these guys have dropped the gloves. No one likes a Nancy.
- ClaudeFather

I’m fine with him keeping his gloves on….but don’t stand there with a stupid smirk on your face and let others fight your battles. At 6,3 235 pounds… All he had to do was pair up. You are also correct , everyone of those guys you mentioned would have done at least that. As far as what Clarke did or didn’t do he never in a million years would have stood there smirking while others fought for him….he would have been spearing some one in the chops. Yes Clarke seldom had to fight, but he always went looking for the physical engagement….anyone suggesting other wise obviously never saw Clarke play.

He was more of a Richard than a coward. I always thought he was just trying to get away with anything he could without the refs seeing him. He was too valuable to sit in the box. If anyone came near him there’d be 4 other flyers ready to pummel them. I vaguely remember an embarrassingly silly fight between him and Orr once.
- Dkos

Clarke was more then just an instigator ( Richard) he was a coward. He routinely would slash..start fights and quickly run to the bench and leave it up to Schultz..Kelly..Saleski or whoever to fight the battle he started. Courageous player as he played thru diabetes..great player...but a coward

I’m fine with him keeping his gloves on….but don’t stand there with a stupid smirk on your face and let others fight your battles. At 6,3 235 pounds… All he had to do was pair up. You are also correct , everyone of those guys you mentioned would have done at least that. As far as what Clarke did or didn’t do he never in a million years would have stood there smirking while others fought for him….he would have been spearing some one in the chops. Yes Clarke seldom had to fight, but he always went looking for the physical engagement….anyone suggesting other wise obviously never saw Clarke play.
- landros 2

Clarke wouldnt stand there smirking he would either skate off to the bench or stand there watching knowing the big boys would take care of the battle he started. He would spear..cross check from behind ..slash and run away if someone came near him and I saw almost every game he played. Clarke was one of the dirtiest players on the ice who would hardly ever fight the battle that he started

Clarke was more then just an instigator ( Richard) he was a coward. He routinely would slash..start fights and quickly run to the bench and leave it up to Schultz..Kelly..Saleski or whoever to fight the battle he started. Courageous player as he played thru diabetes..great player...but a coward
- hfc355

Guess it depends on your perspective. I see him as a guy who did whatever it took to win.

I’m fine with him keeping his gloves on….but don’t stand there with a stupid smirk on your face and let others fight your battles. At 6,3 235 pounds… All he had to do was pair up. You are also correct , everyone of those guys you mentioned would have done at least that. As far as what Clarke did or didn’t do he never in a million years would have stood there smirking while others fought for him….he would have been spearing some one in the chops. Yes Clarke seldom had to fight, but he always went looking for the physical engagement….anyone suggesting other wise obviously never saw Clarke play.
- landros 2

There’s also a pile of guys and Matthews is looking down at the ice, go Franking pull a guy out of there. His entire demeanor was embarrassing

What a cowardly. No wonder this franchise os the way that it is right now with him calling the shots. I've never been more disappointed in a childhood favorite player then I am right now. I'm speechless...and disappointed. What a coward
- Bob Habib

I wouldn't call him a coward just an agitator. He played hard in all facets of the game and didn't back down from anyone.

I wouldn't call him a coward just an agitator. He played hard in all facets of the game and didn't back down from anyone.
- MJL

Yes he was an agitator but he ran from the fights that he started or instigated. To me that's a coward. Yes he played hard 100% of the time and was a winner

Clarke wouldnt stand there smirking he would either skate off to the bench or stand there watching knowing the big boys would take care of the battle he started. He would spear..cross check from behind ..slash and run away if someone came near him and I saw almost every game he played. Clarke was one of the dirtiest players on the ice who would hardly ever fight the battle that he started
- hfc355

No actually Clarke would engage almost every time. True he rarely dropped his gloves, but he never ran the other way….lol. He was one of the dirtiest guys ever….and yes I also saw a lot of his games. In the 70’s that was hockey. There were guys that specifically were in the lineup to protect their teams stars and handle that part of it. They did the fighting, and almost by reputation alone, opponents choose not to engage Clarke for that reason alone. Much of Clarke’s action were by design. Other teams were more worried about what he was getting away with then actually focusing on the game itself.

There’s also a pile of guys and Matthews is looking down at the ice, go Franking pull a guy out of there. His entire demeanor was embarrassing
- ClaudeFather

And that’s my point. With his previous hand injury, I can see why he kept his gloves on. But you have to keep the numbers even.

Clarke was more then just an instigator ( Richard) he was a coward. He routinely would slash..start fights and quickly run to the bench and leave it up to Schultz..Kelly..Saleski or whoever to fight the battle he started. Courageous player as he played thru diabetes..great player...but a coward
- hfc355

If Clarke had not been willing to engage in that stuff I could get your argument about being a coward….he not only engaged in all that stuff, he went looking for it and instigated it. Yes other did the fighting for him…that wasn’t his role.

Looks like a guy who deserved to get waived.
- Tomahawk

Can't skate. The only time his sniping will materialize is if they do an accuracy contest.

Yes he was an agitator but he ran from the fights that he started or instigated. To me that's a coward. Yes he played hard 100% of the time and was a winner
- hfc355

You can't call a player who played the way he did a coward. He did not back down from anyone. Everything he did was to try and win. Try to get the other team frustrated and off their focus. He knew he couldn't spend a bunch of time in the box

Clarke was 5'10". Officially. When I met him he wasn't that tall.
He was one of the smallest players on the ice and he was never stout.

He would have been killed in fisticuff confrontations. Recall that EVERY team had pummeling specialists. KILLED would have been those outcomes.
Your MVP, both team and league, also needs to be intelligent enough to know his limitations.
While not frail, his diabetic condition may have precluded him from quickly healing, if ripped up.
The team knew this and precautionary measures were taken.

As to his Richardishness, oh yeah, lots of that.

If Clarkie had fought every single one of his own battles, he would have spent half the season in the box, the other half injured, and the Flyers would have never won any Stanley Cups.

He was competitive, not idiotic.
- Tomahawk

Exactly. It’s how the game was played then.
If you went after Orr, the Bruins would jump you, same with Perrault in Buffalo, Lafleur in Montreal, Dionne in LA; it was normal back in that era. No sane coach wanted his star players fighting, that’s what 3rd and 4th line forwards were for.

Exactly. It’s how the game was played then.
If you went after Orr, the Bruins would jump you, same with Perrault in Buffalo, Lafleur in Montreal, Dionne in LA; it was normal back in that era. No sane coach wanted his star players fighting, that’s what 3rd and 4th line forwards were for.
- BiggE

The difference was guys like Lafleur. Dionne..Perrault didn't instigate fights and then run from them. Yes they were protected if someone came after them but they rarely provoked or instigated things. Clarke would instigate and run.

Rocket Richard, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Bobby Clarke; most star players in the 50s, 60s, and 70s were nasty as all F when it came to slashing, elbows and high sticks. They had to be because that’s how the game was played back then. While a guy like Howe would fight (though not nearly as often as many think), Gordie was 6’1 205 and as strong as an ox in era where the average player was 5’10 185.

Criticizing the actions of a player from the 70s by today’s standards is just silly. It was a different era and a much different game.

Ever watch Bobby Clarke play?? He started more fights and ran away from more fights than Matthew's ever will.
- hfc355

I watched Clarke’s entire career. To compare him with Matthews is absurd. He fought tons of his own battles. He had 33 fighting majors in his career. I think Matthews, who is 35 lbs heavier, has about 3. Sure the big guys protected Clarke. That was their role in a much much more violent era. But when they did you never saw Clarke laughing at his opponent while lying on the ice. That’s the point about Matthews. That’s a coward.

The difference was guys like Lafleur. Dionne..Perrault didn't instigate fights and then run from them. Yes they were protected if someone came after them but they rarely provoked or instigated things. Clarke would instigate and run.
- hfc355

Lots of star players instigate back then and then let the fighters do the dirty work. Phil Esposito was notorious for and, unlike Clarke, he was one of the biggest players in the league.

Clarke infuriated opponents and often got them off their game. But please, he didn’t win 3 Hart trophies because he was a coward. Clarke took all kinds of physical abuse around the opponents net and in the corners. He was far from a coward. What he was, in fact, was a smart player who played to win and outworked everyone else on the ice. Ask yourself this: would Clarke’s teammates or coach Shero want him fighting his own battles? No, absolutely not.

If you don’t believe me, ask Clarke’s teammates. I’ve never heard any of them call Clarke a coward or criticize the way he played the game. Clarke might be infuriating as an exec, and lord knows, he shouldn’t be involved in running the team in any way these days, but to criticize him as a player is just ridiculous.

Lots of star players instigate back then and then let the fighters do the dirty work. Phil Esposito was notorious for and, unlike Clarke, he was one of the biggest players in the league.

Clarke infuriated opponents and often got them off their game. But please, he didn’t win 3 Hart trophies because he was a coward. Clarke took all kinds of physical abuse around the opponents net and in the corners. He was far from a coward. What he was, in fact, was a smart player who played to win and outworked everyone else on the ice. Ask yourself this: would Clarke’s teammates or coach Shero want him fighting his own battles? No, absolutely not.

If you don’t believe me, ask Clarke’s teammates. I’ve never heard any of them call Clarke a coward or criticize the way he played the game. Clarke might be infuriating as an exec, and lord knows, he shouldn’t be involved in running the team in any way these days, but to criticize him as a player is just ridiculous.
- BiggE

I think the best way to sum it up is if Clarke thought that him fighting was the best thing for his team to win. He'd have fought every single game.

I think the best way to sum it up is if Clarke thought that him fighting was the best thing for his team to win. He'd have fought every single game.
- MJL

Yup, spot on

Thoughts on Bellows so far?
- 2Real

He is behind the play a lot, not a good skater and doesn't generate much offense. I don't expect him to be a NHL player.