Bobby Clarke

Bobby Clarke was a Canadian centre who captained the Philadelphia Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975 and won three Hart Trophies despite playing with type 1 diabetes.

Robert Earle Clarke was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba in 1949. He was told by multiple teams that his juvenile diabetes — diagnosed at 15 — made him too great an insurance risk to draft. Philadelphia Flyers selected him 17th overall in the 1969 NHL Draft. His 15-season career produced 358 goals and 852 assists for 1,210 career points. He won three Hart Trophies as MVP (1973, 1975, 1976) — the most by a player from a non-Original Six franchise at that time. He won two Stanley Cup championships with Philadelphia (1974, 1975). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. He was the captain and emotional core of the Broad Street Bullies — a team that combined elite talent with systematic physical intimidation. His deliberate slash of Valeri Kharlamov's ankle during the 1972 Summit Series — breaking it and removing the Soviet Union's best player from the series — remains one of hockey's most discussed acts of calculated violence. He became general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers after his career.

Clarke was renowned for his exceptional leadership, hockey intelligence, and relentless work ethic on both ends of the ice. He combined excellent playmaking ability with aggressive forechecking and was particularly effective in face-offs and penalty situations. Despite being undersized, he played with tremendous heart and was willing to do whatever it took to win.

Clarke revolutionized the captain's role in hockey and proved that leadership and determination could overcome physical limitations. He remains the standard for what it means to be a complete two-way center in the NHL.

• Stanley Cup champion (1974, 1975)
• Hart Trophy (1973,1975,1976)
• Selke Trophy (1983)
• Hockey Hall of Fame (1987)