Wendel Clark Tribute Night

[mrusse01 0]

With #17 going up the rafters at the ACC tonight, I just wanted to share a couple links that I think everybody as hockey fans on here will enjoy.

'All Heart'

Probably one of the best things on YouTube. If you haven't seen this yet, take a minute and watch it, you won't regret it. If you have seen it, well, watch it again.

Down Goes Brown

A great blog that follows the Leafs, counting down his favourite Wendel moments, goes into detail on several great stories, an all around fantastic read.

One thing you can be sure of, we'll never see another Wendel Clark type player in the NHL, a true legend....and I think it speaks to his popularity that on the night when Montreal retired the number of probably the best goalie in NHL history, the ovation in the usually staid ACC was much louder for Wendel than the one Roy got in Montreal.

[Rustpot 1]

Not to say he was a bad player, but that 'All Heart' video was HORRIBLE. That is exactly why everyone thinks hockey is all about fighting and big hits, and why beer leagues are full of goons ready to drop the gloves and break their hands on some guys bucket and face.

I especially like the part with Clark straddling a guy who has his gloves on and Clark pummeling his head into the ice.

The video makes him look like a fighter and a big hit player who happened to score a goal or two when he wasn't headhunting or in the box/ejected.

Frankly I'm glad we don't have that sort of thing in the league anymore. That video had more sucker punches and poor fighting etiquette by today's standards than I've seen in a while.

[team50 20]

The video should have shown more of his goals. I was watching Leafs TV the other day and they were showing game 7 against the Sharks from the 1993 playoffs. Clarke scored the first goal on an unbelievable wrist shot to beat Irbe. I'm glad the tribute video showed the goal against the Kings. As Chris Farley used to say, "that was awesome."

[kosydar 0]

In watching it last night, it really made me wish I was older so I could have appreciated him (and Dougie) more. The sad thing is, I don't know if we'll ever see another player like him in the NHL.

[mrusse01 0]

In watching it last night, it really made me wish I was older so I could have appreciated him (and Dougie) more. The sad thing is, I don't know if we'll ever see another player like him in the NHL.

We'll never see another player like him, it's impossible. He'd be suspended 50 games for his hit behind the net on Bruce Bell in today's NHL. He'd be thrown out of the league for fighting too hard.

Anybody who is glad there aren't players like Wendel Clark in the NHL anymore should be ashamed of themselves, the man is the living embodiment of the term 'hockey player'.

[malcb33 97]

Wow what a HOCKEY player! He scored 4 goals in an almost 5 minute long video.

[Rustpot 1]

We'll never see another player like him, it's impossible. He'd be suspended 50 games for his hit behind the net on Bruce Bell in today's NHL. He'd be thrown out of the league for fighting too hard.

Anybody who is glad there aren't players like Wendel Clark in the NHL anymore should be ashamed of themselves, the man is the living embodiment of the term 'hockey player'.

I don't follow. Either he's the complete package or he's a goon who everyone in Toronto thought was God.

I think you're living in the past if you think the league should be full of guys like what that video showcased.

[mrusse01 0]

We'll never see another player like him, it's impossible. He'd be suspended 50 games for his hit behind the net on Bruce Bell in today's NHL. He'd be thrown out of the league for fighting too hard.

Anybody who is glad there aren't players like Wendel Clark in the NHL anymore should be ashamed of themselves, the man is the living embodiment of the term 'hockey player'.

I don't follow. Either he's the complete package or he's a goon who everyone in Toronto thought was God.

I think you're living in the past if you think the league should be full of guys like what that video showcased.

I'm not living in the past, I just prefer the older style of the NHL to it's current incarnation, I think Bettman and his ilk are taking the league in the wrong direction. You won't see players in the NHL nowadays that play like Wendel did, and I think that's sad.

Wendel scored 46 goals in 64 games in 93-94, I don't see a lot of 'goons' with those kind of numbers today. He stood up for his teammates, hit like a Mack truck, and played every shift like it was his last. And yes, he fought like his life depended on it. If you are of the tea-totalling variety and don't think fighting has a spot in the game...well, I guess there's no changing your mind on that...but respect that when Wendel did play it WAS a large part of the game, and despite his relatively small stature, he was one of the most feared fighters in the league for a long time. How many players right now have the ability to score 46 goals in 64 games, can literally end careers with clean bodychecks, AND will fight anybody in the league at any time and probably win? Zero by my count.

In the '93 LA series, Wendel played the first line, took on and destroyed the opposing team's tough guy (and one of the toughest fighters in the league) in one of the most famous fights of the decade, and scored a hat-trick in game 6 and added 2 more goals in game 7. Who in the 2008 version of the NHL is going to do that?

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Sorry, always thought that Toronto fans pumped Wendel's tires WAAAY too much. He was a good player, but not a LEGEND like Leafs fans make him out to be.

[Chadd 916]

Sorry, always thought that Toronto fans pumped Wendel's tires WAAAY too much. He was a good player, but not a LEGEND like Leafs fans make him out to be.

I couldn't possibly agree more with that sentiment.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

In the '93 LA series, Wendel played the first line, took on and destroyed the opposing team's tough guy (and one of the toughest fighters in the league) in one of the most famous fights of the decade, and scored a hat-trick in game 6 and added 2 more goals in game 7. Who in the 2008 version of the NHL is going to do that?

Even though it would be idiotic for him to drop them against the opposing enforcer given his status in the game, but Jarome Iginla would do all of that.

[RadioGaGa 162]

In the '93 LA series, Wendel played the first line, took on and destroyed the opposing team's tough guy (and one of the toughest fighters in the league) in one of the most famous fights of the decade, and scored a hat-trick in game 6 and added 2 more goals in game 7. Who in the 2008 version of the NHL is going to do that?

Even though it would be idiotic for him to drop them against the opposing enforcer given his status in the game, but Jarome Iginla would do all of that.

That is the one name that jumped into my head too...

[mrusse01 0]

In the '93 LA series, Wendel played the first line, took on and destroyed the opposing team's tough guy (and one of the toughest fighters in the league) in one of the most famous fights of the decade, and scored a hat-trick in game 6 and added 2 more goals in game 7. Who in the 2008 version of the NHL is going to do that?

Even though it would be idiotic for him to drop them against the opposing enforcer given his status in the game, but Jarome Iginla would do all of that.

That is the one name that jumped into my head too...

Not a chance.

McSorely had 399 PIMs in 92-93....399!! He was unquestionably in the top 5 heavyweights in the game.

Say Calgary and Minny meet in the Western Finals this season, in the closing moments of Game 1, Boogaard is out there and hits Langkow with a elbow, and Langkow is down on the ice. Are you telling me Iginla races over and beats the pulp out of Boogaard? Not a chance in hell that is happening.

I love Jerome as much as the next guy, but he isn't close to taking on the true heavyweights in the league like Clark did, and he isn't even close to being the kind of hitter that Clark was.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Totally different situations in a totally different time.

McSorley rode shotgun with Gretz - Boogaard can't even keep up with Gaborik, let alone Gretzky, so that shows you the disparity in talent between McSorley and Boogaard. That also being said, it's a pretty good tradeoff with McSorley in the box leaving Gretz out by himself for 5 minutes.

Boogaard wouldn't be out there in the closing moments of Game 1 anyway, and if he were, chances are that they are losing, therefore Iginla would be on the bench.

I am not saying that Wendel Clark is a bad player, and I'm all for cult heroes, but those outside of the GTA don't share in the love-fest that you guys have for Clark.

[Neal 41]

Besides, comparing anyone to Iginla is a long way from an insult. Iginla is one of the best all round players of his era.

You could say Wendel Clark was Iginla with better fighting skills but less anger management skills, less hockey sense and less play making ability. That still adds up to a hell of a player.

Wendel was a great player to watch play the game of hockey and his sheer passion for the game made for some awe inspiring performances. A lot of those performances where in a Leafs sweater. With the might of the CBC/Leafs Propaganda machine behind him, he got great PR.

As to Iginla fighting Boogard being comparable to Clark fighting McSorely, get real. The 1st part of McSorely's career didn't look like anything like those last few years. If Boogard couldn't fight, he wouldn't be playing in the ECHL, never mind the NHL. If McSorely couldn't have fought, he would still have had a slim chance of playing in the NHL.

[mrusse01 0]

Good points, but the fact remains that McSorely was a top-tier heavyweight, and Iginla just doesn't fight guys like that, and he never will. I mean, he fought Vinny Lecavalier in the Finals that one year...if Vinny ever dropped the gloves with Wendel, they would have been taking him off the ice in a body bag.

There's nobody I know of in the NHL right now who can play on his team's first line and also take on, and beat, anybody in the league with his fists. Clark could do that. Neely could do that. Tocchet could do that. Even Probert could do that a little, but his goals usually resulted from players just being terrified to go anywhere near him. I miss those days.

Fighting in the NHL is now a circus between two clowns who play maybe 3-5 minutes a game, and are usually TERRIBLE at every aspect of the game (including hitting) other than fighting. Maybe I'm crazy, but watching enforcer A slightly beat enforcer B in a 2 minute clutch and grab fest just isn't that exciting. Imagine your enforcer was also your best player, the captain of your team, the first overall pick, barreled around the ice like a runaway train, and was humble to the point of almost being meek while doing it all? That's Wendel Clark.

[Chadd 916]

Besides, comparing anyone to Iginla is a long way from an insult. Iginla is one of the best all round players of his era.

Iginla already has far more points and goals than Clark but I think he's also one of the more over-hyped players if this generation.

[mrusse01 0]

Well, if we're just making statements with nothing to back them up: I think Iginla is the best all around forward in hockey.

And for the stats; his goals per game are almost identical to Clark's and he averages about 16 more assists per 82 games.

[Chadd 916]

Well, if we're just making statements with nothing to back them up: I think Iginla is the best all around forward in hockey.

And for the stats; his goals per game are almost identical to Clark's and he averages about 16 more assists per 82 games.

Clark usually only payed 60ish games per season, missing that many games every season isn't what I consider a positive. Iginla isn't much of a playmaker and is largely just a shooter. He's a very good player, but calling him the best all around forward in hockey is one hell of a step.

[sockeyes17 0]

There's nobody I know of in the NHL right now who can play on his team's first line and also take on, and beat, anybody in the league with his fists.

One guy that comes to mind with me is Milan Lucic even though he didn't go with Laraque but there wasn't much point in that game. And I also agree with Clark being over hyped

[mrusse01 0]

Well, if we're just making statements with nothing to back them up: I think Iginla is the best all around forward in hockey.

And for the stats; his goals per game are almost identical to Clark's and he averages about 16 more assists per 82 games.

Clark usually only payed 60ish games per season, missing that many games every season isn't what I consider a positive. Iginla isn't much of a playmaker and is largely just a shooter. He's a very good player, but calling him the best all around forward in hockey is one hell of a step.

Iginla, much like Wendel did, has leadership and other qualities that are impossible to quantify. He's not a playmaker, but that's not his role. I don't think he's the most talented or skilled forward in hockey; but if the chips were down and I needed to win one game, I'd probably take him (or maybe Crosby) before any other forward.

There's nobody I know of in the NHL right now who can play on his team's first line and also take on, and beat, anybody in the league with his fists.

One guy that comes to mind with me is Milan Lucic even though he didn't go with Laraque but there wasn't much point in that game. And I also agree with Clark being over hyped

Lucic is a nice player, and he is a legit physical threat....but it's laughable to compare him to Clark at this point in his career. I do agree he combines the physical aspect of the game with goal scoring ability just about as well as anybody out there right now, let's hope he can keep it up.

[sockeyes17 0]

I know he's not the player Clark is, yet, but he does have the potential and he's about as tough as they come for how young he is

[Down Goes Brown 0]

Down Goes Brown

A great blog that follows the Leafs, counting down his favourite Wendel moments, goes into detail on several great stories, an all around fantastic read.

Thanks for the link, glad you're enjoying the blog.

You're right that we'll never see another Wendel. You really had to be a Leaf fan in the mid-80s to understand how hopeless the franchise was before he arrived, and how much energy he brought back to Leaf nation. It's hard to believe now, but back thenthe Blue Jays were becoming Toronto's top team and the Leafs were fading into the second tier. Who knows how things would look now if Wendel hadn't shown up.

[Neal 41]

Besides, comparing anyone to Iginla is a long way from an insult. Iginla is one of the best all round players of his era.

Iginla already has far more points and goals than Clark but I think he's also one of the more over-hyped players if this generation.

Chadd, I think sometimes you believe everyone is over-hyped. ;) Iginla isn't the best player in the NHL, but he is in the top 20 imo, and there are few players who mix his goal scoring ability with his physical play.

There's nobody I know of in the NHL right now who can play on his team's first line and also take on, and beat, anybody in the league with his fists. Clark could do that. Neely could do that. Tocchet could do that. Even Probert could do that a little, but his goals usually resulted from players just being terrified to go anywhere near him. I miss those days.

That type of player is probably gone forever and it is unfortunate. I wonder though, how much of that is because of the specialized goon. How can you expect a player to fight at a the same level as a fighter who concentrates almost entirely on the skill of beating another player senseless while on skates?

In Clark's and Tocchet's day, it seems the fighting was a secondary skill not the focus of as many players.

[Down Goes Brown 0]

That type of player is probably gone forever and it is unfortunate. I wonder though, how much of that is because of the specialized goon. How can you expect a player to fight at a the same level as a fighter who concentrates almost entirely on the skill of beating another player senseless while on skates?

In Clark's and Tocchet's day, it seems the fighting was a secondary skill not the focus of as many players.

No, there were a ton of goons back then. The Norris Division alone had a dozen guys who were heavyweights -- it seemed like each team always had at least two, sometimes more.

That said, these days the true enforcers are bigger and often have better training. With first-line guys making $5M/year, maybe it just doesn't make sense for them to ever fight a heavyweight. I love Iginla, but it wouldn't be smart for him to fight Boogard even if he could win.