Philadelphia Flyers: All-time 10 Best Flyer Goal Scorers
By Marc Naples
#10 – Bobby Clarke
- 15 seasons, 358 goals, .31/game
A player who hardly needs any introduction. The iconic Mr. Flyer. Clarke played 15 seasons in the NHL, all with the Flyers. More of a playmaker that a goal scorer, Clarke still piled up 358 goals in the Flyers uniform.
Clarke first made his name with the Flin Flon Bombers out in Manitoba, leading the team in scoring 3 consecutive seasons leading up the 1969 draft. Clarke’s draft status, however, was significantly impaired as he had Type 1 diabetes. Although doctors advised that Clarke was still perfectly capable of carrying on as a professional, Clarke was still available for the Flyers pick in the second round at #17 overall (they selected Bob Currier with the #6 overall pick, who never played a game in the NHL).
Clarke immediately joined the Flyers the following season. In his first season, he was selected as an NHL all-star, and The Hockey News voted him the league’s best rookie (he was fourth in official Calder voting). In his second season with the Flyers, he led the team in points. Clarke continued his rapid rise in the hockey world, as he featured prominently for Team Canada in the Summit Series against the Soviet Union in 1972. Clarke’s infamous two handed-hack that broke the ankle of Valery Kharlamov could be the subject of many articles by itself, but no matter your perspective, it was a turning point in the historic series.
In the following NHL season, Clarke was named captain of the Flyers, becoming the then-youngest captain in NHL history at the age of 23. Thus began the golden era of the Clarke and the Broad Street Bullies.
With his famous gap-toothed smile as the face of the team, the Flyers would win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, and Clarke would take the Hart as league MVP in 1973, 1975 and 1976. Furthermore, Clarke centered the “LCB” line between Bill Barber and Reggie Leach, and together they would set a then-NHL record with 141 goals in 1976.
In the end, Clarke’s 358 goals is practically a footnote to his laundry list of accomplishments:
- #1 in games played, assists and points in Flyers history
- At the time of his retirement, he was #4 in assists and #11 in points in NHL history
- 8 time all-star
- 1983 Selke winner
- Career +503, #5 in NHL history
- 32 short-handed goals, #1 in Flyers history
Next: “#9”