4 Two-Time Winners of the WHL's Bobby Clarke Trophy

The Bobby Clarke Trophy is presented each season to the WHL player with the highest point total. Originally dubbed the Brownridge Trophy, it was re-named in 1987 to honour Clarke, one of the best to play in the league. The trophy was introduced for the 1966-67 season and Clarke won the scoring title the next season. Four players have won the Bobby Clarke / Brownridge Trophy on more than one occasion.

Bobby Clarke - Flin Flon Bombers

Bobby Clarke, himself, was the first to take the WHL (WCHL at the time) scoring title in consecutive seasons. As a member of the Flin Flon Bombers, Clarke totaled 168 points in 1967-68, 37 points ahead of teammate Reg Leach. Clarke and Leach would, of course, reunite with the Philadelphia Flyers team that won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1973-74 and 1974-75. Clarke led the league the following season with 137 points.

Bobby was a second round pick of the Flyers at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 1,144 regular seasons NHL games between 1969-70 and 1983-84, all with Philadelphia. Three times, Clarke surpassed the 100 point plateau in a season. Three times he was a Hart Trophy recipient as the NHL’s most valuable player. He finished his career with 1,210 points and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

Tom Lysiak - Medicine Hat Tigers

Tom Lysiak was the next WHL player to win the scoring title in consecutive seasons. With the Medicine Hat Tigers, Lysiak led the league in 1971-72 with 143 points, ten more than teammate Stan Weir. The following season, Lysiak led again with 154 points, seven points ahead of Dennis Sobchuk of the Regina Pats.

Tom was the second overall pick at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, going to the Atlanta Flames and behind just Denis Potvin who went to the New York Islanders. The Houston Aeros also picked Lysiak in the second round of the WHA Amateur Draft, 23rd overall. Tom played 919 regular season NHL games between 1973-74 and 1985-86 with the Flames and Chicago Black Hawks.

Brian Propp - Brandon Wheat Kings

Brian Propp put up serious numbers in winning the Brownridge Trophy in 1977-78 and 1978-79. In the first season, Propp finished 22 points ahead of teammate Ray Allison with 182 points. The following year, on 94 goals and 100 assists, Propp led the league with an incredible 194 points, 41 ahead of Allison in the WHL scoring race. The two were part of one of the greatest Canadian junior teams of all-time in 1978-79, as the Brandon Wheat Kings finished with 58 wins, five losses and nine ties for 125 points.

Propp was the fourteenth overall pick at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Bobby Clarke led Philadelphia Flyers. By then, the Broad Street Bullies era had pretty much come to an end but the Flyers were still a great team. Propp played 1,016 regular season games over his NHL career that lasted from 1979-80 to 1993-94. Brian played for the Flyers, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars and Hartford Whalers.

Brian is known for his hard luck with Stanley Cup finals. Five times over his career, Propp went to the final series without a single victory to show for it. Three times, he played for the Cup with the Flyers and he played once each with the Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars.

Rob Brown - Kamloops Blazers

Rob Brown won the scoring race in 1985-86 and 1986-87 in record setting fashion. With the Kamloops Blazers, Brown led the league with 173 points the first season. In 1986-87, Rob set the present day record with 212 points, 66 points ahead of the next closer contender in capturing the Bobby Clarke Trophy.

Despite the numbers, Brown was drafted way down in the fourth round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played a total of 543 NHL regular season games from 1987-88 to 1999-00 with the Penguins, Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings. Playing on a line with Mario Lemieux in 1988-89, Brown enjoyed his best NHL season with 115 points in just 68 games.

Brown was a standout in the now defunct IHL, where he played in between NHL stints. On three occasions, he won the Leo Lamoureux Memorial Trophy as the league’s scoring leader. In 1993-94, he led with 155 points as a member of the Kalamazoo Wings. In 1995-96 and 1996-97, he led with the Chicago Wolves, totalling 143 and 117 points.

10 NHL Stars That Shunned The WHA

The World Hockey Association was a rebel hockey league that existed from 1972 to 1979 to compete against the National Hockey League. In the inaugural WHA draft, many NHL stars were selected by the original 12 WHA teams and many of these players were in their prime as stars in hockey.

The original World Hockey Association General Player Draft was held on February 12 and 13 of 1972. Although the draft lasted 123 rounds, the first round or preliminary round played the most important role in attempting to secure superstar talent away from the National Hockey League. In that preliminary round, each of the twelve proposed franchises wrote down four players, secret ballot style, and submitted them.

Of the names selected in that preliminary round, few would play a single game in the WHA. The following players that declined and stayed in the NHL would have changed the history of professional hockey if they’d made a different decision.

Stan Mikita – Chicago Cougars

Stan Mikita was selected by the Chicago Cougars. Chicago Black Hawks legend and Hockey Hall of Famer played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League, all with the Blackhawks. The year he retired from the NHL was the year the WHA and NHL merged, 1979-80.  Stan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Bobby Clarke – Alberta Oilers

In February of 1972, Bobby Clarke was just coming into his own with the Philadelphia Flyers. Two years later, Clarke captained the Flyers to their first of two consecutive Stanley Cup victories. Clarke was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987 and might well have been a member of the Alberta Oilers if the offer was right in 1972. Would that one move have had the butterfly effect enough to keep both the Flyers and Oilers from Stanley Cup championships over the next decade and a half?

Ken Dryden – Los Angeles Sharks

Ken Dryden already had one Stanley Cup and the Calder Trophy under his belt when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Sharks of the WHA. In what could have been his first season with Los Angeles, Dryden won his second of six Stanley Cup championships he would win with the Montreal Canadiens. Dryden entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

Gilbert Perreault – Los Angeles Sharks

Gilbert Perreault was in his second season of his Hall of Fame career with the Buffalo Sabres when the Los Angeles Sharks selected him in the preliminary round. Perreault played seventeen seasons in the NHL, all with the Sabres. The closest Gilbert came to a Stanley Cup ring was when Buffalo fell to the Flyers in the 1974-75 final. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Peter Mahovlich – Minnesota Fighting Saints

With his size, toughness and scoring ability, Peter Mahovlich would have been the leader of the Minnesota Fighting Saints. Mahovlich remained with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens where he was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams. In all, Peter played nearly 900 NHL regular season games with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins. If he had jumped to the WHA, he wouldn’t have been able to play in the historic 1972 Summit Series for Team Canada. However, his brother Frank Mahovlich did choose the WHA route, playing 237 regular season games between 1974-75 and 1977-78 with the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls.

Steve Shutt – New York Raiders

Steve Shutt was drafted by the WHA’s New York Raiders right out of the OHA’s Toronto Marlboros. Shutt chose to take his chances with the powerful Montreal Canadiens and despite the odds, he played in 50 games with the Habs in his rookie NHL season, 1972-73. The following year, he was a regular with the club. A 60 goal scorer in 1976-77, Shutt was a part of five Stanley Cup winning teams with Montreal and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. He appeared in 930 regular season games in the NHL between 1972-73 and 1984-85 with the Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings.

Brad Park – Ottawa Nationals

Already established as one of the NHL’s top defenseman, Brad Park chose to stay with the New York Rangers instead of jumping ship to the WHA’s Ottawa Nationals. Park enjoyed a long NHL career with the Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings before his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. Considering Ottawa’s instability and short-lived stay in the WHA, it was a good move on Brad’s part.

Eddie Shack – Ottawa Nationals

Eddie Shack was nearing the end of his interesting NHL career when the Ottawa Nationals selected him. One has to wonder what Eddie Shack would have become in the WHA. Perhaps, Shack would have finally been able to showcase his offensive talents. A veteran of 1,047 regular season games in the National Hockey League, Shack played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1958-59 and 1974-75.

Jacques Lemaire – Quebec Nordiques

Jacques Lemaire finished his NHL career with his name engraved on the Stanley Cup eight times as a player, all with the Montreal Canadiens. When the Quebec Nordiques selected him in the WHA draft, Lemaire already had three of those Stanley Cups under his belt. Despite having a 1974-75 hockey card depicting him as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Lemaire played his entire NHL career with the Habs, appearing in 853 regular season games between 1967-68 and 1978-79. Jacques was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984. He won another Stanley Cup in 1995 as the head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Guy Lapointe – Quebec Nordiques

Guy Lapointe won six Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. Lapointe, like his long time teammate Jacques Lemaire, was selected by the Quebec Nordiques but never played in the World Hockey Association. Guy appeared in 894 regular season NHL games between 1968-69 and 1983-84 with the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.

What would have happened if even half of these players had joined Bobby Hull, Bernie Parent, Norm Ullman and Derek Sanderson in pioneering hockey history in the WHA? The league certainly would have competed better with the NHL from the beginning. Perhaps, earlier merger plans that the WHA had with the NHL would have gone through with the Houston Aeros and Cincinnati Stingers surviving extinction and becoming NHL clubs along with the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets. Or, perhaps, the WHA would still be in existence, living in conjunction with a smaller, weaker NHL.

 

Top Single Season Point Producers In Philadelphia Flyers History

The Philadelphia Flyers were one of six teams to enter the National Hockey League as part of the 1967-68 expansion. The Flyers were the first of the six to win a Stanley Cup, accomplishing the feat in 1973-74 and again in 1974-75. The team has seen surprisingly few individual offensive outbreaks. Just five different players have totaled 100 or more points in a single season with the record sitting at a surpassable 123.

Mark Recchi

Mark Recchi holds Philadelphia’s single season record with 123 points. Recchi accomplished this over 84 games in 1992-93, scoring 53 goals and adding 70 assists. The total was good for just tenth place in the NHL that season with Mario Lemieux capturing the Art Ross Trophy with 160 points. As a team, Philadelphia finished fifth in the Patrick Division that year, out of playoff contention.

Recchi was originally a fourth round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988. 1992-93 was one three times Mark surpassed the 100 point plateau over his 1,652 game NHL career. He played in the league from 1988-89 to 2010-11 with the Penguins, Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins. He sits fourth on the NHL’s all-time games played list behind only Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Ron Francis.

Bobby Clarke

Bobby Clarke is behind the second and third single season point productions in Flyers history. In 1975-76, he accumulated 119 points on 30 goals and 89 assists in 76 games. He finished second to Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens in the scoring race and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The Flyers finished first in the Patrick Division and second overall, behind only Montreal. Philadelphia met the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup final and were swept in four games.

Clarke was a second round pick of the Flyers in 1969. He played a total of 1,144 regular season NHL games between 1969-70 and 1983-84, all with Philadelphia. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy on three occasions and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. The Bob Clarke Trophy is handed out each season in the WHL to the player with the most points. Clarke led the league twice as a member of the Flin Flon Bombers in 1967-68 and 1968-69.

Bobby totalled 116 points the previous season, 1974-75, on 27 goals and 89 assists over 80 games. Clarke finished sixth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, behind winner Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins. The Flyers finished the regular season first in the Patrick Division and won the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

Eric Lindros

Eric Lindros contributed 115 points in 1995-96 on 47 goals and 68 assists in 73 games. It was Eric’s only 100 point season and he finished that season sixth in the NHL with Mario Lemieux leading with 161. The Flyers were first in the Atlantic Division and bowed out to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Lindros was the first overall pick at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Quebec Nordiques. He was fresh off earning the Eddie Powers Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League’s leading scorer with 149 points in just 57 games with the Oshawa Generals. He played 760 regular season games during his NHL career with the Flyers, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. He won the Hart Trophy in 1994-95.

Bill Barber

Bill Barber played second fiddle to Bobby Clarke in 1975-76 with 112 points on 50 goals and 62 assists in 80 games. Barber finished fourth in league scoring, two positions behind Clarke. It was Bill’s only 100 point season in the NHL after two with the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey Association.

He was the seventh overall pick at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 903 regular season games between 1972-73 and 1983-84, all with the Flyers. Barber was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.

Hockey Trivia: NHL Streaks and Longevity

Everyone or every team can have their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. It’s the ones that stretch out the fifteen that are truly great. This is your chance to test and expand your NHL hockey knowledge regarding streaks, both individual and team.

Q. At 35 games, what team has the longest undefeated streak during a regular NHL season?

A. The 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers not only set the record for the NHL but for all of North American professional sports. The team went 25-0-10 during the streak while going only 13-12-10 for the rest of the season. The Flyers went on the Stanley Cup finals that season before bowing out to the New York Islanders.

It was Pat Quinn’s first full season as an NHL head coach and he was awarded his first of two Jack Adams Awards as coach of the year. The core of players that formed the Broad Street Bullies were still on the roster. This group included Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Reggie Leach and Rick MacLeish. Ken Linseman was Philadelphia’s offensive leader with just 79 points in 80 games. Pete Peeters and Phil Myre split the goaltending duties.

Q. What team holds the NHL record for the longest regular season winning streak at 17?

A. The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins set the mark. The Penguins ended up with the best record in the NHL that season but were upset by the New York Islanders in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Scotty Bowman coached the Penguins, who were coming off consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1990-91 and 1991-92. At his side as assistant coach was long time Penguins leader Rick Kehoe. Mario Lemieux led the way offensively with 160 points over just 60 regular season games.

Q. Who is the NHL’s Iron Man, having played 964 consecutive regular season games between 1975 and 1985?

A. Doug Jarvis started his streak of 964 games from his first game as a rookie during the 1975-76 NHL season. Jarvis played for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers before finishing off his NHL career in 1987.

Jarvis broke the record previously held by Garry Unger. Unger played 914 consecutive games. There have been just 19 players in National Hockey League history to play 500 or more in a row. Steve Larmer is the only other player with more than 800 straight with 884 Craig Ramsay is the only player with 700 or more with 776. Interestingly, all-time games played leaders Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Ron Francis are not included in the group of 19.

Q. With 502 consecutive regular season games played, which goaltender will most likely hold that NHL record through time?

A. Glenn Hall will undoubtedly forever hold this record. The days of the goaltender playing every game of the season are almost half a century gone. Hall played all 70 of his team’s regular season games from 1955-56 to 1961-62. The first two years were played with the Detroit Red Wings and the rest was with the Chicago Black Hawks. Glenn Hall played in the NHL from 1952-53 to 1970-71 with the Red Wings, Black Hawks and St. Louis Blues.

 

Hockey Trivia: Keystone State

The state of Pennsylvania is home to two NHL hockey teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Both teams entered the league during the expansion season of 1967-68. They are not the first NHL teams to play out of these cities. In the early days of the National Hockey League, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Quakers existed for a short period of time.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge with these four questions with a Keystone State theme.

Q. What was the first team to beat the St. Louis Blues?

A. The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the league along with the St. Louis Blues and four other teams in 1967-68. St. Louis played their first ever game against the Minnesota North Stars and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. The Blues faced the Penguins in their second game and Pittsburgh won by a score of 3-1.

Q. What team did the St. Louis Blues record their first ever win against?

A. The next night, after the Blues fell to the Penguins for their first loss, the Blues scored a 4-2 victory in the home and home weekend set. Ironically, both teams won in the other team’s arena.

Q. Mark Recchi has scored 50 goals in a season once in his long, illustrious career. What team was he playing for when he accomplished this?

A. In 1992-93, Recchi scored 53 goals for the Philadelphia Flyers. Other than that season, the closest Mark would get to the 50 goal plateau were two 40 goal seasons, one with the Flyers and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished up his NHL career with 577 goals over 22 seasons.

A true representative of the Keystone State in the National Hockey League, Recchi spent parts of 16 of his 22 seasons with teams in Pennsylvania. Mark was a fourth round pick of the Penguins at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, 67^th overall, and started his career in Pittsburgh in 1988-89. He was traded to the Flyers midway through 1991-92 and played with them until being traded to Montreal during the 1994-95 season. Recchi was returned to Philadelphia by Montreal midway through 1998-99 and remained with the club until the end of the 2003-04 season. He then spent parts of three more years with the Penguins between 2005-06 and 2007-08.

Q. What Flyers player had three consecutive 50+ goal seasons in the mid 1990’s?

A. John LeClair had 51 goals in 1995-96, 50 in 1996-97 and 51 in 1997-98. In keeping with the Keystone State theme, LeClair finished up his career with the cross-state Pittsburgh Penguins. After starting his NHL career in Montreal in 1990-91, John was traded to Philadelphia during the 1994-95 season, ironically in exchange for Mark Recchi. He remained with the Flyers until 2003-04 and joined Recchi in Pittsburgh for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons before retiring.