#17 Wendel Clark,LW

On Nov 22 2008 The Toronto Maple Leafs have honoured #17 sweater worn by leaf great Wendel Clark. Who is arguably the fans all time Favorite player."Just a kid cruising the ice looking to cause trouble," said then Leafs president Ken Dryden. In his prime, Clark would score goals with a wicked wrist shot, punish the opposition with deadly but clean bodychecks, and drop the gloves at a moment's notice. Clark was a feared fighter with a knockout punch. He was also the fans' choice, and he rocked Maple Leaf Gardens.

Number One Overall in the NHL Draft

Wendel Clark was the best player on draft day back in 1985 and he was the best player from that draft when he retired. He played with heart and soul and help raise the Leafs franchise fortunes on and off the ice at a time when our team and fans desperately needed him.

Height of his Greatness

The height of Clark's popularity probably came during the 1993 playoffs, when, along with Doug Gilmour, he carried an overchieving team to the final four. Clark's goal in Game 6 against Los Angeles - on a wrist shot, of course - had given the Leafs the lead and it looked like a trip to the final to play the Montreal Canadiens was imminent. But the Kings came back and won Game 7.

Clark Bio

He played at full speed every night.He is scrappy leader on the ice and he had good offensive skills and a penchant for scoring big goals.If there was a list of the most popular Toronto Maple Leaf players of all-time, one could be certain that the name Wendel Clark would be right near the top. The former Maple Leafs' captain was idolized by thousands of hockey fans, and held a status, which was nothing short of legendary during more than a decade of service with the blue and white.During his era he was one of the best body checkers in the nhl.Perhaps his most famous check was when he hammered St. Louis' Bruce Bell with a thundering clean hit behind the net which left Bell lying prone on the ice and unconscious for several minutes. However, it was his aggressive, pounding style, and penchant for the fisticuffs which resulted in him missing close to 200 games from 1987 through 1992, or the equivalent of nearly three NHL seasons.Wendel Clark's wicked wrist-shot and touch around the net earned him All-Star berths and the respect of the game's other snipers. But it was Clark's physical play that electrified Leaf fans, and made him one of the most popular players in Leaf history. A Wendel Clark shift usually involved thunderous hits, multiple scoring chances and quiet intimidation -- especially when his team needed a lift. It was no surprise when, in 1991, the Leafs made Clark the 15th captain in team history. Wendel Clark had something in his arsenal for every type of hockey fan.Despite the injuries that accompanied such an aggressive style, Wendel Clark managed to score 30 goals or more in six of his 15 seasons. The first-overall pick in the 1985 draft (originally a defenceman) also spent 1,535 minutes in the penalty box, usually after standing up for a teammate on the ice. The left-winger scored 260 goals as a Leaf (eigth on the team's all-time list) and led the team to back-to-back final-four appearances in the early 1990s. It was as close as the team has been to recapturing some of its past championship magic.Upon his retirement Wendel Clark joined Darryl Sittler as a Toronto Maple Leafs Community Representative, meeting fans and team partners in the fields of marketing, community and alumni relations.

LEAF LEGACY

Spark, heart, and soul are the adjectives most often used by Toronto fans when describing Wendel Clark. His contribution to and impact on the team cannot be judged solely by statistics. Clark was the epitome of a fan favourite, and his popularity with fans was the main reason Leaf management brought the aging Clark back to Toronto on two separate occasions near the end of his career. When the easy-to-root-for warhorse stepped on the ice, Toronto fans took notice.

ACCOLADES

• Number 1 draft choice Overall in 1985
• Named Captain of the Leafs August 8 1991
• Selected to North America All-Star Team, 1999
• Selected as NHL All-Star, 1986
• Named Sporting News Rookie of the Year, NHL, 1985-86
• Named to All-Rookie Team, NHL, 1985-86
• Most goals by a rookie, Toronto Maple Leafs, 34
• Played 608 Games as a leaf
• Scored 260 goals as a leaf
• Tallied 441 points as a leaf
• A three time leaf: 85-96-93-94, 95-96-97-98, 99-2000
• Ranked 21-Top 100 Leafs

Career Notables-

• Greatness in the hall is measured by points and maybe there should be a separate hall for the complete hockey player. If there was clarks name would be up near the top of the list.
• "The Hound Line" which also included Russ Courtnal &Gary Leeman.
• In 85-86 finished 2nd to Calgary’s Gary Suter for the Calder Trophy
• Recorded a four-goal game on Oct. 11 vs. Buffalo in 87-34 goals and 45 points, along with 227 penalty minutes in 66 games with Toronto as a rookie
• 1991-92: Named the 14th captain in Toronto Maple Leafs history
• 92-93 Scored 10 goals and 10 assists in 21 Stanley Cup games as the Maple Leafs advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
• 1993-94: Recorded career-highs in goals (46), assists (30) and points (76) even though he only played in 64 games. Also added 9 goals and 7 assists in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff game
• 1994-95: Was traded to Quebec in a 6-player swap that sent Mats Sundin to the Maple Leafs on June 28.
• 94-95 Played in his 500th career NHL game on May 3 vs. Hartford.
• 94-95 Had a 10-game point scoring streak from January 21 through February 9 (8 goals, 6 assists)
• 2nd on the Islanders to Ziggy Palffy in goals (24) when he was traded back to Toronto on March 13. Finished the season scoring 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 13 games with the Leafs, including an 8-game point streak to end the regular season
• -96-97 on November 9 vs edmonton scored 4 goals plus an assist.
• Former Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher brought Clark back to Toronto in March 1996 and in Clark's first game back in the blue and white was the kind of stuff legends are made of. With a packed Gardens chanting "Wendel! Wendel!" from the second he hit the ice against the Dallas Stars that March night, Clark repaid the faithful by scoring on his first shift - sending MLG into delirium.
• 98-99 Recorded three hat tricks during the season December 30 at Carolina, March 6 at Montreal, and March 19 vs Detroit.
• Scored his 300th career NHL goal on October 28 at Anaheim
• Played in his 700th career NHL game on November 14 at Phoenix.
• "Even when I was away (with other teams)," Clark says, "I was still a Leaf."
• Wendel Clark was a classic blue-collar Canadian hockey player, the proverbial power forward before the term was even coined.
• The 1980s were a dark decade for the Maple Leafs, but their first-round pick from 1985 shone bright despite the ineptitude that surrounded him.
• -beloved by Leaf fans for his relentless approach to the game which included proficiency in fighting and bodychecking, and a deadly wrist shot which connected for 260 goals as a Leaf-as captain, he led Leafs to conference finals in 1992-93 and 1993-94
• brilliant career was cut short by a variety of injuries
• retired as a Leaf after 2000 playoffs
• Clark played 13 of his 15 NHL seasons in blue and white and wore the C on his jersey from 1991 to '94.
• He scored 330 goals in his career, but to listen to many longtime Leaf fans it was more than 500.
• -Chelios's body braces for the hit even though he never sees it coming. That's how hard Wendel Clark bodychecks were they sent a shockwave of force that impacted several seconds before the actual hit.
• Recorded 8 hat tricks Only Sittler (18) Conacher (14) and Vaive (10) had more as a leaf.
• RS: Games 793 Goals 330 Assists 234 Points 564 PIM 1690 GWG 43
• PO: Games 95 Goals 37 Assist 32 Points 69 PIM 201 GWG
• http://www.wendelclark.com/

What's your greatest regret about your NHL career?I don't really have any regrets. I think you always wish you could have played longer, but we're all given a kick at the can and when the time's up: Time's up. I played 15 years in the league and the body said, "That's it." You're too old to prove somebody wrong. Then you get frustrated and nobody wants to see a frustrated hockey player.

What was your greatest accomplishment?I don't ever talk about myself ... just being able to play the game is the best part.

What's the best thing about being Wendel Clark? The best thing is that I could play the game I loved for so many years and still be in this organization around the game I loved to play. The best part of that is that it gives me the time to be around the kids. That's where I'm fortunate. I get to drop them off and pick them up. What parents wouldn't love to do that. The older you get everything flies by quicker.

Was playing for Harold Ballard as crazy as we've been led to believe?I got to experience it at a very young age, at 18. I was so happy to be in the NHL I didn't care what was going around. Most players who played for Haroldwill tell you everybody got along very well with him. He treated me and my family great and most players would tell you the same. He probably didn't want people to see that. He liked to be the cantankerous guy.