Winter Classic - interview with Bobby Clarke, i am losing any respect for NHL

[kserg]

I really don't like Bobby Clarke, but i gave him benefit of a doubt. Nope, not anymore, guy is a jerk and NHL is praising him?

To those who don't know Hockey, Bobby Clarke is the douche who broke Kharlamov's ankle because they (Canadian National Team) could not stop Kharlamov from scoring in 1972.

Bobby Clarke Breaks Valeri Kharlamov's Ankle - YouTube

"John Ferguson, the assistant coach of Team Canada, was quoted as saying "I called Clarke over to the bench, looked over at Kharlamov and said, 'I think he needs a tap on the ankle.'I didn't think twice about it. It was Us versus Them. And Kharlamov was killing us."

So anyway, that happened, ok... Garbage.

Now 40 years later, Clarke gives an interview in which he basically admits to it, then says that Kharlamov deserved it, then closing it out by basically saying he is proud of it...

I am honestly losing respect for Hockey. You have a guy, who damaged career of a player who is equal if not greater then Gretzky and we praise him for it. Good job NHL.

[Funky Ghost]

He was an enforcer. That was the game back then. It's not changed much today. Not saying it's right, just saying that all teams used them. It was that teams enforcers job to keep the scorers safe. If they let that goomba get to him, then it's a team mistake as much as it is a D bag move by Clarke.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Funky Ghost

He was an enforcer. That was the game back then. It's not changed much today. Not saying it's right, just saying that all teams used them. It was that teams enforcers job to keep the scorers safe. If they let that goomba get to him, then it's a team mistake as much as it is a D bag move by Clarke.

If he was trying to be tough and accidentally broke his ankle, that fine. That's his job, to play tough. There was nothing tough about that play. It was his coach telling him to be a thug and deliberately brake an ankle and him doing it. Sorry, i don't think that was a game back there or now. If i am wrong, I'll stop playing that sport or watching it.

You can't defend from someone just skating over and braking their stick over a guys ankle. It's inches away from coming up to a player and stabbing him. How can a team defend against that?

What i kinda want to know though, besides Hockey... Did people in 70's seriously viewed Russians like that were not really human here? That's what Clarke kinda sounded like.

[Funky Ghost]

I watched the Broad Street bullies as a kid in Philly. That was exactly the game I remember. * shrug *

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Funky Ghost

I watched the Broad Street bullies as a kid in Philly. That was exactly the game I remember. * shrug *

Tough game, or deliberate attacks with plan of taking a person out of the game for a year?

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I agree, that was really a cheap shot. A very cheap shot.

[EricF]

It seems to me the NHL is currently taking a strong stand against dangerous hits and any intent to injure (other than traditional face-to-face, gloves-off fights, of course). Sure, there are still enforcers on every team, but (IME) a move like Clarke's in one of today's games will get you in serious trouble with the League the moment you step off the ice.

[Funky Ghost]

Originally Posted by kserg

Tough game, or deliberate attacks with plan of taking a person out of the game for a year?

You seen Bobby smile? He's proud of that too. Jack-o-Lantern face and all. He was a scrappy diabetic who was all fight.

I'm not gonna kid, I loved watching him play. Dave Schultz and Bobby Clarke were my heroes

Having said that It's tough to side with a season ending injury. The Canadian team was playing for national pride and had already been booed by their own fans. I'm pretty sure he was beyond mad and that moment of infamy was a result of them trying to save face. I do know that the fans had a change of heart afterwards.

Clarke, Bobby -- Biography -- Honoured Player -- Legends of Hockey

This talks about it a bit, but oddly doesn't mention the ankle.

[mkandolf]

It was the Cold War. Watch the '72 Summit Series coming up on Sunday night at 10. Russia was the big bad evil back then. We were world's apart.

Even taking away that, it wasn't just in hockey. Sports was just that way in the 70's. Jack Tatum of the Oakland Raiders took out Darryl Stingley of the New England Patriots in a regular season NFL game in '78 and went on to write a book "They Call Me Assassin." It was that way at all levels of sports. You can't beat them, take out their key player.

[stratovani]

If you think Bobby Clarke was a dirty player, then you never saw Dale Hunter! Hockey has always had these kinds of players, from Sprague Cleghorn to Eddie Shore to Ken Linseman to Claude Lemieux to Sean Avery. Intense guys who were brought up in circumstances that dictated they play this style of play. They never had the talent of the elite players, and the only way they could stay in the NHL was to play it tough and get under the skin of their opponents. If they can throw an opponent off his game and make him get dumb penalties then they've done their job.

[arbitrary]

Originally Posted by stratovani

If you think Bobby Clarke was a dirty player, then you never saw Dale Hunter! Hockey has always had these kinds of players, from Sprague Cleghorn to Eddie Shore to Ken Linseman to Claude Lemieux to Sean Avery. Intense guys who were brought up in circumstances that dictated they play this style of play. They never had the talent of the elite players, and the only way they could stay in the NHL was to play it tough and get under the skin of their opponents. If they can throw an opponent off his game and make him get dumb penalties then they've done their job.

It looks like Avery is going to a european league now & Carcillo has been suspended 'indefinitely'. The game isn't perfect, but it is improving. While there are enforcers on teams, there aren't many goons anymore. Thorton on the B's is definitely an enforcer, but his other aspects of the game are there.

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by arbitrary

It looks like Avery is going to a european league now & Carcillo has been suspended 'indefinitely'. The game isn't perfect, but it is improving. While there are enforcers on teams, there aren't many goons anymore. Thornton on the B's is definitely an enforcer, but his other aspects of the game are there.

I agree. The days of the "goon" who could barely skate are coming to an end. Oddly enough, it seems to me that fighting in hockey is reverting back to the pre-expansion days of the Original 6, where guys like Montreal's John Ferguson, Detroit's Ted Lindsay, and others could not only fight but play the game as well. Back then you could lead the league with with a little over 100 minutes in penalties, you could fight when called upon, but you didn't want to cost your team with mindless penalties.

[EricF]

Originally Posted by stratovani

I agree. The days of the "goon" who could barely skate are coming to an end. Oddly enough, it seems to me that fighting in hockey is reverting back to the pre-expansion days of the Original 6, where guys like Montreal's John Ferguson, Detroit's Ted Lindsay, and others could not only fight but play the game as well. Back then you could lead the league with with a little over 100 minutes in penalties, you could fight when called upon, but you didn't want to cost your team with mindless penalties.

+1

The Kings' resident basher is Kevin Westgarth. Last season, the only time he was on the ice was to drop gloves. This season, he's been asked to be more of an offensive contributor, and it turns out the guy can be pretty effective.

[Darth Handsome]

Originally Posted by Funky Ghost

He was an enforcer. That was the game back then. It's not changed much today. Not saying it's right, just saying that all teams used them. It was that teams enforcers job to keep the scorers safe. If they let that goomba get to him, then it's a team mistake as much as it is a D bag move by Clarke.

Clarke was hardly an "enforcer". He won the Hart Trophy three times, among a mittful of other awards, and was a perennial all-star. That's not what I'd consider an "enforcer".

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by kserg

If he was trying to be tough and accidentally broke his ankle, that fine. That's his job, to play tough. There was nothing tough about that play. It was his coach telling him to be a thug and deliberately brake an ankle and him doing it. Sorry, i don't think that was a game back there or now. If i am wrong, I'll stop playing that sport or watching it.

You'd better stop playing the sport or watching it then.

[Funky Ghost]

Originally Posted by Darth Handsome

Clarke was hardly an "enforcer". He won the Hart Trophy three times, among a mittful of other awards, and was a perennial all-star. That's not what I'd consider an "enforcer".

Just because you have have lively skates and can score, that doesn't preclude you from being an enforcer. On that team ( The Flyers ) even the GOALIE was an enforcer

[kserg]

The thing that bothers me is not the enforcer part. I am all for enforcers in the game (i am big, so that was always part of my game (even in non-contact leagues.)) What bothers me is how dirty of the play it was.
Job on enforcer is to make a person scared when they touch the puck, not to make them miss a year of hockey. The hits should be hard but they should be clean.

Remember how big of a deal it was when Chris Simon hit Ryan Hollweg in the face with a stick? Or Marty McSorley hooking Donald Brashear's face from behind? Or even Todd Bertuzzi incidence.

How can league suspend those two for 20+ games but praise Clarke for what he did?

For the record, i agree with those suspensions.

[Randall]

Dont under estimate the pressure of playing for Canada against the soviets back then. We all watched the series in school. Even last night a russian junior player basically tried to take off our goalies head

[Root 5]

^^^^^^^^^
The pressure playing for Canada is HUGE. Canada has more depth of talent than any other country in the world; they could ice 6 teams for the Olympics that are capable of winning the gold medal. And because of this - always expected to win.

Hockey is war to Canada! :-)

But I do agree that the thuggish goonery puts a black eye on the game so to speak...

I think the culture of "Intimidation" has got to be toned down some.

It's not a contact sport but look at how Federer and Nadal play in their tennis matches - very intense, hard-fought matches - yet off court they like each other very much. Contrast this with McEnroe & Connors or McEnroe and Lendl - they HATED one another. But you really don't need the intimidation; the unsportsmanlike nonsense to compete hard.

[mkandolf]

Originally Posted by Funky Ghost

Just because you have have lively skates and can score, that doesn't preclude you from being an enforcer. On that team ( The Flyers ) even the GOALIE was an enforcer

Bernie Parent was NOT an enforcer. Please don't confuse him with another Flyers' goalie.