By John DeCoste
KingsCountyNews.ca
Wendel Clark played 15 years in the National Hockey League, 12 of them in three different stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Some might consider that a penance, but Clark enjoyed his time in Toronto, enough that he remains a Maple Leafs ambassador even today, something he feels keeps him connected with the professional game.
The Leafs made the playoffs in 2013 for the first time in several years, and took the Boston Bruins – one of two teams in the Stanley Cup final – to seven games in their first round playoff series.
Asked what the Leafs need to do to continue to improve, Clark suggests they should just keep doing what they’re doing.
“They need to keep progressing. They have a good young team, and had a strong year. They need to take what they’ve done and continue to build on it.”
He acknowledged that in today’s NHL, “that’s not easy, because there’s so much parity among the teams. Now, Toronto has Detroit to deal with in the same division, which won’t make it any easier, but at least they’re part of the talk.”
The Leafs - for the first time in a while - have a solid core, which gives them something to work with and build on, he said.
“They’re one of the youngest teams in the league, with youth on their side, and a lot of positive things happening. Hopefully, that will strike a chord with one or two impact free agents out there, looking for a place to play.”
The Leafs are probably one or two players like that away from being a consistent contender.
“It’s a nice place to be, but now they have to build on that,” he added.
Clark, who was in Kings County June 20 to attend the Acadia hockey dinner, served as Leafs’ captain from 1991 through 1994, which coincided with Toronto making it to the conference semi-finals in 1993 and 1994.
Click here for a slideshow of photos from the dinner.
In 1993, their semi-final series with the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings went the full seven games. With a win, and Toronto would have met Montreal in the final.
“I never won a Stanley Cup – though I’ve visited the Hall of Fame several times, I’ve never even gotten to hold it in my hands – but that stretch was the closest we got to winning,” Clark said.
“You always play to win, but not everybody gets to win, even once. There have been between 5,000-7,000 players who have played in the NHL, and only a fraction of them ever got to hold the Cup in their hands.”
Clark, who lives in King City, ON, continues to enjoy life, both in and out of hockey.
“I coach my son’s Bantam team, which takes a lot of my spare time, as any parent in that position would know.”
He owns and operates two restaurants, in addition to his work as an ambassador with the Maple Leafs.
“I still do the odd charity bit and a lot of functions like this (the Acadia hockey celebrity dinner),” he said. “I’m at one function or another probably 200 days of the year.”
As for a highlight of his career, one might have expected Clark to cite one of the Leafs’ longer playoff runs in 1993 and 1994, but he goes back even further.
“My highlight is being the first overall pick in the 1985 NHL draft,” he said. “Everything that’s happened to me since them has stemmed from that.”
Clark’s career featured a solid mix of scoring talent (he once scored 46 goals in a season) and toughness. That, he feels, comes from his upbringing in Saskatchewan.
“I grew up as a typical small Prairie town kid, and played all facets of the game, a little of everything.”
In fact, during his junior career, he was a defenseman before switching to forward, first with the national junior team and then in the NHL.
He considers himself “very fortunate” to have played 15 years of professional hockey, even though he estimates he “probably missed missed close to 500 games” through injury, mostly due to his hard-nosed style.
As for his impressions of the Acadia hockey program, Clark described the Axemen as “a solid program at a smaller school.” He was impressed with how much the Axemen are connected to the local community.
“I attended Notre Dame College (in Saskatchewan) for high school, and I see a lot of similarities in how the community interacts with the program. The team is really the face of the area, and with close ties to the surrounding community.”
By John DeCoste
KingsCountyNews.ca
Wendel Clark played 15 years in the National Hockey League, 12 of them in three different stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Some might consider that a penance, but Clark enjoyed his time in Toronto, enough that he remains a Maple Leafs ambassador even today, something he feels keeps him connected with the professional game.
The Leafs made the playoffs in 2013 for the first time in several years, and took the Boston Bruins – one of two teams in the Stanley Cup final – to seven games in their first round playoff series.
Asked what the Leafs need to do to continue to improve, Clark suggests they should just keep doing what they’re doing.
“They need to keep progressing. They have a good young team, and had a strong year. They need to take what they’ve done and continue to build on it.”
He acknowledged that in today’s NHL, “that’s not easy, because there’s so much parity among the teams. Now, Toronto has Detroit to deal with in the same division, which won’t make it any easier, but at least they’re part of the talk.”
The Leafs - for the first time in a while - have a solid core, which gives them something to work with and build on, he said.
“They’re one of the youngest teams in the league, with youth on their side, and a lot of positive things happening. Hopefully, that will strike a chord with one or two impact free agents out there, looking for a place to play.”
The Leafs are probably one or two players like that away from being a consistent contender.
“It’s a nice place to be, but now they have to build on that,” he added.
Clark, who was in Kings County June 20 to attend the Acadia hockey dinner, served as Leafs’ captain from 1991 through 1994, which coincided with Toronto making it to the conference semi-finals in 1993 and 1994.
Click here for a slideshow of photos from the dinner.
In 1993, their semi-final series with the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings went the full seven games. With a win, and Toronto would have met Montreal in the final.
“I never won a Stanley Cup – though I’ve visited the Hall of Fame several times, I’ve never even gotten to hold it in my hands – but that stretch was the closest we got to winning,” Clark said.
“You always play to win, but not everybody gets to win, even once. There have been between 5,000-7,000 players who have played in the NHL, and only a fraction of them ever got to hold the Cup in their hands.”
Clark, who lives in King City, ON, continues to enjoy life, both in and out of hockey.
“I coach my son’s Bantam team, which takes a lot of my spare time, as any parent in that position would know.”
He owns and operates two restaurants, in addition to his work as an ambassador with the Maple Leafs.
“I still do the odd charity bit and a lot of functions like this (the Acadia hockey celebrity dinner),” he said. “I’m at one function or another probably 200 days of the year.”
As for a highlight of his career, one might have expected Clark to cite one of the Leafs’ longer playoff runs in 1993 and 1994, but he goes back even further.
“My highlight is being the first overall pick in the 1985 NHL draft,” he said. “Everything that’s happened to me since them has stemmed from that.”
Clark’s career featured a solid mix of scoring talent (he once scored 46 goals in a season) and toughness. That, he feels, comes from his upbringing in Saskatchewan.
“I grew up as a typical small Prairie town kid, and played all facets of the game, a little of everything.”
In fact, during his junior career, he was a defenseman before switching to forward, first with the national junior team and then in the NHL.
He considers himself “very fortunate” to have played 15 years of professional hockey, even though he estimates he “probably missed missed close to 500 games” through injury, mostly due to his hard-nosed style.
As for his impressions of the Acadia hockey program, Clark described the Axemen as “a solid program at a smaller school.” He was impressed with how much the Axemen are connected to the local community.
“I attended Notre Dame College (in Saskatchewan) for high school, and I see a lot of similarities in how the community interacts with the program. The team is really the face of the area, and with close ties to the surrounding community.”
