by Steve L

Created on: November 06, 2008   Last Updated: November 18, 2008

I, like many of you out there, love the game of hockey. This may be no secret as I begin to write about one of the most unforgettable hockey players of all time. Now, I realize this is one of those opinion pieces and that for every name someone suggests there can be a great argument in his or her favour.

With that being said I'm going to speak about the prototype hockey player I would have on my hockey team any day of the week. This player I will talk about is Wendell Clark. Now before you let out a little laugh and shake your head, there are a few things one has to realize about this Kelvington Saskatchewan native. Clark I will accept wasn't the most highly skilled player to play the game, however he had an all-around game that will rival any of his kind.

Clark could score goals with his blistering wrist shot and Clark could devastate opponents with his open-ice hits. Clark was a leader in every sense of the word. Clark as the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years would stand up for any player on his team. This was most evident in the 1993 playoff run when he battered and bruised Marty McSorley (much bigger than himself) for taking a run at the beloved Doug Gilmore. Clark, although not big in stature would finish all his checks and never back down from a fight.

Clark was an example for all his team-mates to take after and an example around the league how the game of hockey should be player. I remember watching the Leafs as a younger man and getting that tinkle down my spine when he was on the ice. Whenever he made a hit, I was right there with him and whenever he scored a goal, I was jumping around my living room right there with him. Clark on the biggest stage of hockey, captain and playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs went about his business on the ice in a way that is unrivalled. He demonstrated to the fans his commitment to playing the game of hockey in the most honest way it could be played. This is what made him a fan favourite then and still to this day.

Sure, Clark could have survived in the league a few more years if he took nights off, straying away from hits and not taking on opponents when they wanted to fight. This is what many of the skilled players do nowadays until they reach the last year of their contract and decide to pick up the pace. Every time Clark stepped on the ice he knew it was a privilege and not something that was owed to him. He played every game and every shift to its end, never backing down. As Clark tried to play out his last few years and eventually returning to the Leafs, he finished where he began. As a Leaf and forever as a Leaf. As an honourable hockey player and forever as an honourable hockey player.

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