Mike Clarke (ice hockey, born 1953)

Last updated
Mike Clarke
Born (1953-08-12) August 12, 1953 (age 72)
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for AHL
Richmond Robins
Springfield Indians
Adirondack Red Wings
New Haven Nighthawks
NHL draft 42nd overall, 1973
Philadelphia Flyers
WHA draft 26th overall, 1973
New England Whalers
Playing career 19731984

Mike Clarke (born August 12, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who, in 1973, was drafted by both the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association.

Contents

Although Clarke played 11 seasons of professional hockey, he never played a game in either of major leagues that had drafted him. [1]

Early life

Born 1953 in Didsbury, Alberta, Canada, Clarke played major junior hockey with the Calgary Centennials of the Western Hockey League.

Career

Clarke was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 3rd round (42nd overall) of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, [2] and was also selected by the New England Whalers in the 2nd round (26th overall) of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft. [3]

Ckarke began his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1973 with the Richmond Robins, then the minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. Following his rookie campaign, Clarke was bounced around the minor leagues, playing in the AHL, NAHL, IHL, and EHL.

Clarke achieved his best success with the Flint Generals during the 1976–77 season when he racked up 108 points in 78 games with IHL team. [4] In all he would play five seasons and 342 games with the Generals, scoring a total of 380 points for the Flint team.

Midway through the 1981–82 season, the Generals dealt Clarke to the Fort Wayne Komets where he continued to produce by scoring 127 points in 127 games for the Komets.

Clarke's 11 season professional career concluded following the 1983–84 season. He retired as a member of the Kalamazoo Wings after being traded to that team by Fort Wayne earlier that season. His total professional statistics are summed up with 721 points in 747 regular season games, with another 66 points scored in 60 post-season games.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1971–72 Calgary Centennials WCHL 380668
1971–72 Lethbridge Sugar Kings AJHL 2313223516
1972–73 Calgary CentennialsWCHL6821385925
1973–74 Richmond Robins AHL 731730472352684
1974–75 Philadelphia Firebirds NAHL-Sr. 562329526341239
1974–75 Richmond RobinsAHL111346
1975–76 Flint Generals IHL 633934731641566
1975–76 Springfield Indians AHL703313
1976–77 Flint GeneralsIHL7843651084010110
1977–78 Flint GeneralsIHL793345784431230
1978–79 Flint GeneralsIHL8044469031101679
1979–80 Richmond Rifles EHL-Pro 614434782553255
1979–80 Adirondack Red Wings AHL123252
1980–81Richmond RiflesEHL-Pro52311647381085130
1980–81 New Haven Nighthawks AHL2313432
1981–82 Flint GeneralsIHL4216153112
1981–82 Fort Wayne Komets IHL321230421496390
1982–83 Fort Wayne KometsIHL763537721110381110
1983–84 Fort Wayne KometsIHL19581310
1983–84 Kalamazoo Wings IHL391115262032132
AHL totals1262241637652684
IHL totals5082382955331984014264027

Further reading

References

  1. "Mike Clarke". Elite Prospects.
  2. "1973 Draft Choices". www.nhl.com.
  3. "The Lewiston Daily Sun - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  4. "Flint Generals". Elite Prospects.