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From his neighbourhood rink to the famed Whitney Forum, NHL legend Bob Clarke fondly remembered his hometown of Flin Flon in a recent interview. In a dialogue appearing on the Philadelphia Flyers Web site, the team's general manager and most famous alumnus recalled life in the chilly mining town and the three seasons he spent with the Bombers. "Flin Flon was a great place to grow up. Back in those days, we did not have a television in our house until I was 12 or 13 years old," said Clarke. "We played sports, whether it was hockey, baseball or fishing. We also could go back in the bush and hunt. In a small town like Flin Flon, we had the freedom to jump on our bikes and go anywhere we wanted. We did not have to have constant parental supervision. Flin Flon was small enough that we didn't need our parents driving us everywhere. As kids, we did it on our own. Every kid in town was like that." The member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, who spent 15 seasons as a centreman with the Flyers, said he learned to play the sport that would become his career at an early age. "I put skates on when I was about three years old, as did all the other young kids in Flin Flon," he said. "We played on the outdoor ice at the rink at the end of our street. I did this until I was about eight and then I started playing organized hockey on Saturday mornings at the indoor rink. The rest of the time was spent at the outdoor ice." Flin Flon still holds a special place in Clarke's heart, as he noted that he looks forward to his trip back every two or three years. "There are a lot of guys that I grew up with who are still there," he said. "Some of them have spent their whole lives working in the mines and raising their families in Flin Flon. They all still love hockey and when I go back, we always have fun stuff to talk about. I really enjoy going back there." Clarke, whose toothless grin appears in a famous Stanley Cup photo, reminisced about losing his first tooth to hockey as a teenager practicing with the Bombers. "I was cruising through the middle of the ice and one of my buddies, Craig Reichmuth, came through and drilled me in the face with his shoulder and knocked my tooth out," he said. "It was a good, clean check. I got up and swore at him and he said, 'Well, keep your God (darned) head up.' It was a good lesson for me. Gerry Hart (another Bomber teammate) got me and knocked another tooth out. The same thing happened. I wasn't paying attention and he drilled me. That was another good lesson for me." See 'Big' P.# Con't from P.# Clarke thought back to how Flin Flon was so far removed from the world of pro hockey that he didn't realize he had a chance at the big leagues until his first pro training camp in 1969, the year the Flyers drafted him. "I knew at that stage that I could compete, at least at the American Hockey League level," he said. "I had seen a couple of NHL games when I was 18 or 19, but by watching them you have no way of knowing how good you are. I never thought I was going to make the Flyers' final team roster. I thought I would be sent down to the Quebec Aces. I was lucky and I ended up with the Flyers that year." As for life during the NHL lockout, Clarke said he has "a little bit to do" now that the Flyers' farm team, the Philadelphia Phantoms, have started playing. "We get to play a little golf this time of year and that is something we have not had the opportunity to do in 35 years," he added. "It is not what we want to do, but it is something to do." To read the complete interview, log onto www.philadelphiaflyers.com
