Friday, November 28, 2008

Mr. Kelvington Saskatchewan


Some of the greatest hockey players of all time were born in Saskatchewan. Few people know that Eddie Shore, Johnny Bower, and Gordie Howe were born within our borders. Another great player, Wendel Clark, was born in Kelvington, Saskatchewan. He was drafted first overall in the 1985 entry draft by, you guessed it, the Toronto Maple leafs. I'm not sure why so many of our articles are about leafs players we like. Belak, Schenn, and now good ol' Wendel Clark. I guess sometimes they don't completely screw up. Clark was a hardnosed player who would fight anyone for the right reason. He scored, checked, and lead. His style of play earned him the nickname "Captain Crunch." His moustache was perfect, and the leaf fans loved him for it.

Wendel Clark played on six different teams throughout his career, but all his most memorable years were spent as captain of Toronto. On November 22nd the team retired his uniform, and in a fitting tribute, handed out fake moustaches to the crowd. You can watch that ceremony at this link.

Some interesting information:

- He has the longest time span between All-Star team selections, at 13 years.
- Barry Melrose, coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is his cousin.
- He came to Hockey Day in Canada in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. Coincidentally, I was playing Midget hockey for the Maple Creek Hawks at that time, and we got to play on Hockey Day in Canada. Story time: Wendel Clark was sitting in the penalty box beside our bench eating a bag of popcorn. I came off the ice after a goal (we were kicking the hell out of Shaunavon, even though the producer asked us not to). I was nervous, but went up to him and said, "Hello Mr. Clark." This is not one of those made up talks we usually use. This shit actually happened. He said, "Hey kid, nice goal out there." At that point I tried to say thanks, but instead began to ramble to him about our season. I talked for a good two minutes, which felt like a half hour, until my coach told me to get back on the ice. When I hit the ice I realized I had blabbered like an idiot, and I did not talk to Mr. Wendel Clark for the remainder of the game.
- A band named the Rheostatics (I think) dedicated a sort-of-shitty-if-it-wasn't-about-him song to him. The video is below. Be patient with it.

We would like to congratulate Wendel Clark for a great career. If I ever grow a moustache, I'm dedicating it to him. Enjoy the video, and keep the dream alive.
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