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Clarke comes to defence of bad boy Downie

ALLAN MAKI

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 2:27 PM EST 11/01/08

Former Flyers boss' reaction to Downie's punch of Blake gets brushed aside ...Read the full article

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  1. Ted from St Pauls from Canada writes: Does this mean anybody that thinks what Clarke says can sucker punch him. Its open season on Bobby.
  2. Carl Baldin from Canada writes: Not only is the NHL a joke (under Bettman), they let a "SR. VP" such as Clarke go around making boneheaded comments like this, yet expect the game to grow in the US. It is typical Clarke, but why doesn't the NHL fine The Flyers $1,000,000.00 based on this years history of very dirty hits...then see what Bobby has to say!?
  3. David P from Calgary via Vancouver, Canada writes: Ted from St. Pauls - I think you'd have people lining up to pay money to take a shot at Clarke! Might be a good fundraiser for something and you'd get to blow off some steam - besides, none of his teeth are real, so you wouldn't be doing any real damage...
  4. asm oak bay from Canada writes: Not surprising the Flyers are a goon organizatrion with the likes of Clarke on board. Not surprising they would draft a goon like Downie or those other 4 clowns who have been suspended this year. Let's hope that Downie's limited ability and lack of integrity soon see him relegated to the AHL and from there soon out of pro hockey entirely.
  5. Allan Martel from Canada writes: Shouldn't the NHL levy an additional fine on Clarke? How about $100,000 - that might keep his yap closed for a while.
  6. Mr. Callaghan from Canada writes: Maurice has to go. Now he is defending Bobbi Clarke for saying Downie was justified? Has Maurice completely lost it? It was his own player that got sucker punched. With a coach like that, it is no wonder this team is lacking character and getting pushed around by other teams.
  7. Clark The Mighty from Canada writes: FIRE MAURICE!

    HE'S A WIMP AND A LOSER.

    He can't coach and doesn't know how to fill in a real line-up or protect his players.

    He's the 'ANTI-TED NOLAN' so of course Blake is having an off year.
  8. j.r ewing from vancouver, Canada writes: In that incident I have to say the refs are partly at fault. Bob Probert once said the most dangerous part of a fight is when the refs grab someones arms and they can no longer defend themselves. As far as Maurice goes, why is he still coaching in the NHL?
  9. Robert Loblaw from Canada writes: Clarke was a member of a team of thugs when he played for the Flyers in the mid seventies. No team did more to change the game of hockey from one of skill and finesse to one where the the bigger and tougher you were, the more physical damage you could inflict on your opponents.

    I think the game is slowly changing back again, but Clarke is still a proponent of Don Cherry's philosophy of on ice intimidation.

    Bettman and the rest of the NHL executive are morons for allowing Downies cheap shot and Clarkes support to go relatively unpunished.

    If that what it takes to sell hockey to Lunchpail, USA, I wish them luck in their quest to fill arenas around the US. Another generation of this crap and the only market penetration they have will be with the WWF crowd.
  10. R Provan from Canada writes: When Don Cherry gets wheeled off Hockey Night in Canada Clarke will make an excellent replacement.

    Clarke is the guy who in 1972 broke Valerie kharlamov's - the Soviets' most skilled player - ankle with a two handed chop. Afterwards he said there's always a place for a good slash.
  11. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: Lets see.
    Blake badmouthed Downie.
    He got in a fight with him.
    And Downie punched him.
    And now we;re all supposed to be so upset?
    All you whiners stick to baseball.
    You know. With the beanballs.
    And the bench clearing brawls.
    And the hard slides into second.
    And the steroids.
    Because of course its only hockey thats a joke!
  12. Brian M. from Jail from Canada writes: The NHL should be taking Clarke to task for suggesting that its OK to use violence because you don't like what someone said. Too many of Clarke's teeth got shoved up into his brain no doubt.. I agree that with Clark and Cherry mouthing off the NHL and WWE are competing for the same fans.
  13. alex just a canadian from Canada writes: what can you expect from the class act(less) clark. once a goon always a goon, and shame on tsn for allowing this vigality comment still air. Wait sounds very familiar to Bertuzzi incident just to a lower extent with no career loss. Until these guys are tossed out of the nhl completely it will be nothing more than a glorified wrestling match.
  14. JIm Smith from writes: Maybe Blake shouldn't run his mouth then try and hide behind the refs. That's a timeless move by hockey cowards. Blake is the number one coward in the league and gets what he deserves.

    Hockey is already softer than it has ever been in it 100 year history and now we all you clowns clamoring for 40 games suspension over love taps and body checks.

    Why do you want to ruin hockey?

    Why do you want to change the fabric of the game?

    Go watch womens hockey if you want hockey without the physical aspect. Good luck staying awake Marys'.
  15. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: JIm Smith.
    I've come to learn the minority always makes the most noise.
    Problem is Bettman has listened to these people, and turned the game into two hand touch.

    Luckily it appears with the help of real hockey people like Brian Burke, the game is getting some of its old toughness back.
    And Leaf fans hate tough hockey so much they serenade Wade Belak whenever he comes onto the ice. Does Jason Blake get the same reaction?

    If you ask me, Jason Blake was a horrible signing by the Leafs. He doesn;t score. He doesn't play defence. He doesn't hit. He doesn't fight. He doesn't help the team win.
    Yet he makes a few million a year? For doing what? Whining?
  16. George Hall from Canada writes: If the NHL wants to become a major sports league it needs to put an end to the all star wrestling mentality. It makes the league look like a joke.
    I think it was a disgrace to Canada to have Clarke break the ankle of the Soviet Unions best player with a slash which then led to Canadas so called victory.
    I don't think Clarke has any kind of education and should not be put in a leadership role.
  17. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: NHL not a major sports league George Hall?
    Lets see.
    It plays to 100% capacity.
    Huge TV ratings.
    Dominates the sports in newspapers and on TV.
    Just how doesn't that make the NHL a major sport?
    UNless you're talking about THEM?
    Who gives an RA what THEY think?
  18. JIm Smith from writes: Billy your right. All these leaf fans are falling all over themselves criticizing Downie for his "dirty" play and how players like Downie are ruining hockey and all this other BS hyperbole. Then in the next breath they say Wade "Tomahawk" Belak is going to get him. You guys can't be that stupid can you?

    How can the people lamenting about the "violence" in hockey even be hockey fans. Since hockey gets progressively softer every decade there is no way you can be a fan if you think the "new" NHL is violent. Your probably just one of those politically correct lefties who love making other people pay for what you want. Pretty soon we'll only have ties because we can't have winners and losers. Think about the hurt feelings on the other team. Sound ridiculous? This conversation would have sounded ridiculous ten years ago.
  19. James C. from Chaozhou, Guangdong, China writes: i was all ready to agree with the article and agree that bobby clarke is an idiot sometimes.... until i read this:

    "Leafs head coach Paul Maurice put Clarke's comments down to sticking up for one of his players.

    "That's what it's all about," Maurice said. "Whether you're a player or in the office, you take care of your own.""

    ----------

    if this is how coaches and managers in the NHL think, then they're all idiots.
  20. JIm Smith from writes: I see harder "sucker" punches in my beer league games than the one Downie dropped on Blake.

    He got a welt? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

    Then there's the "i'm glad there's no structural damage" from Blake. Maybe next time Downie should punch him like he means and really shut that yappy coward up.
  21. the geezer from Canada writes: We need Downies in Toronto to make the game a little more exciting. Todays version of hockey is just not working, lets get back to 70s style!
  22. Ryan M from Canada writes: Jim and Billy - I think most people are calling foul because Downie's sucker punch was cheap. They were both being tied up by the refs and Downie got a last shot in after the fact. If you two are such proponents of fighting, wouldn't you agree that Downie went against the 'code'? And isn't that in itself cowardly?

    I have no problem if these two decide to go toe-to-toe in a fair fight. Keyword being 'fair'.
  23. Clark The Mighty from Canada writes: JIm Smith I'd drop you on your a$$ so fast with an overhand right that your pink panties would fall off.
  24. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: Sure Downie's punch was a cheap shot.
    But then again Downie was out to get Blake for the comment he made about him.
    So there was more to this fight.
    If you ask me Downie maybe deserved at the most one or two games for the sucker punch on Blake.
    But getting no suspension didn't bother me either.
    And maybe now Blake will stick to trying to save his own career, instead of commenting on what should happen to another player's career.
  25. S.U. Vee from Canada writes: Clark The Mighty from Canada writes: JIm Smith I'd drop you on your a$$ so fast with an overhand right that your pink panties would fall off.

    What's wrong with pink panties? Most women wear them. Say what you want about the sucker punch one way or the other the fault lies with Paul(I wish I has a brain )Maurice for not dressing Wade (The Pink Panty Remover)Belak. If Belak plays Downies panties are around his ankles, just like Jim's...........
  26. the catholic church from Purgatory, Canada writes: I applaud Clarke for giving everyone approval to punch him in the face when they don't like what he has to say. Can't wait for someone to drop the first punch...

    As for Maurice, didn't he just contradict himself? In backing Clarke's right to defend his player, he's hanging Blake out to dry. Nice work, moron. It's time for Maurice to go, along with the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund portion of the ownership. New ownership & a new coach are both needed in spades.
  27. Mac - GLG from Canada writes: Clarke, like Downey is a bit short on gray matter. I always thought he was an idiot and it's confirmed.

    The guys is a real azzho1e
  28. Keith Primeau Rules! from Beverly Hills, United States writes: I just finished reading the comments on this article. I can't believe you guys are still talking about this. Shouldn't you be worried about how Anaheim is going to spank you tonight? O.K., while reading these quotes, I had a few random observations tied to the particular post I was reading: 1. Why would Clarke care if the Flyers got fined? Comcast pays it. 2. Anyone who wants to line up to take a shot at Clarke should step up. He'd pummel you and laugh while doing it, then call Don Cherry to laugh about it some more. 3. Bash the Flyers all you want, but until you're looking down on them in the standings, it's white noise. No one's listening, no one cares. 4. Downie's limited ability has him scoring in 2 consecutive games. How many Leaf's have a streak like that? 5. Billy Biroux is a genius. Concise, to the point, and the luckiest putter I've ever used. 6. Jim Smith makes tremendous points. You other guys talk so tough - I don't care about your feelings until you've manned a post, so sit back down at your computer and turn on World of Warcraft. You have no business talking about hockey. 7. I wouldn't fight Clark the Mighty. With verbal skills like that, his physical prowess must be greater than a Kodiak Bear! So good luck against the Ducks tonight. What's the Vegas line on the over on that one? With Red Light Rayzor in goal, I'd say pick the over! Thank you, and good night!
  29. JIm Smith from writes: I love the the people who say violence has no part in the game , or the sucker punch was a cheap shot......then say they will knock you out, with a sucker punch. Can you even read what you write?

    Blake looks for the refs to jump in right away to hide behind them. You guys are talking as if the punch was hard. A punch with the refs in happens dozens of times a year, just this time it happened to a leaf, god forbid, and a leaf with cancer. If you look at Blake wrong the Toronto media demands a public inquiry.

    Downie barely touched him. Blake barely got a welt from this "sucker" punch. I got a welt from bumping my knee on my desk yesterday. Should we call in the national media to examine violence in the workplace? Should my desk be suspended for life? It was a cheap play I didn't see it coming.

    At least the leafs will make the playoffs hahahahhahhahahahahaah Not only are you pansies and whiners, but you have no skill and will never win squat. I guess I would be bitter against hockey if i were you to. You have nothing going for you.
  30. George Hall from Canada writes: The NHL is not a major league sport in the United States...no one there watches the Stanley Cup...I think they barely poll above televised bowling....and well below college sports.
    The NHL can barely get any one to even televise them in the U.S. because it is not taken seriously becasue of the goon stuff. Major league sports do not accept the fighting in the U.S.
  31. Alain LeBlanc from Canada writes: Here is a perfect example of why fighting should not be part of this sport or any other sport. If it happens,it should be heavily penalized. As to Bob Clarke's comments, he should be suspended for life. Any player has the RIGHT to speak his mind as long as his comments are not done with any criminal or HATE intent. Get rid of fighting and cheap shots and show the sports world that the NHL means buisness and you will be rid of the Clarke and Downie goons. No sport is perfect but pro hockey could be a whole lot better.
  32. Clark The Mighty from Canada writes: JIm smith panties get all wet thinking about the Leafs.

    LOL!
  33. Mark Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: JIm Smith's panties get all wet thinking about Steve Downie.
  34. g h from Canada writes: I love reading posts from guys like Billy Biroux (can't even spell the name of the place he's from) and JIm Smith. Guys who are not quite stupid enough to be insitutionalized, yet too dumb to really be on their own. Victims no doubt of mental health system cutbacks.
    Sad really.
  35. pierre lefebvre from Brossard, Canada writes: Typical dumb hockey behaviour. Something Don Cherry finds exciting. Hockey does not deserve respect from an audience. It qualifies with WWF and other insipid games. No national pride comes out of these neanderthal leaning individuals called hockey players, coaches and analysts guided by idiotic basic instincts.
  36. Bergeil DeBungie from Victoria, Canada writes: Panties...lol
  37. Mark Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: It's true, g h...it's really true.

    These are the guys who were loudmouths you had to put up with when you played sports on the playground as kid. Ya know, the type who walk around shooting their mouth off, etc. But when they got 'hurt', you'd never hear the end of it.

    Probably what it's like in JIm Smith's beer league.
  38. Jim Goodwin from Philippines writes: Bobby is still showing the class he has always shown. Starting with Kharmalov to his years as GM of the Flyers. His handling of Lindros, the blame game (he could be in our government) always blaming Lindros' family, when actually it was the Flyers' medical staff who screwed up continually, on one occasion he could have died. Oddly enough we have heard little about Mr. and Mrs Lindros since he left Philadelphia and played in three other cities, so who was the problem. I said for years that the Flyers would not win a Stanley Cup as long as Clarke was the GM, he has no class. First it was coaches fired. Does anyone remember his statement after firing Roger Neilson? What a piece of work. Then after Hitchcock was hired, it was goaltenders that took the blame. I think Mr. Snyder was hoping that kicking him upstairs would keep him out of the line of fire. It is time for Clarke to join his good buddy Eagleson in permanent retirement.
  39. Another Guy from Cochrane, Canada writes: What the panty crowd doesn't understand is that intimidation is part of the game. You cannot take it out of the game. If not fighting it would include spearing, head shots, knee shots, running the goalie or name calling to a higher digree.
  40. so, Living on the Right doesn't mean you're right from USA, Canada writes: IN case the don cherry' fans haven't realized, the nhl barely exists outside of canada. it's a joke...a minor sport...BASS FISHING gets more exposure down here. and why you ask???

    BOBBY CLARKE MENTALITY.

    It's WWE on ice but the players can't talk. who cares about the strides that the nhl tries to make...it's ranked as a sport with the most potential but will never live up to it as long as the brain dead cherry-ites think that sucker punches, slashing and cheap hits are needed to 'enforce' the spirit of the game.

    I love hockey...i can't stand to waste my time watching it anymore until the playoffs because it's getting stupid. And look at the ratings...nobody else here is watching either.
  41. George Hall from Canada writes: The thing about being a goon is that anyone can do it.....Anyone can take his stick and slash or cross check someone in the face..or sucker punch someone..or elbow or now they kick even...maybe biting will be next.
    Hockey is a good enough sport to stand on ts own two feet without the monkeys and cheap shot artists
  42. wayne powers from saskatoon, writes: What would you expect from a gutless wonder who as we all remember broke a guys leg intentionally. Yes we need to hear from Mr. Turtle, he's just as sick as Downie.
  43. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: Waa waa waa.
    I don't know what hockey you've been watching George Hall.
    But the hockey I've watched for the past 40 years has always included intimidation, and the odd over the top play that brings out your type.
    But intimidation is part of every sport. Baseball. Football. Soccer. Cricket. Track and field. Even chess.
    I guess all the cry babies here have never played sports.
    But to say intimidation isn't part of hockey is totally ridiculous.
    And don't damn a whole sport on one or two incidents.
    There's been what, 300 games so far this year. And a handful of incidents.
    And there'll always be incidents. So whats the problem?
  44. Montgomery C. Burns from Springfield, Canada writes: I remember watching Bobby Clarke play in the 70s. He was nothing more than a nuisance. He would mouth off and slash guys from other teams and then run and hide behind his tough teammates like Dave Schultz, Bob Kelly, etc.

    Clarke happily supported Downie's sucker punch. The punch was a cowardly act and probably reminded Clarke of himself when he was Downie's age - that is, of a passive-aggressive, gutless puke.

    Downie did deserve the fine but why was Clarke not fined? He is a senior V.P. who not only condoned but supported a reprehensible act by one of his players.
  45. Rob C from Canada writes: Clarke never intimidated anyone in his life - He was always mouthy and had big useless dolts fight his real battles after he finished taking cheap shots. Look, he's from a small prairie town in the 1950's/60's and came out of junior hockey all hard scrabble ---backward? Think Jurassic Park - and he never learned anything in the real world. He personifies the Flyers
  46. George Hall from Canada writes: NHL hockey was a better game when there was one penalty box for both teams. and the players had to sit beside each other.
    If the NHL was a real league the players would be shaking hands after each game.
    For people to glorify violence shows complete disrespect for every Canadian who is risking his or her life right now in Afghanistan.
    Hockey is a sport ..it is a game and should be played as such...
  47. Rene L from somewhere, Canada writes: Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, - you're confusing the NHL for ultimate fighting were your comments might have some validity. In the last few years I have enjoyed watching the World Junior Championship immensely because it is all about skill, execution, passion for the game and finishing your checks.

    Players like Downie and his ilk (i.e Clarke) should not be tolerated because their aim is to hurt/injure opposing players and this should not be confused, Billy, for tough/hard play (i.e finishing your checks, hard but fair checks etc). I would suggest that the likes of you and Jim Smith migrate to WWE or ultimate fighting and leave the NHL to those of use who truely enjoy the sport of hockey.
  48. Will Farnaby from writes: Clarke, during the Shero Era in Philly, was a part of the destruction of hockey into crapulent, tedious goonism, from which it has never recovered. And, as the years roll by, his two-handed demolition of the late, great Valery Kharlamov's ankle seems sleazier and sleazier...
  49. I Brian from Canada writes: We seem to have two camps here. So, to make everybody happy, why don't we have two leagues, one for playing hockey and one for fistfights on ice. Then every player will find a place for their respective talents, and the spectators will have a choice.
  50. fragglerock westcoast from Canada writes: http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/kurtenblog/default.aspx

    Jim Smith, you've already been immortalized. Billy TwoBears, you're next.
  51. joe cormorant from Canada writes: Funny. Only a few years ago Steve Downie was a Canadian Hero on the World Jr. Team and now he has been shown as a true product of Canadian Hockey - a meat head.
  52. Rob Gilgan from Canada writes: In the final analysis, it's all about respect. Downie doesn't have it and won't get it. The NHL would be a better league without him.
  53. THX 1138 from Victoria, BC, Canada writes: If Dirty Little Bobby Clarke (a polite nickname for that weasel) still flouts olde tyme hockey like he played thirty years ago, then what comes around, goes around for Steve Downie. One day Downie will get a dose of his own medicine. Players do take numbers and remember cheap shots.
  54. joe cormorant from Canada writes: Just doing some reviews on the biggest meat-heads in the NHL and surprise surprise - Chris Simon - owns the top two spots for longest NHL suspensions - Canadian. Marty McSorely - third place with 23 games - Canadian, Todd Bertuzzi - next in line - Canadian, Gordie Dwyer - 25 games abusing officials - Canadian, Dale Hunter 21 games - Canadian, Tom Lysiak - 20 games, Canadian, Brad May 20 games for slashing Steve Hienze in the head - Canadian, ... 26 out of the top 30 NHL suspensions belong to Canadians. Makes you kinda proud eh?
  55. Y NOT from Canada writes: I am no Leafs fan, but could you imagine what would happen in Baseball if a VP said it was okay to throw at someones head? It just would not happen. Or an NFL VP saying that it is okay to chop block a player. They would be scorned etc. This is why the NHL is SEEN AS A BUSH LEAGUE IN THE USA. All I have to say to Bobby (oops call me Bob) is that we stopped dragging our knuckles eons ago, but I guess he is living proof that cave people are not extinct!!!!
  56. Hank M from Hamilton, Canada writes: "Anyone who wants to line up to take a shot at Clarke should step up. He'd pummel you and laugh while doing it"
    How do you propose he will pummel anything with his hands tied up?
  57. Mark Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: Maybe Bob Clarke should try and get Todd Bertuzzi and/or Chris Simon. That way they could just win the cup by injuring players and ending careers.
  58. fuzzy bare from Ontario (Not Toronto), Canada writes: Clarke likes players who play the same style he did. Bobby was a master with the sucker punch and two-handed slash.
  59. Jasper the Black Lab from Vancouver and Elsewhere, Canada writes: Leafs not surprised by Clarke's comments - Why would anyone be surprised by Clarke's actions or comments? Clarke has been nothing if not consistently destructive for hockey.

    And now how much will the Flyers be fined for their Senior V.P. ranting that Colin Campbell's first suspension of Downie was "ridiculous"? In most civilized sports leagues, players and coaches are fined or disciplined for criticizing referees and officials.
  60. Dave Simms from Vernon, writes: So let me get this straight. Jason Blake had the temerity to have an opinion about how long Steve Downie should be suspended for his cheap shot on Dean McCammond and for this he must be wary for the rest of his life that people who disagree with him will try to beat him up. Last time I checked we live in a society that has free speach as one its basic rights. So the justification that Downie was okay to hit him because of what he said is completely ridiculous. This only allows the bullies of the world to make up the rules which of course would change from day to day. That and the fact that these statements were made months ago leads me to believe that Downie may have been planning this for quite a while. That would make this a criminal act. As other posters have said this logic means that any time in society that someone says something that is seen as disrespectful they will have to worry about physical harm. This is how anarchy works.
  61. A C from North Van, Canada writes: Seeing Downie sucker Blake on Saturday night was yet another example of this kid being on the edge of control. I can't imagine having to back this guy up as a team mate. As he skated away, with that sh** eating grin on his face, it yet again demonstrated the type of character and integrity that Downie possesses....none. Blake is not a fighter...Blake is one of hundreds who said that Downie's hit on MacAmmond was brutal..suck it up Steve. Now we have Bobby Clark coming out and defending him...what a joke. If anything Bobby sees part of himself in Downie...classless and cheap. Whether it was breaking ankles in the 72 Canada Cup, abusing a commodity like Lindros as a Philly GM or showing his empathy and compassion with the unforgettable '...we didn't tell Roger to go and get cancer' the guy exudes baseline behaviour and judgement. Downie will get what's coming to him...after wasting any shred of legitimacy he had with these two incidents, Downie will pay the price on the ice. I just hope that Clark doesn't feel compelled to moan about the consequences then.
  62. Phoenix Thorpe from Canada writes: Funny Maurice is screaming and yelling after McCabe got hurt in the Montreal game calling it BS even though it was incidental contact, but then he goes out and defends Clarke for protecting his player who sucker punched Blake.
    Go back to the hockey backwaters Maurice, you are ruining the Leafs.
    If the Leafs suck and everyone can walk all over them, what fun is that for us Leaf haters out there?
    Come on, fire this loser and the idiot that hired him already.
    Tell the MLSE board who are a bunch of frustrated Saturday morning hockey dads to butt out and let a real hockey person run the franchise.
    Give your head a shake. This is Toronto not Nashville or Tampa where it doesn't matter.
    Come on.
    Sell the team to Balsillie
  63. Martin Fedgrass from Canada writes: Clarke is, by far. the new poster child for 'NHL Moron'. He represents everything that people hate about the NHL - his old-style 'goon is good' attitude towards his version of the sport must be eradicated. HE should be banned from the sprt and all references to him removed from NHL records.

    Now.
  64. Trilly B from Canada writes: What a goof. Great role models we have in this sport. If someone says something you don't like, punch them in the face.

    This guy is lost in the '70s.
  65. Super Troll from Canada writes: PEOPLE- it was just a little poke in the eye. Why shouldn't Downie go after Blake after what Blake said about him?

    What about Kubina's brutal crosscheck?

    And Leaf fans wonder why people hate them- you're so annoying.
  66. Craig Houston from Newmarket, Canada writes: As far as Clarke's comments are concerned, consider the source. He was classless when he played and remains so to this day.
    As far as Downie is concerned, get rid of the instigator rule and we'll see how long Downie lasts going after small guys. A couple of fights with real fighters who fight like men face to face and he'll soon learn a lesson.
  67. Ontario LawMan from Smiths Falls, Canada writes: Here's all you need to know about Clarke....watch how often the camera shows him up in the Flyers box laughing and joking with his old pal Alan Eagleson...a guy who literally stole money out of the pockets of hockey legends in the 70's and 80's and went to jail for doing it....He stole from their pensions....he stole from injury settlements that he negotiated on behalf of his so-called clients--some of whom were left unable to play and destitute as a result...he's a convicted felon who committed his crimes against the players he supposedly represented....and he's Clarkes' good buddy....Apart from the thugs with a Grade 10 education (like Downie)...I don't imagine that there are too many NHL players (active or retired) who look up to Clarke with anything resembling respect...
  68. j q from writes: Super Troll wrote, "What about Kubina's brutal crosscheck? And Leaf fans wonder why people hate them- you're so annoying."

    Contrary to your opinion, as a longtime dedicated Leaf fan, I agree that Kubina's hit should've been penalized and possibly reviewed by the NHL office after the game.

    The vast majority of Leaf fans are objective enough to call the game as it is. For example, Domi's hit on Niedemayer after a whistle during a Devils/Leafs playoffs series a few years back was totally brainless and was deserving of a lengthy suspension. Ditto the likes of Dale Hunter and Chris Simon. Having grown up in the 70's watching 'Bobby' the leader of the Flyers goon squad attempt to take out the best skilled players of every opposing team and hiding behind the likes of Shultz, Dupont, Kelly, Mr. Bob Clarke's comments are hardly surprising. To those few on this board (aka super troll, Jim Smith) who agree with him, well enough said.
  69. Martin Fedgrass from Canada writes: Hey Clarke!

    You are a blithering moron!

    Are you going to come after me now? I said something bad, didn't I? Oh wait, your momma wears army boots! Thats bad too!

    What an idiot he is........
  70. Super Troll from Canada writes: Leaf fans calling out the Flyers for being a goon squad = pot calling the kettle black.

    Well, not anymore, but back when the league actually sanctioned this kind of team was when the Leafs actually somewhat contended. Coincidence?

    Leaf fans are so annoying.
  71. Lyn Alg from Canada writes: Is anyone really surprised by lil' Bobby's comments? This obstreperous boy with a paucity of gray matter between his ears should be pitied. This anachronistic individual, (neanderthal, to be sure), with his ever present sardonic grin would be better to be part of the Saturday Night Live cast.
  72. Not the Alliance from Canada writes: As much as I dislike Clark, I still have fond memories of the greatest on ice clip before the 2 second delay was ever introduced.

    Clark stated: "You F!ing Ref!! You G@dd@m qu**r!!", live on HNIC.

    Classic.
  73. Billy Biroux from Polar Bear Pit, Nunavet, Canada writes: Y Not.
    The NHL is seen as bush league in the USA?
    Because of what people like Bobby Clarke say?
    Funny one.
    I mean the NFL is full of felons and criminals.
    Baseball players are drug cheats.
    Basketball players have a child in every NBA city.
    Thing is those sports are theirs. While hockey is a game of foreigners.
    Thats why the NHL isn't followed in the USA.
    But don't try to put those people onto some kind of pedestal.
  74. Waterloo Al from Waterloo, Canada writes: Bob's blood sugar must be low again. Downie is the NHL's answer to wild eye'd Charlie Manson. Downie has a long track record of mayhem, disrespect, and border line sociopathic behavior. He's at home in Philly obviously. Perhaps he is the illegitimate love child of Paul Higgins - remember him Leafs fans from the weary Brophy days.

    Since when did we care about what Bobby Clarke had to say about anything really. Me I guess. The night he got caught on tv calling Bruce Hood an eff'n queer was it for me with that jackass. He's a dinosaur who could not make a winner in Philly with a COMCAST blank cheque. He never confronted anyone on his own when he played unless he had a freshly sharpened stick and a shultz/saleski hump on his back.

    What genius at TSN put Clarke on TV anyway? Is he not still employed by the Flyers? He knows where the bodies are buried at the Spectrum.

    Watch Sportsnet -- Martinne Gillard is way hot.
  75. john gordon from Canada writes: Clarke is a moron. It really shows what has been wrong with hockey for years. Fighting and violence offers the opportunity for no talent goons to become millionaires. Code? establishment? give me a break.
    Then idiots like Clarke for some reason get into executive management jobs -- no experience or talent -- and keep the myth(s) going that you need these players or that it is part of the game. He was an average talent player and a no talent executive. He has been a jerk since high school.
    Football and baseball have their fair share of losers as well however they as a sport do not tolerate it as an accepted part of the game.
    My dream is that Clarke will get a job in Ottawa -- good way to kill their success.
  76. Jim Thorne from Toronto, Canada writes: Clarke always has been and always will be a knuckle dragger. It's easy to understand now why Philadelphia is the team with all the suspensions this year for dirty (gutless) hits, with a neanderthal at the helm like Clarke. I guess when your team has no talent, you have to make up for it with primitive tactics. Maybe someone should make Clarke a victim by sucker punching him, and we'll see how he likes. But he might just be used to it because this is how he spent his years in the NHL. No surprise that he's had his teeth knocked out with a brain and mouth like he has. You can take the boy out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the boy. Go back to the tar pits, you goon Clarke.
  77. Chris Michaels from Oakville, Canada writes: Billy Biroux - your first post nailed it. Well done. Guess the voice of reason these days has to come from Nunavut.

    Anybody who thinks this was such a horrible incident should probably watch the replay of it.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=HnvzVzySOCE

    Not exactly a hard punch at all. Blake should've been a whole lot smarter---and the linesman should be forced to ref a few minor Bantam games.

    We Leaf fans could only hope that a couple of our useless veterans could be packaged up for Downie. Hey -- Blake for Downie? I'd take it. Downie has 2 goals already. What's Blake got?

    Actually, what I'd really like is for Balsillie to get put a team in Hamilton so I can cheer with fellow fans who appreciate hard work and heart...then they could sign Downie...and Avery, and Tootoo!

    Copps would be a rockin'!!

    One can only dream.
  78. siren call from Canada writes:
    Billy Biroux, Jim Smith, Super Troll: I disagree with you, I don't like what you're saying. So, I guess by your pointed-headed logic I'd be within bounds to give you a chop across the mug. And I don't want to hear any bawling when you're picking yourself up off the floor...
  79. Not the Alliance from Canada writes: Chris Michaels from Oakville, Canada writes: "Actually, what I'd really like is for Balsillie to get put a team in Hamilton ..."

    Totally agree. And a team in Hamilton would be the best thing for the Leafs - some local competition. What does Bettman have against another team in Canada?
  80. Mark P from Saint John, NB, Canada writes: I don't always agree with Grapes, but AT LEAST he got it right on this one when he said "Kids, DON'T EVER DO THIS."

    Clarke is a dirtbag, always has been. If he thinks thats what hockey is about--even old-time hockey--then it just shows what a dirtbag player he has always been.

    As for Downie, while he may just be a kid, his actions already suggest a lack of respect for the well-being of other players. Not very becoming of a hockey player, especially a young Canadian one who many of us cheered for not too long ago.

    Anyone who can defend punching on non-fighting, respected veteran in the face, while he is being held by the linesman and is defenseless, is clearly devoid of morals. THAT is not what hockey is about--please keep your cowardice to yourself.
  81. siren call from Canada writes: I remember reading a Hockey News article as a kid where they polled referees and linesmen asking who is the leagues biggest whiner and complainer. Clear winner was Bobby Clarke.
  82. Chris Michaels from Oakville, Canada writes: Mark P - while I agree with most of what you said, where does cracking off in the press about how a guy should be banned from the game rank on the respect-o-metre?

    To be perfectly honest, if someone 'piled on' the way Blake did about me or a teammate, it wouldn't have been nearly that long after the opening faceoff before he'd be answering for it.

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