Monday, November 24, 2008

Maple Leafs retire Clark number 17


Wendel Clark joined some elite company Saturday night as his No. 17 jersey was raised to the rafters of the Air Canada Centre prior to the Toronto Maple Leafs' home game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

A former Toronto captain, Clark becomes the 16th player to be so honoured by the Leafs, joining the likes of Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming and Tim Horton who have also had their jerseys raised.

Clark, the No. 1 overall pick by Toronto in the 1985 NHL draft, received a standing ovation fromt he sellout crowd as he took the ice after a video montage of his career highlights was shown. Clark, and his wife Denise and their three children, walked to centre ice following the video.

After he dropped the puck on the ice for the pre-game ceremonial face-off.

Clark, a native of Kelvington, Saskatchewan., scored 260 goals and 441 points in 608 games during three different stints with the Leafs, captaining the team from 1991-94. His 34 playoff goals were the most by a Maple Leaf.

Ironically, in june 1994, Clark was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in a multi-player deal which brought a young Mats Sundin to the Leafs. Sundin would later become the face of the franchise until the 2007-2008 season when he became an unrestricted free agent.

Source : CBC sports

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