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Wendel L. Clark (born October 25, 1966) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was chosen first overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he played with on three separate occasions, captaining the team from 1991 to 1994. ==Early years== A star junior hockey defenceman with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, Clark was a member of Canada's gold medal winning team at the 1985 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.〔(1985 World Junior Hockey Championships ) at TSN〕 Clark was converted to forward after he was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. His professional career lasted from 1985 until 2000, during which time he played for the Maple Leafs (during three separate stretches), Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Clark was known for his physical play and his offensive mind combined with scoring prowess. After his rookie season, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and finished third in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy. The serious back injury that Clark suffered during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks in 1987, when he was cross-checked into the crossbar of his own goal, hindered his progress as an elite NHL player. Nonetheless, he was a crowd favourite at Maple Leaf Gardens and won a place in the hearts of Leaf fans as he provided a spark during the latter part of the Harold Ballard era, considered the darkest period in the storied franchise's history. He was named captain of the team for the 1991–92 season. During the 1992–93 season, Clark's second year captaining the team, the Leafs set team records in wins (44) and points (99) and also made the playoffs for the first time in three years. The Leafs had a memorable run to the Campbell Conference Finals, but after leading the best-of-seven series three games to two, they lost to the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings, who were coached by Clark's cousin, Barry Melrose. Two career defining moments happened in this series for Clark: his defense of Doug Gilmour, resulting in a bruised and battered Marty McSorley, and his hat-trick in Game Six of the seven-game series. "That series was probably the most excitement I saw around here," proclaimed Clark, who had 20 points (10 goals and 10 assists) in his 21 games during the '93 playoffs. "It was the furthest the Leafs had advanced in a long time, the team was coming together at the right time and everybody was doing their jobs." While Clark was known for grit and physical play (amassing 1,690 career penalty minutes), frequent injuries meant that he played only one full season. Nonetheless, he did manage an impressive 46 goals in 64 games for the Leafs during the 1993–94 season, playing on a line with Dave Andreychuk and Doug Gilmour. In the playoffs, the Leafs made a second consecutive trip to the Conference Finals, but fell 4–1 to the Vancouver Canucks, who were coached by future Leafs coach Pat Quinn. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wendel Clark」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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