NHL Draft: Best draft pick of all time: Philadelphia Flyers, Bobby Clarke 1969
There are a lot of fun choices when it comes to the Philadelphia Flyers’ draft picks. Peter Forsberg ended up being one of the greats, but he went to the Nordiques in the trade that brought Eric Lindros to the City of Brotherly Love. Claude Giroux was one of the best picks in the 2006 draft by any team, coming to the Flyers at 22nd overall. Rick Tocchet is an underrated player the Flyers got 121st overall. However, how can you say it’s anyone besides Bobby Clarke?
The Flyers took Clarke with the 17th-overall pick in the 1969 NHL Draft. A diabetes diagnosis scared some teams off, so the Flyers got to take him in the second round. He became one of the most exciting players of that era, and he spent his entire career in Philadelphia. He helped them win their only two Stanley Cups, and the team hasn’t seen an era as great as Clarke’s ever since.
Clarke scored 1,200 points in his career, won the MVP two times, and was a star on another level in the 70s. He had a flair to his game that nobody else had. Diabetes or not, the Flyers got one of the best players in the era when just about every other team in the league had a chance to take him.
Clarke is one of the easiest Hall of Fame picks ever. He brought toughness to the game while also being a scoring machine. The Flyers were driven by him, and they won the championship in his best seasons. He embraced the city of Philadelphia, and he continues to come back as a hero. Drafting Clarke is an all-time moment for the city, right behind some of the American Revolution stuff I suppose.