CARSTAIRS — Longtime Carstairs hockey fan, politician and community leader Bob Clark has been finally inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, two years after he passed away and was named as an inductee.
Clark, former general manager of the Olds Grizzlys Junior A hockey club and a longtime prominent politician, was inducted during a ceremony in Canmore on July 17.
In addition, a new Hockey Alberta award was announced in Clark’s memory by Bob Bartlett, a member of the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame committee.
The Robert Clark Legacy Award for Leadership in Hockey will reward people for their longtime leadership in hockey and for establishing positive relationships in their communities.
Clark was inducted along with five other outstanding individual members of the hockey community and one team.
Fellow inductees were former NHL and WHA referee Bill Bucyk, former Canadian National Women’s hockey team captain as well as two-time Olympic gold medalist Cassie Campbell-Pascall, former NHL goaltender and current NHL executive John Davidson, former Edmonton Oilers star Dr. Randy Gregg, former NHL head coach Ken Hitchcock, former Calgary Flames defenceman Jamie Macoun and the 1974-75 Lethbridge Native Sons who were 1975 Canada Winter Games and Alberta Junior B provincial champions.
Clark passed away in July 2020 at the age of 83.
His wife Norma as well as children Dean and Donna attended the ceremony on his behalf.
Donna told the crowd how much her father loved the Grizzlys – that he “bled black and gold,” had had a great passion for the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct Bob Clark's wife's name.
— Information for this story was obtained via the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.
