Willie Clark (ice hockey)
| Willie Clark | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 24, 1931 Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Position | Defender / Goaltender | ||
| Played for |
Glasgow Flyers Murrayfield Royals Murrayfield Racers | ||
| Playing career | c. 1950–1976 | ||
Willie Clark (born May 14, 1931 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a retired British ice hockey player, manager and administrator. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Career
Clark began his playing career when he became a steward at the Murrayfield Ice Rink in the early 1950s. After starting as a defencer he soon moved to being a goaltender and joined the Murrayfield Royals as their backup goaltender. After playing briefly with the Glasgow Flyers, Clark returned to the Royals as their starting goaltender.
With the formation of the Northern League in 1966 the Royals changed their name to the Murrayfield Racers. Clark backstopped the team to three consecutive league and playoff championships in 1969–70, 1970–71 and 1971–72 as well has having winning the playoffs in the 1968–69 and 1974–75 seasons.
In 1973, Clark became the manager of the Scottish national ice hockey team — a position he continued with until 1992 after he retired from playing in 1975. Clark also became a member of the Scottish Ice Hockey Association in the 1980s, a position which led to him representing Scotland at the British Ice Hockey Association.
Clark was inducted to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.