When I was growing up, I idolized Philadelphia Flyers hockey player Bobby Clarke.

Growing up in Florida, this was not a normal thing to do. We didn’t have a hockey team in the state back then. (Well, we did - the St. Pete Pelicans - but it wasn’t anything most people went to see.) And the only skating rinks in Pinellas County were inside Countryside Mall and on Saturday mornings at the former Bayfront Center.

My fascination with Clarke began after I saw him on the cover of Sports Illustrated, sans about a dozen teeth in his mouth. I had never seen someone so young missing so many Chiclets. That was cool. Then I read about how he played pretty much without regard to his own personal safety. Get between him and the boards and you were probably leaving the ice on a stretcher if he got a good shot at checking you.

He also was a diabetic. I remember being fascinated by that.

As a Flyers Alumni site put it:

For Clarke, the start of his professional career was rough. During training camp, he had two serious diabetic seizures. One of the Philadelphia coaches, Frank Lewis, conducted his own investigation and learned that in both instances Clarke had had only a light breakfast before the workout. Lewis drew up a complete dietary plan, which Bobby strictly followed for years to come. Before a game, Clarke would drink a bottle of Coca-Cola with three spoonfuls of dissolved sugar. Between periods he downed half a glass of orange juice with sugar added, and after the game a whole glass. Lewis always stashed several chocolate bars and a tube of 100-percent glucose in his bag, just in case.

The personal diet plan developed by his coach went without a hitch and Bobby Clarke didn’t miss a single game in his first NHL season. At the same time, Clarke didn’t put on any spectacular performances either, with 15 goals and 31 assists for a total of 46 points.

The following season, Clarke’s 27 goals and 36 assists helped Philadelphia to capture the number three slot in their division, but in the first round of the playoffs the Phillies were KO’d by the Chicago Black Hawks 4-0. Bobby himself felt that he’d made improvements in all the elements of his game during the second season. There was plenty of praise for the young center, but the question remained: How long could a diabetic keep on playing at the professional level?

Diabetics were susceptible to infectious diseases and even a slight scratch could be dangerous. And Clarke played a very physical game and did his share of bleeding. The blood’s sugar content was a major source of danger. If the concentration was low, the player could lose his physical coordination. If it was high, his legs would feel as heavy as lead. Gradually Bobby proved to all the skeptics that he was able to deal with his ailment. There were plenty of players out there with injuries that hadn’t fully healed. Some with back injuries were compelled to wear a corset under their uniform. Others with knee injuries had to wear tight knee bandages before coming out on the ice. Clarke had diabetes and fought his illness by consuming sugar-laced juices.

By the third season, everyone had forgotten about Clarke’s diabetes. Not only did Clarke chalk up the highest number of points in the club’s history - 35 goals plus 46 assists for a total of 81 points - he became the uncontested leader of the team, and that at the age of 22. At the end of the season, he was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication - a first for the Philadelphia team.

I’d watch an occasional Flyers game on TV, but most of my interest had to do with his teeth. How does he eat with no teeth? I thought. I was 11. These things were important at the time.

I remembered all this the other day after I got a press release from Mrs. T’s Pierogies. The company is pushing the idea of eating the doughy treats while watching the Stanley Cup finals, which conclude tonight between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings with Game 7 in Detroit.

Other than beer and hot chocolate at arenas, there really isn’t any standard food that’s become associated with hockey - at least not in the way peanuts are for baseball games or chicken wings are for football tailgating. Seems like a perfect opportunity for someone to jump into the void. (Not sure that molding them into a pizza shape is going to take off, but who am I to judge?)

Soft and warm, they also seem like the perfect foodstuff for someone who might be missing half a mouth of teeth.

Someone, for example, like Bobby Clarke.

PIEROGY PIZZA PUCKS

1 16-ounce package frozen Mrs. T’s Pierogies
1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce
1/4 cup sliced pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Boil pierogies as package directs. Drain.

Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease 10- or 12-inch pizza pan.  Place 2 pierogies in the center of the pan and arrange remaining pierogies around center pierogies in a slightly overlapping circle.  Press pierogies together to form a complete circle.

Spread pizza sauce on top of pierogies to cover and arrange pepperoni on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, and pierogies are heated thoroughly.

Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 4.