William H. Clement (born December 20, 1950) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
player who became an author, speaker, actor, entrepreneur, and hockey broadcaster.
Clement played 11 seasons in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL), and was named an
All-Star twice. He spent his first four years with the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
, with whom he won two
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
championships (
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
,
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
). Clement later played for the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
, whom he captained, and the
Flames
A flame (from Latin '' flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they ...
, both in Atlanta and Calgary.
Clement has broadcast five different
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...
and has worked for
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
,
NBC,
ABC,
Versus,
Comcast SportsNet
NBC Sports Regional Networks is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned and operated by the NBCUniversal division of the cable television company Comcast. The networks were origin ...
and
TNT in the U.S., and
CTV
CTV may refer to:
Television
* Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet
North America and South America
* CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media
** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
,
CBC,
Rogers Sportsnet and
Sirius XM Radio in Canada.
His acting credits include work on the ABC daytime drama ''
All My Children'' and more than 300 television ads for clients such as
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...
,
Bud Light, and Deepwoods Off. He was also one of the in-game announcers on
EA Sports' NHL video games from ''
NHL 07
''NHL 07'' is an ice hockey video game, which was released in 2006. The game improved the series' gameplay with more realistic features, such as stickhandling and a wider variety of controller schemes. As NHL 07 was released on the Xbox 360, this ...
'' through ''
NHL 14
''NHL 14'' is an ice hockey video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It is the 23rd installment of the ''NHL'' series and was released in September 2013. However, the game was released on September 7, 2013 for subscribers o ...
'', as well as on
2K Sports'
''NHL 2K'' series in ''ESPN NHL Hockey'' and ''
ESPN NHL 2K5
''ESPN NHL 2K5'' is an ice hockey simulation made by ESPN Videogames (now 2K Games) and published on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles. ESPN's Gary Thorne on play-by-play commentary and Bill Clement on color commentary calls all the action. Thi ...
''.
Biography
Playing career
Prior to his career as a broadcaster, Clement was an amateur and NHL hockey player. Born in
Buckingham, Quebec
Buckingham is a former town located in the Outaouais region in the western portion of the province of Quebec, Canada. Since 1 January 2002, it has been part of the amalgamated city of Gatineau, which merged five former municipalities, including ...
, he played hockey as a child in nearby
Thurso
Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Gr ...
with
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was the first player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 50 goals in six c ...
. He played Junior Hockey with the
Ottawa 67s
The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play their h ...
of the
O.H.A., in their first three seasons.
Originally selected 18th (second round) in the
1970 NHL Entry Draft
The 1970 NHL Amateur Draft was the eighth NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 11, 1970, the day after the 1970 Expansion Draft, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.
The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was ...
by the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
(the Flyers' first pick of the draft), Clement played four seasons with the Flyers (as well as in minor league teams at
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
and
Richmond, VA), and was part of the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
-winning Flyers teams of
1973–74 and
1974–75 as the 4th line Center. Prior to the
1975 NHL Amateur Draft, he was traded to the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
for their right to draft
Mel Bridgman, as the first overall draft pick that year. After playing just 46 games with the Capitals (and serving as the team
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
) in the
1975–76 season, he was then traded to the
Atlanta Flames for
Gerry Meehan
Gerald Marcus Meehan (born September 3, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger and the former general manager and Senior Vice President of the Buffalo Sabres.
Playing career
Meehan was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised ...
,
Jean Lemieux and a Round 1 pick in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. He would play with the Flames organization in both Atlanta and
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
, until his retirement following the
1981–82 NHL season. He played in two
NHL All-Star Games, in 1976 and 1978. In 719 regular season games, he scored 148
goals, earned 206
assists, and 383
penalty minutes. In 50 playoff games, he collected five goals and three assists.
Clement was known for a calm and consistent passing game, leading to the rhyme "Clement, Clement, Hands of Cement."
Bud Light referenced the old taunt in one of their popular "Hockey Falls" commercials.
Post-playing career
After retiring from hockey, he worked for many years as a lead color commentator for
ESPN's hockey coverage first with play-by-play man
Mike Emrick from to and later
Gary Thorne during these
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
-produced telecasts to . From until he worked for
SportsChannel America as lead color commentator on their national telecasts and regional
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
games, both with Emrick.
He worked with
Jim Lampley as a studio analyst for
NBC during their coverage of both the men's and women's ice hockey tournaments at the
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...
in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
. He worked as the
play-by-play
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
announcer for
table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
,
pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of ...
events, and
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...
tournaments for the
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
and
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
for NBC. He won province championships playing badminton in high school. He also worked as an analyst in ESPN's
Great Outdoor Games
''Great Outdoor Games'' was a series of televised outdoor games created by ESPN. The program was cancelled in 2006.
''Great Outdoor Games'' individual events include:
* Fishing Events
** Fly Fishing
** Freshwater Doubles
* Sporting Dog Events
...
for several years.
He provided color commentary for the
EA Sports'
''NHL'' series for ''
NHL 2000
''NHL 2000'' is an ice hockey video game developed by Electronic Arts Canada. It was released in 1999 and was the successor to '' NHL 99''. The game did not boast great improvements to the game from ''NHL 99'', nor did ''NHL 2001'' feature any id ...
'' and ''
NHL 2001'', with
Jim Hughson
Jim Hughson (born October 9, 1956) is a retired Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of the National Hockey League. He was the lead play-by-play commentator for the '' NHL on Sportsnet'' from 2014 to 2021 and '' Hockey Night i ...
; and for all next-generation versions from ''
NHL 07
''NHL 07'' is an ice hockey video game, which was released in 2006. The game improved the series' gameplay with more realistic features, such as stickhandling and a wider variety of controller schemes. As NHL 07 was released on the Xbox 360, this ...
'' through ''
NHL 14
''NHL 14'' is an ice hockey video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It is the 23rd installment of the ''NHL'' series and was released in September 2013. However, the game was released on September 7, 2013 for subscribers o ...
'', with
Gary Thorne. The latter duo previously voiced
2K Sports'
''NHL 2K'' series for ''ESPN NHL Hockey'' and ''
ESPN NHL 2K5
''ESPN NHL 2K5'' is an ice hockey simulation made by ESPN Videogames (now 2K Games) and published on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles. ESPN's Gary Thorne on play-by-play commentary and Bill Clement on color commentary calls all the action. Thi ...
'', when 2K Sports had the
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
license.
He is also host of a Flyers-based
radio talk show on WBCB 1490 AM in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The show includes current and former players and coaches, as well as players from the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
's
Trenton Devils. He also continues to provide color commentary, as well as
post-game show analysis, working several local Flyers broadcasts for
NBC Sports Philadelphia and
The Comcast Network
The Comcast Network (TCN) was an American cable television network owned by the Comcast Corporation, through NBCUniversal; it was carried mostly on Comcast cable systems in four states and 20 television markets in the Eastern U.S. from New Jers ...
since the
2007–08 season.
From –, he broadcast at least one game of every
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
series (with ESPN from –,
SportsChannel America from –, ESPN again from –, and
ABC from –). After a lockout canceled the 2005 Finals, he worked the and
2007 Finals as the studio host for
OLN and
NBC. He continued his streak in as a color commentator for
NHL Radio
NHL Radio is the official national radio broadcaster of the National Hockey League, covering the Stanley Cup Finals, both Conference Finals, selected early round playoff action, the All-Star Game, the NHL Winter Classic and a selected number of r ...
on
Westwood One.
In January 2021, Clement announced his retirement from broadcasting at the age of 70.
Personal life
After retirement from hockey, he married and had two children, and resides in
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania
Solebury Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,709 at the 2020 census.
History
Migrating English Quakers began to settle down in an area of Buckingham Township. Around 1702, this area was in ...
. His daughter Reagan graduated from
The Hun School of Princeton in 2007, while his son Chase graduated from
New Hope-Solebury High School
New Hope-Solebury High School is a public high school located at 182 West Bridge Street in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The school's mascot is the Lion, and its colors are royal blue and gold. It is located in the New Hope-Solebury School District. Th ...
in 2008 and now goes to
Delaware Valley College where he plays soccer as their goalkeeper and was First Team All Freedom Conference Player in 2012.
Clement became a U.S. citizen on November 4, 2010.
Bill Clement was first married to Cathie (nee Maclarty) of Ottawa, Ontario. They have a daughter Christa, and grandchildren.
Career statistics
References
External links
BillClementSpeaking.com*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120902044025/http://www.billclementspeaking.com/book.html "EveryDay Leadership: Crossing Gorges on Tightropes to Success"*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Bill
1950 births
Anglophone Quebec people
Atlanta Flames players
Calgary Flames players
Canadian ice hockey centres
Canadian television sportscasters
Ice hockey people from Quebec
Living people
National Hockey League All-Stars
National Hockey League broadcasters
Ottawa 67's players
Philadelphia Flyers announcers
Philadelphia Flyers draft picks
Philadelphia Flyers players
Quebec Aces (AHL) players
Richmond Robins players
Sportspeople from Gatineau
Stanley Cup champions
Washington Capitals captains
Washington Capitals players