Clare Drake

Clare James Drake (October 9, 1928 – May 13, 2018) was a Canadian ice hockey coach. He was the most successful coach in Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey history. In 28 years as the head coach of the University of Alberta men's ice hockey team, he coached the Alberta Golden Bears to six University Cup championships and 17 Canada West conference championships. The "dean of coaching," Clare developed the game for more than 40 years, coaching at the high school, university, Olympic, and WHA levels. The only university coach to win a national championship in both hockey and football in the same year (1967-1968), he was instrumental in the development of the National Coaching Certification and Coach Mentorship Programs. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

Biography Drake was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on October 9, 1928, the only child of Clarence and Grace Drake. Drake played junior ice hockey in Regina, Saskatchewan and Medicine Hat, Alberta. He then went to the University of British Columbia, where he played ice hockey for the UBC Thunderbirds, and graduated in 1951. In 1953, Drake entered the University of Alberta to earn his teaching credentials and play ice hockey; he graduated in 1954.

After graduating from the University of Alberta, he played one season of professional ice hockey in Düsseldorf, West Germany, then returned to teach physical education at Strathcona High School in Edmonton. For the next three years, he was the head of the department and assisted the U of A head coach Don Smith. When Smith retired in 1958, Drake became the full-time coach of the Golden Bears.

In 1975–76, Drake took a break from the Golden Bears to serve as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA. He died in Edmonton on May 13, 2018.

Awards and honours Named the CIAU Hockey Coach of the Year in 1975 and 1988 Co-coach of the 1980 Canadian Men's Olympic team Order of Hockey in Canada University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame (1987) Alberta Order of Excellence (2008) Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1989) Geoff Gowan Award for career achievement from the Coaching Association of Canada (2006) Order of Canada (2013) Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 as a builder

Coaching record Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L T Pts Finish ResultEdmonton Oilers1975–764818282384th in WHA CanadianFired

Legacy Clare Drake Arena - University of Alberta Clare Drake Award - Canadian Interuniversity Sport Rookie of the Year award