Clare Drake—"We, Not Me!"

When it comes to collegiate and amateur hockey in Canada, no coach has reached the milestones or received the accolades to rival Alberta’s own Clare Drake.

Drake took over the University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey program in 1956, six years before Canada established its first true university championship. He coached the Bears for 28 inconsecutive seasons, taking time off to focus on coaching various national teams and even the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association for the 1975-76 season.

As a coach, Drake transformed the University of Alberta into the best collegiate men’s hockey program in Canada. The team’s record under his tenure was 697 wins, 296 losses and 37 ties (a .695 winning percentage). His commitment to winning has led the Golden Bears to six University Cup titles and 17 Canada West conference championships.

On October 8, 1985, the Golden Bears beat the Red Deer College Kings, making Drake the most winning intercollegiate hockey coach in North America, with his 556th victory. Since that time, Ron Mason, the legendary coach of the Michigan State University Spartans (one of the top collegiate programs in the United States), has surpassed his record.

His famous motto was "We, Not Me!" and that coaching philosophy garnered him the Edmonton Sports Man of the Year in 1975; the same season he left the Bears to take the Oilers’ head coaching position. Drake was not as successful at the professional level. The Oilers won just 27 out of 81 games under Drake before he was relieved of his position by team president Bill Hunter.

As an innovator in university hockey, Drake has no peer. Named the CIAU Hockey Coach of the Year in 1975 and 1988, he also received the Canada West Hockey Coach of the Year Award in 1985, 1987, 1988, and the year he retired in 1989. In 1981, he was inducted to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1989, the he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Drake has also been heavily involved in international hockey. He led the Canadian team to gold at the 1981 Student Games in Jaca, Spain. While the gold was the highlight of Drake’s international coaching résumé, he also led Canada to two other podium finished at the World Student Games; he led the squad to silver in 1972 at Lake Placid, New York, and bronze in 1987 in Poprad, in what was then known as Czechoslovakia.

His coaching resume also includes being a co-coach of the Canadian Men’s Olympic team, and he later coached a rag-tag collection of Canadians to gold at the famous Spengler Cup tournament.  Throughout the 1990s, Drake served as a "mentor" coach for the Canadian women’s hockey program.

Hockey is not Drake’s only passion; he also coached the Golden Bears’ varsity football squad. In 1968, he reached a unique milestone in North American sports. Not only did the hockey team win the University Cup that season, the football squad—also under Drake—beat McMaster 10-9 in the 1968 Vanier Cup. Drake led two different sports teams to national titles, a feat that may never be equaled.

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