CLUNE NOT READY YET FOR FINAL ACT IN HOCKEY SAGA
Player wants to do well, but wants Marlies teammates to do even better
Rich Clune could’ve departed pro hockey on a high, having beaten personal demons, raising the Calder Cup in his hometown, no longer a 30-something in a minor-league room with some kids barely out of their teens. A growing passion for acting and filmmaking would seem to have much more allure than returning to the Toronto Marlies, hard-pressed to repeat as American Hockey League champions. But Clune decided long before his moment with the Calder that his unique hockey journey still had many miles to go, at least two more seasons under his new AHL deal. That’s what brought him back to the Maple Leafs practice rink in late August heat, toiling with the NHL group, but dressing in the down-market district with those whose high helmet numbers give a hint to their odds of making this year’s big club. “It didn’t cross my mind to go out like that,” Clune said of the June celebration. “My meetings with (Marlies coach) Sheldon Keefe and (Leafs general manager) Kyle Dubas went really well. They expressed interest in having me back. Those (exact details) will stay behind closed doors, but I will say they were impressed with my work ethic and what I bring to the team.” Clune doesn’t feel old. In fact he’s still in the midst of a re-birth after a well-documented battle with alcohol and substance abuse that landed him in the emergency ward in May 2010 and a second stint in rehab. He came back to the NHL with the Nashville Predators and when he needed a break to keep his career going, Mike Babcock pushed the Leafs to take him in 2015. Babcock, a strong advocate of mental-health awareness, thought Clune had earned that chance the hard way and saw him as a positive role model for the farmhands. Though he doesn’t play as much amid so many prospects proliferating the Leafs’ system, he’s never far from the younger crew at the gym, in the seats or on the bus, sharing his story about taking nothing for granted in the game. Classic rock coming from the weight room usually means he has overruled others for control of the music. “There is a big perception that I’m a military drill sergeant,” Clune said with a laugh. “My philosophy has always been do your thing, be yourself and if people choose to follow my lead, then so beit.
“I’m excited for a lot of young guys with the Marlies to come into camp and push for jobs with the Leafs. The paradox is I want to do well, but a big part of my role is to see the success of my teammates and ultimately have them pass me.
“Being of service to others is a big part of my life, a big part of my sobriety.”
No one will just give a forward position to someone who’ll be 32 in April.
“I’m coming up on my 12th year as a pro,” Clune said. “Since I got sober, I’ve been in the top three conditioned players of any NHL camp I’ve been to: Nashville, L.A. and Toronto. I’ve finished every bodycheck since I was 10 years old in lacrosse and in 12 years playing hockey; giving hits, getting hit and a lot of fighting early in my career. That still happens time to time.
“I feel amazing, knock on wood, very grateful for my health. I really just do things I can control: my diet, sleep, lifestyle, training. It’s paid off, I don’t see myself slowing down.”
That includes off the ice with pursuits in the arts. Younger brothers Matt and Ben, who idolized Rich before his fall and later helped him to redemption, are screenwriters. Matt. now based in L.A., wrote a moving first-person piece on the family helping Rich get sorted for The Athletic in 2017.
Growing up, the brothers would often discuss movies as well as their mutual love of sports and their “real-life” jobs eventually rubbed off on Rich. He began taking acting classes a few years ago, appeared in a variety of their films and was the principal in a short about mental health.
“Two (of their projects) were more to my tastes; sort of the quirky Wes Anderson/Quentin Tarantino type,” Rich said. “They have that awareness of humour; trying to find the comedy in the drama and the drama in the comedy. Whenever I go to a movie or a play, I want to laugh, be scared and cry at the same time.”
For now, there’s a title to defend and when playing is done, perhaps a role coaching the Marlies.
“Hockey is the true love of mine,” Clune said. “I don’t see myself ever not being involved in some degree. I’d love to work with players one on one. I’d definitely like to stay, pass on what I’ve learned and continue to keep learning myself. Early on, it was what can I get out of this? But over time you get the perspective of what it’s like to be part of a team.
“I could find myself making films, too. Ideally do both.”
My philosophy has always been do your thing, be yourself and if people choose to follow my lead, then so be it.