Bobby Clarke

Bob Clarke, who personified the Philadelphia Flyers' smoldering work ethic in his playing days, was fired last night as the club's general manager because of what team president Jay Snider termed their "fundamental differences" over the future direction of the team. Speaking at a hastily called news conference, Snider said he and Clarke had disagreed for the last six months about the proper course for the Flyers, who recently completed their first losing season in 18 years and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in the same span.

Defenseman Jiri Latal, a highly regarded prospect from Czechoslovakia, has left his club team to join the Flyers. Latal, a 6th-round draft choice of Toronto in 1985 who was never signed by the Leafs, recently sent word through intermediaries that he wished to leave his homeland to play in the NHL. Toronto has agreed to trade Latal's rights to the Flyers in exchange for a conditional draft choice. Flyers assistant coach Andy Murray met with Latal in Frankfurt, West Germany.

Al Secord, the veteran left wing acquired from Toronto in February, will not be returning to the Flyers this season. General manager Bobby Clarke said the 31-year-old free agent turned down a contract offer because Clarke could not promise that Secord would be included on the Flyers' 18-man protected list for the October waiver draft. Secord, used mostly on coach Paul Holmgren's fourth line, contributed enough to the Flyers' two rounds of playoff victories to perhaps attract other interest.

The big wheel of professional sports, which turned Pete Peeters away from the Flyers in 1982, yesterday brought him back. It might take another couple of spins until general manager Bobby Clarke comes out a winner in his game of goaltender roulette, but he appears to have placed his bets well. The free-agent signing of a competent, 31-year-old backup could turn out to be a master stroke if Clarke is now able to complete the deal he was working on yesterday. It would send Ken Wregget to Minnesota for winger Brian Bellows.

Ilkka Sinisalo, who has been a Flyer longer than everyone except Brian Propp and Tim Kerr, will be one for at least two seasons longer, the Daily News has learned. Sinisalo's agent, Bill Watters, confirmed yesterday that the 30-year-old right wing has agreed to a new, two-year contract. The deal, which is supposed to be signed today, came out of a meeting between Sinisalo and general manager Bobby Clarke on Monday. When Sinisalo turned down a contract extension last year, the Flyers were resigned to last season being his final one in their uniform.

The Flyers, drifting toward mediocrity for two seasons, caught a wave last month. They appeared to be back on their feet as they hit the surf. After an 80-point season of starts and stops that followed a first-round playoff elimination in 1988, there was considerable relief at being able to win two rounds and give a strong Montreal team a tough series. And deservedly so, because the Flyers looked every bit their old, proud selves. But the key word here is "old. " Although general manager Bobby Clarke will argue age is just a state of mind, his team has a lot of key players who are thirtysomething.

The Springfield Spartans haven't been doing so well in the Suburban One American Conference Freedom Division lately. So when the Liberty Division's Upper Merion came to town Tuesday night, Spartans coach Jack Spinella hoped the change might do his team good, even though the Vikings had won five straight games. He was wrong. Upper Merion dashed those hopes behind the spectacular shooting of Bobby Clarke, and the Spartans fell, 74-55. Clarke tallied a game-high 38 points to pace Upper Merion, which led at the end of each period.

If you have seen one Flyers loss, you basically have seen them all. And if you are their general manager, you have seen enough. A blindfold is most appropriate for Bobby Clarke's team. The Flyers continue to face tight third periods as if they were standing in front of a firing squad. Having already failed to hold third-period leads of either one or two goals on five previous occasions this season, the 3-2 edge the Flyers held by the skin of their chattering teeth last night was as good as a death sentence.

The Flyers finally might have some relief for their crippled center-ice position when they return home tomorrow night to face Boston. Dave Poulin said yesterday that the shoulder that has kept him out of the lineup for 13 days is feeling better and that he hopes to be able to play against the Bruins. "The range of motion is much better and it feels a lot stronger," said Poulin, who has missed seven games, only one of which the Flyers have won. Poulin said he has been told that had he not been wearing heavy-grade shoulder pads, the ones that make him look like the hunchback of Notre Dame, the slight separation could have been as severe as the one that put Brad McCrimmon into surgery during the 1985 playoffs.

Brian O'Neill, vice president of the NHL, has decided that James Patrick will not serve a suspension for the cross-check that broke Ron Sutter's jaw last Saturday night. The Flyers had sent tapes of the incident, which occurred during a Flyers- New York Rangers game at the Spectrum, to O'Neill, hoping he would discipline the Ranger defenseman. O'Neill ruled yesterday that the incident did not warrant a hearing. He did allow that Patrick's act, which was penalized only two minutes by referee Don Koharski, warranted a five-minute penalty, but no suspension.