For one generation of Flyers and NHL hockey fans, Bill Clement was a fast-skating, two-way role player. He won two Stanley Cup championships with Philadelphia. He scored a breakaway insurance goal in Philly’s second Cup victory. Later, he played in a pair of All-Star Games.
Another generation of fans knows Clement primarily as a smooth-voiced and impeccably dressed color commentator on local and national hockey broadcasts. He worked seamlessly alongside the likes of Mike “Doc” Emrick, Gary Thorne and Jim Jackson.
Clement, who also did some television commercial acting and ventured into public speaking and entrepreneurship, was a stickler for meticulous preparation. On the flip side, he brought a spontaneous sense of humor to work and into the broadcast booth. If it seemed like Clement and his broadcast partners were having fun doing the games, it’s because they were.
“It’s always been a pleasure to work with Bill,” Emrick said in 2022. “It takes a talent to know when to present the homework you’ve done, and when to let the game speak for itself. Bill’s approach is very conversational, which is both innate but also something honed.”
Added Jackson, “Bill sees and thinks the game on a very high level.”
In November 2022, Clement was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto as a winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award (AKA the “broadcaster wing” of the Hall). He was humbled — and surprised — by the selection as well as the enthusiastic response from colleagues, friends and hockey fans alike.
“We had a table with 20 seats,” Clement said of the induction celebration. “I figured it’d be my wife and family. But all sorts of folks asked if they could make their own way to Toronto. The Hall of Fame is technically an individual honor but so many people have a part in it; your support system; your parents, siblings. Your professional mentors, broadcast partners, your audience.”
“I never thought about the Hall of Fame. Certainly not for my playing career. Not when I was broadcasting, either. I felt I just worked hard to feed my family… On the air, I endeavored to make the game something worth watching for the people tuning in; to contribute something that made them glad they watched. Where broadcaster really earn their money is the games that are less meaningful and not so well-played. You owe the audience honesty but also need to bring some original thoughts of value beyond just your opinions.”
Beyond the Game
Clement resided for decades in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. After his retirement from broadcasting — partial retirement, at least, because he still does some voiceover work and guest spots — he and wife Cissie relocated to Waynesville, North Carolina.
Clement wearing flannel in the great outdoors, working with an ax or chainsaw is hardly the first mental image that would pop to mind for most hockey fans. But it’s a lifestyle that he loves.
“That comes from my father. It took me less than a second when we moved to realize we’d made the right choice. When I was broadcasting, I owned approximately 1,000 neckties. Now I maybe have seven or eight. Vocationally, I lived in a suit and tie for much of my life,” he said.
Clement still returns to the Delaware Valley about five or six times a year, often for Flyers Alumni Association events. Most recently, he came back to reunite one more time with most of his surviving Cup era teammates for a special weekend of private and public events. The Stanley Cup trophy itself was on hand throughout the weekend.
“I still have the bonds that formed with people up there, the fans and the community. That never just disappears. But I don’t regret the move here. It’s called the ‘Gateway to the Smoky Mountains.’ We’re surrounded by high peaks — Waynesville is situated between the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains. I live about 10 minutes out of town,” he said.
Does he ever miss the hockey broadcasting booth? Sometimes, Clement says.
“I miss it when a game is really meaningful. When there’s an electric atmosphere. Those are the easy games to broadcast. I miss being in the booth for those games.”
Arc of Haywood County
Bill Clement serves on the board of directors for the Arc of Haywood County. It is an organization whose mission statement is close to the Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster’s heart.
“Cissie and I are so blessed to have four children. Our daughter Christa has Multiple Sclerosis and has her own family. A true champion. Our daughter Regan has Down Syndrome and when we moved to Waynesville and discovered the Arc of Haywood County, we knew we were home. It is an honor for me to serve on the board of directors,” Clement said.
The Arc provides a variety of vital support services for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental delays as well as their families. The Arc of Haywood County operates a group home, provides employment/job coaching, community living services for individuals who are capable of living on their own as well as individuals who live with family members but need assistance a few times each week to learn life and social skills to help them become more independent. The Arc of Haywood County advocates on the local, regional, state and national level to fulfill its mission.
In addition, through his work with the Flyers Alumni, the Arc of Haywood County has been a recipient of 12 Days of Christmas donations.
“Giving back makes you feel good. It’s and intrinsic reward. I’ve seen firsthand the difference the Arc makes in people’s quality of life. For example, Halloween just passed. To see the joy of the people we serve in the IDD community, that’s its own reward.”
IDD stands for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. It’s a shorthand description for dozens of different conditions. The Arc’s services span a wide gamut of different conditions and providing support and assistance as needed.
