from Robb Cribb and Kerry Gillespie of the Toronto Star,

Derek Clarke awoke Thursday morning to read in the media that he either doesn’t exist or that he is actually a man named Randy Gumbley, a person twice convicted of defrauding young hockey players.

Clarke is actually a sales representative for a high-tech company in Montreal. The 40-year-old is also the spokesperson for the CHLPA, a group that says it wants to unionize junior players to negotiate fairer wages, better working conditions and improved post-hockey schooling packages.

The case of mistaken identity is the latest in a bizarre series of events that have surrounded the Canadian Hockey League Players’ Association since it sprang to attention this past summer. Multiple media outlets reported Thursday that people in hockey circles believed Clarke to actually be Randy Gumbley and that Georges Laraque, the CHLPA head, had identified a picture of Gumbley as Derek Clarke. One report said there were two people claiming to be Derek Clarke.

There is a Gumbley involved in the association, but his name is Glenn Gumbley. He’s the younger brother of Randy.

Adding more confusion to the mix, media reports late Thursday night said Laraque plans to quit the fledgling union as soon as a replacement can be found.

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