Clutterbuck Adds 1,000 Games Milestone to List of Greatest Hits

Cal Clutterbuck didn’t have any expectations of playing 1,000 games when he first started his NHL career, but he knew he’d have a good story from game one.

It was Oct. 28, 2007, and a fresh-faced Clutterbuck was debuting with the Minnesota Wild against the Colorado Avalanche and lining up against future Hall of Famer, Joe Sakic.

“He gave me a little congratulations at the time, which I thought was very classy of him to do,” Clutterbuck said. “I looked up immediately and Jacque Lemaire, who was coaching at the time was giving me the changeup signal to get off the ice. The puck dropped and I skated straight to the bench. That was my first shift in the NHL.”

Clutterbuck tells the story with a laugh. Nine hundred and ninety-nine games later, he’s the one being trusted to go over the boards in big situations and to make life miserable for today’s stars.

On Wednesday night, the NHL’s all-time hits leader is set to play his 1,000^th game, which is a remarkable feat for how many hits he’s taken along the way. 

“I’m not sure I ever would have guessed that I would have even played one game or 100 games or 500 games,” Clutterbuck said. “It’s a big milestone for me.”

Making a Mark in Minnesota

Clutterbuck has been a character ever since breaking into the league with the Minnesota Wild. A third-round pick (72^nd overall) in 2006, he had a unique name and later would have a unique look, specifically the slicked combover and handlebar mustache.

He brought an ultra-physical style of play with him too, making his mark by leaving a bunch on others. Clutterbuck led the league with 356 hits as a rookie in 2008-09, putting the NHL on notice immediately.

“He was a hard-working guy who had a laser beam of a shot, was just a bowling ball going around the ice,” said James Shepard, who was Clutterbuck’s teammate for two-and-a-half years in Minnesota and the best man at his wedding.

Clutterbuck’s physical play earned him notoriety among opponents, credibility with his teammates and perhaps some extra leash around veteran players. Clutterbuck and the late Derek Boogaard – who Clutterbuck described as his linemate and bodyguard – once filled an older teammate’s car with packing peanuts. He’d change the music on Martin Škoula when the veteran would stretch.

“We always called him two-year tenure because he thought he was like an ultra-vet when he came in,” Nick Schultz, Clutterbuck’s teammate for four-and-a-half years in Minnesota, said. “He always was pulling pranks doing different things.”

There was also Clutterbuck’s legendary chirping. There’s no stenographer to give the full scope, which is probably for the best, but it’s given Clutterbuck the ability to hit mentally as well as physically. (This writer can vouch for that personally.)

“He was always chirping guys on the ice. It didn't matter if it was a Hall of Famer or whatever. It seemed like he always was getting in guys heads and stuff,” Schultz said. “His quick wit, intelligence and sharpness is always fun to be around.”

Schultz describes the swagger on and off the ice as a good thing.

“I don't think it was cockiness, it was confidence,” Schultz said. “He had to have that for the type of player that he was in the role that he played. He did a good job of having to get under people's skin, but be able to go out and play and be effective.”

A Long Time on Long Island

Clutterbuck was an effective player in his early days with the Wild. He led the league with 318 hits in 2009-10, led again with 336 hits in 2010-11 and finished third (behind Matt Martin) with 288 hits in 2011-12.

He scored a career-high 19 goals in 2010-11, followed by another 15 the following season. He became a capable penalty killer and scored four shorthanded goals in 2011-12, which tied Adam Henrique and Mike Richards for the league lead.

Despite that, Clutterbuck figured his days in Minnesota were likely numbered when (future Isles teammate) Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter signed identical 13-year contracts to play for the Wild in the summer of 2012, as he was set to be a restricted free agent the following year. Clutterbuck played the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season with Minnesota, and assumed he’d be traded to one of the three California teams.

The Islanders were not on his radar when he was back home watching the 2013 Draft to find out that he’d been traded – along with a third-round pick – to the Islanders in exchange for Nino Niederreiter, the fifth-overall pick in 2010. Clutterbuck was not enthused about the destination at first, something that makes him chuckle now after spending a decade on Long Island.

“My first thought was ‘oh my god,’” Clutterbuck said. “I just immediately thought of the Marriott and the concrete slab that the Coliseum was on and thought ‘oh boy, this is going to take some getting used to.’

“Obviously, it doesn’t take very long to travel around a little bit, get to know some different spots around here,” Clutterbuck added. “I quickly fell in love with the place. It’s definitely one of those scenarios where it’s not what you wanted, but probably what you needed.”

Frans Nielsen remembered the day Clutterbuck was acquired a little more fondly. After all, bringing one of the league’s most prolific hitters in-house means not having to play him anymore.

“I still remember the day we traded for him how excited we were because we knew that he could score goals, but we felt how hard and intimidating it was to play against him,” Nielsen said “We knew it was going to be a great asset for our team.”

Clutterbuck’s style and attitude helped contribute to the changing culture on Long Island, according to Nielsen.

“The guy hates losing,” Nielsen said. “You know he's going to bring it. You know he's going to do whatever it takes to win. He competes and he makes guys follow that. You want leaders, you want players in that room that compete.”

Finding His Identity with Cizikas and Martin

It’s hard to talk about Clutterbuck’s time with the Islanders without including Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas, as the three have been a trio on and off the ice for the better part of 10 years (save for Martin’s two years in Toronto).

“We’ve been together for so long, me, him and Casey, we'll argue like brothers sometimes,” Martin said. “He’s a guy that when his hockey playing career is over that, he'll still remain a really close friend and, like family to me.”

“He's someone that I can call one of my best friends I've made over my career in hockey,” Cizikas said.

They’ve been together for so long that it’s both hard to remember a time when they weren’t playing together, but that was the situation when Clutterbuck first arrived.

"I don't remember exactly who he was playing with, when he first came here, but when he first came here it wasn't with us,” Martin said. “Somewhere along the road, he had a shift with me and Casey and feels like we've been together ever since. Sometimes things like that just kind of click and obviously, the crowd kind of got behind the three of us being together and using that as energy and momentum.”

The three of them play a straightforward and physical game and achieved plenty of notoriety when Don Cherry called them the best fourth line in hockey history back in the 2014-15 season. Jack Capuano started the line almost religiously during his tenure as coach and Barry Trotz was quick to coin them as the team’s identity line. Despite changes in coaches and management, and even the way the game is played, the trio has stayed intact.

“I know where he's going to be, I know where he's going to support us,” Martin said. “He’s got a good shot and you kind of know when he's going to let it rip when he's coming down the wing. That's an advantage for any group of players who have played either for a long time.”

Overcoming Injuries and Adversity En Route to 1,000

Intact wouldn’t necessarily be the first word that comes to mind for Clutterbuck, given how much punishment his body has absorbed over the years.

It’s a fact of life for a physical player and every one of his 3,798 hits thrown involve him taking some contact as well. That of course, does not include however many hits he’s received, as well as slashes, fights and postwhistle scrums. You do not get to be the NHL’s hits leader by being the most liked guy on the ice.

“His style is very tough, so for him to get to 1,000 games regardless of how long he's been in the league is a very honorable accomplishment,” Anders Lee said. “He's battled through a lot, just little injuries given the way he plays. Tough player.”

As a result, Clutterbuck’s injury history looks more like a game of Operation. There was the leg laceration in the 2013 preseason that cost him six weeks. There was the wrist laceration in December 2019 that sidelined him for over two months – and cost him feeling in three of his fingers for years afterwards.

Clutterbuck had back surgery in the 2019 offseason, which addressed a stress fracture, two rotated vertebrae and two slipped discs. Clutterbuck conceded at the time it could have been career-ending. Clutterbuck needed shoulder surgery during the 2021-22 season and fought through a series of ailments that limited him to 49 games last season.

“Sometimes the injuries can take a toll on you mentally,” Clutterbuck said. “Sometimes the seasons can be long, they don't always go the way you want them to. It's more of a mental test than a physical one.”

Despite all the injuries, he’s still playing a similar style of game and throwing the body. In 999 career games, he’s thrown at least one hit in 963 of them. He was even credited with nine bodychecks on the night he set the NHL hits record last season.

“I've dealt with some injuries just like everyone else,” Clutterbuck said. “They resolved themselves and the body kind of goes back to being what it is. I guess I'm just used to being in a certain level of pain at all times, but to me, I don’t really notice. Honestly, I feel pretty good.”

Becoming a Leader

Clutterbuck has worn a letter for 10 of his 11 seasons with the Islanders, assuming a leadership role almost immediately with the team by becoming an alternate captain in 2014-15. He’s long been a respected voice in the locker room.

The same physical style that allowed him the leeway to prank the veterans as a rookie is the same that allows him to raise his voice in the locker room.

“He can be a little bit of the hard ass, which is a good thing,” Martin said.

Anthony Beauvillier, who played with Clutterbuck from 2016-23, joked that Clutterbuck presence was intimidating when he was a 19-year-old entering the league – that was until he got to know him.

“He's tatted up. He's got the full beard going and he’s a brick, like he could break me,” Beauvillier said. “He was definitely hard on me a few times, but he was good to me and I’m happy for him and it's going to be special for him.”

Even with his persona, he’s always made time for younger players. Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, who is the last player with the club from Clutterbuck’s days, said that Clutterbuck showed him the ropes when he was a young player in his Wild days.

“He was always good to me in my first couple of years,” Spurgeon said. “I was pretty quiet trying to sort of blend in with everyone, but whether it was dinners or just hanging out on the road, sort of ribbing you with some jokes and stuff like that just to get you into it. He was always awesome to me.”

He’s been the Islanders locker room DJ ever since Andrew MacDonald was traded to Philadelphia and is known to bring a guitar out and be the life of the party, according to Scott Mayfield. It’s things like that which make him a popular teammate off the ice and his work ethic make him a popular one on it.

“He's a guy that everyone listens to and looks up to,” Cizikas said. “In the dressing room, he gets along with everybody. He cracks jokes. He's extremely smart. And he's someone that, when he talks, you listen.”

Energy - and Espresso - at 1,000 Games

Energy has been at the heart of Clutterbuck’s game ever since he broke into the league. A burning desire to compete, along with his standard five shots of espresso pregame (his pregame order over the past eight years) seem to fuel him.

“I don't know if he needs it, but he wants it and he's not overly happy if he doesn't get it,” Martin said with a laugh. “It's a lot of coffee, but he likes his order. Maybe that's his secret.”

Clutterbuck, who both drinks espresso on his off days and insists it’s on par with a venti iced coffee, has learned to harness that energy over the years. At 36, with a lot of hard miles, he can’t just be 100% bowling ball, 100% of the time.

“It's same in a lot of ways,” Clutterbuck said of his game. “I've gotten a little smarter over the years in my expenditure of energy. And just the way that I approached the game is a little more methodical now than it was back then.”

That’s perhaps the real key to Clutterbuck’s longevity. His career has been made up of more than hitting and it’s his hockey sense that’s allowed him to be an effective penalty killer and someone who can play a key defensive shift late. Ask Clutterbuck and it’s his hockey sense and ability to evolve that has carried him this far.

“I think my mind and the way that I think the game is one of my greatest assets and just being able to sit back and analyze what's going on and react,” Clutterbuck said. “Being in the right position and try and evolve with the game. You have to evolve with the game. If you don't, then it kind of gets away from you.”

Despite all the hits given and taken, the game hasn’t gotten away from Clutterbuck. On Wednesday night, it’ll give him a silver stick, recognition of all the hard miles between game one and one thousand.

“I've had a lot of good times and some not so good times,” Clutterbuck said. “But the whole thing has been a dream.”