Cal Clutterbuck’s main focus during his 17-year NHL career was being physical, forechecking well, chipping in offensively when he could, killing penalties, and occasionally chirping guys on the other team, anything he could contribute to help his team win.
He never expected – and proclaimed he never wanted – to be in a broadcast booth, but this season, he’s jumped right into an analyst position at MSG Networks.
“You can probably ask that entire locker room, and they’d probably giggle and say ‘yeah, that guy said he’d never do any of these things,’ and here I am doing all of those things,” Clutterbuck said. “Feeling like a bit of a hypocrite at the moment, but it is what it is.”
Clutterbuck’s former teammates – who can confirm they didn’t think he had an interest – are excited to see him break into broadcasting.
“He’s always been really knowledgeable, so I’m not surprised he’s doing well at it, but I guess you can say it's surprising because he always said it was something he wasn't going to do,” Noah Dobson said with a laugh. “I’m happy for him.”
“It’s awesome,” Matt Martin said. “He’s doing a great job with it and he's enjoying it, he’s a smart guy and has always thought of the game from a high level. I think he gives fans and MSG a lot of insight into what's going on, not only on the ice but inside the locker room and where the mindset is at.”