alumni-classic

Cal Clutterbuck has more than 4,000 hits on his NHL resume, but when he laced up his skates for the Alumni Classic between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers on Saturday, bringing his signature physicality wasn’t top of mind.

“I might try and score today,” Clutterbuck said with a laugh before the game. “But I’m looking forward to going out there and having some fun.”

And score, he did. Clutterbuck’s hat trick led the way in an eventual 4-2 win over the Rangers in the Alumni Classic, presented by Northwell, at Madison Square Garden. Clutterbuck came out of the gate with a fiery edge, sniping a shot past Henrik Lundqvist that opened the scoring. Goaltender Kevin Poulin stood tall and made some flashy saves, while Clutterbuck netted his second and third goals of the game before Eric Carins iced the game with an empty netter, as the Isles bench lit up with smiles.

“It's really exciting, especially because Cal Clutterbuck is playing,” said Islanders Season Ticket Member Samantha Stoll. “To see him shoot against Hank brings back fun memories.”

The fourth annual Alumni Classic had a change in venue as the Islanders and Rangers took the ice at MSG after playing at Northwell Health Ice Center for three consecutive years. Islanders and Rangers fans packed the lower bowl of the garden to see their favorite players coming together to put on a show.

“Watching them play is really lighthearted and exciting,” said Stoll, who made the trip to MSG from Farmingdale. “I love games at UBS [Arena] where I’m yelling and fired up, but today is just a relaxed environment.”

The Northwell Nurse Choir set the stage and sang the national anthem before the contest and a $200,000 check was donated to Northwell Health and the Garden of Dreams Foundation.

“We all love to contribute, drawing a crowd and raising funds in a fun exhibition game like this,” said Steve Webb who played eight seasons for the Islanders from 1996-2004. “Any time you can make an impact in the community, it’s worth it.”

Webb, who participated in previous Alumni Classics as a player, got the chance to coach the Isles alumni and had fun rolling out lines.

“I get to dictate line changes and ice time,” Webb said with a laugh. “I’ve got some past beef with a few guys on my team, so I’ve got a little more control over how they go about their business today.”

Before the matchup, Webb said Cairns was his main target. The two were on either side of the rivalry when Carins played against Webb from 1996-98 as a member of the Rangers, before he became his teammate on the Islanders, where they spent several seasons as roommates and are close friends to this day.

The Islanders roster was comprised of players spanning different generations, from guys who wore the blue and orange in the 90s like Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon and Benoit Hogue, to 2000s players in Alexei Yashin and Cairns, to 2010s representatives in Dennis Seidenberg and Clutterbuck.

“It means we’re getting a little older,” Turgeon joked. “Some guys coming in are a little younger, it’s fun to play with them and it’s exciting to put on a good show. We want to have fun out there.”

For Turgeon and the rest of the Isles alumni squad - which also included Radek Martinek, Rob Schremp and Alexei Yashin - they arrived at Madison Square Garden and immediately felt nostalgic upon entering the building. Turgeon remembers scoring his 50th goal of the 1992-93 season against the Rangers in an Islanders victory in overtime. For Clutterbuck, memories flooded back of the havoc he’d caused as a visitor, but his game-winner with 1:28 to go in a 6-4 win in the 2015-16 season stands out the most.

“Being on the ice at Madison Square Garden, this place has a ton of history and brings back memories for us,” Turgeon said. “It’s unique and special to come and play here, and it means so fun to both fanbases.”

The Islanders-Rangers rivalry is a longstanding, intense one, as the battle between the New York teams always brings out extra passion not only for the players, but for the fans.

“It was really intense on the ice, but it was also really intense off the ice,” Bruno Gervais said. “There’s a picture at the Coliseum, it was a faceoff in the Islanders zone, and all the fans were standing up with their backs turned away from the ice because they’re watching a fight in the stands as the play is happening. That’s the kind of rivalry we have.”

That old school intensity was set aside for an afternoon on Saturday. Above all else, the Alumni Classic was all-in fun and fans from both sides of the aisle enjoyed a great show for a great cause.

“The Islanders helped me grasp early on in my career that we have the opportunity to give back and help in any way we can,” Gervais said. “It makes a big difference and it’s important we were able to do so today.”