New York Islanders’ Cal Clutterbuck, right, celebrates his goal on Ottawa Senators goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Cal Clutterbuck isn’t one to wax poetic or romanticize about the journey.
That’s not necessarily uncommon for an NHL player; especially a hard-hitting, physical one of his standing who has to keep his nose to the grindstone at all times to ensure that he stays healthy and even at times safe to see the next game.
But with his 1,000th career game awaiting on Wednesday night at UBS Arena when his Islanders host the Philadelphia Flyers, Clutterbuck noticed something different happening after the games on their recent four-game Pacific Northwest road trip.
“The other night, actually, I was kind of sitting on the bus going back to the hotel and I had some memories kind of come back,” Clutterbuck said. “I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit for the last couple of days. All positive, you know? It’s a cool thing.”
Of the 7,603 skaters to ever suit up in the 105 years of the NHL, Clutterbuck will become just the 383rd player in history to hit the 1,000-game mark. His first 346 came with the Minnesota Wild before he was traded to the Islanders for Nino Niederreiter ahead of the 2013-14 season.
Game No. 1,000 with be his 654th with the Islanders, which ranks 15th in franchise history.
“I never really thought it was a possibility for me,” Clutterbuck said. “When I was growing up, [one NHL] game was a pipe dream and then you play 100 and you think that’s impressive. So on and so forth. It’s crazy, for sure for me, but it’s not something that I had written down in my notebook in 2007.”
The 36-year-old winger has carved his niche on Long Island by doing the kind of job many professional hockey players can’t do: Provide non-stop physical play to grind the opponent down.
He’s the…
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