Clark Gillies
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Clark Gillies (April 7, 1954 – January 21, 2022) was a Canadian professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
player. He played for the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
and
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
between 1974 and 1988. Gillies served as
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the Islanders from 1977 to 1979, and won the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
four years in a row with them, from 1980 to 1983. In 958 career games, Gillies recorded 319 goals, 378 assists, and 1,023 penalty minutes. He was elected to the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
in 2002.


Early life

Gillies grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Once asked where his hometown is located, he famously joked, "Six feet from the
moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
's ass." Gillies started skating at around the age of four. His father insisted that Clark learn to skate and keep his balance before allowing him to bring a hockey stick onto the ice. He began playing ice hockey casually at the age of six and in organized leagues at the age of seven. He played with a local team in Moose Jaw until it ceased operation. As one of the bigger players on the ice, he was often engaged in fights with players on other teams, which he felt added to the fun of playing.Shea, Kevin (January 19, 2007
One on One with Clark Gillies
''The Official Site of the Hockey Hall of Fame''. Retrieved July 26, 2020.


Playing career


Early career

Gillies' first professional sports experience was in baseball. In 1970, at 16, Gillies signed with the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
and played three years of minor league baseball in Covington, Virginia. He hit .241 in 86 games as a catcher/first baseman. He platooned at first base in 1972 with future Islander teammate Bob Bourne. Gillies suffered from homesickness and continued to play hockey during the off season. He eventually moved on to play in the Western Canada Hockey League with the Regina Pats. The Pats had been scouting another player at the time, but were impressed by Gillies, who was a bigger player for the era (he would be listed at and ). During his tenure with the Pats, Gillies accrued 570 penalty minutes in 201 games. In 1974, his final season for Regina, Gillies had 46 goals and 66 assists, was named to the league's First All-Star team, and the team won the 1974 Memorial Cup as Canadian major junior hockey champions.


Professional career

Gillies was the fourth overall selection in the first round of the
1974 NHL Amateur Draft The 1974 NHL amateur draft was the 12th NHL entry draft. It was held via conference call at the NHL office in Montreal, Quebec. In an effort to prevent the WHA from poaching players, the draft was conducted early and in secret. This failed to ...
by the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
. He was also picked by the
World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...
's
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
in the WHA draft, but signed with the Islanders, making the team out of training camp. It was during his rookie season of 1974–75, in the playoffs, that Gillies established himself as one of the toughest players in the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) when beating up enforcer Dave Schultz."Loyal to Islanders and LI Too Gillies still a huge presence on adapted home turf" Newsday December 14, 2014 In the latter half of the 1976–77 season, Gillies was named
team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
; however, in spite of Gillies' articulate speaking manner and amiable nature, he never felt completely comfortable as captain. Gillies captained the Islanders through two disappointing seasons, in part because the Islanders appeared to lack team toughness. During the pre-season of 1979–80 Gillies allowed
Denis Potvin Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and Captain (ice hockey), team captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner as a ...
to take over as captain. During the 1980 playoffs, Gillies got the best of Terry O'Reilly, one of the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
' toughest players, several times, helping to fuel the Islanders' drive to the Stanley Cup. Gillies was used during this series as the Islanders' chief protector and enforcer, and in taking on this role, Gillies allowed his team to battle through a violent series with the Bruins. Gillies, now totally comfortable with his role with the team, flourished individually and collectively, as the Islanders won the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
in four consecutive years, from 1980 to 1983, during Gillies' tenure. Gillies scored over 30 goals for four straight seasons (starting in 1975–76) as part of the " Trio Grande", the Islanders' top forward line with
Mike Bossy Michael Dean Bossy (January 22, 1957April 15, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He spent his entire NHL career, which lasted from 1977 to 1987, with the Islanders, and ...
and Bryan Trottier, and again in 1980–81 and 1981–82. In 1977 he finished tenth in the voting for the Hart Trophy for most valuable player in the NHL. In 1978 and 1979 he led all left-wingers for most votes for the All-Star game, and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team as a left-winger at the conclusion of these two seasons. In 1981, he played for the Canadian national team in the Canada Cup, scoring seven points in seven games. After scoring only four goals in 55 games in 1985–86, Gillies was left unprotected in the NHL waiver draft, and was claimed by the
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
. While wearing numbers 39 and 90 in Buffalo, Gillies retired after playing a season and a half with the Sabres. On December 7, 1996, Gillies' No. 9 was retired by the Islanders. Gillies was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
in 2002. Although his overall statistics were respectable but not considered Hall of Fame caliber, his role as an aggressive playmaker (power forward) was key for Trio Grande linemates Bossy and Trottier to thrive, as was his clutch scoring ability (54 game-winning goals). He was also inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.


Personal life and death

Gillies' nickname, "Jethro", came from teammate Ed Westfall, based on the character Jethro Bodine in the TV series '' The Beverly Hillbillies''. When Gillies, per tradition, got to have the Stanley Cup with him for 24 hours after the Islanders won it for the first time in 1980, he let his dog, a
German shepherd The German Shepherd, also known in Britain as an Alsatian, is a German Dog breed, breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various Old German herding dogs, traditional German herding dog ...
, eat from it. "Why not?" he responded to critics. "He's a good dog." Gillies, who was honoured by the Islanders on December 13, 2014, remained active in the Long Island community. He was a business development manager at Protective Wealth Consultants in
Huntington, New York Huntington is one of ten Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town's population was 204,127 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 11 ...
. He played in 30 to 40 charity
softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
games per year. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
in the Hockey Category with the Class of 1998. He was married to Pam, who is also from Moose Jaw. They lived in Greenlawn, New York. His son-in-law, Justin Bourne, is the son of his former teammate Bob Bourne, and worked as an assistant coach of the Toronto Marlies. His nephew, Colton Gillies, played in the NHL between 2008 and 2013. He was not related to Trevor Gillies, who also played for the Islanders. Gillies died of cancer at his residence in Greenlawn on January 21, 2022, at the age of 67.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International

*''All statistics are taken from NHL.com.''


Awards

* WCHL All-Star Team – 1974 *
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
champion –
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
,
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
, 1982,
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
* NHL First All-Star Team - 1977-78, 1978-79


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillies, Clark 1954 births 2022 deaths Buffalo Sabres players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey forwards Covington Astros players Edmonton Oilers (WHA) draft picks Hockey Hall of Fame inductees NHL first-round draft picks National Hockey League players with retired numbers New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players Regina Pats players Ice hockey people from Moose Jaw Stanley Cup champions Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century Canadian sportsmen