NHL

Islanders legend Clark Gillies dead at age 67

Islanders legend and four-time Stanley Cup champion Clark Gillies died Friday night at age 67, the team announced. No cause of death was given.

Gillies played the first 12 of his 14 NHL seasons with the Islanders (1974-86) and became synonymous with success when the team went to the playoffs in every one of his seasons and won their legendary four straight Cups from 1980-83. Gillies played on the Trio Grande line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier and scored more than 30 goals in a season six times with the franchise.

Head coach Barry Trotz learned of the news as he came off the ice Friday night following the Islanders’ win over the Coyotes, and informed the team upon its return to the dressing room.

“He was bigger than life,” Trotz said. “You saw Clark Gillies, you thought Islander.”

Gillies’ name is all over the franchise’s record books: fourth in goals (304), fifth in assists (359), fourth in points (663) and fifth in games played (872). Gilles was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2002, and his No. 9 was retired by the organization in 1996. He played two seasons with the Sabres after leaving Long Island before retiring following the 1987-88 campaign.

Clark Gillies Paul J. Bereswill

“There’s no doubt, there’s no gray area,” Trotz said. “Charismatic, he played the right way. He was part of the community. Everything that you think about being an Islander, being a good teammate, fantastic person, all of those things. My heart dropped when I was told.”

After retirement, Gillies maintained a presence around the team and the Long Island community with charitable endeavors. His foundation was devoted to helping children who are physically, developmentally or financially challenged. A native of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Gillies made Long Island his home.

The Islanders were visibly shocked by the news in postgame press conferences that barely touched on the game itself.

“I think he epitomizes everything that being a New York Islander is,” Matt Martin said. “He walks into a room, he’s charismatic. He carried a room.

“I remember when I met him for the first time and I always thought, ‘That’s who I want to be when I grow up.’ He’s just an amazing human being.”

Anders Lee recounted a morning during which he, Gillies and two friends had a golf round rained out. They sat in the clubhouse instead, swapping stories — a memory he’ll cherish.

“Nothing mattered about the round that day,” Lee said. “We just got to sit around a table and spend time with him.”

Clark Gillies played 872 games with the Islanders, scoring 304 goals, recording 359 assists and 663 points (fourth all-time in franchise history). Getty Images

The Islanders have a way of keeping their alumni around. The names in the rafters of UBS Arena are more than just distant memories for the franchise — and that’s by design. The result, on a night like Friday, is devastation that touches current members of the organization.

“Those guys are the foundation of what the team and the organization is all about,” Brock Nelson said.

Clark Gillies played 12 seasons for the Islanders between the 1974-75 and 1985-86 seasons, as he was a key part of the team’s dynasty that won four-straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83. AP

Gillies was certainly among that group. During the team’s run to the Stanley Cup semifinals last summer, he was in the stands at Nassau Coliseum, going viral for smashing a beer over his head.

“That one will stay with me for a long time,” Trotz said.

“The entire Islanders community is devastated by the loss of Clark Gillies,” general manager Lou Lamoriello said in a statement. “He epitomized what it means to be a New York Islander. The pride he felt wearing the Islanders sweater on the ice was evident by his willingness to do anything to win.

“Off the ice, he was just as big of a presence, always taking the time to give back to the local community. The New York Islanders have four Stanley Cups because of the sacrifices he and the members of those dynasty teams made for the franchise. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Gillies family.”