Ron and Don: Islanders’ Clutterbuck lives to hit but not a dirty player

Don Cherry and Ron MacLean discuss NHL players getting hit into open gates, the Brad Marchand, Anthony Duclair incident. And Patrik Laine’s impressive shot.

Cal Clutterbuck ranks fourth in the NHL in hits with 208 in 63 games played this season and made headlines in recent weeks after a pair of hits he threw resulted in injuries to two of the league’s top young stars.

The New York Islanders forward followed through on a body check on Auston Matthews in a late-February game that caused the Toronto Maple Leafs star to suffer a shoulder injury. Earlier this week, he collided with Vancouver Canucks standout rookie Brock Boeser, who crashed into the boards and suffered an injured back. He was also involved in some rough stuff when his team played the Edmonton Oilers Thursday.

“This guy lives to hit. That’s all he does,” Don Cherry said Saturday during the Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night in Canada.

Clutterbuck broke into the league during the 2007-08 campaign and leads all NHL players in hits with 2,788 during that span.

“When Clutterbuck’s on the ice, you always have to be aware,” Cherry added. “See what he did to Matthews? See what he did to [Boeser]? He is a hitter. He’s not dirty. He is a hitter.”

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