His face, nose and forehead looking like chopped meat at the butcher shop, Hospodar was rushed to a hospital. When a reporter visited Ed the next day, he found a face that didn't resemble one from the night before.
"Hospodar pushed Clarkie too far," Resch remembered. "That was never a good idea."
What surprised Hospodar is that he joined the Sabres a few weeks after Gillies had been picked up by Buffalo and they became the best of friends. Then again, that was Jethroe, friend and humorist to the civilized world.
I was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee back in 1993 and was the one who pushed for Gillies' nomination but my bid got shot down. Fortunately, a few years later, Clark was inducted, and it was fully deserved.
Working on a line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, Gillies rounded out one of the most exceptionally explosive units in NHL annals. Boss was the sharpshooter; Trots played the 200-foot game and Gillies took care of the physical part as well as illuminating red lights.
"When Clark Gillies goes into the corner," teammate Denis Potvin once observed, "he's like an 800-pound gorilla. He goes where he wants to go."
Off the ice, Gillies was both humorist, philanthropist and friend to all. Whenever Clark and I would meet away from the camera, we'd trade jokes. And then more gags. He was, in fact, anything but a tough guy in person.
"You just loved to be around him," says Allan Kreda, who covers the Met Area teams for The Associated Press. "He was a wonderful person and terrific player."
In fact, Kreda and I were with Clark on Nov. 20 when the new UBS Arena was unveiled next to the Belmont Race Track on Long Island.
The legendary left wing was in good spirits and there were no signs of the impending illness that would take his life.
"We had our usual laughs together and even took a few pictures," Kreda recalls. "People loved being around him."
Islanders coach Barry Trotz put it simply - and accurately: "Clark was a bigger-than-life figure in our game. He was respected by everyone because he was such a fantastic person. He cared about his teammates, his friends, his fans and his community."
Both Resch and Gillies also were honored members of Saskatchewan natives who made it to the NHL. Employing his wit, Clark liked to be asked about his birthplace.
"I'm from Moose Jaw. And, in case you're interested, Moose Jaw is about four feet from the Moose's behind!'
Resch was an Islander at a time when Gillies was beginning to assert himself as a team leader. Up until the spring of 1975, the Islanders had never made the playoffs. But that would end soon enough.
Resch: "We squeezed into the playoffs just beating out Atlanta and then we meet the Rangers in the first (best-of-three) round. They were heavy favorites but we beat them in the opener and then they beat us in Nassau.
"So, it came down to the rubber game and, of course, the Rangers were favored 'cause the game was at The Garden. We needed something to give us confidence and Clarkie came through scoring the game's first goal."
As it happened the game went into overtime before J.P. Parise scored the winner for the skaters from Uniondale. But it was Gillies who spearheaded his team when it most needed it.
How good was he as a player? Writing in his book, Players, historian Andrew Podnieks offered this appraisal:
"The Hockey Hall of Fame put the crown on his head when it inducted him in 2002 declaring in so doing, that he was among the greatest players ever to appear in the NHL."
Chico Resch and The Maven will add that Clark Gillies also was one of the greatest people ever to grace this earth!
R.I.P. Old Pal!
