Clutterbuck on course to enjoy retirement from NHL through golf

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. -- Cal Clutterbuck walked up to the 15th hole at Glen Oaks Club on Monday and crushed a golf ball reminiscent of his attempts to crush the opposition into the boards during his long NHL career.

The League’s all-time hits leader (4,029) is competing at the New York State Open Championship, a 54-hole, stroke-play event, with a cut after 36 holes. The 37-year-old scored 82 on Day 1, 12-over par. He nearly had an eagle on 15, missing a putt by a matter of inches after the monstrous drive straight down the fairway.

“I missed a couple of birdies, but I hit one,” Clutterbuck told NHL.com. “I was putting it well. It’s tough, the level of focus you need for almost five hours. When things are going well, you want to just keep riding it. When something happens, you really have to work on just putting it behind you and moving on.”

The tournament is open to amateurs who are members of clubs located in New York and whose handicap/index does not exceed 10.0 under the United States Golf Association Men’s Golf Handicap/Index System. Clutterbuck will play again on Tuesday but will likely have to improve by roughly 10 strokes in order to qualify for Wednesday’s round. The low 60 scorers (including ties) over the first two days will advance.

“If I played better today, I’d be a little more nervous tomorrow,” Clutterbuck said. “I’m just going to come out and let it fly.”

Clutterbuck announced his retirement from the NHL on April 23 after 16 seasons as a forward with the Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders. He retired as the all-time hits leader and had 293 points (143 goals, 150 assists) in 1,064 regular-season games and 20 points (12 goals, eight assists) in 81 Stanley Cup Playoff games, which included back-to-back trips to the third round with the Islanders in 2020 and 2021.

Clutterbuck was selected by Minnesota in the third round (No. 72) of the 2006 NHL Draft. He was acquired by New York for forward Nino Niederreiter on June 30, 2013, and became a longtime member of the “Identity Line” for the Islanders alongside Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas.

Martin retired after last season but is remaining with New York as a special assistant to new general manager Mathieu Darche. He is second on the NHL’s all-time hits list behind Clutterbuck with 3,936. Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is third (3,743) but has played 427 more games than Clutterbuck and 504 more than Martin.

“I miss some of the things around playing hockey -- being in the room and hanging out kind of feeling you’re a part of a group that’s trying accomplish something,” Clutterbuck said. “But as far as like getting ready for 82 games a year and going out and playing the way that I was playing … I loved it, don’t get me wrong. I loved every minute of it. But there comes a point when you get removed from it for a year and you’re like, ‘Gosh, I’m not sure how I did that for that long.’ For me to go back to it, I’m not sure that’s a thing, so I don’t think about it that much.”

Clutterbuck said he started getting into golf as a teenager and steadily improved in his 20s. He routinely plays with former teammates and watched former NHL forward Joe Pavelski win the American Century Celebrity Championship on July 13 -- Pavelski’s 41st birthday -- and would love an opportunity to one day play in the tournament.

“That would be cool,” Clutterbuck said. “I’ve been working on trying to get in there. … I’m not looking to get on the PGA Tour, but even the amateur circuit around here is really good. There’s a lot of great players.

“It’s also good to come out here and see where you’re at. I think when you play with your friends you can go out and shoot a good score, and I’ve done that plenty of times. But being out here in this event, it’s different.”

After opting against having to move away from his family to continue his hockey career, Clutterbuck spent last season as an analyst for Islanders telecasts on MSG Networks and will return there in a full-time role this season. He’s looking forward to watching 17-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who aspires to be on the roster after being the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NHL Draft.

“I think it’s just a great thing for the franchise to be able to get a difference-maker, especially on defense,” Clutterbuck said. “He’s a mature kid who’s got future captain vibes. I think he gives the team and the fan base sort of that pivot, that anchor, that they can sort of grow around. Good for them. In one day, they really managed to maintain what I think was a pretty good team and inject some youth into it. They look good right now.”