Trevor Gillies of the Islanders, in his first game back from a nine-game suspension after his vicious hit against Eric Tangradi in the Penguins-Islanders horror show a month ago, faces the NHL again after a similar hit against the Minnesota Wild's Cal Clutterbuck:
↵↵Gillies was retaliating for Clutterbuck's hit against the Islanders' Justin DiBenedetto. Here's Clutterbuck on Gillies:
↵↵↵"He was just trying to finish his check. I don't know where he learned to hit. I'm pretty sure he just punched me. That's what I felt and that's what it looked like on video.
↵"The fact is he's only playing there because half their team's injured. There's no way that guy should be in the National Hockey League."
↵
Gillies is now in Toronto to face the NHL's discipline board. Clutterbuck fortunately wasn't hurt (unlike Tangradi, who still hasn't returned), but good for the NHL for dealing with this guy. He's clearly out to cause trouble, and he's an embarrassment to the sport of hockey. Gillies' taunting of Tangradi while he was laying on the ice was one of the worst displays I've ever seen in a hockey game. And now the guy comes back and can't get through one game without a similar hit.