It was early in Cal Clutterbuck’s first season of junior hockey, in November, he believes, and his Ontario Hockey League team was returning to Toronto from a road game.
The bus dropped the players off at his home building, St. Michael’s College School Arena, and Clutterbuck’s father, Tim, picked him up and drove him home.
Clutterbuck was struggling on the ice, homesick, and at a crossroads.
“There was a moment where I thought, ‘I’m not sure I can do this,'” he said Tuesday. “Things weren’t going well. …I just said, ‘I feel like I don’t understand.’ ”
Throughout the 17th year of his pro career, which will reach his 1,000th game Wednesday against the Flyers, Clutterbuck has had many moments that have made him reflect on his athletic mortality.
However, when I looked back at the milestone of my longevity, it stuck with me.
“He talked me off the ledge,” Clutterbuck said of his father. “And he said, let’s just keep going and see what happens. And I kept going.
“Things got better. And I got even tougher. It’s just one of a series of events like that, but it was a big one for me and one that I remember. I’ll always remember that.”
At 36 years old, Clutterbuck is the oldest player to play in the most games on an Islanders team that features one of the most veteran cores in the NHL.
He holds the league’s all-time hitting record, with linemate Matt Martin currently runner-up, and the identity line starring the two has earned a permanent place in Islanders lore.
Not too bad for a No. 4 hitter who considered quitting as a junior.
“I never really thought about it. [1,000 games] It was a possibility for me,” Clutterbuck said. “It wasn’t really like that. When I was a kid, one game felt like a pipe dream. And when you play 100 times, you think it’s great.
“I wish I could say I wrote it down in a notebook sometime in 2007, but I didn’t. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
If not for a spate of injuries over the past few seasons, Clutterbuck would have reached 1,000 much sooner.
Since 2019, he’s had a cut on his wrist on a skate, nagging shoulder issues that required season-ending surgery, and a broken finger.
If nothing else, his game this season has been as great as ever.
Even with the Islanders’ recent struggles, Clutterbuck’s play has been one of the most consistent on the roster. Head north in a straight line and powerfully.
“It’s not easy,” said Casey Cizikas, Clutterbuck’s center for most of the past decade and one of his best friends. “Those are tough miles and for him to accomplish something like this, he should be very proud of himself. He does it every night.”
Clutterbuck said it’s not the physical aspect of recovering from an injury that has taken the biggest toll, but the mental aspect.
The conversations he had with his father as a teenager weren’t the only way his loved ones helped him.
“My parents have always been there for me. I’m lucky to have a good support system,” Clutterbuck said. “Naturally, it’s my wife. We’ve been together for 13, 14 years, so between my wife and my parents there’s always someone to talk to. When my resolve seems to be weakening a little, I try to move forward. People who encourage me to keep going. I’m really grateful to them.”
Clutterbuck isn’t the type to constantly reflect.
But after the Islanders beat Calgary on Saturday, he began to reflect on his accomplishments.
“I was sitting on the bus going back to the hotel, and some memories came flooding back,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit the last few days. But everything is positive. It’s great.”
