Hits keep coming for Clutterbuck

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: March 25, 2009 - 11:16 PM

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Nobody stopped Wednesday's game against the Islanders to acknowledge him. The Hall of Fame didn't collect his elbow pads.

And when the Wild next plays at home, the NHL isn't planning a pregame ceremony to honor Cal Clutterbuck with a sculpture of a bruised and fallen opponent.

Instead, Clutterbuck will have to merely be gratified with the knowledge he now owns the "NHL record" for hits in a season (317). With eight games left, he surpassed the Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Brown's 311 hits of last season with seven in Wednesday's 6-2 victory over the Islanders.

Of course, if there was ever going to be an asterisk next to a hockey record, this one's it. Not only is a "hit" a subjective stat that varies from rink to rink, "hits" have only been recorded religiously since the lockout and only sporadically before that.

"I think the biggest thing is being able to stay healthy throughout the whole thing -- knock on wood -- and having the consistency to be able to break the record or get as many hits as I have," said the 21-year-old rookie. "And my energy level will always be the same. It just comes from the way I enjoy playing the game."

Clutterbuck has gained a reputation as a chippy combatant who loves to run around. He draws the ire of opponents, and lately he has been taking his fair share of abuse or retaliation.

That comes with the territory, but he says being targeted won't stop him.

"As time goes on, teams are going to start to realize that that's just the way it is," Clutterbuck said. "No matter what they do, it's not going to deter me from doing what I do. So I think you'll see them kind of back off with time."

Following etiquette

After Clutterbuck was dumped by Rangers forward Sean Avery in front of the Wild net Tuesday, Avery challenged Clutterbuck to a fight.

But after dropping his gloves, Clutterbuck, who has been criticized by Wayne Gretzky and Don Cherry for fighting with a visor, unstrapped his helmet and threw it to the ice.

"Now nobody's got anything to say," Clutterbuck said. "I've done it all now. Apparently, I'm not as much of a coward as people think. [Avery] didn't have a visor on. I know what the unwritten rule is, so I just took it off."

Avery followed suit by theatrically flipping his helmet onto the ice.

"He turned around to face the other way, and I was like, 'What's he doing?'" Clutterbuck said, laughing.

Koivu, Burns on hold

Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough said Mikko Koivu's knee injury will be assessed by Friday to determine whether he can travel with the team to Calgary and Edmonton.

Brent Burns, who hasn't played since March 10 because of a concussion, is still symptomatic after exercising. "My headaches are a little better, but it's definitely slower than I would have liked or thought," he said.

Etc.

• Wednesday's game was so wacky, it even featured 3-on-3 play. "I didn't know what to tell them because we never play that. It was strange," coach Jacques Lemaire said. Laughing, he said he told Eric Belanger, "Stay in the middle and watch who's on the point and then you go there if he gets the puck."

• All six of Marian Gaborik's goals have come from within 2 feet of the net. Joked net-crasher Owen Nolan,"He's taking notes."

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