Cal Clutterbuck to join the NY Islanders broadcast as MSG analyst for season opener

Cal Clutterbuck will work at the New York Islanders home opener at UBS Arena on Thursday, but he'll be behind a desk, not a bench. The NHL all-time hits leader will be part of MSG Networks coverage for the season opener against Utah Hockey Club.

According to reports, Clutterbuck is not ready to announce his retirement from the ice, but he remains in shape after training all summer. However, there weren't opportunities on the ice that worked for his family, so he's taking a turn at broadcasting instead. Clutterbuck will become the latest former Islander to make an appearance on the telecast in a formal capacity. While Thomas Hickey has become a rising star, even landing an Amazon Prime gig this off-season, others like Matt Mouslon last year and Rick DiPietro have taken turns at being studio analysts.

“Genuinely, I’m just looking forward to the start of the year,” Clutterbuck told Newsday. “And I’m looking forward to seeing the guys do well. They’ve looked good through training camp. They had a hard training camp, which I think is good for a team. I think they’re going to have a great start. I’m looking forward to watching, I’m looking forward to being involved and staying with the organization in some capacity.”

Fellow fourth-liner Matt Martin remains on a professional tryout (PTO) for the time being, but a contract offer feels like a longshot. That wasn't determined to be an option for the 36-year-old Clutterbuck who played in all 82 regular season games, scoring seven goals and 19 assists. It was also a season of milestones for Clutterbuck, as he reached the 1,000 NHL games played mark and became the first player in NHL history to record 4,000 hits in a career.