Clark Gillies Clark " Jethro " Gillies ( born April 7 , 1954 , Moose Jaw , Saskatchewan ) is a retired professional player and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame . He provided both physical presence and offensive punch for the NHL ' s New York Islanders during their four - year run as Stanley Cup champions . In a career that spanned 958 games , Gillies notched 319 goals , 378 assists , and 1023 penalty minutes . Playing career . Gillies earned his tough - guy reputation in the Canadian Junior leagues , earning 570 penalty minutes in 201 games with the Regina Pats . In 1974 , Gillies and the Pats won the Memorial Cup . In the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft , the Islanders made him their first round selection , taking him 4th overall . Gillies would also be selected by the World Hockey Association ' s Edmonton Oilers in the WHA draft , but Gillies signed with the Islanders , making the team right out of training camp . It was during his rookie season of 1974 – 1975 in the playoffs that Gillies established himself as one of the toughest players in the NHL , pummeling legendary Philadelphia Flyers enforcer Dave Schultz . Gillies scored over 30 goals for four straight seasons as part of the " The Trio Grande " , the Islanders ' top forward line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier , and was named to the NHL ' s All - Star team twice . In 1977 – 1978 , Gillies was named team captain ; however , in spite of Gillies ' articulate speaking manner and amiable nature , he never felt completely comfortable as team captain and it affected his play adversely in big games . Gillies captained the Islanders through two big disappointments in his two year stint as captain , in part because the Islanders appeared to lack a team toughness . During the pre - season of the 1979 – 1980 season Gillies allowed Denis Potvin to take over as captain . During the 1980 playoffs , Gillies got the best of Terry O ' Reilly , one of the Boston Bruins ' toughest players , several times , helping to fuel the Islanders ' drive to the Stanley Cup . Gillies was used during this series as the Islander ' s chief protector and enforcer , and in taking on this role , Gillies allowed his team to battle through a violent series with the Bruins . Gillies , now totally comfortable with his role with the team , prospered individually and collectively , as the Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups during Gillies ' tenure . Gillies is recognized for his role as enforcer , but he was also a solid skater , possessed a great shot , passed the puck well , back - checked well , and developed an uncommon hockey savvy through the championship years with the Islanders . Unlike many other enforcers , Gillies never exceeded 100 penalty minutes during any NHL regular season . Gillies ' swan song may have been during the 1983 – 1984 playoffs . After struggling through the regular season , he came alive in the playoffs , leading the Stanley Cup runner - ups in scoring for that playoff year . After scoring only 4 goals in 55 games in 1985 – 86 , Gillies was left unprotected in the NHL Waiver Draft , and the Buffalo Sabres picked him up . He wore # 90 in Buffalo . Gillies retired after playing a season and a half with the Sabres . On December 6 , 1997 , Gillies ' # 9 was retired by the Islanders . In 2002 Gillies was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame .