Islanders Country suffered a huge loss on January 21, when Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gillies passed away at the age of 67 following a battle with cancer. The left winger from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was the fourth overall pick of the 1974 NHL Draft and helped the Islanders win four straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983.
But his playing career doesn’t tell the whole story about the man known as “Jethro.” He was more than just a hockey player to so many people on Long Island, where he called home long after his playing days were over.
On Friday night, the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building will be lit up in Islanders orange and blue (also the colors of Nassau County) in honor of Gillies.
“What a great honor for Clark, (his wife) Pam and the family to have this wonderful building lit up in his honor,” said Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky at a ceremony on the steps of the building Friday morning. “We’re wearing No. 9 for the rest of the season on our uniform, but the No. 9 of Clark Gillies will always be in our heart.”
Those who knew Gillies well have said that the former Islanders Captain would never say no to a charitable request or function, and he later started the Clark Gillies Foundation, a “non-profit corporation developed to help children who are physically, developmentally, and/or financially challenged.”
Gillies was beloved by not only Islanders fans, but by so many people on Long Island. He was always around Islanders home games, and one of the final lasting memories of Gillies was during last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was shown on the video board at the Nassau Coliseum crushing a beer can on his head to get the crowd going. He was also on hand for the opening of the Islanders’ new home in November, dropping a ceremonial puck on opening night at UBS Arena.
Clark Gillies was a New York Islanders great, but he also became a great Long Islander.
“We’re here, not only because he was a Hall of Fame hockey player, but also because he did so many great things for young people, and people who were physically challenged and emotionally challenged,” said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
Also on hand at the ceremony on Friday morning were two of Gillies’ teammates from the Islanders’ dynasty, Bobby Nystrom and Butch Goring, who both spoke so eloquently about a man that could do just about everything on the ice. When you needed him to score a goal, he came through, and when you needed him to defend his teammates by standing up to an opposing player, he was right there to do what he needed to do.
His death was crushing to everyone in and around the Islanders organization, as well as to those lives all over Long Island that he touched with his time, efforts, and generosity.
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“There is no greater man than Clark Gillies,” said Nystrom. “We became the best of friends and I loved this guy. I also envied him. He had such a zest for life. Yes, he was one hell of a hockey player, but that was only the short time in his life. What he did after hockey will be his legacy. He dedicated his life to the people of Long Island. If you can find someone on Long Island that doesn’t know the name Clark Gillies, then they must have moved here yesterday.”
Islanders fans loved Clark Gillies. The day after he passed away, fans who came that night’s game at UBS Arena left flowers and other items to honor Gillies next to his plaque at the Islanders Hall of Fame wall.
There have been so many people that have tried to put into words just how special this man was and what he meant to so many people, and lighting up the magnificent dome in Mineola is the latest way that so much love is being shown for just a wonderful human being.
“I can’t think of a more appropriate way to honor Clark Gillies’ legacy,” said Goring. “There are going to be a million stories, but every time you meet someone that met Clark Gillies along the way, they’re going to have nothing but good things to say because that’s what he brought out in everybody.”
One of the great things about Clark Gillies was that it didn’t matter to him who you were, because he treated everyone with love and respect. It also didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, because Gillies was a mensch to everyone.
“People are sometimes judged by how much money you have,” said Goring. “In Clark’s case, it was judged by how many friends you have – and in that case, Clark Gillies was a multi-billionaire.”
There’s a gaping hole in the hearts of Islanders Country and everyone else on Long Island that knew and loved Clark Gillies: a great hockey player and an even better person.
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