Ex-Islander Cal Clutterbuck gets 100% honest about his relationship with former GM Lou Lamoriello

Cal Clutterbuck spoke honestly about his relationship with Lou Lamoriello during an appearance on Spittin’ Chiclets. The former forward, who retired in April, shared his experience of playing under the veteran executive.

In episode 578, Clutterbuck said he was unsure at first what it would be like. He said:

“Well, when he first comes in, you never know, right? Like, you see him from the outside and you think, like, 'Oh man, this guy is going to be real difficult. Like, he’s going to be in my face all the time.'” (1:12:25)

He explained that once he understood Lamoriello’s way of running things, it became clear the rules were simple and consistent.

Lamoriello most recently served as the general manager for the Islanders, where Clutterbuck spent most of his career. That gave him a close look at Lamoriello’s methods and why so many players respected him.

“He did it since, like, I think 1987 you know, he started in September of 87 I was born in November of 87 so longer than I’ve been alive, he’s been running teams," Clutterbuck said.

"It’s just the way he does it. Man, you got to give the guys flowers. You’ve been successful pretty well everywhere he goes. And so who the f**k am I for fourth line pigeon to challenge that guy at anything? So you follow the rules and things are great.”

For Cal Clutterbuck, the biggest thing was how Lamoriello treated his players.

“He’s just, he’s a really great human being. He’ll do anything for his players. And like, as a player, that’s really all you can ask for.”

He also said Lamoriello made it easier for the team to focus on hockey.

“We didn’t do appearances during the year like we played hockey we went home to our families," Clutterbuck said. "And you know we lived our lives and as long as you weren’t as long as you were a good guy, good human being and a good teammate like you are fine.”

Cal Clutterbuck, who played over 1,000 NHL games and retired as the league’s all-time hits leader, made it clear that his time with Lamoriello left a strong impression. For him, the relationship was built on respect and trust.

Cal Clutterbuck weighs in on Noah Dobson’s new $76M Canadiens contract

In the same episode of Spittin’ Chiclets, Cal Clutterbuck spoke about Noah Dobson’s eight-year, $76 million contract with Montreal. He thought the number would be lower than what the Canadiens offered.

“It’s probably like in the 7s (million),” Clutterbuck said.

Clutterbuck also mentioned Dobson gave up some offense to show he could defend top players. He added that the defenseman looked stronger when playing more minutes.

“The more minutes he plays, the better he is,” Clutterbuck said.

It remains to be seen if Dobson can live up to the expectations after signing an extension.