Ex- Islanders star Cal Clutterbuck taking on New York State Open Championship in retirement

Former Islanders tough guy Cal Clutterbuck is trying to turn his obsession with golf into a title at the New York State Open Championship, taking place this week at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, New York.

Clutterbuck, who retired from the NHL in April, finished Day 1 of the tournament on Monday with a score of 82, 12-over par, setting up a second day in which he’ll need to improve by roughly 10 strokes if he hopes to make the cut to advance to Wednesday’s round. 

The New York State Open Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play tournament that is open to both professional golfers and amateurs who belong to clubs in the state and have a handicap that does not exceed 10.0. 

Clutterbuck shot a 43 on the front nine and started the day with a double bogey on the first hole and double bogey on six, before bogeying on seven and eight, but he shot for par on hole nine. 

The NHL’s all-time hits leader, with 4,029, fared better on the back nine, nearly eagling on hole 15, but ended up with a bogey. 

“I missed a couple of birdies, but I hit one,” Clutterbuck told NHL.com after his first round.

“I was putting it well. It’s tough, the level of focus you need for almost five hours,” he added. “When things are going well, you want to just keep riding it. When something happens, you really have to work on just putting it behind you and moving on.”

Clutterbuck will tee off for the second round at 12:48 on Tuesday and will be paired with Jimmy Hazen and Chris Fischer. 

The 37-year-old is the second New York sports pro to compete in the tournament in the last three years. 

Mets infielder Jeff McNeil had competed in the New York State Open Championship in 2023 during the MLB All-Star break. 

Clutterbuck spent parts of 17 seasons in the NHL, spending his first six with the Wild before he was traded to the Islanders during the 2013 NHL Draft, along with a third-round pick, for Nino Niederreiter. 

Clutterbuck would go on to play 718 regular-season games for the Islanders and became a mainstay on the Isles’ “Identity Line” alongside Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas – only one of whom remains an active NHL player. 

He was a part of seven playoff teams while with the Islanders – including in 2016 when the team advanced beyond the first round for the first time since 1993. 

The Islanders also made it one round shy of the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and 2021 while was a member of the organization. 

Clutterbuck has long held a love for the game of golf and made the announcement that he was retiring from hockey days after attending the Masters. 

“I couldn’t help but think how I would have never been able to do that if I were still playing hockey,” Clutterbuck said in his retirement announcement. “Which brings me to this announcement post. Obviously I haven’t played hockey in the NHL in a year and I think it’s safe to say that everyone assumed, but I’m going to make it official today. 

“I am retiring from the NHL, and… um… I really have no idea how to do this. So, that’s it. I’m done. See ya.”

Clutterbuck spent last season as an analyst for MSG Networks on Islanders broadcasts and will be there in 2025-26 in a full-time role.