Gillies upset over rough comments on hit

Islanders enforcer Trevor Gillies spoke about his current 10-game suspension for the first time Wednesday, saying that he accepts his punishment for his hit on Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck on March 2 and that he's a bit stung by the harsh comments he's heard from all over the hockey world about his ability.

"People are going to say what they say, but I don't think anyone who's met me would have a bad thing to say about me," Gillies said after he skated among a dozen teammates at Nassau Coliseum. "Ultimately, we're a family in this room and the guys have stuck by me through all this and I plan on being there for them, this year and next year.

"I'm an intense guy and I kind of wear my heart on my sleeve, so some of the stuff, yeah, it might bother me a little a bit. But you have to have tough skin in this game."

Gillies said he had no intent to injure Clutterbuck, who had a penalty coming for a hit from behind on Islanders rookie Justin DiBenedetto when Gillies came in and shouldered Clutterbuck into the boards. The hit drew a major and a game misconduct in Gillies' first game back from a nine-game suspension for his role in the fight-filled Islanders-Penguins game on Feb. 11.

"I followed through with my hit. It wasn't from behind, it was from the side," Gillies said. "Mr. [Colin] Campbell paused the video and it shows me hitting him on the shoulder; there was a follow-through, so I have to learn to keep my hands down. But I think if my hands were down it would have been a good hit."

Gillies, 32, spent a decade in the minors before earning his fourth-line role with the Islanders last season. He realizes that 19 games' worth of suspensions, which have cost him roughly $100,000 of his $500,000 salary this season, have jeopardized his spot on the team.

"I put a lot of time in in the minors, for lots and lots of years," he said. "I was the typical kid out there, from the time I was 5 or 6, I dreamed of playing in the NHL. It's a privilege and an honor, and I don't want that to be taken away from me. Obviously, I'm going to have to be careful on my hits.

"And I want to clear the air here: I have respect for all the guys I play against. I don't try to hurt anybody. I just play hard. That's pretty much it."