Isles' GM defends suspended Gillies

As he did when Trevor Gillies received a nine-game suspension last month, Islanders general manager Garth Snow stood behind his player Saturday, defending the hit that resulted in Friday's 10-game ban for the 32-year-old enforcer.

"Trevor didn't go in with a malicious mind-set,'' Snow said in a news conference before the Islanders-Blues game. "I can tell you, if he did go in with that intent, the player probably would not have gotten up.

"I know Trevor as a person and I know there was no malicious intent when he was finishing the check."

Gillies received a major five-minute checking-from-behind penalty and game misconduct during the Islanders' 4-1 win over Minnesota Wednesday after smashing Cal Clutterbuck into the boards.

The hit, retaliation for Clutterbuck's hit on Islanders forward Justin DiBenedetto moments earlier, came only four shifts into Gillies' first game back from the nine-game suspension.

"From the play, the way I saw it develop, there was a hit from behind on DiBenedetto by [Clutterbuck] and [Gillies] comes over and tries to finish his check," Snow said. "The first point of contact was shoulder-to-shoulder. It wasn't a hit from behind by any means.

"I think his left glove accidentally followed through and made contact to the head. But by no means do I think he had the intention to hurt the Minnesota player," Snow said. "I think he was going in with good intentions to finish his check, and it's unfortunate he did receive a 10-game suspension."

Gillies sat for nine game after a vicious elbow on Penguins forward Eric Tangradi during the Feb. 11 fightfest at Nassau Coliseum, and Snow said he believes that Gillies' history as a repeat offender earned him the harsh punishment for the Clutterbuck hit.

"He's got the rating as a repeat offender, but that's not really a question for me to answer,'' Snow said. "That's for Colin Campbell."