WILD ABOUT CAL
Minnesotawild fans applaud Cal Clutterbuck’s big hits and thewellander’s knack for scoring shorthanded goals.
Special to The Tribune
WELLAND — Wellanders have made a big impact in the NHL the past few years and the 2011- 12 season seems to be no different.
With only a few hits from leading the league again this year, Cal Clutterbuck not only has a big hit, but he is a big hit with the Minnesotawild and known all around league as someone not to get in the way of.
The 24- year- old right winger was born in Welland, attended high school at Notre Dame and played junior B for the then Welland Cougars before taking his game to the next level in the Ontario Hockey League.
The 5- foot- 11, 224- pound Clutterbuck is very good at throwing that weight around: in the 2008- 2009 season, his first year in the league, he broke the record for hits ( 311) as a rookie. He finished that season with 356 and has been in the top of this category each year since.
Clutterbuck made a name for himself in the pros by playing this way. Hockey icon Don Cherry talks about him regularly during his Hockey Night in Canada segments even commenting that Clutterbuck has the “prototypical hockey player name.”
His name and hitting ability aren’t the only reasons thatmake Clutterbuck an impact player. The speedy tough guy has one of the best wrist shots on the Wild — maybe, in the entire league — and knows how to put the puck away.
Last year, he finished the season with 19 goals and this year already has 10, putting him on pace to break his total from last season.
He also has two game- winning goals and entered the new year among the league leaders in shorthanded goals with four.
The Wellander has worked his way up quickly from the fourth line, when called up his rookie season to regularly playing along side the Wild’s stars, Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley. Clutterbuck is also a big contributor to the power play and all special teams.
On top of playing well and making many highlight reels by smashing his opponents, his contributions to the team are also assisting them in becoming one of the best teams in the league. Minnesota is sitting near the top of thewestern Conference standings and the Wild are looking good in their quest to return to the playoffs after a three- year absence.
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