Clutterbuck Sets NHL Hits Record

Not much has gone right this season for Minnesota. Marian Gaborik was hurt for way too long, and now that he's back, Mikko Koivu's hurt. The Wild are still outside of the top eight in the Western Conference, and it looks like they'll have a hard time getting into the playoffs.

A bright spot most of the season has been the play of rookie Cal Clutterbuck. The 21-year-old has been consistently physical, and has shown great energy throughout the season. His reward won't be the Calder Trophy, but he has put himself in the record book.

In Wednesday night's game, Clutterbuck set a league record for hits in a season, breaking the mark set by Dustin Brown of the Kings last year.

Of course, if there was ever going to be an asterisk next to a hockey record, this one's it. Not only is a "hit" a subjective stat that varies from rink to rink, "hits" have only been recorded religiously since the lockout and only sporadically before that.

Clutterbuck was credited with seven hits in a 6-2 win over the lowly Islanders, giving him 317 for the season.

Sadly, he'll have to settle for breaking the mark in a road game attended by around 225 people on Long Island.

While Clutterbuck might not be a household name among most hockey fans, he's developed quite a following in Minnesota because of his physical play. He also drew the ire of CBC commentator Don Cherry two months ago for fighting with his visor on. Maybe it's not a coincidence that Clutterbuck fought Sean Avery of the Rangers Monday night, but took his helmet off first.