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WHy is this guy still earning a paycheque in hockey? Because somebody is willing to pay him. This speaks to the Old Boys mindset that continues to exist in hockey. Sad. Get these one-dimensional players out in favour of skilled guys…

THE DREGER REPORT

Check THE DREGER REPORT each weekday morning for 'The Three Things You Need To Know' for the day in the National Hockey League from TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Darren's reports are posted here at about 11am et/8am pt.

Updated: Thursday, March 03, 2011

1) New York Islanders forward Trevor Gillies is a loyal and well liked teammate. But that doesn't excuse his reckless behavior Wednesday night, nor are his intentions expected to carry much weight in Friday's in-person discipline hearing with the NHL.

Gillies crushed Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck head first into the glass following Clutterbuck's hit on New York's Justin DiBenedetto.

Clutterbuck receieved a boarding penalty for his hit, while Gillies, in his first game back from a nine-game suspension for his role in last month's debacle with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was assessed a checking from behind major and was tossed from the game.

While Islanders coach Jack Capuano questioned the legitimacy of the penalty, the post-hit reaction has been largely one sided – favouring severe punishment.

The hit on Clutterbuck is similar to the hit on Pittsburgh's Eric Tangradi and can be described as non-hockey play where the head is targeted out of retribution. The Islanders will argue that with the support of video replay, the point of initial impact was the shoulder and not the head and it was Gillies' follow-through with his left hand that made contact with Clutterbuck's head.

It's hard to predict the length of any suspension, but given his recent history, Gillies will probably sit for a long time.

Had Clutterbuck been injured, some believe Gillies' season would have been over.

At age 32 on a two-way contract ($75,000 AHL/$500,000 NHL), fighting for NHL survival, it's easy to say Trevor Gillies should know better – that's common sense. However, Gillies' history in hockey proves he's fought for survival his entire career.

Dating back to 1995-96, the year Gillies began his junior career with the OHL's North Bay Centennials, the rugged and often troubled tough guy has scored a total of 16 goals.

That's Sixteen goals and 47 assists for 63 points in 775 hockey games in various leagues, including the Ontario Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League, and of course, the NHL.

Conversely, over that same span, Gillies has amassed over 3,300 penalty minutes. (3,302 to be exact).

Gillies' road to Long Island has been a grind, but incidents like Wednesday night's, or the part he played in the mayhem against Pittsburgh, aren't endearing him to NHL managers who respect his role and determination to make it to this level.

With a contract that expires at the end of the season, Gillies may be playing on borrowed time.