Hall of Famer Clark Gillies, winner of four straight Stanley Cups, dead at 67

Clark Gillies, who won four straight Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the early 80s before being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002, has died, the Islanders announced on Friday night. He was 67.

Gillies, a forward from Moose Jaw, SK, was selected by the Islanders in the first round of the 1974 draft. He played for the team from 1974 through 1986, playing in 872 games, which is fifth on the team’s all-time list. His 304 goals are fourth all-time in franchise history and his 359 assists are fifth all-time for the Isles.

“The entire Islanders community is devastated by the loss of Clark Gillies,” Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. “He epitomized what it means to be a New York Islander. The pride he felt wearing the Islanders sweater on the ice was evident by his willingness to do anything to win. Off the ice, he was just as big of a presence, always taking the time to give back to the local community.”

Gillies was one of 17 Islanders who won four straight Cups in 1980, ‘81, ‘82 and ‘83.

The Islanders retired Gillies’ No. 9 on December 7, 1996 and his banner hangs in the new UBS Arena.

“The New York Islanders have four Stanley Cups because of the sacrifices he and the members of those dynasty teams made for the franchise,” Lamoriello said. “On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Gillies family.”