Dave Maloney remembers Clark Gillies as heart and soul of Islanders' dynasty team

Dave Maloney and Clark Gillies once were fierce on-ice adversaries, former captains of the Rangers and Islanders whose careers overlapped during the height of the teams’ late 1970s-early 1980s rivalry.

On Saturday, the day after Gillies died at 67, Maloney remembered him as the heart and soul of the Islanders’ four-Stanley Cup dynasty.

"To me, he and (Bryan) Trottier epitomize that group," Maloney, now a Rangers radio analyst, told Newsday in the booth at Madison Square Garden before the Rangers hosted the Coyotes.

"They would rather play, but they would do whatever it took to win. Trottier may have been a little bit meaner, actually, but Clark, you didn’t want to poke the bear. Leave the bear alone."

Maloney said he sent Gillies a note when Gillies was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

"I so respected how that team played, and to me, he epitomized how they played," Maloney said. "Clark Gillies was exactly who I hoped he’d be when I met him."

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, 58, who grew up on Prince Edward Island, Canada, said his favorite team as a young player was the Islanders, and his favorite player was Gillies.

"As a kid growing up, I wanted to be Clark Gillies: score and fight," Gallant said.

Gallant made his NHL debut for the Red Wings against the Islanders 37 years ago Saturday. (Gillies did not play in that game.) Gallant scored a goal in his first game, then had a fight against the Rangers in his second.

Notes & quotes: Before the game, the Rangers recalled Anthony Greco and Tarmo Reunanen to the taxi squad and assigned Tyler Wall to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.