Trevor Gillies is a true hockey enforcer that seems to cross the boundaries more than most. The six-foot-three, 231-pound tough guy racked up 261 career penalty minutes in 57 career NHL games with the New York Islanders and Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks.

He’s also been suspended for 31 games at the NHL level.

Gillies made a career in agitating opponents out on the ice, and forcing them to drop the mitts. The Cambridge, Ontario product has a combined total of 852 regular and playoff professional games playing in the NHL, AHL, KHL, SM-liiga, and ECHL with 3,403 PIMs racked up.

He’s as tough as they come, but he’s known to take things way too far. Back in October of 2014, Gillies slammed the face of William Carrier into the ice following a fight that resulted in a 13 game suspension.

A repeat offender, Gillies has apologized for his actions in the past, but based on history, his apologies don’t seem sincere whatsoever.

The 38-year-old is playing in his 19th professional season, and his third with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. On Sunday, Gillies was up to his old antics when he attacked an unwilling opponent.

As you can see, Gillies doesn’t let his opponent get out of sight as he spins around on his knees. Gillies follows him, crosschecks him in the back, gives him a little shot in the face before unleashing a left hook and jumping him. He then starts viciously attacking the unwilling combatant right into the boards before a pileup ensues. He doesn’t really stop either, as he continues to throw punches while the adversary is on the ice.

He was assessed a five-minute major for his antics.

It’s pretty ridiculous that this type of behavior is still coming from Gillies, and should expect a suspension coming his way. At what point will Gillies be permanently banned from professional hockey all together is the quesiton that needs to be asked.

It’s a longshot as some teams still feel the need for a tough guy (Gillies is an assistant captain for the team, too) but it begs the question considering how much information is out there on brain injuries and the true effectiveness enforcers have on an outcome of a game. Gillies represents the last of a dying breed of goons in hockey, and his place in the game will soon be obsolete.

Will the ECHL come down hard on Gillies and make an example out of him that this sort of violence is unacceptable?

(h/t Twitter/Neil McWheel)