New York Islanders Legends

Gord Dineen

2012-01-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is Gordie Dineen. He was named after none other than Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. Gord's father Bill Dineen was a former teammate of Gordie Howe back with Detroit in the 1950s. Bill Dineen raised 5 boys who played pro hockey, including NHLers Peter and Kevin. Peter had a cup of coffee in the NHL, while Kevin was a very solid NHL player for many years.

Gord Dineen was somewhere in between.

Gord was the 42nd overall player drafted in the 1981 Entry Draft. The New York Islanders were in the midst of their great Stanley Cup dynasty years, and were looking to reload with young players like Dineen. Unfortunately for Gord, he cracked the team in the 1983-84 season - one season after the Islanders last Stanley Cup.

Gord made favorable impressions that first year, often playing alongside the great Denis Potvin. He struggled to stay in the line up as a top four defenseman for the next couple of years, but finally found his niche by about 1986.

Gord had to work real hard to improve his skating - both forward and backward - to stick in the NHL. He always lacked acceleration, but improved his turns so that was not a liability. As he gained experience and confidence, he became a serviceable depth defenseman though he was never noted for any one strength in particular. He held his own defensively, but lacked consistency in the physical game. Offensively he was a solid first pass blue liner who even made smart pinches when playing well. He seemed to see the ice well, but never put up significant numbers in his NHL career. In fact, in 528 NHL career games he had just 16 goals and 106 points.

Dineen's claim to fame in New York? He assisted on Pat LaFontaine's famous goal at 8:47 of the fourth overtime as N.Y. Islanders beat Washington 3-2 in Game 7 of Patrick Division semifinals on April 18, 1987. Dineen's shot was deflected by Kevin Hatcher out to LaFontaine, who beat Bob Mason from inside the right point. The Islanders traded Dineen to Minnesota in March, 1988, but his stay with the North Stars was short. By December he was traded to Pittsburgh by Minnesota with Scott Bjugstad for Ville Siren and Steve Gotaas.

Dineen may have been really happy to join the Penguins. After all, Mario Lemieux was emerging as the game's best player and was about to lead them to back to back Stanley Cups. But Dineen would not be a part of either championship. After the 1989-90 season he was demoted to the minor leagues for all but a handful of games. Just as in New York, Gord Dineen just missed out on getting his name on the Stanley Cup, just like his dad did 40 years earlier.

Dineen played through these tough times with admiration. He would be rewarded in 1992 when he signed with the expansion Ottawa Senators. Now those Sens teams were amongst the worst of all time, but Gord treasured his return to the NHL nonetheless. He even served as team captain for a while.

Without a contract in the summer of 1994, Dineen re-signed with the organization where it all started - the New York Islanders. The idea was he would be a veteran presence with their farm team in Denver (soon to move to Utah) and eventually lead to coaching possibilities. Dineen jumped at the security, though he kept playing until 2000. He even got into 9 more games with the Islanders in 1994-95, ending his NHL career with the same team as he started it with.

Gord Dineen continued to coach at various levels after hanging up the blades.

Mike Bossy

2011-11-21T22:56:00.002-08:00

The New York Islanders dynasty in the early 1980's ranks among the greatest teams of all time. Mike Bossy, often playing on one of the most feared lines in hockey history along with Bryan Trottier and Clark Gillies, was a key component of the success enjoyed on Long Island.

Hindsight is 20/20, but it seems hard to believe the Islanders were able to snatch up "Boss" with the 15th overall pick in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. How could 14 other teams over look a guy who average 77 goals a year in a brilliant 4 year junior career?! At the time the QMJHL was notorious for developing the small snipers who didn't know how to play defensively or physically, and despite their knack for scoring goals NHL teams feared taking a chance on a boom or bust situation.

The Islanders were happily surprised to snatch up Bossy at number 15, and he would quickly prove that he would be no bust. Bossy is considered by many to be the best pure sniper in the history of hockey - even better than a Brett Hull or Ilya Kovalchuk for modern fans. And Bossy worked very hard at becoming a well rounded player. He openly admitted to not playing any defense in his junior days, but he became a very reliable back checker with the Isles.

He carried his goal scoring ways right into the NHL, scoring a then-rookie record of an unheard of 53 goals and earning the Calder trophy as top rookie. Bossy, always a very confident person, even had predicted to team general manager Bill Torrey that he would score 50 goals in his first NHL season - something never before seen in the NHL.

He would go on to score 50 goals in every single season he played in, except his final campaign which was plagued with back problems. He also scored 50 goals in as many games during the 1981 season. It was only the second time a player had accomplished that milestone that Hall of Famer Maurice "Rocket" Richard made so famous in 1945.
Mike Bossy's brilliant career included: 573 goal along with 553 assists for 1,126 points; In playoff action, Bossy tallied 85 goals and 160 points in 129 games; At least 60 goals on five occasions, and seven 100 plus points seasons; Four Stanley Cup rings; he scored the series winning goal in both the 1982 and 1983 Stanley Cup finals making him the only player in NHL history to record Cup winning goals in consecutive seasons; the 1982 recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the playoffs' Most Valuable Player; awarded the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play three times; A first team All-Star five times and a second team All-Star three times; And his 573 goals also put him high on the NHL's all-time list.

Bossy was also a member of Team Canada in the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup Tournaments. It was his overtime goal in the 1984 sudden death semi-final that eliminated the Soviets and sent Team Canada to the final and eventually to their second Canada Cup championship.

Bossy was and remains outspoken about violence in hockey. As one of the most gifted and talented players ever to grace the game, he was often the target of thugs. However Bossy took great pride in never stooping to retaliation. The three time Lady Byng Trophy winner who accumulated only 210 PIM in his career, Bossy was often criticized for not fighting back. Critics passed him off as not tough enough. Bossy's sweet revenge would however often come in the following 2 minutes after the cowardly attacks. Bossy - perhaps the greatest power play weapon in the game's history - would score on the man advantage, and that would only upset the other team even more. Of Bossy's 573 career goals, 181 were scored on the power play.

A chronic bad back forced Bossy to retire prematurely. Oddly enough, the back injuries that still haunt him to this day were caused by the constant abuse he had to take on the ice. In his final season he tallied 38 goals, the only season in which he did not record at least 50 goals. Bossy termed the "failure" to score 50 goals as his biggest disappointment. In actuality he probably shouldn't have played that year either, as his back was just that bad. Bossy's love of the game outweighed doctors advice. But by doing so Bossy forever silenced his critics. He played through immense pain and showed the hockey world just how tough he really was.

It is an absolute shame Mike Bossy had to call it quits so soon. He is perhaps the greatest goal scorer the game has ever seen. But he also took great pride in working on his all around game, and became a very dependable defensive player and underrated playmaker.

Bryan Trottier

2011-11-21T22:56:00.001-08:00

Former Islander teammate Garry Howatt nicknamed Bryan Trottier and his super-sniper cohort Mike Bossy "bread and butter." This wasn't totally because the dynamic duo was the dynastic Isles' bread and butter during they hey days (with all due respect to many others, particularly Denis Potvin and Billy Smith), but because the two were almost inseparable both on and off the ice. The two went together like bread and butter.

Bryan, of course, was the center of attention during the New York Islanders dynasty of four straight Stanley Cup wins in the early 1980s. Literally. He centered Bossy along with a host of left wingers, most notably one of the most fearsome figures in hockey history in Clark Gillies, to become one of the most potent scoring combinations in league history. Trottier and Bossy had an uncanny partnership, as the unselfish Trottier perfectly set up Bossy, arguably the NHL's best sniper ever.

"Its instinct," said Bossy while trying to find the words to describe their on-ice relationship. "There aren't any little signals. The thing between us is the communication we have. We're not afraid to tell each other that we should have done this, or we should have done that. As much as Bryan helps me, I've helped him."

"I think history will remember Trots as a great hockey player," said Bossy, "and me as a great goal scorer, not a great hockey player. I can't say who's better because we were so different. Any team that needed a strong and determined center who could score and check and win face-offs would naturally choose him over me. Any team that needed somebody to score goals would choose me over him."

That pretty much sums up Trottier as a hockey player pretty nicely. Although he once led the league in scoring, had 6 100 point seasons and 2 more over 95, and once scored 524 career goals, and 1425 career points, he isn't remembered for his great offensive numbers.

That tells us just how great the rest of his game was. To dwarf those incredible offensive statistics is no easy feat, but when people remember Trottier they talk about him being perhaps the most complete player in the history of the game. As incredible as his offensive wizardry was, his dogged defensive play and gritty physical play was equally as impressive - and perhaps more so. .

Bryan was born just outside of a small town in Saskatchewan named Val Marie - just north of the Montana border. Like most of the kids in the area, Bryan grew up honing his skating and puck skills on the frozen ponds during the long Saskatchewan winters. But Bryan took the game more seriously than the others kids - he would stay out on the ice and practice when everyone else gave up due to the frigid temperatures. Sometimes the only friend Bryan would have out on the ice was his pet border collie. Bryan noticed that the dog liked to put the puck in its mouth, so Bryan took that opportunity to practice his shot - with the collie acting as a make-shift goaltender.

By 1972 Bryan was old enough to begin advancing his career. He travelled 75 miles down the road to Swift Current where he joined the WHL Broncos. He started out slowly, but quickly became one of the hottest prospects in the league. Playing with the likes of Terry Ruskowski, Tiger Williams and Brian Sutter.

In the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, Trottier was selected 22nd overall by the Islanders. He was returned to junior (by this time the Swift Current Broncos had moved to Lethbridge) for some more apprenticeship - a move that paid off very well. Trottier led the entire WHL with 98 assists, which coupled with his 46 goals and 144 points earned him 2nd place on the overall scoring list and he won the WHL Most Valuable Player Award.

Trots broke into the National Hockey League in 1975 with the Islanders, winning the Calder trophy as the leagues best rookie.

"Its his poise that really stands out," said teammate Billy Harris during Trots rookie year. "He's always calm, regardless of the situation. And he's got tremendous hockey sense. He is, if there is such a thing, a natural born center."

"Trots" had 32 goals and 63 assists, which set a then-rookie-record 95 points. But that was just the beginning for Bryan.

Three short years after arriving in the NHL in such grand fashion, Trots captured the Art Ross trophy as leading scorer and the Hart trophy as MVP. Many people expected the Islanders to finally become the team that would upset the Montreal Canadiens and become hockey's new best team, but that would have to wait a year as the cross town rival NY Rangers upset the Islanders in the playoffs.

However the following year the Islanders would finally reach the top, winning their first Stanley Cup in their history. And they wouldn't let go of their championship, holding it for the next 4 years before the Oilers dynasty managed to wrestle it away from them. That first year it was Trottier who was named as the MVP in the playoffs, earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy.

While Bryan got used to lifting the Stanley Cup over his head, it was the first one that is always the most special.

"When I was holding the Cup," he said "I could feel all the names. My senses peaked. I could hear everyone. The crowd was incredible, one continuous roar.".

The 4 time All star Trottier's best years came during the height of the New York Islanders dynasty. For the 4 years that the Isles reigned as the NHL champions, Trottier was arguably the best player. Famed hockey writer Stan Fischler made it his personal campaign to let everyone know that he felt Trottier was better than the young whiz kid in Edmonton named Gretzky. In fact Fischler once said "Trottier has ripened into the most effective total forward since Gordie Howe."

Teammate Eddie Westfall agreed with that assessment. "He's rugged like Howe. Gordie liked to play a physical game and so does Bryan."

Another old timer Trottier was often compared to was Boston Bruins 1940s and 50s standout center Milt Schmidt of the Boston Bruins. A modern comparison would be Steve Yzerman.

The fact that Trottier scored over 500 career goals and 1400 points in 1200 games is amazing, as it often seemed that Trottier was more interested in such intangibles as body checking and defensive attention.

Isles coach Al Arbour had a much easier job when Trottier was in the lineup, and agreed that in the early 1980s that Trottier was the league's best center. "Gretzky is an offensive genius for sure," said the slightly biased Islanders bench boss. "But at this stage Trots gives you more things. Defensively, he's outstanding. And he's physically tough. He comes up with his 100 points a year, automatically, along with everything else!"

Arbour once also said he'd never trade Trottier for Gretzky.

Hulking defenseman Larry Robinson was another fan of Trottier's. "What you don't realize is that Trottier weighs over 200 pounds. You can't budge the guy of knock the puck off of his stick. And he hands out a lot of punishment at close quarters."

Trottier remained with the Islanders through 1990 season, making him the last piece of the championship puzzle to leave Long Island. By then he was clearly nearing the end of his career - his offensive stats had dried up and he was relying on his leadership and defensive abilities.

After all those years with the Islanders, Trots would join the Pittsburgh Penguins late in his career. With his leadership and experience, he helped Mario Lemieux and company win two consecutive Cups, bringing his total to 6 championship rings.

Trottier retired after the 1992 championship, and returned to Long Island to work in a front office position. But after one year off of skates, Bryan returned to the game, again with the Penguins. He played in just 41 games to round out his career.

In 18 NHL seasons Bryan played in 1279 games - scoring 524 goals, 901 assists and 1425 points. He also participated in 221 Stanley Cup playoffs games - scoring 71 goals, 113 assists and 184 points. Bryan played in 8 NHL All Star Games and in two Canada Cups - once for Canada and once for the USA (he held dual citizenship due to his status as a North American Indian)

Trottier was overshadowed by glitzier stars like Guy Lafleur, Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne. He was even overshadowed on his own teammates like by Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and Billy Smith, and later Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.

But make no mistake, Trottier is a legend of hockey. Trottier could do it all. He was gifted scorer who could also neutralize the other teams big guns. An excellent face off man, he was also a relentless body checker, slamming into opponents at any given chance. If there was a hockey dictionary and you looked up the term "complete player," it would have a picture of Bryan Trottier beside the definition.

Battlin' Billy Smith

2011-11-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the best clutch goaltender of all time, Battlin' Billy Smith was a major reason for 4 consecutive Stanley Cup championships on Long Island with the N.Y. Islanders.

His most celebrated Stanley Cup championships might have come in 1983. His 2-0 performance in game 1 of the 1983 finals against Edmonton is considered one of the greatest classics of all time. He would go on to shut out Wayne Gretzky during the entire series and was named playoff MVP.

The Los Angeles Kings selected the young goaltender with their third round draft pick in 1970. He starred in the American Hockey League in 1970-71, his first pro season. His strong play and 2.56 goals against average helped the Springfield Kings win the 1971 Calder Cup championship. He was named the team's most valuable player.

The following season he topped the AHL with four regular season shutouts. That same season, Smith was called up to the NHL, appearing in five regular season games with Los Angeles.

At the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft, the New York Islanders claimed him from the Kings system. He supplied reliable goaltending as the Islanders' struggled in 1973 and 1974. During the next five seasons he was a part of one of the league's top netminding tandems along with Glenn "Chico" Resch. Or perhaps we should say competition more than tandem, as the two battled it out for the starting job on a weekly basis, seemingly forever.

In 1978, Smith was rewarded with an appearance in that year's NHL All-Star game. He went on to be named the game's Most Valuable Player. Surprisingly, it was his only appearance in an NHL all star game.

On November 28, 1979 he became the first NHL goaltender to be credited with scoring a goal. With his goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Colorado Rockies' defenseman Rob Ramage accidentally sent a pass, originally intended for a teammate, the length of the ice into his own net. It was Smith who was the last Islander to touch the puck and was identified as the official goal scorer.

In 1979-80, Smith became the undisputed first string goalie for the Islanders and went on to be a pillar of strength during the Islanders' domination of the Stanley Cup. In 1981-82 he enjoyed his greatest individual season. That year the cagey puck stopper registered 32 wins, was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender and was selected to the NHL's First All-Star Team. In 1982-83, Smith shared the William Jennings Trophy with Roland Melanson after recording the lowest goals against average in the NHL. Later that season "Battlin' Billy" (he was as notorious for physically defending his crease from opposing players as he was for protecting his goal from opposing pucks) was the key to the Islanders' defeat of the Edmonton Oilers to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. He had been brilliant in the post-season and was presented the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' Most Valuable Player.

Although the Islanders soon went into a rebuilding period, Smith continued to perform at a high level until his retirement after the 1988-89 campaign. He finished with a career goals against average of 3.17 and 22 shutouts, very respectable numbers for someone who played the entire decade of the high scoring 1980s.

More importantly than numbers, Smith is considered to be one of the NHL's greatest playoff goaltenders of all time. Smith twice posted 15 post season wins and recorded a stingy 2.73 goals against average and five shutouts in 132 NHL playoff games. For 5 straight playoffs he led the entire NHL in appearances and wins, and three of those years he led in shutouts and GAA.

Billy didn't always see eye to eye with his coach Al Arbour. Arbour liked to split his goaltending among Smith with first Resch and later Melanson. Smith, like any goalie, wanted to play more during the regular season, and his post season play certainly proves he deserved it. But in almost every season Smith played with the Isles he hovered around the 40 games played mark.

Perhaps if he had been given a chance to play more in the regular season he would have won more individual honors and bolstered his all time numbers so that he would be hailed even more so as one of the all time greats. But his playoff performances alone have cemented his place among the immortals.

The Islanders recognized his tremendous contributions to their franchise by retiring his number "31" on February 20, 1993.

In retirement Billy has gotten into the coaching and goaltending consultant business. From 1989 through 1993 he was behind the Islanders bench, but left to join the Florida Panthers for 8 years in 1993. For the 2001-02 season he has returned to the New York Islanders where he once again works with their goalies, specifically Rick DiPietro.

Denis Potvin

2011-11-21T22:55:00.000-08:00

Denis Potvin was the anchor of the New York Islanders franchise and dynasty.

His unbelievable strength, his fearless hitting and offensive awareness won him the Calder trophy, three Norris trophies, seven all star nods, and four consecutive Stanley Cups. One of the last great hip-checkers, he was a hard-hitting defensive stalwart. His intelligence and patience quarterbacked the power play and the offense. He was a natural leader, captaining the Isles during their great dynasty.

"There were a couple of key elements to my game. I worked on passing the puck. That was as important to me as developing my shot and probably became my most valuable asset. I had a good wrist shot, and I was taught that shooting and passing were the same. But the most fun I had was hitting. I enjoyed the contact, and hockey provided me with a lot of opportunities," he said.

He came across as extremely self confident, some would say arrogant which hurts him in talks of all time greats. In the 1976 Canada Cup he was outspoken about Bobby Orr getting all the attention when he felt he was playing just as well. And when he prematurely retired in 1988 he said he had "nothing left to prove" after 15 seasons.

"The confidence that I displayed was a security blanket. There were a lot of nights when I was scared to death that I wouldn't be able to do what I was supposed to."

Critics also questioned Potvin's dedication to the game.

"I hated practicing, and I didn't like waiting between games. I was most happy when the puck was dropped and the game started. I only felt comfortable and confident that I'd make the right decisions when I was on the ice."

When he was a junior hockey star, he was already being labeled as the game's next Bobby Orr. The comparisons were justifiable, as Potvin bettered many of Orr's OHL records.

"I didn't like being compared with Orr," he admitted, "because we were different personalities with different playing styles, skating for different teams. The only thing we had in common was that we both played defense. What these statements about me and Orr do is make my job that much harder, but I accept that as part of the business."

Potvin justified the comparisons though. He broke all of Bobby Orr's goal and point records, although has since been passed by the likes of Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque. He finished with 310 goals, 742 assists and 1052 points. He was the first defenseman to record 1,000 career points.

Potvin retired early in the minds of many. He still had a number of good years ahead of him, but he wanted to go out on top.

"Before I retired, I wondered, 'What can motivate me? Is there another record, another Stanley Cup?' It looked as if the 1988 New York Islanders were not going to get a lot better quickly and compete with the Oilers for the Cup, and I was 35 years old. I thought of playing somewhere else, but that didn't feel right. I looked for something new and different instead."

That something different proved to be broadcasting. He now works on the Florida Panthers broadcast team.

Potvin epitomized the NY Islanders. He, like his team, could play any way you wanted. Rough, physical defensive hockey; fast paced, finesse skills match; or a combination of both. This makes Denis Potvin one of the greatest and most complete players to ever grace a sheet of ice

Germain Gagnon

2011-10-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

On October 12th, 1972, Germain Gagnon scored with 69 seconds left in the game to give the New York Islanders their first victory ever in team history. Final score: 3-2 Islanders over Los Angeles.

It would prove to be one of only twelve wins in a 78 game schedule for the inaugural Isles team. It was a long season for the players and the fans. Despite the team's nightmarish season, for Germain Gagnon, already a long time minor leaguer, his first full season in the NHL was a dream come true.

Gagnon, a lanky left winger out of Chicoutimi, Quebec, had spent most of the previous seven seasons in the minors. He toiled in places like Omaha, Houston, and Memphis as well as Quebec, Vancouver, and Nova Scotia. He enjoyed a breakout season with Nova Scotia in 1971-72, earning him his first four game call up to the NHL.

The Habs traded Gagnon to the expansion Islanders. Gagnon had no chance of playing in Montreal, but he became a key player in New York, finishing third in team scoring with 12 goals and 41 points. Only Ed Westfall and Billy Harris had more points. He also registered the first hat trick in Islanders history.

Gagnon returned for most of the following season, playing in 62 games before a late season trade to Chicago. His offense had dried up.

Gagnon's time in New York was dutiful though insignificant. But he did play a role in Denis Potvin's future.

When Potvin, the most heralded defenseman to break into the league since Bobby Orr, arrived in New York, they asked what number he wanted to wear.

“I told him that I wore the number seven in junior hockey with the Ottawa 67’s,” Potvin explained. “Of course I had no idea who was who on the Islanders at the time and it turned out that there was a fellow named Germain Gagnon who was wearing the number seven.”

Potvin went on to say, “Of course, this is in September of ’73 and at that point I had to pick another number. I said ‘Well, let me see what I can think of.’ The next morning I got in to the dressing room and the number seven jersey was hanging up in my stall, but there was a note on it. Germain Gagnon was willing to let me wear number seven if I paid him $500. In 1973? So I said, ‘Forget it.’ ”

Gagnon found his game in Chicago, turning in his best NHL season in 1974-75. He set career highs with 16 goals and 51 points with the Hawks.

Only 5 games into the 1975-76 season Gagnon found himself traded to the lowly Kansas City Scouts. Gagnon floundered, only scoring 1 goal in 31 games to end his career on a whimper.

Gagnon ended up playing in a very respectable total of 259 NHL games. In that time he scored 40 goals and 101 assists for 141 points. He added 2 goals and 5 points in 19 playoff games, all of which came in his two springs in Chicago.

Mark Hamway

2011-08-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Mark Hamway, an undersized winger out of Detroit, Michigan, was one of several youngsters that the New York Islanders tried infusing into the line up in the days following their Stanley Cup dynasty. Like many of the other prospects, Hamway never made much of an impact.

The Isles drafted Hamway way back in 1980, but allowed him to pursue his academic pursuits. Hamway starred at Michigan State while earning a degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management. He served as team captain and his community service efforts earned him a major university award.

Hamway, a speedy forward, had hoped to play in 1984 Olympics with Team USA, but he was one of the final cuts. He turned pro and apprenticed in the minor leagues for a couple of season, finally earning a regular spot with the Isles. In 49 games he contributed 5 goals and 17 points.

Outside of 4 more games in 2 different seasons (picking up one more assist), that was the extent of Hamway's NHL career. He continued to play in the AHL until 1987.

Critics suggest Hamway was too small and slight for the NHL. While he had good speed, he never utilized it well enough by driving defensemen deep off the blue line to open up the offensive zone for his teammates. Too often once he gained the blue line his feet stopped moving.

Hamway returned home to Detroit after retiring and became a youth hockey coach. He also became involved with the Detroit Red Wings alumni association, even though he was never part of the organization.

Roger Kortko

2011-08-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

For a couple of seasons in the mid-1980s Roger Kortko landed a bit part as a role player with the New York Islanders. A quick skater, the Hafford, Saskatchewan native was primarily used as penalty killer.

Defensive hockey was not really Kortko's cup of tea, however. In junior hockey he was an offensive dynamo, once scoring 61 goals, 99 assists and 161 points in 72 games with the Saskatoon Blades in 1982-83. The Islanders had hoped Kortko could pop a few goals at the NHL level, but coming off of their Stanley Cup dynasty years he found it hard to land an offensive role. Instead, he was shoehorned into the utility player role, which was funny because the defensive zone was actually his weakest zone at that time.

Kortko first broke in with the Islanders in the 1984-85 season, but he was hobbled by an ankle injury that required surgery. He returned in 1985-86, appearing in 52 games. A strained knee injury ended his season early, causing him to miss the playoffs.

That was the end of Kortko's NHL career. He spent 1986-87 season with the Islanders farm team. He signed with the Hartford Whalers organization for the next two seasons, but never was promoted from the AHL. In 1989 Kortko headed overseas to play three seasons in Germany to round out his career.

In 79 career NHL games Roger Kortko scored 7 goals and 24 points. His lack of size and lack of offensive role really hindered him. But he always took his lumps in stride:

'It's the Islander tradition to work as hard as you can. That's what I'm doing.''

Kortko returned to Saskatchewan in retirement and was working in the manufactured homes field. Previously he had spent his hockey off-seasons taking classes with the idea of becoming a teacher after hockey. Apparently he never followed that up, but did coach minor hockey in Saskatoon.

Brad Isbister

2011-05-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Best known as a New York Islander where he challenged the 20 goal mark for parts of 4 seasons in the early 2000s, Brad Isbister was a frustrating enigma because he was often compared to another Islander behemoth - Todd Bertuzzi.

Isbister had wonderful size and strength, and protected the puck well. He liked to get in on the forecheck and hit hard but, unlike Bertuzzi, did not take a lot of penalties.

But he had very little offensive creativity. He was a throwback up-and-down your wing type of forward. But he had below average hands when pressured. He was most likely to throw the puck on the net rather than see his passing options. His shot release was quite slow, further limiting his effectiveness.

While the 6'3" 225lb giant lacked agility on his feet, he was a solid skater who had good straightaway speed and surprising first step quickness. When he was confident and on top of his game, he could excite the crowd by driving in off the wing right to the net for a scoring chance.

Isbister lacked the offensive creativity and defensive agility to be a top two lines power forward that the most optimistic of projections hoped for, especially coming off of a strong gold medal showing at the 1997 World Junior Championships. Still, his size and strength combined with good acceleration made him an intriguing project for several NHL teams.

Brad Isbister left the NHL after 541 games. He scored 106 career goals, 116 assists for 222 points. He added 1 goal and 3 points in 18 Stanley Cup playoff games.

Scott Lachance

2011-03-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

If you get a defenseman who played over 800 NHL games with the 4th overall draft pick, you should be happy right?

Well, sort of. After watching Eric Lindros, Pat Falloon and Scott Niedermayer go 1-2-3, the New York Islanders selected Scott Lachance 4th overall. In doing so they passed over Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund, and Brian Rolston.

Lachance went on to play 819 career games, the bulk of that with the Islanders. So while we can not say he was a draft bust, we can say he never really emerged as an elite defender. Expectations were high after strong showings in back to back world junior tournaments and at the 1992 Olympics. But in the NHL the Charlottesville, Virginia native was a depth defender, albeit it an underrated one.

Lachance's finesse game relied on his smarts. He made safe clearing passes and, as he matured as a NHLer, strong first passes even when under pressure. He hardly ever attempted much more than a shot from the point. He lacked the skating quickness to ever standout in the NHL, though he had strong balance on his skates which helped in battles with forwards.

Physically Lachance's game was very understated. He did not appear to be big, but he was solidly built and effective in his takeouts. He was effective but never devastating, although he seemed prone to lapses where an attacker would blow right by him. Still, he was a regular penalty killer and a good shot blocker.

Lachance also played with Montreal, Vancouver and Columbus. In 819 career games he scored 31 goals and 112 assists for 143 points.

Lachance, who married the daughter of famed Boston Univeristy hockey coach Jack Parker, later became a NHL scout.

Brad Dalgarno

2011-03-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Vancouver BC's Brad Dalgarno was on the wrong end of one of the most lopsided fights in NHL history.

On February 21, 1989 Dalgarno got into a disagreement with notorious brawler Joey Kocur as the New York Islanders faced the Detroit Red Wings. Kocur instigated the fight in retaliation as earlier Dalgarno fought and easily beat up Red Wing Shawn Burr. However Dalgarno was badly overmatched against Kocur, a true NHL heavyweight. With one rock-hard punch, Kocur crushed the bone around Dalgarno's left eye. Dalgarno was sent to hospital and missed the rest of the season and the entire 1989-90 season due to the injury.

Dalgarno was a big boy at 6'3" 210lbs, but he was never an overly physical player. Although he wasn't an exceptional skater, the Islanders really believed he could become something special if he was more physical. The Isles believed that so much they drafted Dalgarno with the 6th overall pick in the 1985 Entry Draft. Dalgarno was very inconsistent in his willingness to apply his physical gifts. But in order to succeed at the NHL level he needed to be the grinding winger the Islanders desperately wanted him to be.

A good puckhandler, Dalgarno played 321 NHL games all with the Islanders. He battled through many injuries in his career, limiting his effectiveness. Dalgarno's career numbers include 49 goals, 71 assists and 120 points. He added 6 more points in 27 playoff games.

Alan Kerr

2011-02-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

Alan Kerr was actually a pretty nice little player when he kept his game simple. He was a hustler and a plumber, and - despite his smallish size - a pretty good one at that. He was rewarded with some ice time that he was able to translate into two 20 goal seasons and a 15 goal season

At times Kerr was guilty of fancying himself as more than just a laborer. Popping a few goals, particularly while playing on a poor team like the Isles of the late 80s, can tend to make a crusher think he's a rusher. But that just ends up with him being an usher. But for the most part Kerr managed to keep his game in focus

Kerr was a good skater in terms of speed and acceleration, but for a crash and bang player, his balance was poor. Often the contact he would initiate was for not as he couldn't remain vertical

Because of his speed and some good vision, Kerr was a pretty decent playmaker once he earned a loose puck. He was always more of an opportunistic scorer than a creative player though.

Alan Kerr - no relation to Tim or Reg - was born in a small remote town in northern British Columbia called Hazelton. He played his junior hockey with the Seattle Breakers. Seattle and Hazelton are on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of city size, but Kerr played with the same grit and determination in the Western Hockey League as he did on the frozen ponds way up north. His work was rewarded when the New York Islanders drafted Kerr 84th overall in the 1982 Entry Draft.

Kerr spent the remainder of the Islander's dynasty years still in junior hockey, and followed that up with two seasons of apprenticeship in the minor leagues with the AHL Springfield Indians.

By 1986-87 the Isles promoted Kerr to the big club. He played limited ice time in his rookie season. He scored just 7 times and assisted on 10 others while adding a nice touch of zest and physicality on the 4th line. By the next season he earned more ice time and scored a career high 24 goals and 58 points! He spent two more years with the Isles (scoring 20 and 15 goals) but never was quite able to prove his strong 1987-88 seasons wasn't an abnormality.

Injuries limited Kerr's 1990-91 season. He spent most of the year recovering in the minor leagues. He resurfaced in the NHL in 1991-92 with the Detroit Red Wings, but was used sparingly on the 4th line. In 58 games he scored 3 times and had 11 points. He did add 2 big goals in the playoffs however.

The Winnipeg Jets acquired Kerr the following year. It was a nice fit as the Jets were famous for lacking any amount of grit. But injuries limited Kerr to only half a season (most of which was spent in the minors).
At the end of the year Kerr decided to hang up the skates. He retired with 391 games played, 72 goals, 94 assists and 166 points plus 826 well earned penalty minutes. He added 5 goals and 9 points in 38 playoff games.

While Kerr isn't exactly remembered for this, he inadvertently started Wayne Gretzky's back problems. According to The Great One's autobiography, Kerr hit Wayne Gretzky from behind on March 17, 1990. The Great One was doubly crumpled as he was hit into big Ken Baumgartner, his own teammate who was coming the opposite way. It was the beginning of some serious back problems for Wayne.

Todd Okerlund

2011-02-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

Todd Okerlund starred at the University of Minnesota, played in the 1988 Olympic Games and appeared in the National Hockey League. Despite Todd's achievements, he will never be able to live down the thing that he is most famous for.

He is Mean Gene's son!

Mean Gene you ask? You know, Mean Gene Okerlund, the long time wrestling announcer. He's the short bald guy who interviews Hulk Hogan every week.

Hockey and professional wrestling actually have an interesting history together. Hockey Hall of Famer Lionel Conacher wrestled both as an amateur and professional. Former Montreal Canadien Ted Irvine's son went on to wrestle. He's better known as Chris Jericho. Red Wings tough guy Darren McCarty once got involved in a staged pushing match with "Hardcore" Holly. Bret "the Hitman" Hart and the late Owen Hart grew up in Calgary and were big hockey fans. Bret even teamed up with Theo Fleury among others to bring the WHL junior league to Calgary. The team of course was called the Hitmen! And Brett Hull has been seen hanging out with Goldberg.

While Todd Okerlund grew up in a wrestling family, it was hockey that captured his sporting heart. Born and raised in Burnsfield, Minnesota, Okerlund went on to star at the University of Minnesota. Though not the greatest skater or scorer, Okerlund was a physical presnce and a good playmaker from the right wing.

Okerlund, who was drafted by the New York Islanders 168th overall in 1982 straight out of high school, blew out his knee after just 4 games in his senior year at the University. Not only did that put Okerlund's hockey development back a year, but it also affected his already average skating.

Okerlund joined the United States National team for the 1987-88 season. He realized it was highly unlikely he'd make the Islanders that year and rather than riding the busses in the minor leagues, Todd thought if he had a good season with the Nats, he could very well be part of the US Olympic Team at the winter games in Calgary Albert. Okerlund did play well enough to make that team, and even scored 1 goal in 3 Olympic games.

Following the Olympics, Okerlund was recalled by the Islanders. Todd played in 4 games with the Isles, and also saw 13 games with the Isles AHL farm team.

Okerlund retired from hockey following that season. He had been suffering from a chronic back problem which required major surgery. In all likelihood Okerlund could have come back from that surgery to play minor league hockey, but missing that year and his last year of college hockey would have set him back so far that he would likely never make the NHL. He wasn't expected to be anything more than a 4th line role player at the NHL level, or even the minor league levels some scouts say. So Okerlund decided to walk away from the game healthy, content to know that because of hockey he had earned a college education, played in the Olympics and appeared in the National Hockey League.

Mariusz Czerkawski

2011-02-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

Mariusz Czerkawski, a rare player from Poland, was an at first intoxicating player with an impressive skill set. He became a bit of an individualistic enigma and took a long time to emerge as a star player, but proved he was worthy of his NHL pay checks.

Czerkawski was an amazing open ice player, able to fool even veteran defensemen with one on one moves or hide his phenomenal wrist shot by using the defenseman as a screen. Much of his career he could be accused of being too selfish with the puck, often skating all over the zone rather than looking for an open man or firing the puck on net as a winger drove to the net.

Like most players of that ilk Czerkawski could be quieted on any given night by simply engaging with him physically. In the offensive zone he protected the puck with his body quite well, but he definitely did not enjoy the physical game. He would not go into the corners to battle for loose pucks and defensively he tried to pick off passes rather than knock anyone off of the puck.

The Polish Prince was born in Radomsko, Poland and played all his youth hockey in his native land. Scouring all ends of the ice hockey playing earth, he Boston Bruins drafted him out of a Polish club called Tychy. The B's looked brilliant soon thereafter, as Czerkawski immediately moved to the Sweden to play with the legendary Djurgardens team in the Swedish Elite League and proved he belonged.

In 1995 Czerkawski came to North America, but in two seasons with the Bruins he could never get untracked. He moved to Edmonton where he developed into a 26 goal scorer. After two years in Alberta he joined the New York Islanders for 5 seasons, his longest NHL stay. He performed admirably, twice topping the 30 goal mark.

At the end of his career he made brief and unsuccessful stops in Montreal, Toronto and again Boston, as well as several overseas teams.

In 745 NHL games Mariusz Czerkawski scored 215 goals and 435 points.

Mick Vukota

2011-02-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Mick Vukota was a tough guy. He survived playing in the NHL due to his willingness to drop the gloves and do the dirty work along the boards and in the corners. By doing so Mick participated in 11 NHL seasons and 574 games..

There was little else that Vukota's game offered any of the teams he played for. He could do very little with the puck on the fly and his offensive contributions were limited to banging for loose pucks in the crease. He was also a poor skater in terms of agility which limited his all-around physical game. He could crunch you with a good bodycheck but only if he could catch you. At times he was a defensive liability as he tended to wander out of position.

With that being said, he was a valuable member of the teams he was on, and every single one of his teammates will attest to that. Like many tough guys, Mick was a great team player. Every team needs a guy like him in the dressing room or on the bench. His contributions on the ice might never have been appreciated, but his off ice offerings were a big part of a team concept as well. Mick's other great contribution to the team was his leadership. An exceptional team man, Vukota played an important role with the New York Islanders for several seasons as a popular and charismatic leader in a young Islanders dressing room. He knew how to encourage his teammates as well as keep them loose.

Of course, his role of enforce was obvious. He was pretty good at using the enforcer role for his team's advantage. He knew how to pick his spots well. He wouldn't fight just for the sake of fighting, instead using fighting as a tactic (like it should be) to change the game's tempo. In that regard he was an upper-echelon fighter.

Vukota perhaps will never be remembered as one of hockey's famous (or is that infamous) goons like Tiger Williams or Hammer Schultz, but he always showed up and never let the other team take advantage of one of his players.

Mick was never drafted by an NHL team. After a penalty filled junior career with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs, the Islanders signed Vukota in the summer of 1987 with the idea that he could fill a minor league tough guy role. Judging by his WHL leading 337 penalty minutes in his last year of junior, it was pretty obvious that Mick would be willing to do the job. The Isles never really expected much else from Mick, but were pleasantly surprised by his play in 52 games with the team's AHL affiliate. Mick was called up by the end of season, and played in 17 games plus 2 more in the playoffs.

Mick made the Isles lineup on a full time basis the following year, although he played in just 48 games due to injuries. But by 1989-90 Mick played a career high 76 games and added career highs with 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points and +10 rating. Three of those goals actually came in one game!. Mick's only NHL hat trick was a natural one as he scored 3 consecutive goals against Washington on October 20, 1989). His 290 PIM that season was just three minutes shy of his career high of 293 set two years later.

Mick played 10 years on Long Island. He was a regular player for 5 consecutive seasons, but injuries limited his role in his later years there. In his final season, 1996-97, he was actually demoted to the minor leagues where he finished the season.

The following year he returned to the NHL after the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed him in the waiver draft, though he finished the year in Montreal as he was part of a big trade involving Stephane Richer going to the Bolts.

Vukota played only 22 games in Montreal before disappearing to the minor leagues to finish out his career.
Mick played in 574 games, scoring just 17 times and assisting on 29 others. His most telling stat is his 2071 well earned penalty minutes. He'll be remembered as a very good fighter, and a great team man.

Brett Lindros

2011-02-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the most frightening injuries in professional sports and especially in hockey is a serious head injury. Brett Lindros, like his brother of Eric, unfortunately has become the poster boy and spokesman of head injury awareness.

Brett was forced to retire from the New York Islanders in May of 1996 due to a series of serious concussions. Lindros, a rugged 6-foot-3, 220-pound winger, suffered three serious concussions since he turned professional with the Islanders for the 1994-95 season. He also suffered a number of concussions prior to 1994 when he played junior hockey. Although he is not sure how many, doctors estimate he had as many as 5.

Lindros was selected ninth overall in the first round of the 1994 NHL entry draft and signed to an eye-popping five-year, $7.5 million contract. The native of London, Ontario, played in 51 games over two seasons, scoring two goals and five assists and accumulating 147 penalty minutes.

Brett was a high draft pick because of his rugged, bone-crunching style of play. Like his brother, Brett could dominate a game physically. Although he didn't have Eric's offensive and skating abilities, some believe Brett could have been more physically dominant than Eric. Brett, who played right wing, would have had more opportunities to hit people along the boards than Eric, who plays center ice. Also Eric more often than not has the puck while Brett's job would have been to forecheck and to bang bodies.

Unfortunately when you play an overly aggressive style like both of Brett and Eric, you are more likely to get injured yourself. Many hockey players suffer from bad knees or a bad shoulder. But Brett Lindros had to quit a promising NHL career at the age of 20 because he risked serious brain damage if he continued to play.

With each subsequent concussion, it took Brett longer to get back to normal. He said symptoms, including blurred vision, amnesia, impaired balance, nausea, lack of coordination and persistent headaches, became more serious. He said there were occasions this year when he wasn't able to recall playing a shift after returning to the bench.

Lindros' first NHL concussion happend in his rookie season when he was sidelined for 8 games after getting into a fight with Francois Leroux. The next season he suffered two of the concussions the final 8 days of his playing career. The first was on Nov. 16 at Los Angeles, after which he sat out two games, and the next on Nov. 24 at Buffalo, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Lindros was examined by four doctors, who all told him that he was becoming progressively susceptible to concussions and that the effect of such injuries is cumulative. Faced with this medical evidence, Lindros said he had little choice but to retire.

"It's every kid's dream to play in the NHL," he said. "My dreams have basically been shattered. I really don't like to think about it, actually. I hate to think about it and talk about it. It's difficult. But I guess on the broader scale of life, I realize that others have bigger problems."

Lindros turned to broadcasting following his playing days. But you know he itches to get back on the ice. It would have been interesting to see the battles of two physically dominating brothers going head to head against each other for many NHL seasons.

Claude Lapointe

2011-02-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Claude Lapointe was an easy player to like.

Though he was undersized (just 5'9" and 175lbs), he played with all-out abandon, throwing his weight around and mucking and grinding against players much bigger than himself. The scrappy and versatile forward was an excellent penalty killer, relentlessly hounding puck carriers. He was as dogged on the backcheck as he was on the forecheck.

Though he had strong anticipation skills and good speed, Lapointe never really developed into much of an offensive threat. He topped out at 15 goals and regularly provided 30 points a year.

Over the course of 879 NHL games, most notably with Quebec and New York Islanders, Lapointe slowed down with accumulating injuries over the years. Yet Lapointe never changed his game that made him a fan favorite.

He scored 127 goals and 178 assists for 305 points in his career. All in all, not bad for a 12th round, 234th overall, draft pick in the 1988 entry draft.

In retirement Lapointe moved back to Quebec to get his life back on track. He exited the NHL after entering into the league's substance abuse program. He had begun using cocaine sporadically as an 18 year old but eventually it caught up to him, costing him a marriage, a trade from Long Island and perhaps the premature end to his NHL career. Now that he is clean he talks to audiences about the dangers of depression and drugs. You can listen to him discuss his life here.

Wayne McBean

2011-02-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Wayne McBean is forever linked in hockey's memory more for who he dated than anything he accomplished in the NHL.

McBean of course dated Alyssa Milano - Tony Danza's TV daughter on Who's The Boss at the time. She of course would go on to several other notable gigs. McBean, not so much.

McBean was selected by the Kings fourth overall in the 1987 draft. He was a fantastic skater. The Hockey News raved about the Memorial Cup MVP in their annual draft preview.

"I think McBean is the best player in the draft. Better than everyone, including Pierre Turgeon and Brendan Shanahan," says one scout.

"He controls the game when he's out there. He would be one of the best players on any major junior team in Canada."

THN champions McBean as the best defenseman available, ahead of future long time NHLers Glen Wesley, Stephane Quintal, Luke Richardson, Yves Racine and Eric Desjardins, as well as junior standouts Chris Joseph and Bryan Fogarty.

So what went wrong? Why did McBean never truly emerge as a NHL player?

I suspect the Kings rushed him to the big leagues. Even the best junior defensemen need more time to develop their games to be NHL ready. The Kings, cursed with a thin blue line and weak goaltending, used him in 27 games that first season and he struggled defensively and offensively, picking up just one assist.

A year (and 33 more games) later McBean was traded with fellow prospect (and junior teammmate) Mark Fitzpatrick (Doug Crossman would also be part of the deal later) for goaltender Kelly Hrudey. Gretzky's Kings were in 'win now' mode and sacrificed the future for the goaltender they lacked.

Perhaps the Kings were comfortable releasing McBean as they saw him struggle greatly with the NHL level of play. He could have really benefited from another season in Medicine Hat and a season of apprenticing in the AHL or with the Canadian national team at the time. But the Kings rushed him in. Compounding the situation of high expectations was Gretzky's spotlight. The Milano paparazzi may have only compounded the situation. That's a lot for anyone to handle, never mind a teenager.

McBean never got untracked on Long Island either. Over the next 5 seasons he only played in 120 games in the NHL. He was up and down to the minors, and really battled injuries. A serious knee injury topped that list.

McBean joined the Winnipeg Jets in 1993-94, only to suffer a career ending wrist injury.

Tom Kurvers

2011-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Tom Kurvers was an intelligent offensive defenseman. He was not a puck rusher so much as was an outstanding passer and a smart though not overpowering shooter from the point. He had good mobility, anticipation and vision. He was a solid choice to quarterback a power play. Though he had good size, Kurvers was not a physical player.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he scored 175 points in four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth between 1980 and 1984 where he majored in communications. He was an excellent student. He was named to the National Honor Society in his last year of high school, and earned a MBA degree part time while playing in the NHL.

Kurvers was also heady on the ice. In his senior year he was named as the Hobey Baker Award winner as the top collegiate player. Kurvers turned pro with the Montreal Canadiens in 1984-85. Playing regularly with Chris Chelios, Kurvers scored 45 points. Kurvers numbers slipped a bit in year two, and he was traded at the beginning of the 1986-87 season to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2nd round draft pick. He struggled to find his game in Buffalo, scoring just 23 points.

The summer of 1987 saw Kurvers join the New Jersey where he found his game. His offense was a major spark in the Devils improbable playoff run that finished one game short of the Stanley Cup final. That year Kurvers was the second-highest scoring blueliner in the post-season with 15 points in nineteen games. The next year he recorded a personal high 66 points but, by 1989-90, Bruce Driver emerged as the Devils top defenseman, making Kurvers expendable.

Early in the 1989-90 season, Kurvers was shipped to Toronto for a first-round pick that became Scott Niedermayer. The trade was much maligned, as Toronto was at or near the bottom of the league most of the season and nearly cost the Leafs a chance at Eric Lindros. Regardless, Niedermayer turned out to be arguably as good a pick if not better.

Kurvers meanwhile began a vagabond career. He was dispatched to Vancouver in 1990-91 and later played with the New York Islanders and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He left the NHL and played the 1995-96 season in Tokyo

With 421 points in 659 career games, Kurvers proved to be an effective player. He was never an elite offensive defenseman, and only average defensively, hence the frequent address changes.

In retirement Kurvers experimented with radio broadcasting before becoming a scout.

Pat Price

2010-12-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Pat Price was "Mr. Everything" as a junior star, but things changed drastically when he became a pro and the easy money flowed.

Pat played in four seasons with the Saskatoon Blades in the juniors. He was big (6´2"), brash, fast and strong. In his first junior season, he was named the rookie-of-the-year, even though he was just 14 years old. His final season, he won the team scoring title, even though he was a defenseman. He carried the Blades to the Memorial Cup playoffs, was voted as best defenseman in the league and was nominated Athlete-of-the-Year in Saskatoon. He was according to some scouts, the best junior hockey player in the world.

The WHA drafted Price as an underaged junior in 1974. He signed a lucrative contract with the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA worth $1.3 million over five years, which at that time was the biggest rookie contract in professional hockey. That summer (1974), he captained a team of Western Canada junior All-Stars against Team Canada (WHA), and those who saw him said that he was often the best defenseman on either side. He was then chosen to play with team Canada against the Soviets, to represent his country, even though he had never played played one minute of professional hockey.

Pat bought himself a Ferrari and was driving so recklessly that GM Joe Crozier got a call from the local police that Price was risking his life and limb as well as others. Pat was ticketed more than once for speeding over 100 miles per hour. Pat eventually crashed the car but didn't sustain any injuries.

He then sprained his ankle while doing "tricks" with his platform shoes. It happened while he was playing for Team Canada. When the WHA season started he was in pretty bad shape. Crozier wasn't happy about the situation:

"The kid wouldn't get in shape. He didn't give a damn. He'd fool around, fool around, all the time. He had his money and I guess he figured nothing else mattered, look, the kid was a nice enough kid, but he had no character - his heart was the size of a pea."

Pat didn't get along with Crozier at all. Once, after a loss, Pat was talking to some kids outside the dressing room, laughing and smiling. Crozier didn't like that at all, yelling, "Price, if I see you smiling again after we've lost a game, I'll wipe that smile of your face so fast you won't know what hit you."

Another time Crozier ridiculed Pat in front of his teammates, shouting "You can't play defense, you can't play offense, you're no good, just what the hell can you do?"

Price was on the verge of quitting hockey. Even his father admitted that his son maybe had it too easy in life. He always excelled in anything he tried, he never had a real challenge, so when there was a challenge he just couldn't accept one. Pat however pulled himself together and continued with hockey. The Blazers, on the other hand, had had enough. He was released from his contract, although it was as much as a cost-cutting move as anything.

Price jumped over to the NHL and the NY Islanders who drafted him 11th overall in the 1975 NHL draft. He signed a five year contract, at a greatly reduced from his previous contract at $500,000. Pat attended the Islanders training camp but didn't make the team and was send down to Forth Worth (CHL).

The year down in minors did him good and Pat returned for the next season in much better shape and with a much better self confidence. He had also matured a lot and became a steady defenseman for many years to come.

He continued his NHL career playing for Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Quebec, NY Rangers and Minnesota. His best season point wise came in 1981-82 for Pittsburgh where he got 38 points (6 goals, 32 assists). He also picked up a whopping 322 penalty minutes.

His last season in the NHL came during the 1987-88 season when he as a 33-year old played 14 games for the Minnesota North Stars. Pat played a total of 726 regular season games, picking up 43 goals and 261 points. He also had 12 points in 74 playoff games.

The fast money almost cost him his hockey career but he eventually matured and became a regular blueliner in the NHL for 13 seasons. Still, given his junior hype, he remains an all time draft bust.

Alex McKendry

2010-12-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Alex McKendry was a gigantic winger out of the OHA Sudbury Wolves organization. The Islanders like his combination of size, aggressiveness and scoring prowess to select him 14th overall in the 1976 Entry draft.

However, like many bigger players, it took McKendry some time to find his game at the professional level. It wasn't until his 4th season in the minor leagues that he found his groove. He scored an impressive 40 goals and 77 points with the CHL Indianapolis Checkers and was named to the CHL first all star team in 1979-80.

McKendry, who appeared in 10 NHL regular season games over 4 years without recording a point, was recalled to the Islanders for their playoff drive once the Checkers were eliminated from their post season. McKendry of course would not play unless there was an injury, so he worked hard in practice just in case he was called upon.

That opportunity actually presented itself. Substituting for none other than Mike Bossy, the games best pure goal scorer. McKendry stepped in as if from out of nowhere, and scored a pair of goals to help spark a come-from-behind win and eliminate Los Angeles in the first round! The Islanders of course went on to capture Lord Stanley's Cup in 1980.

Despite his strong season in the minors and his solid play in the NHL playoffs, the Islanders decided to move the failed first round draft pick. With his trade value never so high, the Isles moved the Midland Ontario native to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick just prior to the 1980-81 season.

McKendry got a better chance to play in Calgary, but was unable to make much of the golden opportunity. McKendry scored 3 goals and 9 assists in 36 games, but ended the season struggling in the CHL once again.

McKendry played two more seasons in the CHL, never quite able to recapture his all star season of 1980. He retired from pro hockey after the 1982-83 season.

At last hearing McKendry was working in the oil sands near Fort McMurray, BC.

Scott Scissons

2010-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

The 1990 NHL Entry Draft goes down as one of the strongest in history. There was not a lot to choose from in the top five picks. Power forward Owen Nolan went first to Quebec, followed by super-skilled center Petr Nedved second to Vancouver. Humongous Keith Primeau, the surprising upstart darling amongst scouts at the top end of the draft, went third overall to Detroit. Mike Ricci, who had been hailed as the clear top choice a year earlier, ended up going 4th to Philly. Pittsburgh ended up with a steal at #5 - Jaromir Jagr. Remember though, at that time it was still unclear if world politics would allow Jagr to come to North America any time soon. Had he been immediately available, he most certainly would have gone first overall.

The top five picks were strong, but so was much of the first round. Darryl Sydor, Derian Hatcher, Martin Brodeur, and Keith Tkachuk.

Of course there were a few misses, as is to be expected with every draft. But not too many people were expecting the 6th overall selection to be a miss. When the New York Islanders made Scott Scissons, the heart of the Saskatoon Blades, their selection, everyone figured they would get a strapping, two way center who may not prove to be a star player, but would play a long time in the National Hockey League.

So certain were the Islanders that Scissons would be an impact NHL player they, according to Chris Botta, would have taken Scissons over Jagr had they had the chance.

He played just three games in the NHL. Two in the regular season and one in the playoffs. In fact, by 1995 he was out of pro hockey altogether.

Scissons was billed as that gigantic center everyone loves to have. At 6'1" and 200lbs as an 18 year old, scouts drooled over his size. He was an excellent face-off man and solid defensively, something that is pretty rare of a 18 year old player. Scouts agreed he lacked true offensive instincts to be scoring star in the NHL, but they felt he could develop into a Joel Otto or Shayne Corson or like role.

Professional hockey exposed the key weakness in his game - skating. He was a poor skater, lacking in agility and speed. He tried correcting that by playing the 1991-92 season with the Canadian national team. Ultimately he was cut from the team prior to the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

Often big men can overcome skating deficiencies through rugged physical play. Scissons used his size to his advantage well enough, but he was never aggressive enough in nature to do a lot of the necessary initiating. That combined with a nagging shoulder injury in the junior season after his draft year really caused him to be largely ineffective.

Injuries kept plaguing Scissons in the minor leagues. In just a couple of minor league seasons both shoulders and his back were shot. He was spending more time in hospitals than on the ice.

The Islanders let Scissons go in 1995 but he was not prepared to give up his NHL dream. He was ready to sign with the Dallas Stars organization when there medical team gave him the terrible news.

"The doctor told me the next time I get hit improperly you may not walk again," says Scissons. "I decided there was more to life at 22."

"Without question it's disappointing," says Scissons, but ... "I wouldn't change much. There's certain things you can control and you can't control the injuries."

Scissons returned to Saskatoon where at last report he was working with Western Manufactured Homes. He was even playing some hockey with the Saskatoon Old Pros. He also found a lot of joy coaching his son's teams.

New York Islanders' Greatest Players

2010-09-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Al Arbour
Mike Bossy
Bob Bourne
Mark Fitzpatrick
Patrick Flatley
Clark Gillies
Butch Goring
Brent Grieve
Garry Howatt
Kelly Hrudey
Kenny Jonsson
Tomas Jonsson
Mike Kaszycki
Rich Kromm
Pat LaFontaine
Dave Langevin
Bert Marshall
Gary Nylund
Ken Morrow
Bob Nystrom
Denis Potvin
Chico Resch
Brent Sutter
Duane Sutter
Battlin' Billy Smith
John Tonelli
Bryan Trottier
Pierre Turgeon
David Volek

Mike Kaszycki

2010-09-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Mike Kaszycki played in 226 NHL games, most notably for the New York Islanders, but also Toronto and Washington.

He was a spectacular junior scoring star. After helping the Toronto Marlies win the Memorial Cup in 1975, Kaszycki joined the Soo Greyhounds and rewrote the OHA record book by scoring an amazing 170 points - 51 goals and 119 assists.

Despite the spectacular junior career Kaszycki slipped all the way to the 32nd deft spot in 1976 where the Islanders nabbed him.

Despite his scoring prowess, Kaszycki never really caught on with the Islanders, who were soon to begin their Stanley Cup dynasty with 4 consecutive championships. Kaszycki played one season with Bob Bourne and Bob Nystrom and the next with John Tonelli and Billy Harris. But he would be traded to Washington in December 1979.

Kaszycki could never keep a roster spot in either Washington or Toronto soon after that. This despite lighting up the American Hockey League with seasons of 118 and 110 points. He won the league scoring title, MVP and sportsmanship trophies, as well as first all star team designation.

Kaszycki later finished his career in Switzerland, playing for several years.

So why didn't Kaszycki stick in the NHL? It was clear he had the offensive tools. He was undersized at just 5'9" and 185lbs - the kiss of death for many offensive players. His defensive game was at times lacking, as well.

Despite his forgotten career, Kaszycki does go down in history for a unique incident. Back on June 1st, 1979 the NHL grandfathered in a clause that made helmets mandatory for all new players in the league. Established players, like Kaszycki, were told they would be allowed to continue to play without a helmet, so long as they signed a waiver. Kaszycki never did sign his, and it was brought to the referees attention in the middle of a game in 1981. Kaszycki was forced to leave the game as he was declared ineligible to play, and he was forced to play the rest of his career with a helmet.

Mark Fitzpatrick

2010-09-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

I took a sincere interested in Mark Fitzpatrick's career. Why? He grew up down the street from me.

Well, sort of. He was born in Toronto, but at the age of 10 he moved with his family to Kitimat, BC, which is about 70km away from my hometown of Terrace. Hey, by isolated northern British Columbia, that is what we call down the street.

Interestingly Fitzpatrick never took up organized hockey until he arrived in Kitimat. That's a pretty later start considering in a few short years he was backstopping the Medicine Hat Tigers to back to back Memorial Cup junior championships in 1987 and 1988. In 1986 he was named as the WHL's top goalie.

All of this led to the Los Angeles Kings drafting Fitzpatrick 27th overall in 1987. He would turn pro in 1988 and after just 17 games in the minor leagues he was called up to play for the Kings.

Those were exciting times, as it was Wayne Gretzky's first season with the Kings. While Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls and Luc Robitaille lit up the opposition net, the Kings were having lots of problems with their own net. Veteran Glenn Healy was not getting the job done. Fitzpatrick, a prized prospect, looked good given his inexperience.

As excited as I was that a local boy was playing with Wayne Gretzky in Hockeywood, things changed that season. Fitzpatrick and fellow Medicine Hat alumni/prized prospect Wayne McBean were traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for another veteran goalie, Kelly Hrudey.

Fitzpatrick played well with a weak Islanders team, but disaster struck just prior to the 1990-91 season. He suffered swollen feet, hands and forearm, shortness of breath and overwhelming fatigue last September after taking L-tryptophan, an amino acid. The supplement caused the player to develop eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS), a white blood disease that impairs the functioning of the nerve and muscular systems.

Fitzpatrick essentially missed two full seasons battling the disease. Doctors tried battling the illness with Predisone, but that led to side effects such as mood swings that threatened his personal life. Fitzpatrick would sue the supplement company for $180 million dollars. I don't know how much he did settle for, but I'm told it was significant amount of money.

"Fitzy" did make a come back to hockey, but the once promising career was no longer in the cards. He struggled in New York before finding some stability in Florida, backing up John Vanbiesbrouck. He later bounced around with Tampa, Chicago and Carolina. He even tried out with the Vancouver Canucks in training camp in a bid to back up Dan Cloutier in the new century, but he was cut, essentially ending his career.

In 12 seasons Fitzpatrick got into 329 games, sporting a record of 113-136-49 with 8 shutouts and .896 career GAA.

Rich Kromm

2010-06-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Rich Kromm earned a reputation for being an unrelenting left wing who possessed a strong work ethic and great savvy. An exemplary defensive-minded left winger, Kromm's team-oriented approach to the game made him a valuable role player. A good skater, Kromm rarely took bad penalties and was well liked by his teammates.

Kromm was born in Trail, BC in 1964. His father Bobby had played there and also coach the famous Smoke Eaters to the Allan Cup and to the World Hockey Championships in 1961 - the last Canadian amateur team to win the World title. Kromm's coaching success took him to coaching jobs in Dallas (CHL), Winnipeg (WHA) and Detroit (NHL), which made for a lot of interesting relocations for his family. Instead of growing up playing shinny on the frozen ponds back in the BC Kootenays, young Rich (and his brother David, who made it to the Canadian junior leagues) was learning from some of the best hockey players in the world.

Rich was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the second round, (37th overall), in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He had spent his junior days with the Portland Winter Hawks where he was a high scoring winger on the same team as Cam Neely, Gary Nylund, Alfie Turcotte, Ken Yaremchuk and Brian Curran.

Rich broke into the NHL in 1983-84 but it wasn't until 1984-85 that he got a good opportunity to play. He responded well by scoring 20 goals and 32 assists and finishing with a +19. However he took a step back in his 3rd season slipping to just 12 goals and 29 points in 63 games.

I best remember Rich Kromm in Calgary for playing alongside Colin Patterson usually. One year the two wingers were centered by Carey Wilson on "the Dice Line." He was a conscientious checker because of his speed and anticipation, and he was sturdy if wiry.

On March, 11, 1986 the Flames traded Kromm and young defenseman Steve Konroyd to the Islanders in exchange for rugged John Tonelli. Tonelli was a huge part of the Islanders dynasty years. The Flames wanted him to help teach their younger players and to help take them to the next level. In order to get Tonelli, the Isles wanted a couple of good young players in return.

Although Kromm scored 7 goals and 14 points in the final 14 games of the 1986, Kromm never developed into much of an offensive player. He played 2 full seasons with the Islanders, scoring 12 and 5 goals respectively. Those totals were quite paltry considering he did see some even strength time playing with a couple of guys named Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy.

By 1988-89 his full time NHL job was gone, and Rich began bouncing around the minor leagues. He ended up playing just 28 more NHL games over the next 5 years.

Although he didn't know it at the time, Rich's last NHL game came in 1993 when the Islanders called him up for one game. And what a game it was for the low scoring winger. He scored once and set up two others.

Rich retired after that season. In 372 career NHL games he tallied 70 goals and 103 assists for 173 career points. After retiring Rich, who played under two of the greatest coaches ever in Bob Johnson and Al Arbour, would follow his father's footsteps and get into coaching. He has been a long serving coach in the minor leagues with stints also in the WHL junior league.

As an interesting aside, Kromm's father in law knows a thing or two about coaching, too. Rich married the daughter of famous NCAA basketball coach turned television analysts Pete Gillen.

Brent Grieve

2009-11-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

Brent Grieve never got to fulfill his promise as a hockey player due to injuries that cut his career short. In the end it was his injured knees that forced him to quit playing the game he loved.

Grieve was never a full time NHLer, spending more time in the minors than the NHL in every season except for one. Grieve was a big left winger who's job was to control the boards and dig for loose pucks in the corners. Grieve had good enough hands to be able to do something with the retrieved puck as well, and was at his best when went to the front of the net. Grieve never stuck in the NHL because injuries stunted his development, particularly his skating which was average at best at the NHL level.

Grieve was lucky as a kid. He never had to leave home at an early again order to play junior hockey. Instead he got to play with his hometown Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. Brent would end up playing four seasons with the Generals, recording 46 goals and 93 points in his final year with Oshawa while also helping the Generals capture the 1990 Memorial Cup championship. That championship was a highlite of Brent's, as was getting to play with a young Eric Lindros.

"That was a very special year. I guess if you had to look at it non-pro wise, I guess that was probably one of the biggest years in my life when we won the Canadian championship. It was a very special team. Eric came in and really gave us the boost we needed to put us in the front there. When I was playing with him then, it was sort of at the start of his career so I didn’t really, as a veteran on that team, I sort of just looked upon it as a great, young kid coming in to play and he was the phenom and he had all the attention given to him. But I think basically he was a great young player and now that I look back on it I really feel fortunate that I got to play with somebody that played as well as he did,” recalled Grieve

A fourth round pick of the New York Islanders in 1989, Grieve made his professional hockey debut in 1990-91 as he spent most of the season with the Capital District Islanders of the American Hockey League. He played fairly solidly for a rookie adjusting to the pro game.

Brent went on to play the next two full seasons with Capital District, and became one of the team's top players. He scored 34 goals each season, 1991-92 and 1992-93.

The Islanders moved their farm team to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1993-94, where Grieve started out with another solid season before finally getting a shot at the NHL when the Isles called him up for a three game try-out. Soon after his stint with the Isles, the team gave up on Brent and trade him to the Edmonton Oilers for minor league tough guy Marc Laforge. Grieve immediately stepped into the Oilers lineup and made the Isles look bad by exploding for 13 goals in 24 games. 3 of those goals came in a game against Los Angeles, and left people thinking that this Grieve kid had a real shot at the NHL.

However Grieve's success was short lived. He finished the year with the Oilers farm team and was released as a free agent in the summer. He signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 1994-95 season, the only season in which he collected an NHL paycheck the entire year. Unfortunately for Grieve, he earned his paycheck on the injured list as he got into only 24 games with the Hawks, scoring just once.

The Hawks brought him back in 1995-96, and played him 28 games, scoring just twice. He spent most of the year in the IHL, splitting time with Indianapolis and Phoenix.

Grieve became an unrestricted free agent again in 1996 and was signed by the L.A. Kings. The Kings had hoped he could regain the form that saw him score a hat trick against them earlier, but Grieve's wobbly knees wouldn't let him finish the year, let alone recapture past glories. Grieve played in 18 games with LA, scoring 4 goals.

In total, Grieve played in just 97 NHL games, scoring 20 goals and 16 assists. 4 of his goals came on the powerplay, and 1 was a game winner.

Looking back at Grieve's career, its safe to say that Grieve was a really good player at the AHL and IHL level but except for one hot streak with Edmonton, he never really showed much at the NHL level. He was a hard worker who played in any role he was asked to play, but at the NHL level he was mostly asked to play a minor role, seeing very little ice time.

“I’d like to be remembered as a pro hockey player as a great team guy and respected among my peers. I made a lot of great friendships while I played and I just want to be remembered as a hard working individual that always put the team first,” says Grieve.

Grieve's self - assessment is pretty accurate.

Kenny Jonsson

2009-06-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Kenny Jonsson (pictured wearing the "C" above) was a player I never really appreciated probably as much as I should have.

He was a highly regarded prospect out of Sweden when he came to Toronto. He was drafted 12th overall in 1993. Much was expected out of him, but he did live up to unrealistic expectations right away in Toronto. The impatient Leafs traded him after just 89 games. The Leafs traded him to the New York Islanders, in exchange they brought their popular adopted son Wendel Clark back home Toronto.

In Canada you can watch the Leafs every Saturday night and then some, so I had a good chance to watch Jonsson early on. His mobility was impressive, but he seemed timid and uncertain of the more physical North American game. He wore down as the season progressed.

Once he moved to the Islanders, I never got great chances to watch him perform outside of the odd game here and there, even though he played 11 years in Long Island. In Western Canada it is far easier to watch Manchester United than the New York Islanders.

The best chance to catch them is during the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the Islanders only made the playoffs three times in Jonsson's time their. He participated in just 15 post-season games, 19 in total counting one short playoff with Toronto.

By all accounts Jonsson grew more comfortable in the NHL as he settled in with big minutes of ice time in Long Island. He played a sound, unspectacular game, competent in every aspect but not overly flashy in anyway. He was a workhorse defenseman on a bad team, which is never a good mixture for recognition.

Local Islanders reporters considered Jonsson a top-ten defenseman in the league. One even went as far as to suggest he was the near-equivalent of New York Rangers superstar Brian Leetch. Had he played for a better team, he would likely have garnered Norris Trophy votes, he said.

One place where Jonsson's game was very well appreciated was Sweden. He was a huge part of Team Sweden's numerous successes in his career.

Jonsson won Olympic gold in 1994 and again in 2006. In the latter tournament he was named as the best defenseman in the whole tournament. He also captained the gold medal winning 2006 World Championships team.

Jonsson left the NHL back in 2004 during the lock-out. He never returned, but he continued playing hockey for the rest of decade. He retired in the summer of 2009 after playing five seasons with his old team in the Swedish Elite League, Rogle.

David Volek

2008-11-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

When you think of David Volek, you can not help but think of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was Volek's game winning slap shot at 5:16 of overtime in Game 7 of the second round that saw the Islanders upset Mario Lemieux and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins.

For a franchise once rich in great moments, Volek's goal provided are memorable moment for the generation of fans after the great dynasty years in the 1980s.

While Volek will always be remembered for that one moment in time, he was a decent player for the Islanders for 7 seasons. Twice he scored over 20 goals, and three times he topped 55 points. In 396 games he scored 95 goals, and 249 points.

Volek was a 10th round draft choice of the Islanders, 208th overall, in 1984. But when they used the late round pick on him they had no idea if the Czech would ever play for the Islanders. Of course back then players from Eastern Bloc countries were rare in the NHL, unless they defected from their communist homeland. That's exactly what Volek did in July of 1988.

Volek would be a productive forward in his first four seasons in the NHL. He made the All-Rookie Team in 1988-89 on the strength of 25 goals and 34 assists. He followed up with seasons of 39, 56, and 60 points while spending time on both wings.

Quickness, in both his hands and his feet, was his defining quality in his prime. He had a quick release on his wrist shot, and knew how to use the defenseman as a screen. He had an absolutely lethal backhand, which caught a few goalies by surprising, especially when he sped in on them. He had lightning quick skates, darting and out of holes with speed. He also had strong legs and balance, making for increased agility and making it hard to knock him off the puck.

Defensively he was average at best. He was known to make low percentage passes out of own zone, which backfired on him on more than a few occasions. He was a wiry build but with surprising strength. He was not intimidated by North American physicality.

Many thought Volek would become a 30 goal scorer in the NHL. That did not happen, partly because the Islanders depth at forward grew, with Volek not able to crack the top two lines and play quality offensive minutes. At one point he even asked for a trade.

The trade never materialized, partly because Volek soon fell victim to a chronic bad back. He would be forced into retirement before he turned 28.

Garry Howatt

2008-10-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Garry Howatt was a long time tough guy for the New York Islanders. From 1973 through to their second of 4 consecutive Stanley Cup championships Howatt patrolled the left wing, usually on the third or fourth line.

Like Bobby Nystrom, Howatt became a crowd favorite in New York before the likes of Bossy, Trottier and Potvin showed up. He was just 5'9" and 175 lbs but in that tiny frame was a bundle of pugnacious energy that jump started his teammates and excited his fans.

"Pound for pound, Garry Howatt is the toughest fighter in the NHL," once said Dave "The Hammer" Schultz - who was often considered to be the NHL's heavyweight champion during the goon era known as the 1970s.

"I'm not a goal scorer," admitted Garry. "I knew if I was going to make the NHL, I'd have to be giving 100 per cent all the time. I'm not big and they say hockey is a big man's game. All I can do is keep hustling. Besides, there are ways of cutting people down to your size. Hard work is one."

Garry was a fighter, in more ways than one. In his early teenage years it was discovered that he was suffering from epilepsy, but he was able to keep the ailment under control through medication.

This didn't stop Garry from chasing his dream. The Glendon, Alberta native headed off to junior hockey in 1971-72, where he played with three different teams but was best known as a Flin Flon Bomber.

He was drafted in the summer of 1972 and was looked upon as a sure long shot. The Islanders took him 144th overall. However Garry walked into training camp and showed the Islanders the zest and determination which would one day earn him an NHL paycheck. The Islanders were impressed, and signed Garry to a contract, although he spent most of the year apprenticing in the minor leagues, aside from an 8 game stint with the Isles.

By 1973-74 Garry was in the NHL to stay. He broke into the league and had 204 PIM, including a league leading 29 fighting majors. The man they dubbed Toy Tiger had arrived.

However Howatt managed to transform himself into more than just a goon. Maybe that was because he played with an expansion team in its early existence, which allowed Garry some more playing time than he would have gotten with a more established team. In 1974-75 Garry had 18 goals and 48 points and the following year he had 21 goals and 34 points, all while continuing his feisty play.

Garry's ice time and offensive contributions did decrease as the Islanders developed into a league power. But Garry stuck with the team in a role position, as well as as a leader. Whenever the Islanders needed a physical wake up call, Garry would hop over the boards and create 30 seconds of havoc before returning to the bench, often for long periods of time.

Garry was part of the Islanders first two Stanley Cup championships, but by the second championship in 1981 he had been reduced to a strictly 4th line player who was rarely used in the playoffs. Garry asked to be traded to a team that could give him more responsibility on the ice, and the Isles complied by sending Garry to Hartford in the summer of 1981.

Garry seemed rejuvenated in Connecticut as he got more ice time and more responsibility. He responded with 18 goals and a career 50 points, not to mention a career high 242 PIM! However Garry was traded from Hartford to the lowly New Jersey Devils prior to the 1982-83 season. The trade was a surprise as there was much speculation that Garry was being offered a new contract and was possibly going to be named captain of the team.

Garry never got untracked in New Jersey, and admittedly had problems with the organization . In two years he played in only 44 games and spent more time in the minor leagues than with the Devils.

Disappointed with the way his career was coming to an end, Garry decided to hang up the skates following the 1983-84 season. By this time he had accumulated 1836 minutes in the NHL penalty boxes, but also added 112 goals , 156 assists and 268 points in 720 hard fought NHL games. In the playoffs he earned 12 goals and 26 points in 87 games, as well as 289 PIM and 2 Stanley Cup rings.

Garry now owns Mount Freedom Golf in New Jersey.

Bob Bourne

2008-07-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

In some ways Bob Bourne is a forgotten member of perhaps the greatest team of all time. But those who watched him closely in the early 1980s will never forget him.

Bourne played most of his career with the New York Islanders, including the dynasty years of 1980 through 1983. He definitely played in the shadows of the team's stars - players like Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Billy Smith and Clark Gillies. But on some nights, he was the best player on the ice.

Though he was not a prolific scorer like many of his teammates, Bourne was far from an offensive slouch. He scored 30 goals three times, and 20 goals three other times. In the Islanders last Stanley Cup run in 1983, he actually led all post-season scorers with 28 points. That helped the Islanders capture their 4th consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

But when people remember Bob Bourne it won't be for his scoring. It will be for his skating. Bourne was one of the fastest skaters of his day, perhaps the best in the immediate post-Yvan Cournoyer era and pre-Paul Coffey era.

Even scarier than his wheels were his hands. Unlike a lot of fast skating role players, Bourne could handle the puck at top speed. More than once he scored breathtaking goals on end-to-end rushes that fans who were in attendance that night would not forget anytime soon.

That sums up Bob Bourne fairly well. He was an incredibly fast support player who chimed in with timely goals. Every once in a while he would be the best player on the ice, but mostly he excelled as a great role player with a great team.

With his great speed and his long reach, Bourne emerged as a devastating penalty killer for the Isles. At even strength he was very valuable as a swing man. Capable of playing all three forward positions, he would often plug holes on lines decimated by injuries or penalties.

That was Bourne's great contribution to the Isles. And no one appreciated him more so than coach Al Arbour.

When Bourne dipped from 76 to 53 points in 1981-82, Arbour defended Bourne, saying:

"The thing is, though, Bob never really has a slump. He's too versatile for that. He skates well and checks so that the fellow opposite him never accomplishes much. So if his scoring tails off a bit, he's still doing you a lot of good.

"And for a real tip-off on Bourne, take a look at his playoff record. That'll tell you a lot."

Indeed it will. In the 74 playoff games Bourne played during the Isles 4 Cup wins, Bourne scored 33 goals and 43 assists for 76 points, incredible production given the time of year and the lack of power play time he received.

Clutch defines Bourne's offensive contributions. In fact, when the NHL re-introduced regular season overtime in 1983 after a 41 year absence, it was Bourne who scored the first OT goal in modern history.

Bob Bourne was born in Netherhill, Saskatchewan and played his junior hockey in Saskatoon. He was a natural athlete, excelling in baseball and football as well as hockey. In fact, Bourne once played a season of of minor-league baseball with the Houston Astros organization's Class A Appalachian League team in Covington, Virginia. He batted .257 and was a teammate of Clark Gillies. Of course Gillies, who actually played 3 years of minor pro ball, was Bourne's teammate with the Islanders, too!

The NHL's Kansas City Scouts actually drafted Bourne with the 38th overall draft pick in the 1974 NHL amateur draft. The especially shrewd Islanders GM Bill Torrey was determined to land the Saskatchewan speedster though, and a couple of months later traded the rights to Larry Hornung and Bart Crashley to get him.

Bourne was a regular with the Islanders from 1976 through 1986. He often played on a line with the hard hitting Bob Nystrom and a host of other wingers.

Bourne was not a noted hitter, and he had a very long fuse but look out when he did drop the gloves. He broke the North Stars Kevin Maxwell's nose in one memorable fight, and had a great tilt with a Washington rookie named Scott Stevens.

Injuries would eventually catch up with the usually durable Bourne. Late in his tenure on Long Island he missed significant time with serious shoulder and knee injuries. But it was severed tendons in his hand, courtesy of Los Angeles' Phil Sykes' skate, that nearly ended his career prematurely.

The Islanders left Bourne unprotected at the beginning of the 1986-87 season, and Bourne joined the Kings for 2 seasons before calling it a career.

In 964 career games Bob Bourne scored 258 goals, 582 points and killed countless penalties.

Bourne was a noted humanitarian as well. He was honored as a Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year in 1987 in the "Athletes Who Care" for their work in humanitarian causes. Bourne worked tirelessly with schools for handicapped children. Bourne's son Jeff was born with spina bifida in 1979.

In 1988 Bourne was given the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his dedication to the game of hockey.

Bourne went on to coach several minor league teams before settling in the hot Okanagan sun of the British Columbian city of Kelowna where he became a realtor.

Ken Morrow

2008-06-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

Ken Morrow was part of the U.S. Olympic team for the Lake Placid Games in 1980. That unlikely group of college kids/hockey players captured the gold medal in what is forever immortalized as the "Miracle on Ice."

Following the Olympics he joined the Islanders for the rest of the NHL season. It turned out to be an incredible year for Morrow.

After winning a gold medal with the Olympic team, he helped the Islanders capture their first Stanley Cup. He was the first player to win an Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same season. In fact, Morrow helped the Islanders capture three more Stanley Cups, four in all, from 1980 to 1983.

A sound defensive defenceman, former Islander Denis Potvin once called Morrow as "steady as the Empire State Building." He never put up big offensive numbers on a team that was stacked with future Hall of Famers like Potvin, Bossy and Trottier, but he seemed to have the uncanny knack of scoring big goals whenever his team needed them.

In fact, Morrow's career numbers only included 17 goals and 105 points in 550 regular season games. But during the post-season, he seemed to thrive as he recorded 11 goals and 33 points in 127 playoff contests. More importantly, three of his post-season goals were overtime goals, his most memorable being the overtime tally that eliminated the New York Rangers during the 1984 playoffs.

Ed Westfall

2007-10-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

From the age of 17, Ed Westfall was being groomed by the Boston Bruins to become a defenseman. However he became best known as a defensive forward and leader at the NHL level.

Ed joined the Bruins junior affiliate, the OHA's Barrie Flyers in 1957, where he skated for 4 years learning the art of being a defensive defenseman. When he turned pro with the Bruins in 1961 he struggled for 3 years to find his groove as an NHL defenseman, and even served some minor league time in an attempt to get his confidence going.

When Ed was returned to the minors though, he had a surprise waiting for him by Kingston Frontenacs coach Harry Sinden. Harry used Westfall on right wing as opposed to defense. Being a defensive defenseman he naturally became a defensive specialist up front as well. He also produced nicely offensively, scoring 5 goals and 16 assists in 21 games.

By 1964-65, the struggling Boston Bruins promoted Westfall to right wing where he stayed for most of the rest of his career. With his strong defensive background he quickly established himself as a top defensive forward, combining intellect and speed to shut down the opposition's top gunners. Later on his career, the Bruins added a feisty face-off expert in Derek Sanderson. Sanderson centered Westfall as the two combined to be one of the greatest defensive checking units of all time. The two especially excelled as penalty killers, something that was very necessary on the old Big Bad Bruins teams.

Needless to say Westfall's hard work and self sacrifice helped the Bruins win two Stanley Cup championships. He also was able to chip in with some decent offense, averaging about 15 goals a season in his career. His career high was 25, which came in 1970-71 and later equaled in 1975-76.

Eddie was selected by the New York Islanders on June 6, 1972 in the expansion draft. He went on to serve admirably for the Isles, spending 7 seasons on Long Island. He was named the Islanders first ever Captain, and provided a large measure of leadership to a young Islander team that eventually led to four straight Stanley Cups. Unfortunately for Eddie, he retired at the end of the 1978-79 season, one year before the Isle's first Cup reign. Even though he doesn't have a championship title with the Islanders, his fingerprints are all over that dynastic team of the early 1980s. Westfall came from the Bruins and as the first Islanders captain installed high standards of professionalism and excellence that would serve the organization and its collection of incredible hockey players extremely well.

Eddie retired a veteran of 1220 games. Included in his career was 231 goals, 394 assists, 625 points and 4 appearances in NHL All Star games. He was also rewarded for his longevity and love of the game in 1977, when he was selected as the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner.

Gary Nylund

2007-09-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

Gary Nylund is the hockey legend who should have been.

When Gary Nylund was drafted 3rd overall in 1982, he was expected to become the next Larry Robinson. The WHL's top defenseman was also a Memorial Cup all star and World Junior gold medal champion. He was a hulking 6'4" 200lb combination of physical domination and skating mobility, with a mean streak to boot. He may not have been projected to be dominant offensive NHL player at that time, but he would own the defensive end and make opponents pay upon entering it.

Unfortunately for Gary Nylund, injuries would not let him fulfill his destiny.

The BC boy grew up dreaming of playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and at Maple Leaf Gardens. Yet shockingly, his agent advised him to tell the Leafs he would not play for the team if they drafted him. His meddling agent, Norm Caplan, figured Nylund's future was better served in Philadelphia, who owned the 4th pick. The naive Nylund mumbled through with his agent's request, but Toronto picked him anyways.

Nylund was ever thankful that the Leafs didn't listen to him that day, and selected Nylund. Soon he would sign the most expensive rookie contract, to that point in time, in Maple Leafs history. And Nylund would soak up his childhood dream of playing in Maple Leaf Gardens, perhaps the highlight of his career.

The dream came to a quick and abrupt end before his rookie season even began. In a pre-season game against the Quebec Nordiques, Nylund was hit innocently by Wilf Paiement, but his left knee buckled. It was dubbed a hyper-extension, and Nylund's rookie season would be delayed until after Christmas.

Nylund returned, and finally got his chance to play in the NHL. But his dream returned to nightmare after just 16 contests. A accidental bump with linesman John D'Amico not only re-aggravated the knee injury, but made it far worse. Nylund's ACL was torn, costing him the rest of his rookie season and half of the following season.

At this time Nylund was still a teenager, and as such was losing some of the most valuable development time a NHL hockey player has. Instead of fulfilling his destiny, he was busy rehabilitating his bad wheel. Nylund would return, but with his lost mobility he settled into a nice role as a defensive defender.

Nylund's stay in Toronto certainly wasn't how he envisioned as child, either. The team was at its all time low-point under owner Harold Ballard, and Nylund wanted out. So much so that he signed with Chicago as a restricted free agent, a true rarity in those days. As such the Leafs were owed compensation. The Leafs demanded Chicago-born scorer Ed Olczyk in return, but NHL arbitrators assigned Jerome Dupont, Ken Yaremchuk and a 1987 fourth-round pick (Joe Sacco) as compensation.

Nylund jumped at the Hawks offer because they offered the most money, a 4 year deal worth reportedly $150,000 a year. That certainly was not an insignificant sum in those days for a defenseman with a bad knee.

Nylund would enjoy 2 and 1/2 seasons in another Original Six city, but interestingly he would always regret signing with the Hawks. The Hawks weren't a whole lot better than the Leafs in those days, and were never Stanley Cup contenders. Interestingly, Nylund chose the Hawks over the Edmonton Oilers strictly because they offered more money. Nylund knew Edmonton would have offered him a chance to play with the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, and almost certainly would have won a Stanley Cup. As it turned out the Oilers won 3 Stanley Cups in the span of Nylund's contract. Nylund and the Hawks won nothing. Nylund's decision to choose money over opportunity would always be his biggest regret in hockey.

The Blackhawks traded Gary Nylund and Marc Bergevin to the New York Islanders in exchange for Steve Konroyd and Bob Bassen. Nylund would put in 2 and 1/2 seasons of yeoman's work on the Isle's blue line before disaster struck again. He would blow out his ACL again. The only good news was this time it was his other knee.

Nylund began the lengthy period of rehab, but somehow his heart and mental mind frame just weren't into it at the time. After a short comeback he would end up walking away by making another business decision. By retiring within 20 games played of the injury, he would received a NHL disability pension. Like when he chose Chicago over Edmonton, he took the money, but would later regret the decision. Gary Nylund still wanted to play hockey. He was still looking to capture childhood dreams.

I met Gary Nylund on the Oldtimers charity tour. He travels with that team quite a bit, looking to recapture the camaraderie of his NHL days. He was an intimidating sight even from the stands, a real monster on the ice. The Kitimat team the Oldtimers were playing tended to take the game too seriously, and would play disrespectfully against the NHL veterans. I remember Nylund approaching a couple of Kitimat's more aggressive players. He bumped them just enough to make it look accidental, but sent them flying on to the seat of their pants. The mean streak was still in him, and that's when I became a Gary Nylund fan.

Nylund travels with the Oldtimers when his work schedule allows. The son of an RCMP officer returned to Surrey BC and became a firefighter. On July 31, 2001, fire at a paper products warehouse on Annacis Island, in which he went back into a building burning to rescue two of his trapped colleagues, who were buried under some of the warehouse's cardboard boxes. In June 2003, Nylund and two other firefighters received British Columbia's prestigious Medal of Bravery for their efforts in the warehouse rescue, and in 2004 he was given the national Governor General's Decoration for Bravery.

Pierre Turgeon

2007-09-05T13:30:00.001-07:00

Though the news broke earlier this summer, Pierre Turgeon has officially retired.

Turgeon hangs up his blades with 19 NHL seasons under his belt. The 1987 1st overall draft choice of the Buffalo Sabres scored 515 goals, 1,327 points in 1,294 games. Although he didn't have the reputation as a great playoff producer, he had a very respectable 97 points in 109 post season contests.

The Sabres made Turgeon the face of their franchise, immediately drawing comparisons to the team's only previous franchise player, Quebecois Gilbert Perreault. To Sabres selected Turgeon over the likes of Brendan Shanahan and Joe Sakic. Based on skill and ability, #77 deserved that lofty status, but I believe his legacy will not match that of those two fine players.

A gifted natural athlete, Turgeon excelled at the finesse game. The strength of his game was his hockey sense and play making ability. Though he had an excellent shot with a quick release, he was always a playmaker first, then a goal scorer. His vision and creativity combined to make him a lethal setup man and tough to defend.

I would go as far as to say Turgeon was beyond amazing when he had the puck. He never looked at the puck, ut he always had it in perfect control. Without the puck, in typical quiet Pierre Turgeon form, he was so elusive, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing from checks.

Turgeon was very efficient on the ice, which led to some detractors. He was uncanny with his positioning, which he undoubtedly learned in order to make up for a lack of foot speed. Since he was usually in the right spot at the right time, Turgeon never had to scramble to get into the play. Critics called him lazy, when in fact he was extremely economical.

Many critics also pointed to his lack of a physical game, and with merit. Turgeon was a big pivot at 6'1" and 205 lbs, but he never really imposed himself on the opposition. He was never afraid to go into traffic areas to score goals, and he took checks while making plays with the pucks, but he really needed to initiate more of a physical game for him to have reached his full potential. Had he been able to, he would be remembered as one of the best of his generation.

I think what his critics don't point out enough though is rarely did Turgeon have a strong supporting cast. There's no doubting he had the ability, and make no mistake he had the desire to be a dominating NHL figure. He just didn't have the temperament to be a dominating solitary force. Too often in his career, especially in Buffalo and Long Island, and even to some degree in Montreal, he was asked to turn an average team into a Stanley Cup contender. He just wasn't that lone-warrior type of player.

Unable to win in the post season, the Sabres moved Turgeon in 1991 in a 7 player trade that also headlined Pat Lafontaine. Playing with Derek King and Steve Thomas on his wings, Turgeon erupted for his best season in 1992-93 when he recorded a career-best 58 goals and 132 points in his first full season on Long Island. The NHL awarded him the Lady Byng Trophy as he only picked up 13 minor penalties. More importantly, Turgeon was enjoying his first taste of post season success and leading the Islanders to the Conference Finals. En route, however, Turgeon the recipient of one of the ugliest muggings in hockey history. As Turgeon celebrated a goal in a blowout playoff win against the Washington Capitals, Dale Hunter came up behind him and flung him into the boards. Turgeon injured his shoulder and Hunter received a 21-game suspension. The Islanders, and particularly Turgeon, were never the same.

Hunter's mugging may have altered hockey history, suggested New York Daily News writer Frank Brown. He wrote:

"Pierre Turgeon had been a dynamic, involved personality. He was becoming the emblem of the Islanders and the Club was saying 'This is our symbol of future greatness to come. This is the offensive superstar we haven't had since Mike Bossy and this is the hope for a bring new arena on Long Island and million dollar visibility in the marketplace.

"Everything changed by one mean-spirited little prick. When Pierre Turgeon got up, he left some piece of himself on the Nassau pond. From the minute he returned, he was hesitant; he was a perimeter guy; he was a guy who was not activating the energy level of his team the way he had been. He didn't have that drive to the front of the net."

That year turned out to be more of the exception to the new rule as opposed to his arrival as a superstar. He returned to the 90 point level and below. Much like the Sabres, the Islanders must have felt Turgeon was not going to live up to that franchise player designation and moved him to Montreal for Kirk Muller and Mathieu Schneider.

Montreal was an odd destination for a French Canadian player with a reputation for shunning the spotlight. But Montreal, and more importantly Montreal fans, wanted a French Canadian scoring star to lead them back to glory. To make matters worse, Turgeon was burdened with the team's captaincy.

Though his stay was brief, Turgeon put up some good numbers in Montreal. He only played one full season, leading the team in scoring in 1995-96 with 38 goals and 96 points. He teamed well with fellow Frenchman Vincent Damphousse. But the captain's spotlight, especially in media-crazy Montreal, never sat well with Turgeon's quiet and reserved temperament. He handled it all gracefully, especially during the closing of the Montreal Forum, but there was always a hit of reluctance as well.

As brilliant as he could be, he just never had the personality to take his image and his game to the highest level. Unappreciative and unfair Montreal fans quickly turned on their captain, booing him out of town.

Turgeon went to St. Louis, where he could play in some anonymity. Playoff success was easier to find, three times playing 10 or more games. Injuries capped Turgeon around the 60 game mark in St. Louis, therefore making the likes of Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis, Pavol Dimetra and Brett Hull as the go-to guys. It was quite unfortunate that Turgeon couldn't have enjoyed his previous injury free seasons in St. Louis, though ultimately, for all their money spending ways, the Blues were never a true Stanley Cup contender.

From 2001 through 2007 Turgeon spent his seasons miscast and injury prone in Dallas then Colorado. His career came a quiet end in 2007, having played in just 17 games in what proved to be his final season.

Comfortable out of the limelight, Turgeon was always cast in someone's shadow. In Buffalo it was the franchise's previous French Canadian superstar Gilbert Perreault. In Long Island it was the shadow of the man he was traded for, Pat Lafontaine, who possessed natural flair and speed and erupted in Buffalo. In Montreal he was in the shadow of all the French Canadien greats who came before him.

Without doubt he had the ability and talent to stand side by side with his shadow makers. He just never quite had the desire to make it happen. Perhaps if it wasn't for Dale Hunter, he would have emerged as a true superstar.

Though he was as talented and as brilliant as most any of his peers, I suspect Pierre Turgeon's legacy will not see him land in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Interestingly, in 2007 Turgeon was inducted into another Hall of Fame. He was the first Canadian enshrined in the Little League World Series Hall of Fame.

Tomas Jonsson

2007-06-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Tomas Jonsson was quietly an excellent performer on a strong New York Islanders team. Jonsson arrived in New York as a highly touted prospect and helped the Isles win two Cups.

Jonsson was the 25th overall selection in the 1979 Entry Draft, the strongest draft in history. The agile defenseman quickly became one of the top defensemen Sweden had developed since Borje Salming. Before playing a single NHL game, Tomas was a star in Sweden

Tomas excelled in 3 World Junior Championships, including in 1977 when Sweden, who also boasted future stars like Mats Näslund, Bengt-Åke Gustafsson, Thomas Steen and Pelle Lindbergh, won the gold. He debuted in the Swedish Elite League at the early age of 17 in 1977, and by 1979 led Modo to the Swedish Championship. He also was a big part of the Swedish national team with the 1980 Olympics (winning bronze) and the 1981 Canada Cup.

Tomas stepped into the NHL in 1981-82 at the age of 21. He had a solid rookie season, scoring 9 goals and 34 points in 70 games. The Islanders won their 3rd Stanley Cup in a row that season. Coach Al Arbour was smart in bringing Tomas along slowly to not only develop him to the North American game, but the Islanders system. Tomas played in 10 playoff games to capture his first Stanley Cup ring.

Tomas played a much bigger role in 1982-83 championship season. He quietly scored 13 goals and 35 assists for 48 points in 72 regular season games, and added 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 20 playoff games.

Tomas would consistently score at that clip for the remainder of his NHL days. Over the next three seasons he scored 11, 16 and 14 goals respectively with 47, 50 and 44 points. Tomas had an injury shortened 47 game season in 1986-87, but still posted 6 goals and 31 points. He returned to his normal 47 point season 1987-88. However Tomas and the Islanders would gradually slip from Stanley Cup dynasty to a middle of the pack team as the key players aged. Its too bad Tomas wasn't able to step onto Long Island a couple of years earlier because then he would have won 4 Cups and would have been considered a more important part of that dynasty.

Lat in the 1988-89 season the Isles trade Jonsson to the Edmonton Oilers, who were long time admirers of Jonsson. His style of play was a perfect fit for the Oil's system, and it was hoped he would make a late season impact on the northern Albertan team. He put up 11 points in 20 regular season games and added 2 power play goals in 4 playoff games.

The Oilers only had to trade future considerations to the Isles in order to get Jonsson. That may seem like a really low price to pay for such a talented defenseman, but the fact of the matter was that it was no big secret that his contract was up at season's end and Tomas desired to return to Sweden so that his children could attend Swedish schools. He did return and played throughout the entire 1990s, until the age of 38. He didn't just play, he dominated. In 1995, at the age of 35, he was named as the Swedish Player of the Year. He was also part of the 1994 Gold medal winning Olympic team.

A powerful skater with great first-step acceleration, Tomas relied on his speed and his intelligence to excel in the NHL. He also possessed a great slap shot which was a huge asset to the Islanders power play, although he didn't use it nearly enough. His upbringing in European hockey taught him to be unselfish almost to a fault. Jonsson always preferred to make the perfect pass to the open man for that picture perfect goal. Then again, with his line mates on the Isles power play, who could blame him for wanting to pass the puck around!. Not only did they have Jonsson and Denis Potvin on the points, but they could throw out great playmaker and shooter Bryan Trottier with a behemoth like Clark Gillies in front of the net and of course Mike Bossy, perhaps the best shooter of all time, on the right side.

Jonsson had great balance on his skates which enabled him to compete in the physical NHL, although that aspect of his game was always his weakness. Standing just 5'10" and 185 lbs, Jonsson had trouble with many of the league's bigger and more physical players. He relied more on a strong defensive partner to do that dirty work, or would run simple interference in order to slow down an oncoming forward.

Bob Nystrom

2007-04-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

The story of this Swedish born hockey player of the 1970s and early 1980s is not your typical Swedish hockey player story.

Born on October 10, 1952 in Stockholm Sweden, Nystrom moved with his family to Hinton, Alberta at the age of nine, and later to Kamloops, British Columbia. He grew up playing "Canadian hockey." He was a hustler and a grinder who made it to the junior leagues with the Calgary Centennials.

Drafted by the New York Islanders 33rd overall in 1972, Nystrom was anything but the stereotypical Swede. He was Canadian through and through, and it showed on the ice. He was a physically dominant forward, a masterful bodychecker and a knockout fighter when need be. He had good puck skills as well, particularly his accurate wrist shot, but was a poor skater. It took a year of power skating lessons before Nystrom gradually improved to an acceptable level of skating by NHL standards.

After an 11 game stint in 1972-73, Nystrom made the Isles roster permanently in 1973-74. He scored 20 goals and had 118 PIM as he instantly became a Long Island fan favorite due to his hard work in the corners, along the boards and in glove-dropping scrums.

Nystrom was a consistent goal scorer as well. His 20 goal rookie season was the first of seven 20+ goal seasons, and the first of 5 in a row. His best year was in 1977-78 when he scored 30 times and added 29 assists for 59 points. He was even selected to the play in the 1977 All Star game

Bob arrived in New York in the early 1970s and was an integral part of a young team on the rise. Nystrom helped the Isles slowly progress into Stanley Cup champs. Much of the mid to late 1970s was filled with their rise to contender-hood and then followed by disappointing setbacks. That of course must have made the Isle's 4 year strangle-hold on the Cup even more sweeter for Nystrom.

Every Stanley Cup dynasty is magical, and the Islanders were perhaps the most incredible. The one image that perhaps remains strongest of that incredible team was the overtime goal in the Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers that earned the Islanders their first Stanley Cup. That goal was scored by no other than Bob Nystrom. With Jim Robson's incredible play by play call and the dramatics involved in the overtime goal, that footage ranks high on the all time greatest goal list.

Nystrom was a warrior in the playoffs - a fearless banger who did anything to help the team win. The ultimate team player, Nystrom was a huge part of those Islander championships. While he never reached the acclaim of Bossy, Trottier, Potvin or Smith, there is little doubt that his impact on that team was immeasurable.

Nystrom retired in 1986 after a couple of injury plagued seasons. After retiring his number 23 high to the rafters of Nassau Colliseum. He was the first dynasty Islander to be so honored, and was later joined by Potvin, Bossy, Smith, Trottier and Gillies.

Kelly Hrudey

2007-03-31T16:08:00.001-07:00

Kelly Hrudey began his career in the NHL in 1983-84 after being drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round (38th overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Kelly was a top prospect brought into replace the legendary Islander netminder Battlin' Billy Smith.

Needless to say, Kelly had big skates to fill!

Kelly was in the crease for one of the most memorable dates in NHL history, Game Seven of the Patrick Division semifinal against Washington in 1987. During that famous playoff battle, Kelly stopped 73 of 75 shots in a 3-2 quadruple overtime victory against the Capitals. The game was the sixth longest in NHL history, and was ended by a Pat Lafontaine slapshot.

After six solid seasons on Long Island, Kelly was traded to the Los Angeles Kings late in the 1988-89 season in exchange for Mark Fitzpatrick, Wayne McBean and Doug Crossman. Kelly was an instant hit in LA and had his best days with the Kings. He backstopped the team to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 1992-93 season and was selected Kings MVP during the 1991-92 and 1994-95 seasons.

Kelly fondly remembers his days in LA.

"I was there to ride the boat, basically," Kelly said. "I couldn't believe how fortunate I was to be a part of it."

Kelly signed as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks for his final two seasons of NHL play. He provided veteran leadership and NHL quality goaltending on a struggling expansion franchise.

During his 15-year career, Kelly played in 677 career games and posted a 271-265-88 mark with 16 shutouts and a 3.43 GAA. An excellent standup goalie with a rapier like glove hand.

Kelly had a weakness on his stick side and could give up huge rebounds, although he was fast to recover on these rebounds. Kelly was an aggressive goalie who thrived on a lot of work. Since he played for a lot of mediocre teams during his career, facing a lot of shots was something Kelly was used to. And under the barrage of shots that he faced on many nights it happened that he got yanked.

"That 100-foot skate to the bench after you have been pulled is the longest, slowest skate in the world. It seems likes five miles," Kelly once said.

He played a total of 85 career playoff games, posting a 36-46 record with a 3.28 GAA..

Kelly retired on July 30, 1998 to become a full-time analyst with Hockey Night In Canada. Kelly seems as comfortable with a microphone as he was in the crease.

"The game didn't come as easy or naturally as it once did. I knew that I had no interest in going anywhere else. I had no interest in leading the life of a gypsy. I have no feelings of sadness," he said in a conference call from his home in Canada when he announced his retirement. "I just cannot believe the opportunity I've had."

Today Kelly resides in Calgary, Alberta. He has become a mainstay on Hockey Night In Canada.

Al Arbour

2007-03-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Al Arbour is best remembered as the mastermind coach behind the mighty New York Islander's dynasty. Many say the Islanders were the best team in NHL history. Arbour is among them.

"Our club won (an NHL record) 19 straight playoff series," said Arbour "Do you know any other team that has done that?"

But while Arbour is recognized as one of the greatest (and winningest) coaches of all time, he is also remembered as the journeyman defenseman who played for 19 years pro hockey while wearing glasses.

Arbour was a classic defensive blueliner. He had neither the speed or hands to do much with the puck but became a stalwart without it. His patented move was his incredible shot blocking. He'd often sacrifice his body to stop the puck from ever reaching the net.

Arbour played parts of 4 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before finally making the squad on a full time basis in 1957. However the next season he was left unprotected by the Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks picked up 6'0" 180lb Sudbury, Ontario native. Arbour would play 3 years in the Windy City but was again left unprotected in 1961 and was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs were a very strong team during the 1960s. Arbour had trouble sticking with the Leafs and spent most of his time in the AHL as opposed to the NHL when the Leafs were winning Stanley Cups. But Arbour's defensive excellence didn't go unnoticed as he was named a 4 time all star and the 1965 Defenseman of the Year in the AHL while playing with the Rochester Americans.

Arbour got his chance to return to the NHL when expansion hit in 1967. The St. Louis Blues eagerly snatched up the veteran blueliner. It is in St. Louis that Arbour is perhaps best remembered as a player. He was the first captain in St. Louis history, and under his leadership he guided the St. Louis squad to the Stanley Cup finals in each of their first 3 seasons of existence (never winning the Cup, however).

Arbour's coach in St. Louis was Scotty Bowman. It's no wonder that Arbour became such a great coach when he played for perhaps the greatest coach of all time in Scotty Bowman. In fact Bowman is the only coach to have won more games behind the bench than Al Arbour.

Arbour was an early advocate of disciplined positional play and team oriented defensive systems. His teams always excelled in specialty team situations, especially during the dynastic years on Long Island.

He was also the type of coach who didn't rant and rave. He was always honest and logical with his players and never tried to con them. Those were qualities that his players appreciated.

"Al earned tremendous respect from the players. What he said was gold. Very few coaches can make that statement.", said Denis Potvin, the captain of the dynasty Islanders.

"The first day he came, he brought a winning attitude. Al showed us he had faith in the players. The quality rubbed off on all of us," said Bob Nystrom, by many considered to be the heart and soul of the Islanders.

All in all Arbour appeared in 2,227 games as a player and coach, that is an NHL record. In total, Arbour played in 626 NHL games. He scored just 12 goals and 70 points in that time. Arbour, who is in the Hall of Fame as a coach, has 781 career coaching wins in 1606 games. He added another 123 wins in 209 playoff games.

On September 16,1996 Arbour was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders category, recieving hockey's highest honor. He also won the Jack Adams award in 1979 (NHL's coach of the year) and the Lester Patrick Award in 1992. (outstanding service to hockey in the United States).

In 2001 Al Arbour was an excellent addition to the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee.

Bert Marshall

2007-03-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

Bert Marshall was no Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey. You didn't see Bert roaring down the ice unleashing 40 foot slapshots past the goalies. He wasn't the type of guy who made any headlines. All he did was to play effective, defensive hockey, blocking shots and being a leader in the dressing room. These were the main reasons why he lasted a total of 950 NHL games including the playoffs.

Bert's best season from an offensive standpoint came in 1974-75 for the NY Islanders when he picked up 30 pts. He never scored more than 4 goals in one season.

Bert came out from the Detroit organization and played 2½ seasons for the Red Wings before being picked up by the expansion Oakland Seals on January 9, 1968. Bert's recollection of his stay with the Seals organization wasn't all that positive.

"It was a one-man organization on the coast. With the Seals we had an owner (Charles O. Finley) who was never around and people under him who didn't have a free will to call the shots. Finley never knew guys' names and really didn't seem to give a hoot."

He stayed with the Seals until March 4, 1973 when he was picked up by the NY Rangers. His stint with the Rangers was short-lived. Bert played the last 8 regular season games there and 6 playoff games before the new arch rivals from Long Island, the NY Islanders picked him up in the intra league draft in the summer of 1973.

The Islanders passed on shifty center Bobby Rousseau who had won four Cups with the Canadiens and picked Bert instead. Ironically enough Bill Torrey, the GM of the Islanders had worked for two years in the Seals organization. His approach was however completely different than Mr. Finley's.

His coach on the Islanders, Al Arbour described Bert like this:

"Bert means so, so much to our team from every vantage point. He knows the game in and out and he's the guy every player kinda looks up to. He's alert on and off the ice and he knows how to benefit from every situation that arises."

Bert was a member of the Islanders team until the 1978-79 season. He finished his career by playing 6 games for the Islanders farm team, Indianapolis Checkers in the CHL 1979-80. That same season NY Islanders won their first Stanley Cup. It was a shame that Bert missed that opportunity to hold the Cup above his head. He really deserved to win it.

Bert finished his NHL career with 868 regular season games, scoring just 17 goals but adding 181 assists for 198 points. And in 72 playoff games he picked up another 26 points.

Dave Langevin

2007-01-16T23:12:00.000-08:00

Dave Langevin was a hard hitting and calculating defenseman best known for being a member of all four New York Islanders Stanley Cup teams. Although often obscured by some of his more famous teammates, Langevin earned the respect of many Isles fans during the early 80s.

Like Neal Broten, Langevin is a purebred Minnesota hockey player. He was born May 15, 1954, in St. Paul and was a high school leading Hill-Murray High School to independent state championships in 1970 and 1972. Though he turned into a great professional under the guidance of legendary tactician Al Arbour, Langevin actually credits high school coach Andre Beaulieu as his most influential hockey coach.

"He brought me to a different level through hard work, teamwork and accountability as a player, which is the foundation of playing well," Langevin said.

Like any good Minnesotan boy, the high school phenom went on to play four years of college hockey with Minnesota-Duluth where he had a career that would land him in the school's athletic hall of fame.

Following graduation Dave joined Team USA for the 1976 World Championships before making his pro hockey debut . Dave actually joined the WHA Edmonton Oilers rather than join the New York Islanders, the team that made him the 112th overall draft selection back in 1974. When the WHA collapsed in 1979, Langevin did not jump to the NHL with the Oilers, but rather signed with the Islanders just in time to contribute nicely to a Stanley Cup dynasty.

Langevin was never a scoring threat, as he notched a grand total of 12 goals in 512 NHL games, but he often confounded opposing forwards when they ventured into his end. Arguably the purest defensive defenseman of the Islanders dynasty, "Bammer's" number 26 was worn by many fans who appreciated his uncelebrated work on one of hockey’s most talented teams ever.

Dave played for his hometown Minnesota North Stars in 1985-86 and ended his playing career with the Los Angeles Kings the next season. After his retirement, he coached youth hockey in Minnesota before being tapped as the first coach of the expansion WCHL Idaho Steelheads in 1997. Langevin led the Steelheads to a respectable record and a playoff appearance in their inaugural season, but retired to return to Minnesota not long after Idaho was eliminated from the postseason. Langevin became a real estate appraiser, and most recently has returned to coaching youth hockey. He is the coach of the Sibley High girls' hockey team where his daughter Anna, originally a figure skater, plays hockey.

"This has been one of the most satisfying jobs I've had in hockey. I'm having so much fun," Langevin told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. "The response I'm getting from the girls, to see them learn and grow, I really appreciate spending time with them."

Patrick Flatley

2006-09-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

When healthy, Pat Flatley was a robust, effective right winger for almost 800 NHL games. The 6'2" 200lb right winger excelled doing the dirty work for loose pucks along the boards and in the corners. Such physical play often lead to serious injuries, which somewhat curtailed his promising career.

Born in Toronto, Flatley had a typical Canadian childhood as a hockey mad kid. He played street hockey endlessly and skated at the local arenas whenever he could. But once it became obvious he was a player with promise and the potential to move on to junior hockey, Flatley opted to stay at the high school level and later with the University of Wisconsin, majoring in journalism.

"I had set my goals one step at a time," Flately told Total Hockey: Second Edition. "When I was playing in high school, my goal was to get a scholarship at a U.S. college. I was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves in the first round, but I told them I was going to go to college."

Pat achieved his goal when he accepted a full hockey scholarship to the University of Wisconsin and joined the team as a 17 year old freshman. He played in 17 games under the tutelage of now famous head coach "Badger" Bob Johnson, and the team finished second in the nation in the NCAA championships.

Flatley attended the University of Wisconsin from 1981 through 1983. Among his Badger teammates in college were future NHLers Chris Chelios, Bruce Driver and Brian Mullen. Pat definitely favoured the US College hockey season over the junior hockey schedule. There was only half the amount of games in college hockey as there is in the juniors, which means lots of time to practice and develop skills and fundamentals. Pat credits that for helping him in his hockey career.

All the practice paid off on June 9, 1982 when "Flats" was drafted in the first round, 21st overall by the Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders.

"Pat is a big, strong boy. He's also a good hockey player. He's a Bobby Nystrom, John Tonelli-type of player. He likes to knock people off of the puck" said Jim Devellano, then a New York Islanders scout who heavily recruited Flatley.

Flatley's old coach Johnson was definitely a fan of his by the time the two departed the college ranks.

"Pat is a winner. When the puck goes into the corner, he's going in to get it. He's not Mike Bossy. He's not lightning coming off his wing, Pat is more like (Bob) Nystrom. He could play in the league tomorrow" said Johnson that summer.

But it wasn't until he was drafted that he took his shot at the NHL seriously. Before the draft he was just happy to be part of a great thing in Wisconsin, although he knew scouts were watching him. But once he was drafted he almost immediately quit his summer job driving an airport shuttle for a hotel and he dedicated his entire summer to making the New York Islanders.

Despite all the on and off ice training, Flatley was returned to the Badgers for more apprenticeship for the 1982-83 season. The move was a good one in hindsight, as Flatley led the Badgers to their 4th NCAA championship

It was during the 1982-1983 season that Flatley first got a taste of international hockey when he was part of the Canadian entry at the World Junior Championships. He scored 4 goals in 7 games and thoroughly enjoyed his time there. He would gladly jump at the opportunity to again represent his country following the conclusion of this school year as he played in the World Championships.

With 1984 being an Olympic year, Flats dropped out of college to join the Canadian National team for the full year to get the chance to play in the Olympic Games. He scored 31 times in 57 games and was perhaps Canada's best player. In the Olympics in Sarajevo, he led the Canadians with 3 goals and 6 points in 7 Olympic games.

"After the World Juniors, I wanted to play in the Olympics. When I got drafted I started to feel that I was good enough to play in the NHL, but I knew I wanted to play in the Olympics first. I managed to make the national team and toured the world for the 1983-84 season before playing in the Olympics," he remembers fondly.

Flatley immediately joined the New York Islanders following his Olympic adventure. Flatley joined American Olympian Pat Lafontaine as late season reinforcements for the Isles. The Isles were at the time 4 time defending Cup champions and were on their "Drive for Five." Despite a good playoff by Flats (9 goals, 15 points in 21 games) the Isles fell just short of a fifth consecutive Cup as they lost the Finals to the Edmonton Oilers. Too bad for Flatley - he would never go on to win the Cup.

Flatley would go on to be a mainstay on Long Island, playing 12 more seasons there, the last 4 of which he served as the team's captain. Despite several seasons shortened by serious injury, Flatley played every game exactly the same - full out, crashing and banging, knocking down anything that is in his way and leading by example.

Perhaps there was some undue expectations on Flatley which effected his career. He had the unfortunate task of entering the NHL with fellow Olympian Pat Lafontaine, and the two were compared early, even though they were clearly different types of players. Also, Flatley (and for that matter Lafontaine) came to Long Island as the dynasty was just ending. They were looked up on as the next generation of Islanders that needed to make a big impact in order for the winning to continue on Long Island. Unfortunately for the Isles, there were very few other players to come along who contributed as much Flatley and Lafontaine.

While Lafontaine went on to become a flashy star, Flatley was also a key player. His contributions weren't as noticeable as say Nystrom's or Tonelli's during the dynasty years, as Flatley didn't have the luxury of playing on such a strong team. Had Flatley been a bit older he would have fit nicely into those championship teams and made similar contributions as did Nystrom. Of course winning allows for recognition.

Pat played on Long Island until 1995-96 when his contract was not renewed. Somewhat ironically, Flatley extended his career by one year by signing for one season with the city rival New York Rangers. Flatley appear in 66 games with the Rangers, scoring 10 goals.

Flatley retired after the 1996-97 seasons with 170 goals in 780 games. Most of those goals were probably scored in the same, typically-Flatley style - crashing the net looking for loose pucks, rebounds and/or tip-ins. He added 340 assists for 510 points. He scored 18 goals and 15 assists in 70 playoff games.

Pat LaFontaine

2006-07-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Pat Lafontaine took a rather unconventional route to the NHL, at least for an American boy.

Lafontaine, who grew up in Michigan, opted to play with Verdun of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as opposed to playing US High School and then college. In his only season in the Canadian junior leagues (1983), Pat absolutely dominated. He was named the top junior player as he scored 104 goals and 234 points in just 70 games. Only Mario Lemieux scored more points (282) in a CHL season.

The next season Pat played for the US National team scoring 56 times in 58 games while assisting on 55 others. But despite an impressive 5 goal, 10 point effort from Lafontaine in the 1984 Olympic Games, Team USA finished a disappointing 7th place finish.

Pat LaFontaine joined the New York Islanders right after the 1984 Winter Olympics. Drafted 3rd overall in 1983 by the Isles, Lafontaine immediately made a late season impression in the NHL, scoring 13 times in 15 games. However Lafontaine's scoring punch couldn't offset that of Wayne Gretzky's, as the Oilers dethroned the 4 time champion New York in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Islanders never returned to the finals during LaFontaine's seven full seasons with the team. The Islander's dynasty slowly declined while Lafontaine emerged the Islanders' best player and face of the franchise. In Mike Bossy's last season Lafontaine equaled his goal scoring exploits. The following season was the unofficial marking of the Lafontaine Era on Long Island. While it would not prove to be as successful as the Dynasty Era, Lafontaine proved to be as good as any of the long line of legends in New York Islander history

In 1987, No. 16 provided one of the NHL's most dramatic moments in Stanley Cup history when he scored at nearly 3 a.m. to give the Islanders a 3-2 victory in a quadruple-overtime thriller against Washington in Game 7 of the conference semifinals.

LaFontaine scored 287 goals as an Islander, tied for fifth in club history. In an average season he was pushing 50 goals and 90 points. In 1989-90 he scored a career high 54 goals!

During this time of brilliance, the Islanders struggled and had little playoff success. Lafontaine was heralded as a great individualist talent, but criticized for the lack of his team's success. His line was once called the Helicopter Line because the super talented Lafontaine was in the middle but used no wings!

But after a contract dispute with management in 1991, the fan favorite was dealt to Buffalo in a mega-deal that brought Pierre Turgeon, Uwe Krupp and Benoit Hogue to Long Island.

LaFontaine instantly became the leader of the Sabres. He finished his abbreviated season with an amazing 46 goals and 93 points in just 57 games. In 1993 he exploded with 53 goals and a career-high 148 points. LaFontaine teamed up in spectacular fashion with Alexander Mogilny that season, had a new home. LaFontaine finished as runner-up to Mario Lemieux in the scoring race and earned a spot on the postseason NHL All-Star Second Team. He was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Lady Byng Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player. LaFontaine's incredible chemistry with Mogilny also helped shake the Helicopter label.

Injuries would rob us one of the most exciting tandems in modern history. Mogilny suffered a serious ankle injury in the playoffs and would later be traded to Vancouver. Lafontaine missed all but 16 games in 1993-94 due to a serious knee injury. He returned for only 22 games in the lockout-shortened 1995 season. For his perseverance and dedication he was awarded the Bill Masterton trophy.

Lafontaine was looking forward to the 1996-97 season as his first injury free campaign and had hoped to get back on track. But on Oct. 17, 1996, LaFontaine's world came crashing down. He had suffered concussions before, but his fifth changed his life forever. The player known for energy and love of the game was in a fog. He missed the rest of the regular season with post-concussion syndrome.

In September of 1997, Lafontaine boldly announced he would return to the NHL, however Buffalo Sabres team doctors refused to give him clearance to play. The impasse was resolved when the Sabres traded Lafontaine to the New York Rangers, making Lafontaine the first player to play for all 3 New York state based NHL teams. Jason Dawe has since joined this exclusive club.

LaFontaine's comeback was the talk of the NHL. Armed with a special helmet and mouthpiece, he started the season with 42 points in his first 41 games. But on March 16, a collision with teammate Mike Keane turned into his worst nightmare. Lafontaine had played his last hockey game.

In the summer of 1998 Lafontaine finally admitted what the doctors had been trying to tell him for some time - it was too dangerous for him to play hockey. Its too bad for hockey fans, as Lafontaine was one of the most electrifying men on skates - a true Legend of the Ice.

Lafontaine was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

Butch Goring

2006-05-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

So synonymous is the nickname Butch with the name Goring that we actually had to look up Goring's first name in the history books to write this biography on Robert Thomas Goring.

When a player is nicknamed "Butch" usually he is known for three things: Incredible hustle; unmatchable work ethic; and high penalty minute totals. Goring earned the nickname Butch because of his hustle and work ethic, but he was the epitome of clean textbook hockey. In fact, Goring, the 1978 Lady Byng winner, only accumulated 102 career penalty minutes in 1107 NHL games!

Born in St. Boniface Manitoba, Goring had a great junior career split between a number of teams. He split his junior eligibility with the Winnipeg Rangers (Manitoba Junior League), Hull Volants (Quebec Senior League), Winnipeg Jets (West Coast Junior League), the Dauphin Kings (Manitoba Junior League) and the Regina Pats (Saskatchewan Junior League). It was in his junior days where he garnered much attention from NHL scouts for his work ethic and clean style of play. In a total of 4 seasons of junior hockey, Goring took only 3 minor penalties.

Los Angeles took the chance on the 5'9" 170lb Goring with their 51st overall pick in the 1969 Amateur Draft. After splitting his first two pro seasons in Los Angeles and in Springfield with the King's AHL farm team. Goring made the Kings full time in 1971-72 when he scored his first of 11 consecutive 20+ goal seasons. Included in that streak were 4 consecutive 30 goal seasons.

1978 proved to be Goring's 15 minutes of fame. Goring's work ethic and clean play were rewarded with the Lady Byng and the Bill Masterton Memorial trophies. He scored a career high 37 goals and added 36 assists while taking only one minor penalty all season. Four times in his career Goring took only one minor penalty in a full NHL campaign.

Players in Los Angeles during the 1970s received little or no attention from fans around the league, just ask the illustrious Marcel Dionne, and Goring was no exception. But NHL insiders knew just how great this player was. One of those who thought highly of him was New York Islanders boss Bill Torrey. Torrey sent two players (Billy Harris and Dave Lewis) to Los Angles for Goring at the trading deadline in 1980. Goring was one of the key veterans who are credited for taking a young and talented Islanders team and finally pushing them over the edge to become Stanley Cup Champions. Goring scored 7 goals and 19 points in 21 playoff games to help lead the Isle's to their 1st Stanley Cup.

Playing behind the offensive dynamo likes of Trottier and Bossy, Butch Goring's scoring exploits slowed down as he stayed with the Islanders, but his work ethic never did. He was rewarded for his hard work by being an integral part of one of the NHL's greatest dynasties. Goring earned a total of 4 Stanley Cup rings. He was also honored as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 1981 as the MVP of the playoffs.

As the Islander's dynasty finally tailed off in 1985, and as Goring neared the end of his career, the Islanders left Goring on waivers, allowing the Boston Bruins to pick up the feisty center. Goring only played 39 games with Boston before retiring, but would become their head coach for the 1985-86 season. Goring's bench-boss tenure was short lived as he was fired early into the 1986-87 season.

Goring, who used the same two uniquely homemade leather helmets since the age of 11, scored 375 goals, 513 assists and 888 points in 1107 career NHL games. He became a long time professional coach following his playing days.

Clark Gillies

2006-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Clark Gillies was born and grew up in Moose Jaw which at that time had a population of approximately 36,000. His dad was a department store salesman and Clark had an easy childhood. In the summer he played baseball and in the winter hockey.

Clark was actually so good at baseball that he played three seasons of minor-league baseball with the Houston Astros' farm team in Covington, West Virginia, where his season-high batting average was .257. Later on he once impressed the New York Mets as a power hitter when he took informal batting practice at Shea Stadium. But luckily enough for all hockey fans Clark decided to pursue a hockey career instead.

He played three seasons of junior hockey for the Regina Pats (WHL) where he had three very solid seasons, collecting 79, 92 and 112 points. His last season culminated in a Memorial Cup win, the championship of junior hockey. Clark recalled the years in Regina.

"My first year in Regina I had a lot of fights, over 200 minutes in penalties (248 including playoffs). I gained a little respect. I was a big kid, and it just came naturally. I didn't want anybody to push me around. I had to establish a base for myself. I think it helped me the last two years. The second year I didn't have too many problems and the third year was relatively quiet - five, six, 10 fights."

What Clark developed in Regina was confidence. Clark also went on to be a massive 6'3" and 215 Ibs. His size, toughness and leadership qualities made NY Islanders draft him 4th overall in the 1974 entry draft.

Clark immediately made an impact in the NHL by scoring 25 goals and 47 points. Although Clark got little support for rookie of the year honors in 1974-75, many hockey people still felt that he was a far superior player to Eric Vail, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy that season.

As a rookie, Clark took on Dave Schultz in the Stanley Cup semifinals against the eventual champions Flyers. Schultz had just set a new NHL record with 472 PIMs and was the "terror of the NHL" at that time. Clark destroyed Schultz and sent everyone around the NHL a clear message. Nobody messes with Clark Gillies or the up and coming New York Islanders.

Clark quickly blossomed to a key player in the NY Islanders quest for the Stanley Cup. He scored over 30 goals in six of his next seven seasons and had point totals of 61, 55, 85, 91, 54, 78 and 77. In the late 1970's and early 80's he was one of NHL's premier left wingers and was a 1st team All-Star in 1978 and 79. He was also the MVP in the 1979 Challenge Cup series vs. the Soviets. And when Canada was trounced 8-1 against the Soviets in the 1981 Canada Cup final, Clark scored the only Canadian goal and was the only player on the Canadian squad who really gave 110 % until the end.

He didn't dazzle you with his speed or his stickhandling. He had a hard shot, but his best trademarks was his great two way play, hard work, leadership and the respect opponents had for his fists. Clark didn't have to drop em' very often, but when he did there was virtually nobody who could beat him. Clark destroyed the reputation of quite a few so called enforcers.

He once knocked out tough guy Ed Hospodar that left him in a pool of blood with a broken jaw...all this with one single punch! He also gave solid beatings to such great fighters as Terry O'Reilly and Al Secord. But he was in no way an enforcer himself.

"I never thought about fighting or myself as an enforcer or a policeman. I was on the ice to do a job, score some goals and mainly stop the other guys from scoring. Fighting never was a priority to me." Clark said.

For many years Clark played on the so called "Long Island Lightning Company" line. His original line mates on that line was Bryan Trottier and Billy Harris who was later replaced by Mike Bossy. The trio of Gillies-Trottier-Bossy couldn't be stopped on most nights and struck fear into opponents. Clark always used his size and strength to his advantage while Bossy and Trottier conducted their magic with the puck. He was most effective when he positioned himself in front of the net to screen the goalie.

Clark was also a great leader, and a proud member of the NHL captain's fraternity. Clark was only 22 years old when he was selected to replace 36-year old veteran Ed Westfall as a captain on February 3,1977. Westfall had been NY Islanders only captain since 1972 at that time.

"It was time for a younger man to take over the job" Westfall said. "Clark was the right man. He gets along with everyone and is the type of player who can lead others. He can be closer to the younger guys on the team."

The other guys considered for captaincy at that time were Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier and Denis Potvin. The young Trottier (20) at that time fully agreed with having Clark as a captain.

"He's just big and everybody likes him. Everybody looks up to him. His hustling gives us a lift out there. He hasn't got a hated bone in his body. He's easy to talk to and he holds a lot of respect among the other fellas." Trottier said.

Clark played for the NY Islanders until 1986 and led them to four consecutive Stanley Cups. He was a vital part of the NY Islanders machinery and a great fan favorite.

In 1986 NY Islanders exposed Clark in the waiver draft. He was picked up by Buffalo Sabres and played two more years for the Sabres before hanging 'em up in 1988. He retired with 958 games under his belt, and 319 goals, 378 assists and 697 in his pocket. More importantly he has 4 Stanley Cup rings on his fingers, thanks in large part to his 94 points in 164 playoff games.

Clark Gillies was the power forward of the 1970's and 80's. He did not only bang in goals from the slot, but he was great in the corners, a very good two-way player, could fight, worked hard, had fine leadership qualities, had a huge heart and was a winner. GM's today would kill to have a guy like Clark on their roster.

Chico Resch

2006-05-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Born in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, Glenn "Chico" Resch was one of the last players to be part of the old sponsorship system. Instead of drafting players, NHL would literally invite 12 or 14 year old kids to junior programs sponsored and funded by the NHL. In turn, players playing in that organization's system basically became property of that team.

Resch was invited to the Regina Pats junior system which was coached by former Montreal defenceman Bob Turner. Resch was told by Turner that he would guarantee that Resch would make the NHL if he stayed in Regina, but Resch hadn't played very well in his short time there, and decided if he got a college scholarship offer he had better not pass up on the opportunity.

The University of Minnesota at Duluth offered him that scholarship, and Resch jumped at it. In three seasons in the WCHA Resch had an okay career. His GAA was high and his win/loss record was below .500. Probably his biggest highlight while in college was when Resch backstopped the team into the NCAA championships. The team was knocked out after losing a tough fought 1-0 game in double overtime against Cornell. The goalie in the Cornell net was Ken Dryden.

Ken Dryden inadvertently played a big role in getting Resch to the NHL. Following the NCAA championships, Resch was invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp. Resch was a raw rookie who had never even seen a live NHL game before. And the Habs had several veteran goalies in camp such as Rogie Vachon, Phil Myre, Wayne Thomas, Michel Plasse and Ken Dryden - who the season before backstopped the Habs to the Stanley Cup as a rookie.

Needless to say Resch was buried in the Montreal system, and likely would have just toiled in obscurity had he stayed in the Montreal system. The Habs sent Resch to the lowly Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL where Glenn had a good season, leading the league in GAA and shutouts. But an old friend helped fulfill a promise. Remember how his old coach Bob Turner in Regina guaranteed Resch would make the NHL? Well Turner was a friend of New York Islanders GM Bill Torrey and told Torrey that Resch was a long shot but a worthy gamble. Torrey acquired Resch in a trade.

After a couple of years playing in the minors, Resch made the Islanders and the NHL on a full time basis in 1974-75 when he played in 25 games, with a record of 12-7-5 with a 2.47 GAA and 3 shutouts. By the playoffs he had become the number one goalie and like Dryden a few years earlier, Resch pulled a playoff miracle of his own.

"Until then Turk Broda had been the only goalie to bring a team from three games down in the playoffs and win the series," recalled Resch as he setup his story. "It was the Islanders first year in the playoffs. First we played the Rangers in a best of three and beat them, and that was a massive upset. That's what really started the rivalry between those two teams. Then we played Pittsburgh and lost the first three games. Billy Smith was the other goalie and we both played early in the series. But I played the last five games and I was there all the time for the comeback."

After rallying from the 3-0 deficit to beat the Pens, the Isles played the defending champion Philly Flyers. The Isles of course were huge underdogs and lost the first three games. But then wouldn't you know it, the Islanders battled back and tried doing what they had just done in the previous series. The Isles won 3 games to force a game 7 before bowing out in game 7.

For the Isles, it was the first of several memorable playoffs to come. But until the reached their dynasty years of the early 1980s, the Isles were faced with several disappointing playoff upsets, and more often than not the goalies got the blame. In 1978 it was Toronto as Lanny McDonald scored the game winner in overtime in game 7 against Resch. In 1979 it was the Rangers who upset the Isles. Resch was again in net in the final game of the year.

1980 was the first year the Islanders won the Cup. And you certainly can't blame the Isles for using Billy Smith in the playoffs - he was one of the all time best money goalies. But late in the season Resch was the hottest goalie in the league, going undefeated in his last 10 games. Despite his spectacular play, Isles coach Al Arbour remembered Resch's past playoff failures and went with Smitty. Resch played in only 120 minutes of the Isles championship run.

It was a very tough situation for Glenn. Normally winning the Cup is the highest high a hockey player could ever experience. But for Glenn, it marked a terrible time in his life.

"A lot of things changed in my life because of that. I actually became a Christian, a committed Christian, through that experience because when all of that happened I realized my life was out of control. I remember being on the bench just about in tears because I couldn't play. I couldn't say anything to the press but I was really wondering if it was the end. I would go home and be in tears. I just could not understand why it was that I had waited my whole life for this moment, to help my team win the Stanley Cup, and I couldn't do anything about it."

Resch came back in 1980-81 and played well as Smith's backup before he was traded in a late season trade to the Colorado Rockies. He played a lot in Colorado, appearing in 61 games in 1981-82, but the Rockies were at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Islanders, and Resch's stats reflected that. He went 16-31-11 with a 4.03 GAA. I've always felt a goalies stats are more indicative of the team he played for, and you can tell just how bad the Rockies were.

That was actually the Rockies last season in Denver, and Resch accompanied the franchise in moving to New Jersey to become the Devils. For the next 4 years Resch played well for the Devils, who remained a weak sister in the NHL. Resch played in the majority of games before he was traded to Philadelphia late in 1986.

Resch finished the 1985-86 season with the Flyers and returned the following season for what proved to be his last year in the NHL. He backed up a hot young rookie named Ron Hextall who took the Flyers to the Finals. This time Resch knew he'd be on the bench during the Finals and I think he enjoyed that Cup run better than he did with the Islanders. Wiser and older, he savored every moment as the Flyers fell just short, losing to the mighty Edmonton Oilers in game 7.

Resch had an interesting viewpoint on life in the NHL.

"When I became an NHLer I realized the perception I had of the glitz and the glamour was wrong. It wasn't what I had imagined and at times I almost wished I hadn't made it. But when you retire and look back on the people you got to know and the tough times you overcame, and the highs you experienced, and you can look back with great satisfaction."

John Tonelli

2006-05-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

John Tonelli ranks as one of the greatest New York Islanders of all time, and one of the NHL's all time better players. He was an energetic power forward who thrived on battles along the wall and in the corner. He was incredible in those corner actually. His feet were always moving, his arms always pumping, and more often than not he came out of the battle with the puck.

Tonelli often rode shotgun on the Isle's top line with Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, but more often than not he excelled on the third line - the so-called "Banana Line" as they wore yellow jerseys in practice - with Wayne Merrick and Bobby Nystrom. That line has to rank among the greatest third lines in hockey history. It was often said that while Trottier, Bossy, Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies and Billy Smith were considered to be the keys to their success, it was Nystrom and Tonelli who were the heart and soul of the dynastic powerhouse.

When the Islanders drafted the 20-year old left wing from Hamilton, Ontario with their second pick in the 1977 draft (they used the same draft to pick up Mike Bossy), they were drafting a three year pro. Tonelli had already put three seasons in the with the WHA Houston Aeros. It was a great situation for a young player, as John was surrounded by teammates like Gordie Howe, Mark Howe, Terry Ruskowski, Rich Preston, and Morris Lukowich. Little known defenseman Larry Lund really helped John along as well in these early years.

The Aeros folded when the Islanders drafted John, and rather than sign with another WHA team he made the immediate jump to the National Hockey League. It still took John a couple of years to hit his stride at the NHL level, but he always seemed to raise his game in the playoffs.

For example, in his second season J.T. scored 14 goals and 44 points, relatively modest numbers. But in the playoffs he erupted with 7 goals and 16 points in 21 games. His last point of that playoff was an assist on the famous Bob Nystrom overtime goal that clinched the Isles their first Stanley Cup!

After winning their 1st cup, the Isles just wouldn't give up the old trophy. Instead they won it 4 consecutive years, thanks in large part due to the hustle and tenacity of John Tonelli.

For much of his career John was a consistent 30 goal, 65-70 point threat whose real value to the team's success could never be quantified in a statistic. But John's best year easily came in 1983-84. The year started out with John making the Team Canada team that participated in the 1984 Canada Cup. Coming off of a humiliating 1981 Canada Cup, Team Canada was looking for revenge against the mighty Soviets, but the team was not gelling as a unit and was really struggling on the ice. But it was John who stepped up at the right time to give his teammates the figurative kick in the pants. He did so in his usual fashion - by leading by example. While Paul Coffey and Mike Bossy are best remembered for their spectacular goal against the Soviets, everyone agreed the reason they beat them was because of J.T. And he was rewarded for his play by being named as the Canada Cup Most Valuable Player. He joins an elite group that includes Bobby Orr, Vladislav Tretiak, and Wayne Gretzky (twice) two have be named as the MVP of the most prestigious tournament in hockey. Tonelli followed up his great showing on the international stage with his best NHL season. He scored a career high 42 goals and 100 points!

However Tonelli's dream season coincided with the fact that the Islanders dynasty was in decline. They had lost the Cup the year earlier, and in '84-85 didn't make it past the second round. The Islanders knew that they had to rebuild rather than just age into mediocrity, so they began to make some trades. When John's scoring production plummeted to 20 goals in 65 games the following season, they opted to trade the popular Tonelli to Calgary for Rich Kromm and Steve Konroyd.

The Flames had hoped that Tonelli could lend his experience to a team that was a strong contender for the Stanley Cup, but couldn't quite get past their arch rival Edmonton Oilers. That first year the Flames were able to get by the Oilers and Tonelli was a force as the Flames made it to the Stanley Cup finals. Unfortunately they fell just short against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Flames faltered the next two years. They had also hoped that John could rediscover his scoring touch but it never came in Calgary. So the Flames released him just one year prior to their first Stanley Cup victory. Even though John wasn't a part of that team, he had left his imprint on many of the players that did hoist the Cup that year.

"J.T." extended his career by joining the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89 - the same year Wayne Gretzky came to Hollywood. He was brought in for his experience and his leadership, but he felt he still had something to offer as far as on ice contributions were concerned. He proved he was right with back to back 30 goal seasons in his first two years in L.A.

By year three in LA John slowed to 14 goals and was released by the Kings at seasons end. John still wanted to give it one more year before he called it quits, and the Chicago Blackhawks were interested. JT signed a free agent contract with Chicago, but after only 1 goal in 33 games he was traded to Quebec where he rounded out his career quietly with 2 goals in 19 games.

John retired with 1028 NHL games played, 325 goals, 511 assists, 836 points, 4 Stanley Cups and a Canada Cup. When he finally did retire in 1992, John stepped aside from the game as he wanted to spend time with his family. This was something he had known for quite sometime, and he had prepared for when the time had come. He continues to live on Long Island and he got into the insurance business and has been very content ever since.

While John is unlikely to ever land in the Hockey Hall of Fame, he is considered by some to be the greatest grinder of all time.

"John is without a doubt the hardest worker I've ever seen," said Nystrom, a man who would also get consideration for one of the top muckers ever.

"Tonelli will give you 100, no, 150 percent on every shift. He works so hard and just grinds for every goal," admired coach Al Arbour

"If I'm not out there working as hard as I can, then I'm not going to accomplish anything," Tonelli once said. "I don't have all the talent in the world, I can't score like Mike Bossy, so I've got to go out and prove myself game in and game out."

Brent Sutter

2006-05-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

Brent, brother No.4 out of the magnificent Sutter six, had 18 NHL seasons under his belt. Oldest brother Brian had 12, Darryl 8, Duane 11, and youngest twin brothers Rich 14 and Ron 18. Together the sextet from Viking, Alberta played a combined 81 seasons in the NHL, which is a good indication of their toughness and resilience.

Brent wasn't any different from his five brothers. He possessed the same trademarks as all of them. To sum up the Sutter brothers there are a few words that immediately comes to mind. Persistence, heart, leadership, grinder, mucker, fighter, team-player and winner. Most of the qualities that any player needs comes to mind when we think of a Sutter.

Duane, Brent's older brother (No.3 on the Sutter tree) personified a Sutter when he said:

"The way we've been taught to play hockey is to give everything we've got for each shift. We go out there to do our jobs all over the ice and, if we score or set up a goal, great. But we don't build our games around scoring."

Indeed, the Sutters never put personal achievements ahead of the team. Brent was no exception. He played for the Red Deer Rustlers in the AJHL between 1977-80 where he scored 285 points in 179 games. He then played for the Lethbridge Broncos where he scored 280 points in only 101 games.

NHL scouts knew that Brent had the same favorable trademarks as his older brothers. NY Islanders, who already had Duane on the team, eagerly snatched up Brent with their 1st choice, 17th overall in the 1980 entry draft.

By 1981-82 Brent was a regular on the Stanley Cup champions, playing 43 games during the regular season and was an instant success, scoring a point per game, including 21 goals while at the same time collecting 114 PIMs playing feisty in your face "Sutter type" of hockey. He and linemates Duane Sutter and Clark Gillies were one of the top lines heading into the playoffs, but after Brent made a rookie mistake he was bench for much of the playoffs. He spent most of his time sitting on the bench while taking the occasional shift on the 4th line until the final 2 games of the Stanley Cup finals. It was a great learning experience for Brent.

In 1982-83 Brent had a more defensive role and scored 40 points during the regular season. But then in the 1983 playoffs Brent played on a line with brother Duane and speedster Bob Bourne and they formed the best line of the playoffs. Together they scored a fine 70 points, including 27 goals, in 20 games. Brent himself had 10 goals and 21 points in the 20 games, and was taking many of the key faceoffs for the Isles. This line was a big reason why the Islanders won their fourth straight Cup.

In 1983-84 Brent scored 34 goals and played another Cup final. This time the NY Islanders lost to Edmonton though, ending perhaps the most impressive dynasty in all of hockey.

Brent's fine play won him a tryout for the 1984 Canada Cup team. Oldest brother Brian was also invited but was eventually one of the last players cut from the team, something that Glen Sather later said was one of the hardest things he ever had to do, to tell a hardworking guy like Brian that he was cut from the team.

Brent made the team and formed one of the best lines of the tournament together with his NY Islanders teammates Mike Bossy and John Tonelli, who was the Canada Cup MVP that year. Canada won the Canada Cup, making Brent's early career accomplishments nothing short of sensational. Two Stanley Cups, three trips to the finals and one Canada Cup victory after only three seasons. Brent would go on to win another two Canada Cup titles in 1987 and 1991.

Al Arbour who was very impressed with the lines play in the Canada Cup left the line intact at the start of the 1984-85 season. The line continued with their torrid pace throughout the season. Sniper Mike Bossy had 117 points, John Tonelli, the tenacious left winger had 100 points and Brent Sutter chipped in with a career high 102 points including 42 goals in 72 games despite the fact that his shoulder was separated at the tail end of the year.

That season was Brent's finest from an offensive standpoint. Brent's consistency was remarkable and the following seasons he had 55, 63, 60, 63, 68 and 53 points for the Islanders despite nagging shoulder injuries. He would become the Islanders team captain in 1987

In the early 90's the Islanders were just a shadow from the glory days and Brent was traded to Chicago on October 25, 1991 together with Brad Lauer for Adam Creighton and Steve Thomas.

Brent scored a total of 60 points that 91-92 season and helped Chicago reach the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 21 seasons. Chicago eventually lost to Mario Lemieux and the powerful Penguins in four straight games.

Brent's scoring exploits tailed off soon thereafter, however he continued his defensive excellence. He drew the major checking assignments and took all of the crucial face-offs.

Brent truly was a leader wherever he played. Everybody looked up to him. Often he played hurt but he still worked harder than anyone else on the team. He never quit, no matter what the score was. In each and every of his 1111 regular season games and 144 playoff games he played his heart out in typical Sutter fashion, making his parents, brothers, teammates and millions of hockey fans proud of a hockey player who at all times put his team ahead of himself.

After retiring from the game in 1998, Brent returned to Red Deer where he guided the junior expansion team Red Deer Rebels to the Memorial Cup by 2001. He not only coaches and manages the team but also owns it and runs a successful hands-on farm as well. Sutter also became legendary in this country for leading Canada to back-to-back undefeated gold medals at the World Junior Championships.

Like his brothers Brian, Duane and Darryl, Brent is highly regarded as a coach and one day be back in the NHL running a bench. He probably could have any NHL coaching job he wants, but his love of junior hockey may keep him in Red Deer for some time to come.

Duane Sutter

2006-05-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

There have been some pretty famous family connections in hockey history. The generations of Patricks and Conachers and Howes and Hulls and Hextalls rank as hockey royalty. But probably the most famous family in hockey is Viking Alberta's Sutter family. Six brothers - Brian, Duane, Brent, Darryl, Rich and Ron - went on to play long careers in the National Hockey League.

Duane was nicknamed Dog. But it wasn't due to his dogged play, but rather a name from his childhood. His mother called him "Dog" because as a child he would constantly whine and cry! When younger brother Brent joined Duane on Long Island, he quickly became known as "Pup," a name that would stick with him for his entire career.

Easily the most out-going of the clan, Duane Sutter was a first-round draft pick of the NY Islanders in 1979 (17th overall). It was great timing for Duane as he joined the Islanders just in time to play on four consecutive Stanley Cup winners at the start of the ‘80s.

But it almost never happened.

The morning of the draft, Islanders GM Bill Torrey called to say he was planning on selecting him.

"Thanks but no thanks," Duane recalls saying. "I don't want to play in a big city like New York with all those skyscrapers."

Torrey must not have known what to think of the response, but he decided to draft Sutter anyways. It is a good thing too, as he was a key part of the championship dynasty.

Duane applied the typical Sutter style of play immediately. He banged. He crashed. He fought. He blocked shots. He sacrificed for his teammates. He was a leader. He won.

But he added a little extra spice his brothers were not really noted for. He yapped.
Claiming to be heavily influenced by his favorite movie, "Slap Shot," no one was safe from his verbal assaults. He would often be in the middle of an after-the-whistle scrum, chirping away at opposition goaltenders, or defensemen, or coaches or referees.

Affectionately known strictly as grinder, and unlike brothers Brian, Darryl, Brent and to a lesser degree Ron, never showed a lot of offensive upside. This was despite his NHL debuted where he scored 2 goals and 3 points against the Edmonton Oilers.
However he scored 20 goals only once, but that was fine with his teammates. Often playing on a line with brother Brent, Duane brought so much to the table that could never be measured by statistics.

Like all the Sutters, he earned twice his paycheck just because of his heart and determination. Although he dreamed of playing in the NHL all star game, there was little chance a player of his stature could ever make it there. Yet he was at least as valuable, and in many cases more valuable, of a hockey player as almost any of the annual all stars.

Perhaps Duane could have had a chance to play in an NHL all star game, like Brian and Brent did, but Islanders coach Al Arbour never really gave Duane the prime ice time needed to achieve offensive statistics needed for such an honor. Duane often was depressed about his lack of ice time, particularly in his early years.

In the summer of 1987 the Isles decided to move Duane to Chicago in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick. By this time the Isles dynasty days were over and the Isles were unloading some of their veterans in exchange for some youthful prospects and draft picks. Unfortunately Duane was in this group.

While Duane continued to play that Sutter dogged style in Chicago, his offensive contributions were left behind on Long Island. Duane only scored 18 times in 3 years. He became much more of a role player in Chicago, although by this time he had matured about his role and it didn't bother him if he didn't get the ice time. Duane was happy to be there, partly because his brother Darryl was there and partly because he knew he could have an impact on the team. And he did.

Duane Sutter appeared in 731 NHL games, recording 139 goals, 342 points and 1,333 penalty minutes. Like brothers Brian and Darryl he retired prematurely due to injuries.

Duane initially returned to Viking to raise his family, but he got back into the game as a scout. Soon enough he wanted to get into the coach game like his brothers Brian and Darryl (plus Brent at the junior level). He spent three years as an assistant coach before he was named head coach of the Florida Panthers in 2000 for about a year.