History of New York Islanders

Information about the NHL team New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) Eastern Conference Atlantic Division is one of the fastest-growing hockey teams in the United States, starting off with a bad record, and eventually rising up to win four Stanley Cup victories in a row in the early 1980s.

Based in Uniondale, New York, the New York Islanders was formed so that a hockey team could be housed in the newly constructed Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the team still plays its home games up to the present. It its debut game, the Islanders lost over the Atlanta Flames with 3-2, landing at the bottom of all the other hockey teams in the NHL. The Islanders won only 12 games, losing the other 60.

However, having the worst record meant having the privilege to get the first pick in the 1973 hockey entry draft. Thus, the Islanders were able to get then future Islander star, defenseman Denis Potvin. In their third season, the Islanders finished with 33 wins and made it to their first NHL playoffs action led by Potvin, Clark Gilles, and Billy Smith.

In the playoffs, the Islanders had to face the so-called “dreaded” opponents, New York Rangers. The Rangers were one of the favorites among the hockey crowd, hitting fantastic wins in their matches. But the Islanders surprised the crowd by beating the Rangers in a best of three series. They had to face the Pittsburgh Penguins (another favorite) on the second round, losing the first three games and winning the next three to tie up with the Penguins. The Islanders won the seventh game when Eddie Westfall scored the winning goal on the 3rd period.

To date, the Islanders is the only team to be able to recover from a 3-0 loss since 1942. The match against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 3rd round started with the same scene: losing on the first three games and winning on the next three. However, the Flyers still won the match and the Islanders were not able to pull off.

Strengthening the team's power core

Continuing to strengthen its power core, the Islanders welcomed Bryan Trottier into the team in the 1975-76 season and drafted Mike Bossy in the next year. Though they were already gaining a spot in the league of NHL’s best teams, they still lost to the underdog, Toronto Maple Leafs, in the 1978 campaign.

The Islanders’ best record to date is a 51-15-14 record, which they held in the 1978-79 season, but they still lost to the Rangers in a six-game series that same season. In 1980, the team made it to the Stanley Cup finals and won against the Philadelphia Flyers in a six-game series, with Bobby Nystrom scoring the winning goal. This victory marked the first of the team’s four consecutive Stanley Cup championships that lasted until 1983. The Islanders conquered the Minnesota North Stars in 1981, the Vancouver Canucks in 1982, and the Edmonton Oilers in 1983. The Islanders’ winning streak was broken by the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, making it their first ever Stanley Cup.

In the mid-1980s, the Islanders took in new players including Pat Flatley, Pat Lafontaine, and Kelly Hrudey. Though the Islanders continued to be a strong hockey team, constantly making it to the playoffs, they failed to get another championship after their four-year glory.

In 2000, executives Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar bought the New York Islanders, finally providing a stable ownership to the franchise after having management problems in the second half of the 1990s. Head coach Mike Milbury made daring moves, trading future stars Olli Jokinen and Roberto Luongo away to the Florida Panthers, in exchange for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish. He also drafted Rick DiPietro ahead of popular choices Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik. Due to these actions, Milbury has been tagged as “Mad Mike”  by enraged and confused fans since then, and the Isles were dragged into their worst records in the next games.

The Isles managed to go back to the NHL elite circle owing to its new addition of strong players and in the change in management.

Top players

From its inception in 1972, the New York Islanders has had six members inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy were the first, inducted in 1991. Potvin played with the Islanders from 1973 to 1988, while Bossy played from 1977 to 1987. Billy Smith, who played with the team from 1972 to 1989, was inducted in 1993. In 1997, Bryan Trottier was inducted, making him the Islanders’ 4th Hall of Famer. He played with the Isles from 1975 to 1990. Clark Gillies was inducted in 2002, after playing with the Isles from 1974 to 1986, and Pat LaFontaine was inducted the next year. He played with the New York Islanders from 1984 to 1991.

The team has also retired several jersey numbers for their valuable players: 5 for Denis Potvin, 9 for Clark Gillies, 19 for Bryan Trottier, 22 for Mike Bossy, 23 for Bob Nystrom, 31 for Billy Smith, and 1500 for head coach Al Arbour.

The New York Islanders has had 11 team captains namely: Ed Westfall, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, Brent Sutter, Patrick Flatley, Bryan McCabe, Trevor Linden, Kenny Jonsson, Michael Peca, Alexei Yashin, and Bill Guerin, who is the current team captain.

Being a strong hockey team, the team has been home to a number of the National Hockey League’s top point scorers. Throughout the team’s long standing history, the following are ten of its highest point scorers: Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Brent Sutter, John Tonelli, Bob Nystrom, Bob Bourne, Clark Gillies, Derek King, and Pat LaFontaine.

Other achievements

The New York Islanders won trophies not only in the National Hockey League playoffs and the Stanley Cup finals, but also in other competitions. The Isles won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in the 1977-78 season, the 1978–79 season, and the 1980–81 season. It won the Prince of Wales Trophy in the 1981–82 season, 1982–83 season, and the 1983–84 season.

Several Islanders also brought home their own trophies from various institutions. Ed Westfall and Mark Fitzpatrick brought home a Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy each. Westfall got it in the 1976–77 season, while Fitzpatrick did so in the 1991–92 season. Michael Peca received the Frank J. Selke Trophy in the 2001–02 season.

Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, and Bryan Berard each received a Calder Memorial Trophy in the 1973–74, 1975–76, 1977–78, and 1996–97 seasons, respectively. On the other hand, Bryan Trottier (1979–80), Butch Goring (1980–81), Mike Bossy (1981–82), and Billy Smith (1982–83), received the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Islanders’ Lester Patrick Trophy recipients were Bill Torrey (1982–83), Al Arbour (1991–92), Ken Morrow (1995–96), and Pat LaFontaine (1996–97).

Bryan Trottier garnered a number of trophies from various institutions, including an Art Ross Trophy in the 1978–79 season, a Hart Memorial Trophy in the 1978–79 season, and a King Clancy Memorial Trophy in the 1988–89 season.

Denis Potvin received three James Norris Memorial Trophies: 1975–76, 1977–78, and 1978–79. Billy Smith got a Vezina Trophy in the 1981-82 season, as well as a William M. Jennings Trophy with Roland Melanson in the 1982-83 hockey season.