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New York Islanders History continued...
In February of 1972, Bill Torrey, who was an executive vice president with the Oakland Seals, was named the first General Manager of the New York Islanders. In June of the same year, the Islanders selected 21 players in the expansion draft. Among these first players were some of the all-time Islanders greats, including Eddie Westfall, Gerry Hart and Billy Smith. In the amateur draft, the Islanders selected Billy Harris first overall. Lorne Henning was selected in the second round. Later, in the third round, the Islanders selected Bobby Nystrom. Then, Phil Goyette, who had been a player with the Canadiens, Blues, Sabres and Rangers, left retirement to become the first head coach of the Islanders.
The Islanders won their first game as a professional hockey team on October 12, 1972, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 at home. Long Island, however, did not enjoy a successful first season in the National Hockey League. The Islanders were one of the worst teams in the history of the league, winning only 12 games, tying 6 and losing 60.
In the beginning of 1973, Goyette was fired and replaced on an interim basis by two men. Head coach Earl Ingafield and assistant coach Aut Erickson. Later on in that same year, the New York Islanders hired Al Arbour as head coach. This marked the beginning of the turn-around for the Islanders. Under Arbour, the Islanders made the playoffs for the first time in the 1975 season. This was due, in part, to the play of defenseman Denis Potvin, who, one year earlier, had been awarded the Calder Trophy, the award given to the NHL's top rookie. Other players contributing to the success of the Islanders were forwards Clark Gillies, Billy Harris and Bob Nystrom.
In the first round, the Islanders won a hard-fought series against the favored New York Rangers. Jean-Paul Parise was the hero, as he scored a goal in the first minute of overtime in the deciding third game. In the next round, the Islanders faced the Pittsburg Penguins. This series proved not only to be surprising for the Islanders, but also history-making. The Islanders found themselves down three games to none in the best-of-seven series. Rallying to win the next four games, the Islanders became only the second team in any major North American professional sport to accomplish this feat. In the semi-finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, the feat was almost repeated. The Islanders were once again down three games to none. They rallied to win the next three games, tying the series. However, the Flyers took game seven and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
For the next two seasons, the Islanders enjoyed success, reaching the Stanley Cup semi-finals both years, although not in the same dramatic fashion. Both times, however, the Islanders were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Montreal Canadiens. Then, in 1978, the Islanders were upset by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The upset came in the second round, in a dramatic game seven, that Toronto won in overtime. In the 1978-1979, Bryan Trottier led the league in point scoring. Second-year man Mike Bossy scored 69 goals, which also proved to be a league best. Despite all of this offensive power, the Islanders lost the semi-finals to the hated New York Rangers.
Then, in 1980, the Islanders achieved the ultimate goal in professional hockey. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time, defeating Buffalo in the semifinals, four games to two. They went on to face the Philadelphia Flyers and win their first ever Stanley Cup. Although the firepower of Trottier and Bossy would remain dominant, the hero of the series was Bobby Nystrom. His goal in overtime in the sixth game clinched the series for the Islanders.
In 1981, Mike Bossy became only the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in 50 games. That same year, the Islanders were the top team in the regular season and went on to win their second Stanley Cup, defeating the Minnesota North Stars in five games. The Islanders also dominated the 1982 season, both the regular season and the playoffs. They won their third Stanley Cup by sweeping the Vancouver Canucks. The very next season, the Islanders made it four in a row, sweeping the Edmonton Oilers, who were led by Wayne Gretzky.
The Islanders fell just short of making it five straight Stanley Cups. However, they lost in five games to the Oilers in the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals. Only once since then have the Islanders made it out of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In 1986, Al Arbour announced his resignation as head coach of the New York Islanders. Immediately after, Terry Simpson was named the new head coach.
By the late 1980's, Mike Bossy had retired and Bryan Trottier, who had seen his better days as a professional, was plagued by injuries. In 1989, the Islanders missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. In 1988, Terry Simpson was dismissed as the Islanders head coach. Al Arbour returned to the bench for his second stint as the head coach of the New York Islanders.
The Islanders re-stocked some of their talent in the early 1990's. They acquired players such as Pierre Turgeon, Derek King, Ray Ferraro, Steve Thomas and Benoit Hogue. In 1993, the Islanders climbed out of the hockey cellar and advanced to the conference finals. They defeated the heavy favorites, the Pittsburg Penguins, who were led by Mario Lemieux, in overtime of the deciding seventh game. They eventually were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. In 1994, Al Arbour announced his retirement. Lorne Henning was his replacement. Later in 1995, Mike Milbury was named the sixth head coach of the New York Islanders.
Glory for the Islanders did not last long, though. By 1996, Turgeon had ended up in Montreal. Hogue had gone to Toronto, Ferraro had gone to the rival Rangers and King's performance had gone down. Between 1995 and 2001, the Islanders failed to make the playoffs. With some new acquisitions, the Islanders made the playoffs in 2002 but lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. In 2003, they made a similar exit, losing to the regular season champions, the Ottawa Senators.
Several former Islanders are members of the Hall of Fame. Mike Blossy, Pat LaFontaine, Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier, all belong to the elite class. Several former Islanders have also had their jersey numbers retired. Among them are: Denis Potvin (#5), Clark Gillies (#9), Bryan Trottier (#19), Mike Bossy (#22), Bob Nystrom (#23) and Billy Smith (#31).
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