For current information on this topic, see 2008–09 New York Islanders season

New York Islanders
Conference	Eastern
Division	Atlantic
Founded	1972
History	New York Islanders 1972-present
Home Arena	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
City	Uniondale, New York
Colors	Navy Blue, Orange, and White
Media	MSG Plus MSG WBBR (1130 AM)
Owner(s)	Charles Wang
General Manager	Garth Snow
Head Coach	Ted Nolan
Captain	Bill Guerin
Minor League Affiliates	Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) Utah Grizzlies (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
Conference Championships	1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84
Division Championships	1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1987–88

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. The 2008–09 New York Islanders season will be the 36th season of the franchise The Eastern Conference (Conférence de l'Est is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL used to divide teams The NHL 's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division The 1972–73 NHL season was the 56th season of the National Hockey League. The 1972–73 NHL season was the 56th season of the National Hockey League. } The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum (or simply The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale New York Uniondale is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) as well as a suburb of New York City in Nassau County, New York, United States MSG Plus ( MSG+) is a Regional sports network in the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York The Madison Square Garden Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic and focused on New York WBBR is a Radio station, broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. Charles B Wang ( (born August 19, 1944) is the co-founder of Computer Associates International, Inc Garth E Snow (born on July 28, 1969 in Wrentham, Massachusetts) is a retired professional Ice hockey Goaltender and is currently Ted Nolan (Born - April 7, 1958 on the Garden River Ojibwa First Nation Reserve outside of Sault Ste William 'Bill' Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970 in Wilbraham, Massachusetts) is a professional Ice hockey forward and The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are an Ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. American Hockey Association (1926–1942The American Hockey League (AHL is a Professional Ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary The Utah Grizzlies are an Ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play in West Valley City Utah, USA at the E Center. The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a Professional Ice hockey league based in Princeton New Jersey, with teams scattered The 1979–80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The 1981–82 NHL season was the 65th season of the National Hockey League. The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The 1978–79 NHL season was the 62nd season of the National Hockey League. The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The 1981–82 NHL season was the 65th season of the National Hockey League. The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The 1978–79 NHL season was the 62nd season of the National Hockey League. The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The 1981–82 NHL season was the 65th season of the National Hockey League. The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The 1987–88 NHL season was the 71st season of the National Hockey League. Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. Uniondale is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) as well as a suburb of New York City in Nassau County, New York, United States New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL 's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division The Eastern Conference (Conférence de l'Est is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL used to divide teams The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The Islanders began play in 1972 and rapidly developed a dominant team that won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships in the early 1980s. They play their home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. } The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum (or simply The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale New York Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches

Franchise history

The Islanders' first logo, used from 1972-95. It was designed by the wife of original owner Roy Boe. The current logo is similar, but features a darker shade of blue, a smaller rendering of Long Island and a blue and orange border.

1970–74: The NHL Comes to Long Island

With the impending start of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in the fall of 1972, the upstart league had plans to place its New York team in the brand-new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County. The World Hockey Association (French Association Mondiale de Hockey) was a professional Ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA } The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum (or simply The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale New York There is also a Town of Nassau in Rensselaer County. Nassau County is a suburban county in the New York Metropolitan However, Nassau County officials did not consider the WHA a major league and wanted nothing to do with the upstart New York Raiders. The New York Raiders were an Ice hockey team and founding member of the World Hockey Association based in New York City. The only legal way to keep the Raiders out of the Coliseum was to get an NHL team to play there, so William Shea, who had helped bring the New York Mets to the area a decade earlier, was pressed into service once again. William Alfred "Bill" Shea ( June 21, 1907 — October 2, 1991) was a lawyer and a name partner of the prominent law firm of Shea "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis. Shea found a receptive ear in NHL president Clarence Campbell, who did not want the additional competition in the New York area. Clarence Sutherland Campbell ( July 9, 1905 - June 24, 1984) was president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977 So, despite having expanded to 14 teams just two years before, the NHL hastily awarded a Long Island-based franchise to clothing manufacturer Roy Boe, owner of the American Basketball Association's New York Nets. The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National The New Jersey Nets are a professional Basketball team in the National Basketball Association that plays in the Eastern Conference 's Atlantic A second expansion franchise was awarded to Atlanta (the Flames) at the same time to balance the schedule. The Atlanta Flames were a professional Ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980.

The new team was widely expected to take the Long Island Ducks name used by an Eastern Hockey League franchise; the more geographically expansive "New York Islanders" came largely as a surprise. The Long Island Ducks were a minor league hockey team in the Eastern Hockey League, that played its home games at the Long Island Arena (usually referred to as Commack The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States Ice hockey league The fledgling Islanders, who were soon nicknamed the Isles by the local newspapers, had an extra burden to pay in the form of a $4 million territorial fee to the nearby New York Rangers. The New York Rangers are a professional Ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. The arrival of the Islanders effectively doomed the Raiders; they were forced to play in Madison Square Garden under onerous lease terms and were forced out of town in the middle of their second season. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City.

While the Islanders secured veteran forward Ed Westfall from the Boston Bruins in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft, junior league star Billy Harris in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, and a few other respectable players, several other draftees jumped to the WHA. Edwin Vernon "Shadow" Westfall (born September 19, 1940 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice The Boston Bruins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Boston Massachusetts. The 1972 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, 1972. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two expansion teams for the 1972–73 season William Edward Harris (b 29 January, 1952 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a former professional Ice hockey player in the National The 1972 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Unlike most other expansion teams' general managers, Islanders GM Bill Torrey did not make many trades for veteran players in the early years. William A Torrey (born June 23, 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was a General Manager and executive in the National Hockey Rather than pursue a "win now" strategy of getting a few veterans to boost attendance (a tactic which proved disastrous for many teams in the long run), Torrey was committed to building through the draft.

In the team's first season, young players such as goaltender Billy Smith (the team's second pick in the expansion draft) and forwards Bob Nystrom and Lorne Henning were given chances to prove themselves in the NHL. William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey Goaltender Thore Robert "Bob" Nystrom (born October 10, 1952 in Stockholm Sweden) is a retired professional Ice hockey right-winger. Lorne Henning, born February 2, 1952 in Melfort, Saskatchewan, is a Canadian hockey executive However, this young and inexperienced expansion team posted a record of 12–60–6, one of the worst in NHL history.

The team who finished last in 1972–73 received the right to pick first in the 1973 amateur draft and select junior superstar defenseman Denis Potvin, who had been touted "as the next Bobby Orr" when he was 13. Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953 is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr OC (born March 20 1948 in Parry Sound, Ontario) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey defenseman Despite several trade offers from Montreal Canadiens GM Sam Pollock, Torrey refused to part with the pick. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This article is about Sam Pollock hockey manager For Sam Pollock the American labor leader see Sam Pollock. That same summer, Torrey made perhaps the most critical move in the history of the franchise when he convinced former St. Louis Blues coach Al Arbour to come to Long Island. The St Louis Blues are a professional Ice hockey team based in St Alger Joseph Arbour (born November 1, 1932 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey player and later a Even with Potvin, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie Of The Year, the team still finished last in the East in its second year. The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League Under Arbour, the team showed signs of respectability. Although the team did not make the playoffs, they allowed 100 fewer goals than the previous season, and their 56 points represented a healthy 26-point improvement from the previous season. It turned out to be the team's last losing season for 15 years.

1974–79: Ascendency

In 1975, the Islanders made one of the biggest turnarounds in NHL history. The 1974–75 NHL season was the 58th season of the National Hockey League. Led by Potvin, forwards Harris, Nystrom, Clark Gillies, and goaltenders Smith and Glenn "Chico" Resch, the Islanders earned 88 points — 32 more than the previous season, and two more than their first two seasons combined — and earned their first playoff berth. Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall Glenn Allan "Chico" Resch (born 10 July, 1948 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey They stunned the rival New York Rangers in a best-of-3 first-round series. The New York Rangers are a professional Ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. The Islanders won the series in the third game as J.P. Parise scored just 11 seconds into the extra session.

In the next round, an even bigger surprise occurred. Down three games to none in the best-of-seven series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders rallied to win the next four and take the series. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Only two other major North American professional sports teams have accomplished this feat, the 1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 2004 Boston Red Sox. The 1941–42 NHL season was the 25th season of the National Hockey League. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul The Boston Red Sox are a Professional baseball team based in Boston Massachusetts, and are the reigning (2007 World Series Champions. In the third round of the playoffs, the Islanders nearly did it again, rallying from another 3–0 deficit to force a seventh game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers before the Flyers took the decisive seventh game at home and went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Stanley Cup (La Coupe Stanley is an Ice hockey club championship Trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL playoffs champion

The Islanders continued their stunning climb up the NHL standings in 1975–76, earning 101 points, the fifth-best record in the league. The 1975–76 NHL season was the 59th season of the National Hockey League. It was the first 100-point season in Islanders history, in only their fourth year of existence. Few teams in any sport have come so far so fast. Rookie center Bryan Trottier, who scored 95 points and won the Calder Trophy, was blossoming into a superstar. Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956 in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League ^[1] It would be the first of four consecutive 100-point seasons, including the first two division titles in franchise history.

Postseason Disappointments

However, regular-season success was not rewarded in the playoffs. In 1976 and 1977, the Islanders were knocked out in the semifinals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Canadiens were 24–3 in the playoffs in those two years — all three losses to the Islanders.

In the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, Torrey had the 15th pick and had to make a tough decision between right winger Mike Bossy and another forward. The 1977 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal Quebec. Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 22[[ 957]] is a former Canadian Ice hockey player who played Bossy was known as a scorer who wasn't physical, while the other forward could check but wasn't very good offensively. Coach Arbour persuaded Torrey to pick Bossy, figuring it was easier to teach a scorer how to check. In the upcoming 1978 season, Bossy became the third Isle to win the Calder Trophy, having scored 53 goals that season, at the time the most scored by a rookie. The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The team was upset in the quarterfinal round in overtime of game 7 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St

In 1978–79, the team finished with the best record in the NHL. The 1978–79 NHL season was the 62nd season of the National Hockey League. Bryan Trottier was voted the league MVP and captured the scoring title, while sophomore Bossy scored 69 goals, which also led the league. The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey" is awarded annually to the The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season Despite their regular season dominance, the Islanders exited the playoffs with a loss to the hated New York Rangers in the semifinals. The New York Rangers are a professional Ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. Hockey professionals and journalists generally regarded the Rangers as an inferior team, which led them to question whether the Islanders were capable of winning big games in the playoffs when they really counted.

Off the ice, the Islanders were on shaky ground. Boe was losing money on both the Islanders and the Nets even as the Islanders quickly surged to NHL prominence and the Nets became an ABA power. The Islanders were still far behind on the $10 million they had paid in startup costs, and the expenses associated with moving the Nets to the NBA threw Boe's finances into a tailspin. Eventually, Boe was forced to sell both his teams. He readily found a buyer for the Nets, but had less luck finding one for the Islanders. Torrey orchestrated a sale to one of the team's limited partners, John O. Pickett Jr. , who made Torrey team president. Soon after buying the Islanders, Pickett signed a very lucrative cable contract with the fledgling Sportschannel network. SportsChannel America was a Cable television network operated by Cablevision. SportsChannel's owner, Charles Dolan, thought the up-and-coming team would be a perfect centerpiece for his new network. Charles Francis "Chuck" Dolan (born on October 16, 1926 in Cleveland Ohio) is an American business executive Dolan gave Pickett a long-term guaranteed contract intended to not only keep the team on Long Island, but give area governments an incentive to renew his cable contracts. The Islanders have been on the network, now known as MSG+, for over a quarter-century.

1980–84: The Dynasty Years

After the Isles' regular season dominance and playoff disappointment in 1979, Arbour decided that he would no longer concern himself too greatly with his team's finish in the regular season. Instead, he focused his team's energy on how they would perform in the playoffs. In 1980, the Islanders dropped below the 100-point mark for the first time in five years, earning only 91 points. The 1979–80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. However, they finally broke through and won the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup (La Coupe Stanley is an Ice hockey club championship Trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL playoffs champion

Before the playoffs, Torrey made the difficult decision to trade longtime and popular veterans Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis to the Los Angeles Kings for second line center Butch Goring. William Edward Harris (b 29 January, 1952 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a former professional Ice hockey player in the National David "Dave" Lewis (born July 3, 1953 is a former National Hockey League (NHL defenceman. The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles California. Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949 in St Goring's is often called the "final piece of the puzzle": a strong two-way player, his presence on the second line ensured that opponents would no longer be able to focus their defensive efforts on the Isles' first line of Bossy, Trottier, and Clark Gillies. Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall Contributions from new teammates, such as wingers Duane Sutter and Anders Kallur and stay-at-home defensemen Gord Lane and Ken Morrow, fresh off a win at the 1980 Olympics, also figured prominently in the Islanders' playoff success. Kenneth Arlington Morrow (born October 17, 1956 in Flint, Michigan) is a retired American professional Ice hockey

In the semifinals, the Isles faced the Buffalo Sabres, who had finished second overall in the NHL standings. The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. The Isles won the first two games in Buffalo, including a 3–2 victory in Game 2 on Bob Nystrom's goal in double overtime. Thore Robert "Bob" Nystrom (born October 10, 1952 in Stockholm Sweden) is a retired professional Ice hockey right-winger. They went on to win the series in six games and reach the finals for the first time in franchise history, where they would face the NHL's regular season champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, who had gone undefeated for 35 straight games (25–0–10) during the regular season. The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Game 1 in Philadelphia, the Isles won 4–3 on Denis Potvin's power-play goal in overtime. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953 is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey Leading the series 3–2, they went home to Long Island for Game 6. In that game, Bob Nystrom continued his overtime heroics, scoring at 7:11 of the extra frame, on assists by John Tonelli and Lorne Henning, to bring Long Island its first Stanley Cup. Thore Robert "Bob" Nystrom (born October 10, 1952 in Stockholm Sweden) is a retired professional Ice hockey right-winger. It was the Isles' sixth overtime victory of the playoffs. Bryan Trottier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League 's Stanley Cup playoffs Torrey's strategy of building through the draft turned out very well; nearly all of the major contributors on the 1980 champions were home-grown Islanders or had spent most of their NHL careers in the Islanders organization.

The Islanders dominated the next two seasons. Bossy scored 50 goals in 50 games in 1981 and the Islanders lost only three playoff games en route to defeating the Minnesota North Stars in five games to win the Stanley Cup. 50 goals in 50 games refers to the act of scoring 50 goals in the first 50 games of a National Hockey League (NHL season The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The Minnesota North Stars were a professional Ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL for 26 seasons from 1967 to 1993. Butch Goring won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949 in St During their semifinal sweep of the Rangers, Islander fans began taunting the Rangers with a chant of "1940! 1940!"--referring to the Rangers' last Stanley Cup win in 1939–40. The 1939–40 NHL season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League. ^[2]

In 1981–82 the Islanders won a then-record 15 straight games en route to a franchise-record 118 points, while Mike Bossy set a scoring record for right wingers with 147 points in an 80 game schedule. The 1981–82 NHL season was the 65th season of the National Hockey League. Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 22[[ 957]] is a former Canadian Ice hockey player who played The Islanders won the regular-season title, yet once in the playoffs, they were pushed to the maximum five games by the Pittsburgh Penguins and to six games by the Rangers. The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, they finally hit their stride in the conference finals, sweeping the upstart Quebec Nordiques and won the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks in a four-game sweep. The Quebec Nordiques (Nordiques de Québec pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated into English as "Northerners" were The Vancouver Canucks are a Professional Ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In this series, Bossy, upended by a check from Tiger Williams and falling parallel to the ice, managed to hook the puck with his stick and score. David James "Tiger" Williams (born 3 February, 1954 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a former professional Bossy netted the Stanley Cup-winning goal and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The next year, although the Islanders had won three straight Stanley Cups, more attention was being paid to the upstart Edmonton Oilers, whose young superstar Wayne Gretzky had just shattered existing scoring records[1]. The Edmonton Oilers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26 1961 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey player The 1982–83 season was thus a battle to decide which was the best team in the NHL. The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The Oilers won the regular season championship, but the Islanders swept them in the Stanley Cup finals to win their fourth straight championship. The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular Billy Smith was named the Most Valuable Player of the Playoffs after shutting down the Oilers' vaunted scoring machine. William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey Goaltender The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League 's Stanley Cup playoffs Gretzky failed to score a goal during the series. Bossy again scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal. At this point, the Islanders had won one more Cup in 11 years than the Rangers had won in 57.

The Isles finished the 1983–84 regular season tied atop the Prince of Wales Conference while successfully defending their Patrick Division title. The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. They won a hard fought series, nicknamed the "Battle of New York", over the Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs. It was the fourth consecutive season that the Isles had beaten the Rangers in the postseason. The Isles then defeated the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens in six games each to set up a finals rematch with the Oilers. For the BAA team see Washington Capitols. For the ABA team see Washington Caps. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This time, the Oilers dethroned the Islanders to win the first of what would be five Cups in seven years. For the 1984 postseason, the NHL changed the schedule for the finals, from 2–2–1–1-1 to 2–3–2. The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. Under this format, the Islanders, who had earned home ice advantage in the series despite finishing lower than the Oilers in the regular season, had to play three straight games in Edmonton, where the Oilers managed to lock up the series. Bossy said afterward that the team believed that if they could win a single away game, they would have been able to take games six and seven at home to win a fifth Stanley Cup. ^[3]

Out of their two home games, the Islanders had lost game one 1–0 in what was a goaltending duel between Billy Smith and Grant Fuhr, though they roared back with a 6–1 win in game two. William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey Goaltender Grant S Fuhr (born September 28 1962 is a former Goaltender in the National Hockey League. In Edmonton, the Oilers' offensive juggernaut buried the Islanders by scores of 7–2, 7–2, and 5–2. Bossy, who had scored 17 goals in each of the past three playoffs only scored 8 in the first three rounds of the 1984 playoffs and was silenced during the final series. Though the Islanders' bid for a record-tying fifth championship was ended, Game Five was noted for rookie Pat LaFontaine's emergence, as he scored two third period goals in 38 seconds to cut the Oilers' lead to 4–2. Pat LaFontaine (born February 22 1965 in St Louis, Missouri) is a former Ice hockey center in the National Hockey League, who played

During their run of four Stanley Cup championships and a fifth finals appearance, the Islanders won 19 straight playoff series, the longest streak in the history of professional sports (one more than the Boston Celtics' 1959–67). The Boston Celtics are an American professional Basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the Unlike the 1976–79 Montreal Canadiens, who needed to win three series in the 1976 and 1977 playoffs under the playoff format in place at that time, the Islanders had to win four series in each of their Stanley Cup seasons. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1984–91: Post-Dynasty and the Easter Epic

The Isles generally remained competitive for the rest of the decade, even as some of the stars from the Cup teams departed. As the decade wore on, Pickett began to keep the money from the team's cable deal rather than reinvest it in the team as he had done in years past. Although it did not become clear immediately, the lack of funds limited Torrey's ability to replace all of the departing talent.

In the 1984–85 NHL season, the Isles slipped to third in the Patrick Division and could do no better in the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons. The 1984–85 NHL season was the 68th season of the National Hockey League. The 1985–86 NHL season was the 69th season of the National Hockey League. The 1986–87 NHL season was the 70th season of the National Hockey League. They were now facing stiff competition from their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the BAA team see Washington Capitols. For the ABA team see Washington Caps. The Flyers had eliminated the Islanders in the Patrick Division Finals in 1985 and 1987 (the Flyers went on to the Stanley Cup finals both years). These losses were sandwiched around a 1986 first-round sweep by the Capitals – the team's first exit without winning a playoff round since 1978.

In 1986, Nystrom retired and Clark Gillies was picked up on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres. Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. Arbour retired as coach following 1985–86 and was replaced by longtime junior hockey coach Terry Simpson. The 1985–86 NHL season was the 69th season of the National Hockey League. Terry Simpson (born August 30, 1943 in Brantford, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey player and a former Young players such as Pat LaFontaine, Patrick Flatley, and Brent Sutter, who had been viewed as the future of the team, began coming into their own as players. Pat LaFontaine (born February 22 1965 in St Louis, Missouri) is a former Ice hockey center in the National Hockey League, who played Patrick Flatley (born October 3, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice hockey forward Brent Colin Sutter (born 10 June, 1962 in Viking, Alberta, Canada) is a retired National Hockey League (NHL player and current head

During the first round of the 1987 playoffs against the Capitals, the Isles had fallen behind in the series three games to one. The 1986–87 NHL season was the 70th season of the National Hockey League. In previous years, the Capitals would have won the series, but 1987 marked the first season that the opening round of the playoffs was a best-of-7 series, not a best-of-5 series. The Isles evened the series, which set the stage for one of the most famous games in NHL history: the "Easter Epic". The Easter Epic is the nickname given to a National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoff game between the New York Islanders and Washington Kelly Hrudey stopped 73 shots on a goal while Pat LaFontaine scored at 8:47 of the fourth overtime--and at 1:56 am on Easter Sunday morning. Kelly Hrudey (born January 13, 1961 in Edmonton Alberta, Canada) is a former NHL Ice hockey Goaltender and current hockey Pat LaFontaine (born February 22 1965 in St Louis, Missouri) is a former Ice hockey center in the National Hockey League, who played The win came even though the Islanders had been outshot 75–52. ^[4] The Islanders were beaten in seven games by the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs. Chronic back pain forced Mike Bossy to retire after the 1986–87 season. Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 22[[ 957]] is a former Canadian Ice hockey player who played

The next year, in 1988, the Islanders captured another division title, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the upstart New Jersey Devils. The 1987–88 NHL season was the 71st season of the National Hockey League. The New Jersey Devils are a professional Ice hockey team based in Newark New Jersey. After the playoffs, Potvin retired, holding records for most career goals (310), assists (742) and points (1052) by a defenseman (he has since been passed in these categories by Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey). Raymond Jean "Ray" Bourque (born December 28 1960 in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, now a district of Montreal) is a retired professional Ice hockey Paul Douglas Coffey (born June 1 1961 in York, Ontario) is a retired professional Ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League

Around this time, the Islanders' run of good luck in the draft began to run out. Of their four top draft picks from 1987 to 1990, the Islanders lost one to a freak knee injury and two others never panned out. ^[5]

A year after winning the division, the Islanders got off to a slow start in the 1988–89 season, winning only seven of their first 27 games. The 1988–89 NHL season was the 72nd season of the National Hockey League. Torrey fired Simpson and brought Arbour back. Unfortunately, Arbour could not turn things around, and the Islanders finished with 61 points, tied with the Quebec Nordiques for the worst record in the league. The Quebec Nordiques (Nordiques de Québec pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated into English as "Northerners" were It was the Isles' first losing season and the first time they had missed the playoffs since their second year of existence. Goalie Billy Smith, the last remaining original Islander, retired after the season to become the team's goaltending coach. William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey Goaltender

Not long after the end of the 1988–89 debacle, Pickett moved to Florida and turned over day-to-day operations over to a committee of four Long Island entrepreneurs – Ralph Palleschi, Steve Walsh, Bob Rosenthal and Paul Greenwood. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the In return, they each bought a 2. 5 interest in the team. ^[5]

In 1989–90, the Islanders rebounded to get back in the playoffs, but they lost to the Rangers in five games. The 1989–90 NHL season was the 73rd season of the National Hockey League. The team bought out the remaining years of Bryan Trottier's contract; as of 2007–08 he is still the franchise leader in games played. Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956 in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey He signed on as a free agent for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the off-season. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The next year, the team finished well out of the playoffs after winning only 25 games. The 1990–91 NHL season was the 74th regular season of the National Hockey League.

1991–95: New Faces and the Miracle of 1993

LaFontaine, the Islanders' remaining superstar, was frustrated with the team's lack of success and the progress of his contract negotiations, and held out rather than report to camp before 1991–92. The 1991–92 NHL season was the 75th regular season of the National Hockey League. In response to the holdout, Torrey engineered a rebuilding project with two blockbuster trades on October 25, 1991. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. He dealt Lafontaine, Randy Wood, and Randy Hillier (along with future considerations) to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Pierre Turgeon, Benoit Hogue, Uwe Krupp, and Dave McLlwain. Randall Wood (born October 12, 1963 in Princeton, New Jersey) is a retired former professional Ice hockey player Randy Hillier (b March 30, 1960 in Toronto Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman. The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. Pierre Turgeon (born August 28, 1969 in Rouyn-Noranda Quebec, Canada) is a retired French Canadian Professional hockey Benoit Hogue (born October 28, 1966 in Repentigny, Quebec, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey left Uwe Krupp OO-vah KROOP (born June 24 1965 in Cologne, West Germany) is a retired German hockey defenceman David McLlwain (b January 9 1967, Seaforth Ontario) is a former NHL forward who is best known for playing for a record four He also sent longtime captain Brent Sutter and Brad Lauer to the Chicago Blackhawks for Steve Thomas and Adam Creighton. Brent Colin Sutter (born 10 June, 1962 in Viking, Alberta, Canada) is a retired National Hockey League (NHL player and current head Brad Lauer (born October 27, 1966 in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey forward Stephen Anthony "Stumpy" Thomas (born 15 July, 1963 in Stockport) is a retired English -born Canadian Ice hockey Adam Creighton (born June 2 1965 in Burlington Ontario) is a retired former professional Ice hockey player who played 708 career National Hockey League With these additions and a talented core of players such as Derek King, Ray Ferraro, and Patrick Flatley along with incoming Soviet-bloc players Vladimir Malakhov and Darius Kasparaitis, the Islanders had a new foundation in the early '90s. Derek King (born February 11, 1967 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former Professional Ice hockey left wing who played 14 seasons Ray Ferraro aka "Chicken Parm"(born August 23, 1964 in Trail, British Columbia, Canada) is a retired professional hockey player Patrick Flatley (born October 3, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice hockey forward Vladimir Malakhov (Russian Владимир Игоревич Малахов, Vladimir Igorević Malachov; born August 30 1968 in Yekaterinburg, Darius Kasparaitis (Darius Kasparaitis born October 16, 1972 in Elektrėnai, Lithuania is an ethnic Lithuanian Russian However, the management committee was not nearly as patient as Boe and Pickett had been, and forced Torrey to resign after the Islanders missed the playoffs again that season. Assistant GM Don Maloney was hired in Torrey's place,^[5] while Torrey quickly resurfaced with the expansion Florida Panthers. Donald Maloney (born 5 September 1958 in Lindsay Ontario) is a former NHL player and is now currently the General Manager of the The Florida Panthers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Sunrise Florida, a suburb of Ft

In Maloney's first year, 1992–93, the Islanders rebounded to make the playoffs, in the process surpassing the 80-point mark for the first time in six years. The 1992–93 NHL season was the 76th regular season of the National Hockey League. The LaFontaine-Turgeon trade proved successful for both the Islanders and Sabres, as both players hit career highs in points and Turgeon won the Lady Byng Trophy. The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, formerly known as the Lady Byng Trophy, is presented each year to the National Hockey League "player adjudged to have exhibited

Unheralded Ray Ferraro and Steve Thomas emerged as playoff heroes, with Ferraro scoring a pair of overtime winners in the first round series against the Capitals. Instead of celebrating after winning the decisive sixth game at Nassau Coliseum, however, the Islanders were both irate and despondent. Turgeon, the team's star center and leading scorer, suffered a shoulder separation when Dale Hunter checked him from behind as he celebrated a series-clinching goal. Dale Robert Hunter (born July 31 1960 in Petrolia, Ontario) is a former Canadian Ice hockey player and current co-owner and Head coach Turgeon was believed to be out for the entire second round, if not longer. He returned only for spot powerplay duty in the last game of the second round. Hunter received a then-record 21-game suspension.

The Islanders' next opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins, were twice-defending Stanley Cup champions and full of stars such as Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron Francis. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mario Lemieux (born October 5, 1965 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey centre who played 17 seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins Jaromír Jágr ( pronounced, born February 15 1972 in Kladno, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic) is a professional Ice hockey Ronald "Ron" Michael Francis Jr (born March 1 1963 in Sault Ste The Penguins had roared through the regular season with 119 points, and were overwhelmingly favored to win a third straight championship. Jim Smith of Newsday, Long Island's hometown newspaper, predicted that with Turgeon on the sidelines, the Penguins would sweep the Islanders out of the playoffs. Newsday is a daily Tabloid -size Pulitzer Prize winning Newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City However, on the strength of outstanding goaltending from Glenn Healy and contributions from all four lines, the Islanders achieved a huge upset when David Volek scored at 5:16 of overtime of the deciding seventh game. Glenn Healy (born August 23 1962 in Pickering, Ontario, Canada) is director of player affairs for the National Hockey League David Volek (born August 16, 1966, Prag) is a Czech former professional Ice hockey player Newsday's front page the day following the win was a picture of Healy with a headline reading, "It's a Miracle!"

Turgeon returned to the Islanders' top line for the Wales Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens, though he was not in peak form as he had not fully recovered. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Islanders bowed out of the playoffs after a hard-fought five games, two of which went to overtime. After beating the Isles, the Canadiens went on to win the Cup.

Maloney had avoided making many personnel changes his first year, but a contract dispute with Healy led him to sign Ron Hextall, who had his best years with the rival Philadelphia Flyers. Ron Hextall (born May 3, 1964 in Brandon, Manitoba) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey Goaltender most often associated The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ^[5] Fans grew more skeptical when, after a series of deals, Healy ended up as the backup on the Rangers. Although on paper Hextall appeared to be an upgrade, his play was inconsistent and he never endeared himself to Islanders fans.

The Islanders barely squeezed past the expansion Florida Panthers into the 1994 playoffs before being swept in a lopsided opening series by the first-place Rangers, who went on to win the Cup. The Florida Panthers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Sunrise Florida, a suburb of Ft Arbour retired for good as coach and was succeeded by longtime assistant Lorne Henning. Lorne Henning, born February 2, 1952 in Melfort, Saskatchewan, is a Canadian hockey executive Hextall, fairly or not, drew most of the criticism for the failed playoff campaign and was shipped back to Philadelphia for Tommy Soderstrom in the off-season. Tommy Söderström (born July 17, 1969 in Stockholm Sweden) is a retired professional Ice hockey Goaltender.

In the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, the Islanders not only failed to qualify for the playoffs, they finished ahead of only the third-year Ottawa Senators. The Ottawa Senators (Les Sénateurs d'Ottawa are a professional Ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

1995–2000: Management Issues

By the end of the 1994–95 season, it became clear that Maloney had mismanaged the team. Since taking over in 1992, the only noticeable attempt he made to upgrade the roster was letting Healy go in favor of Hextall. He had never had much goodwill with the fans due to him having spent most of his playing career with the Rangers. ^[5]

Near the end of the failed 1995 campaign, Maloney decided that the core of players he had left alone for three seasons should be totally revamped, and he undertook a rebuilding project. He traded Turgeon and Malakhov to Montreal for Kirk Muller and Mathieu Schneider, and Hogue was sent to Toronto for young goaltender Eric Fichaud. Kirk Christopher Muller (born Feb 8, 1966 in Kingston, ON, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice hockey centre Mathieu Schneider (born June 12, 1969) is an American Professional Ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St Additionally, Maloney allowed the team's leading scorer, Ferraro, to depart as a unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. Fans' displeasure at Maloney for trading the popular Turgeon was magnified when Muller balked at joining a rebuilding team. He only played 45 games for the Islanders before being sent to the Maple Leafs.

The short-lived "Fisherman" logo, used from 1995 to 1997. The current logo (seen in the infobox) was adopted as an alternate logo in 1996.

Before the 1995–96 season, Maloney fired Henning and named Mike Milbury head coach. The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th Regular season of the National Hockey League. Michael James Milbury (born June 17, 1952 in Brighton, Massachusetts, U The same year, the Isles' attempt at updating their look resulted in the unveiling of a logo depicting a fisherman holding a hockey stick. The logo was a marketing disaster; the reaction among the fan base was so negative that management announced it would revert back to the original logo as soon as league rules allowed them to do so. Then and now, Rangers fans have mocked the Isles with chants of "we want fishsticks," a reference to the way the logo resembled the Gorton's fisherman. Fish sticks, or fish fingers, are a processed Food made using a Whitefish such as Cod which have been battered and/or breaded Gorton's of Gloucester is a Subsidiary of the Japanese seafood conglomerate Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd The year was a failure on the ice as well, as the Islanders finished in last place with a record of 22–50–10. During the season, team management fired Maloney, whom fans blamed for the team's downfall, and gave Milbury total control of hockey operations as both coach and general manager. When the team decided to revert back to its original logo, it was too late to change jersey designs for the next season. Instead, the traditional logo returned as part of a third jersey, which then became the main jersey in 1997. A third jersey or alternate jersey is a sports team's alternate design for the previously established other two jerseys

In the middle of the 1996–97 season, Milbury resigned as coach and elevated assistant Rick Bowness to the head coaching position. The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th Regular season of the National Hockey League. Rick Bowness (born on January 25, 1955 in Moncton New Brunswick) is a Canadian former National Hockey League leftwinger and currently However, after another losing season and little improvement, Milbury took over as coach in the middle of the 1997–98 season. The 1997–98 NHL season was the 81st Regular season of the National Hockey League. The team improved to fourth place in the Atlantic Division but still failed to make the playoffs. He stepped down as coach yet again in the middle of the 1998–99 season but retained his job as GM.

During their lean years, chaos within the Islanders' ownership and front office mirrored their substandard performance on the ice. Pickett sold the team to Dallas businessman John Spano in 1996. John A Spano Jr (born May 31, 1964) is a businessman and Swindler who briefly bought control of the NHL 's New York Islanders in However, three months after the 1997 closing, Spano still hadn't paid Pickett the first installment on the cable deal. An investigation by Newsday revealed that Spano had deliberately misled the NHL and the Islanders about his net worth, and also had two lawsuits pending against him. Newsday is a daily Tabloid -size Pulitzer Prize winning Newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City When it became clear that Spano was a fraud and that he lacked the assets to purchase the team, ownership reverted to Pickett. Federal prosecutors turned up evidence that Spano had forged many of the documents used to vouch for his wealth and to promise payment to Pickett. He was sentenced to five years eleven months in prison for bank and wire fraud. The NHL was embarrassed when reports surfaced that it spent less than $1,000 (depending on the source, the league spent either $525 or $750) to check Spano's background, and subsequently stiffened the process for vetting future owners.

Pickett finally found a buyer, a group led by Howard Milstein and Phoenix Coyotes co-owner Steven Gluckstern. The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional Ice hockey team based in Glendale Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. Even that deal almost fell through when Spectacor Management Group, which managed the Coliseum for Nassau County, tried to force Pickett to certify that the Coliseum was safe. SMG, formerly known as Spectacor Management Group is a worldwide property management group that specializes in managing publicly owned facilities headquartered in Philadelphia However, Pickett refused, since the Coliseum had fallen into disrepair in recent seasons. SMG backed down under pressure from the Islanders, the NHL and Nassau County officials.

Initially the team made numerous trades and increased their payroll in an effort to assemble a better team. In one transaction, youngsters Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe were traded for veteran Trevor Linden. Todd Bertuzzi (born 2 February, 1975 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player for the Calgary Bryan McCabe (born June 8, 1975) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman for the Florida Panthers of the Trevor Linden, OBC (born April 11, 1970, in Medicine Hat, Alberta) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey However, as the Islanders continued to fall short of the playoffs, the new ownership group eventually decided to run the team on an austere budget in an attempt to make a profit. They also complained about the condition of the Nassau Coliseum and made noises about moving the team elsewhere. Under Milstein and Gluckstern, the team traded or released many popular players to avoid paying their salaries, including star scorer Zigmund Palffy, team captain Linden, former rookie of the year Bryan Berard, and rugged defenseman Rich Pilon. Žigmund "Ziggy" Pálffy (b May 5 1972 in Skalica, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak professional Ice hockey player Bryan Wallace Berard (born March 5 1977 Woonsocket Rhode Island) is an American professional Ice hockey player currently an unrestricted free agent Attendance, which had been in a steady decline over the past few years, fell off even further to under 12,000 per game. At the same time, Milstein bid hundreds of millions of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to purchase the National Football League's Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington D The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio.

2000–2006: New ownership, a return to the playoffs

In 2000, Milstein and Gluckstern sold the team to Computer Associates executives Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 2000 in athletics (track and field Marathon International CA Inc &mdash formerly Computer Associates Inc &mdash is a multinational Computer software corporation headquartered in Islandia New York. Charles B Wang ( (born August 19, 1944) is the co-founder of Computer Associates International, Inc Sanjay Kumar(Tamil-சஞ்சய் குமார் (born

With stable ownership finally in place, Milbury was allowed to spend money and invest in free agents. His first attempt proved unpopular with fans, as he traded away future stars Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to the Florida Panthers for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish. Roberto Luongo (born April 4 1979 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey Goaltender and team captain of the Vancouver Canucks Olli Jokinen (born December 5, 1978 in Kuopio, Finland) is a professional Ice hockey centre currently playing for The Florida Panthers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Sunrise Florida, a suburb of Ft Oleg Vladimirovich Kvasha (Олег Владимирович Кваша born July 26, 1978 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR) is a Mark Parrish (born 2 February, 1977) is an American Ice hockey right winger who currently a free agent after being bought out by the Additionally, Eric Brewer, a future All-Star defenseman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik. Eric Charles Brewer (born April 17 1979 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman who has served as captain for the St The Edmonton Oilers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Roman "Hammer" Hamrlík (born April 12, 1974 in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia) is a Professional Ice hockey Milbury then further surprised the hockey world when he took Rick DiPietro with the first selection in the entry draft, ahead of the consensus picks Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik. Rick DiPietro (born September 19 1981 in Winthrop Massachusetts) is an American professional Ice hockey Goaltender with the New York The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was held from June 24 to 25 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary Alberta following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21 1981 in Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany) is a Canadian professional hockey player Marián Gáborík (born February 14, 1982 in Trenčín, Slovakia) is a Slovak professional Ice hockey right winger Reporters and fans were alternately confused and enraged by the moves, which Milbury acknowledged, saying, "As dangerous as this may be, we think Mad Mike maybe has something going for him. "^[6] The "Mad Mike" nickname has remained with Milbury ever since. Milbury said that his moves were intended to improve the team immediately, and in that respect they failed completely. The Islanders finished with the worst record in the NHL and the second-worst season in franchise history; the team's . 317 winning percentage that year was only ahead of only 1972–73's . 192. ^[7] The team's uninspired play led Milbury to fire Isles legend Butch Goring as head coach before the end of the year. Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949 in St Many fans were upset that Goring and not Milbury took the fall for the lost season, and they were again upset when Milbury hired newcomer Peter Laviolette to coach the team, passing on Ted Nolan. Peter Laviolette Jr (born December 7, 1964 in Norwood Massachusetts, U Ted Nolan (Born - April 7, 1958 on the Garden River Ojibwa First Nation Reserve outside of Sault Ste

The team also made three key personnel acquisitions prior to the 2001–02 season. The 2001–02 NHL season was the 85th Regular season of the National Hockey League. They acquired Alexei Yashin from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the Isles' the second overall pick in the entry draft, which the Senators used to select Jason Spezza, forward Bill Muckalt, and defenceman Zdeno Chara. Alexei Valeryevich Yashin (Алексей Валерьевич Яшин Aleksej Valer'jevič Jašin, born in Sverdlovsk USSR now Yekaterinburg, Russia The Ottawa Senators (Les Sénateurs d'Ottawa are a professional Ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held in June at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise Florida. Jason Anthony Rocco Spezza (born June 13 1983 in Mississauga, Ontario) is a professional Ice hockey centerman currently playing for the Bill Muckalt (born July 15, 1974 in Surrey British Columbia) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey forward. Zdeno Chára ('zdeno 'xaːra born March 18, 1977) is a Slovak Ice hockey defenceman and team captain of Boston Bruins The following day, Islanders prospects Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Michael Peca, who became the team's captain. Tim Connolly (born May 7, 1981 in Baldwinsville, New York) is an American Ice hockey player with the Buffalo Sabres Taylor Pyatt (born August 19, 1981 in Thunder Bay, Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player with the The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. Michael Anthony Peca (born March 26, 1974 in Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey forward and an By virtue of finishing last the year before, the Isles were also able to claim goaltender Chris Osgood with the first pick in the waiver draft, adding a former championship goaltender without giving up any players in exchange. Christopher John Osgood (born November 26, 1972 in Peace River Alberta) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey Goaltender Thanks in large part to strong play by Peca, Yashin and Osgood, the new-look Islanders opened the season on a tear, going 11–1-1–1 en route to finishing with 96 points, their best point total in 18 years, and just one point short of their first division title in 14 years. The 44-point leap was the best turnaround in franchise history, surpassing the 1974–75 unit's 32-point jump. Had they won the Atlantic Division title, they would have had home-ice advantage in the first round. ^[8] Instead, they were seeded fifth, and faced the fourth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St The Islanders lost to the Leafs in a very physical first round series in which no road team won a game. Game 4 featured a Shawn Bates penalty shot goal with a 2:30 to play that gave the Islanders the lead and ultimately the game. Shawn Bates (b April 3, 1975 in Medford Massachusetts) is an American professional Ice hockey center in the National In Game 5, Gary Roberts charged Islander defenseman Kenny Jonsson and Darcy Tucker submarined Peca with a questionable check that tore the Islander captain's anterior cruciate ligament. Gary Roberts (born May 23, 1966 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey left wing with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Per Anders Kenny Jönsson (born October 6, 1974 in Ängelholm) is a Swedish Ice hockey player playing for Rögle BK Darcy Tucker (born March 15, 1975) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player The anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) is one of the four major Ligaments of the Knee. Neither Jonsson nor Peca returned in the series.

Despite the promise shown in the Toronto series, the Islanders had a slow start to the 2002–03 NHL season. The 2002–03 NHL season was the 86th Regular season of the National Hockey League. They rebounded to make the playoffs but lost a five game series in the first round to the top-seeded Ottawa Senators. Milbury, known to make moves that riled the fanbase, fired Laviolette after the season, citing end season interviews with the players in which they expressed a lack of confidence in the coach. He was replaced with Steve Stirling, who had previously been coaching the team's top minor league affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Steve Stirling (born November 9, 1949 in Clarkson Ontario, Canada) is the former head coach of the American Hockey League Norfolk The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are an Ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. In 2004, the Islanders again lost in the first round of the playoffs, this time to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th Regular season of the National Hockey League. The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa Florida. Despite the fact that the Lightning finished first in the conference and the Islanders qualified for the playoffs as the 8th and final seed, a few journalists had picked the Islanders to win based on their strong regular season performance against Tampa Bay.

Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, which eliminated the 2004–05 season, the Islanders made several player moves to increase offense for 2005–06. The 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of what would have been the 88th season of the National Hockey League (NHL The 2005–06 NHL season was the 88th season of the National Hockey League. Peca was traded to Edmonton for speedy center Mike York, freeing up room under the NHL's new salary cap. The Edmonton Oilers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Mike York (born January 3, 1978 in Waterford, Michigan) is an American professional Ice hockey left winger who is currently The same day, the team signed winger Miroslav Satan to play alongside Yashin. Miroslav Šatan (born October 22, 1974 in Jacovce, Czechoslovakia) is a professional Ice hockey player who plays for the Pittsburgh Milbury also remade the defensive corps, replacing departed free agents Adrian Aucoin and Roman Hamrlik and Jonsson, who left the NHL to play in his native Sweden, with Alexei Zhitnik, Brad Lukowich, and Brent Sopel. Adrian Aucoin (born July 3, 1973 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Professional Ice hockey defenceman currently playing Roman "Hammer" Hamrlík (born April 12, 1974 in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia) is a Professional Ice hockey Alexei Nikolayevich Zhitnik (pronounced ZHIHT-nihk ˈʒɪtnɪk (Олексій Миколайович Житник Алексей Николаевич Житник (born October Brad Lukowich (born August 12, 1976 in Surrey, British Columbia) is a Canadian Ice hockey defenceman who Brent Sopel (born January 7, 1977) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks In the aftermath, Yashin was named the team's new captain. The team played inconsistent hockey, leading to Stirling's replacement midway through the season. Although the team, now coached on an interim basis by Brad Shaw, played . Brad Shaw was born April 28, 1964 in Cambridge Ontario, Canada and is Assistant Coach for the St 500 hockey for the rest of the season, they missed the playoffs.

2006-present: A new look

On the day he replaced Stirling with Shaw, Milbury also announced that he would step down as general manager once a successor was found and become senior vice president of all of Wang's sports properties (Kumar had sold his interest to Wang in 2004).

The offseason was characterized by a degree of tumult. Team owner Charles Wang hired Ted Nolan as coach and Neil Smith as GM, but he fired Smith after a little over a month and replaced him with backup goaltender Garth Snow, who retired to accept the position. Charles B Wang ( (born August 19, 1944) is the co-founder of Computer Associates International, Inc Ted Nolan (Born - April 7, 1958 on the Garden River Ojibwa First Nation Reserve outside of Sault Ste Neil Smith (born January 9, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian Ice hockey broadcaster and previously the general manager Garth E Snow (born on July 28, 1969 in Wrentham, Massachusetts) is a retired professional Ice hockey Goaltender and is currently The Islanders also made several free agent acquisitions, including defensemen Brendan Witt and Tom Poti and forwards Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon. Brendan Witt (born February 20, 1975 in Humbolt, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian Ice hockey defenceman and Thomas Poti (born March 22, 1977 in Worcester, Massachusetts, U Mike Sillinger (born June 29, 1971 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a veteran Ice hockey player and alternate captain Chris Simon (born January 30, 1972 in Wawa, Ontario) is a professional Ice hockey left wing who recently signed a contract The Islanders also signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, 67. Rick DiPietro (born September 19 1981 in Winthrop Massachusetts) is an American professional Ice hockey Goaltender with the New York 5 million dollar contract, among the longest in professional sports history. ^[9]

At the trade deadline, the team traded a first round draft pick and prospects Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra to the Oilers for all-star Ryan Smyth. Robert Åke Nilsson (born January 10 1985 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Swedish professional Ice hockey player currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers Ryan O'Marra (born June 9, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player Ryan Alexander Gordon Smyth (born February 21, 1976 in Banff Alberta) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player who currently ^[10]

In March, Chris Simon was suspended for the rest of the season and playoffs following a match penalty for intent to injure New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg. Chris Simon (born January 30, 1972 in Wawa, Ontario) is a professional Ice hockey left wing who recently signed a contract The New York Rangers are a professional Ice hockey team based in New York, New York, United States. Ryan Hollweg (born April 23, 1983 in Downey California) is a professional Ice hockey forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs

The last four games in the 2006–07 season were crucial and most thought a playoff spot would be out of reach. However, the team won each game and edged out the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot in the process. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St The playoff-clinching game ended in a shootout win over the New Jersey Devils with third-string goalie Wade Dubielewicz poke-checking Sergei Brylin. The New Jersey Devils are a professional Ice hockey team based in Newark New Jersey. Wade Dubielewicz (born January 30, 1979) is a Canadian Ice hockey Goaltender who plays for Ak Bars Kazan in the Sergei Vladimirovich Brylin (Серге́й Влади́мирович Бры́лин (born January 13, 1974 in Moscow, USSR) is a professional ^[11] The team expressed pride that they qualified because many NHL preview predictions had the Isles slated to finish at or near the bottom of the standings. They lost their first round matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL's best team during the regular season, in 5 games. The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York.

Milbury resigned his post in Wang's organization in May of 2007. Milbury said that he missed making day-to-day hockey decisions and would be open to a hockey operations job for a different team. ^[12][13]

The team announced that they would buy out Alexei Yashin's contract in June of 2007. Alexei Valeryevich Yashin (Алексей Валерьевич Яшин Aleksej Valer'jevič Jašin, born in Sverdlovsk USSR now Yekaterinburg, Russia ^[14] Smyth, Viktor Kozlov, Jason Blake, Tom Poti, and Richard Zednik also left in July 2007 via free agency. Days later, the Islanders signed Bill Guerin, who assumed the captaincy, to a two-year contract. William 'Bill' Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970 in Wilbraham, Massachusetts) is a professional Ice hockey forward and Also in the offseason, free agents Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko, Andy Sutton, Jon Sim and Josef Vasicek joined the team. Michael William Comrie (born September 11 1980 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey centre with the New York Islanders of Ruslan Fedotenko (Руслан Федотенко born January 18, 1979 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a professional Andy Sutton (born March 10, 1975 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a professional Ice hockey, currently playing for Jonathan Sim (born September 29, 1977 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia) is a professional Ice hockey player Josef Vašíček (joʊsɛf vɑsɪtʃɛk born 12 September, 1980 in Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia) is an Ice hockey centre

Due to numerous departures of key players in the off-season, the 2007–2008 year brought many questions as to how the Islanders would compete amongst the leagues top teams, including the over powering Atlantic Division. An early season highlight occurred on November 3, 2007, when Al Arbour returned to coach his 1500th game for the Islanders at the behest of Ted Nolan, who wanted Arbour's regular season games coached total to reach 1500, a round number. The Islanders came from behind to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 , which extended Arbour's National Hockey League record for most games coached with one team and extended his NHL record 740 regular season wins with one team. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ^[15] Afterwards, in a post-game ceremony, the Islanders raised a new banner to honor Arbour's 1500th game coached for the Islanders. ^[16] The team mildly surprised by staying in the playoff hunt through the All Star break in January. However, a rash of late season injuries, including to star goalie Rick DiPietro, and eleven other Islanders, doomed their chances as a prolonged losing streak saw them plummet to the 5th worst record in league by the end of the season. The Islanders do move forward with some optimism based on the fact that they hold the 5th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, as well as, this year's strong play of promising youngsters Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau and 2006 1st Round choice Kyle Okposo, who had a brief, but productive 9 game stint with the Islanders to end the season. The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa Ontario Sean Bergenheim (born February 8, 1984, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional Ice hockey player Blake Comeau (born February 18, 1986 in Vancouver British Columbia) is a Canadian Ice hockey player who grew up in Meadow Lake Kyle Okposo (born April 16, 1988 in St Paul Minnesota) is an American Ice hockey right winger.

Islanders Jerseys

The Islanders debuted in 1972 with traditional-style jerseys: either white with orange and royal blue stripes near the waistline and on the sleeves or royal blue with white and orange stripes. The design remained largely the same, save for minor tweaks, through the 1994–95 season. The 1994–95 NHL season was the 78th Regular season of the National Hockey League.

The shoulder logo of the Islanders

Prior to the 1995–96 season, team executives decided to change the jersey. The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th Regular season of the National Hockey League. The fisherman logo replaced the "NY" circular design, and the new uniforms incorporated navy blue and a brighter orange and introduced teal and grey shades as well. The team was seeking increased merchandise revenues, with the outward justification of connecting the team more overtly to Long Island. The jersey included a lighthouse shoulder patch, a nod to the Montauk Lighthouse, and featured uneven stripes resembling an ocean wave near the waistline, on the sleeves, and across the shoulders. The Montauk Point Light is a Lighthouse, located in Montauk Point State Park at the easternmost point of Long Island. All of the numbering and lettering on the jerseys also followed the wave pattern. Late in the season, the team decided to do away with the fisherman logo, but league rules forbade them from switching jersey designs for the 1996–97 season on only a few months' notice. The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th Regular season of the National Hockey League. Instead, the Islanders debuted their first third jersey, which was identical to the jerseys then worn by the team except that it used the circular "NY" crest in place of the fisherman. A third jersey or alternate jersey is a sports team's alternate design for the previously established other two jerseys The team wore this jersey in approximately fifteen games during the 1996–97 season and adopted it permanently for 1997–98. The 1997–98 NHL season was the 81st Regular season of the National Hockey League.

Prior to the 1998–99 season, the team's new ownership reverted to the initial traditional design but kept the navy blue and bright orange from the "wave" era jersey. They added a shoulder patch of four bars, alternating in color, to represent the Islanders' four straight Stanley Cup championships. The new design also changed the borders around the numbers and "C" and "A" letters: instead of leaving no space between the orange border and the white or blue numbers, the jersey featured a raised outline. A third jersey was introduced in 2003. A third jersey or alternate jersey is a sports team's alternate design for the previously established other two jerseys Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was orange and had navy blue stripes, outlined in white, going vertically on the sleeves and then cutting horizontally on the bottom of the sleeve. The navy blue stripes came out of the sleeve diagonally and jabbed out to a point into the bottom of the jersey. The team wore these jerseys through the 2006–07 season. The 2006–07 NHL season was the 89th Regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL

New 2007-08 jerseys

For the 2007–08 season, all NHL teams changed over to the Rbk Edge jersey system. The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Players in the National Hockey League wear a uniform which allows their team affiliation to be easily identified unifying the image of the team The design of the Islanders Rbk Edge jersey is similar to the prior generation, with a few exceptions. The new jersey features uniform numbers on the right chest above the logo. The name plates are in two colored format- white on orange on the home navy blue jersey and navy blue on orange on the road white jersey. On the upper arms, between the elbow and shoulders, the jersey has an additional orange stripe, where prior jerseys had no stripe. The new jerseys have a thin stripe tracing around the shoulders, and they feature "retro" laces at the neck. ^[17]

Season-by-season record

This is a only a partial list of the last five seasons. For the full season-by-season history, see New York Islanders seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of February 18, 2008. This is a list of seasons completed by the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[18][19]

¹ As of the 2005–06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses). The 2001–02 NHL season was the 85th Regular season of the National Hockey League. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St The 2002–03 NHL season was the 86th Regular season of the National Hockey League. The Ottawa Senators (Les Sénateurs d'Ottawa are a professional Ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th Regular season of the National Hockey League. The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa Florida. The 2004–05 NHL season was the 88th Regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL The 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of what would have been the 88th season of the National Hockey League (NHL The 2005–06 NHL season was the 88th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders finished the 2006–07 Season with a record of 40–30–12 The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. The 2007–08 New York Islanders season began October 5, 2007 It is the New York Islanders ' 35th season in the National Hockey League. The 2005–06 NHL season was the 88th season of the National Hockey League.

Notable players

Current roster

As of April 6, 2008. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. [2]

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
34		Wade Dubielewicz	L	2003	Invermere, British Columbia
39		Rick DiPietro	R	2000	Winthrop, Massachusetts

Defensemen
#		Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2		Aaron Johnson	L	2007	Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia
3		Rob Davison	L	2008	St. Catharines, Ontario
4		Bryan Berard	L	2007	Woonsocket, Rhode Island
8		Bruno Gervais	R	2003	Longueuil, Quebec
14		Chris Campoli	L	2005	North York, Ontario
24		Radek Martinek	R	1999	Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia
25		Andy Sutton	L	2007	Kingston, Ontario
32		Brendan Witt – A	L	2006	Humboldt, Saskatchewan
38		Jack Hillen	L	2008	Portland, Oregon
44		Freddy Meyer	L	2007	Sanbornville, New Hampshire

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
7		Trent Hunter	RW	R	2000	Red Deer, Alberta
10		Richard Park	C	R	2006	Seoul, South Korea
11		Andy Hilbert	LW	L	2006	Howell, Michigan
13		Bill Guerin – C	RW	R	2007	Worcester, Massachusetts
16		Jon Sim	LW	L	2007	New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
17		Shawn Bates	C	R	2001	Melrose, Massachusetts
18		Mike Sillinger – A	C	R	2006	Regina, Saskatchewan
20		Sean Bergenheim	LW	L	2002	Helsinki, Finland
26		Ruslan Fedotenko	LW	L	2007	Kiev, U.S.S.R.
63		Josef Vasicek	C	L	2007	Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia
81		Miroslav Satan	RW	L	2005	Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia
89		Mike Comrie	C	L	2007	Edmonton, Alberta

Team captains

Hall of Famers

Players

• Mike Bossy, RW, 1977–87, inducted 1991
• Clark Gillies, LW, 1974–86, inducted 2002
• Pat LaFontaine, C, 1984–91, inducted 2003
• Denis Potvin, D, 1973–88, inducted 1991
• Billy Smith, G, 1972–89, inducted 1993
• Bryan Trottier, C, 1975–90, inducted 1997

Builders

• Al Arbour, Head coach, 1973–86 & 1988–94, 2007, inducted 1996
• Bill Torrey, GM, VP, President, & Chairman of the Board, 1972–92, inducted 1995

Retired Numbers & Honored Individuals

The Islanders retired numbers at the Coliseum

• 5 Denis Potvin, D, 1973–88, number retired February 1, 1992
• 9 Clark Gillies, LW, 1974–86, number retired December 7, 1996
• 19 Bryan Trottier, C, 1975–90, number retired October 20, 2001
• 22 Mike Bossy, RW, 1977–87, number retired March 3, 1992
• 23 Bob Nystrom, RW, 1973–86, number retired April 1, 1995
• 31 Billy Smith , G, 1972–89, number retired February 20, 1993
• 1500 Al Arbour Head Coach, 1973–86, 1988–94 & November 3, 2007, banner raised at end of game, November 3, 2007 (in honor of the 1500th regular season game he coached for the Islanders)
• Bill Torrey, GM, VP, President, & Chairman of the Board, 1972–92, (his banner features the words "The Architect" and a bowtie, which was his trademark, in place of a number)
• Bob Bourne, LW, 1974–86, inducted in Islanders Hall of Fame, November 25, 2006

All of the above are members of the team's Hall of Fame. Wade Dubielewicz (born January 30, 1979) is a Canadian Ice hockey Goaltender who plays for Ak Bars Kazan in the Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Invermere is a community in eastern British Columbia, Canada, near the border of Alberta. Rick DiPietro (born September 19 1981 in Winthrop Massachusetts) is an American professional Ice hockey Goaltender with the New York The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was held from June 24 to 25 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary Alberta following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft Winthrop is a Town in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Aaron Johnson (April 30 1983 in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia) is a Professional Ice hockey player who plays defence most recently signed with The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Port Hawkesbury ( 2006 population 3922 is a town located on the southwestern end of Cape Breton Island, on Rob Davison (born May 1, 1980 in St Catharines, Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Bryan Wallace Berard (born March 5 1977 Woonsocket Rhode Island) is an American professional Ice hockey player currently an unrestricted free agent Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Bruno Gervais (born October 3, 1984 in Longueuil, Quebec) is a professional Ice hockey defenceman for the New The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville Tennessee. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Chris Campoli (born July 9, 1984 in North York, Ontario) the oldest of three sons The 2005–06 NHL season was the 88th season of the National Hockey League. North York forms the central part of the northern half of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Radek Martínek (born August 31, 1976 in Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia) is an ice hockey defenceman who plays for the The 1999 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26th at the FleetCenter in Boston Massachusetts. Havlíčkův Brod (ˈɦavliːtʃkuːf ˈbrot before 1945 Německý Brod Deutschbrod is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Andy Sutton (born March 10, 1975 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a professional Ice hockey, currently playing for The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Kingston Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St Brendan Witt (born February 20, 1975 in Humbolt, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian Ice hockey defenceman and In Ice hockey, each team has a designated captain, who normally wears a "C" on his or her jersey. The 2005–06 NHL season was the 88th season of the National Hockey League. Humboldt is a Saskatchewan city located 113 km east of Saskatoon at the junction of Highway 5 and Highway 20. Jack Hillen (born January 24, 1986 in Portland Oregon) is a professional Ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the New The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Frederick Meyer IV (born January 4, 1981 in Sanbornville, New Hampshire) is an American professional Ice hockey defenseman The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Wakefield is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Trent Hunter (born July 5, 1980 in Red Deer, Alberta) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey right wing, The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th Regular season of the National Hockey League. Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, and is Alberta's This is an article about the ice hockey player For the British TV personality and radio executive see Richard Park Richard Park (박용수 Bak The 2006–07 NHL season was the 89th Regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL Seoul ( soʊl is the Capital and largest City of South Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Andy Hilbert (born on February 6, 1981 in Howell, Michigan) is a Professional Ice hockey forward who currently plays for The 2006–07 NHL season was the 89th Regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL Howell is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9232 while the 2006 estimate placed the William 'Bill' Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970 in Wilbraham, Massachusetts) is a professional Ice hockey forward and In Ice hockey, each team has a designated captain, who normally wears a "C" on his or her jersey. The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Worcester (ˈwʊstɚ is a City in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. Jonathan Sim (born September 29, 1977 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia) is a professional Ice hockey player The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. New Glasgow (2006 pop 9455 Urban area pop 20876)is the largest town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia Shawn Bates (b April 3, 1975 in Medford Massachusetts) is an American professional Ice hockey center in the National The 2001–02 NHL season was the 85th Regular season of the National Hockey League. Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area and Middlesex County Massachusetts. Mike Sillinger (born June 29, 1971 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a veteran Ice hockey player and alternate captain In Ice hockey, each team has a designated captain, who normally wears a "C" on his or her jersey. The 2006–07 NHL season was the 89th Regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL Regina (rɨˈdʒaɪnə is the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Sean Bergenheim (born February 8, 1984, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional Ice hockey player See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. Ruslan Fedotenko (Руслан Федотенко born January 18, 1979 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a professional The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Josef Vašíček (joʊsɛf vɑsɪtʃɛk born 12 September, 1980 in Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia) is an Ice hockey centre Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Havlíčkův Brod (ˈɦavliːtʃkuːf ˈbrot before 1945 Německý Brod Deutschbrod is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Miroslav Šatan (born October 22, 1974 in Jacovce, Czechoslovakia) is a professional Ice hockey player who plays for the Pittsburgh The 2005–06 NHL season was the 88th season of the National Hockey League. Topoľčany ( Veľké Topoľčany before 1920 (Groß topoltschan Nagytapolcsány is a town in the Nitra Region of Slovakia. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Michael William Comrie (born September 11 1980 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey centre with the New York Islanders of The 2007–08 NHL season was the 90th season of the National Hockey League. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edwin Vernon "Shadow" Westfall (born September 19, 1940 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953 is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey Brent Colin Sutter (born 10 June, 1962 in Viking, Alberta, Canada) is a retired National Hockey League (NHL player and current head Patrick Flatley (born October 3, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice hockey forward Bryan McCabe (born June 8, 1975) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman for the Florida Panthers of the Trevor Linden, OBC (born April 11, 1970, in Medicine Hat, Alberta) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey Per Anders Kenny Jönsson (born October 6, 1974 in Ängelholm) is a Swedish Ice hockey player playing for Rögle BK Michael Anthony Peca (born March 26, 1974 in Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey forward and an The 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of what would have been the 88th season of the National Hockey League (NHL Alexei Valeryevich Yashin (Алексей Валерьевич Яшин Aleksej Valer'jevič Jašin, born in Sverdlovsk USSR now Yekaterinburg, Russia William 'Bill' Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970 in Wilbraham, Massachusetts) is a professional Ice hockey forward and Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 22[[ 957]] is a former Canadian Ice hockey player who played Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall Pat LaFontaine (born February 22 1965 in St Louis, Missouri) is a former Ice hockey center in the National Hockey League, who played Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953 is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey Goaltender Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956 in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey Alger Joseph Arbour (born November 1, 1932 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey player and later a William A Torrey (born June 23, 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was a General Manager and executive in the National Hockey Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953 is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956 in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 22[[ 957]] is a former Canadian Ice hockey player who played Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Thore Robert "Bob" Nystrom (born October 10, 1952 in Stockholm Sweden) is a retired professional Ice hockey right-winger. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 William John "Battlin' Billy" Smith (born December 12, 1950, in Perth Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey Goaltender Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Alger Joseph Arbour (born November 1, 1932 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey player and later a Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. William A Torrey (born June 23, 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was a General Manager and executive in the National Hockey Bob Bourne (born June 21, 1954 in Netherhill, Saskatchewan) is a retired professional ice hockey left wing who played in the NHL between 1974 and 1988 Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Individual plaques and a banner honors this accomplishment as well.

°739 Banner was lowered and removed on November 3, 2007, a new banner commemorating his 740th win will be re-retired later in the 2007–08 season

First-round draft picks

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The 1972 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. William Edward Harris (b 29 January, 1952 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a former professional Ice hockey player in the National The 11th National Hockey League Amateur Draft was the first to be held on a separate day from other league activities on May 15, 1973 at the Mount Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953 is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey The 1974 NHL Amateur Draft was held via conference call at the NHL office in Montreal Quebec. Clark "Jethro" Gillies (b April 7 1954 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) was a professional Ice hockey player and is a member of the Hockey Hall The 1975 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the NHL office in Montreal Quebec. Pat Price (b March 24, 1955 in Nelson British Columbia) is a retired former professional Ice hockey player who played 726 NHL games over the The 1976 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the NHL office in Montreal Quebec. Alex McKendry (born November 21 1956, Midland Ontario) was a professional Ice hockey player who played 46 games in the National Hockey The 1977 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal Quebec. Michael Dean "Mike" Bossy (born in Montreal, Quebec, on January 22[[ 957]] is a former Canadian Ice hockey player who played The 1978 NHL Amateur Draft occurred at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal Quebec on June 15, 1978. Steve Tambellini (born on May 14, 1958 in Trail British Columbia, Canada) is a former NHL player and is currently the General The 1979 NHL Entry Draft took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Duane Calvin Sutter (born March 16, 1960 in Viking Alberta) is a Canadian former forward player and former Head coach in the The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum. It was the first time the Forum hosted the draft Brent Colin Sutter (born 10 June, 1962 in Viking, Alberta, Canada) is a retired National Hockey League (NHL player and current head The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal Quebec. Paul Boutilier (born May 3, 1963 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada) was a former professional Ice hockey defenceman. The 1982 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal Quebec. Patrick Flatley (born October 3, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Professional Ice hockey forward The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal Quebec on 8 June 1983. Pat LaFontaine (born February 22 1965 in St Louis, Missouri) is a former Ice hockey center in the National Hockey League, who played Gerald Diduck (born April 6, 1965 in Edmonton Alberta) is a retired professional Ice hockey defenceman. The 1984 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 9 1984 at the Forum in Montreal Quebec. Duncan MacPherson ( February 3, 1966 – c August 1989 was a professional Ice hockey player who died under mysterious circumstances The first draft outside of Montreal. The event was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto Ontario, and attended by 7000 fans Brad Dalgarno (born August 11, 1967 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey right Derek King (born February 11, 1967 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former Professional Ice hockey left wing who played 14 seasons The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was held on 21 June, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. Tom Fitzgerald (born August 28 1968 in Billerica Massachusetts) is a retired American professional Ice hockey player who played seventeen seasons in the National The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit Michigan. Dean Chynoweth (born October 30, 1968 in Calgary, Alberta) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey defenceman who played in the The 1988 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal Quebec. Kevin Cheveldayoff (born February 4, 1970 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a former professional Ice hockey defenceman. The 1989 NHL Entry Draft was held in June at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington Minnesota. Dave Chyzowski (born July 11 1971 in Edmonton Alberta) is a former professional Ice hockey left winger who was selected second overall in the 1989 The 1990 NHL Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Scott Scissons (born October 29, 1971, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a former National Hockey League centre. The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo New York. Scott Lachance (born 22 October, 1972 in Charlottesville, Virginia) is an American Professional Ice hockey The 1992 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 20 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal Quebec. Darius Kasparaitis (Darius Kasparaitis born October 16, 1972 in Elektrėnai, Lithuania is an ethnic Lithuanian Russian The 1993 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 26 1993 at the Colisee de Quebec in Quebec City Quebec. Todd Bertuzzi (born 2 February, 1975 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player for the Calgary The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 28 1994 Picks for the 1994 draft are on the "Hockey Database" website Selections by round Round 1 Brett Alexander Blake Lindros (born December 2, 1975, in London, Ontario) is a retired professional Ice hockey player The 1995 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta. Wade Redden (born June 12 1977, in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman The 1996 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Kiel Arena (now called the Scottrade Center in St Jean-Pierre "J P" Dumont (born April 1, 1978 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, on 21 June 1997. Roberto Luongo (born April 4 1979 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey Goaltender and team captain of the Vancouver Canucks Eric Charles Brewer (born April 17 1979 is a Canadian professional Ice hockey defenceman who has served as captain for the St The 1998 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 27 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo New York, New York. Michael Rupp (born on January 13 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a Professional Ice hockey player with the New Jersey The 1999 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26th at the FleetCenter in Boston Massachusetts. Tim Connolly (born May 7, 1981 in Baldwinsville, New York) is an American Ice hockey player with the Buffalo Sabres Taylor Pyatt (born August 19, 1981 in Thunder Bay, Ontario) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player with the Branislav Mezei (born October 8, 1980 in Nitra, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak Ice hockey defenceman currently with the Barys Astana The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was held from June 24 to 25 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary Alberta following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft Rick DiPietro (born September 19 1981 in Winthrop Massachusetts) is an American professional Ice hockey Goaltender with the New York Raphael "Raffi" Torres (b 8 October, 1981 in Toronto Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held in June at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise Florida. The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22 - 23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto Ontario, Canada. Sean Bergenheim (born February 8, 1984, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional Ice hockey player The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville Tennessee. Robert Åke Nilsson (born January 10 1985 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Swedish professional Ice hockey player currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the RBC Center in Raleigh North Carolina. Petteri Nokelainen (born January 16, 1986 in Imatra, Finland) is a Finnish professional Ice hockey forward playing The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft. As a lockout cancelled the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on Ryan O'Marra (born June 9, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey player The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, on June 24 Kyle Okposo (born April 16, 1988 in St Paul Minnesota) is an American Ice hockey right winger. The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus Ohio, United States Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Islanders player

NHL awards and trophies

Franchise individual records

• Most Goals in a season: Mike Bossy, 69 (1978–79)
• Most Assists in a season: Bryan Trottier, 87 (1978–79)
• Most Points in a season: Mike Bossy, 147 (1981–82)
• Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Brian Curran, 356 (1986–87)
• Most Points in a season, defenceman: Denis Potvin, 101 (1978–79)
• Most Points in a season, rookie: Bryan Trottier, 95 (1975–76)
• Most Wins in a season: Billy Smith; Chris Osgood, Rick DiPietro 32 (1981–82; 2001–02; 2006–07)

Current television announcers and commentators

• Howie Rose and Billy Jaffe
• Deb Placey and Butch Goring

See also

• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of Stanley Cup champions

References

Works Cited

• Stan Fischler and Chris Botta, Pride and Passion: 25 Years of the New York Islanders
• Alan Hahn, Fish Sticks: The Fall and Rise of the New York Islanders
• Alan Hahn, Birth of a Dynasty: The 1980 New York Islanders

External links

• Official website of the New York Islanders