In 2006, I had the honor of writing the script for Jiggs' introduction of the 1980 Cup Winners. The script he read was slightly different due to editing by the Isles...but here's a look back at the champs as I originally drafted it.
HE WAS THE FIRST EMPLOYEE OF THE ISLANDERS AND WAS WITH THE FRANCHISE FOR TWO DECADES, LEADING THE TEAM FROM A 12-60-6 RECORD IN THEIR FIRST SEASON TO A RUN OF CHAMPIONSHIPS THAT HAS GONE UNEQUALLED IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IN THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS.
RIGHTLY KNOWN AS THE ARCHITECT, HE DRAFTED SIXTEEN OF THE PLAYERS THAT WE WILL HONOR TONIGHT.
HE IS A MEMBER OF THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME AND HIS FAMED BOW – TIE WAS RETIRED BY THE ISLANDERS IN TWO-THOUSAND-ONE.
Ladies and Gentlemen: BILL TORREY
BILL TORREY NEEDED TWO COACHES TO GET THROUGH THAT FIRST SEASON… HE NEEDED ONLY ONE TO GET THROUGH THE NEXT FOURTEEN.
A FOUR-TIME STANLEY CUP WINNER AS A PLAYER, HE WAS THE FIRST COACH TO LEAD A U-S- BASED TEAM TO FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS…
WHEN HE RETIRED FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-SIX, HE HAD COACHED MORE PLAYOFF GAMES THAN ANYONE IN
N-H-L HISTORY.
HE MAY BEST REMEMBERED FOR HIS GOALIE SWITCH IN THE NINETEEN EIGHTY-TWO PLAYOFFS WHICH BOUGHT REST FOR HIS TIRED PLAYERS…AND EVENTUALLY TWO ADDITIONAL
HE WON SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY NINE REGULAR SEASON GAMES FOR THE ISLES AND ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN MORE IN THE PLAYOFFS.
A HOCKEY HALL OF FAMER -- HIS VICTORY TOTAL FLIES HIGH HERE…
WHILE HIS ROLE AS DIRECTOR OF SCOUTING LED HIM TO FIND MANY ISLANDER STARS, HE ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT THE ISLANDERS HIRE AL ARBOUR AS COACH.
MUCH LIKE BILL TORREY WAS THE ISLANDERS' FIRST HIRE, HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON HIRED BY THE ILITCH FAMILY AFTER THEY BOUGHT THE RED WINGS.
HE HOLDS THREE
PLEASE WELCOME JIM DEVELLANO.
[NOTE THAT DEVELLANO WAS NOT LISTED AS THE ISLES ASST GM IN MEDIA GUIDES FROM THAT ERA – HE WAS THE HEAD OF SCOUTING AND GM OF THE
ACQUIRED IN A TRADE LATE IN THE ISLANDERS' FIRST SEASON, HE PLAYED FOUR SEASONS WITH THE ISLANDERS, PROVIDING VETERAN LEADERSHIP FOR THE TEAMS THAT BUILT THE SEEDS FOR THE DYNASTY.
IN NINETEEN SEVENTY-FOUR, HE AND ED WESTFALL COMBINED FOR THE FIRST DOUBLE HAT TRICK GAME IN ISLANDER HISTORY.
AFTER LEADING ISLANDER MINOR-LEAGUERS TO A CHAMPIONSHIP, HE STEPPED BEHIND THE ISLANDER BENCH AS AN ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE SEVENTY-NINE…. EIGHTY CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON.
HE LATER SERVED AS AN N-H-L COACH AND GENERAL MANAGER IN
BILLY MAC MILLAN.
HE SPENT TEN SEASONS ON
THIS JUNE, HE WILL BE INDUCTED INTO THE PRO HOCKEY TRAINERS HALL OF FAME ALONG WTH ISLANDER EQUIPMENT MANAGER JIM PICKARD.
HE'S BEEN OFF
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PLAYERS TO EVER WEAR AN ISLANDER UNIFORM…HIS HEROICS FOR THE "NEVER SAY DIELANDERS" OF 1975 BEGAN THE PLAYOFF LEGACY THAT WE HONOR TONIGHT.
FOR SEVEN SEASONS, HE WAS HALF OF ONE OF THE BEST GOALTENDING TANDEMS OF HIS TIME.
HE STILL HOLDS ISLANDER CLUB RECORDS FOR THE LONGEST UNBEATEN STREAK, THE MOST SHUTOUTS IN A SEASON, AND THE LOWEST CAREER GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE.
NUMBER ONE – GLENN…
HE WAS THE FIRST PLAYER EVER TO BE REACQUIRED BY THE ISLANDERS AND PLAYED FOR BOTH THE 1972-73 AND 1979-80 TEAMS.
HE IS ONE OF ONLY TWO ISLANDER DEFENSEMEN TO EVER RECORD 70 POINTS IN A SEASON, TALLYING 72 IN THE 1975-76 CAMPAIGN.
HE WAS DOING THE RADIO BROADCAST WHEN THE ISLANDERS WON THAT FIRST CUP… AND STAYED THERE FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE NEXT DECADE…
NUMBER 3….JEAN POTVIN.
A DEPENDABLE DEFENSEMAN, HE HOLDS TWO ISLANDER
ON MARCH 11TH, HE SCORED THE WINNING GOAL VS.
HE WAS CREDITED WITH THE SERIES-WINNING GOAL AGAINST THE
ALL IN ALL…NOT BAD FOR THE ISLANDERS' FINAL DRAFT CHOICE IN 1973
NUMBER FOUR – BOB LORIMER.
PERHAPS THE ONLY ISLANDER TO EVER BE HONORED WITH A STANDING OVATION IN
NO DEFENSEMEN IN NHL HISTORY HAS SCORED MORE PLAYOFF OVERTIME GOALS ...HE HAD THREE… INCLUDING A WINNER IN GAME 3 AGAINST THE KINGS IN 1980...AND A SERIES CLINCHER AGAINST THE RANGERS IN 1984.
FEW WILL FORGET THE EFFORT HE WENT THROUGH TO PUT HIS KNEE BACK TOGETHER IN TIME FOR THE NINETEEN EIGHTY-THREE FINALS.
A FOUR-TIME
ONE OF THE FIRST ISLANDERS TO BE RAISED IN
HE IS SIXTH ON THE ISLANDERS ALL-TIME PLAYOFF ASSIST LIST AND SCORED SIX OF HIS SEVEN PLAYOFF GOALS WHILE ON THE POWER PLAY.
HIS POWER PLAY GOAL TIED GAME 1 OF THE 1980 FINALS IN THE FINAL MINUTES…AND WAS ONE OF SEVEN POINTS HE RECORDED IN THAT SERIES.
NUMBER SEVEN –STEFAN PERSSON.
IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS, HE SCORED THE SERIES-WINNING GOAL AGAINST THE KINGS.
IN THE SECOND ROUND AGAINST
A HIT…A FIGHT…A CLUTCH GOAL NOW AND AGAIN…AND OH YES… PROVING THAT THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE, HIS SON CODY FOUND SADDAM HIDING IN A BUNKER TOO… HOPEFULLY HE WAS GENTLER WITH HIM THAN DAD WAS WITH STAN JONATHAN OR TERRY O'REILLY.
THE TOY TIGER…NUMBER EIGHT…GARRY HOWATT.
HE WAS THE SECOND CAPTAIN IN ISLANDER HISTORY…AND THE FIFTH PLAYER TO HAVE HIS UNIFORM NUMBER RETIRED.
HE SCORED THE OVERTIME GOAL TO WIN GAME ONE AGAINST
A FORCE…ON AND OFF THE ICE…HE RANKS FOURTH IN ISLANDER HISTORY IN GOALS, ASSISTS, AND POINTS.
CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST FIGHTERS IN N-H-L HISTORY, HIS RECORD INCLUDED A LEGENDARY BEATING OF FLYER TOUGH GUY DAVE SCHULTZ IN NINETEEN SEVENTY-FIVE.
ONE OF SIX ISLANDER FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS THAT WE HONOR TONIGHT, HIS NUMBER WAS RAISED TO THE COLISEUM RAFTER IN NINETEEN NINETY-SIX AND HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME IN TWO-THOUSAND-TWO.
NUMBER NINE –
HE WAS THE FIRST MAN TO BOTH PLAY FOR AND COACH THE ISLANDERS – FOR MANY YEARS HE TEAMED WITH MY OLD BROADCAST PARTNER ED WESTFALL IN FORMING ONE OF THE BEST PAIR OF PENALTY KILLERS IN THE N-H-L.
AN ORIGINAL NEW YORK ISLANDER, HE SCORED THREE SHORTHANDED GOALS IN 1980 TO GAIN A SHARE OF THE NHL RECORD, WHICH STILL STANDS TODAY…HIS FIVE CAREER PLAYOFF SHORTHANDED GOALS STILL SHARE THE ISLANDER CLUB RECORD.
AT FIVE-FORTY PM ON MAY 24TH, HAVING REPLACED AN INJURED WAYNE MERRICK, HE STARTED THE PLAY AND EARNED AN ASSIST ON THE CUP – WINNING GOAL.
NUMBER TEN … LORNE HENNING.
ANOTHER FOUR-TIME
A MEMBER OF THE ISLANDERS' BANANA LINE, HE PLAYED PART OF SEVEN SEASONS WITH THE ISLANDERS, RECORDING EIGHTEEN POINTS IN AS MANY GAMES IN THE EIGHTY-ONE PLAYOFFS AND AN OVERTIME WINNER AGAINST QUEBEC IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-TWO.
HE IS ALSO CREDITED WITH THE CUP-WINNING GOAL IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-ONE.
NUMBER ELEVEN – WAYNE MERRICK.
THE ISLANDERS WERE STRUGGLING EARLY IN THE 1979-80 SEASON, SO ON NOVEMBER 30TH THE ISLANDERS BROUGHT THIS PLAYER UP FROM JUNIOR HOCKEY. IN HIS FIRST NHL GAME, HE SCORED TWO GOALS AND ADDED AN ASSIST. HE NEVER SAW THE FARM AGAIN.
A FOUR-TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION, HE FOUGHT SEVERAL TIMES WITH A FUTURE ISLANDER GENERAL MANAGER DURING THE 1980 PLAYOFFS…AND THEN SCORED THE TYING GOAL AND SET-UP THE WINNING GOAL THAT SENT THE BRUINS HOME.
HE LATER SCORED A KEY GOAL IN GAME SIX OF THE FINALS AGAINST
NUMBER TWELVE – DUANE SUTTER.
ONE OF THE FASTEST PLAYERS THE ISLANDERS EVER HAD, HE LED THE TEAM IN SCORING IN 1983 AS THE ISLANDERS WON THEIR FOURTH STRAIGHT
IN 1980 – HE SCORED THE OVERTIME GOAL TO WIN GAME TWO IN
NUMBER FOURTEEN – BOBBY BOURNE
A NINETEEN SEVENTY-EIGHT ISLANDER FIRST ROUND DRAFT CHOICE, HE PLAYED OVER ONE HUNDRED GAMES FOR THE ISLANDERS OVER PARTS OF THREE SEASONS. HE SCORED HIS FIRST N-H-L GOAL IN OCTOBER OF NINETEEN SEVENTY-NINE IN
THE ONLY PLAYER ON THIS CUP-WINNING TEAM TO ACHIEVE GREATER SUCCESS ON THE ICE AFTER LEAVING THE ISLANDERS, HE WAS TRADED TO
HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE
NUMBER SIXTEEN – STEVE TAMBELLINI.
A NINETEEN-SEVENTY-SIX ISLANDER FIRST ROUND DRAFT CHOICE, HE MADE HIS ISLANDER DEBUT THE NIGHT MIKE BOSSY BECAME THE FIRST NHL ROOKIE TO SCORE FIFTY GOALS IN A SEASON IN APRIL OF NINETEEN SEVENTY EIGHT.
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF APRIL THIRTEEN… NINETEEN EIGHTY, HE CELEBRATED THE FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF NEW YORK'S LAST STANLEY CUP … BY SCORING HIS ONLY TWO GOALS AS AN ISLANDER [REGULAR SEASON OR PLAYOFFS] AND ADDING AN ASSIST, ALL IN THE THIRD PERIOD, AS THE ISLANDERS ELIMINATED THE KINGS.
NUMBER SEVENTEEN – ALEX McKENDRY.
THE COLISEUM RAFTERS WERE NOT COMPLETE UNTIL HIS NUMBER WAS RAISED IN 2001.
HE IS THE ISLANDERS' ALL-TIME LEADER IN ASSISTS AND POINTS…THE 1976 CALDER TROPHY WINNER AND THE 1980
IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE 1980 PLAYOFFS, HE BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER IN NHL HISTORY TO RECORD TWO SHORTHANDED GOALS IN A SINGLE PERIOD AS HE RECORDED HIS FIRST PLAYOFF HAT TRICK. BY THE TIME THE PLAYOFFS WERE OVER, HE HAD RECORDED A LEAGUE –LEADING TWELVE GOALS AND TWENTY-NINE POINTS.
HE IS ONE OF ONLY EIGHT PLAYERS IN NHL HISTORY TO WIN MULTIPLE
NUMBER NINETEEN – BRYAN TROTTIER
THE ISLANDERS WERE 31-28-9 WHEN HE JOINED THE TEAM IN AN EARLY-MARCH TRADE THAT BECAME THE FINAL PIECE OF THE ISLANDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP PUZZLE.
FOLLOWING HIS ARRIVAL, THE ISLES FINISHED THE REGULAR SEASON WITH A TWELVE-GAME UNBEATEN STREAK.
HE SCORED THE TYING GOAL TO SET UP KEN MORROW'S HEROICS IN GAME 3 OF THE FIRST ROUND SERIES WITH LOS ANGELES …AND EARNED NINETEEN POINTS DURING THE NINETEEN-EIGHTY CUP RUN.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE WON THE
MANY FANS WILL REMEMBER HIM AS NUMBER NINETY-ONE, A REVERSAL OF THE DIGITS HE WORE IN
BUTCH GORING.
THE ISLANDERS' ALL-TIME LEADING GOAL SCORER… THE 1982
HE LED THE ISLANDERS WITH ELEVEN POINTS IN THE NINETEEN EIGHTY FINALS, INCLUDING A SHARE OF THE FINALS' RECORD WITH FOUR POWER PLAY GOALS.
SIXTH ON THE ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GOAL LIST…HE SCORED FIFTY-ONE OF THOSE IN A THREE-YEAR PERIOD. OF COURSE FIFTY WAS ALWAYS A SPECIAL NUMBER FOR HIM --HIS NINE CONSECUTIVE FIFTY-GOAL SEASONS ARE STILL AN N-H-L RECORD.
HE IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE LAST EIGHTY YEARS TO SCORE CUP-WINNING GOALS IN CONSECUTIVE SEASONS, WAS INDUCTED INTO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME IN NINETEEN NINETY-ONE AND HIS NUMBER FLIES HIGH IN THE RAFTERS HERE.
NUMBER TWENTY-TWO…MIKE BOSSY.
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PLAYERS TO EVER LACE ON AN ISLANDER UNIFORM… AND NOT JUST BECAUSE HE SCORED AT SEVEN-ELEVEN OF OVERTIME ON MAY 24TH.
HE PLAYED THIRTEEN SEASONS FOR THE ISLANDERS …AND DELIGHTED FANS WITH HIS HARD HITTING AND KNACK FOR BIG GOALS, INCLUDING FOUR PLAYOFF OVERTIME TALLIES, WHICH AT THE TIME OF HIS RETIREMENT WAS MORE THAN ANYONE OTHER THAN ROCKET RICHARD.
HIS CUP-WINNING TALLY WAS HIS SECOND OVERTIME GOAL OF 1980—HE ALSO BEAT
HE LATER SPENT SEVERAL SEASONS IN THE ISLANDER BROADCAST BOOTH AND STILL SERVES THE TEAM TODAY.
HIS UNFORM NUMBER HANGS HIGH ABOVE US… AND MOST PEOPLE REFER TO HIM SIMPLY AS MISTER ISLANDER… NUMBER TWENTY-THREE, BOB NYSTROM.
HE WAS A MID-SEASON ACQUISITION FROM THE
HE SCORED A GOAL IN THE VERY FIRST PLAYOFF GAME IN WHICH HE EVER APPEARED AND LED THE N-H-L WITH EIGHTY-FIVE PENALTY MINUTES IN NINETEEN-EIGHTY. THAT WAS ALSO A CLUB RECORD THAT STILL STANDS TODAY.
A STEADY, DEPEENDABLE DEFENSEMEN, HE WAS A PLUS-TWENTY-SIX IN ONLY FIFTY-ONE GAMES IN THE THIRD CUP SEASON AND IS ONE OF THE SIXTEEN ISLANDERS WITH FOUR STANLEY CUP RINGS…. NUMBER
IN THE EARLY NINETEEN EIGHTIES, THE BEST HITTER IN
HE PLAYED RIGHT HERE.
A MEMBER OF ALL FOUR ISLANDER CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS, HE DELIGHTED FANS AND TORMENTED OPPONENTS WITH HIS HARD-HITTING PLAY.
DRAFTED BY THE ISLES IN NINETEEN SEVENTY-FOUR, HE WAS ONE OF FOUR PLAYERS FROM THAT DRAFT TO PLAY ON THE CUP-WINNING TEAM.
A TRUE LEADER—HE SERVED AS THE INTERIM ISLANDER CAPTAIN IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-THREE.
NUMBER TWENTY-SIX, DAVE LANGEVIN.
TO UNDERSTAND HIS ISLANDER CAREER, YOU NEED TO REALIZE THAT IT WAS HIS PASS THAT LED TO BOB NYSTROM'S
IN FEBRUARY, HIS GOAL IN THE FINAL MINUTE GAVE THE ISLANDERS A FIFTEENTH STRAIGHT WIN AND IN APRIL, HIS GOALS IN GAME FIVE AGAINST PITTSBURGH TIED THE GAME LATE IN REGULATION AND THEN WON IT IN OVERTIME AS THE ISLANDERS WON THE NINTH OF THEIR NINETEEN CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF SERIES.
HE STILL SHARES THE ISLANDER CLUB RECORD WITH FIVE GOALS IN ONE GAME AND HOLDS CLUB RECORD FOR GOALS, ASSISTS AND POINTS IN ONE SEASON BY A LEFT WING.
NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN, JOHN TONELLI.
HE SUFFERED A SHOULDER INJURY IN THE FINAL REGULAR-SEASON GAME OF NINETY-EIGHTY AND DIDN'T GET TO MAKE HIS PLAYOFF DEBUT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING SPRING.
ALONG WITH STEFAN PERSSON, HE WAS THE FIRST EUROPEAN-TRAINED PLAYER TO HAVE HIS NAME INSCRIBED ON THE
AMONG HIS TWELVE CAREER PLAYOFF GOALS WERE FIVE SHORTHANDED TALLIES, AND AN OVERTIME WINNER AGAINST
HE IS NOW AN ISLANDER SCOUT IN
ARGUABLY THE GREATEST BIG-GAME GOALTENDER OF ALL-TIME, HE FINISHED HIS PLAYOFF CAREER WITH A RECORD OF 88 AND 36, INCLUDING A 57 AND 13 RECORD DURING THE ISLANDERS' FOUR CUP SEASONS. AT THE TIME OF HIS RETIREMENT, HIS 88 WINS WERE AN N-H-L RECORD.
EARLY IN THE FIRST CUP SEASON, HE BECAME THE FIRST GOALTENDER IN N-H-L HISTORY TO BE CREDITED WITH A GOAL.
HE WON THREE HUNDRED FOUR REGULAR SEASON GAMES FOR THE ISLANDERS, AND WAS INDUCTED TO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME IN NINETEEN NINETY-THREE—THE SAME YEAR HIS UNIFORM NUMBER WAS RAISED TO THE COLISEUM RAFTERS.
THE EIGHTY-THREE
THE LAST OF THE ORIGINAL ISLANDERS, HE LATER SERVED AS THE CLUB'S GOALTENDING COACH.
NUMBER THIRTY-ONE… BILLY SMITH.
HE WAS THE FIRST PICK IN THE NINETEEN SEVENTY-THREE NHL DRAFT, AND BY THE TIME HE RETIRED, HE HAD REWRITTEN THE N-H-L RECORD BOOK FOR DEFENSEMEN, BREAKING BOBBY ORR'S N-H-L SCORING RECORDS—JUST LIKE HE DID IN JUNIORS.
HE WAS NAMED CAPTAIN OF THE ISLANDERS IN OCTOBER NINETEEN-SEVENTY NINE, WAS THE FIRST PLAYER TO HAVE HIS UNIFORM NUMBER RETIRED BY THE TEAM AND WAS ELECTED TO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME IN NINETEEN-NINETY-ONE.
AMONG HIS CLUTCH GOALS IN NINETEEN EIGHTY WAS THE OVERTIME WINNER AGAINST
A THREE TIME NORRIS TROPHY WINNER, HE WAS THE CAPTAIN OF THE LAST SPORTS DYNASTY OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY --- NUMBER FIVE, DENIS POTVIN.
