Parise

Isles fans have such fond memories of Mike Milbury passing on Zach Parise in the 2003 Entry Draft to select Robert Nilsson.  (To be fair the Rangers had a shot too, and they selected Hugh Jessiman, who was even worse.)

Said Milbury early in the 2005-06 season (in a NY Times story by Jason Diamos), as both players were debuting in the NHL:  "''It was a controversial pick,'' Milbury acknowledged recently regarding his selection of Nilsson. ''A lot of people were saying we should have picked Parise. But Nilsson's upside is so substantial, we thought it was worth the risk.'' 

Even Parise was surprised at the time: "''We thought for sure that I would be going to the Islanders, and we were expecting it,'' the younger Parise said. ''But that's not the way it worked out. And I think it worked out a little better for me. There's no question.''

So, fast forward to spring, 2012.  Parise's Devils and the Rangers are in the Conference Finals with one guaranteed a chance at the Stanley Cup Final.

What could be worse from an Islander fan perspective? Oh, this. 
http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/arthur-staple/is-devils-parise-in-rangers-future-1.3724873

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick