Greetings and Thanks
by Dominik on Dec 25, 2009 7:00 AM EST
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PrintWhen I think of "what I want for Christmas" in an Islanders hockey sense, this picture sums it up fairly well:
A style of blue that says "Islanders" to me, and resonates right to my core. A promising star, some surprising newcomers, and some ole vets just trying to help them along the way. Oh, and Coliseum fans leaping to their feet at the sight of a goal and the sound of a horn (whatever song they choose to play along with it, for me it's secondary to that moment when thousands of fans collectively recognize the puck's over the line and begin their roar).
I'm grateful for hockey -- to play, to watch, to pass appreciation on to the next generation. I'm grateful to you all: Whether you're an everyday commenter, a lurking Islanders fan, a blogger who has helped me along the way (or tech support who ensures all I have to do is throw some words up here on a regular basis), or just a fan of another team who checks in on this place for the fun and levity and mutual appreciation of this kick-ass thing we call hockey.
I'm a lucky guy in a thousand ways. One of 'em: I have tons of family that I will actually be happy to be around for the next week, so I don't need an online escape today. But if you're not so lucky, or if you're just checking in while waiting for the oven to warm, or doing who knows what, let me just say again: Thanks. You make doing this fun and worthwhile. Whatever your faith or secular rituals, have a great holiday. Let's Go Islanders.
Now go spike that egg nog.
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Merry Christmas
Be safe, and try to stay warm.
SHOOOOOOOT!!!! Anon
by burpchelischili on Dec 25, 2009 7:03 AM EST reply actions
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
