Bits: Hamonic plays for Cup; Sharks ignore Bolland; 1980 look back
by Dominik on May 22, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
in Bits o' Islanders News
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Print"The guys we're concerned about are the players like (Patrick) Kane and Jonathan Toews," said Dany Heatley ... "I'm more concerned about the guys with a lot of offensive and defensive ability."
>>From the pre-Game 3 FanHouse story, "Thornton, Sharks Dismiss Antagonist Bolland"
Didn't you just know once you read those quotes, that Dave Bolland would feature prominently in Game 3? First there was his breakaway goal that could have been the winner with under 7 minutes left. Then there was his OT assist to set up Dustin Byfuglien and all but seal the series. Why, oh why, would you poke the bear? (Cheap aside: After watching the OT goal, you wonder whether Heatley's concerned with any guys out there...'cept himself of course.)
Meanwhile, another guy who had a goal and an assist last night: Islanders 2008 pick Travis Hamonic, as part of Brandon's 5-4 OT win over Calgary in the Memorial Cup semifinal. Hamonic and the Wheat Kings now get a chance to avenge that opening-game thumping Windsor handed them. If they do, they'll lift the Cup at home. (Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT, NHL Network in the U.S., Sportsnet in Canada)
Newsday [$5 please] runs a weekend package by Mark Herrmann on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Islanders' first Cup [sub. links, all of them]:
- A lengthy retrospective, with quotes from many of the guys who were in their early 20s on May 24, 1980. Lorne Henning confesses after making that back-pass before the OT winner: "Al Arbour said that he would have choked me if we hadn't scored."
- A bit from Bill Torrey, including how there were two sets of plans in the '90s -- one to renovate, one to build a whole new arena between the hotel and the Coliseum. Then ... "the team changed hands."
- Herrmann with quotes from Ken Morrow. Essentially, it was a long but great year for the Olympian and Cup winner.
- They also re-ran game stories from that day, including a joyous locker room, guys crying over getting over the hump, and Flyers -- mainly owner Ed Snider -- crying about the refs: "The officiating was absolutely disgusting. That was a good hockey team that beat us, but their first two goals were questionable. Denis Potvin had his stick too high when he scored and the Islanders were offside on their second goal."
And just because the NHL's "History Will Be Made" campaign ignores that fateful day, doesn't mean we have to. Once again, here's WebBard's clip of the Nystrom goal, properly treated as "History":
And another version, briefer and with a different tagline:
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30th Anniversary
As my sig indicates, a huge day for me as an 11 yr old. My two brothers and I had died so hard the previous two years with the Leafs and Ranger defeats. Just showed the goal to my 5 yr old son, already a die hard fan.
I have been to the mountain top, down thru the desert, and think we are headed back up that mountain. That is what being a sports fan is all about.
Love this
Just showed the goal to my 5 yr old son, already a die hard fan
And that is Parent of the Year material right there!
Lighthouse Hockey: Playing the NHL Lotto
And anyway
the NHL does show the end of the dynasty in a clip about Gretzky. You would think logically that it would occur to the idiots that Gretzky isn’t called great for beating nobodies.
I can't wait to see Hamonic play here
I look forward to seeing how much space Hamonic and Okposo create for Tavares. Hamonic brings an interesting mix of both toughness and offense and will be a guy other teams have to watch. Can shut you down and hurt you on the score board.
History Will Be Made
Great job on those clips. Especially the second one. You should send them both to the NHL. All they would have to do is air them. . . . Yea right, like that’s going to happen.
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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.
