Bridgeport and Prospect Roundup 4/17
by Mark D on Apr 17, 2011 8:36 AM EDT
in Islanders in Diapers
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PrintWith the end of the AHL season, it's time to take a look back at the season that was for Bridgeport. In one of the most surprising moves, Pat Bingham was fired after a tough season which could hardly be blamed on him. The team struggled with injuries to almost everyone and callups for some of their better and promising players. As much as we cringe when Dylan Reese is on the ice in the NHL, he does make a fine AHL player. Of an 80 game schedule, only 2 players, Robin Figren and Mark Wotton, played over 70 games this year. Last year they had 6 players play 70 games or more and 4 of them lead the team in points.
Rhett Rakhshani lead the team (and tied for the lead with rookies) in points.Keith did a really good job summing up his season right here if you haven't read it yet. This is going to be a run down of those remaining players who can still be considered prospects.
David Ullstrom 21 y/o 67 GP 17 G 24 A 41 Pts First Season in the AHL.
The rookie Swede had a good season, especially compared to his time in the SEL. In 3 seasons of play in the SEL he had 20 points in 73 games. The only long term issue might be his position, as he is a Center and the team appears to be stacked at the position for the immediate future.
Robin Figren 22 y/o 76 GP 14 G 16 A 30 Pts Second Full AHL Season
Figren quadrupled his point total over last season, but there are rumors he was upset about not getting a chance on the NHL level this year. As a free agent, it's believed he will be heading back to play in Sweden next season.
Justin DiBenedetto 22 y/o 55 GP 19 G 11 A 30 Pts Second Full AHL Season
DiBo doubled his points total from last season in the AHL and really came on fire towards the end of the year. He also had a short stint in the NHL in which he seemed to take on the Jon Sim pest role.
Mark Katic 21 y/o 63 GP 4 G 26 A 30 Pts Second Full AHL Season
Katic last season was believed to be first on the depth chart to be called to the NHL.A timely injury led to Andrew MacDonald being called up. This season a timely injury to Katic (among others) cause the early callup of Travis Hamonic. Katic eventually got his chance and played well in a handful of NHL games down the stretch. Never count out the Islanders need for a lot of defenseman.
Tony Romano 22 y/o 67 GP 7 G 12 A 19 Pts First Full AHL Season
The former 6th rounder was acquired from the Devils for Ben Walter. Another Center, a position in which the Islanders are deep, Romano is a best a bridge the gap player till some of the younger players make it to Bridgeport.
Dustin Kohn 23 y/o 45 GP 2 G 13 A 15 Pts Fourth Full AHL Season
A relatively steady defensive defenseman, Kohn has had an injury just about every AHL season. It's most likely the end of the line for Kohn, who was unable to crack the NHL roster despite the Islanders using just about anyone on the blue line.
Tyler McNeely 23 y/o 10 GP 5 G 6 A 11 Pts First AHL Season
Although McNeely isn't signed to an NHL contract, but his 10 game stint (the limit to an AHL tryout contract) was the best 10 game point total other then Josh Bailey. A 5 year player for Northeastern, he was nearly a point per game player during 3 of those seasons. It will be interesting to see if he's brought back
Tomas Marcinko 22 y/o 66 GP 4 G 7 A 11 Pts Third AHL Season
That was the same exact total he had in his first AHL season, except he was only a -3 that season. This year he finished -20. Marcinko is a Free Agent and it'll be interesting to see if they bring him back.
Ty Wishart 22 y/o 51 GP (20 for BP) 4 G 23 A 27 Pts Third AHL Season
Wishart split 40 games this season between BP and Long Island after being acquired from Tampa Bay. He was steady on both levels, improving in the AHL as the season went on. If he doesn't start next season on the Islanders, he will probably be one of the first people called up.
Anton Klemetyev 20 y/o 51 GP 2 G 7 A 9 Pts Second AHL Season
Klementyev played the most professional games of his short career so far this year. From all accounts he was having a strong season after being thrown to the fire due to injuries. Unfortunately his season ended early due to an injury. It looks like he might have a promising future.
Mikko Koskinen 22 y/o 36 GP 3.49 GAA .892 SV% 12-21-1 First AHL Season
Mikko struggled, returning from his hip injury last year, suffering behind a questionable defense and other injuries that popped up during the season. With the influx of new defenseman next year and another offseason of healing it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back. Anders Nilsson is waiting in the wings after a strong finish to his season and strong playoffs.
Kevin Poulin 20 y/o 15 GP 2.19 GAA .932 SV% 10-5-0 First AHL Season
Following his promising career in the QMJHL, Poulin was quite impressive during his stay in the AHL. In his last game in the AHL during BP's horrible losing streak he almost willed them to a win. He had 45 saves on 48 shots while BP managed 19 shots on goal all game. They lost 3-2 but it was hardly his fault. Let's just hope he bounces back from his kneecap injury.
OHL
Well it's the end of the line for Oshawa, Calvin De Haan and Tony Dehart. After splitting the first two games with Niagra, they dropped the following three games. In game 3 they lost 5-3 (EN), De Haan had an assist but was a -3 on the night while Dehart had no points and was a -1. In game 4 they lost 6-1 De Haan had no points and was even while Dehart had an assist and was a +1. In Game 5 they lost 7-3 with the game pretty much decided by a 5 goal first from Niagra. Dehart had no points and was a -2, De Haan had 2 assists and was even on the night. De Haan finished the playoffs with 1 goal, 11 assists for 12 points and a +3 in 10 games, Dehart finished with 2 goals, 10 assists for 12 points and a +4 in 10 games.
After splitting the first two games with Montreal, Lewiston had 3 games this week. In game 3 Lewiston won 2-1, with Kirill Kabanov having assists on both goals.In game 4 Lewiston won 4-1 with Kirill Kabanov getting two goals (the game winner and insurance goal) and being named first star of the night. In game 5 Lewiston lost 5-4 with Kabanov notching 2 goals and an assist. In 10 games Kabanov has 5 goals, 9 assists for 14 points and a +6. He has already gotten to half the amount of his point total from the regular season.
Portland dropped their first game to Kelowna last week. In game 2 Portland came to life, firing 52 shots on net and winning 6-2. Nino Neiderreiter had an assist and was +2 on the night. Portland won game 3 5-4, with Nino being named second star for a 2 goal performance. Portland won game 4 4-2 with Nino adding 3 assists and being named first star of the night. Portland lost game 5 2-1 despite throwing 55 shots on net. Nino scored the lone goal for Portland. In 9 games Nino has 7 Goals 11 Assists for 18 points in 9 games.
Mississauga had the Captain back in the lineup for their second round series with Sudbury. In game 1 Casey Cizikas broke off the rust with a goal and an assist in an 8-5 Mississauga win and third star performance. Casey was quiet in game 2 as Miss. won 4-3. In game 3 Cizikas had an assist as Miss. won 6-3. In the deciding game 4 Cizikas had a goal and an assist with under 5 minutes to go in the 3rd to help Miss. force OT and eventually win 4-3. Cizikas was named second star of the night.
As of right now, we'll be doing The Flashlight at 2PM EST. I'll post a fanshot link beforehand.
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great work as always webbie
aside from nino,do we have any real blue chippers? top 6/top pair?
by Lakewood Islander on Apr 17, 2011 10:47 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
You never know till they get there
But it looks promising for a lot of guys
De Haan,Anders Lee I’m high on, Brock Nelson played almost the whole season on the top ranked team in the nation despite being a true freshman, Kabanov’s sudden explosion in the playoffs, the team is high on Petrov they said last season he could have made the roster for the season, there’s something I like about Dehart too.
It’s tough to answer really. But I think if you look at the last two drafts, the only real question marks right now are Clark (who was a true freshmen at Wisconsin) , Mikko (injuries) Klementyev (injury) and Rosen (not playing). Not to say everyone out of those two drafts is going to hit, but stuff like Cizikas’ play at the World Juniors championships should show he is a well rounded player outside of his scoring.
"had to take a Campbell and wipe my Bettman" Skeeterman
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Is Kabanov eligible to play in BPT next year?
Sorry, I always get confused with the CHL players after they’re drafted.
they aren’t eligible until they are 20, unless it’s an amateur tryout.
"had to take a Campbell and wipe my Bettman" Skeeterman
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Thank you.
So Kabanov will very likely be back with Lewiston next year. His only other option would be the NHL.
by nyislanders93 on Apr 17, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Great Job WebBard!!
Hopefully Krazy Kabanov and Emperor Nino can keep it going tonight and vault their respective teams into the next round.
I can picture Garth sitting in a big chair with a pit bull on his lap … with a dozen or so monitors infront of him watching his draftees’ highlights for the year… and saying outloud to himself…. “My master plan is almost complete” … then following that up with a maniacal laugh that would send chills up the spine of any Hockey God fearing fan.
Not to get ahead of myself … but with some prospects that haven’t even played a full season of pro yet … There is still plenty of talent “green” on the vine that have some good development years ahead of them…. and that is even before this draft.
What kind of competition are we going to have to make the Islanders via Bridgeport and Junior ranks over the next couple of years with players like:
Nino
Lee
Kabanov (keep it up ya crazy bastid)
Petrov (still hoping)
Gregorie
de Hann
de Hart
Donovan
Nelson (still has lots of time)
Nilsson (Pro in SEL)
Cizikas
Ness (Yes … even Aaron)
That’s at least 2 deep at every forward position, 4 defensemen and a goaltender… All prospects still with some promise.
I’m actually intruiged about Aaron Ness … a Speedy top skilled defenseman. Could he be a late blooming speedster like Grabner? I’ve heard Ness compared with Rafalski numerous times (unfair comparison) … Ness needs to pile on like 15 – 20 pounds and not lose speed. Tall order but I think he’s the one guy out of the group above that needs to show massive progress at Bridgeport next season.
Of course with all these prospects … Key word here … Prospects … There are still question marks and at the least a few more years of development before we know what we have in them … That includes El Nino.
Look forward to seeing how this year’s draft turns out … because it should be (better be) … the last in the top 10 selections … Then Garth will have to rely on re-stocking via some real good scouting over the course of the playoff years. I wish for that problem.
by 19 Isle in NJ 22 on Apr 17, 2011 12:39 PM EDT reply actions
Not That Deep at Center
I know we have Tavares, Neilsen and Bailey at the NHL level, but I don’t consider the Islanders all that deep at center. Bailey still hasn’t shown enough to nail down a center spot if this were a playoff team, and the fourth line role is open, short term is Z doesn’t come back, and longer term even if he does. The only other high end center prospect is Nelson and he’s a long way off. This is why I won’t mind if Couture slips to 5 because the Isles could really use a BIG center with skill to take on Arnott, Richards, Prust, Eric Staal, Malkin, etc. type guys.
Centers are:
Anders Lee
Brock Nelson
Casey Cizikas
David Ullstrom
Jason Clark
Corey Trivino
Justin DiBenedetto
Tomas Marcinko
David Toews
Tony Romano
Brock is 2-3 years away
Anders Lee is 2-3 years away
Cizikas can play in BP next year
Jason Clark is 2-3 years away
Corey Trivino has 1 year
Toews will play in BP next year
So at the very least your going to have Toews, Cizikas joining Ullstrom, Dibo, Marcinko and Romano. Along with the possibility the Isles might sign someone.
The Centers are going to be thick very soon in BP, with at least Frans and JT having nailed down their spot, and Snow isn;t going to give up on Bailey easily.
"had to take a Campbell and wipe my Bettman" Skeeterman
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Lot of Suspects on That List
Nelson is impressive long term, and Cizikas looks like a guy who can be an agitator, PK center who might also be able to put up some points. Lee, however, I thought played the wing most of the time. The rest of the list ranges from “no shot” to “long shot” to depth player. My point was that if Best Player Available at the draft is a center, I take him.
Lee
is listed as a Center at multiple places including his ND Bio, but if he’s playing the wing then my mistake.
"had to take a Campbell and wipe my Bettman" Skeeterman
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Yeah, Lee played wing most of (if not all of) this season, from what I watched and read.
Ullstrom has some history at both center and wing. I tend to see center depth as better and more flexible than, say, depth/surplus on a particular wing.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
saw Bport twice this year
Ullstrom really stood out for me as the best prospect.
Not according to BPT "guru" Cary K...
… he saw “nothing”.
I haen’t seen him play since the WJC, but I’d lean towards your assessment given his experience, production and the fact that he was tasked with a new position.
I think we’ll see some Ullstrom in the NHL next year… probably <10 games to fill in for injury or poor play.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
I'd like to see him too.
He’s the same age as Bailey. I wonder if we could squeak the same production out of him. Frans had similar numbers in his BPT time???
And honestly, we have a need, a need, for Swede. (And umulauts)
"Gervais...he looks danger in the fist with his face!" JPinVA
Website: Lighthousehockey.com Twitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Apr 18, 2011 10:39 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Not that I want to see...
Bailey being punished for being rushed, but he might be a “healthy scratch” option. This is definitley one of the negatives in not spending money on a journeyman center in Bailey’s irst two years to keep him in Juniors and the AHL. Now he has his 160 games in and the team has limitied options with him. They aren’t going to throw him away by exposing him to waivers because the kid definitley has upside, but you can’t let him float (not due to effort) for too long either.
I think the off season and confidence that he will be in a productive situation (with Blake and Nino) will make this year his bust out year. He was exceptional on the PK at the end of the year and that also should be a point to grow from.
The only negative I see with Ullstrom at this point is I’d have to change my keyboard settings.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
Great stuff Webby
Looking forward to “the flashlight”.
I’m guessing that deHaan and dehart both sign pretty soon and the sound kittens have a wealth of “D” and “C” prospects to manipulate throughout the year. Something they did not have going into last season.
Something else that kind of depth brings, and what might be a necessity going forward, are chips to deal with the present. A prospect here, a draft choice there and some cap space relief and the Isles could have a very fruitful off-season.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
Reese
I don’t agree with your view of Reese. Did you watch the last six games? The kid can play. Moves the puck, creates, and makes all the right plays. He isn’t physical but he doesn’t get pushed around in the D zone. He continues to improve. He was one of our best D’s down the stretch. He is not a top 3 D. But he certainly can play the 5th or 6th quite well. Like all the D whether it’s Wyshart, Katic, Hillen, Jurcina and etc who you play with can make a huge difference. I just don’t see why you are so negative on Reese.
did you watch the first 21 games?
yes he out together some pretty decent games but he also put together some fairly good games last season and was horrid for the vast majority of this season
Even if he continues his late season play, there are at least 8 defensemen id rank above him on the depth chart, and id really rather not rely on Reese as a bottom pairing defensemen because when hes bad, HES BAD.
"Mario Lemiuex… I used to respect you."- Turgeon1992
reese
i saw most of them. i saw one horrid game and a couple of poor ones and a lot of good ones but few great ones. but quite frankly i saw that out of most of the D. also, he played so many games earlier with little ice time. Little ice time always exaggerates negative play. the last 6 games because of the isles situation he was getting lots of minutes. lots of minutes on the other hand has the opposite impact of exaggerating positive play. Reese keeps on improving and D take time. He hasn’t had many NHL games. On the other hand he is 26 and took him a while to get to the NHL. He seems like a kid who works hard and will only continue to improve. at the worst he is a great guy to have around.
by Dexter Stotz on Apr 18, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Well i do think hes not a bad depth guy
Id just dont want to see him as a regular on an NHL roster
Thats the luxury of depth, when you can have guys who could make an NHL roster in the AHL
"Mario Lemiuex… I used to respect you."- Turgeon1992
I agree...
but the last 6 or so games did not push him into the top 10 (IMHO).
One thing he has going for him is that he’s RH. But here are my top ten…
Streit
Marty (so he could move up a spot on the RH depth chart if Marty is no resigned)
MacDonald
Hamonic
Eaton
Hillen
Jurcina
Mottau
Wishart
Katic
- Reese is here because he has shown SOME NHL ability.
deHaan (huge investment, but would need to show some professional productivity first.
Kohn… who seemed to be okay at the NHL level, but the Isles may be ready to move on…
Klementyev who is growing into his AHL role, and may be something worth a look in the next two years.
Dehart… he should be an improvement over BPT 2010-11 bottom 5-8 options
And we can’t forget Ness, Dorrnbosch, Campanale
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
Dornbosch/Campanale
Are these guys going to be prospects? I was under the impression they were signed to just one game tryouts and weren’t necessarily going to be signed to the Bridge.
Reese
Reese is currently better than Wishart. He creates a lot more and in the last six games showed that he can be very impactful. An NHL D eventually has to get “over the top” to make it. I think Reese has “gotten over the top”. Wishart has seen very little time. I reserve judgement.
Mottau is uncertain. He has been hurt a ton. And is old. I have no idea of what he can offer. He certainly wasn’t very impressive last year.
Katic has potential. At this point and probably next year he can’t make the impact Reese can. But over the long run he could be special. He is only 21.
With that list I see Reese as an 8 and no more than a 9.
I doubt DeHaan and all the new guys twill make an impact unless they urn out to be a Hamonic (which I doubt). You will only see them if the Islanders struggle again next year.
highly disagree with him being better than wishart
Wishart Has a significantly better Corsi and Plus/minus
And theres a reason He was put on the top pairing with Hamonic when Macdonald went down
Towards the end of the season wishart was very reliable on both the PP and PK, Reese had spurts of decent passing and thats about it
Coupled with the fact that Wishart is years younger than Reese, i really dont think hes past him on the depth chart
"Mario Lemiuex… I used to respect you."- Turgeon1992
What gives you the impression Reese "creates more" than Wishart?
(Serious question, not trolling.)
Their AHL and NHL counting numbers were quite similar this year. Wishart was used in more serious situations in the NHL and came out looking better. Admittedly maybe Wishart benefited from better partners while Reese had…Bruno, on his off-side.
I think Reese’s offensive qualities are there, always have been, but the big question is his defense. So far Wishart has shown me more on that front,
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
reese/wishart
Wishart has not still played many games. He is very controlled and makes the simple plays very well. He also has a really good stick. He uses his reach well but you don’t get much of the physical stuff form his size. He has slow feel and and can be exposed in small areas. In the beginning of his callup, he had a tendency to be in the wrong position. He has a nice shot which gets to the net when he has time. He did get better with his positioning as time went on. He is a #1 draft pick and so is going to get the opportunity. I think the best you are going to see with Wishart is a steady Def D with an ability to create D only when set up in the zone. But he is safe.
Reese has played more games than Wishart but still not many. He has gone through his ups and downs which young playing D will experience. As for his D, I think Reese’s D is under estimated. He is smart and makes the right reads and is very active. He makes his biggest mistakes by trying to do too much. It appeared in the last call up he learned this lesson and simplified his D game and was willing to do the standard “get the puck out of the zone” instead of trying to make the perfect play. and it showed. He gets into trouble when he tries to do too much and he is exposed. If he hasn’t learned this lesson then i agree with you. He is not big and does not play big but at the same time doesn’t get pushed around in his zone (as opposed to Hillen). He really brought a lot more offense which comes with confidence. He joins the rush and created a ton of offense. The beginning of this year he spent most of his time with Gervais. Both were rightieis and the pairing just was not good for either. I think Reese’s upside is greater than WIshart and he will continue to grow. Wishart is safer but because of some physical limitations will have a smaller upside. But Wishart is younger which gives him some edge there.
upon reflection, i can go either way. I think both are good to have around and offer a different set of skills and both can fill in well in the 5th/6th positions.
by Dexter Stotz on Apr 19, 2011 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions
Figren
I was surprised to read the rumor that he was upset he wasn’t given a chance with the islanders this year. OK, assuming this is true, what reason would he have to be upset? What did he do to warrent a call-up to the NHL? Rakhshani, Ullstrom and Dibennedetto all deserved a call-up before Figren. Figren had modest point totals this year but it’s still not jaw-dropping production and he has been a pretty pedestrian producer at most levels prior to this season. I have absolutely nothing against him, wish for him only the best and 30 points in the AHL is impressive anyway you slice it and puts him in that 1% of 1% of the hockey players. To have gotten this far he must be a great player. But come on, when you score 30 points in 70 games in the AHL (and don’t bring other intangibles like defense, hitting, fighting, great faceoff guy etc.) than don’t whine about not being called up to the bigs. Come one now, Rakhshani lead the team in scoring and only got a one day call-up. Ullstrom outscored Figren by a wide margin while bringing some of those intangibles listed above and didn’t get a call. I understand it must be frustrating to toil in the AHL go from one city to another etc. But if you are not tearing up the league or offering a skill missing from the big club than just keep your head down and work harder. Jeez, you don’t hear me bitching I didn’t get the call from Garth this year. I thought I could of been a good fill-in enforcer when Gillies, Haley and Martin got suspended
Let's hope next year
He’s not Robin ice time from anybody. He’s Ben at BPT a while now and has been on the 4th line a lot of that time. This is the best season he’s had. I don’t hold out hope for him, and I’m sure if they have options, he’ll be gone. Guy gets hot at the WJCs and thinks he’s Gordie Howe. When Jeff Tambellini, mike Iggulden, Jeremy Colliton, Trevor Smith, Micheal Haley and a host of rookies and 2nd year guys see NHL ice before Figren does, it’s a wrap.
"Gervais...he looks danger in the fist with his face!" JPinVA
Website: Lighthousehockey.com Twitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Apr 19, 2011 6:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Robin ice time, Ben at BPT
I don’t know if those are bad puns or auto-text fill-ins, but either way I love ’em.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Robin ice time on purpose
Ben at Bridgeport is a typo, but I’m gonna love ‘Ben’ as a recurring “where’s Waldo” type character next year.
"Gervais...he looks danger in the fist with his face!" JPinVA
Website: Lighthousehockey.com Twitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on Apr 20, 2011 1:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Is autotext that smart?
The Machine said, “Hey, he did that Robin thing, Mabeline we can help him out with Mo of the Sam.”
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
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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.
