Islanders News: "You'll never find a better man, or a better coach, for that matter"

No additional hockey links today. Instead, here's a weekend's worth of reading about Al Arbour and his incredible life and legacy.

At LHH

• Please add your condolences and memories to our original "Goodbye, Radar" thread.
• Arbour will always link to the past, present and future through fans that watched his teams.
• A compilation of tweets from Don Cherry about his old Rochester Americans teammate.

Around the Hockey World

• The Islanders' official statement includes words from Garth Snow about Arbour's impact on the current team, "Al is one of the reasons the New York Islanders are a historic franchise."
• The team also talked to Denis Potvin, Bill Torrey and Jiggs McDonald about their friend.
• NHL.com ran a package of Arbour tributes: The coach's story | Career timeline | Those that played with and for "Radar" talk about his influence.
• Newsday on Arbour's passing, and Mark Herrmann on "those ever-present eyeglasses, is as much a symbol of the franchise as the logo."
• NEW: At his personal blog, Newsday's John Jeansonne on Arbour as the human version of Nassau Coliseum, "Arbour's style and the team's Nassau Coliseum digs were analogous: Humble efficiency."
• Stan Fischler remembers the man behind the coach in a hilarious and sweet memorial featuring Chico Resch in The Hockey News. Everything in this is gold: "[Al] bolted for his car and drove home only to realize as he reached the driveway that something was missing. His wife."
• Brett Cyrgalis in the NY Post: "Al Arbour meant a lot to hockey, but he meant a lot more to the men he groomed over half a century in the game."
• Mike Lupica doesn't stoop to covering the Islanders often, but for Arbour, Lupica weaves a gem about Arbour's place in the New York pantheon: "He was defense and class and he always told his players the same thing: 'We're only happy around here when we win.'" [LHH FanPost here]
• The NY Times brings details and great old pictures, "He spent long hours examining videotapes of games and compiling detailed scouting reports when few other coaches were doing it."
• Panthers connections Torrey and Potvin also talk to the Sun-Sentinel about Arbour.
• For Sportsnet, Damien Cox on Arbour as a humble mentor.
• ESPN has Arbour's unbelievable numbers and a treasure trove of great photos.
• Assorted Islanders facts from Eric Hornick's Skinny blog.
• Tom from Islanders Insight on legendary Arbour moments.
• Sports Illustrated posted a classic article from 1972 on Arbour becoming the baby Islanders' "general."
• Even opponents paid their respects, such as this statement from Ed Snider and Ron Hextall of the Flyers.
• At Hockey Buzz, ref Paul Stewart says farewell to a friend and man he respected.

Video and More

• Hornick also tweeted Arbour's Hall of Fame induction speech in 1996. [Warning: Fisherman logo ahoy]
• In 2011, Arbour reflected on his Islanders with Chris Botta in a video posted at Islanders Point Blank.
• Newsday video captures Pat LaFontaine and Clark Gillies discussing the affect of Arbour on their careers.
• Brent Sutter talks to Sportsnet Radio about what Arbour taught the future coach.
• The great Howie Rose spoke at length about Arbour's New York legacy and the respect he showed media members during last night's Mets-Red Sox game on WOR710. (Warning: Contains some baseball-like content)

Wearable Tribute

• Custom pin designer Otto Art has crafted beautiful lapel pins featuring the glasses and a pair of orange and blue roses. You can order them now. All the money goes directly to the Arbour family.