New York Islanders Top Ten All-Stars in History
The NHL All-Star Game is this Sunday in Los Angeles. In honor of the NHL’s yearly celebration of its top talent, Eyes on Isles put together the top ten New York Islanders to grace the NHL’s marquee event.
The New York Islanders sole representative at the NHL All-Star Game is John Tavares. It’s going to be his fourth time at the NHL’s event. It’s not a team record or anything, Denis Potvin went eight times Bryan Trottier went seven, but it’s certainly a far cry from the five Islanders that made it in 1978.
Yes, the game has changed since 1978. No longer are the conferences call Campbell or Wales. No longer are the games absolutely dominated by Canadiens. Sure, there are still more Canadians than any other nationality at this year’s game, but in ’78 only Borje Salming, Roland Erikson (both Swedes) and Reed Larson (American) were born outside of the Great White North.
Thinking back to those days, who were some of the greatest Islanders All-Stars? Obviously, the likes of Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier make the list.
But what about Yashin? Or Zigmund Palffy? Or even, Mariusz Czerkawksi? Yeah, that last guy represented the Islanders at the All-Star game in 2000. Back when the game was North American against the World and when Polish players were rare.
…who am I kidding they still are. There are currently no native Polish players in the league.
So who’s your all-time favorite Islanders All-Star? Here are our top ten.
Dennis Potvin
One of the most quintessential captains, Dennis Potvin gets the nod in our top New York Islanders All-Stars of all-time. You can see his number five jersey hanging from the rafters of the Barclays Center today and for good reason.
Potvin took over as captain of the Islanders before the 1979-1980 season, which would be a memorable season as the Islanders went on to win their first Stanley Cup. He remained captain through the 1986-1987 season, so as most of us already know he was the captain on each of the four cup winning teams the Islanders had.
Potvin’s an Islanders legend, and rightfully so. He headed to the All-Star game nine times during his Islanders career.
He made it every year from 1974-1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1988. His best year was probably from the 1978-1979 season. He netted 31 goals and had 70 assists to boot for a career high in points with 101.
That was the only year of his career that he eclipsed the 100 point total on the season. The funny thing is he only played in 73 games that year! Just imagine how much better his stats could’ve been if he played in every game.
Potvin was a special player; it was shown that he was going to be something special when he won the Calder in his rookie year of 1973-1974. Potvin had an illustrious fifteen-year career with the Islanders.
Jan 19, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) reacts after scoring a short handed goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
John Tavares
Tavares, although still young at just 26 years old deserves to be on this list. He’s headed to his third All-Star game this year after turning his 2016-2017 season around of late. He’s got 19 goals at the All-Star break which puts him on pace for 33 goals.
Last year JT netted 33 goals as well. It’s somewhat surprising that this is only his third All-Star game, but that’s always been the narrative with John Tavares. He’s been overlooked nationally because the Isles are a smaller market team.
As much as we complain about it as Islander fans, we secretly kind of love it too because he’s our national treasure and naively he’s overlooked time and time again.
John Tavares is the most important player the Islanders have had this millennium and that’s a fact. Last spring he carried the team on his back to the second round of the playoffs.
This one is more about potential than overall accomplishment. Tavares is in the middle of his career and maybe, just maybe he can become a legend like the rest of these guys and have his number hang from the rafters.
As much as fans of the other New York team and other ignorant fans around the league may look down on the Islanders for their struggles over the last 25 years the fact of the matter remains the Isles have had some special players on their teams. It’s almost scary that Tavares is borderline a Top 10 Islanders All-Star because he’s only had the opportunity to go three times.
Pat LaFontaine
Pat LaFontaine is another one who was a special player. In his eight-year career with the Islanders, he’d make four All-Star games. He made one more later in his career with the Sabres, but as an Islanders site, we will be focusing on the first eight years of his career.
His best year with the Islanders came in the 1989-1990 year. He put up 54 goals and 51 assists for 105 points which would be his highest point total as an Islander. Just a few years later he’d put up 148 points with Buffalo which is a huge number.
566 career points with the Islanders in eight years is an impressive number. Unfortunately for him he was breaking into the league right as the Islanders dynasty was closing. Sure in his first two years he played in the Stanley Cup final, but he isn’t really looked at as a member of those dynasties.
His impact came after that, in the later part of the decade, when the Isles were still good but not quite at the level of dynasties past.
His game winner in the 4th overtime period of the Easter Epic will be what Islander fans remember him for the most. I luckily wasn’t alive when this happened. I say luckily because I could barely handle the double overtime games last year I can’t even begin to wrap my head around trying to stomach a game that needs four overtime periods.
Mike Bossy
In a 10 year career, Mike Bossy made the All-Star game seven times. It’s hard to think of a more deserving player than Mike Bossy. There’s a reason why his number 22 is hanging from the rafters.
He was an offensive machine…like scary good. He scored 50+ goals every year of his career except for his final year in blue and orange. He had a “down year” with 38 goals. It’s hard to say a 75 point season is a down year but for Bossy it was.
The sad part about Bossy is he only played until 30 years old. Certainly, his numbers are still beyond impressive 573 career goals. It just makes you think what if he was able to play another six years or so.
Even if he averaged 40 goals for six more years he would’ve had 813 goals which would bump him from 21st all-time to second right behind Wayne Gretzky.
He was that good of a player, so it’s sad to see that his career was cut short. In the 1980-1981 season, Bossy did something that only one other player had done previously. He scored 50 goals in 50 games.
In addition to the statistical accomplishments as a player, Bossy was a four-time Stanley cup champion. Which I’m sure if you asked him that’d be his favorite accomplishment.
Bob Nystrom
Bob Nystrom played 900 career games all with the New York Islanders. You can also see his number hanging up when you visit the Barclays Center. Nystrom’s lone All-Star appearance came in the 1976-1977 season.
In that year he scored 29 goals and had 27 assists for 56 points. He wasn’t a prolific scorer like Bossy but he was still a vital part to the Islanders championship runs.
Here’s his most important goal as an Islander and arguably the most important goal in the history of the Islanders
On May 24th 1980 this Bob Nystrom goal gave the Islanders their first Stanley Cup in their history. His goal total might not be something that jumps of the chart at you but he certainly had the clutch gene as he ended four playoff games with overtime winners in his career.
Nystrom embraced the community of Long Island which is why the fans loved him so much. He even was nicknamed “Mr. Islander”.
Jan 16, 2015; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders former player Bryan Trottier is honored before a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Bryan Trottier
Bryan Trottier played 15 seasons for the New York Islanders before leaving for the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent back in 1991.
In those 15 seasons, Trottier played 1123 games for the Blue and Orange and amassed 1353 points. He appeared in the All-Star game seven different times. He won the Calder (75-76), the Clancy (88-89), the Hart (78-79), the Art Ross (78-79), and the Conn Smythe (79-80). Clearly deserving the Hall of Fame honors he received back in 1997.
Some will remember him for offensive prowess on the ice, while others might remember him as being the guy that gave the double bird (look it up).
Trottier did it all and seemingly won it all, including another two cups as part of the Mario Lemieux/Jaromir Jagr led Pittsburgh Penguins of the 90’s.
Clark Gillies
The almost Edmonton Oiler, who drafted him in the WHA the same year the Islanders did, was the “he does it all” type of player for the Islanders. He could score
He could score goals, which he scored 319 over his 14 year NHL career. He could set up plays and get assists, for which he notched 378 between the Islanders and the Sabres. But what Gillies is best known for is his toughness.
In a 958 NHL game career, Gillies accumulated 1023 penalty minutes. Become the Islanders physical presence on the ice and making room for players like Mike Bossy or Bryan Trottier to do what they do best.
Gillies appeared in just a single All-Star game. It was the 1978 NHL All-Star game in Buffalo, where Gillies and a whopping four other New York Islanders teammates (Potvin, Smith, Bossy, and Trottier).
That year was one of Gillies’ more productive one, putting up 85 points to help the Islanders win the Patrick Division, but lose to the in the quarter round against the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.
Pierre Turgeon
The wonder from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec spent just four seasons with the Islanders and went to the All-Star game as an Islander for two of those seasons.
It wasn’t the perfect script to start a career in a new market. After a dip in productivity, he came to the Isles by way of trade. Having the Islanders give up All-Star forward and still-to-this-day-fan-favorite Pat LaFontaine to the Buffalo Sabres (amongst other players going to and from the two teams).
His impact was immediate for the Islanders. Turgeon represented the Islanders in the ’93 and ’94 All-Star Games. In those two seasons, Turgeon put up 226 points and helped the Islanders advance to the conference finals in ’93. Losing to the Montreal Canadiens.
Since losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup Finals back in 1985, Pierre Turgeon’s Islanders would be the ones to come the closest to getting that fabled fifth Stanley Cup.
Turgeon was the last true All-Star before the Tavares years. Both bookend a dark period of Scott Lachance, Mariusz Czerkawski, and Adrian Aucoin’s sent to the yearly festivity to represent the Blue and Orange.
Billy Smith
Every Stanley Cup Champion has to have an All-Star goalie. The Habs and the Avalanche had Patrick Roy, the New Jersey Devils had Martin Brodeur, and the New York Islanders had Billy Smith.
Billy Smith won 305 of his 680 game NHL career. He won four Stanley Cups and won an impressive 88 of 132 playoff games. Like the highlight video below from Smiths number retirement, the bigger the game the better he got.
Don’t let the polished and upbeat video deceive you. Smith wasn’t exactly the epitome of gentlemanly competitive spirit. Just ask Wayne Gretzky.
The great one was famously at the receiving end of a Billy Smith “How-do-you-do?” stick swing. Look it up on YouTube, it’s worth a watch. Smith blatantly swings his stick as Gretzky makes his way behind the net, catching him squarely on the knee. An act that Gretzky was none too happy about and one that got Smith some extra attention as well.
Smith represented the Islanders just once at the NHL All-Star Game and won the MVP that year for stopping 16 shots in his 30 minutes on the ice.
John Tonelli
John Tonelli represented the New York Islanders at two NHL All-Star Games. In 1982 alongside Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, and in 1985 with Trottier, Bossy, and Brent Sutter.
Tonelli put up career numbers in both of those years. In ’82 the man from Milton, ON put up 93 points, and in ’85 followed that up with a cool 42 goal and 100 point season.
Tonelli came out of nowhere for the Islanders who drafted him 33rd overall in the1977 NHL draft. He would leave the Islanders at the end of the 85-86 season after being traded to the Flames for whatever the Islanders could get.
Calgary, absolutely won that trade as they made their way to a Stanley Cup final that same year. The Islanders just wanted to move on from Tonelli who was a holdout to start that season. Seemingly unhappy with the wages he was being given by the team.
Aside from that dark period in the late nineties and early 2000’s the New York Islanders have been pretty well represented at the NHL All-Star Game. John Tavares is the perennial representative for the franchise now, long may he reign.
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