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Who are the top New York Islanders of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Butch Goring: though he only spent five-and-a-half seasons with the Islanders in the back half of his career, Goring was an integral member of the four Stanley Cup-winning teams, taking home Conn Smythe honors in 1980-1981.
9. John Tavares: the #1 overall pick in 2009, Tavares spent the first nine years of his NHL career with the Islanders,averaging nearly a point-per-game (621 points in 669 games) and finishing third for the Hart Trophy 2x while also wearing the captain’s “C” for a number of seasons.
8. Brent Sutter: a strong two-way player who posted 102 points in 1984-1985 and was also an annual contender for the Selke Trophy, Sutter (of the famous Sutter brothers NHL family dynasty) succeeded Denis Potvin as Islanders captain and spent a dozen years total in New York, winning two Stanley Cups in the process.
7. Bob Nystrom: nicknamed “Mr. Islander”, Nystrom spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the team and tallied 513 career points; as a member of all four Stanley Cup teams in the 1980s, he is perhaps most famous for scoring the Cup-clinching goal in 1979-1980 to give the team its first title.
6. Pat LaFontaine: though his career was plagued later on by concussion issues, LaFontaine was electrifying when healthy and has the highest points-per-game average among American-born players; during his eight seasons with the Islanders, he averaged more than a point-per-game, highlighted by a fifth-place Hart finish in 1989-1990 with 105 points.
5. Clark Gillies: a physical force with a deft scoring touch as a member of the Islanders’ dynasty that won four Stanley Cups, Gillies tallied 30+ goals 6x with New York (319 career goals) while also racking up 1,000+ penalty minutes during his Hall of Fame career.
4. Billy Smith: a big-game goalie who backstopped all four of the Islanders’ Stanley Cup titles in the 1980s (and won the Conn Smythe in 1982-1983), Smith is the franchise leader for career wins; he also won both a Vezina and Jennings Trophy in back-to-back seasons and was the first goalie in league history to score a goal.
3. Bryan Trottier: starting off his career with the Calder Trophy, Trottier tallied 1,400+ career points and won both the Hart and Ross Trophies in 1978-1979, eventually becoming a cornerstone of the Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s that won four Stanley Cups (and winning the Conn Smythe for the first title).
2. Mike Bossy: though he only played for 10 seasons, Bossy scored 50+ goals in nine straight years (2x leading the NHL) and has the highest goals-per-game average in NHL history (0.762); he also won the Lady Byng 3x and led the Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup titles with a Conn Smythe Trophy.
1. Denis Potvin: taking over the mantle of best defenseman in the NHL upon Bobby Orr’s retirement, Potvin won three Norris Trophies while leading New York to four consecutive Stanley Cups, and retired with the most career goals and points by a defenseman.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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