Personally I have been a fan since as long as I can remember, As a kid my parents had seasons tickets from 78-86. I grew up watching this team win cups and literally cried in 1984 when the young Oilers beat our proud champions. ( I was 13) I took it serious and I still do. Don't cry any more but you know what I mean...
Now I am a 38 year old male, married with one kid, Iive in NE florida and rarely miss a game.
I hate the rangers as much as the next isles fan and just know our time will come again. Let's just beat the smugness out of the blueshirts this year. The legend of the queen over their is getting outlandish and it sure would be nice to see some of our home grown blue chippers light up the queen this year.
Back to the oriiginal thread title. What are your top 5 All Time Islander Moments and where were you when it happened??
here are mine
1- Bobby Ny!!! in OT game six vrs the fly boys to win our first cup. Where was I? I was over a friends house playing soccer outside and running in and out of the house watching the game. Ofcourse my friends were ranger fans along with their parents. Speaking parents,mine were at the games watching the roof almost cave in at the fairly new barn back then
2- Sweeping the young emerging Oilers in 83/84 The Isles willed that cup to victory. Watching game four in my living room with my Dad and brother. We are the champions my friends with Queen blasting in the background. Just good times
3- Easter Epic, Patty laaaaaaaaafontaine. Stayed up with my Dad to watch the game. The old man was screaming like me.
4-David Volek game 7 vrs the dynasty in the making Mario/Jagr.Francis led Pens. Actually was working as a waiter that night in a small German retaurant. Was listening on a radio to the hair rasing back and forth 3rd period and OT in the kitchen with the spanish speaking chef who thought I was nuts when I was going ballistic when it was Ferraro to Volek he scooooores!!!! The Igloo was silent except for the Isles whoooping it up on the Ice!
5- Actually have to mention the drafting of John Tavares for the utter chaios that Garth Snow created before the draft and the uncertainty that went with it. Who were the Isles going to go with? Hedman, the 6'7 Swede that was mentioned as a generational talent, Johnny T, the wunderkid from Canada whom was touted at age 14 and the heir to Sidney Crosby already or the rising up the chart speedster from the OHL named Matty Duchene? I recall in June sitting in my upstairs loft, my family downstairs along with my sister and neibhor.. Bamm the Isles are proud to select from the Ontario Hockey League John Tavares! a huge exhail came out of my mouth
anyway, tons and tons of memories. I could of labeled a slew of cup memories or the other JT (our first John T) scoring against the Pens) to continue our streak of playoff wins, or maybe Kenny Morrow against the Raggies, what about Bossy 50 in 50 or Dipeietro saving 58 shots in the Garden or Turgeon getting mauled by Hunter. the list goes on an on
another words, let's keep on trucking and lets go Isles! Create more memories. Please stay on Lond Island and lets turn this ship around.
Would love to hear your top 5 Islander moments and where you all where
1)Bobby Nystrom's ot goal
2)Cup #4 against Oilers
3)Ken morrow's Ot goal against the Rags
4) JT OT goal against the pens
5)Lafontaine's goal against the Caps
Too many Honerable mentions
those are my personal favorites
but they're all classic's
1- Bobby Ny!! That goal started the dynasty.. Shot heard round Long Island
2- Sweeping the talented (cocky) Oilers.. Talk about the vets showing the kids a few things...
3- Jonn Tonelli's goal against the Pens.. If I remember, the Isles were down by two goals with about 5 minutes to go.. It did not look good.. The Isles time was done!!... but then like Champions they pulled it out and JT was the hero... JT was one of the real underrated player on those teams... Would have been first line player on most teams in the NHL...
4- Morrow's goal against the Rags.... Enough said.. Us Isles fans would still be hearing about it today how the Rags crumbled the Isles dynasty..
1)Bobby Nystrom's ot goal
2)Cup #4 against Oilers
3)Ken morrow's Ot goal against the Rags
4) JT OT goal against the pens
5)Lafontaine's goal against the Caps
Too many Honerable mentions
those are my personal favorites
but they're all classic's
5) Richard Park's 10th goal of the season from 08/09 season.
4) Mark Janssen's first shift as an Islander.
3) Robert Nilsson's 2-goal effort to lead Team Blue during the 2006 prospect camp.
2) Any Paul Kruse goal.
1) Shawn Bates' 2nd return from the IR, circa 2003.
I love and hate these threads at the same time. They are awesome at reminding us how proud we once were. I started watching the isles around 92-93 so my earliest memories are good, but, it always reminds me how sad it is that besides that i have a penalty shot and a poke check in a shootout as memorable moments that i can ACTUALLY remember. So sad =-(
At least Rags fans my age (26) can remember winning a cup. Ahhhhh!!!!
...it always reminds me how sad it is that besides that i have a penalty shot and a poke check in a shootout as memorable moments that i can ACTUALLY remember. So sad =-(!
Not laughing at you, laughing (crying) with you. How do you think I feel? My last meaningful Isles memory was in Bill Clinton's first year as President! Everything else is more than a quarter century old. Yikes!
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Not going to repeat the many good ones here, will just add one I will always cherish as a fan:
May 1982
Post-Game, Game Four Stanley Cup Finals, Vancouver, B.C.
Isles have just polished off the Canucks in four straight to extend the dynasty to its third year. Captain Denis Potvin, addressing the media in the lockeroom and everyone watching on TV, declares loudly and proudly, without a hint of exaggeration:
agreed Trotts.... Becoming an Isles fan in 1982 had advantages ( I was 12).. I saw many good moments..
One of my fav moments was game 7 vs Pens in 1993. Just amazed that we were still playing Mario and company, I watched the game at a bar in West Hempstead on 24 with a boatload of people. Even more people piled in b/c there was a Knicks (remember when they were good?) game the same night.
Everyone was amped when they had the two goal lead and then devastated when that lead was lost with minutes to go in the game (not much has really changed). When the Isles scored, we all piled out onto Hempstead Turnpike, flagging down cars, screaming and cheering..
Serious
1. Bates penalty shot
2. Dubi poke check
3. DP's game versus the Rangers 56 saver
4. Trade for Smyth
5. That game verse Vancoucer where Aucoin won it in OT after a crazy third period
In my lifetime, not much. In terms of top 5 all time, I would not mention anything beyond 1983, personally. But then again I didn't live through any of that.
I agree with most everyone's choices, and am also a post-dynasty Islanders fan (born in 84).
A couple that I will throw out there -- in no order (maybe they aren't moments)
1) The entire end shift and 2 on 1 goal Sillinger scored to beat the Pens on Arbour's return game.
2) Ray Ferraro's '93 playoffs.
3) The entire 7-game Maple Leafs series
4) Changing our jerseys AWAY from the fisherman.
Bates PS
Cairns vs. Corson
Dubie's poke check
When DP came back against Buffalo and we thought we had a chance
THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS SELECT: JOHN TAVARES
#1 - Nystrom's OT Cup Winning Goal
#2 - JP Parise's goal 11 seconds into OT to beat the Rag$ in the 1975 3-game series
#3 - Cup #4 against the Oilers
#4 - The Easter Epic
#5 - Drafting Denis Potvin (and not trading him to the Habs at the draft) - this changed everything for the Isles.
5.) When DP got healthy for good.
4.) When Snow picked up 2 shut-down D-men and a 40 goal winger.
3.) When the Isles drafted Zach Parise instead of Robert Nilsson.
2.) When the Isles finally won a playoff series post-1993.
1.) When the LH project was announced and finalized.
5.) When DP got healthy for good. 4.) When Snow picked up 2 shut-down D-men and a 40 goal winger.
3.) When the Isles drafted Zach Parise instead of Robert Nilsson.
2.) When the Isles finally won a playoff series post-1993.
1.) When the LH project was announced and finalized.
Oh wait....
In fairness, Snow probably did get a 40-goal center (at least at some point down the line).
I started as a hockey fan in 1979 so here is mine....
1 - Nystrom's OT Cup Winning Goal
2 - 2 goals vs Pittsburgh in final 5 minutes to force OT in game 5.
3 - Cup #4 against the Oilers
4 - The Easter Epic
5 - David Volek's goal vs Pittsburgh
I'll add that an honorable mention will be whenever the whole Lighthouse/Queens/Brooklyn/Suffolk/hopefully not KC or Hamilton or anywhere outside of NYC metro arena deal gets approved.
I became a fan in the mid-80s when I got SportsChannel at age 7 (I'm 31),
So my top five....
1. Easter Epic. This basically started my love affair with hockey and the Islanders
2. "Lemieux turns it over, David Volek up ahead... to Ferraro... back to Volek... HE SCORES! And the Islanders are going to Montreal!"
3. The previous 12 games of the 1993 playoffs.
4. April 23 and 24, 2002. After nine long years of hell, we were in the playoffs finally, and beat down Toronto 6-0 and 4-3 to tie the series.
5. Drafting John Tavares and the hope I get watching talented young kids come up through the pipeline over the years: Malakhov, Kasparaitis, Palffy, Bertuzzi, McCabe, Lachance in years past. Luongo, DiPi, Bailey, Okposo, etc.
Wow, this is really sad. I struggled to find actual moments.
I could probably rattle off my Top 50 most painful moments in half the time this list took. The only challenge would be ranking said horrors.
I became a fan in the mid-80s when I got SportsChannel at age 7 (I'm 31),
So my top five....
1. Easter Epic. This basically started my love affair with hockey and the Islanders
2. "Lemieux turns it over, David Volek up ahead... to Ferraro... back to Volek... HE SCORES! And the Islanders are going to Montreal!"
3. The previous 12 games of the 1993 playoffs.
4. April 23 and 24, 2002. After nine long years of hell, we were in the playoffs finally, and beat down Toronto 6-0 and 4-3 to tie the series.
5. Drafting John Tavares and the hope I get watching talented young kids come up through the pipeline over the years: Malakhov, Kasparaitis, Palffy, Bertuzzi, McCabe, Lachance in years past. Luongo, DiPi, Bailey, Okposo, etc.
Wow, this is really sad. I struggled to find actual moments.
I could probably rattle off my Top 50 most painful moments in half the time this list took. The only challenge would be ranking said horrors.
That would actually be fun and therapeutic...I think
Why do I enjoy watching sports again?
