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149-579: The IceCats got their start when original New York Islanders owner Roy Boe purchased the Springfield Indians AHL franchise and moved it to Worcester in the summer of 1994. The team began play in the Fall of 1994 with a collection of free-agent players but as yet with no National Hockey League team affiliation. Immediately following the end of the 1994–95 season, Boe and head coach/General Manager Jim Roberts closed an affiliation deal with

298-591: A $ 5 million ($ 36.42 million in 2023 dollars ) territorial fee to the Rangers. An expansion franchise was also given to Atlanta (the Flames ) to keep the schedule balanced and to prevent the WHA from entering the growing market at the newly built Omni Coliseum . The New York Islanders name was unveiled by the franchise on February 15, 1972, at a press conference held across the street from Roosevelt Raceway at

447-599: A 25-year contract for National Basketball Association player Magic Johnson . DiPietro, Wang and Snow all spoke confidently and felt it was the best move for both sides, despite the mixed reactions it received from the rest of the hockey world. Specifically, Wang stated, "This is not a big deal. You have to have a commitment to who you're working with." As speculation began as to whether other teams would follow suit and give lengthy contracts to star players, Atlanta Thrashers ' general manager Don Waddell felt that, "It's highly unlikely that you will see teams go beyond that. This

596-650: A better regular season, but the Islanders swept them in the Stanley Cup Finals to win their fourth straight championship. Billy Smith was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner after shutting down the Oilers' vaunted scoring machine. Gretzky failed to score a goal during the series. Duane and Brent Sutter scored seven and five points respectively in the first three games, while Bossy again scored

745-476: A better team. In one transaction, young players Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe were traded for veteran Trevor Linden . After the Islanders finished 12 points short of the playoffs in the 1997–98 season, however, Milstein and Gluckstern decided to run the team on an austere budget in an attempt to make a profit. They also complained about the condition of the Nassau Coliseum and made noises about moving

894-490: A bit of outrage, with speculation that Tucker had intended to injure Peca before the game had begun, which Tucker denied. Despite the promise shown in the Toronto playoff series, the Islanders had a slow start to the 2002–03 season . They rebounded to make the playoffs, but lost a five-game series in the first round to the top-seeded Ottawa Senators . Milbury continued his controversial move-making by firing Laviolette after

1043-714: A challenger of the National Football League , Jennings decided to help bring a new NHL team to the New York metropolitan area. Despite expanding to 14 teams just two years prior, the NHL awarded a Long Island -based franchise to clothing manufacturer Roy Boe , owner of the American Basketball Association 's New York Nets , on November 8, 1971. The terms included $ 6 million ($ 43.7 million in 2023 dollars ) franchise fee plus

1192-497: A deal which almost fell through when Spectacor Management Group , which managed the Coliseum for Nassau County, tried to force Pickett to certify that the Coliseum was safe. Pickett refused, since the Coliseum had fallen into disrepair in recent seasons. SMG backed down under pressure from the Islanders, the NHL, and Nassau County officials. Initially, the team made numerous trades and increased their payroll in an effort to assemble

1341-433: A fraction of the first installment on the cable rights deal. Several Islanders executives tipped off Newsday that something was amiss about their new boss. In July, Newsday exposed Spano as a fraud who did not have the assets required to complete the deal. The investigation showed that Spano had deliberately misled the NHL and the Islanders about his net worth, and also had two lawsuits pending against him. Within days of

1490-501: A freak knee injury and two others never panned out. The 1988–89 season saw the Islanders win only seven of their first 27 games. Torrey fired Simpson and brought Arbour back. Arbour was unable to turn things around, and the team finished with 61 points, tied with the Quebec Nordiques for the worst record in the league. It was their first losing season and the first time missing the playoffs since their second season. Smith,

1639-410: A new league record for most in each category by a rookie. It would be the first of four consecutive 100-point seasons, including the first two division titles in franchise history. Despite the emergence of young star players and regular season success between 1976 and 1979 the Islanders suffered a series of playoff disappointments. In 1976 and 1977 , the Islanders were knocked out in the semi-finals by

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1788-454: A postponement of approximately eight hours following the end of the first period, with Colorado leading 1–0, in order to wait for sunset and repair the ice; play resumed at 9:00 PM local time (midnight ET ), with Colorado ultimately winning 3–2. In an attempt to avoid further issues, the Sunday game between Boston and Philadelphia was rescheduled for 4:30 PM (7:30 ET), five and a half hours after

1937-492: A practice next week, every one of them would show up." The Islanders continued their climb up the standings in 1975–76 , earning 101 points and the fifth-best record in the league. It was the first 100-point season in Islanders history, in only their fourth year of existence. Rookie center Trottier finished the season with 95 points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy ; his points and assists (63) totals set

2086-413: A record of 12–60–6, setting an NHL record for most losses and worst overall record in a season. A highlight occurred on January 18, 1973, when they defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins 9–7. Finishing last in the standings that season, they received the right to select first in the 1973 draft . Off the ice, the Islanders struggled financially, a situation that was exacerbated by

2235-602: A restaurant owned by Burt Bacharach . Many expected it to use the " Long Island Ducks ", after the Eastern Hockey League team that played from 1959 to 1973. The team was soon nicknamed the "Isles" by the local newspapers. The Islanders' arrival effectively doomed the Raiders, who played in Madison Square Garden under difficult lease terms and were forced to move to Cherry Hill, New Jersey in

2384-592: A solid checker with marginal offensive ability (despite having led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring). Arbour persuaded Torrey to pick Bossy, arguing it was easier to teach a scorer how to check. In the 1977–78 season , Bossy became the third Islander to win the Calder Trophy, and scored 53 goals that season, a rookie record at the time. The team earned their first Patrick Division and Campbell Conference championships. Six players finished

2533-505: A successor was found. He served as vice president of Wang's sports properties for one year before resigning in May 2007. Wang proceeded by hiring Neil Smith as general manager and Ted Nolan as head coach, following a brief stint by Brad Shaw as the team's interim head coach. Smith, however, was fired after approximately one month and quickly replaced by the team's backup goaltender Garth Snow , who retired from his playing career to accept

2682-460: A tailspin. Eventually, Boe was forced to sell both his teams. He readily found a buyer for the Nets, but had less luck finding one for the Islanders. Torrey orchestrated a sale to one of the team's limited partners, John Pickett . In return, Pickett promoted Torrey to team president, though Torrey had already been operating head of the franchise before then. Soon after purchasing the team, Pickett signed

2831-440: A talented core of players such as Derek King , Ray Ferraro , and Patrick Flatley , along with incoming Soviet players Vladimir Malakhov and Darius Kasparaitis , the Islanders had a new foundation in the early 1990s. The management committee, however, was not nearly as patient as Boe and Pickett had been, and forced Torrey to resign after the Islanders missed the playoffs again that season. Assistant general manager Don Maloney

2980-540: A tense start. Late in the deciding game of their first-round series against the Rangers, Don Maloney tied the game with a controversial goal as the Islanders believed Maloney's stick was too high. They ultimately eliminated the Rangers for the fourth consecutive year. The team then defeated the Washington Capitals in five games and the Montreal Canadiens in six to set up a finals rematch with

3129-410: A very lucrative cable television contract with the fledgling SportsChannel network as their owner, Charles Dolan , thought the up-and-coming Islanders would be a perfect centerpiece for his new network. Dolan gave Pickett a long-term guaranteed contract intended not only to keep the team on Long Island, but give area governments an incentive to renew his cable contracts. The Islanders have remained on

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3278-458: A very physical first-round series in seven games; the home team won every game of the series. Notably, Game 5 featured Gary Roberts charging Islander defenseman Kenny Jonsson , and Darcy Tucker submarining Peca with a questionable check that tore the Islander captain's anterior cruciate ligament , sidelining both players for the series' final game. The situation between Tucker and Peca caused

3427-485: A waiver for 10% capacity in Capital One Arena in late March. The city government initially did not grant the waiver, leaving it as pending; it was subsequently granted on April 9. The Capitals subsequently announced that they would admit spectators beginning with a home game on April 27. The city later allowed an expansion to 25%, and the team would have been allowed to return to full capacity on June 11 if

3576-481: Is a once-in-a-lifetime contract. Ownership must feel very strongly that he's their guy for the next 15 years." The new-look Islanders were picked by most analysts to languish towards the bottom of the standings. Eyeing a playoff spot, Snow traded for forward Ryan Smyth from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline on February 27, 2007. Injuries to DiPietro provided extra setbacks, but not enough to drop

3725-425: The 1972 amateur draft . Soon after the draft, Phil Goyette was named as the team's first head coach, however he was fired halfway through the season and replaced with Earl Ingarfield and assistant coach Aut Erickson . Unlike most other expansion teams' general managers, Torrey made few trades for veteran players in the early years, as he was committed to building the team through the draft. Torrey stated, "I told

3874-478: The 1974–75 season , the Islanders made one of the biggest turnarounds in NHL history. Led by Potvin, forwards Westfall, Harris, Nystrom, Gillies, and goaltenders Smith and Glenn "Chico" Resch , the team earned 88 points, 32 more than the previous season and two more than their first two seasons combined, earning their first playoff berth. They defeated the rival New York Rangers in a best-of-3 first-round series as J. P. Parise scored just 11 seconds into overtime of

4023-447: The 2000 draft , ahead of consensus picks Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik . Reporters and fans were alternately confused and enraged by the moves, which Milbury acknowledged, saying, "As dangerous as this may be, we think Mad Mike maybe has something going for him." Establishing a record of controversial decisions, Milbury held onto the "Mad Mike" nickname for years to follow. He remained adamant that his moves were to immediately improve

4172-465: The 2004–05 NHL lockout , which eliminated that season of play, the Islanders made several player moves to increase offense for following season . Peca was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for center Mike York , freeing up room under the NHL's new salary cap. The same day, the team signed winger Miroslav Satan to play alongside Yashin. Milbury also worked on remaking the team's defense, adding Alexei Zhitnik , Brad Lukowich and Brent Sopel to replace

4321-537: The 2013–14 Los Angeles Kings ). They were close but not as lucky in the following round, rallying from another 3–0 deficit to force a seventh game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers before the Flyers took the decisive seventh game at home and went on to win the Cup again. Despite a disappointing playoff finish, Arbour remained complimentary of the team's attitude and maturity, saying "If I called

4470-740: The 2014–15 season . In the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, the Islanders split their home games between Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders played all their home games in the 2020–21 season at Nassau Coliseum. Their new arena near Belmont Park was opened in 2021. Ten former members of the Islanders have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame , seven of whom— Mike Bossy , Clark Gillies , Denis Potvin , Billy Smith , Bryan Trottier , coach Al Arbour , and general manager Bill Torrey —were members of all four Cup-winning teams. Post-dynasty players Pat LaFontaine , Roberto Luongo and Pierre Turgeon were also inducted. In fall 1972,

4619-760: The Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki , Finland, later in the fall. The 2021 Winter Classic planned for January 1, 2021, was to feature the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues at Target Field . The Florida Panthers and their BB&T Center were then scheduled to host the All-Star Game on January 30, and the Stadium Series game

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4768-898: The Isles ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York . The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference , and play their home games at UBS Arena . The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area , along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers , and their fanbase resides primarily on Long Island . The team

4917-571: The Lady Byng Trophy . Ray Ferraro emerged as a playoff hero, scoring a pair of overtime winners in the first-round series against the Capitals. Instead of celebrating after winning Game 6 at Nassau Coliseum, however, the Islanders were both irate and despondent. Only seconds after Turgeon, the team's star center and leading scorer, scored an insurance goal in the series-clinching game, Dale Hunter violently checked him from behind. Turgeon

5066-477: The Montreal Canadiens , though he was not in peak form as he had not fully recovered. The Islanders bowed out of the playoffs after a hard-fought five games, two of which went to overtime. After beating the Islanders, the Canadiens went on to win the Cup. Maloney had avoided making many personnel changes his first year, but on the eve of the 1993 expansion draft he traded backup goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick to

5215-488: The National Football League 's Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns . Let's face it, the Coliseum is a dump, and the team, well, they're losers. It's a real shame. We want to see it change because this is our home. We all deserve better. — Charles Wang In 2000, Milstein and Gluckstern sold the team to Computer Associates executives Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar . The sale cost $ 187.5 million ($ 331.74 million in 2023 dollars ) and gave fans hope for

5364-521: The National Hockey League (NHL). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the regular season was reduced to 56 games and began on January 13, 2021. Due to COVID-19 cross-border travel restrictions imposed by the Government of Canada , the league temporarily realigned for this season, putting all seven Canadian teams into one division. COVID-19 outbreaks caused the games of most teams to be rescheduled beyond

5513-629: The Philadelphia Flyers , who eliminated the Islanders in the Patrick Division Finals in 1985 and 1987, and the Capitals, who swept the Islanders' 1986 first-round series, the team's first exit without winning a playoff round since 1978. In 1986, Nystrom retired due to a serious injury and Clark Gillies was picked up on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres . Arbour retired as coach following the 1985–86 season and

5662-760: The Presidents' Trophy are announced at the end of the regular season. The Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy is presented at the end of the Stanley Cup Finals . The league had initially announced that both the Prince of Wales Trophy and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl , normally presented at the end of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, respectively, would not be awarded due to

5811-625: The Quebec Nordiques for Ron Hextall . The clubs also exchanged first-round picks in the deal. Able to protect only one netminder in the expansion draft, the Islanders left Healy exposed. He was claimed by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , then was claimed by the Tampa Bay Lightning in Phase II of the draft the next day, and finally had his rights traded to the Rangers, where he became the backup. The Islanders barely squeezed past

5960-467: The Seattle Kraken paid the final installment of their expansion fee, formally admitting them into the NHL and allowing them to begin acquiring players. The team signed their first player, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) free agent Luke Henman , on May 12, 2021. (*) Indicates interim. (*) Indicates interim All American teams hosted a limited amount of in-person spectators during

6109-719: The St. Louis Blues announced the sale of the IceCats to the owners of their ECHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. The new owners moved the franchise to Peoria, Illinois , for the 2005–06 season. Affiliates: Lost in preliminary round. These are the top ten point-scorers in IceCat's franchise history. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; See also: Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as

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6258-613: The St. Louis Blues . From that point on the IceCats would be the Blues' premier minor league team. The Peoria Rivermen of the East Coast Hockey League , in turn, became the IceCats' minor league affiliate in 1998, having been with St. Louis before the 1994 Worcester deal. During the 2000–01 season, Boe sold the IceCats to the St. Louis Blues . The team celebrated its tenth season in the AHL in fall 2003. On November 9, 2004,

6407-423: The taxi squad . The taxi squad was designed to enable swift call-ups to the NHL team in the event of positive COVID-19 cases on each team. Waiver-eligible members of the taxi squad are still subject to waiver rules. Daly stated that the taxi squad was devised only to circumvent the difficulties presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and is not likely to be used again in future seasons. The 2020 NHL Entry Draft

6556-546: The 1959–67 streak by the Boston Celtics of the NBA). Unlike the 1976–79 Canadiens, who needed to win three series in the 1976 and 1977 playoffs under the playoff format in place at that time, the Islanders had to win four series in each of their Stanley Cup seasons. The Islanders remained competitive for the rest of the decade, even as some of the stars from the Cup teams departed. As the decade wore on, Pickett began to keep

6705-426: The 2020 playoffs. After the first week of the season, the league announced that it was temporarily suspending the puck tracking system due to performance issues, stating that "the first supply of 2020–21 pucks did not receive the same precise finishing treatments during the off-season manufacturing process as were used during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs". The player tracking remained unaffected. On April 30, 2021,

6854-400: The 2020–21 season. Future increases would occur incrementally until the league recovers from the financial impact of the pandemic. The league announced on December 22, 2020, that the offside rules have been modified so that players only have to break the plane of the blue line to be ruled onside instead of having to actually touch it with their skate. For the first time, the NHL deployed

7003-620: The Canadian playoff teams admitted spectators for the first time, although only one team has offered tickets to the general public. Due to Santa Clara County banning all contact sports in response to a local rise of COVID-19 cases, the San Jose Sharks began the season on an extended road trip. Their first two home games on February 1 and 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights was to have been held at Gila River Arena ,

7152-513: The Canadiens down and selected Potvin with the first overall pick. During the off-season, Torrey convinced former St. Louis Blues coach Al Arbour to come coach the Islanders. Even with Arbour as the team's head coach and Potvin, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, the team again finished last in the East Division that season , but allowed 100 fewer goals than

7301-581: The Capitals advanced further into the playoffs. The Government of California announced on April 2 that indoor venues could host spectators at limited capacities with proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, affecting the Anaheim Ducks , Los Angeles Kings , and San Jose Sharks . The Ducks and Kings began admitting spectators at 10% capacity on April 16 and April 20, while the Sharks began admitting spectators on April 26, scaling up from 520 to

7450-480: The Islanders achieved a huge upset when David Volek scored at 5:16 of overtime of the deciding seventh game. Newsday' s front page the day following the win was a picture of Healy with a headline reading, "It's a Miracle!" This was the last playoff series won by the Islanders for 23 years, until the 2015–16 season. Turgeon returned to the Islanders' top line for the Wales Conference Finals against

7599-482: The Islanders blew a 4–2 lead in the third period but Nystrom continued his overtime heroics, scoring at 7:11 of the extra frame, on assists by John Tonelli and Lorne Henning, to bring Long Island its first Stanley Cup championship. This was the most recent Stanley Cup-clinching game won in overtime by the home team until the Los Angeles Kings did it in 2014. It was also the Islanders' sixth overtime victory of

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7748-513: The Islanders rebounded to get back into the playoffs, but fell to the Rangers in five games of the opening round. The team bought out the remaining years of Bryan Trottier 's contract, sending him off with a team record of games played. The 1990–91 season had the team finish well out of the playoffs after winning only 25 games. LaFontaine was frustrated with the team's lack of success and the progress of his contract negotiations, and held out rather than report to camp before 1991–92 . In response to

7897-407: The Islanders signed Bill Guerin to a two-year contract as he immediately assumed team captaincy. Also in the off-season, free agents Mike Comrie , Andy Sutton and Jon Sim joined the team. That summer, it was announced that Nolan extended an invitation to Al Arbour to return as a coach for one game in order to bring his total number of games coached to 1,500. Arbour signed a one-day contract,

8046-469: The Islanders' attempt at updating their look resulted in the unveiling of a new team logo of a slicker-clad fisherman holding a hockey stick. Islanders fans disliked it, and rival Rangers' fans mockingly called the Islanders " fishsticks "—mocking how the logo resembled the Gorton's Fisherman . The team reverted to a modified version of the old logo as soon as the league allowed them to do so. (In spite of this,

8195-562: The Islanders' playoff success. In the playoffs, the Islanders defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3–1 in the preliminary round, then beat the Boston Bruins 4–1 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Islanders faced the Buffalo Sabres , who had finished second overall in the NHL standings. The Islanders won the first two games in Buffalo, including a 2–1 victory in game two on Bob Nystrom 's goal in double overtime. They went on to win

8344-541: The Manitoba government gave clearance to allow up to 500 fully-vaccinated health care workers, as well as the immediate family members of team staff, to attend Winnipeg Jets home games beginning with their second-round (North Division finals) series against Montreal. The regular season began on January 13, 2021. Teams played games within their division only. The teams in the three U.S. divisions played each of their seven division opponents eight times. On January 11, 2021,

8493-488: The NHL and NHLPA began discussions on the specific details on how to proceed with the season. On October 6, the NHL and the NHLPA agreed to delay the targeted start date of the regular season to January 1, 2021, and to decide at a later date when to open training camp. In mid-November 2020, deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated that the league was still targeting a January 1 start, but that "we have to build in flexibility for

8642-728: The NHL announced two outdoor games would be played on February 20 and 21 at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe ; the Flyers would play the Bruins and the Avalanche would play the Golden Knights. The Saturday game between Colorado and Vegas was initially beset by ice quality issues; there was a lack of cloud cover, and as a result the playing surface was partially melted by direct sunlight. The game suffered

8791-511: The NHL announced a partnership with DreamHack to serve as its new partner for esports events. The collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which had been in effect since the end of the 2012–13 NHL lockout , was set to enter its penultimate season in 2020–21. On July 10, 2020, the league reached an agreement to renew the CBA through the 2025–26 NHL season, including an increase of the minimum player salary to US$ 750,000 from US$ 700,000, increasing

8940-480: The Oilers, despite finishing lower than them in the overall standings. The new format had them play three straight games in Edmonton, where the Oilers managed to lock up the series. Bossy cited the team's hard time winning an away game as their downfall in the series. The Oilers also ended the Islanders' 19 series playoff winning streak. It remains the longest streak in the history of professional sports (one more than

9089-417: The Oilers. The series featured rookie Pat LaFontaine scoring two third-period goals in 38 seconds. This time, the Oilers dethroned the Islanders to win the first of what would be five Stanley Cup victories in seven years. For the 1984 playoffs , the NHL changed the home and away schedule for the finals, which provided the Islanders home-ice advantage in the series based on winning a regular season game against

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9238-461: The Panthers to make the 1994 playoffs before being swept in a lopsided opening series by the first-place Rangers, who went on to win the Cup, it would be the Islanders last playoff appearance until 2002 . Arbour retired for good as coach and was succeeded by longtime assistant Lorne Henning . Hextall, who allowed 16 goals in three games, drew most of the criticism for the failed playoff campaign and

9387-482: The Penguins began hosting spectators the next day, the Flyers were required to wait for the city of Philadelphia to revise its own stricter health orders to match state law first; however, the city quickly followed the state's guidance. With their playoff run, the Penguins were able to increase to 50% capacity on May 18. Monumental Sports & Entertainment , parent company of the Washington Capitals , applied for

9536-425: The Rangers' owners, Madison Square Garden , to reconsider. Rangers' president Bill Jennings weighed pros and cons. Another local NHL team would be compelled to compensate the Rangers for sharing the New York area. On the other hand, a WHA team would owe the Rangers nothing unless it was included in a potential NHL–WHA merger, a prospect to which both Campbell and Jennings were adamantly opposed. Finally, consenting to

9685-556: The Stadium Series game was made on December 23, also because fans would not be able to attend that event. To offset reduced revenue due to games being played with limited to no spectators, the NHL experimented with allowing additional advertising placements that aimed to retain between US$ 80–90 million that would have otherwise been lost, including allowing teams to sell a sponsor placement on their players' helmets ( helmet entitlement partner ). Sponsor logos include those along

9834-687: The Stanley Cup-winning goal in game four. After that game, the Oilers players walked past the Islanders' dressing room and were surprised to see the champions exhausted. Oilers players such as Gretzky and Mark Messier said that they realized at that moment how much it would actually take to win the Stanley Cup. The Islanders finished the 1983–84 regular season tied atop the Prince of Wales Conference while successfully defending their Patrick Division title. The "Drive for Five" got off to

9983-441: The aborted Continental League , the American Football League and the American Basketball Association , his ultimate goal in these efforts had always been to try to persuade the established leagues to grant second franchises to New York as had been the case with the Mets (and also with the New York Jets and New York Nets , as a result of those teams' leagues merging with their established rivals). In contrast, Shea decided there

10132-422: The best in franchise history. They finished the season with new broken records; their 96 points marked the fourth biggest one-year turnaround in the league's history (44 points higher than the previous season), while Osgood's 66 starts surpassed Ron Hextall 's previous record of 65. During the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs , they were seeded fifth and faced the fourth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs . The Islanders lost in

10281-534: The bottom of the glass just above the boards, sponsor logos on front-row tarps covering unused seats, sponsor logos on the glass behind the benches (in addition to the boards below them), and virtual ads projected just inside the blue lines. The following teams announced their helmet sponsors for the season: On January 5, 2021, the NHL announced that the Central, East, North, and West divisions this season would be sponsored by Discover Card , MassMutual , Scotiabank , and Honda , respectively. On February 24, 2021,

10430-541: The cap of 1,000 over time. On April 29, 2021, the city of Chicago announced that it would allow United Center to operate at a quarter of its capacity beginning May 9, making the Blackhawks the final U.S.-based NHL team to reopen its arena to spectators. On May 18, 2021, the Canadiens announced that under changes to Quebec public health orders and curfews, it would be able to admit 2,500 spectators to Bell Centre no earlier than May 28. The Canadiens' Game 5 victory in their first-round series against Toronto on May 27 took

10579-446: The cup again until 1994 ). Fans in other NHL cities soon picked up the chant. In 1981–82 , the Islanders won a then-record 15 straight games en route to a franchise-record 118 points, while Mike Bossy set a scoring record for right-wingers with 147 points in an 80-game schedule. The Islanders finished with the most points in the league (118), yet once in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins they found themselves down late in

10728-573: The day before their first game, at the Rangers practice rink in New Hyde Park . The Islanders' first win came on October 12, 1972, in a 3–2 game against the Los Angeles Kings . In the team's first season, young players such as Smith, Nystrom, and Henning (all of whom would be part of the Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s) were given chances to prove themselves in the NHL. The young and inexperienced expansion team, however, posted

10877-543: The departed Adrian Aucoin and Roman Hamrlik , who left as free agents, and Jonsson, who left the NHL to play in the HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden. In the aftermath, Yashin was named as the team's new captain. The team's inconsistent play led to Stirling's dismissal midway through the season. On the day of Stirling's firing, January 11, 2006, Milbury also announced that he would step down as general manager once

11026-408: The eighth of nine dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history. Their 19 consecutive playoff series wins between 1980 and 1984 is a feat that remains unparalleled in the history of professional sports. They are the last team in any major professional North American sport to win four consecutive championships, and to date the last NHL team to achieve a three-peat . Following the team's dynasty era,

11175-628: The emerging World Hockey Association (WHA) planned to place its New York team, the New York Raiders , in Nassau County 's brand-new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum . County officials did not consider the WHA a major league and wanted to keep the Raiders out. William Shea , who had helped bring Major League Baseball 's New York Mets to the area a decade earlier, was enlisted to bring an NHL team to Long Island. Although Shea had previously worked with upstart rival leagues including

11324-426: The end of March, Madison Square Garden removed the requirement for testing if the spectator is fully vaccinated (no fewer than 14 days since the spectator received the second dose of a two-dose vaccine). On March 1, 2021, Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf announced that large indoor sports venues could now host spectators at 15% of their capacity, affecting the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins . While

11473-577: The establishment of an NHL franchise in suburban Nassau County would help to ensure the vast majority of the Rangers' fanbase within New York City proper would continue to support the older franchise, and reduced the prospect of a rival league eventually establishing a team and fanbase there. Perhaps remembering the crucial role the Jets had played in ensuring the success of the AFL just a few years earlier as

11622-405: The eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Montreal Canadiens . The Canadiens posted a 24–3 record in the playoffs during those two seasons with all three losses coming at the hands of the Islanders. In the 1977 draft , Torrey had the 15th overall pick and was deciding between forwards Mike Bossy and Dwight Foster . Bossy was known as an emerging scorer who lacked physicality. Foster was known as

11771-495: The expansion team Seattle Kraken joining the league in 2021–22, as well as the prospect of signing new U.S. national television deals with multiple networks (see § Media rights , below) . In July 2020, the league and the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) initially agreed to tentatively schedule the opening of training camp on November 17, 2020, and the start of the regular season on December 1. In October 2020, both

11920-432: The fifth-worst record in the league by the end of the season. At the 2008 NHL entry draft , the Islanders made two trades to move down from the fifth to the ninth overall pick, with which they selected center Josh Bailey . They also added free agents Mark Streit and Doug Weight . The team dismissed head coach Ted Nolan over alleged philosophy differences, and later that summer replaced him with Scott Gordon . Near

12069-487: The first time in five years, earning only 91 points. However, they finally broke through and won the Stanley Cup . Before the playoffs, Torrey made the difficult decision to trade longtime and popular veterans Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis to the Los Angeles Kings for second line center Butch Goring . Goring's arrival is often called the "final piece of the puzzle", a strong two-way player, his presence on

12218-466: The fourth overtime—and at 1:56 a.m. on Easter Sunday morning. The win came even though the Islanders had been outshot 75–52. They were eliminated in the Patrick Division finals in seven games by the Flyers. Chronic back pain forced Mike Bossy to retire after the season. The following season , the Islanders captured another division title, but were defeated in the first round of

12367-501: The franchise ran into problems with money, ownership and management, an aging arena, and low attendance. Their woes were reflected on the ice, as the team has not won a division title since 1987–88 , and went 22 seasons without winning a playoff series prior to the 2016 playoffs . After years of failed attempts to rebuild or replace Nassau Coliseum in suburban Long Island, the Islanders relocated to Barclays Center in Brooklyn following

12516-486: The hiccups that we expect will come along and have to expect will come along with potential COVID-19 positives and contact tracing requirements", citing "difficulties" faced by Major League Baseball and the National Football League over their handling of the pandemic. On December 20, the league unveiled its plans for a 56-game regular season, and that the teams would temporarily be realigned into four regional divisions. Due to limitations on travel into and out of Canada,

12665-578: The holdout, Torrey engineered a rebuilding project with two blockbuster trades on October 25, 1991. He dealt LaFontaine, Randy Wood and Randy Hillier (along with future considerations) to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Pierre Turgeon , Benoit Hogue , Uwe Krupp and Dave McLlwain . He also sent longtime captain Brent Sutter and Brad Lauer to the Chicago Blackhawks for Steve Thomas and Adam Creighton . With these additions and

12814-538: The home of division rival Arizona Coyotes , but ended up being postponed due to a COVID outbreak among the Golden Knights (see also § Postponed games , below) . On January 25, Santa Clara County health officials announced that they were lifting the ban, but the Sharks stated that they still needed to work out several health and safety issues and therefore did not return to SAP Center until February 13. The Tampa Bay Lightning initially announced that it would cap Amalie Arena at 20 percent capacity. However,

12963-403: The ice, managed to hook the puck with his stick and score. Bossy netted the Stanley Cup-winning goal and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. The next year, although the Islanders had won the Stanley Cup three straight times, more attention was being paid to the upstart Edmonton Oilers , whose young superstar Wayne Gretzky had just shattered existing scoring records. In 1982–83 the Oilers had

13112-412: The last remaining original Islanders player, retired after the season to become the team's goaltending coach. Not long after the end of the season, Pickett moved to Florida and turned day-to-day operations over to a committee of four Long Island entrepreneurs: Ralph Palleschi, Bob Rosenthal, Stephen Walsh , and Paul Greenwood . In return, they each bought a 2.5% interest in the team. In the next season ,

13261-517: The league in regular season points at the completion of games played on May 15, 2021. The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on May 15, 2021, while playing at least 1,320 minutes. Voting concluded immediately after the end of the regular season. Statistics-based awards such as the Art Ross Trophy , Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy , William M. Jennings Trophy and

13410-456: The league spent well under $ 1,000 (depending on the source, the league spent either $ 525 or $ 750 ) to check Spano's background. It subsequently stiffened the process for vetting future owners. The incident and its aftermath were covered in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Big Shot . Pickett finally found a buyer, a group led by Howard Milstein and Phoenix Coyotes co-owner Steven Gluckstern,

13559-429: The league's player and puck tracking system in all 31 NHL arenas. The system allowed on-air features such as speed displays, puck tracking graphics, and marker graphics hovering above players (though not to the extremes on-air of the mid-'90s FoxTrax experiment). The league had planned to deploy this technology to all 31 arenas by September 2019, but a change to its primary technology partner delayed implementation until

13708-485: The logo found renewed popularity as a throwback design in the late 2010s and early 2020s, enough so that the team would revive it as their third "Reverse Retro" jersey in 2022 and would use an adjusted version of the logo for their AHL team, the Bridgeport Islanders , beginning in 2024.) The year was a disappointment on the ice as well, as the Islanders finished in last place with a record of 22–50–10. During

13857-399: The maximum value of entry-level contracts, deferring 10% of player salaries for the 2020–21 season to cover costs associated with the pandemic (they were to be paid back over three seasons beginning 2022–23), escrow of player salaries capped at 20% for this season and decreasing incrementally to 14-18%, 10%, and 6% over the three seasons that follow (with the 6% applying thereafter), doubling of

14006-441: The middle of their second season. Former California Golden Seals executive vice president Bill Torrey was named as the team's general manager at the same press conference as the franchise's name unveiling. The Islanders secured veteran forward Ed Westfall , defenseman Gerry Hart , and goaltender Billy Smith in the 1972 expansion draft , along with junior hockey stars Billy Harris , Lorne Henning , and Bobby Nystrom in

14155-436: The money from the team's cable deal rather than reinvest it in the team as he had done in years past. Although it did not become clear immediately, the lack of funds limited Torrey's ability to replace all of the departing talent. In the 1984–85 NHL season , the Islanders slipped to third in their division, followed by similar results in the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons. They began facing stiff competition from division rivals,

14304-405: The network, now known as MSG Sportsnet , for over four decades. After the Islanders' regular season dominance and playoff disappointment in 1979, Arbour decided that he would no longer concern himself too greatly with his team's finish in the regular season. Instead, he focused his team's energy on how they would perform in the playoffs. In 1980 , the Islanders dropped below the 100-point mark for

14453-514: The next two seasons. Bossy scored 50 goals in 50 games in 1981 and the Islanders lost only three playoff games en route to defeating the Minnesota North Stars in five games to win the Stanley Cup. Goring won the Conn Smythe Trophy. During their semi-final sweep of the Rangers, Islander fans began taunting the Rangers with a chant of " 1940! " – referring to the Rangers' last Stanley Cup win in 1940 (the Rangers would not win

14602-451: The originally planned start time. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team was at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top four teams in each division made

14751-484: The owners that we're not going to beat this team next door by taking the castoffs from others teams. We'd have to develop our own stars." Before the season began, Westfall was named the team's first captain. By September 1972, the Islanders were waiting for the Nassau Coliseum to be completed as well as their practice facility "The Royal Ice Rink" in Kings Park . The team was forced to practice as late as October 6,

14900-764: The pandemic. Two preseason games were planned to be played in Europe: the Boston Bruins against Adler Mannheim at SAP Arena in Mannheim , Germany, and the Nashville Predators against SC Bern at PostFinance Arena in Bern , Switzerland. In addition, three regular season games, were also planned: the Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators at O2 Arena in Prague , Czech Republic; and two games between

15049-406: The players were against spending the full season isolated in neutral-site bubbles similar to their situation during the 2020 playoffs . With the NHL expecting to lose billions of dollars, several team owners privately told NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that they wanted to suspend the season. But Bettman convinced them that they could not afford to sit out the season in the long run, especially with

15198-410: The playoff bonus pool to US$ 32 million, and an agreement for the NHL to negotiate a return to the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics (after being absent from the 2018 Winter Olympics ). The CBA was automatically renewed through 2026–27 if player escrow debt falls between US$ 125 million and US$ 250 million after the 2024–25 season. As part of the new CBA, the salary cap remained at US$ 81.5 million for

15347-409: The playoffs by the upstart New Jersey Devils . Potvin retired after the playoffs, holding records for most career goals (310), assists (742) and points (1052) by a defenseman, though he has since been passed in these categories by Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey . Around this time, the team's run of good luck in the draft began to run out. Of their four top draft picks from 1987 to 1990, they lost one to

15496-450: The playoffs. In the first round, the fourth- seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. In each round, home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record. Teams advancing to the Stanley Cup semifinals were re-seeded one through four based on regular season record. The following players led

15645-475: The playoffs. Bryan Trottier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Torrey's strategy of building through the draft turned out very well; nearly all of the major contributors on the 1980 champions were home-grown Islanders or had spent most of their NHL careers in the Islanders organization. The Islanders were the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup with Europeans ( Stefan Persson and Kallur) on its roster. The Islanders dominated

15794-415: The playoffs. Milbury followed by once again stepping down as coach during the following season while retaining his job as general manager. During the continued playoff drought, instability in the front office mirrored the Islanders' substandard performance on the ice. Pickett sold the team to Dallas businessman John Spano in 1996. However, three months after the 1997 closing, Spano had only paid Pickett

15943-505: The position. Before his dismissal, Smith made several free agent acquisitions, including defensemen Brendan Witt and Tom Poti , and forwards Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon . On September 12, 2006, the Islanders signed DiPietro to a 15-year, $ 67.5 million ($ 102.02 million in 2023 dollars ) contract, which was believed to be the longest contract to date in the NHL and the second-longest in North American sports, behind

16092-459: The previous season. The season included their first win against the Rangers, on October 27, 1973, which also happened to be the game where Potvin scored his first NHL goal. Although they failed to make the playoffs, their 56 points represented a 26-point improvement from the previous season. With the 4th and 22nd picks in the 1974 draft , the Islanders added young forwards Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier to continue Torrey's building plan. In

16241-426: The regular season with 119 points, as well as recording a record 17 consecutive wins towards the end of the season, and were overwhelmingly favored to win a third straight championship. Jim Smith of Newsday predicted that with Turgeon on the sidelines, the Penguins would sweep the Islanders out of the playoffs, however on the strength of outstanding goaltending from Glenn Healy and contributions from all four lines,

16390-459: The regular season's original end date of May 8, with the last game being moved to May 19. The playoffs began four days earlier on May 15, under a 16-team format with the top four teams from each division. The playoffs concluded on July 7, with the Tampa Bay Lightning defeating the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals in five games, winning their second consecutive and third overall Stanley Cup in franchise history. The 2020–21 season

16539-457: The regular season; only three admitted them at the start of the season. While several Canadian teams submitted proposals (including Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa) to allow for in-person spectators, they were all rejected by local health authorities. All North Division games were played behind closed doors for the entirety of the regular season. During the Stanley Cup playoffs, a number of U.S. teams further increased their capacity, and three of

16688-468: The report, Spano was forced to relinquish the team to Pickett. Federal prosecutors turned up evidence that Spano had forged many of the documents used to vouch for his wealth and to promise payment to Pickett, and even appeared to have sent many of the documents from his own office in Dallas. He was sentenced to 71 months in prison for bank and wire fraud. The NHL took additional heat when reports surfaced that

16837-420: The roster was the acquisition of Hextall. Near the end of the failed 1995 campaign, Maloney decided that the core of players he had left alone for three seasons needed to be revamped, leading to a rebuilding project. He traded Turgeon and Malakhov to the Montreal Canadiens for Kirk Muller and Mathieu Schneider , while Hogue was sent to Toronto for young goaltender Eric Fichaud . Additionally, Maloney allowed

16986-530: The season with 30 goals scored or more, with five of them Islanders draft picks, showing the success of the draft building process. The season ended with a familiar result in the playoffs , as the team lost in overtime in Game 7 of the quarterfinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs . In 1978–79 , the team finished with the best record in the NHL, clinching it with three goals in the third period of

17135-568: The season's final game against the Rangers. Trottier won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP and captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most points, while sophomore Bossy scored 69 goals, which also led the league. Despite their regular season dominance, the Islanders exited the playoffs with another upset playoff loss, this time to the Rangers in the semi-finals. As the team was leaving Madison Square Garden following their Game 6 elimination, Rangers fans rocked and threw objects at

17284-493: The season, citing postseason interviews with the players in which they expressed a lack of confidence in the coach. He was replaced with Steve Stirling , who had previously been coaching the team's top minor league affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers . In the following season , the Islanders again lost in the first round of the playoffs, this time to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning . Following

17433-496: The season, team management fired Maloney, whom fans blamed for the team's downfall, and gave Milbury full control of hockey operations as both a coach and general manager. Milbury went on to resign as head coach during the following season and elevated assistant Rick Bowness to the position. After another unsuccessful season with little improvement, Milbury took over as coach again during the 1997–98 season . The team improved to fourth place in their division but again failed to make

17582-418: The second line ensured that opponents would no longer be able to focus their defensive efforts on the Islanders' first line of Bossy, Trottier and Clark Gillies . Contributions from new teammates, such as wingers Duane Sutter and Anders Kallur and stay-at-home defensemen Dave Langevin , Gord Lane , and Ken Morrow (the latter fresh off a gold medal win at the 1980 Olympics ), also figured prominently in

17731-525: The series back home to Montreal on May 29, making them the first Canadian NHL team to play a game with in-person spectators this season. On May 31, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that the provincial government and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment would invite 550 fully-vaccinated health care workers to attend Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena, marking the Maple Leafs' first, and ultimately, only, home game with any spectators this season. In June,

17880-496: The series in six games and reach the finals for the first time in franchise history, where they would face the NHL's regular season champions, the Philadelphia Flyers , who had gone undefeated for 35 straight games (25–0–10) during the regular season. In game one in Philadelphia , the Islanders won 4–3 on Denis Potvin 's power-play goal in overtime. Leading the series 3–2, they went home to Long Island for game six. In that game

18029-482: The seven Canadian teams were aligned into a single North division. The seven teams in the North Division played each other nine or ten times during the regular season. To further reduce travel, the regular season schedule was arranged into baseball-style homestands , where multiple consecutive games with the same teams were played at the same location. The only contentious issue with the temporary realignment

18178-474: The shortest in league history, on November 3, 2007; it put him behind the bench the following day as the Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2, raising his career coaching win total to 740. The team remained in the playoff hunt through the trade deadline as they re-signed Comrie to a one-year contract and traded away Simon and Marc-Andre Bergeron . A rash of injuries saw them plummet to

18327-406: The state would allow large sports venues to host spectators at 10% of their capacity beginning February 23, 2021, affecting the Buffalo Sabres , New York Islanders , and New York Rangers . All spectators must present proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the event, and may also be required to submit to a rapid test if their PCR test was within more than 48 hours of the event. By

18476-843: The suspension of conferences this season. After the opponents in the Stanley Cup Semifinals were set, it was instead decided that the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, both of whom normally play in the Eastern Conference, would play for the Wales Trophy, thus leaving the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights to play for the Campbell Bowl. For the second consecutive season, no NHL Awards ceremony took place due to

18625-592: The team being in the Pacific Division from 1998 to 2013, and the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues moved to the West. It was the latest a season had started, and with the fewest games per team, since the 2012–13 season . That season, each team played only 48 games due to the aftermath of the 2012–13 NHL lockout . Only for this season, the NHL allowed each team to retain an extra traveling group of four to six players, including one goaltender, known as

18774-614: The team elsewhere. They began trading or releasing many popular players to avoid paying their salaries, including star scorer Zigmund Palffy , team captain Linden, former rookie of the year Bryan Berard , and rugged defenseman Rich Pilon . Losing the highly regarded players, the team finished with similar results the next two seasons. Attendance, which had been in a steady decline over the past few years, decreased even further to under 12,000 per game. Around that time, Milstein bid hundreds of millions of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to purchase

18923-802: The team from playoff contention. They qualified for the playoffs, assisted by a late-season winning streak and a 3–2 shootout victory against the New Jersey Devils in their final regular season game. Despite DiPietro's return to the team in time for the playoffs, the team lost their first round matchup in five games to the Presidents' Trophy -winning Buffalo Sabres . Management announced in June 2007 that they would buy out captain Alexei Yashin 's contract, which had four seasons remaining on it. Free agents Smyth, Poti, Viktor Kozlov , Jason Blake , and Richard Zednik also left in July 2007. During that month,

19072-473: The team to turn its lack of success around. The new owners allowed Milbury to spend money and invest in free agents. His first attempt proved unpopular with fans, as he traded away future star players Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to the Florida Panthers for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish . Milbury then further surprised the hockey world when he took Rick DiPietro with the first selection in

19221-415: The team's bus. Hockey professionals and journalists generally questioned whether the Islanders were capable of winning the important games needed to win a Stanley Cup championship. Islander players would cite fear of repeating the pain of this loss as spurring their later success. After transferring the captaincy to Gillies the season before, Westfall retired and shortly thereafter became a color commentator on

19370-466: The team's captain. By virtue of finishing with the worst record in the previous season, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood was the next addition, taken as the first pick in the September 2001 waiver draft, adding a former Stanley Cup championship goaltender without giving up any players in exchange. The additions proved to be a great help, as the team opened the season with a 9–0–1–1 record,

19519-412: The team's leading scorer, Ferraro, to depart as an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. Fans' displeasure at Maloney for trading the popular Turgeon was magnified when Muller balked at joining a rebuilding team. He played 45 games for the Islanders before being sent to Toronto as well. Before the 1995–96 season , Maloney fired Henning and named Mike Milbury head coach. The same year,

19668-457: The team's ownership later announced that no spectators were going to be allowed at the arena for Lightning games through at least February 2, 2021, due to concerns surrounding local case numbers. The team later announced on March 4 that a maximum of 3,800 fans would be allowed at home games beginning March 13. On May 20, the arena was allowed to expand to 7,000 spectators. On February 10, 2021, Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo announced that

19817-522: The team's telecasts. Off the ice, the Islanders were on shaky ground. Boe was losing money on both his franchises, even as the Islanders quickly surged to NHL prominence and the Nets became an ABA power. The Islanders were still far behind on the $ 10 million they had paid in startup costs, and the expansion and territorial fees associated with moving the Nets to the National Basketball Association threw Boe's finances into

19966-415: The team, whose poor winning percentage that year was ahead of only the franchise's first season. The team's uninspired play led Milbury to fire head coach and past player Butch Goring . Fans vocalized their dislike of Goring taking the fall rather than Milbury, which was further worsened when Milbury passed on hiring Ted Nolan as Goring's successor; Instead, Boston Bruins assistant coach Peter Laviolette

20115-401: The then-unprecedented $ 11 million in franchise and territorial fees. Montreal Canadiens ' general manager Sam Pollock was keen to acquire the Islanders' pick so he could draft French Canadian junior star defenseman Denis Potvin , who had been touted as "the next Bobby Orr " when he was 14 years old. Pollock made several lucrative trade offers including cash to the Islanders, but Torrey turned

20264-429: The third game. In the next round, down three games to none in a best-of-seven series against the Pittsburgh Penguins , the Islanders rallied to win the next four and take the series-winning Game 7 on a late third-period goal by Westfall. Only four other major North American professional sports teams have accomplished this feat (the 1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs , 2004 Boston Red Sox , the 2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers , and

20413-466: The third period of deciding game 5 before John Tonelli scored both the tying goal and the overtime winner. After defeating the Rangers in six games they swept both the Quebec Nordiques and the Vancouver Canucks in the first-ever coast-to-coast Stanley Cup Finals for their third straight championship. During that series Bossy, upended by a check from Tiger Williams and falling parallel to

20562-557: The trade deadline, Snow traded Comrie and Chris Campoli to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Dean McAmmond and the San Jose Sharks ' first-round draft pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft and sent captain Bill Guerin to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional draft pick. 2020%E2%80%9321 NHL season The 2020–21 NHL season was the 104th season of operation (103rd season of play) of

20711-492: Was believed to be out for the entire second round, if not longer, with a separated shoulder. He returned only for spot power-play duty in the last game of the second round. Hunter received a 21-game suspension, at the time the longest for on-ice misconduct in modern NHL history. The Islanders' next opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins , were twice-defending Stanley Cup champions and full of stars such as Mario Lemieux , Jaromir Jagr , and Ron Francis . The Penguins had roared through

20860-459: Was founded in 1972 as part of the NHL's maneuvers to keep a team from rival league World Hockey Association (WHA) out of the newly built Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in suburban Uniondale, New York . After two years of building up the team's roster, they found almost instant success by securing 14 straight playoff berths starting with their third season. The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1980 and 1983 ,

21009-456: Was hired in Torrey's place, while Torrey quickly resurfaced with the expansion Florida Panthers . In Maloney's first year, 1992–93 , the Islanders rebounded to make the playoffs, in the process surpassing the 80-point mark for the first time in five years. The LaFontaine-Turgeon trade proved successful for both the Islanders and Sabres, as both players hit career highs in points and Turgeon won

21158-425: Was hired. Three key personnel acquisitions were made prior to the 2001–02 season, Laviolette's first. Alexei Yashin was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Bill Muckalt , defenseman Zdeno Chara and the Islanders' second overall pick in the 2001 draft . Next, Islanders prospects Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt were traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Michael Peca , who became

21307-500: Was no need to work with the WHA since unlike the initial results of his previous approaches to established leagues in the other major sports, Shea immediately found NHL president Clarence Campbell to be receptive to adding a second team in New York. Nevertheless, the Islanders' bid faced opposition from the New York Rangers , who did not want additional competition in the New York area. Eventually, Campbell and Shea persuaded

21456-524: Was originally planned to begin in October 2020 and end with the Stanley Cup being awarded in June 2021, but this had to be changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting later than normal conclusion of the previous season. In December, the league said that the season would be shorter than the typical 82 games. Attendance at each arena was limited by local health orders. The league also relies on attendance for at least 50 percent of its revenue, and

21605-819: Was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal , Quebec , but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took place on October 6 and 7 in a remote format, hosted from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey . The New York Rangers were awarded the first pick in the 2020 Draft after winning the second phase of the draft lottery on August 10 and selected Alexis Lafreniere . The league had originally scheduled this season's international, All-Star, and outdoor games prior to

21754-493: Was replaced by longtime junior hockey coach Terry Simpson . During the first round of the 1987 playoffs against the Capitals, the Islanders had fallen behind in the series three games to one but were not eliminated due to a playoff format change from a best-of-5 series to a best-of-7. The Islanders evened the series, which set the stage for one of the most famous games in NHL history: the " Easter Epic ". Kelly Hrudey stopped 73 shots on goal while Pat LaFontaine scored at 8:47 of

21903-430: Was shipped to Philadelphia for Tommy Soderstrom in September. In the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, the Islanders not only failed to qualify for the playoffs, they finished ahead of only the third-year Ottawa Senators . By the end of the 1994–95 season, Maloney was under considerable heat from the press and fan base for his handling of the team. Since taking over in 1992, the only noticeable attempt he made to upgrade

22052-716: Was to be hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes at Carter–Finley Stadium on February 20, against an opponent yet to be announced. On May 8, 2020, the league postponed the five international games, aiming to reschedule them for the 2021–22 season. The league then announced on October 22, 2020, that the Winter Classic and the All-Star Game were also being postponed to the next year due to "ongoing uncertainty" since fan participation are considered "integral to the[ir] success. The decision to further postpone

22201-735: Was which two teams in the Central Time Zone would have to join the West Division. They would have more travel time playing games in the Pacific Time Zone , but they would be against the Anaheim Ducks , Los Angeles Kings , and San Jose Sharks , three of the seven teams that did not qualify for the expanded 24-team 2020 playoffs . It was eventually decided to leave the Dallas Stars in the Central to make up for

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