Passing the baton
By Stan Fischler
By the mid-1980s, the Islanders had set a standard of excellence that would be the team's hallmark into the new century and beyond.
Bill Torrey had retained his Hall of Fame core while adding gifted young forwards such as Pat LaFontaine and Patrick Flatley, as well as defenseman Tomas Jonsson.
"Although the four Stanley Cups were in our rear-view mirror," said Torrey, "we still had plenty of talent to play like the champions we had been."
Coach Al Arbour altered the chemistry, separating his Mike Bossy-Bryan Trottier-Clark Gillies "Trio Grande" unit. The line was replaced by a new, successful combination.
Brent Sutter -- fast becoming a team leader -- centered for Bossy and left wing John Tonelli. The results were positive all-around. Bossy finished the 1984-85 season with 58 goals along with a few milestones while Tonelli lit 42 red lights and Sutter chipped in with 42 of his own.
Although hampered by injuries, Bossy enjoyed his eighth-straight 50-plus goal season. He scored 13 goals in his final 25 games. On January 15, 1985 Bossy became the quickest player to reach 400 goals. He accomplished it in his 506th game.
"All in all," Bossy said, "I was satisfied with my season."
His longtime roommate and closest friend, Trottier, equally was enthused. On January 29, 1985 Trots tallied his 1,000th point.
"The nucleus of the dynasty team is being preserved," noted Islanders beat man Pat Calabria of Newsday. "In the best-case scenario, Arbour could coax another championship season out of his aging warriors."
Nevertheless, the ice time of youngsters such as forwards Flatley, LaFontaine, Greg Gilbert and defenseman Gerald Diduck increased while the skills of Gillies, Bob Nystrom and Bob Bourne began to diminish. Meanwhile, of the new breed, Sutter was approaching his peak, having amassed 102 points.
"Sometimes," said Arbour, "you have to change things you've used for years. Not just for the sake of change, but because it's best for everyone."
Actually, that included Radar, himself.
After each challenging season, the veteran mentor would review his options and -- more than once -- would entertain the idea of retirement.
"After the '84-'85 season I thought for sure that Al would retire," Bossy insisted. "I was sure that he had had enough. When he told us that he'd be back for '85-'86 that was a big surprise. But I also was happy because I knew that Radar was respected by every player."
Not that Al was easy on his skaters. The better the stickhandler, the more apt that coach would be hard on him. Exhibit A was Denis Potvin.
"Radar was extra hard on me," Potvin explained, "because he wanted to set an example for the other guys. And that simply was this: since I was the captain and one of the leaders, he wouldn't give me any more preference than a fourth-liner."
Potvin never pouted nor pleaded for special treatment. He maintained his standard of excellence and on December 20, 1985 he surpassed legendary Bobby Orr as the highest-scoring defenseman of all-time.
"All my career the media would compare me with Orr, but I maintained that I was my own man with my own style of playing,” Potvin said. “Naturally, passing Orr was a proud moment for me."
For old time’s sake, Arbour would reunite Bossy and Trots. Mike scored his 500th goal into an empty net on January 2, 1986 and got his 1,000th point three weeks later.
In the All-Star Game at Hartford, Bossy set up Trottier on a two-on-one in overtime. Still creating headlines, Bossy set the record for most consecutive 50-goal seasons on March 11, 1986 and followed up during the off-season, winning the Lady Byng Trophy for clean play combined with excellence on the ice. It was Bossy's Byng hat trick.
None of these milestones altered Torrey's view of progress. "I knew that changes had to be made," Torrey explained, "and I knew that there was no room for sentimentality. An overhaul was a must."
Sure enough, on March 11, 1986, he traded his clutch left wing of yesteryear, Tonelli, to Calgary for left wing Richard Kromm and defenseman Steve Konroyd. While some of the Islanders faithful were disappointed to see a favorite like Tonelli leave, Torrey obtained two young players he believed could help his team.
That also explains why he dealt goalie Rollie Melanson to Minnesota for a first-round pick.
"I still had Billy Smith and I knew Kelly Hrudey was my goalie-of-the future,” said Torrey. “Apart from that I also knew that Radar never liked the idea of having three goalies around."
As the saying goes, "Into each life some rain must fall," and so it fell on Nystrom. On January 5, 1986 the Isles were playing a post-practice game of "Keepaway," in which players try to steal the puck from one another. Diduck accidentally poked Nystrom in the eye with his stick.
Following surgery on Ny's retina, doctors advised Bob that his career was over. The game prior to Bob's injury was his 899th. In one of the game's finest gestures, Arbour put Nystrom in the lineup on April 5, 1986, alongside Trots and Richard Kromm. It was a one-shot one-shift that allowed Nystrom to complete his career with 900 games. To the very end, Arbour was loyal to the man who scored the team’s biggest goal on May 24, 1980 at 7:11 of overtime; the Isles’ first Stanley Cup-winner.
Nystrom's retirement signaled the beginning of the end of an era, but not without one more record-breaker. On April 4, 1987 Potvin became the first defenseman to score 1,000 points. Shortly thereafter an ailing back forced Bossy's retirement. A year later Potvin hung up his skates.
The curtain came down on the dynastic champs when Ken Morrow and Bill Smith each called it a career after the 1989 season.
Forever ours. Forever champions.