Ice Wars: The Complete Story of New York's Greatest Modern Sports Rivalry

By Gil Martin

This book presents the complete history of New Yorks greatest modern sports rivalry: The battle between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. More than fifty former players and broadcasters from both teams were interviewed for this book to provide the inside story of the battle between the Rangers and the Islanders. No modern rivalry in sports has quite the intensity and proximity of the Rangers-Islanders. Each game in the history of the rivalry is reviewed so fans can remember the great moments and stars that made this rivalry unique. Players like Rod Gilbert, JP Parise, Billy Smith, Phil Esposito, Denis Potvin, John Davidson, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Don Maloney, Barry Beck, Pat LaFontaine, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Glenn Healy, Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Henrik Lundqvist are profiled and featured throughout the book. This book is an invaluable reference for fans of both teams and hockey fans everywhere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524617516

Gil Martin

Gil Martin grew up in the thick of the Rangers-Islanders rivalry. He has lived in the New York area nearly all of his life and has followed the rivalry since it started in 1972.

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© 2016 Gil Martin. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/20/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-1752-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-1751-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016911145

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INTRODUCTION

This is the book I was born to write and it’s been more than 40 years in the making. In many ways, I’ve been working on this project from the time I first knew what hockey was as a young kid and watched these two teams battle without helmets and with no ads on the boards. I watched the rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders grow and develop from a mismatch to one of the best and most intense match-ups in any sport.

The Rangers vs. the Islanders always consisted of many different things: the city vs. the suburbs; the Original Six vs. an expansion team; the rapid rise of the Islanders vs. the long championship drought of the Rangers and so much more.

This book contains all the great moments in the rivalry. Every regular-season and playoff game between the New York’s two hockey teams is mentioned here with all the great stars and even the obscure players who helped make this grudge match what it is today.

This book is not really meant to be read cover-to-cover, but to serve as a reference guide for fans of both teams. In this book, you can jump to any great moment between these two teams and find out more about some of the great players from both teams that made this rivalry great.

There is nothing in New York sports quite like the grudge match between the Rangers and Islanders. The Mets and the Yankees meet a few times a year, but they don’t even play in the same league and didn’t play a game that meant anything until 1997. The Giants and Jets meet in the regular season only once every four years and have never met in the playoffs. The Knicks and Nets never seem to be good at the same time and their rivalry has never really come close to the one between their hockey cousins.

I have interviewed more than 50 former players, coaches, broadcasters and front office people who were in the thick of this rivalry from the very early days all the way to the present. I thank each of them for being generous with their time and for sharing their memories.

I also want to thank the photographers who shared their work and helped make this book possible and the people who helped edit the manuscript.

If I did my job well, Rangers fans will read this book and think I was an Islanders fans and Islanders fans will look it over and swear I have always been rooting for the Rangers. Such is the nature of a rivalry so intense that the fans almost hate the other team more than they love their own.

So sit back and enjoy Ice Wars: The Complete Story Behind the Rangers-Islanders Rivalry.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1972-73

The Dress Rehearsal

This Time It Counts

The Tennis Match

Profiles: Ed Giacomin and Brian Spencer

1973-74

A Helluva Night for Firsts

Vickers Throws an Office Party

Profiles: Brad Park and Ed Westfall

1974-75

Rangers Hitting Stymies Isles

It Didn’t Seem Important at the Time

The First Playoff Game

A Blowup and a Blowout

The Night the Rivalry Was Truly Born

Profiles: Rod Gilbert and J.P Parise & Jude Drouin

1975-76

Islanders First Shutout

Back Too Soon

Profiles: Phil Esposito and Billy Harris

1976-77

The First Islander on the Islanders

All Hell Breaks Loose

Profiles: Gilles Gratton and Chico Resch

1977-78

Nicky the Shadow

A First Title

Profiles: Don Murdoch and Garry Howatt

1978-79

Trots’ Biggest Night

The Streak Is Over

The Birth of the Rivalry’s Greatest Hit

Best in the League

1978-79 Playoffs

A Stunning Opener

It’s a Battle

Back to the Garden

Seven is Not Enough

A Game That Had It All

Mission Accomplished

The Aftermath

Profiles: John Davidson and Bryan Trottier

1979-80

Double Chili

USA, USA, USA

Profiles: Barry Beck and Bob Nystrom

1980-81

Craig Patrick Arrives

Dominating Don

1981 Playoffs, Semifinal Round

A Fast Start

Butch to the Rescue

Keeping Their Cool on the Road

Swept Away

Profiles: Ron Greschner and Mike Bossy

1981-82

Boxcars Down For the Count

Red Hot Trio Grande

1982 Playoffs, Patrick Division Finals

Weeks Saves the Rangers

Very Special Teams

Overtime Is Isles Time

The Return of JD

Hard Work Pays Off

Isles Throw a Garden Party

Profiles: Ron Duguay and Denis Potvin

1982-83

Late Comeback

Pavelich Pulls the Silent Trick

1983 Playoffs: Patrick Division Finals

A Clutch Save Makes a Difference

The Duane and Billy Show

A Frantic, Fantastic Finish

All Knotted Up

Bourne Free

Can’t Stop Us Now

Profiles: Dave Maloney and Billy Smith

1983-84

The First Regular Season OT

Bossy’s 400th

1984 Playoffs: Patrick Division Semi-Finals

Rookies Shine for the Isles

Hanlon Evens the Series

A Dynasty on the Brink

Staying Alive

The Rivalry’s Greatest Game

Profiles: Don Maloney and Ken Morrow

1984-85

Another Big Comeback

Bossy’s Hats Runneth Over

Profiles: Mark Pavelich and John Tonelli

1985-86

Gilbert Saves Islanders

Potvin’s Alone at the Top

Profiles: John Vanbiesbrouck and Clark Gillies

1986-87

Ringing in the New Year, Rivalry Style

Would You Believe Bossy Gets a Misconduct

Profiles: Tomas Sandstrom and Brent Sutter

1987-88

Mikko’s Magic Night

History Was (Almost) Made

Profiles: James Patrick and Mikko Makela

1988-89

Guy’s Back

A Painful Game for Both Teams

Profiles: Brian Mullen and Patrick Flatley

1989-90

Coaches Won’t Back Down

Arbour Loses His Cool

1990 Patrick Division Semifinals

LaFontaine’s Injury Sparks a Brawl

Cooler Heads Prevail

A Bounce Back

A Firm Response

The Fight Is Over

Profiles: Kelly Kisio and Pat LaFontaine

1990-91

Tie Domi’s Difficult Night

Pat’s Public Spat

Profiles: Mike Gartner and Glenn Healy

1991-92

King For a Day

Turgeon Answers Back

Profiles: Brian Leetch and Ray Ferraro

1992-93

Blood and Guts for a Tie

50 Reasons to Love Pierre

Profiles: Mark Messier and Pierre Turgeon

1993-94

Thomas Turns a Trick

Zubov Ends One Slump

1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

A Lightning Win

Back to Back

Different Place, Same Result

A Clean Sweep

Profiles: Adam Graves and Derek King

1994-95

Welcome to the Rivalry, Tommy

Messier Takes Command

Profiles: Sergei Zubov and Darius Kasparaitis

1995-96

Milbury Makes the Rangers Spitting Mad

Samuelsson and Bertuzzi, Part II

Profiles: Ulf Samuelsson and Zigmund Palffy

1996-97

A Milestone-Filled Comeback

Liberty for All

Messier Leaves His Mark

Profiles: Wayne Gretzky and Kenny Jonsson

1997-98

Patty’s a Ranger

Reichel to the Rescue

A Goalie Brawl to Remember

Profiles: Jeff Beukeboom and Rich Pilon

1998-99

Water Bottle to the Rescue

Gretzky’s Final Goal

Profiles: Petr Nedved and Claude Lapointe

1999-2000

Pushing and Shoving

A Game of Firsts

Profiles: Mike Richter and Butch Goring

2000-01

Bye-Bye Butch

Dvorak Steals the Show

Profiles: Theo Fleury and Mariusz Czerkawski

2001-02

Theo Does the Chicken Dance

A Killer Comeback

Yashin Completes the Trick

Profiles: Eric Lindros and Chris Osgood

2002-03

Trottier’s Fight-Filled Return Home

Profiles: Alexei Kovalev and Alexei Yashin

2003-04

Peca Drops a Knee

Cairns vs. Purinton, Round 1

Profiles: Mike Dunham and Mike Peca

2005-06

Welcome to the New NHL

The Straka and Jagr Show

Profiles: Jaromir Jagr and Miro Satan

2006-07

Kozlov Leads the Goal Parade

DP Blanks the Rangers

Simon Goes Down Swinging

The Islanders Are Not Quite Dead

Post Script: The Ice Girls Incident

Profiles: Henrik Lundqvist and Jason Blake

2007-08

Unfinished Business

100 Wins for DP

Profiles: Chris Drury and Bill Guerin

2008-09

Avery’s Back

Profiles: Scott Gomez and Mark Streit

2009-10

Welcome to the Rivalry, JT

The Rangers Storm Back

Profiles: Sean Avery and Rick DiPietro

2010-11

A Big Comeback and a Regrettable Gesture

Gaborik Dominates

Profiles: Ryan Callahan and Matt Moulson

2011-12

Tavares Does the Trick

Shot Blocking Is What We Do

Profiles: Marian Gaborik and Kyle Okposo

2012-13

A Weight Lifted off their Backs

An Old Fashioned Battle

Profiles: Ryan McDonagh and John Tavares

2013-14

A Cliff Hanger

A Battle in the Bronx

Profiles: Martin St. Louis and Frans Nielsen

2014-15

40 Years Later

Coliseum Finale

Profiles: Rick Nash and Jaroslav Halak

2015-16

Welcome to Brooklyn

A Roller Coaster Ride

Profiles: Mats Zuccarello and Brock Nelson

1972-73

Playoffs:

Quarterfinals: Rangers defeated Boston 4-1

Semifinals: Chicago defeated Rangers 4-1

Islanders: Did Not Qualify

All Stars: Rangers: Brad Park (2nd Team), Islanders: None

Leading Scorers: Rangers: Jean Ratelle 41-53-94; Rod Gilbert 25-59-84; Walt Tkaczuk 27-39-66

Islanders: Billy Harris 28-22-50; Ed Westfall 15-31-46; Brian Spencer 12-29-41

Penalty Minutes: Rangers: Dale Rolfe 74

Islanders: Gerry Hart 158

Goaltending: Rangers: Ed Giacomin 43 GP, 26-11-6, 2.91 GAA 4 SO

Islanders: Gerry Desjardins 44 GP, 5-35-3, 4.68 GAA 0 SO

Head to Head: Rangers 6-0-0 GF: 25 GA: 5

Islanders 0-6-0 GF: 5 GA: 25

SEASON IN REVIEW:

Rangers:

The Rangers had reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1971-72 before falling to the Boston Bruins in six games. They put together back-to-back 109 point seasons and followed that up with 102 points in 1972-73. The WHA started play in 1972 and started to sign star players like Gerry Cheevers, Bernie Parent and Bobby Hull. Rangers GM Emile Francis managed to keep his top players on Broadway and signed several of them to big contracts.

The Rangers were still led by the Goal-a-Game or GAG line of Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert. Ratelle led the team with 41 goals and 94 points. Injuries hurt the Rangers as Hadfield missed 15 games while defenseman Brad Park sat out 26 games with various ailments. Still, the Rangers got 30-goal seasons from winger Billy Fairbairn and rookie Steve Vickers and had a total of seven players score at least 20 times. The duo of Ed Giacomin and Gilles Villemure continued to shine in net and combined for seven shutouts. Vickers won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie for his strong season.

The highlight of the season was a 16-game unbeaten streak (14-0-2) that included 10 consecutive wins including back-to-back 6-0 shutouts of the Islanders. The streak started January 7 against Pittsburgh and lasted until February 14 when the Canadiens finally ended it with a 6-3 win at the Forum.

The Rangers reached the playoffs again and beat the Bruins in the opening round, only to fall to the Blackhawks in the semifinals.

Islanders:

Things weren’t easy for the Islanders in their first season. Before they even met for training camp, the franchise was behind the eight ball. GM Bill Torrey lost eight of the 19 players he selected in the expansion draft to the rival WHA. In fact, the WHA’s appearance was the only reason the NHL was so eager to put an expansion team on Long Island to prevent the upstart league from playing in the new Nassau Coliseum.

On the ice, the Islanders set an NHL record for futility, winning only 12 of 78 games and finishing with just 30 points. Rookie Billy Harris provided some hope and led the team with 28 goals. Craig Cameron was next with 19. Gerry Desjardins and Billy Smith split the goaltending duties, which basically meant they took turns facing a constant barrage of shots.

You’d go into a game knowing it was going to be a bombing, Smith told EM Swift of Sports Illustrated.

The idea was to lose, but lose honorably. Harris recalled, A winning streak for us was a win, a tie and a close one.

General manager Bill Torrey added, The last two months of the season, I don’t think I ever went into a city where I didn’t see the headline, ‘Hapless Islanders.’ We weren’t the New York Islanders anymore. I thought they were talking about some town on Long Island I hadn’t heard about.

The highlight of the season was a 9-7 over the Big Bad Bruins in Boston which ended a 12-game losing streak. The Bruins were the defending Stanley Cup champions and featured Phil Esposito and the great Bobby Orr. The Isles raced to a 5-0 lead and then hung on to eke out the win.

All that losing did give the Islanders one big advantage: they earned the first overall draft pick in 1973 which gave them the rights to select defenseman Denis Potvin.

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A view of the Islanders bench during the 1972-73 season (Photo: Ken Tash)

The Dress Rehearsal

September 27, 1972, Nassau Coliseum

Rangers 6, Islanders 4

The game didn’t count in the standings, but like any dress rehearsal, there were plenty of last minute adjustments and strange goings-on when the Rangers and Islanders met for the very first time for an exhibition game on September 27, 1972.

This was the first time the Islanders would play a home game of any kind at the new Nassau Coliseum and the building was not quite finished. The glass above the boards was just added the day before the game and the first sheet of ice was being installed on the Coliseum floor.

Workers were also installing seats in the upper corners of the stands for the members of the media to watch the action, since the original plans for the Nassau Coliseum did not include a press box.

If you look for pictures of the game, you’re not likely to find many. Many of the photographers scheduled to cover the contest walked out before the game started when they found out the area they were supposed to work from at rinkside hadn’t been built yet.

The biggest missing item, however, was the scoreboard. The Coliseum had yet to install a modern professional scoreboard for the game, so one was borrowed at the last minute from Skateland, the practice home of the New York Rangers. It did the job until the permanent replacement could be put into place.

Oddly enough, the game was televised on WOR-TV, Channel 9, which back then only broadcast select Rangers and Islanders road games. No known tape of the game still exists.

The crowd of 11,053 came in with a lot of curiosity. One fan held up a sign that said, Go New York, but most of them were rooting for the more established Rangers.

Isles defenseman Gerry Hart recalled, We stepped on the ice and we were like the visiting team. The place was packed but they were there to see the Rangers. We were astounded. Ninety-five percent of the fans were there to see the Rangers.

Spectators grew restless when a nine-minute ceremony for just returned POWs from the Vietnam War delayed the opening faceoff, but finally Referee Art Skov dropped the puck and hockey’s newest rivalry was born.

There were plenty of firsts in this game, as was to be expected. The first penalty was taken by Islanders defenseman Bill Mikkelson, just 1:18 into the contest. The Rangers turned that into the first goal which was scored by a relatively obscure winger named Glen Sather, who rarely saw time on the power play when the games counted.

Rookie Billy Harris was the big star for the Islanders, scoring twice including the first ever Islanders goal. Rookie defenseman Larry Sacharuk, who would appear in only eight games for the Rangers that season, also scored two goals. In the end, the Rangers came away with a 6-4 victory.

The Islanders suffered a serious loss during the game. Hart, one of the few defensemen the Islanders had with NHL experience, suffered torn ligaments in his left knee when he checked Rangers defenseman Dale Rolfe, who then fell on top of him. Hart missed the early part of the season as a result.

Both sides tried to say the right thing after the game. Rangers Coach and GM Emile Francis praised the Islanders. They hustled and they played good positional hockey and they’re solid in goal, Francis told reporters after the game. I like Harris. This is a beautiful building and it should be a tremendous franchise.

Harris almost seemed to foresee the future in his comments. Of course we were aware we had to have a good game in the first game here at the Coliseum, but being it was the Rangers added to it. It’s going to be a bitter rivalry eventually.

The regular season was still 10 days away for both teams. It wasn’t official, but a rivalry had been born.

This Time It Counts

Saturday October 21, 1972, Nassau Coliseum

Rangers 2, Islanders 1

The world was a very different place on October 21, 1972, than it is today.

The Watergate scandal was just starting to become news, while Richard Nixon was just two weeks away from a landslide win over George McGovern in the race for the White House. War was still raging in Vietnam, while back home, the Oakland A’s and Cincinnati Reds played Game 6 of the World Series that afternoon. Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s would go on to win their first of three straight World Championships in seven games.

All in the Family was the top TV show, The Godfather was still going strong in movie theaters more than three months after it had been released and Chuck Berry’s My Ding-a-Ling topped the music charts.

Tickets to the first Rangers-Islanders game at the Nassau Coliseum cost as little as $6, or you could splurge and pay a whopping $8 for the best seats in the house. If you didn’t mind staying on your feet, standing room only admission would cost you either $3 or $4 depending on location.

Getting to the game was also a lot cheaper. A new Chevy Nova, given away on The New Price Is Right earlier that month, had a suggested retail price of $2,746. Filling up your gas tank would probably cost a little more than $10, depending on the size of your car. And if they didn’t want to drive to the game, hockey fans could ride the Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stop closest to the Nassau Coliseum for just $1.85.

This was a game of firsts. It was the first time the Islanders had ever sold out the Nassau Coliseum. While the listed capacity for hockey that season was 14,665, Newsday estimated there were approximately 16,000 people crammed into the brand new building in Uniondale once you counted those fans who were willing to stand through the entire contest.

It was also the first NHL game between two New York teams since March 3, 1942, when the Rangers tied the Brooklyn Americans 4-4. The Americans, who shared Madison Square Garden with the Rangers, disbanded after the season, leaving the Rangers alone in the New York market for the next 30 years.

The Rangers came into the game with a disappointing 3-3-0 record while the expansion Islanders were 1-3-0, having defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 at the Coliseum just nine days earlier to earn the first win in franchise history.

Rangers Coach and GM Emile Francis joked to reporters that this would be the shortest road trip in Rangers history. In fact, the Islanders brand new arena was actually closer to the Rangers practice facility in Long Beach than Madison Square Garden was.

When the Rangers took the ice, they received a loud ovation from the crowd. The Islanders also took the ice to cheers and, right from the start, the battle by fans of both teams for control of the Nassau Coliseum was underway.

When they came out, they got a louder ovation than we did, admitted Isles’ defenseman Bill Mikkelson. The people at the games were Rangers fans, especially the first year. That was to be expected. Fans had their allegiances.

Gilles Villemure was in goal for the Rangers while Billy Smith got the starting nod for the home team.

The Islanders surprised everybody by playing the Rangers toe-to-toe right from the beginning. Isles’ defenseman Jim Mair was called for the first penalty in the series, but the Rangers couldn’t cash in with the man advantage. Center Walt Tkaczuk was the first Ranger to go the penalty box, but the Isles power play came up empty as well. After 20 minutes, the Rangers had outshot the Islanders 10-6 but the game was still scoreless.

The first fight broke out just 39 seconds into the second period and it was between two future Hall of Famers: Rangers winger Rod Gilbert and Smith, the Isles’ combative goalie.

It started when he [Gilbert] took a cheap shot at me, Smith told reporters after the game. Then I took a cheap shot at him.

Gilbert was ready to retaliate but he took a look at Smith and thought better of it: Smith refused to take his mask off. How can I hit him in the mask? Gilbert explained. That’s all I need is to break my hand on his mask.

Smith wasn’t about to give up his advantage. Some of their guys were yelling at me to take off my mask and fight, but why should I? You don’t have time ... They don’t understand that if I stopped to take off my mask, the other guy could hit me.

Both Smith and Gilbert were assessed two minutes for roughing and five for fighting. Dave Hudson served the penalty for the Islanders, who were only too happy to see the Rangers first-line right wing sit out for an extended time. Smith wasn’t done pushing and shoving, and later had smaller altercations with Glen Sather and Pete Stemkowski.

The Rangers finally scored the first goal of the series just past the midway point of the hockey game. With Brian Lefley in the penalty box for hooking, Rangers left wing Vic Hadfield blasted a slap shot by Smith from 50 feet out. The crowd cheered and it was 1-0 Rangers.

The Islanders refused to quit and bounced right back to tie the game at 1-1 just 3:12 later. Craig Cameron stole the puck from defenseman Brad Park and went in on a breakaway. Cameron used Brian Lavender as a decoy before taking the shot himself and putting the puck past Villemure from about 30 feet out. Again the crowd cheered.

The winning goal came with 12:55 left in the game. Veteran center Bobby Rousseau took a pass from Stemkowski and had three chances to put the puck on net. Smith stopped the first one, Rousseau fanned on the second, but he managed to lift the third one over Smith’s prone body to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

The more experienced Rangers controlled the tempo of the third period, outshooting the Islanders 14-5, but Smith kept the game close. The Islanders chances all but ended when defenseman Ken Murray was called for hooking Sather with just 2:22 left in the game.

Isles Coach Phil Goyette was upset with the call. He [Sather] took a dive and [referee Lloyd] Gilmour fell for it, he fumed. He ruined us.

The Rangers had escaped the Nassau Coliseum with a 2-1 victory and had drawn first blood in what would quickly become New York’s most intense sports rivalry.

Isles’ forward Terry Crisp sat in the locker room after the game and lamented his team’s near miss. We deserved a tie, he said. We deserved at least a point.

Saturday, December 9, 1972, Nassau Coliseum

Rangers 4, Islanders 1

The Rangers scored three times in 2:03 late in the second period to break open a tie game and down the Islanders 4-1. Bill Fairbairn scored twice to lead the Rangers charge while defenseman Rod Seiling added a goal and an assist. Ed Giacomin made 19 saves to earn the win for the Rangers. Brian Lavender scored the only Isles goal. Despite the loss, the Isles played better than they had in recent weeks. I’m sure playing us has to give a little extra incentive to these guys, Giacomin said after the game. We play our games only 20 miles apart, so playing each other has to mean something. But the way we’ve played lately, we didn’t really care who we beat tonight.

Sunday, December 10, 1972, Madison Square Garden

Rangers 4, Islanders 1

Little used third-string goalie Peter McDuffe got a very rare start and made 25 saves to earn his first career NHL victory in the Rangers 4-1 win. That spoiled the Islanders first regular-season trip to Madison Square Garden. Vic Hadfield and Walt Tkaczuk each had a goal and an assist while Bobby Rousseau and Pete Stemkowski had two helpers each. Billy Harris gave the Islanders their first ever lead in the series with his seventh goal of the season, but it was all the Isles could muster against McDuffe. Despite losing both ends of the home-and-home, the Islanders searched for a bright side. This weekend was good for us, insisted goalie Gerry Desjardins. It showed we can skate with those guys.

The Tennis Match

Wednesday February 7, 1973, Madison Square Garden & Saturday February 10, 1973, Nassau Coliseum

Rangers 6, Islanders 0; Rangers 6, Islanders 0

When you have an established Stanley Cup contender like the Rangers playing against an expansion team like the Islanders, results like this one are almost inevitable. The Rangers won both ends of a home-and-home with relative ease, triumphing at both Madison Square Garden and the Nassau Coliseum by identical 6-0 margins.

As Rangers’ captain Vic Hadfield wrote in his book, Vic Hadfield’s Diary, before one of the six meetings between the teams that season, Thank God for expansion, thank God for the Islanders.

The Rangers entered these two games meetings with the Islanders playing their best hockey of the season. The two wins against their new neighbors extended the Rangers winning streak to 10 games and their unbeaten streak to 15 consecutive games (14-0-1). It also was the Rangers third straight 6-0 victory, having defeated the Atlanta Flames by the same score three days earlier. The Rangers had now gone 214:59 since giving up a goal. More importantly for the Rangers, they were now just four points behind the first place Montreal Canadiens with a pair of games coming up against the Habs.

Winger Rod Gilbert said the Rangers were playing so well they were rolling, like a snowball downhill.

Meanwhile, the Islanders fell to 7-45-5 on the season with the two losses to the Rangers. That left them 11 points behind the next worst team in the league: the California Golden Seals. The Isles had just ended a six-game winless streak and gotten new Coach Earl Ingarfield his first win behind the Isles’ bench by downing the Maple Leafs 4-2 prior to meeting the Rangers.

The two teams took very different approaches when facing each other that first season. Isles’ captain Ed Westfall, who missed these two games due to a groin injury, did his best to get his young teammates ready for the Rangers. I would say, ‘These games are a test for you and for us as a team. If we’re going to play these games, why not win them? Don’t worry about them; let’s see how good we can be.’ I was half player, half coach in some ways.

Isles’ defenseman Gerry Hart recalled how the Islanders would approach a game against the Rangers in their debut season. We were in awe as much as anything else. We knew they were far superior to us in skills, name recognition, goaltending and everything else…Our M.O. that year was to do out and put forth a superior effort against any team we would play. We could out work them. We could hit anything in sight. We had that energy. We weren’t going to beat them with skills so we were going to beat them with hustle and physical play.

The Rangers meanwhile, had to keep themselves from taking their new neighbors too lightly. They were an expansion team, you weren’t expecting them to be very strong, admitted Brad Park. We feared them a little bit because we knew they wanted to play well against us and establish themselves in the New York market.

Rangers Coach Emile Francis used the local angle to get his team up for the Isles. I’d say, ‘Hey, we’re playing in the same city. It’s our city—nobody’s coming into our city and beating us.’

The first game was relatively close until the late going. The Rangers scored three goals in the final three minutes of the game to quickly turn a 3-0 lead into a 6-0 win. It was the heroics of Isles’ goalie Gerry Desjardins that kept things close for the first 57 minutes. The goalie with the permanently bent arm made 38 saves as the Rangers outshot the Isles 44-25 including a 20-5 margin in the third period.

Center Walt Tkaczuk led the Rangers attack with two goals and an assist while defenseman Brad Park set up three Rangers scores. The second goal gave Tkaczuk 20 on the season, the fourth straight year he reached that plateau. It also meant that all six forwards on the Rangers top two lines (Jean Ratelle, Hadfield, Gilbert, Tkaczuk, Steve Vickers and Billy Fairbairn) had topped the 20 goal mark with more than 20 games left to play.

After the game, Giacomin, who was rarely tested, had trouble remembering the names of the Islanders’ players who came close to ending his shutout. In the second period, one of their guys hit the far post with a shot, Giacomin said. I think it was number 16 (Ralph Stewart). Another Islander came close in the final two minutes. I got that one with my stick glove. Who was it? Oh, it was number 22 (Bob Cook).

It was doubtful Giacomin meant any disrespect. He just wasn’t familiar with the players on the expansion Islanders, many of whom had little or no NHL experience. For Giacomin, it was his fourth shutout of the season and he also earned his league leading 22nd victory.

Three days later at the Nassau Coliseum, it was Gilles Villemure’s turn. He made 24 saves to earn his second straight personal shutout and the team’s third in a row. Bruce MacGregor scored twice in a 50 second span during the opening 4:34 to give the Rangers a quick lead they would never relinquish. MacGregor finished with three points while Park, Ratelle, Gilbert and Pete Stemkowski each finished with two.

Isles’ Coach Earl Ingarfield removed Desjardins from the game after the Rangers scored their fourth goal at the 11:40 mark of the opening period. Billy Smith came took over and allowed just two goals the rest of the way.

Tonight I felt good, I think I could have finished the game, Desjardins insisted. [But] I was relieved in a way when Smith took over. The fans were on me, riding me pretty good.

Smith left his mark on the game and on his favorite nemesis, Rangers forward Glen Sather. In the second period, Smith slashed Sather across the ankles. In the third, Sather retaliated and according to Smith, accidentally put his stick in my throat. Make sure you say accidentally, I don’t want to imply he’d do it on purpose. He was probably aiming for my belly.

Smith and the Islanders battled, but they were in the Rangers’ league that first year in name only. Rookie Billy Harris recalled the challenge of facing the more established New York team. The first year was just guys like Walt Tkaczuk. You went against him in a faceoff and you couldn’t move his legs. He was stronger than strong. And then a guy like Dale Rolfe who had a reach that could poke check you from 20 feet away. The size of those guys…they were just a big solid team right through their whole lineup.

The Rangers had walked away with two one-sided victories. Just like a tennis match, six-love, six-love, said Villemure. How many times do we play these guys?

Sunday, February 18, 1973, Madison Square Garden

Rangers 3, Islanders 2

Jean Ratelle had a goal and an assist while rookie defenseman Ab DeMarco scored the game-winner on a spectacular end-to-end rush as the Rangers edged the Islanders 3-2. He went past five men and you’re not supposed to to that, said Isles coach Earl Ingarfield. The win gave the Rangers a 6-0-0 sweep over their new rivals this season. The Isles were outshot 32-15 but got goals from Craig Cameron and Tom Miller to keep things close. The Rangers lost Brad Park in the first period to a knee injury on a hip check by Brian Marchinko. Park would miss about two weeks of time, but the injury would prove damaging to the Ranger’s playoff hopes.

PROFILES:

Rangers:

Ed Giacomin

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Ed Giacomin was the Rangers starting goalie for a decade. (Photo: Mark McGinley)

Eddie Giacomin was one of the most popular players in Rangers history. His daring and unorthodox style of goaltending and his seemingly sudden success made him a fan favorite. By the time the Islanders joined the league in 1972, Giacomin had already established himself as a perennial all-star and had captured the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie (along with teammate Gilles Villemure).

Giacomin recorded the first shutout in this series, a 6-0 win over the Islanders on February 7, 1973, at Madison Square Garden.

In addition to earning the love of the local fans, Giacomin earned the respect of his opponents. You had to do something special to score on him, Isles defenseman Gerry Hart said.

Forward J.P. Parise recalled Giacomin as, classy and a great competitor.I had a lot of respect for Ed Giacomin, he tried different things and was innovative.

Giacomin recalled what it was like in the early years of the rivalry when the Rangers would visit Long Island. The Coliseum was always packed when the Rangers came. It was a great feeling, like another home game. It was definitely an away game for us: you have to respect that, they still had the last change. We had to forget about the crowd. They were cheering for us, especially if we scored early. We had to approach it carefully.

Giacomin finished with a 6-3-1 mark with the Rangers in the rivalry during the regular season.

The Rangers placed Giacomin on waivers in October of 1975 and he was claimed by the Detroit Red Wings. His first game with Detroit was played at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. On that occasion, the fans at Madison Square Garden gave Giacomin the most unique tribute. Before the game, the fans chanted, Ed-Dee, Ed-Dee and they cheered Giacomin’s every move. Giacomin was moved to tears before the game even started. He went out and played well as the Red Wings defeated the Rangers 6-4. After a decade of being a favorite at Madison Square Garden, the fans gave Giacomin a spontaneous outpouring of affection for his years of effort with the Rangers. No other player has ever received such a tribute.

Giacomin was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. The Rangers officially retired his number one in 1989. After his retirement, Giacomin later worked for both the Rangers and Islanders as an assistant coach and was in the Isles broadcast booth in 1979.

Islanders:

Brian Spencer

Brian Spinner Spencer was one of the most popular players on the Islanders during their first two seasons of existence when wins were hard to come by but effort was applauded and appreciated by the fans.

Spencer scored 14 goals and 38 points during the Isles’ first season, but he became a fan favorite for hitting almost anything that moved and wore an opposing jersey. In fact, Spencer had a bonus in his contract for hits.

Isles’ PR man Hawley Chester admitted, I used to give him credit for misses, too, but the Coliseum got electrified when Spencer was on the ice.

Unfortunately, Spencer had real issues off the ice and they eventually caught up to him.

Teammate Billy Harris recalled, He was as tough as nails. He could skate, he could shoot, but between the ears he was missing something. He was a very excitable guy.

The Islanders dealt Spencer to the Sabres late in the 1973-74 season. The following year, he has his most productive season and helped the Sabres reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Unfortunately, after his NHL career ended, Spencer’s life spun out of control. He got involved in drugs and weapons charges and he was charged with murder and kidnapping in 1987. He was acquitted but was unable to get his life on track.

On June 3, 1988, Spencer was shot and killed during a robbery following a crack cocaine purchase in Florida. He was just 38.

Although he lasted less than two full seasons with the Islanders, Spencer was the heart and soul of an expansion team that had little hope of winning but never stopped trying.

1973-74

Playoffs:

Quarterfinals: Rangers defeated Montreal 4-2

Semifinals: Philadelphia defeated Rangers 4-3

Islanders: Did Not Qualify

All Stars: Rangers: Brad Park (1st Team); Islanders: None

Leading Scorers: Rangers: Brad Park 25-57-82; Rod Gilbert 36-41-77; Pete Stemkowski 25-45-70

Islanders: Denis Potvin 17-37-54; Billy Harris 23-27-50; Ralph Stewart 23-20-43

Penalty Minutes: Rangers: Brad Park 148

Islanders: Garry Howatt 204

Goaltending: Rangers: Ed Giacomin 56 GP 30-15-10, 3.07 GAA 5 SO

Islanders: Billy Smith 46 GP 9-23-12, 3.07 GAA 5 SO

Head to Head: Rangers: 4-1-0 GF: 20 GA: 8

Islanders: 1-4-0 GF: 8 GA: 20

SEASON IN REVIEW:

Rangers:

The Rangers had another strong season in 1973-74, finishing with 94 points. But it was a tale of two seasons. The team got off to a slow start under new coach Larry Popein, but bounced back strong when Emile Francis fired Popein midway through the season and resumed coaching the team.

He coached our minor league teams in Omaha and Providence and he did a good job in both places, Francis recalled. He was a dour guy, always serious all the time. The players didn’t play for him. He had an incident with Rod Gilbert over a missed meeting. The players rebelled. Rod was very popular and one of the leaders on the team. I stood behind Popein at that time because I had to.

The Rangers were 18-14-9 under Popein but quickly caught fire when Francis took over. They went on a 17-2-3 in their first 22 games under The Cat and went 22-10-5 overall in the final 37 contests.

Defenseman Brad Park led the Rangers in scoring with a career-best 25 goals and 82 points. The GAG line remained the top unit while and the team scored 300 goals, good for second in the league and a new franchise record. In all, eight different players topped the 20 goal mark including Park, Ratelle, Hadfield, Gilbert, Walt Tkaczuk, Pete Stemkowski, Steve Vickers and Ted Irvine.

Giacomin and Villemure remained the goaltending duo but the team struggled on defense and gave up 251 goals, the most they had allowed in the last eight seasons.

In the playoffs, the Rangers beat the defending Stanley Cup champions for the third consecutive year when they upset the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers were favored against the Philadelphia Flyers in the semifinals but fell in a heartbreaking seventh game as the Flyers became the first expansion team to defeat a member of the Original Six in a playoff series. The home team won all seven contests with Dave Schultz of the Flyers setting the tone in the deciding game by pummeling Dale Rolfe in the first period.

The Rangers had reached the semifinals or better in each of the last four seasons, but the window of opportunity on Emile Francis’ great teams was starting to close as this team featured 11 players over the age of 30 on their roster.

Islanders:

The Islanders didn’t make the playoffs in their second season, but they improved their record by 26 points and cut their goals against total by exactly 100. The big reason for the improvement was the addition of coach Al Arbour.

Arbour almost didn’t come to Long Island. His wife Claire had concerns about living in New York. But the Arbours were thinking about New York City, not the suburban life of Long Island. They initially turned down the Isles job, but coincidentally, while on vacation in Florida, the Arbours met a couple who explained how different Long Island was from New York City and how it was a very nice place to live.

After the vacation, Arbour called Torrey back and asked if the job was still available. The Islanders had their new coach.

From the beginning of training camp, Arbour made it clear that he expected more from his team than the coaching staff did a year ago.

The first training camp with Al was like boot camp, GM Bill Torrey said. I can remember Ralph Stewart literally crawling off the ice one day, and guys like Westfall were bitching something awful. That was the sign we were getting somewhere.

He also started to go over game films. He sat down with each player and told us how he wanted us to play. He said he wanted 100 percent all of the time and he wanted us to always be thinking, recalled defenseman Jean Potvin. There were things we had to do. Even when we didn’t have the puck, you have a role and you can’t be mesmerized watching the play. He would say if you were on ice for 20 minutes a game, that was about 80 minutes a week we were on the ice in game situations. If you can’t give 100 percent for those 80 minutes, he’d have us on the first bus out of here.

The new season also brought Jean’s younger brother, Denis Potvin, the first pick in the 1974 draft. Other teams made offers to Torrey for that first pick. Emile Francis of the Rangers recalled his offer. I offered Bill Torrey five players off the Rangers roster for the rights to draft Potvin. He turned me down.

Sam Pollock of Montreal who had practically stolen the rights to Guy Lafleur from the California Golden Seals a few years earlier made at least four offers at the draft for the first overall pick but Torrey stuck to his guns and drafted Potvin.

The addition of Potvin gave the Isles a star to build around and the rookie didn’t disappoint. Despite some early run-ins with Arbour due to his immaturity, Potvin quickly adjusted to life in the NHL and led the Isles with 37 assists and 54 points.

The Islanders were still not winners, but they had changed the culture around the club and were on their way to respectability. Few people would guess how quickly they would get there.

A Helluva Night for Firsts

Saturday, October 27, 1973, Nassau Coliseum

Islanders 3, Rangers 2

The Islanders 3-2 win at the Nassau Coliseum was not your typical late October hockey game. It was a game of significant firsts for the Islanders. The Isles beat the Rangers for the first time, rookie defenseman Denis Potvin scored his first NHL goal and new Coach Al Arbour earned his first victory behind the Islanders’ bench after going winless in his first seven contests (0-3-4). Arbour described the victory as sweet.

It was particularly sweet for Potvin, the first overall pick in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft who was facing the Rangers for the first time. He wasted little time in making his mark on the series. Potvin gave the home team a 1-0 lead just 4:54 into the game on a shot from 40 feet out that beat Ed Giacomin low, along the ice.

Potvin got a little useful advice from Isles’ veteran goalie Gerry Desjardins that helped him light the lamp for the first time. Gerry told me before the game that Giacomin pulls up sometimes on shots, Potvin said. Gerry suggested I keep my shot low…It beat him low on his glove side.

Ed Westfall scored midway through the first period to give the Isles a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes.

After taking a lead on the ice, the Islanders proceeded to beat the Rangers in physical confrontations. Andre St. Laurent dropped the gloves with Brad Park and gave the All-Star defenseman a cut over his eye that required two stitches. Then Rod Gilbert and Bobby Nystrom started jawing at each other and Vic Hadfield came in to protect Gilbert. Hadfield and Nystrom came to blows and the Islander rookie won clearly got the better of the Rangers’ captain. Hadfield went to the dressing room for repairs after the fight.

Nystrom had mixed emotions after winning the decision over Hadfield. I patterned my game after him, Nystrom explained. He was a big strong tough guy who scored 50 goals. As glad as I was to win the fight, it was disturbing for me.

A goal by Tommy Williams early in the second period cut the Islanders lead in half. Then, a strange encounter between Giacomin and Germain Gagnon gave the Islanders a valuable power play. The Rangers’ goalie took exception when Gagnon pushed him into the back of his net. Giacomin responded with a slash and then left his crease to chase Gagnon as he headed for the Islander bench. Giacomin received 2:00 for slashing.

Potvin scored what proved to be the game winner on the ensuing power play. It was the Islanders first goal of the season with the man advantage after an embarrassing 0-for-24 start. Potvin stole the puck from Pete Stemkowski inside the Rangers’ zone, took a few quick strides and let go a wrist shot that beat Giacomin through the five-hole.

Jean Ratelle scored with 7:32 left in the third period to get the Rangers back to within a goal, but Billy Smith kept the Rangers off the scoreboard and clinched the Islanders first win in the rivalry.

After the game, the public address announcer at the Coliseum announced Denis Potvin as the first star of the game, Billy Harris the second and the entire Islander team as the third star.

The victory gave the Islanders six points on the young season, just one point behind the Rangers. Still, Isles’ captain Ed Westfall tried to keep things in perspective. They’re not going to say, ‘Break up the Islanders yet,’ Westfall said. We can’t throw our uniforms out there and expect to win every game.

Giacomin was frustrated by the loss. The worst part of it all is Potvin gets his first NHL goal, then scores the Islanders’ first power play goal and that helps them to their first win. And they did it all against a goalie with number one on his back. It was a helluva night for firsts, eh?

Denis Potvin had a big game and led the Islanders to an important victory over their biggest rivals. It was a first, but it would not be the last.

Sunday, November 11, 1973, Madison Square Garden

Rangers 5, Islanders 2

The Rangers dominated play, outshooting the visiting Isles 57-23. Rod Gilbert scored twice while Brad Park added a goal and two assists to lead the Rangers attack. Peter McDuffe was in the nets for the Rangers with Giacomin out with a neck injury and Villemure felled by bronchitis. Gilbert’s two goals gave him 274 for his career, passing Andy Bathgate (272) for the Rangers career lead in goals. He still holds the franchise record with 406 career tallies. The Rangers players admitted they were angered by their loss to the Isles in their previous meeting and were seeking revenge. They pushed us around pretty good the last time, said center Pete Stemkowski. But we’ve got pretty good memories. We didn’t forget.

Vickers Throws an Office Party

Wednesday, February 6, 1974, Madison Square Garden

Rangers 6, Islanders 0

For the first time in the history of the series, both teams came into their meeting riding hot streaks. The Islanders had made great strides under Al Arbour and were 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. The Rangers had also found their groove and were 7-1-2 in the 10 games since Emile Francis dismissed Larry Popein as coach and returned to his familiar spot behind the bench.

He was the one guy who could motivate us, Ed Giacomin said of Francis. There was just something about him.

The Islanders had played four games in the previous five nights, however, and had recently returned from a trip to the West Coast. The Rangers had the previous two nights off and had played their last game at home. The result was an easy 6-0 win for the Rangers.

Ed Giacomin only had to make 16 saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season and the 48th of his NHL career. They were an awfully tired hockey team, Giacomin said after the game. He had a difficult time recalling recording an easier shutout.

Steve Vickers was the Rangers biggest offensive weapon on this night and he registered the first hat trick in the history of the rivalry. All three of the big left wing’s goals were shot in from just outside the left post; the area Rangers TV announcer Bill Chadwick had called Vickers’ office.

Any dummy can stand by the point, Vickers joked after the game. His linemates on the Rangers Bulldog Line, Walt Tkaczuk and Bill Fairbairn, each picked up assists on all three of Vickers’ goals. The three goals gave Vickers 20 for the season and 10 goals in the 11 games since Francis returned as coach.

Vic Hadfield, Brad Park and Jean Ratelle also scored for the Rangers who took a 4-0 lead after two periods and then coasted to victory.

When he had them 4-0, we could have hammered them, Park said. But we were after the two points for the win and we had them.

The Rangers scored two more goals in the third period, but spent most of the final 20 minutes trying to avoid being goaded into fights by their frustrated opponents.

There wasn’t any reason for us to fight, Hadfield explained after the game. What would it have proven at that point?

They contained us all night in our end, Isles’ center Lorne Henning admitted. They took the play away from us.

The Rangers may have had a little extra motivation on this particular night. The rosters for the NHL All-Star game rosters had just been announced and even though the Rangers were 20 points ahead of the Isles in the standings, Brad Park was the only member of the Blueshirts named to the All-Star Game while two Islanders, Ed Westfall and Denis Potvin, were chosen by Canadiens’ Coach Scotty Bowman.

Some Rangers denied that the All-Star snub gave the team motivation, but it may have had more to do with the team’s strong play then some of the veterans would admit. I think the whole team had it in their minds to show the Islanders we were a better team, Vickers told a young reporter named Tony Kornheiser of Newsday. They had a few guys mouthing off lately and we knew if we just played our game, we would beat them.

Isles’ defenseman Gerry Hart agreed. You could see how high they were, he said. Don’t tell me the All-Star thing was forgotten.

The Rangers were clearly the superior team that night. It was obvious they outplayed us, Al Arbour admitted. Either we made them look good or they played extremely well.

Sunday, March 10, 1974, Madison Square Garden

Rangers 4, Islanders 2

The Rangers got a goal and an assist from both Bobby Rousseau and Bill Fairbairn to defeat the slumping Islanders 4-2. Pete Stemkowski and Jack Egers also scored for the Rangers while Ed Westfall and Bobby Nystrom scored for the Islanders. Defensman Gilles Marotte made several saves for the Rangers on plays where Giacomin was caught out of his net. The victory was the 250th career win for Ed Giacomin. The Rangers were 9-1-1 in their last 11 games while the Isles had just one win in their last 13 contests.

Saturday March 16, 1974, Nassau Coliseum

Rangers 3, Islanders 1

The Islanders outshot the Rangers 40-36, but strong goaltending by Ed Giacomin and two goals that were redirected in off Islander defensemen gave the Rangers a 3-1 victory. Pete Stemkowski had a goal and an assist which gave The Polish Prince 400 points for his career. Deflections helped the Rangers cause. Jim Neilson’s shot from the point caromed in off Bert Marshall while Gilles Marotte’s long shot deflected off the body of Jean Potvin. Bob Cook scored for the struggling Isles who lost their ninth straight game. When is the puck going to start bouncing for us? asked a frustrated Al Arbour after the game.

Profiles:

Rangers:

Brad Park

Brad Park wore number two for the New York Rangers and spent most of his career being considered the second best defenseman in the NHL. Park was the top defenseman on the Rangers from 1969-1975 but was often overshadowed by Bruins’ great Bobby Orr. Park played in the All-Star Game for the Rangers every year between 1970 and 1975 and was the runner up for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974.

Knee injuries often kept Park from playing a full season and that unquestionably hurt his chances at passing Orr, but Park’s value to the Rangers was undisputed.

Park had the ability to control the tempo of a game with his skating and passing. He was also an expert hip-checker and never shied away from the physical aspects of the game.

Opposing players always respected Park’s abilities. Park was in a class of his own on defense, recalled former Isles’ forward J.P. Parise.

Park recalled that the Rangers enjoyed trips to the Nassau Coliseum during the early days of the rivalry. We had an established identity. It didn’t surprise us when we went out to Long Island and most people were Rangers fans. I’m not sure we showed them a lot of respect early. To us it was just a game. We just wanted the two points.

The early years of the rivalry were a turf war to Park, but later he admitted Rangers vs. Islanders became an argument over which was the best team in the NHL.

Park had his most productive season in 1973-74. He led the Rangers with 82 points while playing in all 78 games. The following year, he was named a captain of the Rangers.

When the team got off to a slow start the following season, Emile Francis traded Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi to the Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais in what was one of the biggest blockbuster deals in NHL history.

Park played 18 seasons in the NHL and made the playoffs each and every season of his career. However, he never won the Stanley Cup despite making the finals three times, once with the Rangers and twice with Boston.

Park was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

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Hall of Famer Brad Park was the catalyst of the Rangers attack in the early 70s. (photo: Mark McGinley)

Islanders:

Ed Westfall

The New York Islanders grabbed Ed Westfall in the expansion draft back in 1972. Prior to joining the Islanders, Westfall won two Stanley Cups as a checking forward and penalty killer for the Boston Bruins.

The move was a big adjustment for Westfall, who had a home in New Hampshire and commuted back and forth to Long Island on his private plane.

Hockey wise, the difference was this: I went from a team that was in the league since roughly 1924 to a brand new team, Westfall recalled. In some ways, it (going to the Islanders) was a little humiliating. I lost a lot.

Once he joined the Islanders, Westfall was named the first captain of the team and immediately assumed a leadership role.

I had some good teachers in Boston: Don McKenney, Leo Boivin and Doug Mohns. They were good players but also good people, Westfall said. They told me, ‘This is how you do things. This is what you expect.’ You try to emulate this. You say to yourself, what would my old teammates have done? You have to set an atmosphere and a tone and hope that it rubs off on the players.

Westfall was successful in his role of captain. He was a real plus for the team, recalled coach Earl Ingarfield. He got along well with his teammates and he worked very hard and gave 110 percent every game. The younger players really looked up to him.

Westfall tried to inspire his young teammates when they were facing established teams like the Rangers. He told the younger players, ‘Don’t worry about them, let’s see how good we can be.’ I was half player, half coach in some ways, he admitted.

The Isles’ captain managed to keep his sense of humor in the team’s first season when facing the Rangers. I said on the ice to one of their players, ‘We’re embarrassing ourselves, we don’t need your help. We can’t get the puck ourselves, why won’t you give it to us or a little while?’

Things changed after the Islanders’ playoff win in 1975 and Westfall was a key part of the team’s win over the Rangers and their unexpected run to the semifinals. First we won over our fans. That was such a big thing for us—to get our own identity, Westfall said. That really solidified our relationship with the fans and we were looked at around the NHL with the respect we were trying to gain. That’s a big thing for a pro athlete. We weren’t the best yet, but we were a hard team to play against. We got respect around the league.

Westfall gave up the captaincy in 1977 when he felt he could no longer be the captain he wanted to be. He stayed on the team through the end of the 1978-79 season before he announced his retirement as a player.

Westfall later joined the Isles broadcast booth and became part of the team’s television team along with