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The Islanders current head coach Ted Nolan reached out to Arbour, the NHL Hall of Fame coach, to return behind the bench for his 1,500th game as head coach of the Islanders. Currently Arbour has coached 1,499 games for the Islanders in two stints from 1973-86 and 1988-94, the most games by a coach with one NHL team. "This is an incredible gesture by Ted and the Islanders," Arbour said this morning from his summer home in Ontario. "I am flattered that Ted thought of me and I wouldn't miss this night for the world. I told the team that I do not want any pre-game fanfare. I'm there to coach the game and help Ted and my Islanders try to earn two points against a very tough team." "Every day last season I would walk by that big
board outside our locker room at the Coliseum that lists the franchise's
award winners and milestones," said Nolan. "And every day it
would kill me when I'd see Coach Arbour made it to 1,499 games. The 74 year old Arbour will sign a one day contract on November 2nd and coach the Islanders against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. islesinfo.com comment: I love this. Al Arbour is this writers eyes is the greatest coach to ever stand behind the bench. Not only is he a great coach, but Al Arbour just by being behind the bench injected something into the Islanders that very few coaches could do. He injected a certain confidence into the Islanders every time they took the ice. He gave the Islanders a face of strength. A backbone they could rely on whenever things went wrong or the team faced adversity. Hopefully, Al will win his 740th game as head coach of the New York Islanders.
"Ken's incredible history of service to the Islanders has extended from his days as part of the dynasty as a player to being one of the leading voices on our scouting staff," said Snow. "His experience and advice have been invaluable to me. Ken was at my side last season when we added Ryan Smyth and Marc-Andre Bergeron, among others, and I'm very happy he'll be there for the foreseeable future." Morrow also served as an assistant coach with the Islanders under Al Arbour during the 1991-92 season. A former CCHA player of the year with Bowling Green in 1979-80, Morrow went on to become a member of the Miracle on Ice team in 1980. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and won the Lester Patrick Award for service to American hockey in 1996. "I'm very happy about staying on and very appreciative of the faith Garth has put in me," said Morrow. "In my mind, I'll always be an Islander. To be able to play an important role in shaping our team means a lot." islesinfo.com comment: This is a great move. In a lot of ways, Morrow shares the GM duties with Snow. He's not the GM in name but his advise has been invaluable to the Islanders over the years and many of the players that have been acquired by the Islanders Morrow heavily scouted.
But on Saturday night, the Islanders began to acknowledge some of the other integral pieces of the Islanders dynasty. While these players may not have been superstars, the Islanders surely would not have won all those Cups without them. The first inductee is Bob Bourne. Arguably the fastest player in the NHL during his Islanders career from 1974 to 1986. Bournie, or Jets as some players aptly named him because of his speed, deservedly belongs in the Islanders Hall of Fame.
Bob Bourne is fifth all time in playoff scoring for the Islanders with 38 goals and 92 points in 127 games played. He scored 5 shorthanded goals in the playoffs which is tied for the Islanders record. On April 17, 1980 Bourne scored the overtime game winning goal in game 2 of the quarterfinals at the Boston Bruins. The Islanders won the game 5-4 and took a 2 games to 0 lead in the series.
Bob Bourne recorded three 30+ goal seasons for the Islanders including 35 in 1980-81. In three other seasons', he tallied over 20 goals. If Billy Smith did not take home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1983, the next logical choice would have been easily Bob Bourne. Beginning and End Kansas City traded Bourne to N.Y. Islanders in exchange for rights to Larry Hornung, who was playing in the WHA, and future considerations on Sept. 10, 1974. N.Y. Islanders sent Bart Crashley to Kansas City to complete the deal on Sept. 16, 1974. During his speech, Bourne stated that he couldn't reach contract terms with Kansas City, who today are the New Jersey Devils. At the time he spoke with someone who was a mutual friend of Bill Torrey's. After a call, the friend asked Bourne if he would like to be a member of the New York Islanders. Bourne said he would like nothing better. Reportedly, Torrey pulled off the deal within the next 30 minutes. In 1986 Bourne was let go on waivers by the Islanders after an illustrious career. He was claimed by the Los Angeles Kings, who he finished the last two years of his career with. On the same day Bourne was claimed, Clark Gillies was also claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Sabres. Both players were pretty good baseball players in their youth and nearly chose that as a career. Both Bourne and Gillies spent some time in the Houston Astros farm system. Bourne is from Kindersley, Saskatoon in Saskatchewan. Since retiring in 1988, Bourne has been active in coaching. During the 1990's he served as an assistant coach with the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder and the Utah Grizzlies, who were coached for a time by Butch Goring. He also served as General Manager of the Grizzlies from 1999-01. Other than coaching, Bourne has spent time as a stockbroker. He's also involved with realty in the Saskatchewan area. Here is an interesting article published about Bob and his sons during the period he served as head coach of Central Texas of the WPHL in 1996-97. islesinfo.com's comments
Greats in Attendance Bill Torrey was present. Clark Gillies and Bob Nystrom came out next and Nystrom had a short speech congratulating Bourne on his induction. Next out were Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, who as we all know are now employed by the Islanders. Bossy, who is looking very white these days, particularly his hair, congratulated Bourne, and then Trottier revealed the plaque. Bossy read the inscription out loud for everyone to hear. "Bob Bourne. Speed, Skill and Character. New York Islanders 1975-1986. 814 games, 238 goals, 304 assists, 542 points, 16 shorthanded goals, 37 game winning goals, and...4 Stanley Cups. A vital member of the Islanders dynasty, Bob Bourne was as loved by his teammates as he was by the fans. Prensented by the New York Islanders Nov. 25, 2006." Bournie's Family In attendance were Bob's two sons Justin and Jeff, who Bob stated both haven't been back to Long Island in 20 years. Jeff is 26 years old and Justin 23. The Islanders presented Jeff with a brand new sledge hockey sled, which was pictured on the jumbotron.
Check out Bob's web site at Bob Bourne's Realty. It has a very nice bio page. Who's Next? So who should be inducted into the New York Islanders Hall of Fame in 2007? For islesinfo.com, there are 3 clear candidates that stand above the rest. Of course, you can basically pick any of the 10 remaining players who played on all four Stanley Cup Teams. But the three who stand out the most are: John Tonelli, Butch Goring and Ken Morrow. There is no doubt to us that Tonelli should be the 2007 inductee. We believe that Tonelli is a borderline Hall of Famer. He saved the Islanders dynasty in 1982 by scoring twice in Game 5 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, including the OT game winner. Without that performance, the run may have ended at two Cups. Tonelli also was an integral factor in the Islanders record setting 15 game winning streak, scoring the game winning goal against Chico Resch and the Colorado Rockies in 1981. He assisted on Bobby Nystrom's Cup winning goal in 1980. Those are just a few of his accolades. Of course Butch Goring was the final piece of the Islanders dynasty. Ken Morrow didn't score much during the regular season as a stay at home defenseman, but he often came alive during the playoffs and scored many clutch overtime goals. Miss the Ceremony? Go to islesinfo-tv to watch, or re-watch, the Bob Bourne Night Ceremony. Also, for more on Bob Bourne, check out his islesinfo.com profile page. Last but not least, check out the small giveaway that was given to all the fans for Bob Bourne Night.
Bossy, 49, has been the Quebec sales director for Humpty Dumpty, a snack-food manufacturer based in eastern Canada. He started out doing promotional work for the company in the late 1990s, after a three-year stint as part of the morning zoo crew on CKOI, a French-language radio station in Montreal. Bossy also has done a smattering of hockey and sports commentary in French and English, and dabbled in the restaurant business. But since he worked for three seasons on Quebec Nordiques telecasts -- after a back injury ended his playing career at age 30 in 1987 -- none of Bossy's jobs has involved an association with an NHL team until now. Yolanda Vega & the Boss One of the representatives present for the New York State Lottery was (forgive me) big mouth spokesperson Yolanda Vega, who nearly blew everyone's eardrums out the following night during the Home Opener. On the front page you can see Mike Bossy holding an autographed picture of Yolanda during the press conference. It was also announced that the New York State Lottery signed a team sponsorship deal with the Islanders. Boss & Trots Together Again Both Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier were present during the Islanders Home Opener Saturday night, October 14, 2006 to drop the ceremonial puck before the game vs. the Boston Bruins. The two Hall of Famers also took part in a puck shooting contest between the second and third periods to win prizes for a couple of fans. Both players stood at the blue line and attempted to shoot about 15-20 pucks into a small opening in front of their respective nets. Trottier did not fair so well. But Bossy showed he still has a nose for the net as once he got into his groove he was nailing every shot.
Ehman was hired by the Islanders back in 1974 and remained with the organization until 2003, though in 1999 he was no longer listed among the Islanders official scouts. Gerry Ehman was a teammate of Arbour's on the 1964 Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs. He also toiled for the California Golden Seals while Bill Torrey was the Vice President of that club. In 1982 he became Torrey's right hand man with the departure of Jimmy Devellano and was given the title of Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting. He originally came to the Islanders as a scout shortly after Arbour took the head coaching job. Previously, Ehman had scouted for the St. Louis Blues for three seasons, the same period Arbour coached the Blues. In 1978 Torrey promoted him to Director of Player Personnel for the Islanders. The native of Cudworth, Saskatchewan, was very familiar with all the Islanders prospects in the farm system as well as the prime junior hockey prospects. Ehman was a veteran of eight National Hockey League seasons with Boston, Detroit, Toronto and Oakland/California. The right wing recorded 96 goals and 214 points in 429 career NHL games. Gerry was referred to as "Tex" by his friends but also had the nickname of "Dad." He was born November 3, 1938. He started with Boston in 1957 and wound up his playing career in 1971 with the Golden Seals. In between, he made several American Hockey League All-Star squads and was the scoring champion with Rochester in 1963-64, winning the John Sollenberger Trophy. Ehman was later called up to Toronto and helped them win the Cup the same season. Ehman became part of the famous HEM line along with Billy Harris(not the one that played for the Islanders) and Frank Mahovlich. He played his junior hockey for the Flin Flon Bombers. In his first year as Director of Scouting for the Islanders, Ehman orchestrated the Draft in 1983 that saw the Islanders come away with first round picks Pat LaFontaine and Gerald Diduck. He also oversaw the selections of Brad Dalgarno, Derek King and Mikko Makela. In his later years he held the scouting position for the Islanders as Chief Western Scout, especially from his home base of Saskatoon, and predominantly scouted the Western Hockey League. The Islanders did receive some criticism in the late 80's for concentrating too much of WHL talent as they took David Chyzowski 2nd overall in 1989 and Scott Scissons in the first round in 1990. Ehman played an integral part in those choices and unfortunately they both turned out to be bad picks. Dean Chynoweth and Kevin Cheveldayoff were also first round WHL products that didn't quite pan out. In 1991 Ehman dropped the role of Assistant GM but remained at the Islanders Director of Scouting. He went on to oversee the drafting of Zigmund Palffy, Scott Lachance, Bryan McCabe and Todd Bertuzzi to name a few. His right hand guys were Bert Marshall and Western Canada Scout Earl Ingarfield. In 1994 he briefly took on the duties once again of Assistant GM for 2 years under newly named General Manager Don Maloney. Ehman is survived by his wife Lorraine and four children: Dale, Bryan, Bruce and Teresa. "Tex was a special person in the Islanders family for three decades," said Islanders general manager Mike Milbury. "This is a sad day for all of us. Everyone Tex came near learned a lot from working with him. On behalf of the Islanders and our fans, our heartfelt condolences go out to Tex's wife Lorraine and their children." "Tex was a good friend and a great hockey man," said Arbour. "He is going to be missed by all of us." "Tex was my buddy," Torrey said. "The Islanders and our fans have lost a great one. His accomplishments for our franchise will never be forgotten." "Tex came up to me one day," said former Islanders captain Patrick Flatley, "and I wondered what he was going to say because he was a pretty quiet guy. He looked me straight in the eye and told me how much he and the scouts believed in me and that there was no way I was going to embarrass him for drafting me. It was intense. I never forgot that." "Tex didn't say a lot, but when he spoke his words always made a significant impact," said Bobby Nystrom, who played 900 games for the Islanders. "He was always so supportive of me when I was struggling. The one thing I'll never forget about Tex is how happy he was when we won that first Stanley Cup. He might have been a quiet guy, but his emotions really came out. I want the Ehmans to know that all of us are thinking about them today." Stanley Cup Tidbit: En-route to the Cup in 1964, Toronto and Detroit battled to a 7 game finale. Ehman's lone goal of the playoffs came in Game 2. Detroit entered the third period with a 3-1 lead but the Leafs tied it on goals by Red Kelly and a last minute goal by Ehman, just 2 seconds after a Detroit penalty had expired. The goal, against Wings goaltender Terry Sawchuck, sent the game to overtime. The Red Wings managed to win the game though on a goal by Larry Jeffrey, largely credited to a pass by Gordie Howe. Detroit tied the series at one game a piece, but Toronto went on to win Game 7 in overtime on a heroic goal by defenseman Bob Baun, who played with a fractured ankle. Accolades - Led the AHL in scoring in 1963-64 with Rochester (85
points)
- What a special night. I can't tell you how much fun I had attending the Celebration of the Islanders 1980 Stanley Cup Championship. Seeing that team together once again was truly something great as every Islander fan who was there could truly attest.
- Oh, by the way....is there anything worse than Cryer fans? They come to our building every game on their buses, drink beer and get rowdy. They were picking fights all night. Of all the games I've been too they might be the worst. Even worse than Ranger fans, maybe....
- He has gone through some health battles over the recent years, but coach Al Arbour will be in attendance at the game, as will the architect of the 4 Stanley Cups, Bill Torrey. Here is the official lineup that will take part in the festivities which begin with the "Walk of Champions" in numerical order according to jersey number:
- Unfortunately, some Islanders cannot make the festivities. Backup goaltender Glenn "Chico" Resch has obligations with the New Jersey Devils to call their game as color commentator Saturday night. Defenseman Steve Tambellini, assistant GM of the Canucks and candidate to take over next season as GM for Mike Milbury, cannot attend because of a hockey Canada tribute event to his father. Wayne Merrick cannot attend for personal reasons. Also, it is unknown if whether trainer Jim Pickard will be attending, as he has not been added to any attendance sheet. He may have obligations as he is part of the Tampa Bay organization. Note: Unrelated to the 1980 celebration, the Buffalo Sabres will be retiring #16 tonight, March 3rd, in honor of Pat LaFontaine, who they acquired from the Islanders on October 25, 1991 in a blockbuster deal that saw Pierre Turgeon come to the Island. Congrats to Pat for this honor, even though it probably bothers most Islander fans to see it happening in Buffalo and not on Long Island. Pat was a member of the Islanders for 8 seasons and joined them for their Cup run in 1984. He spent six seasons with Buffalo and put up statistically better seasons because of being on a better team. Pat retired in 1997 after spending his final season with the Rangers. He sustained some injuries that probably shortened his career, mainly concussions. But he is always remembered for his personality and humanitarian efforts through his Companions in Courage book and fund raising events. |
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1998-2009 Tom Mascioli
