Changing the Game

by Stephen Laroche

  “In making this move, I emphasize that in no way are we blaming the team’s poor record on Phil, but sometimes a move of this scope is necessary and can have a definite positive effect on the team,” said Torrey.

  Goyette’s response was simple.

  “I did everything I could with these youngsters, but a man can only go with what he’s got.”

  Ingarfield was ready to focus on getting players to commit to a positional game and work on their physical conditioning. He was expected to be a taskmaster, but it was an uphill battle.

  “For a while there we were getting beat nine this and nine that. You not only lose games, you lose your pride,” said Westfall. “We had a team meeting. We called on all the clichés — you know, the other team dresses just like you, they can only put six men on the ice at a time, and so forth. The thing was never giving up in games, no matter the score. Always give your best and at least you can leave with your head held high. If everyone prepares himself individually we’d do better collectively. It worked. We’re in most of our games to the finish now. We win once in a while.”

  Down the home stretch, the Islanders did have a better record under Ingarfield and even put together a three-game winning streak at one point. They also made a couple of trades that had long-term benefits. But at the end of the season, most fans were glad that it was over. With just 12 wins to their credit, they were regarded as the worst expansion team ever, but hope was around the corner when they selected Denis Potvin with the first overall pick in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft.

  In 1973–74, Al Arbour was hired as the new bench boss for the Islanders and began to bring the team together. Torrey later added new young talent like Chico Resch and Clark Gillies, and in their third campaign they made the playoffs. Future seasons saw the arrival of Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier. The Islanders were considered Stanley Cup contenders early on, and in 1979–80, they finally won it all, hoisting Lord Stanley’s Mug for four straight years.

  By 1983–84, the team’s core was starting to get older. They made one last run to the Stanley Cup Final but could not defeat the rising Edmonton Oilers. The Isles slowly slid down the standings and in 1988–89 missed the playoffs for the first time in years, finishing last in the Patrick Division. The 1990s were a fairly bleak time for the Isles, but the 2000s may have been even worse, as the team made several trades and free agent signings of dubious value under the management of Mike Milbury. By this point, the team was owned by Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar of Computer Associates, and their era has been marked with questionable decisions that have taken a once-great franchise and stomped it into the ground.

  Today, the Islanders have some top young talent, but their upper management is often the brunt of ridicule by the media. Whether it is the shunning of former greats like Pat LaFontaine, the ridiculous ban placed on reporter Chris Botta, hideous alternate jerseys (including the “Fisherman” style from the mid-1990s) or asbestos in their aging arena, there are rarely positive stories about the club these days. Relocating to Brooklyn for the 2015–16 season, the team can only strive to get back to its glory days with young superstar John Tavares leading the way.

  Billy Harris

  After a phenomenal 129-point season with the OHA’s Toronto Marlboros that resulted in a league scoring championship, Harris was the front-runner for top selection in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. The Islanders had the pleasure of making him their first junior pick.

  Impressive from the beginning, Harris scored a power-play goal in the club’s first game against Atlanta and had a pair of tallies during their second outing with Los Angeles on October 12, 1972. That game also saw him take the first penalty shot in team history, but it was not successful. At the time, coach Phil Goyette commented on his strong play and felt that he met the lofty expectations held for him.

  “So far he’s been everything we expected. He’s one of the most advanced rookies I’ve ever seen. He can do everything so well,” he said.

  Harris was a speedster who amazed observers with his great anticipation of the play. In one of his best outings, he scored two goals and added an assist in a loss to Boston on January 18, 1973. Almost three weeks later, he scored a memorable game-winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After leading the Isles with 28 goals and 50 points, he finished the season third in voting for the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year.

  “He was a wonderful player but didn’t get the help he needed early on,” said captain Ed Westfall. “When he was getting to the top of his career, they sent him off to Los Angeles. He and I became good friends. We roomed together and we’re still friends today.”

  Billy Harris

  Ed Westfall

  After more than a decade with the Boston Bruins, where he won two Stanley Cup championships, Westfall was by far one of the most popular players in Beantown. Fans were disappointed and angered that the club did not protect him during the expansion draft, and he ended up becoming a member of the New York Islanders.

  Although press reports at the time indicated he was pleased with the move, Westfall reveals today that he was angry about having to go to a new team.

  “That’s not true, I was disappointed. I went through the same pouting that other players do. A month later, you get over it. I found out about it from the customs and immigrations guys at the airport and the guy said to me, ‘I can’t forgive the Bruins for what they did to you.’ And I said ‘What?’ I got a letter from John Adams, who was the son of Weston Adams, that said he was embarrassed and ashamed about what the Bruins had done. I still have that letter.”

  Brought in to be a leader, Westfall actually flew his own plane in from Pelham, New Hampshire, to play for the Islanders.

  “I figured it was safer to fly the airplane than to drive around New York,” he joked.

  Westfall scored the first goal in franchise history during the season opener against the Atlanta Flames. It was a rare power-play tally for him, since he didn’t get a lot of chances to play with the extra man in Boston.

  “One of the jokes that Derek Sanderson and I used to have is that next to our names is that we’d never get a power-play goal,” he said. “I don’t really remember the details, though. It was one of the few close games we had that year!”

  Over the season, he was expected to be the point man in power-play situations, play on the penalty kill and even move back to defence on occasion to help reduce the number of pucks opponents fired into the net.

  “I was a defenceman when I came in and I played with Leo Boivin. It was where I was needed. People think in today’s terms if a guy is a right winger, he’s always a right winger. When we were a man short, Milt Schmidt used to bring me up front to kill the penalty. When I was little kid, I was a goaltender but I wasn’t going back there! It was a badge of honour to be able to do all of these things.”

  One of Westfall’s best performances of the year was when he had a goal and three assists in a 4–4 tie with the Vancouver Canucks on December 21, 1972. A little less than a month later, he scored twice against his old club in a surprising 9–7 victory, which was one of the team’s brightest moments in their first season. He reflected on that victory and felt it was a true team effort.

  “I think I had more goals than Orr that day! At that point, it’s not an individual thing. It’s a team thing. Each time I stepped out on to the ice at Boston Garden, I got a standing ovation. In fact, it caused some angst for Mr. Cherry when he was coaching. He used to send out Stan Jonathan after me years later, and I’d get a rise out of him. Years later, we were laughing and shaking hands over it.”

  Soon after, Westfall represented his team at the 1973 NHL All-Star Game, marking the second time in his career he was given the honour. On March 24, 1973, he gave the team its 12th victory of the season when he scored a big goal to beat the up-and-coming Philadelphia Flyers.

  Ed Westfall

  Brian Spencer

  Regarded today as one of hockey’s most tragic figures, Spencer was a buzz saw out on
the ice and played every game like it was his last. As a result, he had a legion of fans in every city he played for and the respect of his teammates as well.

  “Very apropos that he was called Spinner,” said Islanders teammate Terry Crisp. “His whole life was hockey. He was off the map because he loved being out there. He loved guns and was always showing us his rifles! When you played with the guy, you always knew he had your back or that he was going to start something. You always had the feeling, wondering if that rubber band was going to snap.”

  Claimed by the Islanders from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Spencer was an instant hit on Long Island. His third goal of the season gave them a rare victory over the California Golden Seals on November 21, 1972, and he had a two-point game against the Vancouver Canucks a month later. On December 23, he had another game-winner, this time against the Minnesota North Stars. Fittingly, he also had two goals and an assist while facing Toronto on January 31, 1973.

  “If you told him to go through the wall, he’d do it,” said Phil Goyette. “He was a team player, but unfortunately, he wasn’t All-Star material.”

  At the end of the year, Spencer was voted the team’s most popular player and he remained with the Islanders until late in the following season. After stints with Buffalo and Pittsburgh, he spent some time in the minors before retiring. It was the days after his playing career that were the most controversial, as he battled drug addiction and was later charged with murder before being acquitted in 1987. The following year he lost his life when he was shot to death in a roadside holdup in Florida.

  Brian Spencer

  Tom Miller

  Miller was a rookie with the Detroit Red Wings in 1970–71, but ended up being claimed by the Buffalo Sabres soon after and spent a year in the minors with the Cincinnati Swords. He was called up at one point but broke his ankle and never got to enjoy the promotion. A product of the University of Denver, he put up good numbers in the minors, and the New York Islanders called his name on draft day.

  Since Miller was not interested in heading to the WHA, he joined the Isles in the fall. He earned his first point of the year with an assist against the Boston Bruins on October 14, 1972. Facing Chicago two weeks later, he scored his first two goals on Tony Esposito in a 4–4 tie. The next night, he received a cheap-shot elbow, tasted the butt end of Phil Esposito’s stick and was taken to hospital with what was suspected a ruptured spleen. Tests proved negative, but team captain Ed Westfall was all over Esposito the rest of the night.

  “He had no right to do what he did,” said Westfall at the time. “He just stuck his stick into the kid for no reason. We weren’t going to let him get away with something like that.”

  As the season progressed, Miller saw more playing time and his production increased. One particularly good game saw him score twice and add an assist in a 6–4 triumph over the St. Louis Blues on March 17, 1973.

  “The highlight for me was the end of the year,” said Miller. “I was on a line with Billy Harris and Germain Gagnon and I was beginning to score. It was my first full year in the NHL, and I was an important part of the team. All in all, it was good.”

  Lorne Henning

  Henning was the second amateur ever drafted by the Islanders. He was ready for NHL action after a phenomenal junior season with the New Westminster Bruins in which he scored 114 points over 60 games.

  Henning made his pro debut on October 14, 1972, against the Boston Bruins, but he was sent down to New Haven shortly after for a brief conditioning stint. He returned after just four minor league games and scored his first two goals in a 5–3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on November 22. On December 30, he recorded a pair of assists when the Islanders faced the Vancouver Canucks.

  In time, Henning developed into one of the game’s top defensive specialists. He skated on two Stanley Cup–winning squads on Long Island before joining their coaching staff for two more championships.

  “He and I had the same role as the Islanders got stronger. My career was winding down and he was peaking. A very dedicated guy and fun to be around. What he lacked in raw talent, he made up for in effort,” remarked Ed Westfall.

  Terry Crisp

  An original member of the St. Louis Blues, Crisp had five strong seasons with the club and made a reputation for himself as a hard-working forward. In 1971–72, he established a new career-high with 13 goals and 31 points, but when the season was over, he was suddenly on the outs. The New York Islanders were happy to add his talents to a thin roster.

  “I went to the Island thinking that we’re going to New York and that we were going to die, but we really loved it when we lived on it,” he joked.

  A respected grinder and penalty killer, Crisp had his first goal in an Islanders uniform in a 4–2 win over the California Golden Seals on November 21, 1972. In late December, he had multi-point games against the Minnesota North Stars and Vancouver Canucks and went on to score a key shorthanded goal to open the scoring in a 1–1 tie with the Buffalo Sabres on February 3, 1973.

  Just a little more than a month later, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, who were loading up for a run at the Stanley Cup. Teammate Tom Miller recalled the day of the trade.

  “Terry and I were rooming together in Detroit at the trade deadline. We were out at the bar and at about 11:45, he was told to come back to the hotel. I came back there and he was dejected and sitting on the bed and told me that he had been traded to Philadelphia. It worked out well for him, though!”

  Crisp feels it was a good move for the Islanders and he joked that the deal spurred the club to great success.

  “I remember Al Arbour calling me at the end of the season and he asked me how I liked it, and I told him that I loved it. I was also traded for Potvin… . I just don’t tell him it was Jean! Hey, I won the Islanders four Stanley Cups!”

  Gerry Hart

  Hart spent years trying to become a regular with the Detroit Red Wings but, outside of a long stint with them in 1970–71, he toiled in the AHL and CHL for his first four pro seasons. The 1972 NHL Expansion Draft was a major boost for his career, and he proved a real steal for the Islanders.

  Hart was looked upon as a potential anchor for the team’s defence corps, but he was out of commission before the season even began after he injured his knee in a collision with Dale Rolfe of the Rangers during pre-season action. He finally made his official Islanders debut in December 1972. Bill Torrey was aware of the impact of the young defender’s absence in the early season.

  “There’s no question that Gerry’s early injury put us in a pinch,” he said. “We counted on him to be our defensive leader and his loss had an immediate effect.”

  His first goal of the season was the only offence New York could manage in a 6–1 loss to Montreal on January 24, 1973. Hart ended up leading the team with 158 penalty minutes during their expansion season.

  Bill Mikkelson

  Mikkelson got his first taste of NHL action in a 15-game trial with the Los Angeles Kings in 1971–72. His play earned the attention of the New York Islanders, who took him in the expansion draft. He also had a hockey pedigree, as his uncle, former NHL veteran Jim McFadden, starred for Detroit and Chicago between 1947–48 and 1953–54.

  “At the time, my alternative was to play with the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA, and I was close to coming to an agreement. I waited for the NHL Expansion Draft and I was selected by New York.”

  Considering the number of players the Islanders lost to the new league, Mikkelson easily made the team out of training camp. He earned his first assist of the season on October 24, 1972, when Billy Harris scored against the Montreal Canadiens. In the November 3 meeting with the Vancouver Canucks, he registered the first goal of his career against goalie Ed Dyck. To this day, he feels proud of his accomplishments that year, regardless of the approach management took toward on-ice success.

  “Sometimes I think the bar was set too low for us. When you set the bar low, that’s what you’ll achieve. I’m proud of the first season. When I
look back, based on what I know now, I would have done things differently. I try to pass that along to my son and daughter, that you shouldn’t have any regrets. I was proud to have played there and the fact that we didn’t win doesn’t matter. Don’t underestimate just being there, because there’s a sense of achievement that sticks around for the rest of your life.”

  Bob Nystrom

  Nystrom was one of the earliest pieces Bill Torrey acquired in his quest to put together the championship puzzle for the Islanders and he was a third-round pick in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. Born in Sweden, he immigrated to Canada as a child and grew up playing hockey in Alberta. As a junior, he skated on some strong Calgary Centennials clubs and made his pro debut with the New Haven Nighthawks.

  After a month in the minors, Nystrom was called up to hit NHL ice for the first time on November 8, 1972, in a 6–1 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks. On the roster for a brief trial, he did not put up huge numbers on the farm, but showed a lot of promise and toughness with 114 penalty minutes. As the season wound down, he was promoted to the lineup and earned his first point with an assist on Brian Marchinko’s game-winner against the Blues on March 17, 1973. The last game of the year provided fans with a taste of things to come as Nystrom put the puck past Atlanta’s Phil Myre in a 4–4 tie with the Flames on April 1.

  Gerry Desjardins

  Quick as a cat, Desjardins was often called “The Fastest Glove in the West” thanks to his strong reflexes. He played only six regular-season games for the Chicago Black Hawks in 1971–72, however, after he suffered a broken arm the previous year. The Islanders made him their first selection in the expansion draft and hoped he might bounce back enough to face the daunting task of being their number one goalie.

  “I’m sure my arm is almost as good as new. Maybe I’m not quite as fast as I was when I was with the Kings, but with the new, lighter glove I’m using, you probably won’t notice a difference,” he said.

  He was the starter for their first game against Atlanta and gave an honest appraisal of his play to the press after the game.