In recognition of the Islanders’ fiftieth Anniversary season, The Post ranks the top 50 players in franchise history.
Additional weight is given to contributions to necessary moments and Dynasty arguably became the biggest team in NHL history, winning 4 Stanley Cups in a row from 1980-83 and 19 straight playoff series before losing in the finals in 1984.
Distinction: Travis Green, Mariusz Czerkawski, Greg Gilbert, Ray Ferraro, Shawn Bates, David Volek, Mark Parrish, Dave Lewis, Matt Moulson
The primary in a two-part series: Part 1 – Contestants No. 50-21; Part 2 – No. 20-1
50. Rick DiPietro
The Islanders could have either Roberto Luongo or Dany Heatley or Marian Gaborik, but GM Mike Milbury’s trading machinations as a substitute gave DiPietro the first overall pick in 2000.
A 15-year contract and chronic injuries that forced him to retire early – the radio personality is just 41 – have overshadowed his brilliance on the networks. His 130 wins rank third in franchise history.
49. Bob Lorimer
A dependable defensive back who was paired primarily with Denis Potvin for the first two Cup championships.
Added more value as a trade chip when he was sent to the Rockies for the 1982 first-round pick, which was Pat LaFontaine.
48. Adam Pelech
Along with Ryan Pulock, they formed half of the respectable defensive tandem that has been at the heart of recent back-to-back trips to the Cup semi-finals, with number 3 remaining a necessary part of the tournament’s return bid this 12 months.
47. Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck
They’re related in history, they’re related in this rating, three amigos who formed an Identity Line that has had more endurance and success than any support line in recent NHL history. Beating you by beating you.
46. Mike McEwen
Considered somewhat reckless and offensive-minded as he broke into the young core of the late Nineteen Seventies Rangers before being sent to the Rockies as part of a take care of Barry Beck.
Acquired by the Islanders at the 1981 deadline in exchange for Chico Resch and Steve Tambellini, he entered point duties in the first power-play unit as Stefan Persson suffered a broken jaw early in the tournament and was a member of the final three Cup teams.
45. Alexey Yashin
It is not his fault Milbury traded Zdeno Chara and second overall pick Jason Spezza to Ottawa for a middle who missed the previous 12 months resulting from a contract dispute.
Nor was it his fault that GM later signed him to a 10-year, $87.5 million contract.
But the trade and commitment overshadowed several quite good seasons before the contract was inevitably bought out.
44. Jean Potvin
One of the hottest guys in the room, Potsy served two terms on the island, returning for his first two cups after being sent to the Cleveland Barons on a deal for Wayne Merrick.
He ranked second amongst NHL defensemen with 72 points in 1975-76 (17-55), ahead of his brother Denis (31-67-98) in total.
43. Lorne Henning
He took the puck from Persson, drove into the center of the ice and hit John Tonelli with a pass that gave Bob Nystrom his first Cup winning goal in a 7-11 additional time in Game 6 and a 5-4 victory over the Flyers at the Coliseum.
A proven supporter in a nine-year profession spent exclusively on the Island, he was a member of the first two championship teams before taking the bench as an assistant coach for 2 more titles.
42. Jude Drouin
A talented midfielder whose acquisition from Minnesota midway through the 1974-75 season, two days after being traded to JP Parise, helped transform the third-year club into serious playoff contention.
He assisted Parise’s 0–11 extra-time goal for the match 3 pre-match winner over Rangers at the Garden.
He scored 169 points (64–105) in 250 games for the island, but had his last productive 12 months at the age of 28 in 1976–77.
41. Benoit Hogue
The favored winger, who has maintained his presence on the island and the organization, only played three full seasons at the club but scored no less than 30 goals in each of them.
He recorded 30, 33 and 36, respectively, starting in the 1991-92 season, and scored 12 points (6-6) in 1993, resulting in the conference semifinals.
40. Josh Bailey
Latest York’s oldest skilled athlete after joining the Islanders to start out the 2008-09 season after being drafted ninth overall in the 2008 draft.
He’s been through all of it.
third on franchise playlist with 1,056, behind only immortals Denis Potvin (1,060) and Bryan Trottier (1,123). Seventh in profession with 580 points (184-396).
39. Anders Kallur
Signed as a free agent from Sweden aged 27 before the 1979–80 season, he missed his first Cup appearance resulting from an injury picked up in the final game of the regular season.
The next 12 months, he scored 36 goals and have become the winner of the ring quadruple.
38. JP Paris
There was way more to the winger’s profession than an extra-time goal to beat Rangers, but that is never a foul start.
He brought a veteran’s professionalism, stamina and responsibility to a young group when he was acquired from Minnesota two days before Drouin.
Parise was on the left, Drouin in the middle, and Ed Westfall on the right, forming the club’s strongest pre-Dynasty chess line.
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37.Steve Thomas
High energy offensive wing acquired from the Blackhawks in the deal that sent Brent Sutter to Chicago.
He scored 107 goals (28, 37, 42) in his first three seasons at the club and added nine goals with seven assists on the run to the 1993 Conference Final.
36. Kyle Okposo
A respected two-way guy who recorded 369 points (139-230) in nine years during which the winger represented a port of stability in quite volatile times.
35. Frans Nielsen
The Great Dane was one of the club’s most reliable two-way players during his 10-year tenure, which ended with a free agent defection to Detroit after the 2015–16 season.
He first scored 20 goals at the age of 29 from 25 in the 2013–14 season.
34. Michal Peca
Named captain and made a right away impact after being acquired from Buffalo in 2001 after a full season hiatus.
Mean and overrun mid laner recorded a career-high 60 points (25-35) in his first season with a Selke win before being attacked with a low blow from Darcy Tucker that tore his ACL in a Game 5 fault, a seventh-round first-round loss from Toronto, where Maple Leafs hooliganism was made possible by the league.
It was never the same again. He was never the same for the next and last two years on the island. Pity.
33. Derek King
A solid citizen on the wing before a three-year explosion in the early Nineteen Nineties in which he scored a complete of 108 goals, including 40 goals in 1991-92.
One of 13 in franchise history to achieve the 200-goal mark (211).
32. Wayne Merrick
Perhaps the most ignored member of the Quadruple Ring, he got here from Cleveland in 1978-79 for Parise and Jean Potvin.
Distinguished skater and quarterback who generally centered wingers Nystrom and Tonelli in the first two cups, scoring 18 points (6-12) in the 1981 playoffs.
31. Kelly Hrudey
Fourth all-time in wins (106) and net games played (241), athletic, acrobatic and charismatic as he succeeded Billy Smith as No. 1 in the mid-Eighties.
He recorded 73 saves in the 1987 Easter Epic 4-Additional time Game 7, a 3-2 win over the Caps in Landover, MD, in the first round of the playoffs.
30. Darius Kasparaitis
When that fifth draft pick from 1992 was placed on the ice, opponents not only had to maintain their heads up, but in addition had to look at their knees at the same time. Not at all times easy.
29. Vladimir Malakhov
Is not it odd that each Kasparaitis and Malakhov left before playing 250 games for the Islanders when the pairing must have been the blue line staple for a decade?
28. Kenny Jonsson
Big, strong, commanding and with plenty of offensive qualities, the Swede’s profession was threatened and cut short by recurring injuries.
Victim of Gary Roberts’ 50-yard charge that knocked the defender unconscious in Game 5 of the 2002 First Round against the Leafs thugs before retiring two years later at the age of 29.
One other one added to the list of what might have been.
27. Brock Nelson
Offensive production improved over the course of a profession, with the No. 29 scoring 20 goals in seven of his 10 seasons on the island, the last two in which the midfielder scored 37 and 34 respectively. Tied for eighth with Anders Lee on the franchise’s all-time goalscoring list with rating 239.
26. Anders Lee
The team captain has been on the low end for years, a scorer tied with Nelson for eighth in franchise history with 239.
He recorded 40 goals in the 2017–18 season while playing on the left wing in a team with John Tavares in the center and Bailey on the right. A frontrunner on and off the ice.
25. Patrick Flatley
He joined the Islanders for the Drive for Five after representing Canada at the 1984 Olympics, scoring nine goals and 15 points in those playoffs.
Grinder who became one of the club’s hottest players during his 13-year tenure before playing his last season with Rangers.
24. Billy Harris
The Original Islanders’ first overall draft pick in 1972, Harry O played in the club’s first 576 games until Al Arbor’s shock hit in November 1979.
He played on the right with Clark Gillies on the left and Bryan Trottier on the right on the first tent line of the team (The Long Island Lightning Company) before his place was taken by Mike Bossy.
He and Dave Lewis were the guys who went to Los Angeles in exchange for Butch Goring on the 1980 deadline.
23. Gordon Lane
The epitome of toughness, together with Ken Morrow, made up half of the venerable Dynasty Blue Line pair. Scored in one of GM Bill Torrey’s most ignored greats when he was pulled from obscurity in Washington in exchange for mid laner Mike Kaszycki.
22. Chico Resch
He kissed the posts in Pittsburgh’s historic 1-0 Game 7 in 1975, which was the highlight of the Islanders’ 3-0 return in the series.
The club’s original folk hero, second on record with 157 wins in the 1A/1B rotation with Billy Smith until the latter took the No. 1 role at the start of the playoffs in 1980 and never let go.
21. Duane Sutter
He added character and tenacity to the Dynasty, joining the 1979-80 team as a 19-year-old first-round draft pick, and was a necessary right-back for 4 cups.
He often played with Goring, scored 21 points (9-12) in the 1983 playoffs and finished third at the club.