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by Matthew a. Blittner (Author)
For over 40-years the NY Islanders have called Long Island, NY home (with the exception of a handful of years during which they played in Brooklyn). And over the course of those 40-plus seasons, the Islanders have authored some of the greatest moments in NHL history.They came from nothing. They were an expansion franchise with money problems that lost more than they won. But then came along a Coach by the name of Al Arbour and together with GM Bill Torrey, the two of them built the Islanders into a perennial playoff powerhouse.First came playoff upsets of the Rangers and Penguins. Then came some epic playoff series against the Rangers and Sabres. And finally, after falling just short year-after-year, the 1980 Islanders did it. They captured Lord Stanley's Cup, kickstarting a run of four-straight Cup championships and 19-straight playoff series victories.But nothing lasts forever. And even though they haven't won a Cup since 1983, they have still authored some iconic moments.Nobody and I mean nobody will ever forget the Easter Epic, which lasted into the fourth-overtime period before Pat LaFontaine won it for the Isles at just shy of 2:00AM on Easter Sunday 1987. Then there was the Shawn Bates penalty-shot goal against Toronto in the '02 playoffs. And if you prefer something more recent, how about the John Tavares' double-overtime series-clinching goal against Florida in the 2016 playoffs that ended 23-years of playoff frustration. Or, how about the Isles emotional return to The Coliseum after thinking they would never be back?Thanks to the cooperation of the writers, broadcasters, scouts, PR Directors and several former players who have been around the team for decades, Author Matthew Blittner was able to interview the likes of: Neil Best, Greg Bouris, Larry Brooks, Frank Brown, Brendan Burke, Pat Calabria, Hawley Chester, Brian Compton, Eric Compton, Stan Fischler, Alan Hahn, Shannon Hogan, Chris King, Allan Kreda, Steve Mears, Barry Meisel, Bobby Nystrom, Glenn "Chico" Resch, Howie Rose, Neil Smith, Arthur Staple, John Sterling, Rich Torrey, Ed Westfall and Alyse Zwick to bring these -- and other -- unforgettable Islanders moments to life.
