New York Islanders Legends

The New York Islanders have won the Stanley Cup trophy only four times in their time together as a team. The first was won during the 1979-1980 season, and the other three followed consecutively until the 1982-1983 season. There are only six players that have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame from this team.

First, there was Mike Bossy, who was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1957. He played in the NHL for 10 seasons, from 1977 to 1987, and was there when the Islanders won all four Stanley cup trophies. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1991 and had his number retired by the team. Bossy started and ended his career with a back problem that was never really diagnosed. He was also the first guy to speak out against rough play on the ice. Bossy felt that fighting on the ice was beneath the game he loved so much. He was considered the top scorer in the entire history of the league.

Another one of the infamous six is goalie Billy Smith, who was born in 1950 in Perth, Ontario. Smith played for the NHL for 18 seasons, from 1971 to 1989, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. Smith started out with the Islanders, and was drafted to the Kings for only five games until the Islanders claimed him back. Smith had a reputation for fighting with anyone he could. It made no difference if it was someone on the opposite team or someone on his own team. Smith was going to get his point across.