Yes, John Tavares, the team you play for really was a big deal once! They aren’t telling you lies. They really did win four Stanley Cups in a row from 1979-80 to 1982-83. The really did lose in the finals to the Edmonton Oilers in 1983-84. However, since 1990, the year you were born, the Islanders have qualified for the post season just six times. New York last won a playoff series (1992-93) long before you were in kindergarten.
So, John Tavares, the six numbers you see hanging from the rafters of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum are in honour of players from a much greater era, long before your time. All six of the New York Islanders retired numbers were on the backs of players that played in all four of the Islanders Stanley Cup championship teams. All but one player were drafted and developed by the Islanders. Three of these heroes played their entire National Hockey careers on Long Island. Three won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Five of the six are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Like John Tavares, all six played their junior hockey in Canada.
For hockey card collectors, the combined value of the rookie cards of these six players, according to Beckett Hockey Monthly, is a relative bargain at $263. The Mike Bossy rookie card is the highest valued at $100, while the Bob Nystrom rookie card is the most affordable at $5.
Denis Potvin
The Denis Potvin rookie card appears as number 195 in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee series and is valued at $40. The Islanders have retired number 5 in honour of the great defenseman. Potvin was the first overall pick at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Islanders after a stellar junior career with the Ottawa 67’s. Denis played his entire career with New York, appearing in 1,060 regular season games between 1973-74 and 1987-88. Potvin and Bryan Trottier are the only two to play over 1,000 games in an Islanders jersey. Denis won the Calder Trophy in 1973-74 and was the recipient of the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman on three occasions. He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.
Clark Gillies
The Clark Gillies rookie card came in the 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee set as number 199. Beckett values the hockey card at $8. No Islander will wear number 9 again in honour of Clark. After playing junior with the Regina Pats, Gillies was taken fourth overall by the Islanders at the 1974 NHL draft. His NHL career lasted from 1974-75 to 1987-88 with all but his last two seasons played with the Islanders (he finished with two years in Buffalo). Gillies entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
Bryan Trottier
The 1975-76 Calder Trophy winner, Bryan Trottier, had his rookie card appear in the 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee series. Number 115 is worth $60. Trottier was the 22nd overall pick at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft by the Islanders after playing junior with the Swift Current / Lethbridge Broncos. He played 1,279 regular season NHL games between 1975-76 and 1993-94, with exception of his final three with the Pittsburgh Penguins, all his years were played with the Islanders. Over his career, Trottier won the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy. He won an additional two Stanley Cups with the Penguins and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. Number 19 is retired in his honour.
Mike Bossy
The Mike Bossy rookie card was the crown of the 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee series. Number 115 is worth $100. The Islanders drafted Mike 15th overall at the 1977 NHL draft from the Laval National. His career was cut short due to injury but in his ten years, he failed to score 50+ goals just once, his final season, and he scored 60+ on five occasions. He was the Calder Trophy recipient for 1977-78. Bossy also won the Conn Smythe Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy during his career. He would have won the Rocket Richard Trophy twice as the league’s goal scoring leader but the trophy wasn’t in existence at the time. The Islanders retired number 22 in honour of Bossy and he joined the Hockey Hall of Fame along with Denis Potvin in 1991.
Bob Nystrom
Bob Nystrom was taken in the third round of the 1972 draft by the Islanders, out of the Calgary Centennials. He played his full NHL career with the team from 1972-73 to 1985-86. The Bob Nystrom rookie card appears as number 202 in the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee set and is valued at $5. Nystrom’s number 23 is honoured by the team but Bob is the only one of the six not to be honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Islanders dedicated a team trophy to Bob, however. The Bob Nystrom Award has been awarded since 1991 to the Islanders players that best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication.
Billy Smith
Number 31 hangs from the rafters in honour of goaltender Billy Smith. The Billy Smith rookie cardfrom the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee series (#142) is valued at $50. After playing junior with the Cornwall Royals, Smith was taken in the fifth round of the 1970 NHL draft by the Los Angeles Kings. Other than five games with the Kings in 1971-72, Smith spent his entire career, from 1972-73 to 1988-89, with the Islanders. In his time, Billy won the Conn Smythe Trophy, Vezina Trophy and Jennings Trophy, once each. He became a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
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