Maven's Memories: Mark Fitzpatrick's Mastery and Masterton

Among the lesser-known tales of heroism within the Islanders Empire, there's one that stands out because it exemplifies how the human spirit can overcome adversity.
Goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick was the goaltender in question and one who had been earmarked for greatness even as a teenager in the province of Alberta.

Mark's star began rising during the late 1980's when Fitz was goaltending for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the very competitive Western Hockey League.
The Tigers won a pair of Memorial Cups -- emblematic of Canadian Junior Supremacy -- and Fitz became a very desirable Draft possibility in the 1987 player selection process.
As it happened, the Los Angeles Kings plucked Mark in the First Round, 27th overall in the Entry Draft.
Mark played well enough in Tinseltown to catch the eyes of Isles GM Bill Torrey and his scouting staff. When the Kings sought a more experienced goalie, Bowtie Bill offered fan favorite Kelly Hrudey.
In return the Isles obtained both Fitzpatrick and young defenseman Wayne McBean. Along with another young puck-stopper, Jeff Hackett, the Isles appeared to have one of the best one-two goalie combinations in the league.

With Al Arbour back behind the Islanders bench for the 1989-90 season, Torrey chose to add some experience to his goaltending and acquired Glenn Healy from Los Angeles to challenge Fitzpatrick and Hackett.
But Fitz needed little challenging. He rapidly matured into a top-flight goaltender and proved it on the night of December 9th, 1989 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
If it had been a baseball game, reporters would have labelled it "A pitcher's battle." Only this was a challenge shared by two razor-sharp goaltenders.
For the rival Rangers, it was the able veteran John Vanbiesbrouck manning the crease and at the other end was the tall, lanky, red-haired Fitzpatrick, enjoying big-league hockey life as never before.
That night The Barn was packed to the gills with 16,297 fans who anticipated an intense game but they never could have imagined what manner of once-in-a-lifetime melodrama would unfold.
It would be, in fact, a classic contest and Fitz would be the chief protagonist and first star of the conflict.
MAVEN'S MEMORIES
WRITTEN COVERAGE
Isles Dynasty Built via Draft
The 1972 Expansion Draft
Tales From The Coliseum
Pain and Progress in 1981 Cup
Isles Win Second Stanley Cup
Isles Sweep Rangers in 1981
Road to 1981 Cup, Round 2
First Steps Towards 1981 Cup
From Viking to Uniondale, the Sutter Bros
Bob Bourne's End to End Rush
Mikko Makela: The Flying Finn
Shirley Fischler Breaks Gender Barriers
Maven's Haven
"The checking was fierce and clean," wrote Zachary Weinstock, co-author of Rivals, a chronicle of Isles-Rangers warfare. "The defense was stout, the skating crisp, the passing tight, and the goaltending superb."
Fitzpatrick had to be at his best in the first period as the Blueshirts organized assault after assault, outshooting the home club by a two-to-one basis, 16-8.
Arbour's skaters re-grouped in the middle frame and actually outshot the Rangers, 9-8. But neither goalie would relinquish a goal and the teams ended the second period still tied 0-0.
"I felt sharp," said Fitzpatrick. "I was seeing the puck."
Working the Islanders telecast for SportsChannel, I was thrilled with the two-period spectacle. Who could have dreamed of the endless excitement and that Fitz would be even better in the third.
Weinstock: "Fans roared with every rush, anticipating that big play that would carry the night. Up and down they came -- the first-place visitors going one way, the rejuvenated hosts back the other."
With each ebb and flow of the action, a goal seemed imminent. Then, CLANG! The Blueshirts forward Darren Turcotte beat Fitzpatrick but hit the goal post. The puck ricocheted harmlessly into the corner.
Now it was the Islanders turn and Patrick Flatley found himself with a juicy rebound only to be stoned by Beezer. The scoreboard still registered 0-0 as time wound down. The shots were 8-7 Rangers in the third as overtime loomed.
Yes, Fitzpatrick had played the game of his young life but his mates couldn't beat the other goalie. Overtime proved to be the height of hockey drama but without a goal.
The final shot total had Fitz making 33 saves to Beezer's 26. It was the only 0-0 tie in Rangers-Islanders history.
Exhausted but joyful, Fitzpatrick told me in our post-game interview, "This was the best hockey game I've seen this year."
Any Broadway producer would have said, "This match-up will be back by popular demand."
And so it was; exactly one week later back at The Coliseum. The script wasn't the same. How could it be? Ah, but this time there was a result.
The Rangers found their mark and fired two past Mark. But, finally, Fitzpatrick received support from his marksmen; particularly Pat LaFontaine who had two goals and a brilliant assist.
The 4-3 Isles win further bolstered Mark's confidence and the team's growing faith in him as well. That was the season when the Nassaumen gained a playoff berth on the final night of the season, March 31, 1990, my 58th birthday.
By the start of the 1990-91 season Fitzpatrick had reached the top of his game. "He had become a top prospect in the NHL," wrote historian Andrew Podnieks in his book Players. "He was big, quick and young and well-regarded by his teammates."
But then a black cloud appeared.
"Imagine going on a road trip," added Podnieks, "and waking up in your hotel bed to discover your feet had swelled to the size of footballs. That's what happened to Mark through no fault of his own."

He had been taking a vitamin supplement containing L-Tryptophan. Tests determined that it caused Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS).
Fitzpatrick also experienced shortness of breath, swelling and other issues. In some cases it could be fatal. Taking an assortment of treatments, Mark eventually survived but missed almost the entire 1990-91 season and more than half of the following campaign.
Many believed that Fitzpatrick's career had ended but he always had been a fighter and he relentlessly battled back. In February 1992 he beat the cynics. As one Long Island reporter wrote:
"Unfazed, Fitz did the unthinkable and came back to play for the Islanders. There wasn't a soul on the planet who would've faulted him for hanging up his glove and blocker but he stepped right back in the crease. It was a lesson, teaching us about running our lives and not letting our lives run us."
Mark's heroism was recognized by the NHL and at the 1992 awards ceremony he was presented with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The inscription said it all: "For the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
That was Mark Fitzpatrick, heroic Islander!