Maven's Memories: Unsung Heroes of the 70s

If Al Arbour said it once, he said it a thousand times; his Islanders could never have been a playoff team in 1975 and 1976 without his foot soldiers, alias The Grits and Grunts, delivering the goods.
On the grounds that it takes one to know one, Arbour was the perfect judge of hockey's unsung heroes because of his personal hockey history.
A "grunt," himself, while winning Stanley Cups in Detroit, Chicago and Toronto, coach Arbour recognized that beyond the likes of Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier, his team's success hinged on the infantrymen keeping their battle levels at their peaks.

With that in mind, I herewith present my favorite Grunts and Grit Guys, circa 1976. These were the Isles' dependable foot soldiers who played the game hard -- but too often without meaningful recognition.

GARRY HOWATT:

An original Islander from 1972, the Grand Centre, Alberta left wing was the very last player chosen by the club in the 1972 Amateur Draft. From his earliest years, Howatt had to surmount several obstacles to reach The Show; among them size and sickness.
At 5-9, 170 pounds, Garry was nicknamed The Toy Tiger for his ferocious style despite being a Tiny Tim amid the NHL mastodons.
Then there was Howie's health issue: At age 14 he was discovered to be an epileptic. From his Junior hockey years on through his seasons with the Islanders, he had to take a strict regimen of pills to minimize the risks of further epileptic attacks.
Writing in his definitive history, "Players," author-historian Andrew Podnieks, noted that Garry was able to "Control things and had a tremendous impact with the Islanders."
In his first full season with the Isles, 1973-74, Howatt set a record of sorts: most penalty minutes without a misconduct -- 204 -- as he established himself as a fighter who would take on even the toughest heavyweights.
"He seldom came out on on the wrong end of a fight," wrote Podnieks.
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Howatt scored clear-cut decisions over Dave "The Hammer" Schultz, Pat Quinn and Bob Kelly, six-footers all. More importantly, he beautifully blended with another tough Western Canadian, and future Islanders favorite, Bob Nystrom.
Arbour: "First, Nystrom made rapid progress, then Garry really caught up. In the beginning, guys didn't know who the hell this little guy was. It took a while but eventually everybody in the league knew him."
I vividly remember a perfectly clean breakaway goal scored by Garry against Montreal's Hall of Famer Ken Dryden. Looking more like today's Mathew Barzal, Howatt lured Dryden to the left and then crisply backhanded his shot into the upper right corner.
When, after the game, I commended the Toy Tiger for his impressive goal, he played down his excellence. "I'm not a star," he insisted. "I do everything average. But I love to work hard."
Fair enough, his exceptional vigor and vitality enabled him to be good enough to play on Stanley Cup-winners in 1980 and 1981 and to excel offensively and physically.
Every so often, a reporter would ask Garry why he didn't pick on someone his own size. His answer was simple: "There's nobody on the ice my size. There seldom is!"

JEAN POTVIN:

Had there not been a Denis Potvin -- in my estimation Denis is the best all-round defenseman in NHL history -- big-brother Jean would have inspired considerably more coverage for his exploits as an Islander.
Yet the NHL Record Book clearly indicates that "Johnny" Potvin was accomplished in his own right. Helping the Isles to their second playoff in 1975-76, Jean was the second-highest scoring defenseman in the NHL; 17 goals and 55 assists for 72 points; behind brother Denis.
"I needed confidence," said Jean, "and that meant getting playing time. After getting more ice time, the concentration and confidence came back. Plus, working the power play with Denis didn't hurt. We knew each other on the blue line.
"On the power plays, I knew where Denis was at all times. I'd see him out of the corner of my eyes; and where the other players were. I'd have four or five opportunities to move the puck or take the shot; or make my own play."
Facing the Red Wings on the night of January 22, 1976, Johnny delivered a hat trick while Denis scored two goals of his own. It helps explain why Jean was eighth in balloting for the Norris Trophy in the spring of 1976, yet hardly anybody knew it.
You guessed it, Denis won the prize that year as the NHL's top defenseman!

JUDE DROUIN:

Developed by the Montreal Canadiens organization, Drouin eventually moved on to Minnesota where the dissension-riddled North Stars dealt him to the Islanders in January 1975 along with J.P. Parise; one of the best trades engineered by G.M. Bill Torrey.
Centering for Parise and Ed Westfall, Drouin fit like a mitten on a skier's hand. Still, the Coliseum crowd already had grown to love captain Eddie and the Faithful also embraced Parise over the more subtle Drouin.
Not that Jude minded the anonymity one bit. He got his satisfaction by leading the Islanders in playoff scoring during their sensational 1975 post-season run with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points.
"People forgot that I was the one who sent J.P. the pass that got him to score the goal that eliminated the Rangers in 1975," Drouin told me with smile during the Islanders reunion last year. "But I didn't mind being in the shadows as long as I was doing my job."
As matter of fact, Jude knew from the get-go in 1975 that his buddy, Parise, would get the hero's acclaim in Uniondale.
Drouin: "In my first game, I saw banners in the stands with J.P.'s name on them. Did it bother me? No. I scored the game-winner that night, so the fans accepted me, too."
Just a bit more quietly!

BERT MARSHALL:

A vagabond defenseman who previously played for the Detroit Red Wings, California Seals and New York Rangers, the Kamloops, British Columbia native found a home in Uniondale. With Al Arbour's guidance, the hulking blue liner became a fixture on the back end.
Bert proved to be a steadying influence on the younger players as the Isles rose from the NHL depths to become a playoff team for two consecutive seasons. Among those defenders who benefitted from Marshall's mentoring included Hall of Famer Denis Potvin, Dave Lewis and Gerry Hart.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Bert, the Islander, was that he liked to say, "I don't get paid to score goals" and yet he was involved in several notable offensive episodes.
When the Islanders completed their astonishing 1975 comeback -- down three games to none -- to beat Pittsburgh with four straight wins it was Marshall who set up Ed Westfall with the winning goal in the 1-0 series-clinching triumph.
A year later Bert stepped up with a totally unexpected -- yet decisive -- playoff goal against the Buffalo Sabres.
Comfortable as a grunt backliner, he nevertheless was enormously appreciated by the Isles general staff. After Bert's retirement in 1979, Arbour named him an assistant coach. (Bert also was the team's best tennis player, give or take Lorne Henning.)

LORNE HENNING:

You'd think that one of the Original Islanders -- 17th choice overall in the 1972 Amateur Draft -- would have become better known after four seasons of diligent play at center. But that wasn't to be; and it would remain that way through his dozen faithful years with the team.
"The thing about Lorne was that even though he wasn't a fan favorite as much as a Billy Harris (first-overall pick in 1972) or a Bryan Trottier, he was very much appreciated by those of us who played with him," said teammate Glenn Resch.
Henning teamed with Eddie Westfall on the PK which was extra-special because they never hesitated to pursue shorthanded goals. At one point, Lorne held the club record for shorthanded goals in a single season with six tallies and the club's career mark for shorthanded goals with 14 in 343 games.
Assessing Henning's value to the Nassaumen, historian Podnieks wrote: "He was neither big nor offensively talented but he was an essential component of the team as it evolved; first as a competitive team and then as a challenging team."
And, finally, Cup-winners with Henning orchestrating Nystrom's title goal!
LISTS: BACKSTAGE HEROES AND HEROINES -- THE HIDDEN OFF-ICE ACES
1. JIM DEVELLANO:After studying under Scotty Bowman in St.Louis, Jimmy D signed on with Bill Torrey and became one of the sharpest scouts in the industry. Devellano was Bow Tie Bill's most efficient sidekick, discovering future stars, left and right.
2. ESTELLE ELLERY:The learned wife of former American Hockey League executive, Jim Ellery, Estelle was one of the organization's first front office hires and a legendarily tireless worker helping Bill Torrey organize the front office.
3. HAWLEY CHESTER, III:Young, dynamic and an ex-collegiate hockey player, Chester became the club's first public relations executive. He travelled side by side with Al Arbour and Torrey; often coming up with good stories for the newsmen.
4. MICKEY SLOWIK: A Metropolitan Hockey League star -- and later a World War II naval hero in the Pacific Theater -- the dynamic little guy was one of the best of Nassau Veterans' Coliseum's off-ice officials. And always there for a good story from his playing days.
5. JACK RAFFERTY: Long-time supervisor of off-ice officials, Jovial Jack trained some of the best penalty-timekeepers and official scorers. Jack's pre-game meetings with his troops were as intense as Al Arbour's with his players.
6. STAN EPSTEIN: From the very first Islanders' home telecast in March 1975 and into the championship years, Epstein was the television producer first for Nassau Sports and then SportsChannel. Stan was the thorough professional and a marvelous humorist as well.
7. CHARLES DOLAN: Unobtrusively and with little fuss or fanfare, "Chuck" was the pioneer of cable television. Founder of Cablevision Chuck put the Islanders on television starting in 1975 through his founding of SportsChannel, which later was absorbed by Madison Square Garden Networks.
8. RON WASKE AND JIM PICKARD: Super-able trainer and equipment manager, respectively, this dynamic duo ranked among the most respected and likable behind-the-scenes staffers.
9. JEFF WEINTRAUB:A former Met area hockey player and later successful Long Island business man, Jeff succeeded Jack Rafferty as head of off-ice officials. He was instrumental in helping his group adjust to the high-tech age. Also one of the funniest men in the business.