Maven's Memories: In Appreciation of Butch Goring

On the morning of February 29th so proudly we hail Butch Goring.
Among the ace stickhandlers who belong in an Islanders Hall of Fame, the 5'7 Butch Goring stands tall as a sure member.
And, as I've said -- and written more than three-dozen times, multiplied by 10 -- Winnipeg's gift to Nassau owns all the credentials for election to Hockey's Hall of Fame in Toronto.

"If it weren't for Butch," Bill Torrey once said, "it's debatable how many Stanley Cups we would have won."
This much is certain; Bowtie Bill's decision to exchange right wing Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis for Goring, then a Los Angeles center, was as decisive a trade as any ever made in the National Hockey League.
Just past midnight of March 11, 1980, Butch became an Islander in a move that stunned Lewis and Harris while Goring couldn't have been happier.
"I've always wanted to come to a team that was used to winning," said Goring at the time. "The Stanley Cup has been my chief goal."
BUTCH JERSEY RETIREMENT
WRITTEN COVERAGE
Fischler: The Butch Goring Trade
Goring and Tonelli "Humbled"
Tonelli Thankful for Jersey Retirement
Fischler: Tonelli Appreciation
MORE BUTCHIE

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Isles TV: Tonelli Jersey Retirement
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Ceremony at 11:40 a.m.
So it was for Bowtie Bill. After his otherwise strong club had been successively playoff-ousted by the Maple Leafs (1978) and Rangers (1979), Torrey knew something was missing.
"Things weren't going right," the general manager asserted. "I had to do something."
The missing link was a tireless checker who doubled as a penalty-killer and sharpshooter extraordinaire. Yet, in his 11-year NHL career, the peripatetic Goring never had won a Stanley Cup. Now it almost was in his grasp.
"Logically and realistically speaking," Butch explained, "I think we can win the Cup this year. The club is not much different from the one they had last year (1978-79) when they had the best record in the league.
"With that personnel healthy again, I don't see why they can't be the best team in hockey this year," he added. "As for me, whatever line Al Arbour puts me on has the potential to take the heat off Bryan Trottier's line."
Butch's arrival in Nassau took place a day or two before an Islanders team banquet. By sheer coincidence, the newest center happened to be placed at a table with The Maven and my wife, Shirley.
The first thing I noticed about Butch was his down-to-earth qualities. The second thing I noticed was that he had more of a cowboy look about him than most of his more sophisticated looking teammates.
Little did I know at the time that Goring's look would soon be a target of practical jokes all because of his Western attire. Not surprisingly, the oft-hilarious Clark Gillies would have Butch in his cross-hairs for a practical joke.
Gillies: "When Butch came to the Island he became a target because he liked to wear real, old jeans. Our dress code said you could wear designer jeans and jackets on the road. Butchie's jeans were so old the bottoms were frayed.
"So, we decided to get him. After a road trip we got hold of his old jeans and hung them up at our practice facility, Racquet 'n Rink. Then we doused them with lighter fluid and lit them on fire."
In on the practical joke, one of the other Islanders yelled over to Goring who then realized that his venerable dungarees were suffering from second-degree burn. Butch also realized that it was too late to even put the jeans on waivers.
Butch's only retort to Gillies was, "Oh, you son-of-a-gun." Then the new Islander set about getting even with the fire squad. This time Big Clark was on the other side of the prank.
Gillies: "At the time Butch was in charge of the money collected by the team's Kangeroo Court. On the next road trip he bought a brand new pair of jeans. I told him, 'That's more like it.'"
That got a laugh out of Butch, not to mention the perfect squelch: "Guess how I got them; I took the money out of the Kangaroo Court fund!"
The theft was approved by Kangaroo Fund officials; especially Gillies:
"We couldn't really say anything," Clark concluded, "because it was only a few bucks apiece. But at least we got Butchie to wear a new pair of jeans."

Another reason why Goring's teammates couldn't complain was because Butch ignited the previously sluggish team. Over the club's final dozen games in 1979-80, the Isles went 8-0-4.
Denis Potvin's capsule comment explained it best. "With Butchie at center," said the captain, "there was a sense of hope we didn't have before."
That hope sprung eternal for four seasons of Stanley Cup championships with Goring doing precisely what Torrey hoped he would do and then some. And that included winning the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) in 1981.
Hall of Fame Islanders General Manager Bill Torrey certainly got the better of the Goring trade -- and probably a lot more than Bowtie Bill imagined. Bill's son, Rich Torrey, worked with Goring and remembers Butch's value well.
Rich Torrey: "Butch was one of the most influential and unique players in the Islanders history. During the Dynasty Years I'd set up VCRs in Goring's hotel rooms so he could tape sessions with other players.
"That made him what amounted to a 'player-coach.' In my book -- and after working with him -- he's a hockey genius."
Another trophy Butch might win -- if such a prize existed -- is Best Hockey-Playing Golfer on Long Island. One of Goring's putting partners, Dr. Max April, vouches for that.
"On the golf course, Butchie is the consummate pro," says Dr. April of NYU-Langone Hospital in Manhattan. "He's extremely competitive and it shows with every shot he takes.
"Usually, he hits straight and long and when he seems to be in trouble, he hits 'miracle shots' that get the ball right back to the hole. You never can count him out."

Following his retirement as a player, Butch touched all bases in the hockey biz. He managed, coached and exuded such high I.Q. (Intensity Quotient) as well as intelligence that he eventually became a tv guru for MSG Networks.
"The great thing about Butch," says his MSG producer Bob de Poto, "is that he's not only a key figure from the team's glory years but that competitive spirit and Isles pride still burns through his commentary.
"Younger fans who never saw him play -- when they hear his commentary -- feel a connection to those dynasty teams. When his number joins the other Islanders in the rafters that connection will be even stronger."
I had the pleasure of working Islanders games with Goring for several years. And since we both lived in Manhattan at the time, we'd drive out to the Coliseum together.
Every one-hour drive of chatting was, for me, like getting a Ph.D. in Advanced Hockey Knowledge. Butch regaled me with tales of his seasons as a Los Angeles King, his AHL days in Springfield and assorted other anecdotes.
Studying his broadcasting style -- comparing it to other former players -- I find that The Goring Effect is to tell it like it is. He reviews plays from a coach's-eye and "Being Objective" could be Butch's bywords. Count on his honesty.
Speaking of "counts," the decibel count will be loud and long for Goring at The Old Barn on Saturday.
Hopefully the din will carry all the way to Toronto and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
As far as The Maven is concerned, Butch deserves to be inducted into the ice game's Pantheon; the sooner, the better.
Just look at his record and you'll understand why.