Maven's Memories: Isles Win Second Stanley Cup in 1981

The Islanders won their first Stanley Cup in 1980 and it was a totally fulfilling experience.
But there was one thing missing; a certain kind of icy revenge -- Metropolitan New York-style.
"We didn't beat the Rangers that first time around" chuckled captain Denis Potvin, "and everyone knows how sweet that would have been, considering how they beat us the previous (1979) spring.

Mission accomplished a year later. The humiliation heaped on the Nassaumen in the '79 playoffs now had been erased by the 1981 over and out manhandling of the Manhattanites.
"Taking the Rangers out in four was extra-extra special," added Bob Bourne whose dislike for the Blueshirts was unsurpassed on the Isles.
Now what?
The Bill Torrey-Al Arbour general staff admittedly was concerned about an inevitable letdown. The Cup Final opponent would be Minnesota. Every fan knew that it was hard to hate a North Star.
"We have to be careful," Torrey duly noted. "They didn't get this far by accident."

No, they didn't. The North Stars beat favored Boston in the first round and then ousted Buffalo and Calgary to just about everyone's astonishment. They had Cinderella written all over them.
"They're on a roll," noted Barry Wilner of The Associated Press. "To me they're similar to last year's Islanders."
Another similarity was found among the front office leaders. Torrey and North Stars General Manager Lou Nanne were old pals. They loved exchanging poems about each other. They were a relaxed, fun pair.
They enjoyed a good laugh and had the game of needling each other down to a science.
"You can learn a lot from Bill Torrey," joked Nanne, "like where to buy the best bow ties. Of course, he isn't going to give away any Islanders secrets to me."
MAVEN'S MEMORIES
WRITTEN COVERAGE
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
Stan's 17 Birthday Memories
Jason Blake Played Big
Shirley Fischler Breaks Gender Barriers
Jim Devellano, The Other Architect
The 2003-04 Season
Mike Bossy's Road to the Islanders
Maven's Haven
Bow Tie Bill overheard the wisecrack and shot back, "After we beat them I'll tell you how we did it."
The Islanders employed their power play as effectively as ever, and Arbour's penalty-killers also were at the top of their game. There wasn't a weak spot in the lineup; only overconfidence could hurt their chances.
"We always say the first game is important," said goalie Bill Smith, whose playoff record had reached 36-10 over the past five years.
Then, Smitty added: "This one has a lot of significance because of the one-week layoff. Everybody is coming into this thing a little scared. We know we have to get back fast, the good things we had going before."
Smith's number one goal-provider, Mike Bossy wasn't concerned at all.
"The question isn't 'Can we win our second straight Cup?' It's how many games will it take?'"
If Game One was any kind of a barometer, predicting a four-game sweep was not out of the question. Before three minutes had elapsed, Anders Kallur had put New York ahead and not even a major penalty would worry the defending Champs.
Bourne was hit for five minutes and while he was enjoying the respite, his mates scored two shorthanded goals. The tally rose to 4-0 before Minnesota finally scored. The 6-3 decision was kind to the Visitors.
The second game was more of a contest. Steve Payne scored for Minnesota in the third period to tie the game at 3-3. "Could the Stars actually split the series?" a reporter wondered as Minnesota pushed for the winner.
Bossy: "All that goal did was make us mad. We came back and skated our tails off."
Goals by Denis Potvin, Bossy and Ken Morrow -- in that order -- put things back into an Islanders perspective. The ultimate result proved to be another tennis score, 6-3.
By now, reporters -- the ones who vote each year for the Conn Smythe Trophy -- already has begun debating about possible playoff MVP winners; and there were many choices.
Certainly, Bossy was one since the trophy is based on performance over the entire playoffs, Mike had excelled throughout. Although the series was far from over, Mike now was regarded as the favorite.
Among the other superior performers there were Smitty in goal, Potvin on defense and a compact veteran center who practically stole Game Three in Bloomington.
In this match, the North Stars had the crowd going haywire as they built an early 3-1 lead. But the cheering was stopped by Butch Goring whose three-goal hat trick delivered a 7-5 win to Arbour's lads.

Game Four finally proved that the North Stars deservedly had reached the Final. They rallied for a pair of third period goals to thwart any chance of an Islanders sweep. Also, it forced a Game Five on the Island.
In a sense, having a possible Stanley Cup-winning celebration at home made that one loss digestible for the fans. Arbour's confident skaters were homeward bound for the last time in the playoffs.
Along with a full complement of players on the team charter, there was one "stowaway" in the jet's storage area -- The Stanley Cup.
"I didn't want it on our plane," Torrey explained, "because of my superstition. I figured it might give us bad luck. But the league insisted and that was that."
No worries for Bow Tie Bill, or his troops, or even the most nervous of fans for that matter. Before the opening frame was very old, the Champs made the Challengers play catch-up. It remained that way all evening.
Smythe Trophy candidate Goring sandwiched a pair of first period goals around one for Wayne Merrick. No way the North Stars could switch the trend toward the Cup.
The cement scores were applied by Bob Bourne and Mike McEwen. That, in and of itself, marked a compelling coincidence.
"Every one of those guys were players we had traded for at one time or another," Chief Scout Jim Devellano proudly noted. "Remember, we got Bournie from Kansas City 'way back when."
There were plenty of kudos to go around in the raucous Coliseum dressing room and lots of exuberant faces, Merrick's among them.
"That was the biggest goal I ever scored," Wayne enthused, "and the greatest game I ever had."

No less tickled was Goring who was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy despite the fact that Bossy broke Trottier's record with 35 points.
Asked to explain why this was the best series Butch ever had put together, the peripatetic center had a ready explanation:
Goring: "This time, I had the whole year to get to know the guys. I suffered the lows and went through the highs with them and felt a big part of the hockey team.
"Still, this year was better all around. And how can you knock winning The Stanley Cup two years in a row?"
It was perfectly natural for hockey historians to wonder how Arbour's two-Cup team compared with champions past.
The general rule of thumb since the late 1940s had it that a team could earn the "dynasty" label by winning three consecutive Stanley Cups.
In 1949, the Toronto Maple Leafs became the first team in history to string a trio of titles together. Starting in 1956, the Montreal Canadiens had gone on to win five consecutive Cups.
With an impressive 15-3 playoff mark, the 1979-80 and 1980-81 editions of the Islanders became only the sixth franchise in NHL history to win successive championships
Such a feat touched the heart of a seasoned pro such as Trottier, and he put his feelings into words.
"I wish everyone who plays hockey could know the feeling of winning The Stanley Cup," Trots explained. "You win it once, you get greedy and you want to keep on winning it."
Well, two-out-of-two wasn't bad. Now the question was this: How much more was left in the Islanders tank to win a third? Bob Nystrom had the answer.
"Why not a dynasty?" Ny wondered. "We've got a team that can't be beat."