Maven's Memories: No One Should Forget Tomas Jonsson

Over the years the Islanders panoply of heroes has enveloped such Hall of Famers as Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier and Clark Gillies as well as those less gifted who made a name for themselves in other ways but remembered nonetheless.
For example, Mick Vukota was revered for his truculence and willingness to drop his gloves with or without invitation.
Likewise, Darius Kaspairitis was beloved not only for his energetic play but his torpedo-like hip checks that annoyed everyone from Mario Lemieux to Mark Messier.

Second-liners such as Bob Bourne and Ray Ferraro were fan favorites for singularly spectacular performances in decisive playoff encounters.
That said, where does that leave Tomas Jonsson in the Islanders Pantheon of performers?
"That's a good question," said Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President Jim Devellano. "I should know since I helped Bill Torrey draft Tommy. He was a good, little defenseman. He had to have been good to play on two of our Cup-winners."

Like others in the Islanders high command during the late 1970's, Jimmy D almost swooned over the fact that he -- as Chief Scout -- and General Manager Bill Torrey had harvested a number of high quality picks before Jonsson came aboard.
"We knew we were going in the right direction," said Devellano. "By 1979 we already had taken high-quality prospects starting with Denis Potvin in '73 and then guys like Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Stefan Persson -- just a ton of goodies.
"But the year before winning our first Cup in 1980, we wanted to beef up our defense so that Denis Potvin could get more power-play relief. We already had lined up Ken Morrow and a real, good Swede in Stefan Persson but we wanted still more help."
Which is precisely why and how the Nassaumen landed Jonsson in the 1979 Entry Draft. A major obstacle was competition from other NHL teams. Word about Jonsson already was wafting across Europe. A prize was waiting to be plucked.
"Tommy was different from Denis, Kenny and Stef," Torrey once explained to me. "Denis was big and tough. Kenny was a rugged, big beanpole and Stef also was relatively tall, but strong as could be. Compared to the others, Tommy was on the smallish side."
But could he ever play defense. Hoh, boy!
MSG Networks ace statman, Eric Hornick, offered a concise commentary on Number #3 of the blueline:
"For starters, Jonsson was one of four Islanders selected in the 1979 Draft to win Cups with the team. The others were Duane Sutter, Billy Carroll and Rollie Melanson. Tomas was a dependable defenseman with some offensive flair. What's more he was the only Isles blueliner -- besides Denis Potvin -- to reach double digits in goals in four seasons."
When scouted by the Islanders Scandinavian bird dog, Jonsson was making a name for himself in his native Sweden. He previously excelled in no less than three World Junior Championships including 1977 when his Swedes captured the Gold.
Jonsson's teammates included future NHLers Mats Naslund, Thomas Steen, Pelle Lindbergh and Bengt-Ake Gustafsson. Clearly, Tomas was well-prepared to debut in the high-class Swedish Elite League. He was a mere 17-year-old at the time.
He would later star in the Olympics and lead his Modo team to the Swedish championship.
Born in Falun, Sweden, he played his first organized hockey in his home town, eventually moving up to the Swedish version of big-time with famed Modo. Starting with the 1977-78 season, he played four full seasons with Modo before Torrey and Jimmy grabbed him
In what has been regarded as one of the finest Drafts in history, the Isles duet made Jonsson the 25th overall selection. He already had been a star in Sweden and emerged as one of the best Scandinavian defenseman since Toronto's Borje Salming.
"Jonsson had good legs," Devellano remembered, "and excellent instincts. We had no doubt that he could make our big club. The only question was when. By that time all the NHL teams knew about him. That's why we quickly stepped up in the second round.
"We weren't worried that Tommy was a touch on the small side but he could skate and he was skilled. We later would learn that he was a good person and a heckuva good teammate as well."
While the other gifted Swede, Stefan Persson, was spurring the Islanders to championships in 1980 and 1981, Jonsson was honing his game to sharpness in his home country. Meanwhile the general staff in Uniondale figured that Tommy was ready.
"We had a solid defense having added Mike McEwen to go with Gordie Lane and the guys who'd helped us win Cups," Torrey explained, "but I felt that we should infuse new faces in the lineup when guys were ready. By the fall of '81, Jonsson was ready."
Not only ready; but willing and able. From the moment he stepped on Islanders' ice Tommy kept up with the Cup veterans with ease. He was a natural with the accent on finesse and the knack for making the right play at the right time.
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"His size certainly was no hindrance," said captain Potvin. "Tommy would play as tough as necessary against the big fellows. He could handle the bigger guys because of his great balance on his skates."
In time, he would prove to be the quintessential blueliner; meticulous in his own zone and gung-ho when he believed attacking the enemy line was the order of the day.
Hall of Fame Islanders broadcaster Jiggs McDonald had no bones about saying, "I loved the guy." Not surprisingly, Jiggs was in good company. It was hard not to admire the young man who always seemed to wear a smile on his face.
Jiggs: "Tomas had terrific hockey vision and the ability to read a play. He was especially good at jumping in as an offensive defenseman. He may not have been the biggest defenseman but he could hit and was very quick-witted."
Tommy's natural savoir faire was evident in his rookie NHL season. He blended smoothly with the Champs and over 70 games he totalled 34 points (9G, 25A) Already two-time defending champs, the Isles had become the prime target for teams anxious to dethrone the victors. Ah, but they refused to be vanquished.
Once again in 1982 the Islanders reached the Cup Final and knocked off Vancouver in four straight games. Jonsson looked as much at home as playoff veterans such as Dave Langevin and Ken Morrow.
"The playoffs didn't faze him one bit," said captain Potvin. "But the experience was terrific since he was now on a three-time Cup-winner."
Eric Hornick: "Tomas is remembered as one of the first members of the Triple Gold Club. He won Cups, played on World Championship teams and got an Olympic Gold Medal. He's also a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame."
On days when I would broadcast Islanders games for SportsChannel, I'd bring my younger son, Simon, to practices. From time to time, he'd focus on Jonsson and come away stunned by Tomas' speed.
"I recall watching Tomas," Simon recently remembered, "and say to myself, 'My, that guy is flying. He'd stand on the red goal line and when the whistle blew he had instant speed. Like he had a motor under his uniform."
Burdened by the attrition that comes with three consecutive runs to the final round, not to mention injuries and the normal mental fatigue that comes with being on top, the Islanders struggled at times during the 1982-83 season. But there was no struggle in Jonsson's game. His dozen game-winning goals also make him runner-up to Potvin.
By now it was apparent that he easily could match offense with his vacuum cleaner defense. He totalled an impressive 333 points (84G, 249A). He ranked second in goals behind Potvin and third in both assists and points behind Potvin and Stefan Persson.

His '82-'83 regular season totals were most impressive -- 13-35-48 -- and his mastery was maintained through the four playoff rounds culminating with a four-game dusting of Edmonton. Over 20 postseason games, he garnered two goals and 10 assists.
Jonsson's level of excellence was maintained through the 1983-84 Drive For Five. In the decisive fifth game of the Rangers-Islanders playoff showdown, Jonsson came within inches of being a major hero.
His early third period goal broke a tie and put the Islanders ahead by one. The lead held up down to the final minutes. Had the Isles maintained the edge, Jonsson would have been the First Star hero. But the Blueshirts Don Maloney beat Bill Smith with a late-third controversial "High Stick" goal. While it may have looked illegal, the goal was upheld by the officials and that tied the game again.
"Still," Hornick asserted, "that playoff goal against the Rangers was Jonsson's most famous. White, in the end, it didn't turn out to be the winner, it did set the table for 'The Greatest Overtime Game Ever played.'"
Maloney's red light led to the sudden death affair and what became one of Ken Morrow's finest moments when his screened shot beat goalie Glen Hanlon and once again scuttled the Rangers' Cup hopes.
Tomas remained an Islander until late in the 1988-89 season when Torrey dealt him to Edmonton for future considerations, Skating for the once hated Oilers, Tomas was as out of place as a lion in an eagle's nest. He knew the time had come to retire from NHL action.
"I'd had my successes in the NHL," he concluded, "and wanted my kids to go to school in Sweden. It was time to make a change and to go home."
"Tommy knew his time in the NHL was over," one reporter commented, "and he eased his way out as easily as he had arrived in The Show."
While he never was a big-letter marquee headliner in the Potvin, Bossy, Trottier galaxy, Jonsson's impact with the Nassaumen was totally a plus. One historian put it this way:
"Tomas was a powerful skater with great first-step acceleration. He relied on his speed and intelligence to excel with the Islanders. He also possessed a great slap shot which was a huge asset to the Islanders power play although he didn't use it nearly enough."
This much is certain; if an Islanders permanent Hall of Fame is created to include aces who played a superior game but have not had their jerseys raised to the UBS ceiling, Tomas Jonsson would be one of the first inductees.
Matter of fact, he'd be the very first on The Maven's list!