Maven's Memories: The First Playoff Game

I'm so nervous my teeth are chattering --
J.P. Parise on the eve of the first Islanders-Rangers playoff
We all were nervous -- media, fans, stickboys -- because this was IT.
THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK was about to begin at Madison Square Garden on April 8, 1975.
Some headline-writers called the first round of this 1975 post-season a DAVID (Islanders) VS. GOLIATH (Rangers) collision. Others called it THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK.
But, this much was certain; the upcoming best-of-three series had all the makings of a long-forgotten New York-New York playoff. That happened in 1938 when the New York Americans -- Manhattan's original NHL team -- ousted the Rangers in three games at the old Garden.

Now, 37 years later, the new "Battle Of New York" captured the imagination of hockey fans. A precious few Islanders fans who could get tickets boarded the Long Island Rail Road for Penn Station Most knew -- both then and now -- that some had to change at Jamaica.
With that in mind, Newsday's hockey writer, Tim Moriarty called it "The Change At Jamaica Series."
Coach Al Arbour began his pre-game preparations a night earlier. He herded his players to the East Norwich Inn and began with a post-dinner meeting. The coach ordered his skaters to prepare their notes each with scouting reports on the enemy.
MAVEN'S MEMORIES: ROAD TO THE FIRST PLAYOFF
"One by one," Jean Potvin remembered during the Islanders reunion last winter, "we went over the whole Rangers team. Every guy had something to say and, in the end, it was basically a 'How to beat these guys' kind of session."
Special attention was riveted on specific, high-quality Rangers who ultimately would be Hall of Famers. Denis Potvin focused on Brad Park, an all-star defenseman to whom Potvin now was being compared. Others X-Rayed Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle and goalie Ed Giacomin.
When I ghosted Denis Potvin's autobiography, "Power On Ice," he revealed that the club had a few basic strategies and a keen focus on Giacomin.
"One was to out-hustle and outhit them," Denis explained. "Another was to outflank their 'wandering' goalie Giacomin. Our plan was to dump the puck into the corner and make Giacomin wander after it.
"Then, we'd try to intercept his clearing passes. We knew there was an outside chance that one of our teammates could come around and stuff the puck into the open net."

The blueprint seemed so simple on paper and by word of mouth. As it happened, the strategic chatter continued into the next day as the private Islander bus rolled westward to Manhattan on the Long Island Expressway.
Some player snoozed, other read the papers and still more participated in a Yo-Yo contest won by rookie Clark Gillies.
By this time, the general staff had selected Glenn (Chico) Resch as its starting goaltender over Bill Smith. Chico's seat partner on the bus happened to be Ed Chadwick, a veteran of NHL goaltending who had coached Glenn in the minors at Fort Worth.
Writing in his book, "The Incredible Islanders," Tim Moriarty recalled an amusing conversation between Chico and his mentor as Chadwick tried to calm the nervous Resch.
Chadwick: "Chico, this one tonight is just another playoff game . . . . like playing Tulsa in the minors."
Resch (smirking in nervous disdain): "Yeah, sure, just like playing Tulsa."
Overhearing the conversation, Denis Potvin piped up, "Ratelle, Gilbert, Park -- forget the faces, just play the uniforms."
If any Ranger sensed a cause for concern on the Blueshirts' side, it was Park. When I ghosted Brad's book,"Play The Man," I remember discussing that Islanders-Rangers series while we drove to Park's home in Long Beach.
"The sense I got was that the press guys kept saying the Islanders would merely be content to make the playoffs for the first time," said Park. "That may have had our guys thinking it would be an easy series for us."
Islanders defenseman Gerry Hart, enjoying his first playoff in five NHL seasons, virtually seconded Park's motion but in a different context, "I consider it a pleasure to be here," Hart concluded as he prepared for hostilities.
Once all his teammates had filed into The Garden's visitors dressing room, captain Ed Westfall digested all his mates' nervous comments and called his skating brothers to attention. His message was as clear as cellophane.
"Fear is a natural thing," Number 18 asserted, "but don't let it choke you. The best way to fight it is to go out there and skate your ass off!"
Now it was show time -- and so they would.
MAVEN'S MEMORIES: CORRALLING DENIS POTVIN
As the players lined up for The National Anthem, the sprinkling of Islanders fans who managed to get tickets, couldn't be reassured as Resch talked to himself in the visitors' crease.
At the other end, Chico's rival, Giacomin appeared as cool as a cucumber; and for good reason. This was Resch's first NHL playoff game while Eddie already had played in 63 post-season games over a nine-year career.
But Chico would be the man for the Nassaumen through the first period that ended tied at zero. Even though he was twice beaten in the second period; both goals had a touch of "fluke" to them.
The first deflected off Denis Potvin's skate and changed direction. The second resulted from "live" backboards, with the puck unexpectedly bouncing from on side and out the other before Chico could react.
No matter. Down by two, the Islanders needed a boost. In this situation, Westfall realized it was time for more spirited talk; especially directed at the youngsters such as Bob Nystrom, Clark Gillies and Bob Bourne.
Denis Potvin recalled, "Eddie went around the room boosting all the kids. 'All we need,' he told us, 'is one goal and we'll be okay.'"

The "kids" paid attention and reacted once the third period began; especially Bill Torrey's original draft choice, right wing Billy Harris. As mentioned earlier, coach Arbour had devised a play that would lure Giacomin from his crease.
Denis Potvin: "Billy scored but it was only after Jude (Drouin) and J.P. (Parise) had passed the puck around Giacomin's cage on a power play."
Marvelously, the tying goal resulted from the same general plan with Jean Potvin playing hero. The play began when Billy MacMillan fired the rubber into Giacomin's end. Succumbing to the ploy, the Rangers goalie did his wandering act; but Jean got there first.
"I flipped the puck over Eddie's stick," Jean Potvin explained, "and controlled it behind the net. Then I saw the wide open net and got a little jittery. So, I came around the left post and made absolutely sure."
The score was 2-2 with yet another Islanders hero skating in the wings ready to pot what eventually be the winner. With his power forward moves, Gillies demonstrated the clutch-ability that eventually would catapult him into The Hockey Hall of Fame.
Now late in the third period, with the game on the line, the man they nicknamed "Jethro" corralled the puck and bulldozed toward the Rangers defenders, Ron Greschner and Gilles Marotte.
Arbour's large rookie was both surprised and pleased with what appeared to be an inadvertent Blueshirts Open Door Policy. "Those guys just let me barge through them," Gillies later explained to the press. "Greschner tried to hook me as I went by, but I pulled away from him."
The clang that some say could be heard throughout Long Island, was the sound of rubber making music off the goal post -- and into the net.
Fortified with the 3-2 lead, Resch then had to blunt the Blueshirts bullets and preserve the lead. That he did, but not without a scary moment provided by one of the Rangers scariest shooters.
MAVEN'S MEMORIES: WESTFALL LEADS YOUNG ISLES
Steve Vickers had much in his armory to frighten a goalie. His wrist shot had laser qualities, he led the Rangers in goal scoring -- with 41 -- and, now, with Resch trying to protect a one-goal lead, Vickers broke free on a clean breakaway.
The Goalie vs. Shooter confrontation on a breakaway has been compared to nature's cobra vs. mongoose life-and-death battle.
Knowing his foe, Chico had to decide whether Vickers would try a traditional deke or simply fire away. "I resolved that I would wait him out," Resch asserted, "force him to make the first move. I wasn't gonna let him beat me with a deke."
Vickers: "My deke was not that good but it looked to me that he was playing me for that move. But being that Resch was one of the smaller goalies, I decided to shoot high."
That Steve did, but Chico rose -- both literally and figuratively -- to the occasion.The puck rebounded off the goalie's shoulder and harmlessly flew into the corner.
It was the save of the game; preserving the lead and, unexpectedly, thrusting the Islanders into a one-game series lead. Likewise it gifted the media -- Local and out-of-town -- with a new hero (Resch) and a dream team, the Islanders.
Writing in the Philadelphia Bulletin, reporter Jack Chevalier opined, "The Islanders proved that wet-behind-the-ears is a better condition than egg-on-the-face!"
Yet, as the next two playoff games would prove, The New York Post was prescient in a different way when it described the winners as "The Never Say-Die-Islanders."
What nobody could dispute was that the series was not over; only one game had been played.
Where the series would go from here, geographically, was easy to define; the next destination was Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale for Game Two.
How it would evolve on the ice would be anyone's guess; and a ton of guessing already was taking place.
One conclusion already was evident:; this was one colossal melodrama that would be far from mellow!

LISTS:
SEVEN REASONS WHY THE ISLANDERS SCORED A GAME ONE UPSET AT THE GARDEN
1. RESILIENCY: Down by two goals heading into the third period, the visitors potted three goals and sent the favored Rangers back on their skates. The rebounding quality of Al Arbour's skaters would prove to be a key to their ultimate series victory.
2. FLEXIBLE SCORING:When a relatively unheralded defenseman such as Jean Potvin delivers a game-tying goal in the final period, you know that this team has offensive flexibility. Surrounding "Potsy's" tally were goals by two top draft choices, Billy Harris and Clark Gillies.
3. FEARLESSNESS: Playing in the hostile Garden environment energized the Isles who did a hockey version of Winston Churchill's line: Fear is a reaction and courage is a decision. No amount of MSG noise nor the Rangers themselves could intimidate the Nassaumen.
4. SUPERIOR STRATEGY:Al Arbour's blueprint -- exploit Ed Giacomin's "wandering" style by shooting the puck in his corners -- worked for two out of the three Islanders goals.
5. LEADERSHIP: Ed Westfall once again proved an able captain by calming his young players after the second period when his club was down 0-2.
6. AL ARBOUR: The coach delivered words of advice as well before the third period. "I told them they were a little too tight," Al later revealed. "'Take chances,' is what I said. 'If you work your asses off during your shifts you can win this game.'"
7. GOALTENDING: Over three periods, the less-experienced Resch was the better puck-stopper than Giacomin. Exhibit A was Chico's third period stop on the Vickers' breakaway, preserving the delicate lead while leading to the Game One win.