Maven's Memories: Past Heroes Relive Their Stanley Cup Thrills

It seems like only yesterday but it was 40 or more years ago.

That's when the Islanders' Four-Cup dynasty was built and, to this day, many of our bygone heroes still can vividly recall those exquisite and glorious moments. 

For accuracy purposes in writing this memory piece, I relied on two historic volumes, one by Long Island author Greg Prato and the other by Minnesotan Ross Bernstein.

Bernstein's history, "Raising Stanley," has several contributions by Isles Hall of Famers. Prato's publication, "Dynasty" is as the title indicates -- oral history covering the four triumphant years.

Purely out of curiosity, I wondered which Islander name would first pop up in "Raising Stanley." Frankly, I was not surprised when it was CLARK GILLIES.

The Maven had known "Jethroe" since he was a rookie. There was no better story-teller than our left wing Hall of Famer.

Author Bernstein had asked Clark precisely what winning the Stanley Cup meant to him. Waxing lyrical, Gillies swung into the mood.

"The Stanley Cup is the holy grail. It's why we play the game. It's the ultimate accomplishment in hockey. For better or worse, once you make it to 'The Show' your career is ultimately judged by whether or not you were able to win it."

I had spent a lot of time -- off camera -- with Gillies. One summer my employer during the dynasty years, SportsChannel, asked me to do a summer feature on Clark at his Dix Hills home.

What a treat that was because my old pal from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewn was in a rare story-telling mood. Better still when we concluded the interview at the edge of the Gillies' swimming pool, he did not toss me into the water.

"I liked your suit too much to do that," Jethroe chuckled. "But I must admit that I gave it serious thought."

After reading Clark's "Holy Grail" comment regarding the Stanley Cup's "meaning," I wondered who'd come up next in Bernstein's book. If you guessed that it was Butch Goring, you would be right.

"As a kid growing up in Canada, this (winning the Cup) was it," Goring said. "This was what we all dreamed about as young boys. It was the light at the end of the tunnel because all of that hard work finally paid off. To win it was a wonderful feeling of accomplishment."

Of all the Islanders, Goring was the one who delivered the best hockey insights to me. (And still does, I might add).

That was because we lived not far from each other on Manhattan's Upper West Side and we'd often drive to the Coliseum together for our afternoon production meetings.

For The Maven it always was a precious learning experience because -- by that time -- Goring was into broadcasting after being a player, a coach and general manager. My hockey learning curve soared to new heights on those excursions to Uniondale.

But there were other favorites including underrated Dave Langevin.

I vividly recall that day in 1979 when Bill Torrey reclaimed a defenseman named Langevin off Edmonton in the Draft. Quite frankly, I knew zilch about the guy called "Bammer" but he would play a huge part in solidifying the Dynasty.

Here's what winning the Cups meant to him. Take it away, Dave:

"It made everything I previously had gone through worth it. All the injuries, the training, the time away from home and all the other sacrifices through the years. As for the first Cup win; it was physically and mentally exhausting. I was drained because every team we had to beat was big and physical. I lost ten pounds just due to fatigue.

"When Bobby Ny scored the Cup-winner against Philly, I don't know what I was more happy about, winning The Cup or just knowing that I wasn't going to have to play anymore. I was totally spent."

Ken Morrow is completing a book about his Islanders career. Like so many champions, he harks back to his hockey youth and how long-forgotten coaches and friends -- not to mention family -- were responsible for his growth on ice.

"When we won the first Cup," said the native of Flint, Michigan, "the first thing I thought of were all the people who helped me along the way because I couldn't have reached that point by myself. Going through four rounds and then holding up the prize is a case of survival of the fittest. Winning The Stanley Cup is the hardest championship to win in any sport."

No question, the man who scored the first Cup-winning goal had to be heard from. When I discussed it with Bob Nystrom, he harked back to his youth in Western Canada and the influence of television.

"Seeing those guys play for the Cup," Ny remembered, "that it made a huge impression on me. I knew that that's what I wanted to do. Then to be on the team that won four Cups in a row, what more can I say? We had so many great players on those teams and I feel blessed to have been a part of it."

Unlike the others, Glenn (Chico) Resch only played for the 1980 Cup-winners and then was traded to Colorado. In a sense, his recollection is somewhat different but also -- when it came to the "dream-come-true" aspect -- the quality and quantity of joy was the same.

"As a young boy growing up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, playing on a Cup-winner was a goal I had set for myself," Resch said. "And when we won it in 1980 my feeling was surreal, unbelievable -- an emotional explosion for me and for all of us. It was such a cherished moment that none of us wanted to go to bed that night because we wanted that moment to last forever!"

Bryan Trottier emerged as one of the most valuable players of the four-Cup era of utter domination. Like he has teammates, Trots had suffered through playoff defeats -- against Toronto in 1978 and the Rangers a year later. That helps explain Bryan's capsule reaction:

"I feel that we were validated. That we had earned it! When I won rookie of the year, I was asked to pose with The Cup and refused. I said, 'Hell, no' because I knew that I shouldn't dare touch it until I earned the right to do so. Four years later I earned it!"