That Time the Islanders Recorded a Holiday Album

The dynasty New York Islanders teams of the early 80s are well-known for their skill on ice.

But their singing abilities, on display on their 1979 holiday album, Home for the Holidays, are not as well heralded.

Former Islanders anthem singer Joe Duerr spearheaded the holiday album project and provided the lead vocals. The idea originally came from conversations between Duerr and Clark Gillies, and eventually caught on among other players over the summer who were excited to be a part of it.

"There was a bar that we went to, and the owner of that bar threw a little Christmas party in August," Duerr said. "In the background of the album, you'll hear conversations like there are a lot of people in a room, and that's where it came from. We wanted to have some type of a conversation of people in the background like it was a Christmas party."

The team recorded the album at a local studio on Long Island, and Duerr said they treated the recording sessions like a party. The athletes drank a few beers during recording and the music directors kept the atmosphere lively.

"When it was brought up to the players, there weren't any players that didn't want to do it," Duerr said. "Everybody that was in town, which was a large majority of the of the team, was very willing. I'd say it was like a game. It was something that nobody had done before, and they wanted to get involved."

One notable absence from the album was Bryan Trottier, who despite being a guitar player and amateur singer was unable to provide vocals for the album, much to his chagrin.

"I was sick when they recorded it," Trottier said. "I had bronchitis for about 10 days. I didn't miss any games, but I could barely talk, so I didn't get a chance to sing on the album even though my name is on there.

"I don't want people to get the wrong idea because I, like everybody else, was pretty excited to be able to sing on a Christmas album and be a part of that," Trottier added.

For Duerr, the opportunity to record the album with the team was exciting because he had been a fan of the Islanders. Working on the album and getting to know the athletes personally made it an especially fun experience.

While most of the team participated in the album recording, their singing abilities varied.

"John Tonelli was an Elvis Presley imitator," Duerr said. "He had a bit of style to his voice. Billy Smith couldn't carry a note, but he was there participating, making noise in the background."

In an interview on Talkin' Isles, Tonelli insisted he was just a part of the chorus and that the boisterous and outgoing Gillies was really soaking up the moment. Former captain turned broadcaster Ed Westfall just laughed when he was asked about the Christmas album.

"You're not supposed to remember the Christmas album!" he joked. "I don't ever want to listen to it, but we did it and it was fun... Most of us knew a lot of the words and we did a little rehearsing, but it didn't show. That was a unique time."

The album took about three months to complete from when Duerr and Gillies came up with the idea to when the album was ready to release.

The studio they worked with picked the songs, but All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth was a must as hockey players. They recorded a total of 10 holiday tracks and released Home for the Holidays at Christmas 1979 - and went on to win the Stanley Cup that year. It's a shame they didn't record a follow-up album - the Stanley Cup Shuffle would have been a hit.