Tonelli Thankful in Jersey Retirement Ceremony

John Tonelli joked that he'd be a lot more comfortable digging along the boards than standing at the podium and delivering a speech at center ice of Nassau Coliseum. Such is life for a hockey player who made his mark by putting his head down and imposing himself along the wall.
Tonelli's days in Coliseum corners are long gone, but his nights in the rafters have just begun, as the team retired his number 27 on Friday night.

Serenaded by "JT" chants, a grateful Tonelli delivered an emotional 17-minute speech recounting his hockey career with his wife, two sons and mother joining him at center ice. The current Islanders, all outfitted in white Tonelli jerseys, sat on the bench, while a who's who of Isles alumni, including five of the six previously-retired numbers, joined him. Islanders owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky were also on hand, presenting Tonelli with an all-expenses paid golf vacation, a contribution to a charity of his choice, a plaque, a collage and framed jersey.
On a night dedicated to him, Tonelli used his jersey retirement as a chance to thank his family and teammates for their role in his life, as well as the late Al Arbour and Bill Torrey. He made several mentions of his "extended family," which was his tribute to all the Islanders fans.
"Tonight is about giving thanks to my extended family, each and every one of you here and all of you at home," Tonelli said. " Tonight is about my teammates, some who are standing here with me tonight. You guys are amongst the greatest players who have ever played in the NHL. I feel incredibly honored to have skated alongside each of you and to be a part of the success that we achieved as a team."

Tonelli's Islanders credentials are well-established. He played eight years with the club from 1978-86 and his 544 points are eighth all-time, while his 338 assists are sixth. His most famous assist? That came on Bobby Nystrom's Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 1980 - so it's fitting that he and Nystrom will be next to each other in the Nassau Coliseum rafters.
"It's an individual honor, but I don't have it without my centerman Wayne Merrick, Bob Nystrom, my right winger, and the rest of my teammates," Tonelli said. "I don't have anything without those guys."
Still, Friday night was about Tonelli, a man who waited far too long for his jersey to be raised. While only he and emcee Jiggs McDonald spoke, the lead-up to the event was a chance for his former teammates - and Islanders fans - to show their appreciation.
"He was a Tasmanian Devil on skates," Ken Morrow said in an interview before the event. "There was a relentless intensity to every shift that he played. Bar none he was the best corner man in the game. When he went into the corner there could be three or four opponents in there, but he came out with the puck and a lot of destruction was left behind."
Tweet from @NYIslanders: Tonight we raise 2������7������ to the rafters. #Tonelli27 pic.twitter.com/UiYMBndcgQ
But Tonelli was more than just a bruiser. The Tasmanian Devil was a three-time 30-goal scorer, with a 42-goal, 100-point season on the books in 1984-85. He also recorded 93 points (35G, 58A) in the 1981-82 season.
"He was a lot of fun to watch sitting on the bench, but he was even a better guy to have on my line when Bryan [Trottier] and I played together," Mike Bossy said. "One of my best seasons in the NHL was playing along Brent Sutter and Tonelli [in 1984-85]. One of their best years in the NHL also."
Tonelli had a knack for the clutch. Tonelli set up the dynasty in 1980 and subsequently saved it in 1982, scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals to power a comeback win in the decisive game five against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had a knack for coming up big, even scoring the last-minute, game-winner to give the Islanders their record 15th straight win in 1982.
"For me, a lot of my memories center around what Johnny did, the big moments," Morrow said.
Head Coach Barry Trotz said the Isles' super stars had a third and fourth line mentality, and Morrow confirmed that Tonelli's work ethic set the tone for the rest of the Islanders.
"As a teammate, you felt guilty if you weren't giving that same effort," Morrow said. "There was no way you were going to come close to Johnny, but you felt that you had to get yourself going because there wasn't a shift that he took off in his whole career."

A number retirement is the highest honor an organization can give out and forever immortalizes a player in team lore. Tonelli knows that the current generation may not have seen him play in his heyday, but wants his jersey to evoke memories of a hard-working, determined player. He's the first to acknowledge that he didn't have the natural talents of the Mike Bossy's of the world, but his drive was second-to-none.
"His work ethic was bar none, probably the top of the list with our team," Bossy said. "His fiery play and his unwillingness to give up the puck along the boards. People talked about power forwards now and I think John was one of the premier power forwards back in the day. When I see cycling along the boards now, the first thing I think of is John Tonelli and how recklessly he went into the corners of the ice or recklessly went to the front of the net."
It's perhaps a little poetic that Anders Lee - the last player to wear 27 for the Islanders - shares a lot of the same characteristics as Tonelli.
"Ever since he put on 27, I've been watching him like a hawk, but I am so impressed," Tonelli said. "I'm so honored that he'll continue to wear our number. He's got character, he's a great leader and I want him to wear that and hopefully one day we'll be up there together."
Tonelli and Lee shared a moment during the ceremony, with the elder 27 applauding the current captain, while Lee returned the sentiment.

Tonelli said he hasn't had a bad day since being informed of his jersey retirement by Lou Lamoriello back in December. He said everyone he's ever known has reached out to congratulate him, from friends, to former teammates and respected hockey people.
"Ever since I got the call from Lou, I've been in a different mood. All upbeat, nothing kind of stresses me out," Tonelli said. "It's been a constant excitement and a great feeling."
Bossy said that feeling doesn't go away and whenever he watches an Islander game on TV, visits the Coliseum, Northwell Health Ice Center - where a duplicate group of banners is hung up - and one day Belmont, he gets a good feeling seeing his number. So will Tonelli.
And given some time, the man from the corners should feel nice and comfortable in the rafters, where he belongs.