Maven's Memories: 9 Memories At Age 90

People often ask me how -- and why -- I keep busy writing at age 90 and my answer is simple: my love of hockey and the Islanders comprise my prime sources of motivation.
To celebrate my 90th birthday, I've chosen nine of my favorite memories derived from covering the hockey club over its half-century of existence.

At game's end, one Bruins fan turned to another and said, "I came here expecting to see a rout." Torrey happened to overhear the remark and told one of his sidekicks, "What did she think that was?"
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2. MY FIRST TV PLAYOFF GAME:

When the Islanders clinched their first playoff berth in March 1975, it was a momentous time for me. Spencer Ross was my play by play partner at the end of the regular season for a network that not even had been named SportsChannel by its creator Charles Dolan. It was a makeshift time for us but terribly exciting since we learned that the opening best-of-three playoff with the Rangers would be televised; and even that was a big deal. As it happened the series opened at Madison Square Garden, but Dolan's outfit was not doing the game; it was to be a Rangers telecast.
The Islanders opening game win meant that Game Two could have been the clincher for the Nassaumen. And we were scheduled to do it. Imagine the thrill for me actually working a telecast for my first ever playoff. It was the most exciting moment in my life -- at that point in time -- despite our guys losing, 8-3. But it turned out to be sweet adversity since -- as virtually everone knows -- Al Arbour's heroes won Game Three on MSG ice with J.P. Parise's OT winner. What's more, I'll never forget the Long Island Press headline accompanying that series-clincher: ISLANDER THEME: FLY ME TO THE MOON.

3. CLARK GILLIES AS CLARK KENT:

Our beloved Jethroe never wanted to be known as a fighter. Neither did comic good hero Clark Kent. But every so often, Action Comics' Kent became Superman and justice triumphed. As it happened, the Isles answer to Clark Kent was left wing Clark Gillies. A young power forward, the Moose Jaw, Saskatchewant product powered the Islanders attack following the upset win over the Rangers and then the never-to-be-forgotten seven-game triumph over Pittsburgh; remember, that came after being down, three games to none.
But the Superman side of Gillies emerged during the third round series against Philadelphia. On the night of May 8th, 1975 the chief toughie of the Broad Street Bullies, Dave (Hammer) Schultz challenged Jethroe. This was Game Five of the series in Philly; a 5-1 victory for the Arbourmen. But the real story was the whipping Clark put on Schultz late in the third period. Unforgettable. "I'd say three good punches landed," Gillies once told me in retrospect. "The first one got him in the nose." It was a TKO which earned a neat headline: WHEN GILLIES HAMMERED SCHULTZ.

4. THE BABY FACED WONDER:

We in the media only had heard about a young prospect named Bryan Trottier before he ever visited Uniondale. There was talk that he had become a Western Canadian wunderkind in Juniors but we'd heard that about a lot of prospects. And when he did show up at training camp for the 1975-76 season, it seemed impossible that the youngster ever could make the team. As one waggish writer suggested after seeing Trots during a scrimmage, "That kid looks like he just got bar mitzvahed!"
Which is exactly how I felt watching Bryan on ice in his very first home game against the Los Angeles Kings. Centering for Clark Gillies on the left and Billy Harris on the other side, Trots scored three goals and two assists. He matched a club record for points in a single game. What I loved most of all was the rookie's post-game quote:
"I love everything about hockey." Well, The Maven loved that debut so much and -- as you can see -- I never forgot it.

5. AN UNFORGETTABLE STUDIO SCENE:

By the 1983 Stanley Cup Final between the defending Champs from Hempstead Turnpike and Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers, SportsChannel was doing all of the Isles tv games. My role included doing a pre-game show as well as between-periods interviews and a post-game wrap up.
As many critics had predicted, the star-studded Oilers would end the Islanders reign; except that it never happened. Our guys won the first two games in Alberta and then took Game Three in Uniondale. Yet, a strange thing happened the next day.
The NHL hosted a luncheon at the Marriott with both teams in attendance. One of the speakers was Oilers coach Glen Sather who gave a stunningly brash talk about how his boys were far from dead and would come back and win the series. It was so believable that I wondered if that actually could happen. After all, Gretzky, Messier, Anderson and the rest of them were a powerful club.
Well, now I'm in the SportsChannel studio during the third period of Game Four. The Isles were nursing a fragile one goal lead. And in the studio with me were two friends from The Hockey News; Tom Murray and Don Wall; both confirmed Rangers fans. And here I am praying for a New York win and those guys are rooting against the Isles -- and me. Frankly, when Ken Morrow potted the open-netter to clinch the fourth Cup, I was one of the most relieved -- and, of course happiest -- guys in the world. We not only had beaten the Oilers but those Blueshirts fans as well.

6. BOBBY NYSTROM'S 900TH AND FINAL GAME:

Over the years one of the standard questions I've been asked simply is: "Who's your all-time favorite Islander?" My answer invariably is, "There have been too many for me to pick just one." But there's no question that Mister Clutch, Bobby Ny, remains right at the very top of my list. Among the many things that impressed me about Bobby was the fact that he became a "People's Choice," a lunch pail athlete whose perseverance and grim determination made him a role model for an endless number of fans.
But on January 5, 1986 -- while still in his prime -- a terrible thing happened to this original Islander. During a normal scrimmage, Bob was accidentally high-sticked by defenseman Gerald Diduck. The injury to Nystrom's eye was a career-ender although, typically, Ny refused to believe he'd never return as a player. As a result, he stayed close to the team, helping coach Al Arbour however he could in what was a challenging adjustment.
What made matters more frustrating was the fact that Ny had played 899 games, needing just one more to round it out to 900. Then, it happened. On April 8, 1986, the right winger was working out in the weight room prior to the final game of the season when Al Arbour entered. "Do you want to go out for your 900th?" the coach asked. "I'd love to," Bob shot back. Sure enough, he went out for the opening faceoff, as the crowd roared its approval. The puck was dropped, Ny stayed out for about five seconds and then skated to the bench. And I got a good case of goose-pimples from that unforettable episode.

7. IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

Tons of newsprint has been consumed recounting what became known as "The Easter Epic," April 18-19, 1987. The four overtime Isles victory was provided by Pat LaFontaine. But apart from earlier stories, I recall three scenes that I doubt I never mentioned as part of that game-of-all-marathon games.
My recollection begins with something Patty told me in the immediate post-game interview. He told of thoughts that came to him before he fired the puck past Washington's Bob Mason. Here's what LaFontaine told me:
"I looked at the clock (it was early Easter morning) and I said to myself, 'Is this really happening?" Then, we fast forward to an hour after the series-clincher. I walked out of the dressing room into the vast arena. A lone figure was sitting; just staring ahead. It was coach Terry Simpson. It was the faraway look on his face that could only be defined by my brain as the winning coach thinking, "Did this really happen?"
And finally, one more fast forward. After our long delayed flight home, I hit the sack early in the Manhattan morning. Then the phone rang. It was Bob Raissman of the Daily News interviewing me about the game. When I finally hung up, I knew I couldn't sleep. So I got on my bike and pedalled along the Hudson River. Over and over, I couldn't help thinking what Patty and Terry had thought: "Did this really happen?" (It took a while until I finally convinced myself that it did.)

8. FAREWELL TO THE CAPTAIN:

I look back at some of my memories as fond but also sad. As the Devils eliminated the Islanders in the 1988 playoffs, I remember Denis Potvin being rammed into the end boards during the sixth and final game. The captain was slow getting back on his skates but, finally, did pull himself together and returned to the action. As my eyes followed the immortal defenseman on his skate back to the bench, I couldn't help but think that this would be the end of Potvin's glorious career.
Long after the game, I reflected on the one Islander I felt closest to and that was this marvelously talented blue liner and how we'd become such good friends. Of all the books I've written, the one I ghosted for Denis -- "Power On Ice" -- was the most fun for me. The Potvin book was the only one I'd ever done -- one on one -- with an Islander. It meant days of interviewing him at home plus the nights when my wife, Shirley and I would do dinner with Potvin and his wife.
And selfishly, I felt sad about his retirement because Denis was one of my favorite tv interviews; always good for insights and the odd chuckles; after a win of course. Happily, Denis and I still remain in touch.

9. YES! YES!! YES!!!

In a sense I could say I've saved the best for last. What could be fonder than memories of all the fans I have gotten to know personally over the years. Nor how could I ever forget the Coliseum's explosive reaction to Nystrom's 1980 goal; the home Cup win over Minnesota and the fans going absolutely nuts when the Cup was hoisted for the fourth time. The fans and those decibel-breaking cheers of The Faithful remain among my priceless possessions in the well-stocked memory bank.
These are a few of my favorite things.
Thank you so much for making my life so much happier through the years.