Hart dies at 75, was member of Islanders expansion team

Gerry Hart, an original member of the New York Islanders when they joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1972, died May 13 at the age of 75.

The undrafted defenseman was chosen by the Islanders in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft after four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and became a crowd favorite at Nassau Coliseum with his physical presence and style. Hart had 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 47 games for the expansion Islanders. He helped New York to its first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in 1974-75 and had NHL career highs of 23 assists, 25 points and a plus-44 rating in 1977-78.

Retired Islanders forward Bobby Nystrom delivered the eulogy at Hart's funeral Friday, one day after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the nonprofit Viscardi Center, a school for children with severe physical disabilities in Albertson, New York, at their 56th annual Celebrity Sports Night. He last saw Hart two days before his passing, which ended a lengthy hospitalization.

"He kind of took me under his wing," Nystrom said. "I met him up in Peterborough (Ontario) for the first training camp and I didn't really know what it was going be like. He kind of talked to me about, you got to impress the guys upstairs, so we got into a fight the next day in practice because he slashed me and gave me an arm paralyzer. Ultimately I ended up meeting him after practice was over and he said, 'That's exactly what you got to do.' I apologized to him, but we became best friends.

"He just had a very good way of meeting people,"

Hart was claimed by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft, before Butch Goring arrived in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on March 10, 1980, and helped the Islanders win the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

Hart is the fourth member of the 1970s Islanders to die since January 2022 (Clark Gillies, Jean Potvin, Mike Bossy).

"I've known Gerry Hart a long time," Goring said. "I played junior hockey against Gerry. Not the biggest guy (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) but had a big heart and a lot of courage. He helped set the foundation for what turned out to be a dynasty. They needed people who are committed to play, and it was tough in those days because the team wasn't great.

"That didn't deter guys like Gerry Hart from playing their (butt) off and playing in the National Hockey League. It was an opportunity and Gerry loved the Island. He spent a lot of a lot of time on the Island, put his business up on the Island. Always a pleasant guy to be around and like so many others that we have lost recently it's a tough day in Islander history."

Hart's two assists in the 1975 NHL Quarterfinals helped the Islanders become the second team in NHL history (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1942 Stanley Cup Final) to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-7 playoff series when they eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins. The run ended with a seven-game loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Semifinals after the Islanders again came back after trailing the series 3-0.

"Everyone thought we were a surprise and called us a Cinderella team," Hart said after a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia in Game 7, "but they forgot what the playoffs are all about. It's a brand-new season, and we gave it the extra effort that it calls for."

Hart was traded to the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12, 1980, and retired eight games into the 1982-83 season at age 33 because of knee and clavicle injuries. He finished with 179 points (29 goals, 150 assists) in 730 regular-season games and 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 78 playoff games.

"I liked Gerry from the very start," Islanders coach Al Arbour once said, "because, in some ways, he reminded me of me when I was playing. He was mostly concerned about taking care of business in his own zone -- and taking [nonsense] from nobody."

After retiring, Hart returned to Long Island and opened The Rinx recreation complex in Hauppauge, New York, in October 1992. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

"Gravity was on Hart's side," general manager Bill Torrey, the architect of the New York dynasty, once said. "He was built like a fireplug and had good balance. It was clear that he loved being an Islander."