Trottier sees similarities between current Penguins and 1982 Islanders

As the Penguins continue their historic pursuit of a third straight Stanley Cup, an integral member of the last team to accomplish that feat recalled that "'Lady Luck' smiled on us a few times with some lucky bounces."

That's true. And for Bryan Trottier's 1982 New York Islanders, several of those fortunate breaks came against the Penguins.
The Islanders, two-time time defending champs, opened their best-of-five first-round series vs. the Penguins with blowout victories of 8-1 and 7-2. But the Penguins won the next two games, 2-1 in overtime and 5-2, setting up a decisive Game 5 at Long Island's Nassau Coliseum.
The Penguins finished the regular season with 43 less points than the Islanders. That mattered little for over 54 minutes as the Penguins led, 3-1.
But the Islanders' Mike McEwen scored at 14:38 of the third period to cut the Penguins' advantage in half.
Then one of those "lucky bounces" occurred.
The Islanders dumped the puck in. The puck caromed off the boards, took an odd hop over the stick of Pens' defenseman Randy Carlyle and went to the Islanders' John Tonelli, who tied the game 3-3 at the 17:39 mark.
The Penguins' Mike Bullard hit the post in overtime. Tonelli got the game-winner after 6:19 of extra play.
Upset averted.
The Islanders went on to win a third straight Stanley Cup. They swept the semifinal against Quebec and the final vs. Vancouver. The Islanders won their last nine playoff games that year.
In 1983, the Islanders won a fourth straight Cup. They are one of three teams to win the Stanley Cup four times in a row. Before the Islanders lost to Edmonton in the 1984 final, they had won 19 consecutive playoff series.
"The four Cups in New York were very special for a whole bunch of reasons," said Trottier, who also won Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and '92. "There's good luck and good fortune that has to happen. You have to take advantage of it, obviously.
"There's the puck that hopped over Randy Carlyle's stick in Game 5, and Mike Bullard hit the post in overtime.
"Al Arbour, our coach in New York, used to say, 'The roof could cave in. We've just got to concentrate and maintain our focus.' Composure, poise, play our game - all those are things you have to do."
How did the Islanders handle the grind - the myriad physical and mental demands - and keep winning series?
"There was a pride factor," Trottier said. "Al Arbour always found a way to challenge us. It was a unique blend of talent, a Hall-of-Fame core group of players. Everyone grabbed hold of the rope, and we had a belief factor."
The Islanders paced themselves through the regular seasons.
"It was kind of like we found cruise control," Trottier said. "We played well. We played with consistency. Then we found a way to ramp it up in the first round of the playoffs, the second round, the third round, the fourth round.
"It's a marathon at times, but you do have to sprint at times. Experience teaches you that."
Trottier sees parallels between those Islanders and the current Penguins.
"This team has some great experience," said Trottier, who still resides in Pittsburgh and is involved with the Penguins' alumni association. "Veteran leadership. Obviously some Hall-of-Fame core players, and a group of hungry, gritty, speedy hockey players who all want to grab hold of that rope."
Trottier, a center, was one of many big-game standouts for the Islanders. He knows what it's like to perform under pressure.
"The very best players - like Sidney Crosby right now, Mario [Lemieux] in his era, [Jaromir] Jagr - they show up for those big games," Trottier said. "Everybody gets shut down here and there. But they always find a way to rebound, or pull through, and eventually come up with the big play to inspire their team and turn the tide the other way.
"Sid has a wonderful gift to maintain his composure and not get rattled. You like the emotion he shows, too. I think he fires his team up, and that's why he's wearing the 'C' [for captain]."
Trottier's Islanders made history with four straight Stanley Cups.
Their closest call was in 1982 against the Penguins.
"It sent a message that anything could happen," said Trottier, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. "That Pittsburgh team in 1982 was well-coached by Eddie Johnston, and it was a scrappy group."
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays at WXDX-FM (105.9).