New York Islanders: Remembering their fourth straight Stanley Cup win

On this day in 1983, the New York Islanders made history by becoming the second team in NHL history to win four straight Stanley Cups.

Everybody knows the great hockey dynasties. There’s the Chicago Blackhawks of the 2010s. The Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s. The Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s. The Detroit Red Wings of the 1990s and 2000s. However, there’s one dynasty that doesn’t get talked about much – the 1980s New York Islanders.

Ironically, the Islanders did something only one of those dynasties I listed earlier did. They won four straight Stanley Cups. From 1980 to 1983, the Islanders did not so much as lose a single series in the Stanley cup Playoffs. Only the Canadiens from 1975 to 1979 have pulled that off in the modern era (post-1967). Furthermore, the Islanders didn’t have a single seven-game series during their four Stanley Cup runs. Their longest series was six games.

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The Islanders dynasty is often overlooked because of the Edmonton Oilers, who followed them by winning four of the next five Stanley Cups and five of the next seven, and the Canadiens, who preceded them. However, their mark on history is undeniable, even if their dynasty happened during a time in which dynasties were remarkably common.

Had it not been for the Islanders dynasty, the Oilers might not have had one either. Or at the very least, they wouldn’t have been as great. Wayne Gretzky admitted playing against the Islanders taught him and his team how to win. The Oilers clearly learned their lessons from 1983, as the students took the Stanley Cup from the teachers in 1984.

The Islanders dynasty was led by several Hall of Famers. Of course, there’s Denis Potvin, one of the greatest defensemen who ever lived. He’s also one of the more underrated ones. Did you know he ranks second among all defensemen in the modern era who played at least 700 games in career points per game during the regular season (0.99)? Only Paul Coffey (1.09) can boast a better rate than him.

Potvin slips to sixth overall in playoff points per game (min. 50 games played), but that’s still pretty darn impressive. He won three Norris Trophies and had three additional finishes in the top three.

The Islanders will always have one of the NHL’s greatest dynasties. Even if, sadly, no one really talks about them.

When you think of the New York Islanders, Mike Bossy is probably the first name that comes to your mind. He’s one of the greatest goal scorers of all-time. One has to wonder how many more goals he would have scored had his career not been ended prematurely thanks to injuries. Despite battling injuries, Bossy averaged 0.76 goals per game during his career, which is a modern era record.

There’s usually a common element when you look at NHL dynasties. Almost all of them had a great goalie. Or at least a good one. The Islanders had the former with Billy Smith, who won the Conn Smythe in 1983. He also won a Vezina Trophy in 1981-82 and a William B. Jennings Trophy in 1982-83.

Next, let’s not forget about Clark Gillies. He was the Robin to Bossy’s and Trottier’s Batman. And not the mediocre Chris O’Donnell Robin, either. He was a darn good one. Wait, has there ever been a good Robin? Anyway, it took him a while to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but in 2002, the two-time first-team All-Star forward finally got enshrined in Toronto.

Finally, behind every dynasty is a great coach. The Islanders had one of the greatest ones in Al Arbour. He’s one of the winningest coaches in NHL history and helped the Isles win four straight Stanley Cups. That’s a feat that hasn’t been duplicated since the Islanders pulled it off. No team has even won three straight Stanley Cups since then, let alone four.

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The Islanders haven’t replicated their success in recent years. They haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1983. Meanwhile, their two biggest rivals, the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, have each lifted the Stanley Cup at least once. The Islanders will always have one of the NHL’s greatest dynasties. Even if, sadly, no one really talks about them. But as they say, banners fly forever. And the Islanders have four banners flying.

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