NYI: Johnny Boychuk’s leadership changed course of franchise

Today is a somber day for New York Islanders fans after news broke this morning that veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk would no longer be playing the sport he loved.

This offseason’s main story for the New York Islanders was how the team could rid themselves of big-money contracts to sign RFA Mathew Barzal, with Johnny Boychuk‘s name cropping up in those discussions.

While Boychuk, who is owed $12 million over the next two seasons, was potentially on the move, those conversations have now evaporated.

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The franchise announced this morning that due to the severity of the eye injury he suffered at the end of the regular season, he would no longer be able to play in the NHL.

It was a tough blow for the organization, the fan base, but, more importantly, the player.

For Johnny Boychuk, coming to the New York Islanders back in 2014 symbolized change for the first time in a long time. This Islander team had no direction. No path to success. Alongside Nick Leddy, who was acquired the same day from the Chicago Blackhawks, this team finally had pieces that knew what it took to win at the NHL level.

He spoke about being traded to the Islanders and what it means to him to have worn the sweater in this clip below:

Even in the saddest of moments, Boychuk is trying to crack jokes. A guy who always tried to keep things as positive as possible.

A Stanley Cup winner back in 2011 with the Boston Bruins, Boychuk showcased what sacrifice looks like to achieve greatness. Every single game, Boychuk was putting his body on the line to block shots and protect his netminders. He never shied away from the biggest moments, a true warrior on the ice but an even better role model off the ice.

This year especially, his leadership was tested. While it was evident that age was getting to the 36-year old, it did not stop him from doing his best to teach the younger players on this team all he knew, particularly rookie Noah Dobson.

After he made the team out of Training Camp, Boychuk immediately acted like a father figure to the teenager. He would chauffeur him around town until he was able to get his own car. And when Adam Pelech went down with what should have been a season-ending Achilles injury, Dobson was paired up with his mentor and, with time, we saw the now 20-year old improve under Boychuk’s tutelage.

Now Dobson will be looking to become a staple in the lineup, filling the spot his mentor leaves behind.

In his six years with the Islanders, Boychuk racked up 35 goals and 94 assists in 404 regular season games. His career numbers sit at 206 points (54 G, 152 A) in 725 career regular season games over his 13-years in the NHL.

In those six years, the Islanders made the Stanley Cup Playoffs four times. While he did not play a focal role on the ice in the team falling two wins shy of the Stanley Cup Finals this past year, you know he was helping every way he could off the ice, whether it was giving pep talks to guys struggling or giving his insight. But, regardless, he knew how to keep the guys positive at all times; again, that is just who Boychuk is.

In those six years, we have seen the Islanders become a strong, structured defensive group as young players like Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, and Ryan Pulock have all become crucial assets to this team. Young players that had someone like Boychuk to turn to when they needed advice and insight into improving their game.

I will never forget the day Boychuk was injured. On March 3rd against the Montreal Canadiens, he would take a skate blade to the eye, going down immediately. A panic set in, as anytime something happens towards the eye, your mind automatically thinks the worse. Fortunately for Boychuk, the blade cut him across the eyelid, with the doctors having to use 90 stitches to close the wound.

As expected, he would be out for quite some time. While he was not having the greatest of years, this was not a guy the team could afford to lose.

When the regular season came to a halt, with the league seemingly planning on heading right into Playoff hockey, there was hope that Boychuk could be back in the lineup with months to heal.

When it was announced that he was healthy and would be back in there once the postseason began, the fanbase, as well as the team, were ecstatic. In unique times like this, having a veteran presence to help guide a team looking to take that next step is immeasurable. It did not matter what the stats said. Boychuk in the lineup gave this group a boost of confidence.

Unfortunately, Boychuk would take a gruesome-looking hit in Game 1 of the Qualifying Rounds, forcing him to be removed from the lineup, a lineup he never got back into for the remainder of the postseason run.

During Boychuk’s press conference today, he let everyone know that his eye injury played a role in that brutal hit he took.

Since the news was released, past and present teammates have been sharing words on social media about Boychuk. Here are a few of them:

After speaking to some of my sources, they said that sitting through the press conference was tough. Boychuk was very emotional about the decision he was making, but at the end of the day, he said it was not a decision, it was “a life choice.”

One of the toughest things to do as an athlete is to decide when it is time to stop playing the sport you love. When that decision is out of your control, that is even worse.

To Mr. Boychuk, myself, along with the Islander fanbase, wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors. A class act through and through and someone I believe deserves to be in the Islanders’ Hall of Fame, as his play and his leadership signify what it means to be a New York Islander.