New York Islanders is a professional hockey club that plays in the National Hockey League. As the name suggests, he represents the Capital Division. This team is a four-time winner of the Stanley Cup. But I would like to tell about steel interesting moments in more detail.
The beginning of the story
New York Islanders was founded in 1970. Roy Boe, the businessman and man who owns the New Jersey Nets Basketball Club, became its creator. He managed to collect $ 6 million, which went to the entry fee to the NHL. In addition, with the help of the same 19 investors, he raised four million. They left for a territorial payment to a fund called the New York Rangers.
The first game, “New York Islanders” held in 1972, October 7. Then they lost at home with a score of 2: 3. Ed Westfall sent the first goal in the history of the team into the opponents' goal. And the first victory was achieved five days later in the city of Los Angeles. The score was 3: 2. The club managed to score only 30 points in its debut season, but this also gave them the right to participate in the draft subsequent, 1973. There they took a defender named Denis Potven. Before the start of the next season, the club adopted a new coach - Al Arbor.
Further development of the club
The team began to achieve success. For the first time in the playoffs, “New York Islanders” hit the 1974/75 season. They won the first match, and the rival was the neighboring New York Rangers. But the subsequent lost with a sad score of 3: 8. However, that season they managed to get to the semifinals, however there they lost to the reigning champions.
In the following seasons, the team showed good success. Players regularly scored over a hundred points. And finally, in 1980, the New York Islanders hockey club achieved its first victory in the Stanley Cup. And the three years following this season became truly “golden” for them. First they went to the finals of Minnesota, then Vancouver, and then Edmonton. Only in 1984, the series of victories was interrupted - the team lost to the Oilers, and the fifth Stanley Cup could not be won.
After that, the club did not show much success in the playoffs. Moreover, Billy Smith and Denis Potven ended their careers, which is why the players completely failed the 1988/89 season. Then they did not get into the playoffs - for the first time since 1974. Then, in the 90s, the club fell to the middle, and then joined the outsiders. Only the 1992/93 season became bright - then the team managed to score 87 points. But then the real mess between the coaches and the owners began. Only in the 2000s, gaps began to appear.
Last years
What happened in the last 16 years with the New York Islanders team? Hockey club "New York" has undergone many changes. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the leadership has acquired several good players, and the team began to confidently go through the championships, regularly getting into the playoffs. The decline happened in 2007/08 - then the club took 26th place out of 29 according to the results of the Championship. The next season became even worse. Then they took 29th place, becoming the worst team in the NHL. For the next three years, they steadily held this sad position. Success was achieved only in 2012/13 - then they got into the playoffs, but lost to Pittsburgh.
In general, while the New York team is going through hard times. Sometimes some successes and achievements are noticeable, but at the moment it remains only to hope that sooner or later the club will regain the status of one of the best American hockey teams.