Greatest team ever for all the right reasons

New York Islander Fan Central | 3/02/2008 06:34:00 AM |



















I know for a lot of folks here never did get to see these incredible Islander teams but beyond all the Stanley Cups and the numbers that made them special and unique like no other team in the history of professional sports was the character of the people that were so dedicated to being a team first and anything else second.

It was never about the individual and that started with the example set at the top.

That's what made Bill Torrey and Al Arbour unique like no other management team in the history of professional sports. That's how they carried themselves and what they passed on to the players. This group simply let nothing get in the way of doing what it took to win and had the character to raise their game with the pressure.

A lot of folks used to write or say those Islander teams could beat you any way they wanted to and that was the truth, but in the end these teams simply were a closer group with no ego that was never about the individual and that helped them play any kind of game they had to. To me it was the secret of their success.

They don't make teams in pro sports like this any longer, any further proof you need is the fact no team has matched their accomplishments. I do not see another club ever winning nineteen straight playoff series or four championships in a row.

The New York Islanders won for all the right reasons, it was all about being a team.