Islanders Equipment Manager Jim Pickard RIP

New York Islander Fan Central | 2/09/2016 06:45:00 PM |
Former Islanders equipment, Jim Pickard, has passed away.

He was a member of all four Stanley Cup teams, and won the Cup again with Tampa in 2004.

Mr Pickard was an original New York Islander in 1972-73 who first worked with the Oakland Seals where Bill Torrey came from. He was hired here as an assistant to trainer, Nick Caren.

There were many interesting stories of that inaugural season.

Denis Potvin in 2010 tells how Jim Pickard in September 1973 & the Islanders 1st round pick selected the number 5.

Pickard was with the 1980 team when it was honored in 2006, and later with the core of four weekend. 

He was honored by the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers in 2006, and is a member of the Hall of Fame, with Islanders HOF trainer Ron Waske.

Mr Pickard's day with the Stanley Cup as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning had stories of winning the Stanley Cup with the Islanders  & Pat Lafontaine tells story of Pickard telling him he was going to score the winning goal in the 1987 Easter Epic

He also had kind words for the Islanders when they faced Tampa in the 2004 playoffs.

To the best of my research his final year as an assistant trainer was with Tampa in 2006-07.