1987 Conference Finals vs. Flyers

Lore & Background

The team was founded in 1972 as part of the NHL's maneuvers to keep a team from rival league World Hockey Association (WHA) out of the newly built Nassau Coliseum in suburban Uniondale, New York. After two years of building up the team's roster, they found almost instant success by securing 14 straight playoff berths starting with their third season. The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1980 and 1983, the eighth of nine dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history. Their 19 consecutive playoff series wins between 1980 and 1984 is a feat that remains unparalleled in the history of professional sports. They are the last team in any major professional North American sport to win four consecutive championships, and to date the last NHL team to achieve a three-peat.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Nassau Coliseum was thick with tension and cigarette smoke, a familiar haze for any playoff night in the eighties. The Flyers had just taken Game One, sending shockwaves through the crowd that felt like a cold wind off Long Island Sound. In the locker room, Mike Bossy laced his skates slowly, the silence broken only by the rhythmic clink of metal on ice. He looked at Denis Potvin, who was taping his stick with the same methodical precision he had used for over a decade. 'They think they can break us,' Potvin said quietly, not looking up. 'Let them try.' The next night, under the bright arena lights, the Islanders didn't just play; they dominated, turning the tide with a defensive wall that seemed impenetrable.

Reader's Guide

Following the team's dynasty era, the franchise ran into problems with money, ownership and management, an aging arena, and low attendance. Their woes were reflected on the ice, as the team has not won a division title since 1987–88, and went 22 seasons without winning a playoff series prior to the 2016 playoffs. After years of failed attempts to rebuild or replace Nassau Coliseum in suburban Long Island, the Islanders relocated to Barclays Center in Brooklyn following the 2014–15 season. In the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, the Islanders split their home games between Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders played all their home games in the 2020–21 season at Nassau Coliseum. Their new arena near Belmont Park was opened in 2021.

Did You Know?

• Ten former members of the Islanders have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, seven of whom—Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier, coach Al Arbour, and general manager Bill Torrey—we
• The Islanders' first win came on October 12, 1972, in a 3–2 game against the Los Angeles Kings.
• Billy Smith retired as the all-time leader in playoff wins with 88.