Islanders Legends on Beating Gretzky's Oilers & 4 Championships
Captain Dennis Potvin, left wing John Tonelli, and defenseman Ken Morrow continue their celebration of the Islanders dynasty with Part 2. From the exhaustion of overtime to the relief of Bobby Nystrom's famous goal, the legends share what happened after May 24, 1980. Hear stories about defending four straight championships, the brutal 1982 Pittsburgh comeback, dominating Gretzky's young Oilers with defensive strategy, Billy Smith's battling mentality, the controversial 2-3-2 format that ended the dynasty in 1984, and why 19 consecutive playoff series wins will never be matched.IN THIS EPISODE:[00:00] - Overtime exhaustion: fear as the greatest motivator, never doubting the heart of champions against Philadelphia's 35-game unbeaten streak.[01:00] - Ken Morrow's head between his knees: missing Bobby Nystrom's winning goal because of complete physical exhaustion.[02:00] - Afternoon game disruption: how the unusual 3pm start on CBS threw off routines and added to the difficulty.[03:00] - John Tonelli's celebration: nobody jumped and celebrated like JT in those days, the famous jumping moment.[04:00] - Dennis Potvin's flashbulb memory: tasting the lead from old-fashioned camera flashes exploding throughout Nassau Coliseum.[05:00] - Fans storming the ice: security couldn't hold back the celebration, Bobby Trottier never touching the Cup on ice.[06:00] - The moment it sinks in: "Holy fuck, we've won the Stanley Cup" - processing what none of them had ever done before.[07:00] - Relief before joy: Ken Morrow's first feeling was relief from not having to practice or play another shift.[08:00] - John Tonelli's exhaustion: slow-motion pass to Nystrom, going home to bed after 20 minutes at Bill Torrey's party.[09:00] - Dennis Potvin's Jean Beliveau moment: thinking of his childhood hero raising the Cup, then giving it to Clark Gillies first.[11:00] - Defending champions 1980-81: best record at 110 points, sweeping Toronto, beating young Oilers in six, Rangers in six, Minnesota in five.[12:00] - Butch Goring wins Conn Smythe: the catalyst from March 1980 carrying through, Neil Smith joins the organization.[13:00] - Barry Beck's famous quote: "They know what we're gonna do before we do it" - Islander scouting and preparation.[14:00] - Bill Torrey's genius: surrounding himself with great people, letting them do their jobs, the hallmark of championship organizations.[15:00] - The Putsy Tonelli trade: Bill sending John's brother away, then bringing him back to win two Cups together.[16:00] - Putsy's locker room presence: nobody better than John's brother for team morale and support, the intangibles that matter.[17:00] - 1982 Pittsburgh collapse: up 2-0 in series, 3-1 late in game five, owner tells Penguins fans not to come.[18:00] - The Al Arbor warmup trick: pulling Billy Smith on power play to buy time, rule changed after this game.[19:00] - John Tonelli's quick release tying goal: puck jumping over Randy Carlyle's stick, Michel Dion standing on his head.[20:00] - Tonelli's overtime winner: reaction shot that caught everyone off guard, vintage Bossy-style release.[21:00] - Ken Morrow's desperation slide: taking away the 2-on-1 pass, Mike Bullard hitting the post instead of scoring.[22:00] - Mike Bossy's parallel-to-ice goal: flying horizontal while backhanding the puck, greatest goal Kenny ever saw.[24:00] - 1984 Finals vs. Cocky Oilers: Gretzky, Messier, Coffey, Kurri getting all the headlines as the new machine.[25:00] - Billy Smith's Game 1 masterpiece: 35-save shutout, greatest goaltending performance in NHL history according to Morrow.[26:00] - Raising the level: Islanders' ability to meet any challenge and play just a bit better, matching Edmonton's intensity.[27:00] - The Gretzky strategy: taking away his options, not attacking him but eliminating passing lanes to Coffey and others.[28:00] - Dennis Potvin's assignment: rushing Gretzky to make early passes, forwards tracking back to eliminate targets.[30:00] - Game 4 clincher: 4-2 victory, Ken McKenney empty-netter with 1:09 left, Billy Smith wins Conn Smythe.[31:00] - The lesson Edmonton learned: walking past the Islander locker room, seeing exhausted champions with ice packs instead of celebration.[33:00] - 1984 controversial 2-3-2 format: Dennis Potvin still believes the fifth Cup was stolen with unfair format.[36:00] - Travel excuse hypocrisy: played Vancouver in finals before with no issue, why suddenly too far to Edmonton?[37:00] - Game 5 at home belief: confident they would've won with Nassau crowd, momentum shift that never happened.[38:00] - Injuries and age catching up: older team, key injuries, but still no excuses for a great Edmonton team.[39:00] - Billy Smith's suitcases story: whether or not Battlin' Billy brought luggage to rink expecting to go home.[40:00] - Playing in front of Billy: stick guys with his stick, push and shove, part goalie part defenseman.[41:00] - The Lanny McDonald fight: Billy pushing Bob Bourne away to fight McDonald himself, refusing protection.[42:00] - Billy's taped stick weapon: keeping the knob extended to jab guys skating by, rule changed after his career.[43:00] - Public Enemy #1 in Edmonton: newspaper front page with Billy's photo full of bullet holes after slashing Gretzky.[44:00] - Game 5 final push: down 4-0 after two, Pat LaFontaine's two goals, Dave Lumley's empty-netter ending the dynasty.[45:00] - Ken Morrow's devastating loss: never having lost before from Olympics through four Cups, learning how opponents felt.[46:00] - Kenny's book: "A Grateful American" about winning at every level, the preface written by Dennis Potvin.[47:00] - It all felt normal: winning games, winning series, winning Cups - just what they did, period.[48:00] - The group hug moment: Potvin, Tonelli, Nystrom, and Morrow after 1983 clinching goal, "I love you guys" over and over.[49:00] - Growing appreciation over time: not fully understanding the accomplishment until many years later through the lens of age.[50:00] - 19 consecutive playoff series wins: the record that will never be touched, accomplished against great competition.[51:00] - John Tonelli's training camp fear: looking at Potvin and Nystrom thinking "How the hell am I gonna make this team?"[52:00] - Calgary's 1986 run: Tonelli getting past Edmonton with Steve Smith's famous own-goal, losing to experienced Montreal.[54:00] - The Montreal Forum lesson: Calgary learning they needed more than talent, needing grit to win two years later.[55:00] - Comparing Olympic gold to Stanley Cup: Ken Morrow loving both equally, different meanings, thanking the hockey gods.[57:00] - Playing with Gordy Howe at 18: John Tonelli's "Tonto" nickname, Gordy rubbing his sweaty head into JT's jersey.[59:00] - Dennis Potvin's greatest pride: being captain of a Stanley Cup team, sharing victories as true champions.[01:01:00] - The dynasty's lasting impact: an honor for all hockey fans and historians to hear these stories 45 years later.X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparoundNeil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeilVic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/#NHLWraparound #NYIslanders #NewYorkIslanders #DennisPotvin #JohnTonelli #KenMorrow #BobbyNystrom #StanleyCup #IslandersDynasty #BillySmith #MikeBossy #BrianTrottier #ButchGoring #ClarkGillies #AlArbor #BillTorrey #EdmontonOilers #WayneGretzky #MarkMessier #PaulCoffey #JariKurri #PhiladelphiaFlyers #PittsburghPenguins #CalgaryFlames #MontrealCanadiens #MichelDion #RandyCarlyle #PatLaFontaine #DaveLumley #GlenSather #KevinMcClelland #GlennAnderson #GrantFuhr #SteveSmith #GordyHowe #MarkHowe #MartyHowe #ConnSmythe #NassauColiseum #1980sHockey #HockeyLegends #19StraightSeries #NHLHistory #HockeyDynasty #AGratefulAmerican #PlayoffRecords
