October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
1979-1980 New York Islanders: For Long Island
Long Island wasn’t a hot spot for professional sports in the 20th century, at least not until a certain NHL franchise showed up and called the Nassau Coliseum home. The New York area had already seen the success of the New York Rangers, and the World Hockey Association tried to place a team there as well. However, after three separate attempts, the WHA’s bid to claim New York failed.
The New York Islanders became a success after they entered the NHL as an expansion team in 1972. By the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s, the Islanders had become a force to be reckoned with on the ice, and the 1979-1980 New York Islanders would prove it.
In the 1979-1980 regular season, the Islanders went 39-28-13 with 91 points, finishing second in the Patrick Division, 25 points behind the Philadelphia Flyers. In head-to-head play, the Islanders went 2-2 against the Flyers.
Head-to-head play against the rest of the league was pretty much a breeze for the Islanders. They went 4-0 against the Quebec Nordiques; 3-0-1 against the Montreal Canadiens; 3-1 against the Atlanta Flames, Colorado Rockies, Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs; 2-0-2 against the Winnipeg Jets; 2-1-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings; and 2-2 against the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. Nassau Coliseum was a good home for the Islanders, as they went 26-9-1 there while going only 13-18-8 on the road.
Right winger Mike Bossy had 51 goals and 41 assists for 92 points, with 16 power play goals, 15 power play assists and 8 game-winning goals on 244 shots. Center Bryan Trottier had 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points, with 15 power play goals, 15 power play assists and 6 game-winning goals on 186 shots. Right winger Anders Kallur had 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points, with 5 power play goals, 8 power play assists and 4 short-handed goals on 138 shots. Right winger Bob Nystrom had 21 goals and 18 assists, with 4 game-winning goals on 146 shots.
Left winger Clark Gillies had 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points, with 7 power play goals, 12 power play assists and 5 game-winning goals on 175 shots. Center Bob Bourne had 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points, with 8 power play assists on 155 shots. Right winger Billy Harris had 15 goals and 15 assists, with 3 power play assists on 91 shots. Left winger John Tonelli had 14 goals and 30 assists for 44 points on 103 shots. Center Wayne Merrick had 13 goals and 22 assists on 111 shots. Right winger Duane Sutter had 15 goals in 56 games.
Two goaltenders defended the net for the Islanders capably. Glenn Resch went 23-14-6, allowing 132 goals with a 3.04 goals against average and 3 shutouts in 2,606 minutes. Billy Smith went 15-14-7, allowing 104 goals with a 2.95 goals against average and 2 shutouts in 2,114 minutes. The full team statistics are available on Hockey-Reference.
The Islanders handled their first postseason test in the Preliminary Round against the Los Angeles Kings, eliminating them 3 games to 1. In Game 1 on April 8 at the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders pounded the Kings 8-1. The Kings got their only win of the series in Game 2 by a score of 6-3 on April 9. In Game 3 on April 11 at the Great Western Forum, the Islanders won 4-3 in overtime. Finally, the Islanders put the Kings away with a 6-0 shutout victory in Game 4 on April 13.
The Boston Bruins gave the Islanders hardly any trouble in the Quarterfinals, as New York moved on with a 4 games to 1 series win. In Game 1 on April 16 at the Boston Garden, the Islanders beat the Bruins 2-1 in overtime. The next day, April 17, the Islanders took Game 2 with a 5-4 overtime victory. The Islanders then took a commanding 3 games to none lead by winning Game 3 on April 19 by a score of 5-3. The Nassau Coliseum saw Boston’s only win of the series, as the Bruins took Game 4 on April 21 by a score of 4-3 in overtime. However, returning to the Boston Garden for Game 5 on April 22, the Islanders eliminated the Bruins with a 4-2 win.
The Buffalo Sabres posed a tougher challenge for the Islanders, as the Semifinals between the two teams went six games. In Game 1 on April 29 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, the Islanders won 4-1. Game 2 on May 1 proved to be a long struggle, but in double overtime the Islanders edged out the Sabres 2-1. In Game 3 on May 3 at the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders won 7-4. The Sabres returned the favor on May 6 by beating the Islanders 7-4 to take Game 4. The Sabres then made their home crowd happy by shutting out the Islanders 2-0 in Game 5 on May 8 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. However, the Islanders prevented a Sabres comeback by winning Game 6 on May 10 at the Nassau Coliseum by a score of 5-2.
The 1980 Stanley Cup Finals was a memorable clash between two teams with established identities, as the New York Islanders faced the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers went undefeated on their home ice at The Spectrum with a 25-0-10 record during the regular season, but that didn’t faze the Islanders.
In Game 1 on May 13 at The Spectrum, the Islanders handed the Flyers their first home loss by winning a thrilling 4-3 overtime contest. Defenseman Denis Potvin scored the game-winning power play goal. In Game 2 on May 15, the Flyers rebounded to crush the Islanders 8-3. The series shifted to the Nassau Coliseum for Game 3, and so did the momentum, as the Islanders won 6-2 on May 17. In Game 4 on May 19, the Islanders won again by a score of 5-2. Game 5 on May 22 saw the Flyers remind the Islanders why they were so good at The Spectrum, as they won 6-3.
Game 6 would be the most talked-about game of the series, for better and for worse, as it went to overtime to determine a winner. With the game tied 1-1, center Butch Goring received a drop pass from Clark Gillies, but the play occurred past the blue line and should have been called offside. However, Leon Stickle, the official closest to the violation, didn’t make the call. This allowed Duane Sutter to receive a pass from Goring and score to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. It was seen as the key momentum-stealing moment of the game.
Bob Nystrom delivered the final blow to the Flyers, winning the Stanley Cup for the New York Islanders. Nystrom scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Islanders a 5-4 victory. Though he had 50 penalty minutes in the Stanley Cup Finals, Nystrom came through with 9 goals, 9 assists and 3 game-winning goals. The Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs was Bryan Trottier, who led the Islanders with 12 goals and 17 assists, along with 4 power play goals, 2 short-handed goals and 2 game-winning goals.
The campaign of the 1979-1980 New York Islanders would be only the very beginning of something special for hockey on Long Island.
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