Fansided

Luckiest jerseys in the NHL’s long and storied history

By Bruin Belisle

DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 9: Ray Bourque #77 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the cup with Joe Sakic #19 after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche take the series 4-3. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Canadian professional ice hockey player Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders gives a double finger to photographer Bruce bennett during a team shoot to the great amusement of colleagues and compatriots including Mike Bossy, John Tonelli (third right), and Bob Bourne (second right), Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, April 1985. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
Canadian professional ice hockey player Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders gives a double finger to photographer Bruce bennett during a team shoot to the great amusement of colleagues and compatriots including Mike Bossy, John Tonelli (third right), and Bob Bourne (second right), Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, April 1985. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images) /

15. 1980’s New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are relevant again. After shedding the excess fat in John Tavares, the team is atop the Metropolitan Division. They look like a sure-playoff team and have the right personnel to be a fun team to watch in the playoffs later this season.

Aside from a small handful of Islanders teams, relevancy in regards to New York’s second team has been almost non-existent. There was a stretch in the 1980’s though, when this team was unstoppable. From 1980 to 1984, the New York Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups.

No team in the modern NHL has won four Cups in a row. It’s inheard of. The toll that would take on the bodies of the players hurts to even think of. It’s the hardest trophy to win in sports for a reason. The physicality involved is too much for most human beings. Yet, the Islanders did it. They won four straight Stanley Cups.

The Islanders team back then was loaded. Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, John Tonelli, Clarke Gillies and Denis Potvin among others. Bossy was a monster, putting up 50+ goals a season easily. In his ten seasons with the Islanders, he only finished under 100 points three times. Two of those seasons were 50+ goal seasons in which he finished with 91 and 93 points. In fact, he only dropped below 50 goals in his last season, in which he scored 38 in 63 games. This guy was insane.

The Islanders had arguably the greatest run in NHL history over those four years (Shut it, Canadiens fans) and you don’t win four straight Cups without a bit of luck.

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