Pittsburgh Penguins – The Pittsburgh Penguin

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Daniel Wilson

Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we travel to the Steel City to get constructive with the Pittsburgh Penguins:

Establishment Story: The Penguins joined the NHL as it expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967. The original ownership group included some heavy hitters, including H.J. Heinz III, heir to the Heinz Company, and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney. The name Penguins was chosen from a contest, where 700 of the 26,000 entries suggested the nickname. Previously, the Pittsburgh Pirates had played in the NHL from 1925 to 1930.

Stanley Cups: The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups, including two back-to-back sets in 1991/1992 and 2016/2017. They also brought home the league championship in 2009. Their only Stanley Cup Final loss came the year before, at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, who they beat in the 2009 rematch. The Penguins five Stanley Cup victories ties them with the Edmonton Oilers for most among non-Original Six clubs.

Celebrity Fan: Michael Keaton, star of movies such as Batman, Beetlejuice and The Founder, resides in Pittsburgh and is an avid supporter of the city’s teams. Keaton has appeared as a presenter at some of the NHL Awards ceremonies. Another unlikely Penguins fan was Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. Rogers appeared on a 1992 Pro Set hockey card as a Celebrity Captain of the club, donning his trademark sweater and sneakers.

Mr. Rogers

Super Fan: Cy Clark, nicknamed The Hulk for his Hulk Hogan-inspired look, was an avid Penguins fan, first gaining media attention during Pittsburgh’s 2009 Stanley Cup run. In October 2011, Clark was invited to Penguins practice by coach Dan Bylsma, an honour the fan truly cherished. Sadly, Clark passed away in June 2014, following a battle with cancer. Both the Penguins organization and former Philadelphia Flyers player Scott Hartnell, who had a good-natured feud with Clark, sent condolences.

Mascot: The Penguins have had two mascots in their history. First, there was Penguin Pete, who was a real-life Humboldt penguin that was taught to skate on custom made skates. Pete only made seven appearances from February to November 1968, prior to dying. A second Penguin Pete, used in 1971-72, was nicknamed Re-Pete. In 1992, Iceburgh, a king penguin, debuted as mascot for the team, wearing jersey number 00.

Tradition: A pair of long-time Penguins employees became fixtures of Pittsburgh games for fans. First, Vince Lascheid was the Penguins organist from 1970-2003. He was inducted into the Penguins’ Hall of Fame in 2005, passing away in 2009 at the age of 85. Next, Jeff Jimerson has been the team’s national anthem singer for three decades, most notably being credited as ‘Anthem Singer’ in the movie Sudden Death.

Appearances in Media: The Penguins feature heavily in the Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie Sudden Death, as the film takes place during a fictional 1995 Stanley Cup Finals between Pittsburgh and the Chicago Blackhawks. When a group of terrorists invade a VIP suite with the U.S. Vice-President in it, Van Damme’s character has to come to the rescue, including some on-ice and around the arena fight scenes.

Sudden Death

Events/Scandals: Coming out of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, a formula had to be decided upon to see who would get to draft teenage phenom Sidney Crosby. The Penguins, who were battling financial issues and relocation rumours at the time, won the weighted lottery (dubbed the ‘Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes’) and the right to select the generational talent. Many view the event as having saved the franchise, as three Stanley Cups and a new arena have transpired during Crosby’s tenure.

Rivalry: The Penguins top rival is the Philadelphia Flyers, with their feud known as the Battle of Pennsylvania. Both teams joined the NHL as part of the ‘Next Six’ 1967 expansion and have met seven times in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has also had a long-running rivalry with the Washington Capitals, reignited by superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who entered the league at the same time, following the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Tragedy: After a solid rookie season with the Penguins in 1969-70, Michel Briere returned home to Quebec, where he was to marry his long-time girlfriend and mother of his son. Sadly, Briere would be involved in a single-vehicle car accident, where he was thrown from the vehicle. Briere was placed in a coma, but passed away 11 months later at the age of 21. Even worse, the ambulance carrying Briere struck and killed a cyclist who was a friend of Briere.

Player Nicknames: The Penguins two franchise players have memorable nicknames. First, Mario Lemieux was dubbed Super Mario, a play on the Nintendo video game character, as both are able to achieve unbelievable acts. Next, Sidney Crosby has been known as Sid the Kid since he was, well, a kid, but the moniker has stuck even as Crosby plays the latter stages of his career.

Crosby and Ovechkin

Line: The combo of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr figured into two of the Penguins most dominant trios, with Kevin Stevens as the towering Sky Line and with Ron Francis as the unstoppable Great Line. Other notable units include the Century Line (Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost), the HBK Line (Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel) and the Option Line (John Cullen, Mark Recchi and Kevin Stevens).

Captain: It’s hard to give this category to one player, given how much Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby have each meant to the Penguins organization. Lemieux served three separate stints (1987-94, 1995-97 and 2001-06) as the team’s captain. The Lemieux era gave way to the Crosby era, as Crosby took over the captaincy in 2007, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history and, in 2009, the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup. All five of the Penguins Stanley Cups have been won with one of these two at the helm.

Enforcer: Defenseman Paul Baxter holds the Penguins franchise record for penalty minutes in a season at 409. This mark is the runner up for the NHL single-season record. Baxter sits sixth on the team’s all-time penalty minute list, despite only playing three seasons with the club. Other notable brawlers for Pittsburgh include Georges Laraque, Eric Godard, Bob ‘Battleship’ Kelly, Dave Schultz, and Jay Caufield.

Family Values: Few know that Mario Lemieux’s brother Alain also played for the Penguins, with the two dressing for a single game together during the 1986-87 season. This would be Alain’s final NHL contest of 119 career games. Other brother combos had longer stints together in Pittsburgh, including Doug and Greg Brown in 1993-94 and twins Chris and Peter Ferraro in 1997-98.

Lemieux and Crosby

Returning Players: Mark Recchi had three stints with the Penguins. He began his NHL career with the team, drafted 67^th overall in 1988. After winning the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1991, Recchi was used as a trade chip to bring Rick Tocchet and Kjell Samuelsson to the Penguins. He returned in 2005, only to be traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he would win a second Stanley Cup. Recchi’s final Pittsburgh run, in 2007, resulted in being a waiver claim by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Short Stint: As the Penguins have perennially pursued Stanley Cups, hoping to cash in on the Sidney Crosby era, a number of top players have joined the team for playoff runs, only to leave for other clubs following post-season elimination. This includes Jarome Iginla and Patrick Marleau, who suited up for Pittsburgh for 28 and 12 games (regular season and playoffs combined), respectively.

Undrafted: Although his career ended in great controversy, Marty McSorely enjoyed quite a professional run for an undrafted player. He was signed by the Penguins in 1982, debuting for the team in the 1983-84 season. McSorely was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in September 1985, becoming the bodyguard of Wayne Gretzky for most of the next decade. During his brief time with Pittsburgh, he recorded 239 penalty minutes in only 87 games. McSorely also played 47 contests for the Penguins in 1993-94.

Trade: The best and worst transactions in Penguins history were both trade deadline day deals. The best was bringing in Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings from the Hartford Whalers in 1991, which resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cups. The worst was sending Markus Naslund to the Vancouver Canucks in 1996 for Alex Stojanov. Stojanov played a mere 45 games for Pittsburgh, while Naslund became one of the NHL’s best player for a few seasons.

Penguins Trade

Signing: Among the best signings the Penguins ever made, were for depth players who were veteran leaders, helping the team finally get over the hump and win back-to-back Stanley Cups. For the 1991 and 1992 championships, this role was played by Bryan Trottier, who came to Pittsburgh after his contract was bought out by the New York Islanders. For the Penguins 2016 and 2017 titles, Matt Cullen provided a solid two-way game, while in the twilight of his career.

Draft Pick: The Penguins have done very well with the first overall pick, selecting generational talents Mario Lemieux (1984) and Sidney Crosby (2005). Pittsburgh has also done well with the number two choice, taking Evgeni Malkin (2004) and Jordan Staal (2006). Lastly, nabbing Jaromir Jagr at fifth overall in 1990 was a huge steal, perhaps based on Jagr telling teams drafting earlier than the Penguins that he would not leave Czechia immediately to play for them.

Holdouts: Petr Nedved is the only Penguins player to stage a contract holdout, when he sat out the entire 1997-98 season and the start of the following year. The holdout was ended when Nedved was traded to the New York Rangers. The move colossally backfired for Nedved, who earned less than he would have had he accepted Pittsburgh’s original offer in 1997.

Buyouts: The Penguins have only bought out one contract in their history. That distinction belongs to defenseman Jack Johnson, who had his five-year $16.25 million deal bought out with three seasons remaining. Johnson’s contract will count against the Penguins salary cap through the 2025-26 season. The buyout may have worked in Johnson’s favour, as two years after his Penguins dismissal, he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.

Jaromir Jagr

Unique Game: The Penguins have participated in numerous Winter Classics (2008 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 2011 vs. Washington Capitals, 2023 vs. Boston Bruins) and Stadium Series (2014 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 2017 and 2019 vs. Philadelphia Flyers) contests. Internationally, they opened their 2000-01 season with a pair of games against the Nashville Predators in Saitama, Japan, as well as taking part in the 2008 NHL Premiere, with two matches against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm, Sweden.

Goal: One of the greatest feats in NHL history was Mario Lemieux scoring five goals in a game, in five different ways. On December 31, 1988, against the New Jersey Devils, he scored even-strength, power-play, short-handed, penalty shot, and empty net goals. Lemieux also recorded three assists that night, being involved in every goal of an 8-6 victory. In 2017, the achievement was voted the greatest moment in the NHL’s first 100 years.

Fight/Brawl: Things got real nasty on February 11, 2011, when the Penguins faced the New York Islanders. Their previous match saw two Islanders concussed and retribution was expected. As the game got out of hand (the final score was 9-3 for the Islanders), melees broke out everywhere, totalling 15 fighting majors and 21 game misconducts. The aftermath saw three players suspended and the Islanders fined $100,000.

Injury: On May 14, 1993, Penguins power forward Kevin Stevens went to hit New York Islanders defenseman Rich Pilon. The collision resulted in Stevens being knocked unconscious and falling face first onto the ice. Many of the bones in Stevens face were shattered and required metal plates to be reconstructed. Worst of all, the injury led Stevens to battle an addiction with prescription drugs that ended his marriage and affected the rest of his career.

Penguins Islanders Brawl

Penalty: Matt Cooke gained a reputation for delivering dangerous hits to the head of opponents during his Penguins tenure. Cooke was suspended four times for infractions, starting with a pair of two-game bans, followed by sitting out four games and 10 games plus the first round of the 2011 playoffs. His worst hit, practically ending the career of Marc Savard, wasn’t punished at all, but led to changes in NHL rules regarding blindside hits to the head.

Wildest Story: The Stanley Cup is the holy grail of hockey. After a summer of celebrating their 1991 championship victory, Penguins forward Phil Bourque noticed a rattling sound coming from within the trophy. When Bourque opened the Stanley Cup up to make repairs, he noticed others who had worked on it prior had inscribed their names inside. Bourque joined them, his message reading: “Enjoy it, Phil Bubba Bourque, ’91 Penguins.”

Blooper: As the Penguins pursued a wild card playoff spot for the 2023 post-season, they were coming up against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks with two important points in the standings up for grabs. Despite being heavy favourites, Pittsburgh lost the contest 5-2. This ended the Penguins 16-year playoff qualification streak (at the time the longest in major North American sports leagues) and opened the door for the Florida Panthers to go on their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Miscellaneous: In 1993, Penguins owner Howard Baldwin invested in the HC CSKA Moscow team, hoping to gain better access to Russian players. The Russian Penguins played each of the 13 International Hockey League teams once during the 1993-94 season, only winning two games. Alumni from the club included goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and forward Sergei Brylin. A 2019 documentary, titled Red Penguins, detailed the short history of the club.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pittsburgh Penguin

The Pittsburgh Penguin

1.5 oz Kahlua
1 oz Goldschlager
Splash of Cream of Coconut
Garnish with Coconut Shavings

The Cocktails with the Penguins blog had a number of options for me to use, but I went with this one, an adaptation of the Panda Bear drink. There’s also a Pittsburgh Penguins Martini out there, using white chocolate liqueur, Irish cream, vanilla vodka and chocolate syrup.

New York Islanders – New York Lemonade

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Daniel Wilson

Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we head to the island, Long Island to be exact, to get reeled in by the New York Islanders:

Establishment Story: The Islanders joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1972, originally conceived as a way to keep the rival World Hockey Association from putting a team in the new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The name New York Islanders was chosen, although Long Island Ducks was considered, in homage to the Eastern Hockey League team that operated from 1959 to 1973.

Stanley Cups: All of the Islanders Stanley Cup championships came during their early 80s dynasty era, when the team won four straight from 1980 to 1983. New York also made the Stanley Cup Finals in 1984, where they were finally dethroned by the Edmonton Oilers, who were embarking on a dynasty run of their own. Over their dynasty span, the Islanders won 19 straight playoff series.

Celebrity Fan: Ralph Macchio, best known for his starring role in The Karate Kid trilogy, is a long-time fan of the Islanders. At the height of his fame, Macchio was featured on a pair of hockey cards, donning Islanders jerseys. In 2016, the team released a Ralph Macchio bobblehead, with the figure in full Islanders hockey gear, striking the crane kick pose from The Karate Kid.

Super Fan: Patrick ‘Sign Guy’ Dowd’s Islanders fandom is a family affair. The idea of using signs to convey his thoughts while attending games was first suggested by his daughter. Dowd’s first sign, coming out of the 1994-95 NHL lockout, said “I’ll Play For Free”. Dowd has been a fan since the team’s inception, attending the first game in franchise history. His mantra with the club is ‘always believe’ and he keeps his signs positive, with the occasional jab at the opposing team.

Mascot: Sparky the Dragon was the mascot for two teams, the Islanders and the New York Dragons Arena Football League (AFL) club. Sparky was left with only the Islanders gig when the AFL disbanded. A former mascot, Nyisles, was introduced in the mid 1990s, but only lasted a couple seasons before disappearing, caused by Carlton the Bear, mascot for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tradition: While this section is typically reserved for fan rituals, it should be noted that the famous hockey playoff beard, where players grow facial hair for the duration of their team’s post-season run, was created and popularized by the Islanders, particularly the dynasty teams of the early 1980s. Al Arbour, the Islanders coach for those dynasty years, was part of another long-running tradition, where a rookie or newcomer to the team had to throw a pie in Arbour’s face to celebrate his birthday each year.

Appearances in Media: The TV series Entourage is about a young Hollywood star and his friends from New York. One of those friends, Eric Murphy (played by real life Islanders fan Kevin Connolly) can often be seen wearing Islanders t-shirts throughout the series. Connolly was also tapped to narrate the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Big Shot, about the attempted purchase of the Islanders by bankrupt businessman John Spano.

Events/Scandals: For years, former Islanders owner Charles Wang tried to get his Lighthouse Project off the ground, which would have included a new arena for the team, replacing Nassau Coliseum. On August 1, 2011, voters rejected the plans and the Islanders were moved to Brooklyn, beginning play at the Barclays Center for the 2015-16 season. A number of issues forced the team to split their games between Barclays and Nassau. The team finally got their new permanent home, USB Arena, in 2021.

Rivalry: The Islanders main rival is, of course, the New York Rangers, dubbed the Battle of New York. The two clubs met in the playoffs four years in a row during the Islanders dynasty run, but haven’t had a post-season clash since 1994. Another loathed opponent is the Washington Capitals, as the teams battled in the playoffs for five straight seasons in the mid 1980s.

Tragedy: Brian Mullen played the 1992-93 season with the Islanders. That off-season, he suffered a stroke, due to a blood clot in his brain. Open heart surgery was required and Mullen hoped to return to professional hockey, but a seizure in 1994 forced him to officially retire. Mullen recorded 260 goals and 622 points over an 832-game career. Also, 2003 draft pick Stefan Blaho was killed in a 2006 car crash in Slovakia. He was only 21 years old.

Player Nicknames: Goalie Billy Smith was nicknamed ‘Hatchet Man’ for his blatant use of his stick to hack at opposing players who entered his crease. Smith was an original Islander, selected in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft and was the last remaining member of that squad when he retired in 1989. Smith was also the first goaltender to be credited with a NHL goal, when the Colorado Rockies scored an own goal after the puck hit Smith during a November 1979 contest.

Line: Having one of the greatest lines in NHL history certainly helped the Islanders became a dynastic team in the early 1980s. The Trio Grande unit was comprised of Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier. Previously, Gillies and Trottier had played with Billy Harris on the LILCO Line, but Bossy was subbed in during his rookie season training camp. All three members of the line were later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Captain: Denis Potvin led the Islanders through their four straight Stanley Cup championships. He was named captain of the team in 1979 and kept the mantle until surrendering it in 1987. Potvin spent his entire career with New York and is one of only two players to reach 1,000 games with the franchise. He also holds team records for goals, assists and points by a defenseman by comfortable margins.

Enforcer: Over 10 seasons with the Islanders, Mick Vukota amassed 1,879 penalty minutes and 160 fighting majors, both franchise records. Vukota was never known for his goal scoring prowess, finishing with only 17 career tallies, but he did record a hat trick on October 20, 1989. On the flip side, Clark Gillies, nicknamed Jethro for his resemblance to The Beverly Hillbillies character, had numerous 30-goal seasons and never racked up the penalty minutes, but was a feared fighter during New York’s dynasty years.

Family Values: Brothers Jean and Denis Potvin played together for the Islanders from 1973 to 1978 and again from 1980 to 1981, winning the Stanley Cup together in 1981. Fellow brothers Duane and Brent Sutter also shared Stanley Cup victories with New York in 1982 and 1983, playing together until 1987. Father and son J.P. and Zach Parise both played stints with the Islanders later in their respective careers.

Returning Players: Zdeno Chara started and ended his career with the Islanders. The tallest NHL player ever was drafted by New York 56^th overall in 1996. Chara was traded away in 2001 and enjoyed many seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, before finally returning for his final campaign in 2021-22. In that last season, Chara set a new NHL record for games played by a defenseman with 1,680.

Short Stint: When Roberto Luongo was drafted fourth overall (the earliest a goalie had ever been drafted) by the Islanders in 1997, he seemed to be their netminder of the future. GM ‘Mad Mike’ Milbury had other ideas, however, using the team’s first overall selection in 2000 to pick another goalie, Rick DiPietro. The same day, Luongo was traded to the Florida Panthers after only 24 games with New York. By 2013, DiPietro was out of the NHL, while Luongo was building a Hockey Hall of Fame resume.

Undrafted: Randy Wood was signed by the Islanders in 1986, becoming a full-time member of the team for the 1987-88 season. Wood would remain with the team until 1991, when he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Pat LaFontaine-Pierre Turgeon deal. After stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars, Wood closed his career with a final season in New York, finishing with career numbers of 741 games played, 175 goals, 159 assists and 334 points.

Trade: The Islanders acquisition of Butch Goring late in the 1980 season is viewed as one of the greatest trade deadline deals of all-time. Goring joined an already strong team and was viewed as the “final piece of the puzzle”, as the Islanders began their four-year dynasty run. For the second of those four Stanley Cup championships, Goring was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.

Signing: Among the best signings the Islanders ever made was bringing in winger Matt Moulson on a one-year, $575,000 deal in 2009. Moulson had immediate chemistry with 2009 first overall draft pick John Tavares, scoring 30 goals. On the other end of the spectrum, New York’s seven-year, $38.5 million contract to Andrew Ladd was one of the many awful deals signed in 2016 free agency. Ladd’s diminishing returns eventually saw him traded to the Arizona Coyotes in a salary cap dump.

Draft Pick: The Islanders drafts of the mid 1970s yielded many of the stars that would be integral to the team’s dynasty success in the early 1980s. Denis Potvin was selected first overall in 1973, followed the next year by Clark Gillies at fourth overall and Bryan Trottier at 22^nd overall. In 1977, the Islanders landed another key cog, when they picked Mike Bossy with the 15^th overall choice.

Holdouts: Two skilled stars have staged holdouts with the Islanders, resulting in one being traded away, while the other was brought back into the fold. First, Pat LaFontaine had grown frustrated with the team in 1990 and sat out the start of the regular season until he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Three decades later, Mathew Barzal missed much of training camp before signing a three-year, $21 million deal.

Buyouts: Two Islanders buyouts resulted in payouts to those players lasting many years. First, Alexei Yashin’s 10-year contract, signed in 2001, was bought out in 2007, leading to payments of $2.2 million per year for eight years. Next, goalie Rick DiPietro’s ill-advised 15-year contract was terminated after seven seasons, meaning he will be paid out $1.5 million per year through the 2027-28 season.

Unique Game: The Islanders don’t get the love and attention as their fellow New York NHL team when it comes to high-profile league events. They did play a 2014 Stadium Series game versus the Rangers and a rematch will occur as part of the 2024 Stadium Series. The Islanders also participated in a number of the NHL’s Super Series tours, playing exhibition matches against teams from Russia and Czechia.

Goal: There have been some very memorable goals in Islanders history. First, Bob Nystrom’s 1980 Stanley Cup Finals overtime game winner gave New York their first of four consecutive championships. Next, during the 1980-81 season, Mike Bossy became only the second player to score 50 goals in 50 games, notching a pair of markers in the 50^th contest of the year. Finally, there’s Pat Lafontaine’s tally in the fourth overtime period to finally end the 1987 Easter Epic playoff game against the Washington Capitals.

Fight/Brawl: When the Islanders met the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 11, 2011, bad blood was in the air. In the teams’ previous game, multiple incidents had resulted in injuries to Islanders players. On this penalty-filled night, two line brawls broke out and a total of 346 penalty minutes were assessed. The game also got out of hand on the scoreboard, as New York eventually won 9-3.

Injury: Islanders players have suffered a number of career-ending injuries over the years. Most notable was the back injury that forced Mike Bossy to retire at only 30 years old. Two players, Bobby Nystrom and Johnny Boychuk, were forced from the game prematurely due to eye injuries. It should also be noted the first of many concussions suffered by Pat LaFontaine occurred during the 1990 playoffs and eventually led to his early retirement.

Penalty: A pair of Chris Simon actions in subsequent seasons resulted in lengthy suspensions. First, on March 8, 2007, Simon hit New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick, resulting in a 25-game suspension. Months later, on December 15, 2007, Simon stomped on the back of Pittsburgh Penguins agitator Jarkko Ruutu’s leg, earning another 30 games of suspension time.

Wildest Story: Typically, players don’t jump straight from the ice into high-ranking front office roles, but that’s what happened in 2006, when Islanders goalie Garth Snow retired and instantly became the team’s general manager. Snow replaced Neil Smith, who had only been in the role for 41 days, but grew tired of the reporting structure under owner Charles Wang. Despite criticism, Snow was named ESPN’s NHL Executive of the Year, following his first season in charge.

Blooper: Sometimes, bloopers don’t occur on the ice, but in the front office. Somehow, someone within the Islanders organization approved plans to adopt the ‘fisherman’ logo for the 1995-96 season, viewed almost unanimously as the worst logo in NHL history. Looking like the iconic Gorton’s fisherman, New York Rangers fans were known to chant “We want fishsticks” when the Islanders were in town. The logo was reverted back to the classic look for the 1997-98 campaign.

Miscellaneous: On November 3, 2007, at the request of Islanders coach Ted Nolan, legendary bench boss Al Arbour was brought back to record his 1,500^th game with the team. He is the only coach in NHL history to hit that mark with the same franchise. Arbour was with New York from 1973 until 1986, coaching the team to their four Stanley Cup championships along the way. After a brief retirement, Arbour returned from 1988 to 1994.

New York Islanders: New York Lemonade

Rim glass with Sugar
2 oz Vodka
1 oz Orange Liqueur
Top with Club Soda
Splash of Lemon Juice
Garnish with a Lemon Slice

To celebrate their 50^th season in the NHL in 2022-23, the Islanders served a lemonade cocktail at UBS Arena. I’m not sure what the actual recipes was, but it inspired me to go with this drink. Full disclosure, I did briefly consider garnishing it with fish sticks!

May 31 – False Start

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Daniel Wilson

Legendary Leagues

Most leagues fail within their first year of operation. If they survive long enough to hand out their inaugural championship, then they usually face other elements of strife, such as low attendance, trouble landing a TV broadcasting deal, and teams folding or relocating. The waters are rough, but if a leagues treads long enough, it just may endure. Here are the top 5 defunct sports leagues and their intriguing stories:

#5: X Football League

Because the NFL just wasn’t fun enough, along came the XFL from World Wrestling Entertainment mogul Vince McMahon. Ironically, while most believe the ‘X’ stood for eXtreme, this is not actually the case and the ‘X’ was never defined. In partnership with NBC, the league only lasted one season. With a few rule changes that were meant to spice up pro football, the eight-team league was dogged by the stigma attached to professional wrestling and what many thought was an inferior quality of play. Ratings were initially strong, but dropped in half from week one to week two and continued to decline over the course of the year. The XFL fizzled out following the season-ending Million Dollar Game and closed up shop on May 10, 2001. Both McMahon and NBC reportedly lost $35 million each in the joint venture.

#4: SlamBall

A sport with trampolines and full body contact… sounds like a recipe for success to the Sip Advisor and the one time in my life I was mildly interested in the sport of basketball. When TNN (now Spike TV) was making strides to change its image from a country music station to a network geared towards male viewers, one of their early experiments was SlamBall. Unfortunately, the league only ran seasons in 2002, 2003 and 2008, but did hold an international tournament in 2012, in China. Created by Mason Gordon, SlamBall grew from six to eight teams for the 2003 season, but a disagreement between Gordon and Warner Bros. ended with the league being dissolved. The 2008 season returned to a six-team format and the winning coach was Samuel L. Jackson… er, I mean Coach (Ken) Carter.

#3: Roller Hockey International

The early 90’s were a wonderful time and part of that amazing period was the advent and popularity of rollerblades. So, along comes the RHI, hoping to capitalize on that fad. Games were even broadcast on ESPN2 during the early years, showing the potential popularity the sport could have harnessed. The high-scoring (RHI averaged 16.7 goals per game, compared to the NHL’s seven at the time) league played from 1993-97 and also in 1999. Played 4-on-4, a number of NHL alum also strapped on the blades, including Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier. Unfortunately, a planned Super Nintendo video game never materialized, although that fact probably saved me hours in front of the TV and instead, I was outside playing roller hockey! RHI folded operations for good in 2001, despite some of the best team names ever seen in sport.

Sadly, it never came to be!

#2: United States Football League

Looking to compete with the NFL and offer fans an alternative to fill their growing football needs, the USFL may not have succeeded, but many of the innovations they brought to the game, as well as markets they used for franchises, would eventually be adopted by the NFL juggernaut. Backed by Donald Trump and others with deep pockets, the league produced a number of stars who also enjoyed success in the NFL, as well as two future wrestling World Champions in Lex Luger and Ron Simmons. The crushing blow to the USFL came when they filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, claiming it had established a monopoly. Despite expecting a substantial windfall, the USFL was awarded $1 (that’s not a typo). Heavily in debt, the league ceased operations. The ESPN’s 30-for-30 documentary Who Killed the USFL? examines the league’s brief existence.

#1: World Hockey Association

Launching in 1972 with 12 teams, the WHA made an immediate big splash with the signing of NHL star Bobby Hull to a 10-year, $2.7 million contract. In all, 67 players jumped ship from the NHL to the WHA for the inaugural season. Sadly, the league was plagued with difficulties, including financial struggles, arena issues, teams relocating, and franchises folding. Four WHA franchises still exist in today’s NHL: the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets (moved to Phoenix), Quebec Nordiques (moved to Colorado), and Hartford Whalers (moved to Carolina). The league’s legacy also lives on via European stars coming to North America, higher salaries, and a lower draft age. For an in-depth look at the WHA’s seven tumultuous seasons, check out Ed Willes book, The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association.

Super Saturday Shot Day: False Start

0.4 oz Cider
0.4 oz Bourbon
0.4 oz Brandy
Splash of Lemon Juice
Garnish with an Apple Slice

Honourable mentions include the American Basketball Association, which was loosely spoofed in the Will Ferrell film Semi-Pro, and the Arena Football League, which cancelled their 2009 season, but has since been resurrected under new ownership. Which defunct sports league do you miss?

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
This shooter went down very easy and was fun thanks to the bubbles of the Cider. The Bourbon and Brandy flavours do play a role, but not too aggressively. That makes for a couple good Cider recipes for me in the last little while and I might be experiencing a change of heart as far as the beverage goes!

Sip Advisor

The Good, The Bad & The Bubbly

Tag Archives: Bryan Trottier