Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.

This week Stan presents his popular monthly feature, "A Picture Is Worth 100 Words." This photo was taken seconds after Montreal Canadiens' center Elmer Lach was "jumped" by teammate Maurice Richard following Lach's 1953 Cup-winning overtime goal against the Boston Bruins. The heartbroken Bruins player on the left is center Milt Schmidt.

Any Devils fan with a sense of history savors the final night of the 1987-88 season as a golden moment in Garden State hockey annals.

"I'll never forget it," says George Falkowski, teacher, and cartoonist who lives in Phillipsburg. "That's when we knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs -- and the Devils got in for the first time."

John MacLean beat Darren Pang with an overtime goal at Chicago Stadium and New Jersey's young hockey franchise enjoyed league-wide esteem that had been lacking before.

For Rangers fans, that moment in -- horrid for the Blueshirts -- time became known as "The Easter Night Massacre." 

That humiliation demanded some form of revenge no matter how long it took to deal a Rangers revenge. It finally emerged in the spring of 1992. 

After ten years of waiting, the Garden State stick handlers and their enemies from across the Hudson River would meet in the playoffs. 

"On paper," Falkowski recalls, "it seemed like a mismatch; maybe even a Rangers sweep."

Could be.

The Islanders dream-like 2001-2002 expedition ended without a nightmare.

Rookie coach Peter Laviolette wanted to see an "X" next to his team's name in the standings and he got his wish. But not without tons of angst and more than a little help from unlikely sources named Snow and Kvasha.

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.

In Stan's monthly feature "Voices from the Past," he writes about Harry Lumley, who made his NHL debut at age 17, becoming the youngest goalie in NHL history. He won the Vezina Trophy, played for a Stanley Cup champion with the 1950 Detroit Red Wings and was the first goalie in NHL history to win 300 games. When Lumley retired in 1960, his 330 victories were the most in League history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980.

Stan interviewed Lumley late in his career, and the two also had a long chat for Fischler's book, "Where Have They Gone?"

If there was one aspect -- more than others -- that was amazing about the Islanders 2001-02 season it was this:

The Nassaumen lived up to their billing. They were for real.

After General Manager Mike Milbury obtained Michael Peca, Alexei Yashin Chris Osgood and Adrian Aucoin, the previously cynical critics delivered across-the-board acclaim. 

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers every Wednesday.

Stan returns to his popular "Lists" category this week, looking at five defensemen he believes deserve consideration for the Hockey Hall of Fame (they're listed in alphabetical order).

A trade in need, is a friend indeed. 

That take off on an old bromide snugly fits the thinking of Islanders fans as spring headed toward summer after the 2000-01 campaign.

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.

In Stan's monthly "Then and Now" feature, he compares Flash Hollett, a prolific offensive defenseman from the 1930s and 1940s who helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup twice, with Torey Krug, a contemporary defenseman whose offensive skills helped keep the Bruins among the NHL's elite for the past few seasons before he opted for free agency and signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract with the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 9.

Only a year after the franchise was born, the Islanders high command was convinced that it had a superstar-in-the-making. 

His name was Denis Potvin and he was the first overall pick in the 1973 Entry Draft.

"A lot of teams wished they had the kid," remembered General Manager Bill Torrey. "Virtually every scouting report had Denis down as a sure thing."

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week Stan offers his monthly feature, "A Picture Is Worth 100 Words."

Today's photo of Bryan Trottier coincides with the 42nd anniversary of his early Christmas present to the New York Islanders. In a game against the archrival New York Rangers at Nassau Coliseum on Dec. 23, 1978, the future Hall of Fame center set an NHL record with six points (three goals, three assists) in the second period of what became a 9-4 victory.