Islanders Win Over Rangers in 1975 Put Team on the Map

The New York Islanders were born in 1972, but arguably the franchise didn't arrive until the 1975 playoffs.
Specifically, April 11, 1975, when the Islanders ousted the New York Rangers in a best-of-three series, with JP Parise scoring the series-clinching goal in overtime of Game 3.
"When we beat the Rangers, it put us on the map," Bob Nystrom said. "That's when we started to see the change in some of the fans and Long Island getting behind us. It was a great run, it really was. We impressed people and impressed ourselves and finally felt like we belonged. We learned a lot."

Three years into their existence in the NHL, the Islanders were still the new kids on the block. They'd endured a 12-60-6 season in 1972-73, and though Al Arbour and Denis Potvin began to turn things around in 1973, hockey culture in New York was centered around Rangers fans, who flooded Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum.
"Some of the original Islanders] were telling me they remembered sitting on the bench and seeing a sea of New York Rangers jerseys out there and only three Islanders jerseys," Jude Drouin said. "We had to change that around."
Drouin was a part of that change.
In the midst of the 1974-75 season, General Manager Bill Torrey recognized his team's demand for veteran leadership to establish more of an identity. Torrey made a deal with the Minnesota North Stars, shipping away young talent for a pair of players who ultimately led the Islanders to their first playoff series.
"JP and Jude made a huge difference," Clark Gillies told the Talkin' Isles podcast. "Torrey saw a need. He saw some kids that were really starting to play well, so he traded Ernie Hicke, Craig Cameron, and Doug Rombough to the North Stars for Jude and JP. We clearly got the better of that deal."
***[ISLES HISTORY: 1970S*
Parise arrived on Long Island with 553 NHL games on his resume, including parts of eight seasons with the North Stars. Similarly, Drouin came in with 331 games, spending five seasons with Minnesota prior to playing with the Islanders.
Gillies, who was a rookie on the Islanders, looked up to the newest trade acquisitions and admired their experience.
"Those two, they were seasoned veterans," Gillies said of Parise and Drouin. "They played with the North Stars for years, were familiar with the league and the people in the league. They came in and really took over the leadership role with all of us young guys."
Parise put up 30 points (14G, 16A) in 41 games, while Drouin collected 32 points (14G, 18A) in 40 games played. Although both players made an offensive dent, their assets stretched far beyond on-ice productivity.
"They were fun to be around, they were a laugh-a-minute," Gillies continued. "And they were instant fixtures on the team. Helped us grow and be more successful immediately."
"JP kept the guys loose," Dave Lewis said. "I remember one time on the ice he came up to me and he said don't pass the puck to where I should be, pass the puck to where I am. Just little things like that broke some of the tensions of young players. He was a character guy who just played hard every night. The forwards just learned from his style of play."
"He was the type of guy to help the young guys, he was fantastic," Drouin said of Parise. "It was just something he had in him."
The Islanders finished the 1974-75 regular season with a record of 33-25-22 and 88 points, which marked 32 points higher than the previous year, and 58 points higher than their inaugural 1972-73 season. The quick rise of the team surprised the league and the Islanders themselves.
"We didn't think we would be able to contend for the Cup," Gillies said. "But it turns out we did."
The Islanders and Rangers were both tied with 88 points, but the Isles were considered underdogs against an established Rangers team.
Head Coach Al Arbour had Glenn Chico Resch and Billy Smith at his disposal, and was faced with the difficult decision of which netminder to start in the playoffs. Although each goalie had a competitive edge, the virtue of teamwork was alive between both goalies.
"Smitty and I were trying to establish ourselves," Resch told the Talkin' Isles podcast. "I knew if Smitty was on, he was better than me. But if I was on, I was better than Smitty."
Resch was in-between the pipes for Game 1 at the Garden, stopping 29-of-31 shots on goal in a comeback 3-2 victory on Rangers home ice.
"We won the first game in the Garden and I played really well, we beat them at home." Resch said of the momentum heading into Game 2. "And we came back to the Coliseum. And it didn't go well. And we wanted it so much. But I didn't play my best, we were flat, maybe it was nerves."
The Islanders lost 8-3 in Game 2, with Resch getting the hook after allowing six goals. Arbour gave the Game 3 start to Billy Smith for the third and deciding game.
"Then we go back to Madison Square Garden - and because we're a team - Al said okay Smitty it's your turn," Resch said. "He goes in, plays really, really well."
The Islanders took a 3-0 lead in Game 3, including a power play and shorthanded goal from Potvin in the second period. The Rangers fought their way back, scoring three third period goals - including two goals in a 14-second span - to stun the Islanders and force overtime.
"A lot of players in our dressing room were nervous," Drouin said of the mood before overtime. "I remember Al Arbour decided to put the veteran line forward line together: Ed Westfall, JP Parise and myself. I believe Bert Marshall was on defense with Dave Lewis."
Potvin, the team's leading scorer with 76 points in the regular season, was initially miffed that he wasn't starting in overtime, but Arbour wanted a veteran platoon to start overtime.
"And in that third game in New York, I'll never forget lining up the opening faceoff in overtime," Lewis recalled. "And before you could almost blink an eye, we score."
"The puck dropped in the Rangers zone," Drouin said. "When it bounced, I went and picked it up. In the corner of my eye, I saw Parise in front of the net, like he always was. I got that puck and I didn't hesitate. I just threw that pass right across the crease and JP was right there."
The home crowd was stunned. The Islanders upset the mighty Rangers to win their first playoff series and move forward to the next round.
"There was total shock in Madison Square Garden in Game 3 when JP scored so fast," Lewis said. "I think it was 11 or 12 seconds in. Even us, we were totally amazed and stunned that we knocked off the powerful Rangers, who I think at that time were first place in the division."
Watch: Youtube Video
The sweet win sparked a sense of animosity between the two teams that would persist for decades.
"It was so exciting and because nobody in the Islander locker room liked anything about the Rangers," Lewis said. "It was just one of those great moments in franchise history."
"It was a great thrill, great experience, totally unexpected by the city, by the Rangers and the NHL community," Lewis said. "We didn't know much better, we were young but had some great leadership with Marshall and of course JP and Ed Westfall. And just a bunch of us young guys playing hard trying to do our jobs, of course with a great coach."
"It was a new era for the New York Islanders," Drouin said. "A lot of Rangers fans didn't like it."