Maven's Memories: A Q&A With Pat LaFontaine

In conjunction with Pat LaFontaine's induction into the Islanders Hall of Fame, The Maven collaborated with Solon Mihas for an exclusive interview. Stan provided the questions and Solon delivered the interview.

STAN FISCHLER/SOLON MIHAS:

“What does the Islanders Hall of Fam honor mean to you at this point in time?”

PAT LAFONTAINE:

“I feel very blessed and fortunate that I came here back in 1984... You don't get to pick where you go most of the time And I felt very lucky that I was chosen by the Islanders in 1983 because it became so much a part of my life. We've maintained the home here, even out in Montauk at times, but I've been a Suffolk County resident for the whole 41 years, even though I was traded… I always considered Long Island home. I met my wife here, just after we went to the Stanley Cup Finals in ’84, we were married three years later and had three children. I was able to play on Long Island for almost eight years, and with some great, great teams, great players, organization, coaches, you know like Al Arbour and having Bill Torrey as general manager. At this time of my life -- turning 60 -- it means a lot. Plus, it's given me a chance to reflect over the whole course of my career and look back and what that decision meant and how it's shaped my life and family over the last 42 years, after being drafted. It's given me a chance to really appreciate and be honored and humbled after all these years to be able to go into the Hall of Fame with a lot of the players I played with as well."

SF/SM:

“One of the biggest highlights of your career was the Easter Epic. When you look back and think about that game, what thoughts come to mind?”

PL:

“That's a game that I still get asked about all the time, I guess it's 38 years later and people tell me where they were, and some people thought that it was the replay when they woke up and the game was still going on… and was a stepping stone for the rest of my career… Patrick Flatley scored the first goal, and then Bryan Trottier scored with like five minutes to go. We were always down and then Trots put it into overtime. It was just one period after another period after another period. It felt surreal. And I often tell the story about Jim Pickard, our assistant trainer, squeezed a water bottle on me and said, '‘Hey, Pat, you're going to get one. You're going to pop one in.’ And at that moment, I looked around and everything slowed down. Seven periods. It's almost 2 a.m. 75 shots to like 58 shots. And I looked at the organist. He started playing music, Twilight Zone. I looked into the stands. I actually saw people sleeping, and I'm like, is this really happening? It was almost surreal. And our Bobby Bassen starts skating towards the bench, I jump on, I cover for Gord Dineen, who was pinching. He took a pass from Kenny Leiter. I'm covering defense. He comes around the net and tries to throw it at the net, and I believe it went off Rod Langway's stick, and it came out to me on my backhand, which I’m not used to playing defense, but I grabbed it, spun around. The puck was on edge. I just shot it and said, 'Please just hit the net.' And I heard the post, and at that moment, Kelly Hrudey and Bob Mason, it was like if they saw a puck, it must have looked like a beach ball, because they were saving everything. And Dale Henry, thankfully, screened the goalie, and I heard the post and then everything stopped. I saw Bob Mason drop to his knees, and then it was pure elation, because, you know, we came back from a lot of odds. But there was one thing I always remembered in the back of my mind. It's the Islander way, we went into overtime, and the team usually wins in overtime. Bobby Nystrom’s big goal, John Tonelli, all the greats. J.P. Parise back in the day, but it was always who's going to be the hero at the end of the day. But I will say, looking back, I don't think there's too many games that can go back and you see April 18th and 19th. I don't know who, but somebody said the 'Easter Epic.' I will say the word 'epic' fits that game, and I'm just proud that I was part of the team that was able to come back and win that series.”

SF/SM:

“One name you mentioned was Pat Flatley. How were you guys greeted by the team when you two arrived on the Island?

PL:

“I was lucky to come in with Flats. I mean, this was a four Stanley Cup championship team. And we were in awe of these guys already, and I just turned 19, so you can only imagine looking up to what these guys had accomplished the four previous years and the four Stanley Cups. So having Flats coming in together with me was a great move by Bill Torrey and the organization, because coming into an organization with that much success, it was great that we were able to have that experience together. And that's something Flats and I will never forget. I say I tell this story because I was 15 and four months earlier, the US just won the gold medal in 1980 and opened up the door for a lot of young American boys and girls to dream bigger. And I'm always grateful to what they did for American Hockey, along with guys like Bobby Carpenter and Joey Mullen, just to name a few.

But I was 15, and my brother and I were doing spring cleaning, and my dad called us in from spring cleaning, said, Hey, the Islanders are in overtime, and he must have turned on the channel. And we ran in and we watched the team play in Philadelphia in 1980 and I'll never forget Lorne Henning up to John Tonelli. Tonelli to Nystrom, and we're jumping up and down in Waterford, Michigan, a house in Waterford, Michigan. I'm 15 years old, and immediately afterwards, you know, 10 seconds later, I went, where's Long Island? And I remember grabbing an encyclopedia, and I laughed, because the kids today, you know, you go on the internet, you don't even know. I grabbed an encyclopedia, looked at a map, and I pointed my fingers so that put Long Island on the map for me. Now, if you told me, less than four years later, I would be starting and playing on the 1984 Olympic team after the ‘80 team that a week after the Olympics just turned 19 February 22, that I would be starting a game in Winnipeg and looking to my right and the NHL and seeing Bobby Nystrom on the right and John Tonelli on my left. And so, sure enough, you know, that's how it happened. That was a story for me, of fate and a blessing, that I was able to come to the New York Islanders.”

SF/SM:

“All things considered, everything that you've been through throughout the entirety of your career, what was the most fun thing about being an Islander?”

PL:

“I remember when I first came to the team, the first 15 games and the whole playoff run and going to the Stanley Cup Finals… For an American kid to come in, and I first came to Long Island, and it was just everything and more. Every dream that you ever thought of coming true, the team played the first 15 games before the playoffs, and I was able to help contribute to the team. And then we went on this whole playoff run. And then the atmosphere around Long Island in Nassau Coliseum the atmosphere going first round, second round, third round, Stanley Cup Finals. I just remember at 19 years of age, this was every dream come true, and more. That whole experience. And then, then to be able to play with the kind of players. You know, Trots took me under his wing. He was kind of big brother, and showed me the ropes, and learning from him and Boss and Denis and Bobby Nystrom and Clarkie and the great players, Kenny Morrow, all the great players. And then having Al Arbour as a coach, as a young player, you know how lucky, I mean, he's been the Vince Lombardi of hockey, and to be able to learn and play under him. And you know, Bill Torrey being the architect of the organization. I learned so much, and I was so fortunate. And then most importantly for me, I mean, hockey was my passion in my life, but it was a stepping stone that introduced me to my wife, Mary Beth, who was a Huntington girl at the time, I was 19, she was 18, and when we went on a blind date, and I often say this, the hockey assist Lorne Henning had was his greatest assist. He passed it to Tonelli. Lorne Henning and his wife insisted on introducing me to my wife on a blind date. He put his arm around me before the Stanley Cup Finals in ‘84 and said, ‘Hey, Kathy, and I think you and the girl next door would be a great couple.’ And I said, not the girl next door thing. He says, ‘no, she actually lives next door.’ And we laughed, I said, Lord, we're going to Stanley Cup Finals. I got to focus on hockey and in which I did. And then a week afterwards, I called him up, and we went on a blind date, and she walked in, I said, I think I'm going to marry this girl. And sure enough, three years later, we were married, and right after the Easter Epic game… I learned a lot in 84-85, 85-86, and then 86-87 a lot of what I learned, I think my was kind of a stepping stone to the rest of my career, but, yeah, looking back, it's, it's shaped my life, has shaped who I am, this sport, coming to Long Island, and then having our three children. We have two grandchildren now and so when I look back, it's a gratitude and appreciation to know that so much of the foundation of where we are today started with the New York Islanders.”

SF/SM:

“Taking a step towards the end of your career, how and when did you decide to create a charity that's become a pillar for ailing kids everywhere, and how big has it
gotten?”

PL:

"My parents said, always remember the values of where you came from, and always try to help those in need, if you're in a position to do so. And the Islanders reinforced that, because all of the players would grab Flats and I and they would all be involved in the community, and they would all have charities giving back. It was part of the Islander way too. And there's this love affair that started between the players and the community… One of the greatest contributions the Islanders made, everyone talks about the four Stanley Cups, which is phenomenal, but even more important in life is what the Islanders meant in the community and giving back and trying to support many different worthy causes that has become a legacy of the Islanders. And so I always took that example of what all the guys were doing. Bobby Nystrom, Clark Gillies, Trots, all of them in the community. And it's been a foundation that Bobby Bourne, at the time, his son had spina bifida, and we were supporting, obviously, his family and, you know, going to play wheelchair hockey games at Henry Viscardi School early on, all of these things that the players were heavily involved in... So when we went to Buffalo, Mary Beth and I -- before Companions and Courage, we created the LaFontaine Foundation, and we bought two boxes and tore the wall down because they each had eight seats, and we called it 'Suite 16. And we did that for the entire six years that I was there, because we wanted to give kids and children's hospitals and their families a chance to escape and just get out of the hospital or see a hockey game, see a concert… So I realized the example the Islander guy showed me carried on through into what we tried to do in Buffalo. And then eventually I met some amazing,
courageous kids.

When I had my knee surgery, reconstructed, and I met some amazing kids that then inspired their courage to create the Companions in Courage Foundation and start to build interactive game rooms and children's hospitals around North America, which is something near and dear to Mary Beth and I and the whole
foundation, which has been now going on For over 25 years.

Hockey was always a stepping stone and to learn and to play and enjoy it. It was a privilege and an honor, but it was really a stepping stone to do what I do today, and it taught me so much about life and what's important. And in the end, I say this, and it goes back to two amazing guys who give back in their communities, and were great examples, and it was Bobby Nystrom and Clark Gillies along with Rod Gilbert. Rod Gilbert used to always say score your goals. Make sure you score your goals. And I always remembered that I thought it was great. As I have evolved in the sport and what the game and the real, true purpose is giving back and purpose and service in life. I added from that great quote where I just say, score your goals when you're young, because when you get older, life is truly about the assists. And at the end of the day, I think you need to score your goals to get to a point to understand that it's life is truly about the assists. It's about taking what you learned from your experiences, your goals that you've achieved in your life, and then figuring out how you best can create a platform or find purpose and service in your life, to make it better for others, and try to service them, to try to make things better. And it's something that I live by.

And I'm grateful to the game of hockey. I'm grateful for the New York Islanders for bringing me to Long Island for family and for so many reasons, but also, I'm grateful for the fact that what's most important in life is truly service and purpose and giving back.”