Harris among few reasons to smile for first-year Islanders

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.
Once a month, he'll let a photo from his vast collection do the talking in his "Picture is Worth 100 Words" feature. This week's photo shows New York Islanders general manager Bill Torrey shortly after he selected Billy Harris with the No. 1 pick in the 1972 NHL Draft. Harris, the top-rated junior player in Canada, turned down a more lucrative offer from the World Hockey Association to play in the NHL.

Bill Torrey and
Billy Harris
had reason to smile following the 1972 NHL Draft.
Torrey, the general manager of the expansion New York Islanders, selected Harris, a 20-year-old Toronto-born right wing, with the No. 1 pick. Harris then signed the biggest rookie contract in NHL history -- reportedly $300,000 for three years.
Harris scored two goals in New York's first-ever victory, 3-2 against the Los Angeles Kings at Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 12, 1972, and led them in goals (28) and points (50) during an initial season that saw the Islanders set NHL records for fewest points and most losses. He averaged more than 25 goals through his first six NHL seasons and was part of the Islanders' rise from the worst record in NHL history in 1972-73 to a Stanley Cup contender.
But Harris' offensive numbers were good, not great, so when Torrey had a chance to get the second-line center he'd been looking for, Harris was part of the package that went to the Kings. He and veteran defenseman
Dave Lewis
were the price Torrey and the Islanders paid for center
Butch Goring
, who turned out to be the missing piece that started New York on the way to becoming a dynasty.