"Very exciting," said Tonelli, who had 836 points in 1,028 NHL games with the Islanders, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Quebec Nordiques and scored 25 playoff goals during New York's four-year championship run. "You've got two guys (Islanders co-owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky) that know what they're doing. It's a way's away, but it'll fly by quickly and we'll be there. It's going to be exciting and whatever I can do to help, I'll be there."
Tonelli, who hasn't been around the Islanders very often since his retirement from the NHL in 1992, received an ovation when he walked onto the ice for the ceremonial puck drop.
The Islanders have retired the numbers of six players from their dynasty (Denis Potvin, No. 5; Clark Gillies, No. 9; Bryan Trottier, No. 19; Mike Bossy, No. 22; Bob Nystrom, No. 23; and Billy Smith, No. 31). Will Tonelli's No. 27 join them one day?
"As I walk the concourses talking to the fans every night, the No. 1 thing that they say to me is, 'Where's John Tonelli?'" Ledecky said. "The second thing they say is, 'John Tonelli deserves to have his number retired,' and the third thing is, 'John Tonelli deserves to be in the Hall of Fame or the Islanders Hall of Fame,' all of which of course I agree with.
"The thing about the alumni association is we're forming a great group of guys, and I think it's going to be up to them. I think instead of having an owner say, 'Retire his number, do this, do that,' I think it's much better if it comes from the group itself. It's much more organic and it's much more meaningful to the guy if it's coming from his peers. I think that's what you'll see in the future."
