Hockey Ping!
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Posted on 08/28/2015 1:08:48 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
UNIONDALE -- Al Arbour, who coached the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships and ranks as the NHL's second-most winningest coach, has died, team officials announced Friday. He was 82.
The cause of death is unclear, though Arbour was battling Parkinson's Disease and dementia. He had been living in Florida.
Arbour transitioned from a successful 14-season NHL playing career as a defenseman to become one of the league's all-time best coaches.
Beginning in 1973-74, Arbour led the Isles to 15 playoff appearances and won 119 playoff games - an NHL record with one team - over 19 seasons. His 740 career regular-season wins with the Islanders are the most with one NHL team. He retired after the 1993-94 season, before returning to coach his 1,500th game with New York on Nov. 3, 2007.
Arbour was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.
"Al will always be remembered as one of, if not the greatest coaches ever to stand behind a bench in the history of the National Hockey League," Islanders President and general manager Garth Snow said. "From his innovative coaching methods, to his humble way of life away from the game, Al is one of the reasons the New York Islanders are a historic franchise."
Overall, he had a 782-577-223 record, including three seasons coaching the St. Louis Blues, and ranks second on the NHL win list behind Scotty Bowman.
Former Islanders player Ray Ferraro paid tribute to Arbour on Twitter, saying: "Have so many thoughts on passing of Al Arbour. So sad, he impacted my career, life deeply. Rest peacefully Al."
Arbour's death comes at a time when the Islanders are in transition. The franchise is moving from its longtime and outdated home - Nassau Coliseum - in Uniondale, New York, to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn this season.
Arbour was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and broke into the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1953-54 season. He won Stanley Cup titles with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962 and 1964, as well as with Detroit in 1954 and Chicago in 1961. He retired following the 1970-71 season after four years in St. Louis.
The defensive-minded Arbour finished with 12 goals and 58 assists in 626 career games.
He is survived by his wife Claire, and children Joann, Jay, Julie and Janice.
The team was superb...great players...all with different skill sets. Potvin, Morrow, and Mike Bossy was the best stick handler and pure shooter I ever saw.
Talk about having one amazing year... Ken Morrow went from winning the Gold Medal in 1980 to winning the Stanley Cup soon after. That's a career in and of itself.
Back then the Rangers and Islanders had a real death rivalry. The teams detested each other. Rangers hadn't won a Cup in decades, here comes this upstart, pissant team that wins four straight..
I went to one Rangers/Islanders game at the Garden. You have absolutely no idea what it is like to hear 19,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs;
POTVIN SUCKS!
Left a very sad mark on my childhood when he made the call to pull Billy Smith in favor of Chico Resch and brought his Islanders back from a 3-0 deficit to beat my Penguins back in the ‘75 playoffs. The Pens would go bankrupt that summer and would stink for another 15 years.
RIP.
The night the Islanders turned into the Flyers!!!
“I went to one Rangers/Islanders game at the Garden. You have absolutely no idea what it is like to hear 19,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs;
POTVIN SUCKS! “
I do. 40 years later you still hear Potvin Sucks! Now they have Dancing Larry.
RIP.
Those Islander teams were darned good. RIP to a legend.
Well I guess they have won one since then.
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I am very sad to hear this news. I helps to make me realize how old I am getting, among other things.
RIP
As a Ranger fan I did not like the Islanders or Al Arbour. But I sure did respect him and his team. They surely were a great bunch.
But as they still chant at the Garden - “Potvin Sucks”.
Those affected are in my thoughts and prayers.
I may not know right off, who he was, but I sure do know the name.
Yes. I don’t think he’s ever gotten his due as one of the NHL’s great coaches.
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