In recognition of the Islanders’ 50th anniversary season, The Post ranks the top 50 players in franchise history.
Added weight is given to contributions in big moments and to The Dynasty that arguably became the greatest team in NHL history in winning four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83 and 19 straight playoff series before going down in the 1984 final.
Honorable Mention: Travis Green, Mariusz Czerkawski, Greg Gilbert, Ray Ferraro, Shawn Bates, David Volek, Mark Parrish, Dave Lewis, Matt Moulson
First of two-part series: Part 1 — Players Nos. 50-21; Part 2 — Nos. 20-1
50. Rick DiPietro
The Islanders could have had both Roberto Luongo and either Dany Heatley or Marian Gaborik, but instead GM Mike Milbury’s trade machinations yielded DiPietro as the first-overall pick in 2000.
Fifteen-year contract and chronic injuries that forced early retirement — the radio personality is only 41 — overshadowed pockets of brilliance in nets. His 130 wins rank third in franchise history.
49. Bob Lorimer
Reliable defensive-defenseman who was paired primarily with Denis Potvin for the first two Cup championships.
Added more value as a trade chip when sent to the Rockies for the 1982 first-round pick that became Pat LaFontaine.
48. Adam Pelech
Formed one half of the estimable defense tandem with Ryan Pulock that was at the heart of the recent back-to-back trips to the Cup semifinals, with No. 3 remaining an essential piece of the effort to get back to the tournament this year.
47. Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck
They are linked in history, they are linked in this ranking, the three amigos who have formed the Identity Line that has had more staying power and success than any support line in recent NHL history. Beat you while beating you up.
46. Mike McEwen
Deemed somewhat flighty and offense-minded when he broke in with the Rangers’ young core of the late ’70s before being sent to the Rockies in the Barry Beck deal.
Acquired by the Islanders at the 1981 deadline in exchange for Chico Resch and Steve Tambellini, stepped in to assume point duties on the first power-play unit when Stefan Persson suffered a broken jaw early in the tournament and was a member of the final three Cup teams.
45. Alexei Yashin
It was not his fault that Milbury traded Zdeno Chara and the second-overall pick in the draft that became Jason Spezza to Ottawa for the center who had missed the previous year because of a contract dispute.
It was not his fault, either, that the GM thereafter signed him to a 10-year contract worth $87.5 million.
But the trade and commitment overshadowed a couple of rather good seasons before the contract was inevitably bought out.
44. Jean Potvin
One of the most popular guys in the room, Potsy served two terms on the Island, returning for the first two Cups after having been sent to the Cleveland Barons as part of the deal for Wayne Merrick.
Placed second among NHL defensemen with 72 points in 1975-76 (17-55), a total exceeded by his brother, Denis (31-67-98).
43. Lorne Henning
Took the puck from Persson, wheeled in center-ice and hit John Tonelli with the feed that set up the relay to Bob Nystrom for the first Cup-winning goal at 7:11 of overtime in Game 6 for the 5-4 victory over the Flyers at the Coliseum.
A checking, support center through his nine-year career spent exclusively on the Island, was a member of the first two championship squads before stepping behind the bench as an assistant coach for the next two titles.
42. Jude Drouin
Talented center whose acquisition from Minnesota midway through 1974-75 two days after the trade for J.P. Parise helped transform the third-year club into serious playoff contention.
Assisted on Parise’s goal at 0:11 of overtime for the Game 3 prelim series winner over the Rangers at the Garden.
Recorded 169 points (64-105) in 250 games on the Island but had his last productive year at age 28 in 1976-77.
41. Benoit Hogue
Popular winger who has maintained a presence on the Island and with the organization played only three full seasons with the club but scored at least 30 goals in each of them.
Recorded 30, 33 and 36, respectively, beginning with 1991-92, and chipped in with 12 points (6-6) in the 1993 drive to the conference semis.
40. Josh Bailey
The most senior pro athlete in New York after having joined the Islanders to start the 2008-09 season after being selected ninth overall in the 2008 draft.
Has been through it all.
Third on the franchise all-time games played list with 1,056, trailing only immortals Denis Potvin (1,060) and Bryan Trottier (1,123). Seventh in career points with 580 (184-396).
39. Anders Kallur
Signed as a free agent out of Sweden at age 27 prior to 1979-80, missed the first Cup run with an injury sustained in the final game of the regular season.
Scored 36 goals the following year and became a quadruple-ring winner.
38. J.P. Parise
There was much more to the winger’s tenure than the overtime goal in front to beat the Rangers but that is never a bad place to start.
Brought professionalism, toughness and veteran accountability to a young group when acquired from Minnesota two days before Drouin.
Parise was on the left, Drouin in the middle and Ed Westfall was on the right to form the club’s most formidable pre-Dynasty checking line.
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37. Steve Thomas
High-energy offensive-minded wing acquired from the Blackhawks in the deal that sent Brent Sutter to Chicago.
Scored 107 goals (28, 37, 42) in his first three seasons with the club and added nine goals with seven assists in the 1993 run to the conference finals.
36. Kyle Okposo
Respected two-way character guy who recorded 369 points (139-230) in a nine-year run during which the winger represented a port of stability through rather unstable times.
35. Frans Nielsen
The Great Dane was one of the club’s most dependable two-way players during his 10-year tenure that ended with free-agent defection to Detroit following 2015-16.
Hit the 20-goal mark for the first time at age 29 with 25 in 2013-14.
34. Michael Peca
Named captain and created immediate impact upon being acquired from Buffalo in 2001 after a season-long holdout.
Mean and led with an edge, the center recorded a career-high 60 points (25-35) his first season while winning the Selke before being targeted with a low blow from Darcy Tucker that tore his ACL in Game 5 of the vicious, seven-game first-round defeat to Toronto in which the Maple Leafs’ hooliganism was enabled by the league.
Never was quite the same again. Was never the same over his next and final two years on the Island. A pity.
33. Derek King
Solid citizen on the wing before a three-year explosion in the early ’90s in which he scored a sum of 108 goals that included a 40-goal 1991-92.
One of 13 in franchise history to hit the 200-goal mark (211).
32. Wayne Merrick
Perhaps the most overlooked of the Quadruple Ring guys, came from Cleveland in 1978-79 for Parise and Jean Potvin.
Outstanding skater and playmaker who generally centered wingers Nystrom and Tonelli the first two Cups, chipped in with 18 points (6-12) in 1981 playoffs.
31. Kelly Hrudey
Fourth all-time in wins (106) and games played in nets (241), athletic, acrobatic and charismatic as Billy Smith’s successor as No. 1 during the middle of the 1980s.
Made 73 saves in the 1987 Easter Epic quadruple-overtime Game 7, 3-2 victory over the Caps in Landover, Md., in the first round of the playoffs.
30. Darius Kasparaitis
When this fifth-overall selection of the 1992 draft was on the ice, opponents not only had to keep their heads up, they had to watch their knees at the same time. Not always easy.
29. Vladimir Malakhov
Isn’t it somewhat odd that both Kasparaitis and Malakhov were both gone before playing 250 games for the Islanders when the pair should have formed the blue line bedrock for a decade?
28. Kenny Jonsson
Big, strong, commanding and with plenty of offensive upside, the Swede’s career was compromised and cut short by repeated concussions.
A victim of Gary Roberts’ 50-foot charge that knocked the defenseman unconscious in Game 5 of the 2002 first round against the thuggish Leafs before retiring two years later at age 29.
Another added to the list of what-might-have-been.
27. Brock Nelson
Offensive production has improved over the course of career in which No. 29 has hit the 20-goal mark in seven of his 10 seasons on the Island, the last two in which the center has scored 37 and 34, respectively. Tied for eighth with Anders Lee on the franchise all-time goal-scoring list at 239.
26. Anders Lee
The team captain has been a down-low presence for years, a scorer tied with Nelson for eighth in franchise history at 239.
Recorded 40 goals in 2017-18 while playing left wing on a unit with John Tavares in the middle and Bailey on the right. A leader on and off the ice.
25. Patrick Flatley
Joined the Islanders for the Drive for Five after representing Canada in the 1984 Olympics, had nine goals and 15 points in those playoffs.
A grinder who became one of the club’s most popular players over his 13-year tenure before playing his final season with the Rangers.
24. Billy Harris
The Original Islanders’ first-overall draft pick in 1972, Harry O played in club’s first 576 games until shockingly made a healthy scratch by Al Arbour in November 1979.
Played the right side with Clark Gillies on the left and Bryan Trottier on the right on the team’s first marquee line (The Long Island Lightning Company) before his spot was usurped by Mike Bossy.
He and Dave Lewis were the guys who went to LA in exchange for Butch Goring at the 1980 deadline.
23. Gord Lane
Toughness personified, formed one-half of the estimable Dynasty blue line pair with Ken Morrow. Obtained in one of GM Bill Torrey’s most overlooked great trades when pulled out of oblivion in Washington in exchange for center Mike Kaszycki.
22. Chico Resch
Kissed the posts in his and his team’s historic 1-0 Game 7 in Pittsburgh in 1975 that culminated the Islanders’ comeback from 3-0 down in the series.
The club’s original folk hero, second on the victory list with 157 in a 1A/1B rotation with Billy Smith until the latter grabbed the No. 1 role early in the 1980 playoffs and never let go.
21. Duane Sutter
Added grit and tenacity to The Dynasty, joining the 1979-80 team as a 19-year-old first-round draft choice and was an essential piece on the right side for the four Cups.
Often played up with Goring, recorded 21 points (9-12) in the 1983 playoffs to tie for third on the club.
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