Former Islanders Legend John Tonelli Heads to the New York Hockey Hall of Fame

On Sunday, New York Islanders legend John Tonelli will be inducted into the New York Hockey Hall of Fame. Stan Fischler will also be inducted.

Role model.

200-foot player extraordinaire.

Indefatigable.

Hero among heroes.

Unselfish.

Chairman of the Boards.

You get the point. The Maven could endlessly go on -- piling adjectives on top of adverbs telling you why I love John Tonelli.

It also explains why on Sunday afternoon, the indefatigable New York Islanders left wing will be inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame at the Hilton Hotel in Troy, New York.

"John Tonelli changed the fabric of the Islanders when he joined our team," says Glenn (Chico) Resch, who shared the goaltending with Bill Smith when Tonelli joined the Nassaumen in 1978.

"He was as close to being the perfect two-way as anyone who ever laced on skates."

"Plus, Johnny could fit in snugly with any linemates. Time and again, Al (Arbour) would put him at left with -- replacing Clark Gillies -- on the first line with Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies, and the unit would never miss a beat."

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txMnTlJxX6k[/embed]

Ditto when Radar decided to insert Johnny T with center Lorne Henning and right wing Bob Nystrom during Game Six of the Flyers-Islanders Stanley Cup Final in the spring of 1980.

Henning snared a loose puck at center ice during the first overtime period. Instantly, Lorne scanned the horizon.

"He saw me free on the right side," Tonelli remembers, "and sent me a perfect pass."

Ironically, J.T. was on his "wrong" side but, typically, played the position so well that he could have made the next move while sleepwalking.

Tonelli: "I saw (right wing) Bobby Nystrom flying down the other side and sent him the pass as he got past the Flyers defender."

Instead of shooting, Ny curved his wand so that it would perfectly propel the biscuit past Philadelphia goalie Pete Peeters, and the rest is glorious Islanders history.l"

Arbour's skaters won their first Stanley Cup the best -- and hard -- way. And so typical.

The only reason Henning was there was as a replacement for injured center Wayne Merrick. And there was Johnny on his wrong wing -- "no problem at all" -- and Ny executing Philly from the series with the most magnificent deflection that Long Island ever has known.

Know this: there was no luck at all in the pinball trail of a puck that magically moved from Lorne to John to Bob. This was each Lunchpail Player doing what he did best.

"Each one of those three guys represented what the Islanders were all about," said Arbour. "Hard, hard work with enough talent there to win hockey games."

That, however, was merely a prelude for great Tonelli things to come. No Islanders historian -- and certainly not me, who was there at the time -- ever will forget how Tonelli saved the franchise from an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Penguins when the dynasty was reaching its peak.

"Pitt was leading us 3-1 well into the third period, and we were facing an awful elimination by the Penguins," Mike Bossy recalled. "Michel Dion was a demon in their nets, but, somehow, -- with the help of Mike McEwen and others we managed to crawl back.

"But in the end, it was Johnny (Tonelli) and Bobby Ny who helped pull it out for us. We tied the game, and then John won it in overtime. And then went on to win another Cup."

In 1982-83 -- with the Isles en route to their remarkable four straight titles -- it was Tonelli who enjoyed his most productive postseason with 18 points over 20 Cup games.

From a personal standpoint, I never was particularly surprised as Tonelli's game rose from competent to greatness.

When I was broadcasting New England Whalers during the 1973-74 and the following season, I watched Tonelli star alongside the Houston Aeros' Gordie, Mark, and Marty Howe.

And I happened to be in Toronto's Royal York Hotel when Isles g.m. Bill Torrey -- and Bow Tie Bill's sidekick Jim Devellano -- inked Tonelli to his first Islanders contract. (Three tables away, Torrey swore me to secrecy as he, Jimmy D, and Johnny T finalized Tonelli's first NHL contract.

The rest is a glorious marriage of the quintessential Islander who rounded out what became the greatest club in National Hockey League history.

It was a club that did what no other team ever accomplished -- nor ever will -- by winning 19 consecutive playoff series wins from 1980 through 1984.

And it was John Tonelli who made it all possible and why Johnny T will be inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame.

Or, to put it another very realistic way: John Tonelli is the role model's role model.

And there's a philosopher out there who put it another fine way -- genius will out!

P.S. Other inductees on Sunday include Craig Conroy, Jody Gage, Danny Gare, Barry Melrose, Mark Pavelich, Buzz Schneider, and Dave Taylor. Not to mention, Chris Fess, Ron Kuhl, Pierre Luc Leblonde, Jessica Link, Steve Riggs, and Colette Youlin.

Oh, yeah; I almost forgot, Me, The Maven!