If you think this season's closer is heart-throbbing, I experienced one at Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum that I'll never forget 33 years ago.
If you think this season's closer is heart-throbbing, I experienced one at Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum that I'll never forget 33 years ago.
It was March 31, 1990, my 58th birthday.
In addition, it concluded one of the daffiest, dizziest seasons in Islanders annals with an ending that nobody who was there ever will forget.
But let's first flashback to the start of the 1989-90 season with Al Arbour running the Nassaumen and Pat LaFontaine his leading scorer.
Patty lived up to his starry notices with an eleven-game scoring streak that helped his club to a 14-3-1 record. But that was followed by a deadly slump that threatened to suffocate any hopes for a playoff berth.
In the final week of the season, the Arbourmen needed a win against Toronto to keep their hopes alive. Astonishingly, a five-goal third period got them a 6-3 win as well as a ticket to an arresting curtain-closer.
Working the game for SportsChannel, I was hoping for a birthday win. But, for that to happen, our guys still had to beat Philadelphia.
But that was only half of it. Pittsburgh was playing Buffalo an hour after our game, and we needed the Sabres to win for the Isles to qualify.
Radar's guys took care of their end of the bargain with a 6-2 triumph. Then I joined the players in the dressing room, watching the Sabres and Penguins on the tv set hanging from the ceiling.
Simultaneously, the Coliseum fans were able to watch that match on the
scoreboard's video.
I remember bobbing and weaving underneath the tv, trying to "help" the Sabres score. Then it happened, just one minute into the overtime:
Buffalo defenseman Uwe Krupp's slap shot grazed off a Penguin and past goalie Tom Barrasso.
The Islanders were in the playoffs! Jubilation reigned supreme. But after the cheers had stopped, I distinctly recalled a few deathless lines from the giddy Isles room.
* Bryan Trottier: "Can you believe this?"
* Patrick Flatley: "I think we had some incredible karma."
* Goalie Mark Fitzpatrick: "Uwe Krupp just became my best friend in the world!"
The Maven seconded all the motions! After all, under the circumstances, it was the best gift I could have ordered for my 58th birthday!