Acquired by rookie general manager Bill Torrey in the Isles original 1972 Expansion Draft, Gerry Hart previously had played for the Detroit Red Wings after cutting his puck teeth with the Flin Flon Junior Bombers. The rough and ready Flin Flon style Hart was imported to Uniondale and became an instant fan favorite.
"I'm glad you asked," defenseman Gerry Hart liked to say when a reporter would ask how his hometown of Flin Flon, Manitoba got its name. Then, he'd explain.
"Prospectors were searching for gold and somebody found a dime novel that was left at a campsite. The novel's hero was Josiah Flinterbatty Flonerton; and that's how my hometown became a Flin Flon!"
Acquired by rookie general manager Bill Torrey in the New York Islanders original 1972 Expansion Draft, Hart previously had played for the Detroit Red Wings after cutting his puck teeth with the Flin Flon Junior Bombers. "Teams didn't like to bus all the way north to play us," Gerry laughed, "because our fans were rough. If the opposition didn't get black and blue on the ice, our fans would take care of them later."
The rough and ready Flin Flon style was imported to Uniondale in 1972 and Hart became an instant fan favorite. "The crowd loved Hart," said Long Island Press hockey writer Sid Payne, "because he was totally fearless. We called him 'Fireplug' because he looked like one -- wearing a pair of skates."
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Hart played on the Isles first (1974-75) playoff team but never hung around long enough to win a Cup in Uniondale. What Mister Flin Fon did win was the utmost respect of his head coach, Al Arbour. "What I loved about Gerry," Radar liked to say, "is that he's all heart. Or,, to put it another way, he reminds me of me when I played in the NHL -- a defenseman's defenseman."
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