Who knows? Rich Torrey could have been general manager of the Islanders today.

Who knows? Rich Torrey could have been general manager of the New York Islanders today.

But halfway along the Boulevard of Life, the son of Isles Dynasty architect Bill Torrey took a right turn. He said Sayonara to the ice world and became an eminently successful cartoonist, comic strip artist, and successful man about the art world; while still adoring hockey.

Now at age 64, Rich is marrying the two loves of his professional life, hockey and art. Exhibit A is in the accompanying photo of captain Denis Potvin lifting the Stanley Cup. Soon it will be a life-sized painting.

"I've done a lot of things in the art world, and now I'm taking up painting," says Torrey, a resident of Shoreham. "I'm giving oil painting a shot because it feels like it's the opposite direction that the art world seems to be speeding toward through the use of AI (artificial intelligence) enhanced digital art.

"The first subject I wanted to paint was some sort of homage to the Islanders Dynasty. I immediately thought of two possible subjects. First was Bobby Nystrom in that iconic pose moments after he scored the overtime goal that won our first Cup. Then I decided I'd start with Denis Potvin, the captain, holding the Cup over his head."

Why Potvin?

"Denis is one of the special ones," Rich goes on. "He's meant a great deal to our family. He's also the one who called me that fateful morning to inform me that my dad had passed. I'll never forget it."

Fair enough, but why leave hockey for art in the first place? You could have had a lifetime job with the Islanders.

"I did a lot of work for Al Arbour -- videotaping games, practices, special teams -- including stats and advance scouting. Plus, I ran the Islanders Hockey School in the summer. And while I loved working for the team and the sport of hockey, had I stayed in the game, I knew I would always be in the shadow of The Bow Tied One. Instead, I followed my passion for art and never looked back."

If truth be told, that "passion" actually began with a chance meeting with his artistic idol, Peanuts creator Charles (Sparky) Schulz. The encounter took place when Bill Torrey was running the NHL's Oakland Seals. At the time, hockey-nut Schulz was a Seals season ticket holder.

Rich: "I was in third grade at the time and drew a horse in my class, and for some reason, I got it in my head the Schulz needed to see it. I took the drawing to a Seals game and showed it to Sparky. On the back of my horse drawing, Schulz signed his name and drew Snoopy. Needless to say, it had a profound effect on me.

"My Islanders work left me some downtime, and I just kept drawing. I ended up doing cartoons and illustrations for NHL programs, the Islander News as well as magazines like Sports Illustrated and Penthouse. I also started to work on a comic strip idea.

"After a few years, I had enough work to send out to the syndicates and -- a week or so before Christmas in the fifth year of our Cup run -- I got a call from King Features telling me they wanted to buy my strip, Hartland. It aired in 180 papers around the world the following June."

That led Torrey to do two comic strips, as well as design greeting cards, illustrating 16 children's books and dozens of others. "I define my full-time job as thinking, writing, drawing funny things, and getting paid for it."

Lately, the bucks are flowing in since he started a YouTube channel and Tiktok page both called "Level Up Cartooning," where he gives cartooning lessons. He's had nearly 75K followers on TikTok and nearly 6,000 subscribers on Youtube. That explains why he's had time to work on his Denis Potvin project.

"It fits my idea of painting great historic subjects and sports figures -- but in my own style. Then, a pause for reflection: "In the end, I've followed my passion and never looked back."

Except, of course, for his inspiration, "Peanuts" and Sparky Schulz, with whom he became artistic pals. "We ended up writing back and forth over the years until his passing. Sparky was one of the most brilliant yet humble people to ever walk this earth.

"Now," Rich smiles, "I've got to get going on my Isles homage. The image I now have is ready to transfer to canvas, and we'll find out just how well it took."

Something tells me that it will be a winner; just like Denis Potvin!

Not to mention the proud father, Bow Tie Bill Torrey!