I wouldn't ordinarily tell you this story about the Rangers new coach, Peter Laviolette, but since he told it himself at his Islanders' debut press conference, why shouldn't I?

I wouldn't ordinarily tell you this story about the Rangers new coach, Peter Laviolette, but since he told it himself at his Islanders' debut press conference, why shouldn't I?

Yeah, why shouldn't I since it's all over page 155 of the Peter Botte - Alan Hahn classic "Fish Sticks."

Okay -- I kid you not -- when Kristen and Peter Laviolette were being driven from Long Island's MacArthur Airport to the posh Garden City Hotel, Kristen suffered a bout of motion sickness of which Peter was aware. As Botte-Hahn wrote:

"They were right by a greenery in the middle of Garden City Village. Peter whisked Kristren out of the limo and over to a bush, where she proceeded to vomit all over the greenery." 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOHw2cCGwbQ[/embed]

Obviously, this ordinarily would not be a tale worth repeating but Lavvy -- to his eternal credit -- has a sense of humor. The following day at his "Meet The Coach" press conference, he told the news folks the story of Kristen at the grass.

"Peter got a long, hearty laugh," reported Botte-Hahn. "Peter explained how this has happened regularly at his many stops along the way."

Lavvy then added the perfect squelch: "I guess you could say Long Island has now officially been christened!"

Put it this way, I have no idea just how good -- or bad, as the case may be -- a Rangers coach he will be but, frankly, I loved him that rookie year of his in Uniondale. 

Suffice to say, but general manager Mike Milbury did good by Lavvy. He obtained Alexei Yashin from Ottawa. (Who knew how good the departed Zdeno Chara would be?) Shortly thereafter, Mad Mike obtained Michael Peca, as good a leader as Lavvy could ask for; and the new mentor was off and running.

But that wasn't all; Milbury pried a darn good goalie -- Chris Osgood -- away from Detroit so now it was up to Laviolette to make some beautiful music on the Island. And that he did that first season, that he did.

The Isles were 10-0 to open the season and, in good time, breezed along with the breeze in that 2001-02 campaign. There were slumps to be sure but Lavvy accentuated the positive and the team would straighten itself out.

At the Olympic break they had just beaten the Rangers and stood at a very respectable -- considering previous disasters-- 29-19-6-3. A later slump so upset Milbury that the g.m. began to suffer doubts about his choice of head coach.

But there's something to the bromide, "All's well that ends well," and for Lavvy, it happened on April 6, 2002 when his Isles beat Washington and gained a playoff berth for the first time in seven years. As for the rookie coach, he had learned how to orchestrate the local media.

"He became more direct and more entertaining," wrote Botte-Hahn. "He even allowed for some repartee."

I'll never forget the playoff against Toronto. It went seven games before the bullying Leafs took the decisive game in Toronto, 4-2.

If anything, the season proved that Lavvy could coach in The Show.

Laviolette: "We didn't make the playoffs just to make them and gain experience like everyone wanted us to do. Our goals were higher than that. Internally we all thought that we could win the Stanley Cup."

It was a nice try by a nice guy. And when I think about Lavvy as Isles coach, that one season was the most fun!