THE TOP 9 LIST
The most important goals in Islanders history
The Islanders are off today, so it’s time for another Top 9. The key word here is important – not memorable, incredible, personally-witnessed, etc.
1. Nystrom at 7:11: As Mike Bossy has said, always seemed right that one of the Islanders’ warriors should get the overtime goal in 1980 for the first Stanley Cup.
2. J.P. Parise at 0:11: In just their third season, Islanders win their first playoff series – on an overtime goal in 1975 against the Rangers in Madison Square Garden, to boot.
3. Tonelli Saves the Dynasty: JT’s biggest – at 6:19 of OT in the fifth and deciding game against Pittsburgh in the first round of 1982 – makes two more Stanley Cups possible.
4. Ken Morrow, naturally: Continuing a tradition of big goals from every source, the defensive defenseman pots one at 8:56 of overtime in the deciding game 5 of the first round against the Rangers in 1984 to keep the Drive for Five alive.
5. Ferraro to Volek: On the franchise’s last historic goal, a blazing Ray Ferraro slides a one-timer on David Volek’s tee at an appropriate 5:16 of overtime to dethrone the two-time defending Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo in 1993.
6. Patty on Easter: In the Easter Epic, Pat LaFontaine scores at 8:47 of the fourth overtime in Game 7 of the opening round against the Capitals in Landover in 1987.
7. Bossy 50/50: The only singular achievement on the list, but a monumental one: on January 24, 1981 Mike Bossy joins Maurice Richard as just the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in the first 50 goals of the season.
8. 18 Completes History: Islanders become second team in league history to come back from 3-0 series deficit when Ed Westfall scores five minutes into the third period of Game 7 at the Igloo for a 1-0 game win and landmark 4-3 series win in 1975.
9. JT Makes it 15 in a Row: On Feb. 20, 1982, John Tonelli scores with 47 seconds left against Chico Resch and the Rockies as the Islanders set a new league mark with 15 consecutive wins. This was way before you can win a game just by winning a shootout.
Shawn Bates’ penalty shot goal in 2002 is the most memorable recent moment, but the Islanders lost the series. Your reactions to this story in Comments. For talk on the current Islanders, please use the Ottawa game thread below. Thanks.
47 Responses to THE TOP 9 LIST
The most important goals in Islanders history
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Will Curley says:
The Bates Goal is definetly up there. I think that goal has kept the franchise alive for the past 6 years. Showed Canadians that the old barn isn’t so easy to play in. We were one dirty hip check away from making some serious noise in the playoffs that year. It was a shame. But that goal was the best thing I had ever seen.
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Mike from Philly says:
C.B. – great list, while we are all proud of what this team has accomplished, to me what is a bit sad is we have not had a very important moment like anything listed here since 1993. That is a long time ago, I hope Garth has this team back on track to becoming what it once was.
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ron says:
that Ray Ferraro goal is what got me hooked into Islanders hockey. I was in 2nd grade when all that happened and i still remember it like it was yesterday.
but the Bates penalty shot was a shot heard around the world. i never heard the barn so loud before. let’s bring back the noise!
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JK says:
The Tonelli goal saved my wallet as well. I was trash talking that the Isles would come back and win that game. Backed up my talk with a few wagers. JT took care of business. Great stuff.
The Bates gaol proves the fans’ fire still burns for this franchise. We are a powder keg waiting to explode.
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Uncle Jr says:
CB
Great list … I think lots of people love the Bates goal cause it is basically the only important goal in recent history. Being a fan since 1977 i have the bates goal listed pretty high, i guess because nothing has happened since the Turgeon goal against the Caps and Volek’s goal against the Pens. ….. Personally though,I think aside from the obvious (Nystrom @ 7:11) the most important Islander goal(s) have to be the Tonelli goals v. the Pens to save the dynasty. -
EdTurner says:
If JT’s goal against Pittsburgh is number 3 than the goal that Mike McEwen scored with less than six minutes left in regulation to get the ball rolling on the comeback is #3A (big hand to Al for having the guts to pull his goalie with six minutes left on the PP)
Without that goal, well you know the rest.
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guerin13 says:
what about the shootout goals by satan and kozlov against nj on easter sunday 2 years ago to get us into the playoffs?
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Mike from Queens says:
Guerin13,
I think you’ll see Botta running a RangersPointBlank site before he heaps any praise on shootout goals. You and I might be fans of shootouts in lieu of ties, but Botta does not seem to be with us.
Plus, Dubie’s shootout *saves* in that game were far bigger than any goals.
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JPinVA says:
Great list, but you forgot all about freddy’s goal last night which proved that an Islander was still alive in the 3rd period of a game this season.
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Isles fan in CA says:
Granted Lafontaine drilled in a shot to win the Easter epic. But, it was Kelly Hrudey who stood on his head multiple times to allow the Isles to have that shot.
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dcdavis says:
Isn’t the most important “goal” for the Islanders to bring home the Stanley Cup?
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doc says:
Isles fan in CA:
It’s obvious that without Hrudey standing on his head there isn’t a goal… but this was a list of most important goals… not a list of most important saves.I’m sure you already realise that… but before this turns into a debate of saves vs. goals… I wanted to get my 2 cents in.
DOC
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rb says:
IMHO, one of the most important overlooked goals was Ken Morrow’s OT winner in Game 3 of the opening round of the playoffs in 1980 against the Kings in LA…down the stretch that year, the Isles gained momentum when they acquired Goring for Lewis and Harris…so predictably enough, Isles and Kings met in the first round…Isles won Game 1 on LI by a lop-sided score of 8-1, and it looked like the 5-game series would be no contest…but this was Kings of Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer…that line dominated the NHL, scoring 146 goals and 182 assists, good for 328 points that year…Dionne won the Art Ross Trophy that year with 137 points on 53 goals and 84 assists…and the goaltender, Mario Lessard, was an NHL All-Star…and Lewis and Harris needed no extra incentive to beat the Isles…Kings won game 2 on LI, Chico Resch allowing 6 goals…right away everyone thought another playoff collapse was coming since series was now shifting to LA, which could win it in four without returning to LI…Isles were down 3-1 going into the 3rd period of Game 3, and loss would have put them one away from elimination with the game in LA…after Isles finally kick it in gear and score 2 goals in the 3rd, Ken Morrow scored the game winner in overtime…Isles then win in Game 4 convincingly, and never look back until they’re down in Game 5 1982 against Pens…without that comeback win against LA and Morrow’s OT winner, maybe Isles lose series, no run, and maybe team gets broken up…no one ever seems to acknowledge the importance of that Game 3 against LA
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rb:
Nice recall brutha…
Good times.
DOC
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isles72 says:
without the ‘pass’ -there wouldnt be no Nystrom 7:11
just retire JT’s number already
cant believe the organization lets a guy like Colliton wear the number
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dlk1 says:
To all those who list the Bates goal, you really don’t know what you missed by not being around for the dynasty years. Those who lived through it know what I mean; those who didn’t never will.
Johnny Tonelli’s #27 should be hanging between #23 and #31.
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Islander505 says:
I agree isles72…..No reflection on Colliton, but everytime I saw “27″ skating around the rink this past weekend I started having flashbacks to the early 80′s.
(Not the least of which was watching “THE GOAL” on my, at the time, 3 year old six inch black and white portable TV in the loneliness of my newly rented house in Anchorage. There can be no doubt that all my friends and buds on LI heard me screaming from 4 time zones away).Please retire Tonelli’s number….It is long overdue.
He was the backbone of the nuts and bolts of those teams. -
I’m shocked it hasn’t happened, and that they seem to have put that “Islander Hall of Fame” thing on the back burner ever since Bob Bourne night. I figured Tonelli would have been the next honoree, but after hearing more about him I’m even more surprised they didn’t retire his number.
Attention Wang/Snow: never too late to correct that.
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Akeem says:
Even if it’s because it’s the only positive Islander moment in recent memory, that in itself deems it worthy of being on the list. The Islanders franchise has been around for 35 years – to say that all of the important goals happened in a 4 or 5 year span is not an authentic portrait of the highs and the lows of this franchise. Every sports franchise is a function of its eras, and in the last 10 years, that bates goal is the number one Islander moment, which has to put it on the list. EG, Robin Ventura’s Grand Slam Single in ’99, and Endy Chavez’s Catch in ’06 should both make any list of greates Mets moments, even though they lost both series, since those were the greates moments from a given era. Again, although I know I’m not explaining myself well, that’s my opinion…
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Mike from Oceanside says:
I have to preface what I’m about to say with this…I’ve been a fan of the Islanders since 1975.
So here goes…When will we, as fans, stop living in the past? A bit more concentration on the present and future of this organization…please. Retire #27 for Tonelli? Fine. Then retire all of the numbers used by every player in those championship years and get it over with so then we could finally turn the page and move on. Or else in 20 more years we’ll be debating if #10 should be retired for Lorne Henning because his pass led the to pass which led to the goal.
Our team hasn’t won a playoff series since 1993. A child borm the day David Volek eliminated the Penguins will be attending his junior prom this year.
I lived through those “under achieving teams” of 78 & 79. I’ve celebrated the championships. I couldn’t sleep following the 84 drive for five loss. I enjoyed the 93 run to the Wales Conference finals against the Habs. The 02 playoff series with the Leafs was a fantastic series – especially after all of the ownership problems that preceeded it.
Pop in “Dinner And A Dynasty”. Go find your copy of “Pride of the Island” (I can lend you mine if you need it). Enjoy the memories of those championship years. Those teams were spectacular and all of the praise that has already been heaped upon them was much deserved. They’ve provide us unforgetable memories.
However, I prefer to look to the future. This team needs to turn around quickly or else that’s all we’ll have are memories of a team in Houston that used to play Uniondale.
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mrlbem says:
Akeem,
The important goals span an 18 year period, from 1975 to 1993–not a 5 year period. Please, the Bates goal was the most exciting moment (along with Eric Cairns ending Shane Corson’s career) since 1993, but that just points out how lame the organization has become. If we win the series, it merits attention. We didn’t. It doesn’t belong in the Top 9.
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what Akeem said….
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What Mike from Oceanside said…
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Hey CB, I hope we can get into some more creative top 9 lists, whicih also discuss Islander futility and ineptitude – all part of being an islander fan. Like top 9 draft busts, or top 9 worst trades…those could be really fun lists.
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Wait… we want to retire Tonelli’s number now? When does it stop? Should we retire every number from that era? The Canadiens have 15 retired numbers in 100 years of history and 24 Stanley Cups. How can any of the Islanders retired numbers be viewed as legitimate if we keep retiring numbers of men from the same 4 year period? Let’s leave it as it is until we have new numbers to retire.
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BringBackNyles says:
The one goal I would put on above Bossy’s 50 in 50 is the Turgeon OT goal at MSG in 1993, which helped seal a Isles playoff win and rangers playoff elimination.
Also, not to get to far off topic, but the Mets lost the game Endy Chavez made the catch in, it should not even be on a top 500 Mets moment list…fielding play list , yes..but all time moments I would think a team needs to win the game
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DonK says:
Chris: FYI, Bill Torrey would switch the first two goals. He told me more than once that Jeep’s goal was the most important in the history of the franchise because it told the rest of the NHL that the Isles were no longer the Rangers’ little (read: unimportant) brother. And who are we to argue with The Architect.
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Pat says:
About the Bates goal – If you are old enough to have lived through the 4 Cups – then it cannot rate a top 9 appearance…..
My son is now 18, and has gone to about 60 Islanders games with me over the years….and he was there with me when Bates scored……and the arena that night rocked like the old days – but it was a sight he had never seen – having watched the team through the Micah Aivazoff, Steve Martins, and Anders Myrvold years…..
And I guess he was 12 at the time and he told me after the Bates game
“I never knew it could be like this!”
and I said
“I remember when it was like this every night!”
So, it depends on your perspective.
See I think the 1975 team was just as amazing as any team the Isles ever fielded…..and also I believe that key goals vs. the Ranger$ get additional “weight” because of the opponent.
The only one of the goals you listed where I attended the game – was the 1984 goal by Ken Morrow. The most intense game I have ever attended in person. I did not feel happy after that goal – only RELIEF. RELIEF is the emotion of champions….and what this team needs to get back to someday……..And I tell you this – I sure hope that in the next few years – we have a goal that overtakes Nystrom’s goal as the # 1 goal in team history. We are sure ready for that.
Pat
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Dmarie says:
Wow! thank you! nice stroll down memory lane, those were the days, good times.
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Jeff W. says:
Pat,
Great post. I too have an 18 year old son, and though we weren’t at the Bates game, we were there for Game 6 and had pretty much the same conversation. It is getting more and more difficult to get my kids to relate to the past (though we did have a great time at Al Arbour night last year).
I think CB’s list is spot on, but this franchise desperately needs a new entry into the top 5!! -
And also I wanted to add..total thumbs up to the food drive, good job guys!
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I definitely don’t want to live in the past. I’m too young to remember the Dynasty, so all I have are 93 and the Bates goal. I wouldn’t put Bates in the Top 9 most important goals in franchise history, but in my personal fandom it has to be right up there with Volek.
It’s funny – as I alluded to in the Thanksgiving thread, I have a long scar above my left knee. I got it from tripping on the carpet while celebrating the Volek goal. I guess it was a harbinger of things to come for me while following the team – indescribable joy followed by pain and a lot of blood.
I live for the day I can see Cup #5 for myself.
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This is a nice trip down memory lane, I remember when every Saturday night game was an EVENT. I once told a friend there used to be scalpers lined up all along the access road off the Meadowbrook and he still does not believe me.
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Kudos to rb.
Morrow’s goal in the early morning hour s(eastern time) of April 13, 1980 is one of the most overlooked yet most important goals in the history of the team.
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Bob says:
CB, great list your right on except for the Bossy 50 in 50 I would go with the Turgeon goal. Just based on excitement level when it occurred.
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Strummer's Army says:
All great memories but I am more looking forward then looking back. I am looking forward to the day when we are all partying outside the Lighthouse after the Islanders win their next CUP!
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Glenn says:
C.B. Great list, but a couple of things…
1. Thought maybe honorable mention could’ve gone to one of the OT winners from the Caps series in 92-93.
2. The Bates penalty shot goal…well, the Red Sox revered that Carlton Fisk HR in the 1975 World Series as their only bit of positive recent history for a LONG time before they won a Fall Classic. Yes the Isles lost the series vs. Toronto, but without that Bates penalty shot goal, the game winner and a goal that defiantly shouted that the team was indeed alive in the series, it might not have gone the maximum 7 games.
Love the blog.
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Mike says:
JT’s # 27 should be hanging with the rest of the GREAT players of the past. He NEVER got the credit he deserved and to be traded for Konroyd and Kromm was a crime.
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318J1 says:
great list CB, keep-um comin.
although i agree the Bates goal cannot be included in the list becuse we didn’t win the series it was the best goal i have ever seen in person. the NVMC exploded in such a tremendous roar that i could almost still feel it shaking me now!
also #27 should definitely be retired, Arbor’s banner should read 740! and the ”hall of fame banner” should have the remaining players who won all 4 cups in the Dynasty (Goring, Sutter, Merrick, Kallur, Morrow, Perrson, Langevin, Lane).
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Jim says:
All these moments happened soooooo long ago which highlights the utter futility the Islanders have been displaying for the past 2 decades. Sad.
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Stumpy32 says:
Going over these more recent memories reminds me of how myself (now 28) and my brother (now 21) got really into the Isles. Our father saw the Cup teams, took me to a finals game in ’81 against Minnesota. I was a fan, but not any more than watching and knowing the score. For me, the spring of ’93 was my awakening, and for my brother, the spring of ’02. Obviously, neither ended in a Cup, and for my brother, lasted less than two weeks. However, I can remember literally every aspect of every game in the 1993 playoffs. From the first game on a Sunday night in DC, where we were just awful, to the 2nd game where Mullen pushed it in from right in front of the net…to the first playoff game I ever went to (knowingly) – Game 4, double OT, against the Caps, Ferraro from Loiselle. I mean, holy crap. Was at the Game 6 massacre, where a 5-1 lead in an elimination game was somber. I remember having headphones on at some show I was stuck going to w/ my family (I was 13) during that wild Game 4 against the Pens – King scores, Francis scores, Thomas scores, Murphy scores – and being at that Game 6 when Dalgarno scored 25 secs in, and Krupp iced it w/ an empty netter. The Newsday headline “It’s a Miracle!” after Game 7. The article that said “Suddenly, Isles have shot at 5th Cup” that Sunday before Game 1 in Montreal. Going out w/ some friends, watching Ranger fans walk by, realizing they had been eliminated 6 weeks earlier, and we were still humming. Holy crap again. My passion, my love for this franchise has never wavered since then – just knowing how insane the high-water mark for this fanbase, the Coliseum, Long Island, could be. Through all the crap after 1993 – the ’94 first round sweep, the jerseys, the scoreboard falling, the $9M payroll, firesale, Spano, etc., etc., etc….I love the Islanders. And on that end, for Isles fans around my age, this is why the Isles captured us. It’s not because of stories from our fathers about how great the Cup years were. I watch videos of the championships, Parise’s goal in ’75, all of that. But we weren’t there. We didn’t see it. It’s like when I watch old Yankee videos – I’m a Yankee fan, but the ’56 Larsen perfect game doesn’t register like Wells’ perfect game in ’98 because I wasn’t there. For Isles fans like me, 1993 is the reason why I showed up on opening night in 1998 when we weren’t sure until 48 hours before that the game would actually be played at the Coliseum.
We all know what the Isles mean to us. It’s so damn different than any other team…like one guy said, “we’re a powder keg.” No question. But I think every goal, by itself, keeps the franchise alive w/ new blood. For me, that was Volek. And Ferraro’s double OT goal. And all the others in the spring of ’93. That’s what allowed me to sit through every other not-so-great moment since.
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Stumpy – terrific post – and explains why the team needs HUGE successes to create the NEXT generation of Isles fans.
The Volek goal – I will place right up there – I will never forget that – I was convinced we were going to lose that game to the defending champions…..and when he scored – SURPRISE was my emotion. That is second to RELIEF ( as I explained before) as the type of emotion I want back to this franchise.
Finishing 8th and getting waxed in Round One will not do it. WE HAVE TO WIN MULTIPLE PLAYOFF SERIES !!!!
And I challenge the team to knock Bobby Ny (My favorite all time Islander – though w.r.t. my postings on this list – you would think it were Fritz – LOL) off this list to have a new all time champion. Hey, maybe Bailey or Okposo will be that guy !
Pat
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UIF says:
Stumpy, you’re right…your entire post. I know I watched during the cup years, but I don’t really remember it because I was also very young. 93 was great, 94 a nightmare. 02 felt like a step to something better, but 03 dispelled that.
I think two years ago could have been special if we could have made some more noise in the playoffs…and I try not to jump on the conspiracy wagon, but I really feel like we got jobbed on a lot of calls vs. Buffalo in that series.
I’ll say that I was extremely excited during that last four game push they made, though. I remember pacing around my friend’s basement listening to the Montreal/Toronto game over the Internet that Toronto had to win, and it was a wild, see-saw game. And then the Devils scoring with 0.7 left, and the subsequent poke check in the shootout.
I really thought they were going to pull off a deep playoff run at that time. And if you read some message boards from back then, so did a lot of others. Too bad the most vivid playoff memory I have from that year is everyone throwing garbage on the ice after yet another absurd goal review.
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Two points about two moments…..
As far as Bates….I never saw it live because I was in the upper section and couldn’t bear to watch….just hearing the explosion of the crowd….a moment I won’t forget…but not because of importance, just because it brought back memories of how great it is to be in a packed NVMC….
…but if there were a number 10 on the list…..
….Ken Morrow puting the puck into the empty net in game 4 will live forever in my mind. Not only did it seal the cup, it sent a message to the league, Oilers, Cananda,…..that this was one of the greatest hockey teams in the histroy of the sport….and possibly one of the top 10 teams in the history of team sports. The build-up to that moment, the looks on the faces of the Islanders and the Oilers….the message was clear…”Not just yet Edmonton, not just yet.”
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doc: my mistake. Misread the “goal” headline. Next time I will put my glasses on before posting.ha
dino: great commentary with “garbage man”!
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Barry says:
So many goals to remember. For me, the best was the Parise goal in ’75. I was listening to the game on the radio in the bedroom. (We had no TV access to the game.) When he scored, I jumped off the bed, and I swear, my head hit the ceiling. I couldn’t stop screaming. Even thinking about it now makes me giddy.
My kids know how crazy I am about the Islanders. When we were at the Arbour game, the tears came. They just looked at me, and they realized that their 50 year-old father is a real nut job.
When Bates Scored That Goal….There Was A Guy Sitting Next To Me The Whole Game In A Single Seat That Was No A Season Ticket…He Stunk And I Wanted Nothing To Do With Him, But When Bates Scored That Goal….My Face Was In His Chest Jumping Up And Down And I Didnt Care That He Smelled Like A Garbage Can…..