SUMMER LIGHT READING: Some personal favorites
Tales of the Bomber, Pilon and Benny Hogue
With not much news other than rants in Newsday about ticket issues, let’s lighten the mood a little. Here’s a list of personal favorites from my time with the team along with a few tales.
1987-88: Steve Konroyd and Bob Bassen - Just about everyone on the team was cooperative with this rookie Islanders News editor, but these two gentlemen seemed to go out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I’ll never forget them for that. Islanders lost to the Devils in the first round. Even to this novice, it was easy to see New Jersey was building something.
1988-89: Pat LaFontaine - A remarkable player, a compassionate and giving person. Sadly, the insanity of the 40-day Neil Smith era led to hurt feelings and a fracture in the Islanders-LaFontaine relationship. (Contrary to how it may have played out, no one disrespected LaFontaine more than Smith). In my view, it’s been too long without healing. Pat does wonderful work with his Companions in Courage foundation. Still, Pat and the Islanders are much better off together.
(thx, Dominick of Lighthouse Hockey)
1989-90: Ken Baumgartner - GMs, media and fans love to say, “You don’t make a trade just for the sake of making a trade.” Nonsense. His team in need of shock therapy, Bill Torrey traded Mikko Makela to LA for the “Bomber” and Hubie McDonough - a pair of fourth-liners. The Islanders woke up, went on a huge winning streak and their regular season was saved.
I thought we were getting a wild man in Kenny. Instead, after his first practice on Long Island he asked me to take him across the street to Hofstra and help him get enrolled in some business classes.
1990-91: Richard Pilon - Nasty SOB on the ice, fearless, relentless. Off the ice, a shy teddy bear. At charity and team functions early on, he used to sit next to me so I could be the ice-breaker with the guests at his table.
Years later, the Islanders rewarded him with a contract extention on the eve of the trade deadline. Trouble was, no one could find him to sign it. I called every establishment in Vancouver trying to track him down before one of his teammates gave me a solid tip. I described Richie to the bouncer at the door. Richie called my hotel room a few minutes later. Freaked out, Pilon yelled in his high-pitched voice, “Botts, where did that _________ trade me”? I said, “Relax, Richie. If you’d get your ass back to the hotel, that ___________ wants to give you a few million dollars.”
1991-92: Benoit Hogue - A secondary part of the LaFontaine-Turgeon blockbuster with Buffalo, Hogue turned into another Bill Torrey steal. How much would 30 goals and 78 points pay Benny now? More than enough to have two summer homes on the Island, I bet. (He has one, and is here all the time).
Hogue was so fast and so talented - and yes, often distracted and wildly inconsistent - teams like Phoenix, Tampa Bay and Dallas gave him contracts even when it was clear his best days were behind him. They loved him so much in Dallas, they made him a Star three times.
About 90 minutes before his first game as an Islander, Hogue and I spoke briefly. In his thick French Canadian accent, he told me he was thrilled to be an Islander. That was nice to hear. I asked him if it was because he had friends in New York. He said no. I asked if he really hated his coach or the surroundings in Buffalo. Negative. He looked at me right in the face, put his arm around me and said, “Chreeece, it’s just good to be on an NHL team where there’s someone with a nose as beeeeg as mine.”
I’ll have the next 5 down the road. Your faves from 1987-92, and other thoughts on this story, in Comments. Talk about the current NYI in the next thread.
89 Responses to “SUMMER LIGHT READING: Some personal favorites
Tales of the Bomber, Pilon and Benny Hogue”
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Great stuff, you’re the best CB!
You see, this is why you’re loved so much Chris or should I say “Chreeece”. Where else are we going to get such great stories? It’s nice to see more regular posting from you as well. I hope that’s a good omen.
Steve Thomas was my favorite from the early 90s teams. Lets get a nice article on the Brit.
No better way to cool off on a hot steamy day than a spray of ice shavings from the rink. Love those stories. Spray us again soon!
glorious…some of my favorite isles described up there. hope the relationship with pat gets mended soon. thanks for that enjoyable read.
Botts your the man, I look foward to the next batch of memories. Any with Kasparaitis?
Thank you for continuing to blog CB even though you are no longer getting paid. It is much appreciated by all of us.
Thanks, Chris, for doing what you do best.
I for one would love to know the behind the scenes of Neil Smith’s 40 day tenure as the Isles GM. Maybe CB can enlighten us…
Seems like ur back to posting again. I for one am thrilled.
i love the pilon stuff. i think that guy would have fit the dynasty teams better than any other islander since those years. 100% effort, every shift. like a john tonelli on defense, with a mean streak, and one of my alltime favorite islanders. i’ve removed from my memory that he ended up with the rags.
How about some info/take on why some of the fans liked booing back to back 40 goal season Derek King and Kingers and/or the orginizations take on it.
Chris,
It’s these types of great tidbits that make your website the ultimate Islander fan resource. Keep the good stuff coming!
Great story on Benoit Nose - Chris, Didn’t the bomber make a CD of rock covers? If anyone has that, please give some info about it - that has to be funny.
I love the Benoit Hogue story.
I think the Bomber may have gotten an MBA from Harvard while with the Bruins. Pretty smart goon by most accounts. We could use him this year.
Pat La Fontaine was so good it was scary. He reminds me of Mattingly a bit as they bothe missed a dynasty by a year and it has to hurt…
Man, that Pilon contract anecdote is one of those timeless stories befitting hockey lore. Slapshot-esque.
To every video-gamer’s delight, Benoit Hogue’s speed was also seductive to the creators of EA’s NHLPA 93 and NHL94!
Are at liberty to explain why, if Patty and Smith were not close, why Lafontaine purposefully distanced himself from the Organization (or was it the other way around)?
Also, it always killed me how Maloney blew up the 1993 team. Did you realize that some of the moves were just wrong at the time?
Although that was a great young Devils team, I can’t help but imagine what would’ve happened to the Isles that year if Makela tied that one up at the buzzer after the face-off at the red line with 9 (or so) seconds left.
Jumping for joy since last few times you’ve been back to posting. Absolutely crazy for your tidbits - keep ‘em coming. Is there any way, in your mind, to mend the LaFontaine/NY Isles fence? Particularly since it was a Neil Smith issue.
Never forget the bomber song… “it’s a bomber!”. Great stuff as usual.
I still have my #33 Hogue Jersey in my closet. I have a huge Mustard stain on it right across the N in the NY. The stain has been on that Jersey forever…and im glad its still there
chrees,
that last sentence was hysterical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
great read!
Great stuff CB, can’t wait for the next installment.
Classic line regarding the nose. It would have been tough for Hogue to be a fighter; what a perfect target that nose would have been.
Any similarities in your opinion to Derek King & Jeff Tambellini? Kinger got quite a few chances on the big club and was very slow to develop and then had that breakout year it seemed out of nowhere.
Thanks for the great stories, CB. I was experiecing more PB withdrawal pains until this post!
Who can I email at the Isles who will actually listen to thoughts or ideas? I think that every season the Isles should honor at least two former players. As much as I LOVE the Stanley Cup players, we need to see favorites like Lafontaine, Flatley, Ferraro, Turgeon and Healy return to cheers at the Coliseum. I like the “Islanders Hall of Fame” inductions (we still need to see Tonelli and Goring honored.) But the Isles don’t always have to have a banner-raising. Bring back some guys that had an impact on the fans and not necessarily in the playoff wins column. We should be reconnecting with more of Islanders history than just the Stanley Cups. There are plenty of players who have come through here who we would love to cheer again. You would know. Thanks, Chris.
Hilarious stuff, CB. For many that grew up right after the Cup years, Pat was it…and the last few years have been rough with him outside the Isles family. I hope they get reconciled–and I hope they retire his 16. He was, after all, a HHOFer and a superlative US player.
As for Baumgartner, yes (#16), he did get his MBA from Harvard. True story: one of my college buddies, a hockey fan originally from NJ, is a more recent HBS alum and was chatting up a bunch of guys about their experiences at Goldman Sachs at an HBS alumni mixer a few years back when they all exchanged cards and one card from “Ken Baumgartner” elicited a “Ha, just like the hockey player” from my friend. Ken corrected him and said that he was the very same guy. My friend swears he then asked him, “what do you miss more, the game, the fighting, or the mullet?” He did say he was a really nice, super articulate guy. What a pleasant shock.
i fought hogue in a mens league game at chelsea piers after he retired. the nose didnt get touched, believe me… he was a strong little mofo…
Benny Hogue did throw down a few times in the NHL and when he did…..he was pretty good at it.
Great stories CB! Keep ‘em coming!
Hogue was one of my most favourite Islanders. Who can ever forget that move he made on Burke - forwards/backwards and goal? Wow.
I read that he was shown by Arbour video clips of Carbonneau and told. “I want you to play like this guy”. To which Hogue replied, “Oh that guy, I can play better than him!”
And you know what? For 2 years he really did. What a great run he had.
can we please retire patty’s number already!!!!!
Ahh I remember the Mikko Makela deal. Baumgartner came over and knocked people around and Hubie came in and scored almost 20 goals. I think that trade was the whole reason the Isles even slipped into the playoffs that year.
Thanks for the laugh, CB. Those were great stories.
**** GREAT GREAT STUFF CB ***
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The Bomber trade got the Islanders rolling, Hubie McDonough was a 4th line center who scored 20 goals (That was the NHL peeps before expansion + Butthead changed/ruined it!!).. He also played good defense and would shadow the other teams top scores and was also very good on the faceoffs, he was a very underrated player who had a good yr with the Isles…
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Bomber added that “toughness element the team needed and would play physical and take on the other teams top heavy, along with Mick Vukota they formed a great 1-2 “punch” and made the Islanders get noticed/respected when they played.. Who can EVER EVER forgot what the Islanders did to the Rags in the 1990 playoffs after LaFointane was knocked out of the game! Al Arbour sent in Bomber + Vukota at the end of the game to send the message and they sure as hell did!!!!! AAAAaaaahhh the good ole days before the ‘P.C. police’ ruined the game!… Yiu guys who have only been watching the NHL for 10 yrs or so, i REALLY feel for ya(Im not joking) The games back then were Fierce, Energetic, Intense, Emotional hate-filled games! Sadly the new NHL cant touch it………
Great stories CB. Especially loved that Pilon one. I agree with Concanky (#3), Stumpy is my all-time favorite player, and if you have any stories about the Brit, I’d also love to hear them.
I think the real story here is that it was Neil Smith disrespecting LaFontaine and not the Islanders, causing the resignation of #16.
Damn those ex-Ranger GM’s!!!
DOC
I get the impression Chris that Neil Smith was not a favorite of yours.
Yea we have a few character type guys now perhaps DP, but basically the team is vanilla flavor now. We need everything on this team now and I’m afraid we wouldn’t see the kind of players you mentioned even if it gave some real spirit to a frankly talent challenged lineup.
#34 Dead on post!!!!
I got a #24 Jersey for my 13th birthday. I was a fan of Makela’s cannon of a slap-shot. Not too long after that, I had no choice but to be a Baumgartner fan (thank God he took #24 upon his arrival). Thank to The Bomber, I wore it with pride!
That’s an eye opener about Smith disrespecting LaFontaine. What a piece of crap that guy is. The funny thing is that when he was fired and Pat left, the Islander “fans” (you know, the ones who aren’t happy unless they’re bad mouthing their own team)were all up in arms about how poor Neil was run out of town because he was so smart and Wang didn’t want someone who wouldn’t tow the company line. The reality of it was that Smith came in here acting as if he were God and everyone else, including Islander alumni, hall of famers, were his pee-ons. Yeah, real smart guy he is.
CB I second the request for Neil Smiths 40 days and 40 nights story. I would love to know what really went down with that whole fiasco.
I liked the Bomber, but Pilon was a freakin animal. Ill never forget when Stevens threw a check at Pilon and knocked himself out and did a face plant on the ice needing reconstructive surgury. He was a tank.
CB, I want to read more about Smith disrepecting Lafontaine.
Could you imagine if the Isles could just add a Pilon and Baumgartner right now? Just what they need.
they always say you lose the trade if you give up the best player in the deal…yet Torrey’s parting gifts to the Isles were Turgeon, Krupp, and Hogue in the Lafontaine deal and Thomas as the main part of the Sutter deal. Met Thomas and Turgeon at Cafe Spazzo many times….Thomas was always very friendly.
I still don’t understand why Malakhov did not become a star….all the tools ….
My good freinds bought Rich Pilons house, in Centerport, right after he was traded. Beautiful spread, huge house. Also knew the guy Yashin bought his house in Old Brookville from, another bad ass house. Its cool to see how these guys are living! Even if its better than the bulk of us. Hey CB. Who, of the current players has the fattest crib. DP is my bet, anything to share there?
My cousin plays on pro roller hockey teams and he has played against Hogue…Pretty cool, eh?
i love these stories
#46 reminds me how far we have to go back to have at least one player who could be a future hall of famer. Even a future hall guy in his decling years helps gain fan and media attention and help fill seats. In the last five years we have had no one in that category. Yet Mon, Was, Tor, Nyr, Bos, Buf, Njd, Phi, Pen, Atl, Otw, Atl, Tbl, Flo, and Car, have had at least one and in many cases more than one. Please correct me if I’m wrong. All this spells mediocricy.
#32 stumpy.steve thomas.could score goals for you.and would drop the gloves.would be nice to have him now!
I was a huge Hogue fan as well, still have my #33 jersey at home. Didn’t he win a cup with the Stars playing in the playoffs with a torn ACL?
I saw Benoit Hogue when I worked at the Ralph Lauren store in Manhasset. This was when I was inbetween tech jobs in 2003. I remember selling him a $1400 jacket and talking to him about Darcy Tucker. He said not many teammates in TB liked Darcy, he being one of them. I told him that I wanted to kick his ass for what he did to Peca and he laughed and said he understood.
Pilon was awesome, my favorite player back in the day. Once I turned 21 I might have seen him in a few places around the Island. We need a few players like him on the roster, great team guy, just watch the video of the Hunter game, and see how quick he was there to get that puke…He played hockey the way it was meant to be played.
This is great material, CB. I’d pay serious money for this stuff. I would also love to hear more about the Smith/LaFontaine fiasco… but I’m happy to read anything you post! Such a nice treat.. thanku
CB, the info you type just keeps getting better and better. It is like a great wine, each glass is better than the last.
Keep up the good work!
A Benoit Hogue story - a few years ago, a guy on my hockey team asks “do you mind if I bring a friend down next time?” Happens a lot during the summer; guys play softball, travel, etc. so we use fill ins when needed. Anyway, he walks into the locker room before the next game and says “this is my friend Benny.” Yep, it was Benoit.
Before the game, Benoit says “I’m going to hit the goalie in [a particularly sensitive area]” He does. With a wrist shot. From our blue line.
Suffice it to say you have never heard a sound like that come out of a human.
Hogue was one of my favorite players, Torrey really was a genious…add Turgeoun too in that trade and the Isles were tough to play against. There was still hope until !@#@!! Hunter screwed us!
I have to agree that number 16 should go to the rafters, and we should start seeing more impact Islanders in the Isles Hall of Fame.
CB: I hope you have more stories. Plenty of time in August.
After playing countless men’s league games against Hoguey, I can honestly say he is a true professional. Not only does he have a stanley cup ring with Dallas, he’s the type of guy that will go have two-fers and half price app’s at applebees with you after he just schooled you after an 11pm game.
PS - I Agree with 57. I have been saying that for a long time. 16 should be retired for good.
As Jiggs used to say “Here comes Speedy Benoit Hogue!!!”. Great stories that bring back lots of memories Chris!
And yes post #21…who can forget the K.B. song: “It’s a bomber! It’s a bomber!” Classic stuff.
Great stories CB!
I loved Patty Lala when he was with the Isles … he was the lone relic of the iconic Isles that hit the scene just as the Dynasty ended … He made the mid to late 80s Isles something special … He deserves to be enshrined in the Isles Hall of Fame for sure. It’s a shame that the Isles never found him a comprable winger to play with him for his career … What was most unfortunate was Pat’s desire to move on forcing Torrey to trade him. I’m not sure exactly what the contract issue was (citation needed) … but it was Pat’s lack of commitment to the Isles and winning that eliminates him IMO from having his 16 hang next to the Isles greats. They set a standard … and it cannot be lowered for anybody. I hope Pat comes home again.
Classssic!
I loved watching Hogue, Thomas and Turgeon play. Late last season, KO brought some of that excitement back.
I still have a problem with Patty La. He may be a great person, character blah, blah, blah,but I lost total respect when he decided to be a hold out because he did not like the terms of his contract. How many of us would say “trade em” if Streit were to do the same thing today?
I’ve softened my position on Pat over the years but frankly can’t get over what he tried to pull. Poorly advised, perhaps. I don’t recall his agent but his agent used Pat to cover his own a _ _ on a weak deal for his client - perhaps.
If I recall, Pat was all for sitting out to get a better deal on a contract he already signed! The honorable thing would have been to back up your signature, keep your mouth shut and play the game.
I seem to recall one of Rich Pilon’s hobbies was chariot racing. Yes I said chariot racing.
Thanks for a good read CB.
I’ve always caught all sorts of hell for this from friends, but I was never much of a LaFontaine fan. Look it up: 1989-1990, he had the most points on the team (105), while holding the WORST plus/minus rating. That year, Brent Sutter had 37 less points, but was a +22 relative to LaFontaine. I’m sorry, but the truly great players aren’t defensive liabilities. I say no to retiring #16.
This is why I love reading Pb and playing NHL 94, because you get the best of the 93 Islanders.
Thanks CB for the great summer reading. This is great stuff and one of the many reasons we islander fans need you to stick around!
Have to agree with post#11 about Pilon. Who could ever forget the hit on Kevin Stevens in gm 7 against Pittsburgh. Loved seeing big #2 on D.
Great stories CB, and also from some of you guy in the comments above. Love it!
Add my name to the list of fans interested in hearing more about the Smith/LaFontaine thing at some point.
Thanks for the blog entry.
doc (37): lol he is apparently the Panthers problem now… and the best part of that is that we might finally stop talking about him in relation to this team. Yay! Anyway, I will bet he puts his John Hancock on his contract immediately this time… and then nods his head and smiles until it all kicks in.
Thanks, CB. I love these articles. Keep ‘em coming!
your site is great! i wish you’d post more often. the other stuff just isn’t comparable!
@68 I agree. Maybe it’s because I was already a fan all through the ’70s when the “core of four” was being put together and LaFontaine came along as the dynasty was winding down, but I just never liked him all that much as a player. If he didn’t score, he didn’t contrbute much else.
As for retiring LaFontaine’s number, NO WAY. Outside of the Easter Epic, what lasting memory does anyone really have of him? Getting taken off the ice at MSG on a stretcher? Add in the hold-out (automatic disqualifier) and the fact that his best numbers were in Buffalo. And IMO, Turgeon was a better player because he had such good passing skills he made other players around him better.
As for Hogue, now there’s an all-time favorite. A real character. Always the mischievous grin. Not awed by anybody. Always played big in big spots.
it’s amazing to think that we had a point-per-game scorer in benoit hogue. granted, it was during a different time, but still, we’re at a point where we’re salivating over a potential 20 goal scorer. hogue still plays in hockey leagues around long island. i’ve never seen him firsthand, but have heard stories from guys telling about how they were deked out by none other than hogue.
pilon story is great. he was good, but a contract in the millions 15 years ago? true, he is missing what our team is missing now.
very interesting on how neil smith disrespected lafontaine. there has to be a very interesting story….perhaps the reason why he hasn’t had an operational job since??
theres a few great moments in islander history that go with this story, both of which you can find on youtube… one is of an islander/ranger playoff series…the isles were down, and baumgautner is doing circles before the faceoff. once the puck drops, baumgautner races to pound some guy. the second clip is of the islanders/devils playoff series in 88. i believe thats the year that there was an end-of game brawl. simultaneously, assistant coach nystrom jumped in the stands to confront a guy that spilled a beer on him. good clips to remember the good times of the past.
Wow, I had no idea that Hogue was such a folk hero, even still on LI. Love Patty or hate him, he’s still a Hall of Famer and played over half his career with the Isles, and Buffalo already retired his number. The Isles Hall of Fame can’t have a higher bar than the HHOF. But as for Pilon, I wonder what he’s up to nowadays. He’s from Saskatoon–CB, any chance he’s kicking around and can help out at camp? Would he do it, if such a shy guy?
Hey Chris - Thanks for these - great stories
Several stories of 90-91 Isles: I was a senior in high school and used to cut class to watch Isles practices at Cantiague Park in Hicksville.
Got sticks from a bunchy of platers — Norton, Healy, Hogue, Baumgartner, Rich Kromm — still have them in my basement.
Always asked Randy Wood for his stick but he would never give it up.
Equipment Manager Terry Murphy once gave me a Pat Flatley stick, which I brought to him to get signed at a card show. He asked me where I got it from!
Stole a David Volek stick from the back of the equipment van once, then saw Volek leave practice and asked him to sign it. He looked at me very strangely (as if to say ‘how did you get my stick’)
Once lost a Pat LaFontaine rookie card crawling around the end boards to the other side of the rink in an effort to get sticks!
Laid out a dozen pictures of LaFontaine on one of the benches — he came over and took the time to sign all of them.
Once felt bad for Pilon, who was sitting alone outside the practice rink, and went over to get his autograph out of pity.
True story CB…..I was hanging with a friend in the video room (Bobby Smith had that job at the time). We were just out of high school (Hicksville) and as we were watching some video of Mikko Makela kicking a puck into his own net, who is standing behind us but Uncle Bill. “We can’t put the puck into the other team’s net and here we are playing soccer into ours.” He asked Bobby who his friend was, and then looked at me and said …”OK kid, what would you do?” I told him accidents can happen but Mikko could have been more aware…..a week later, sitting in Bobby’s kitchen, the Newsday article read MAKELA SENT TO L.A…….so I guess I made a trade.
ps…..how about some Diduck stories??
Man..Pilon was a complete beast. He will always be remembered for his firece battles with Eric Concussion Lindros. I recall many nights as a kid watching those islander-flyer games and how pilon was just hitting everybody in sight. He played the enforcer role perfectly and it was those little things he did that sparked a fire on the team, giving the colliseum life and allowing the team to rally back in many games.
Hogue was another one of my favorite players. The spirited play of the islanders during that 91-93 stretch will always be one of my favorite childhood moments. That whole 92-93 playoff team was amazing, and rightfully so in my mind considering i was born long after the dynasty years. Just the players on that team alone: Hogue, Thomas,Turgeon (my favorite),Pilon,Volek,Healy and even Vukota made us an exciting team to watch. I hope we can eventually get back to that level again soon
Hi CB,
Any good stories about “Sneaky Pete” Pierre Turgeon during his debut with the Islanders? How about Heals (Healy) and Flats (Flatley), Mark Fitzpatrick, Ray Ferraro, Steve Thomas, Uwe Krupp to name a few. Maybe (here’s a goodie) Dave Volek?
To Post #71- Chip Saunders:
I’ve watched that Pilon-Stevens hit on YouTube. By God, it’s one of the nastiest hits I’ve watched, just as big as Brian Campbell’s wallop on R.J. Umberger a few years back. Did you ever watch Pilon after Dale Hunter’s hit on Turgeon? He comes absolutely flying in and bulldozes Hunter to the ice while you see Stevie Thomas looking around trying to throw a few bombs at Hunter’s face.
Definatly TurgeonFan,nobody messed with anyone on the ice unless you wanted to deal with Pilon,the guy was fierce.The hit on Stevens,I think he was out cold before he hit the ice.
Richie Pilon is who Darius Kasparaitis wanted to be when he grew up.
Such a great defender. Spent so much time inside Lindros’ jersey he should have drawn pay from the Flyers.
Great memories of playing NHL94 with the Isles - Turgeon centering Thomas and King on the top line, with Ferraro centering Hogue and Volek on the second “speed” line/PP unit. A combo of Vukota/Chorske/Flatley/McDonough took care of the bad guys, though Chorske’s poor speed rating made it tough to play him regularly.
It was such a crime for Maloney to destroy the real thing, and all because they couldn’t beat St. Patrick and the Canadiens in the playoffs. Way too much of an overreaction. I don’t know if Glenn Healy ever forgave him for that, and I wouldn’t blame him if it’s true, since I can’t forgive him either.
Nightfly,
Did you mean someone else instead of Chorske? He wan’t on the Isles in NHL ‘94. My lines usually consisted of:
SC 1: Turgeon, Thomas, King, Malakhov, Kurvers/Norton
SC 2: Hogue, Ferraro, Flatley/Mullen, Krupp, Norton/Kurvers
Chk: Ferraro/McInnis/Loiselle, Green/Volek, Fitzgerald/Dalgarno, Kasparaitis, Pilon
Healy
And to Chip Saunders on Post 85: Yes, Stevens was knocked out cold by Pilon b/c his face slammed into Pilon’s face shield.
TurgeonFan - you’re right. It’s been a dog’s age since I broke out the ol’ Sega. And now it’s gonna bother me because I can’t remember which guy I was thinking about. It may have been Kurvers on defense with that forward line, though I don’t remember him being that poorly rated in speed. NO - it was probably Claude Loiselle, the poor guy got stuck with a speed in the 20’s, IIRC.
Here I’d normally say “great memories,” but it’s clear that my memory is, in fact, not that great after all. But I am fond of the ‘93 Isles, both real and pixelated.
@ Nightfly, Post 88:
LOL! Oh boy, maybe you’ll need to break out the Genesis again. I have NHL 94 for a Genesis emulator on my PC, so that’s how I can play it. I also thought it to be funny that #17 was listed as Daniel Marois for the Isles, except he played a handful of games for them in 93. He spent the majority of his time that season with Capital District- #17 was and should have been Steve Junker in that game since he was called up to play in the post season when Turgeon went down with the shoulder injury/concussion.