SNY PB TV: BILL TORREY – On draft process, Turgeon, Thomas, Kaspar, Ziggy, JT and Smitty
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When we were done, the 76-year-old Mr. Torrey shared two tidbits off the air: the best offer he got for Denis Potvin in 1972 was not from Montreal, but from the Rangers. Also, Torrey said he was engaged in the first discussions with Nassau about a Coliseum overhaul after the second Stanley Cup in 1981. Comments on the GM’s views are invited.
47 Responses to SNY PB TV: BILL TORREY – On draft process, Turgeon, Thomas, Kaspar, Ziggy, JT and Smitty
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Tom D in NJ says:
Awesome Monday night treat Chris, thank you! I was happy to hear Mr. Torrey’s well deserved high praise for John Tonelli.
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Andy says:
Solid interview CB: I long for the days of professionalism and dedication from my hockey organization. Bill is a class act: I hope Garth and Co. learn from our past.
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JKP on LI says:
I loooove the question about personally scouting the picks, and I love Torrey’s answer even more. When Milbury did his whole “who, me?” routine about how he farmed out the Nilsson/Parise draft and everything else…well, let’s just say it’s pretty plain to see why Torrey is Torrey and why Milbury is a joke.
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Chris A says:
Could’ve spent a whole hour listening to these stories especially as a younger Islander fan but still very cool to listen to the architect himself
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And then the subtle Milbury interview reference at the end! Love. It.
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John says:
this is an incredible interview that illuminates the stark contrast between a gm who was one of the best ever and another who was an unmitigated failure in the position. remember chris’ recent interview with mike milbury? do you recall milbury throwing his assistants under the bus for passing on zach parise? he had the audacity to proffer some lame excuse about how he didn’t personally check out the top draft prospects but, instead, left that task to his assistants who apparently screwed up when they selected nilsson over the player with the islander pedigree. i recall another interview hearing milbury yak about parise having some skating issues. now listen to torrey talk about his intimate awareness and understanding of kaspar and ziggy. he knew exactly what he was getting and as the leader of the product could talk deeply about the pros and cons of each player. say all you want about garth snow; the jury is still out on him. but charles really, really messed up keeping milbury around. he was a total incompetent meathead. sure, great with spinning a phrase and custom-made for the tv booth but a low-IQ executive who never should have run an nhl team. how the heck can you be the head of a team or a company and not take a hands-on-approach to the single most important aspect of your job: the selection of a 1st rounder or the introduction of a major new product. it would be like steve jobs letting his lieutenants design and manufacture the ipad or iphone without making the final call on the look, feel, price point, service providers or distribution. hard to believe that charles kept milbury around after witnessing his gm make the biggest mistake in recent franchise history on parise. or perhaps milbury’s interview with chris was the first time it was ever made public re: milbury’s lazy foolishness at not being fully informed on the day of that infamous draft.
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JT says:
Great stuff. It doesn’t get any better than that. For years, the Isles had the best coach, GM, players and team chemistry. You’ll never see so many superstars on a team and running a team again. We were truly lucky. It’s amazing to look back at all of the great trades and drafts the team had under Mr. Torrey. A true gem. Thank you.
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Staten Islander says:
I miss the bowtie, can they can get Garth to wear them? Maybe it’ll wear off on him. I always hated that LaFontaine was traded, wven though it sounds like he had no choice and got a great return. Battling Billy was my favorite Dynasty era Islander after Trottier.
Great stuff as usual CB
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IslandersJerseyMike says:
People The comparisons between Torrey and Milbury are so useless. Any true Islander fan knows what each man was to this organization. Honestly I think it is an embarrasment to even put their names in the same sentence. Torrey was one of the cornerstones of this franchise and when we finally get our new arena there should be a few cinder blocks with the names of the greatest integral Islanders etched right on them…. “Bill Torrey New York Islander Cornerstone”
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Winning says:
This torrey guy would do a better job of running the islanders then wang or snow even if torrey never left his own house in florida and hsd no internet or cable tv. Anyone who is old enough to see torrey then Wang/snow knows i am not kidding.
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Islebethere4u says:
Any chance Mr. Torrey would come back to the Island and be a mentor for Snow? (heh heh) No? In any case, what are the chances that John Tonelli gets a night at the old barn? I think he deserves it as well.
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Honnold says:
What a privilege to hear from Mr. Torrey. The gentleman oozes intellect.
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thank you c.b. what a treat it was to hear from the greatest gm in hockey ever. how lucky we all were to see bill torrey, al arbour and the great islander stanley cup teams. we went from the greatest most respected hockey franchise ever to the biggest laughing stock and least respected hockey franchise ever thanks to charles wang.
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all these interviews with individuals who have informed opinions on the state of the team, Torrey, Panger, head coaches of our top prospects, speaks volumes to your creditability in covering the Isles. i am fan of your column, and wish the local media and even the team itself would do a better job( okay, any job) of keeping its fan base connected, and involved with both its past and future. way to carry the ball CB, everybody else dropped the thing, and kicked it down the stairs and out the door.
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Jerky says:
That was my favorite interview to date. Excellent questions and I loved his responses. Torrey is a rare breed of class and intellect who understands the game and the business aspect like no other. Great job Chris!
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dose says:
Awesome. Listening to that brings it all back. The bond I have with this team is incredible.
But I want more on the Ranger offer for Potvin. Everyone knows about “The Walk” with Sam Pollack, but the Ranger thing I never heard before. It’s almost 40 years hence, no reason we can’t know about it NOW, is there? -
BIGSAVE77 says:
Excellent interview Chris. He was the best gm we had by far and possibly the best gm any team ever had. I like what Snow has done with the Islanders by keeping patient and building through the draft. His waiver wire pick ups have been excellent as well but to put him over the top he needs to make a trade where we give up a prospect or draft pick(s) for an impact player that will stay on Long Island.( Ryan Smyth )
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Oren says:
Great Job! Loved every second. But CB, was it an editing glitch or did you really cut Mr. Torrey short at the end there?
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jeff says:
thanks CB so much for that
#14…true we went from respect to a side show…but not because of charles wang. Im not a big wang fan but we are in much better shape now than during the mid-late fish sticks era. wang did inherit a pot torry disaster
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shlo says:
As much as I am not a Milbury fan especially in not drafting Parise, he served under some useless owners. They are responsible for the state of the team (and keeping him employed).
Torrey is one of a kind. -
JKP in Halifax says:
Thanks, Chris. Great stuff as always. I don’t know what we’d do without your great coverage of old and new like this.
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Mars Bonfir says:
I would have asked him what were the circumstances in trading the Seals number 1 pick to the Canadiens in1971. That pick turned out to be Guy Lafleur. One of the worst trades in hockey history.( excluding Mad Mikes great deals)
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gary91922 says:
When I was a kid my hockey team would hand out the “John Tonelli Award” to the player who showed the most heart and hustle. Of the three years I played for that team I was proud to have won it twice.
In my opinion the third best goal in Isles history was JT’s goal against Pitt to cap off the amazing comback in the playoffs in route to e third cup.
1 – 1980 Bobby Ny stanley cup winner
2 – 1975 JP Parise OT winner vs Rags
3 – 1982 Tonelli game winner vs Pitt
4 – Ken Morrow OT winner vs Rags to win series
5 – LaFontaine – Easter Epic goal
4 – Bossy “look Ma, I’m flying” goal vs Van in Stanley Cup. -
The difference is that Torrey truly cared about this team, whereas Milbury cared about Milbury. Wang and Snow seem to be able to pick players with a lot of character. Why can’t they do the same for other positions, sales, P.R, broadcasting, scouting, etc. I am happy Snow takes an active role in scouting, that’s the way it should be, but Snow needs to understand that if outside players perceive this organization to be the alien child of the N.H.L, they will never want to play here. We are all on the same page with a new arena, we need one desperately somewhere in N.Y.But honestly, management really needs an image change. You want to send a message Garth? Stick up for your players for being so disrespected with the officiating, but don’t alienate your fans from the very people that are responsible for our continued love for this team despite 20 yrs of misery! Let’s stick together—We are all Islanders!
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BanGarth says:
Great interview CB. Sad that you are the only reporter who provides fans with anything of substance and you are “banned”. Torrey was one of the greatest GMs in the history of any sport, sad the circus we have had to endure since. Garth is still better than Milbury but he needs to make some moves this offseason via draft , trade and free agency and we get us to the playoffs next year. Please hire a PR guy to teach you how to address fans , speak to people, and learn that reporters are not puppets that only write what you dictate.
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brad says:
You tease! What were the packages for Potvin? The curiosity wis killing me!
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GlenS says:
None it didn’t happen,LOL. Thats very interesting I’d like to know that as well.
Mr Torrey was the best GM this team has had hands down. Although quite different back then he built the Dynasty teams 90% through the draft, slide in the Goring trade Tonelli/Morrow signing’s and away they go four in a row and to the finals five years in a row.The day they drafted Bossy I was shocked that he still available 15 teams passed over him including the Rangers, I saw him play in Jr’s for Laval in the QMJHL in the early 70′S and he was a very gifted player who could find the net no matter where he was on the ice.He was one of my all time favorite’s along with Trot’s of course. -
Ha-ha, next time the rags shout “Potvin sucks”, we could tell them he was almost a ranger (that would be the only way he could ever suck)!
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PotvinRocks says:
Great interview. There is more than one stark contrast between the great Bill Torrey and mad Mike Milbury, namely 4 GM Cup rings. The suspense of the Potvin trade is pretty much killing us. So the Coliseum need a renovation 30 years ago and still we have 4 more years in that dump. Amazing!
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Rich says:
Don’t forget Mr. Torrey’s trade for Wayne Merrick (Jean Potvin and J.P. Parise for Merrick and Darcy Regier in 1978). Merrick then changed his game to become the Isles speedy checking center on the “banana” line with Bob Nystrom and John Tonelli.
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Mike says:
When the Isles are playing great hockey – that “Dump” we play in will be better than any new arena. Teams will not want to be playing here in the playoffs. Nothing would be more fitting than winning one more Cup in a place that has been so good to this franchise and Long Island in the 1980′s. These non-visionary county execs disgust me.
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James from Swindles says:
Wow, what a contrast from Milbury. Bill Torrey was a world class GM, whom the Isles were lucky to have.
Great interview.
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MoreDraftPicks says:
I ran into Bill Torrey at the coliseum in 1980 when I was 16 at a game. I hated Dave Lewis and just blurted out to him “Hi Mr. Torrey – Why dont you trade Dave Lewis?” He did a month later and the rest is history. You can thank me now!!!
Actually all kidding aside, thats a true story! He certainly was the best. Drafted Langevin, Tonelli before they chose to go to the WHA. Even he had some clunkers (Alex McKendry comes to mind) but not many!! -
Dave Lewis was real solid and steady defensive defenseman for this team for several years. I don’t quite get the comments above.
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Hockey Boy says:
Makes me think of the old days back in the 70′s when you watched a game for what it was, hockey. There was no Front Office or political sideshow. I remember even in their formative years, the young Islanders played hard every night and gained respect. They made the playoffs consistently. They were awesome in playoff overtime. They were the only team to win a game from Montreal in the playoffs 2 years in a row. They got better every year. This past season was the worst I remember as a life-long fan. Even the lock-out year was better.
To Garth and Wang: Please turn this around for the sake of your fans. Please agree to a new arena with the town and the county and forget the mega development you want on that site. You’ve already been given the approval for an arena. You may not think so, but you OWE us fans. You are the caretaker of a once proud franchise. Snap out of your denial about how to run a hockey team. The traditional approach is time tested and works. Your experiment failed. If you want out, then Donald Trump is waiting in the wings for a chance…
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@ Dose – because I was 16 !! and he was a stay at home defenseman. Watched too much Potvin
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Islesnut21 says:
I would assume the Potvin package centered around the Isles getting Brad Park, the rags first rounder and then perhaps Hadfield, Ratelle, Gilbert or Tkaczuk. Some combination of this, but I’m sure Brad Park was the centerpiece.
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Orange&Blue says:
Class Act! Should have been an Islander his whole career.
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Jack says:
Gary (23), if you are talking about all time favorite goals and JT, then my other favorite (beside his 2 against the Pens in the 1982 playoffs game 5) would be his goal against Chico with bout 1 minute remaining to give the Isles 15 straight wins.
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joe says:
Torrey was the best thing that happend to the isles, love the ownership he possessed with the draft and traveling on the road. in contrast to Milbury who took no ownership and was arguably one of the worst GM’s in the league.
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Walt says:
Soviet Coach Tikhonov stated after the Canada Cup series that Tonelli was the best cornerman in the world. High praise from a coach who never complimented anyone.
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Mr. Torrey’s phrasing regarding the Pat LaFontaine situation speaks volumes:
“There was a major dispute between the ownership of the Islanders and Pat’s agent…sometimes forces occur that make these decisions a must…”
This statement makes it clear that this was not Torrey’s decision to renege on an agreement to pay LaFontaine his fair market value (which Buffalo had no problem doing). Ownership gave Torrey no choice but to make the best deal possible.
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Denis says:
Great stuff Botta, thanks!
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anthony c says:
bill torrey, he is legend!
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Justin says:
Tenacious Tonelli. Couldn’t agree more with Mr.Torrey. Thanks for the memories. Great job CB, as always. Reminds us all why we’re still Isalnder fans.
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Tom 27 says:
Raise 27 to the rafters !
John Tonelli is one of the greats and so is Bill Torrey! I hate it so good as a young kid watching those teams, I new it was special but did not know how rare they were.
Interesting his take on it being the GM’s responsibility, the drafting, especially of the early picks. Quite a contrast to what Mike Milbury said about he had not really scouted anyone, left it to Tony, didn’t know Tony was under pressure, didn’t know what Tony was gonna do blah, blah, blah put the blame some where else. There is a stark contrast between Bill Torrey’s and Milbury’s level of success and the results they produced. Torrey=Class & Milbury=Ass.