Considering that I gave you guys some pre-game analysis yesterday, I think today would be the perfect occasion to share my memories of another Islander great with you all. 

While I was too young to remember Brent Sutter and Denis Potvin as Islander captains, I do remember Patrick Flatley’s tenure quite vividly. While not the physical type of player future Islander captains would be [Bryan McCabe and Michael Peca immediately come to mind], Flats was the type of player [when healthy] that every team in the NHL would want on their team because he worked harder than everyone else and led by example. 

I can’t tell you how many times during the 93 and 94 seasons that I saw Flatley fight off of checks in the corners and manage to get the puck free to players and turn a useless dump in into a scoring opportunity. Sometimes it was amazing how “The Chairman of the Boards” could squeeze his way through two or three opposing players and use his feet to kick the puck to a teammate or how well he saw the ice and could make such accurate blind passes in the corners. 

It was this type of hustle and grit that made up for the fact that Flatley never blossomed into the scoring machine that the Islanders thought he and Pat Lafontaine would become. However, when the Islanders decided to change the entire makeup of their team, trading away fan favorites like Brent Sutter, Randy Wood and Lafontaine in a matter of weeks, they kept Flatley and made him the new captain. In keeping Flatley on the team, the Islanders showed their fans that they still cared about the legacy the team had and felt Flats was one of the players the new team could look to for leadership. 

And what a solid leader he was, as the Islanders managed to make the playoffs during both seasons Flatley managed to play more than 60 games in, proving just how valuable he was to the team. As a matter of fact, I think Flatley’s presence on the ice alone played a huge part in the eventual development of players like Marty McInnis, Todd Bertuzzi, Travis Green and Zigmund Palffy because he got accustomed to the NHL playing alongside the Islander greats that no one will ever forget and showed those players what it took to be consistent. That alone makes up for the fact that he never scored more than 20 goals in any season during his career with the Isles. 

The only dark spot in Flatley’s career I believe was that one year he played for the Rangers and wasn’t used the way a player with his ability could have been used. Nevertheless, he did manage to score 10 goals and a dozen helpers playing on a fourth line. The only positive was that Flats got the opportunity to play in the playoffs again. 

Regardless, one year with the Broadway Blue shirts could never tarnish a solid career with the Isles. Not to mention the entertainment value of the “Heals and Flats” show, Flats will always be remembered as one of the most underrated team captains in Islanders history.