Bobby Nystrom
By: Alan Hahn


   To even try to capture Bob Nystrom's career in one shot, which happened to be the shot in Islanders' history, would be a disservice to the player. The goal only typified his career, one highlighted not just by the result, but the hustle that put him in the position to receive the historic lead pass from John Tonelli that made Nystrom the first of many heroes all those years ago.
    To remember Nystrom in this new age of hockey is like recalling those big block muscle cars from the 1960s and 70s: they just don't make 'em like that anymore. He was hardly an image of finesse, but he always found a way to keep up with the skaters of his day and even employed a coach during the off-season to improve his stride and speed. He wasn't a burly bruiser, either, yet he proved time and again he could handle himself against the notorious goons or anyone else who had the nerve to drop their gloves in his path.
   The epitome of team player, Nystrom gave the Islanders whatever they needed in every game. Scoring, physical presence, energy, whatever equated to blood, sweat and tears. A 25-to-30 goal scorer during his best years, Nystrom seemed to thrive during the playoffs, where he holds the franchise mark with four overtime goals in playoff history, including the most memorable of all some 20 years ago this May.
   Most especially, he embodies everything that used to be so special about sports that in these days of free agency has been long forgotten. A career Islander, he loved being a Long Islander and still does, now serving as the team's Director of Corporate Relations. He was and is as much an image of the franchise, and Long Island, as any player in team history. You couldn't imagine seeing him in any other jersey, playing for any other team. Thankfully, we never had to.
   Nine-hundred games after his NHL career was born during the same season the Islanders were in 1972-73, making him a true "original Islander," his name and No. 23 were retired to the Nassau Coliseum rafters in what was an emotional retirement ceremony. Hardwork was obviously Nystrom’s catalyst and it was that Something that helped him and his teammates from the early chapters of this franchise's history reach the pinnacle so quickly. Something that pushed him down the ice, just ahead of Mel Bridgeman in time to redirect the pass from Tonelli that beat Pete Peeters, the Philadelphia Flyers and the odds at 7:11 of overtime. That was May, 24, 1980. One day that not only solidified a franchise, it exemplified a career.