THE 1 AND ONLY
... Islander to win the Hart Trophy (regular-season MVP):
THE TIME 1978-79 season
THE BACKGROUND It was Trottier’s fourth season with the Islanders and he already was proving to be one of the most dynamic players in the league. He set a thenNHL record of 95 points as a rookie, securing him the Calder Trophy in 1975-76, and Trottier continued to trend upwards. In 1978, Trottier was runner-up in voting for the Hart Trophy, scoring 123 points in 77 games.
THE SKINNY The 1978-79 season was a career year for Trottier, as he set personal bests in points (134), assists (87) and plus/ minus (plus-76). Three Islanders surpassed 100 points that season, with Mike Bossy sitting eight points behind Trottier at 126.
THE OTHERS WHO CAME CLOSEST
Trottier nearly did it again in 1982, when he was runner-up to Wayne Gretzky, and finished third in 1984. Denis Potvin finished second in 1976 before Mike Bossy finished third in 1982. John Tavares is the most recent Islander to contend for the Hart Trophy, placing third twice (2013 and 2015). THE QUOTE “I owe it all to a little, curly-haired fellow by the name of Mike Bossy, to a pair of left wings, Clarkie [Gillies] and John [Tonelli], and to Al [Arbour], who double-shifted me when I needed a little extra lift . ... I have such great feelings about the support I got from these guys.” — Bryan Trottier
THE AFTERMATH The Islanders dropped the semifinal series to the Rangers 4-2 in 1979. That proved to be the last time for five straight years that the organization did not reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The team won four Cups in a row before Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers ended the historic streak in the 1983-84 season. THE LEGACY Trottier was an Islander for 15 seasons before spending the last three years of his NHL career with the Penguins. He still holds Islander records in games (1,123), points (1,353), assists (853), and assists in a single season (87). And he’s second to Bossy in goals (500), even-strength goals (325), power-play goals (180) and gamewinning goals (69).