1987 NY ISLANDERS VS. WASHINGTON

‘EASTER EPIC’

PRELUDE TO OVERTIME

The year 1987 was

PAT LAFONTAINE: (New York

yaesapreIcigaoltomnearfroiredm,ea.nIdt wagaasitnhset

Islanders center)

twhe hCadpictoamls einbtahcek pfrlaoymofafs3, -1 sdevfiecnithingtahmees.eries to force a

We had such a

LOU FRANCESCHETTI: (Washington

good rivalry with the Isles at right winger)

athwaatypforionmt. Wthemcoiunldthneefvierrstget 1ro9u8n6dwoef tfihneaplllyayeolifmfsi,naantdedin athsejmus.tFaonromthee, rGgaammee7, bsutatrwteed hIsaledsa, alonndgehviesntotrhyouwgihthththeey dDiednni’st PhoatvveinMinkethBeolsisnyeuopr that onuigrhbt,ewstetoknbewatwtheehma.d to be at

The Capitals were the better team in the first period, outshooting the Islanders 15-5 and leading 1-0 at the intermission. The teams traded goals in the second period, but Washington continued putting pressure on MIsleeasnwgohaillet,entdheeraKcetilolyn Hgroutdeiny-. creasingly heated, but veteran referee Andy Van Hellemond wasn’t about to start calling a bunch of penalties.

GORD DINEEN: (New York Islanders

style was tVoanleHt tehlleepmlaoynedr’s

defenseman)

dweacyiditewtheentg.aCmeret,asionltyh,awt’hsetnhe overtime came, he was going otoutlectomthe opflatyhergsadmecei.dTehtehoenly twhion-ghhaendweoruolnd’avebcreaallkeadwwaays. a

There was a lot of stuff

KERRY FRASER: (NHL standby

wgoaisnng’tognooinugt otonbtheeaipce.nTahlteyr, e

referee)

or at least there wasn’t going to be one called. In the second intermission, I remember bumping into (Capitals coach) Bmrey,a“nKeMruryr,rlaeyt. mH e saasikdytou a question. Are there going to btoenaignhytf?-’-A-indg pI esaniadl,ti“eBsrcyalnle, dI think you can rest assured, unltehsesreth’senreo’tsgaominugrtdoebreouatctahlle.”re, aHnedjuwsatlskherduagwgeady.his shoulders

The Capitals continued their barrage of shots on Hrudey in the third period, outshooting the Islanders 36-21 over the first 60 minutes. Unfortunately for Washington, New York’s star center Bryan Trottier scored at the 14:37 mark to tie the game 2-2.

REST ASSURED, UANMLUESRSDETRHEORUET’S THERE, THERE’S NOT GOING TO BE A CALL – Kerry Fraser, NHL referee

I don’t think a lot of people BOB MASON: (Washington goalie) gkonaolw, mthyisk, bautet bornotkhee. Ttyriontgtier dwoaws nonthheismbiadcdklhe-arnigdh, ct osmidieng tIbhuarcsokeuhdgathnodtwheeer adrriogtthatenaodtlmdthLyraefenwegtae. griovaeltieonsktahte sh,eaenlsd. tThheeyrhivaedta sgnavaeppweady,,stohempyurcikg htitabnoktleh pads and ended up going in. OShueraerqeur icpameenot ugtuaynDdoluogoked at it and saw the rivet sheared ocoffualdnnd’tI dhoadanyothsuinpgp,oarntd. Hwee couldn’t put in Pete Peeters wgahmene.hSeo’dafbterenrecgoulldatihoenw, hole Shearer went in with a nut and a bolt and fixed it. But for that last five minutes of the third ponereiogdoo, Idwsaksatoeu. tWtheorkenwoiwths,

Mason had an equipment failure on the tying goal late in the third period, but it was repaired before the start of overtime.

if my skate didn’t break, we tmimigehtinntohtehfaivrsetgpolnaceet.o overOVERTIME

The first and second periods of overtime FRANCESCHETTI:

bsweecroaenufdsaespttehreiotrhdeasfnsojtfuhrsetgfliuertlsatutasionnd, bploayw. nA,nwdeojnucset tshkeatwedhiaswtleaywas taondbesethpeargaotaetdf.oNrotbaokdinygwaannutendnecessary penalty, because one stupid penalty could end the series. We crashed the net, they cprlayshweadsthoveenr,eth, beruet wonacseotnhe shove each and guys skated raewsapye.cTthfoerebwotahstaeammust.ual

That’s part of the reason for the length of the DINEEN: game. Sometimes you go out itfhyeoreu tmryisinsgitf,oitr cthane breigsuhlitt,inbuat stecaomrin. Ng ocbhoandycewfoanr tehde toothberthe Bonoethwtheaomdsidwtehraet sinotphoisigtiaomn-e. awlleyresoautnadm, tihneimscuomri.nAgncdhances boetwh emeandtehgertewaot sgaovaelsie. sY,otuh’erey psmlaayrintegragmamoere. judicious and

Overtime was like a tfoinogtbtacllkgleadmien. Gfruoynstwofetrheegnete-t.

MASON:

In the second overtime period,

BILL CLEMENT: (ESPN color analyst)

Scott Stevens got Pat Flatley twhiothugahntohpeekni-lilceedhiitms.oShteavredn, Is Lgointdhrioms,mbutchwliitkheohuet ahsitmEuricch hdiam acogme binegc,aaunsde Fitlaetnledyedsauwp bmeiidndglea oshf hoiusldcheresrti.gHhteijnustht e wcrouushldedhahviemb. eOennlythSitnekvienngsin tghaomse.tBeurmt ist awtatshgaot opdo,inhtairnd-the fought, clean hockey.

That was the first and DENIS POTVIN: (New York Islanders

Ionwlayspwlaiythof(fIgsalems eplIamy-ibsyse-pdl,aaynd defenseman)

smuhtaieneg)r oJtiongrgtshueMrebcnrDooatndtaocladpsltca.oyIn,t btwruiabtsmy back injury didn’t give me a icnhoivcer.tWimhee,nthiterweewntasona lainttdleon guilt involved for me. I was thinking, “Could I have played?”

The first overtime ends without a single penalty being called by Van Hellemond. But make no mistake, the officials – including linesmen John D’Amico and Ron

Finn – were not leisurely enjoying the game. The officials and the players needed each overtime intermission to attempt to replenish all the energy they had lost.

The officials were derehodyod. mIrawtaaefldtke,erhdtuainlkgtironygtahtneodBrerexyshasaniunsgt

FRASER:

Murray, and John D’Amico was lying on the floor with his feet tfuehpetomhnuftorhrtesbuoecbnhacadhl,fobnregcbaleeuinsgegthohins bofartiemfee. tBiancskidtheehnis, Jsokhantews,osroe his feet were absolutely killing dhimsh.eAvneldleRdoannFdinfrnazwzalesdlo. oking weren’t asInwtehlol sverdsaeyds,inwe

DINEEN:

Tenhergeywdarsinnkosnaenodf pthoawt,esrobIars. tsinhliicsneokmosreotmpwiezoozonav,eeahrnadtdhweoecrdohuearrdesdea of atohlmethoinesttpegorimidnditsywsiiohnnetrshe.eBwruee.t Wwit egr’odet sgitveinetahcehdortehsesrinthgeroboumsinaensds babeoguigtgalicnegrtaabinouptlaity.,Iatnwdaws ea’d cfuonuladtnm’todsupphleircea,tea.nd one you isnalot uwradtererIsarseninmdgermaotboinmegr,odforari nckgrieyns-g

MASON:

ing out loud. cmoaunldy,osrtaonckgeds auspwoWenpleioqhsuasididbsalys

FRANCESCHETTI:

aTnhderceownsaesrnv’tedmouucrhesnaeidrgbye. - qwtwuaieseetininptheoeruiIrosdrleossoamrsoI.oWgmue.eIjsutsswtthaesre nweatn, tgedt stomgetbthoedipeuscikn tforotnhte iacnedwsaesenw’ththatehgarpeapteensetda.tTthe Cap Centre, so you never knew.

Meanwhile, as the overtimes blurred into one another, the broadcasters charged with covering the game were also starting to feel the strain.

Mike Emrick and I Iwcearlelehdaivti“ntghesoWmouocdhstfoucnk. oLfater CLEMENT:

Hockey,” because it really had binetenrm. Wisesiwoenrsefraonmchworhienrgetwhe swuebrje,catnmdawtte ronafltyehradwshoimle,uch wsoawsne’tjucostngtroitveadliottrlepglaononfye.dI,t bthuet citlawssascljouwstnt,hwato‘uDldocl’e, aevder me anywhere, and I’d try to go thakeirneg. Amtyonsheiprtooinfft,aInednwdeodreup tIhaelsTo-shhaidrtmI yhatide utinedearrnoeuanthd. rmeyachteioand.wItewgaost farnomintEeSrePsNt.ing The big red telephone rang in the truck, and I was told to put my clothes back on. The next udsaya tbhoettplreeosfidcehnatmopf aEgSnPeNasnednt tWhe tvriiceed-pnroetstidoegnettsicnotlhdedwuasy. of tlehtetignagmpe,obpulet iktnwoaws houowr way goofy it was. It was bizarre, the htwadilifguhnt wzoitnheiot.f hockey, so we

The Islanders and Capitals players also were having fun, although extreme physical exhaustion was setting in.

I lost 13 pounds in that game. But the adrenaline

MASON:

winagstojabckeetdheanddiffyeoruenwcer-me tarkye-r. Iatlmwoastfuwnanyt,ebdetchaeuspeucykoucoming to you.

Lou Franceschetti and I had our run-ins in the

DINEEN:

tphaesrteawndasdaurminugtuthaal tregsapmeect, but wthere .bDaunrgiing oanroeupnladyi,nwtehe caonrdntehre, atnwdotohfeuwshciosutled blaerwely lhifist oaurmrseolversmofyf tsheouicled.eHretoput help lift himself up, and I didn’t hsteoapdhtiomh.eTaodtwhiinthk ayloluy’oreu’gvoeing got, then helping each other up off the ice. That shows we tahllrkonuegwh, wrehgatrdwlesws eorfewghoaint g wteeanmt wtherowuegrhedoinff.eBruent tyopuhases in how you were feeling during nthaetegianmteh.aItwI acosuplrdeattdyafpotrtoutIhaectguaamllye’fseeltbpbrseatntydgfol owd.sI, sfeolt better in the third and fourth overtimes than I did in the first and second. But you could definitely see the fatigue and passion on both sides.

The game took a huge toll not only on the players and officials, but also on the 18,130 fans in attendance, virtually all of whom stayed in their seats for the entire six-plus hours.

None of the fans went anywhere. I remember CLEMENT:

one couple in the stands that was dressed up, the man had ohnadaatufoxremdoa,lbeevceanutsteotahteteynd that night. They watched the

I LOST 13 POUNDS. THE ADRENALINE WAS JACKED. YOU WERE TRYING TO BE THE DIFFERENCE-MAKER – Bob Mason, Washington goalie

efoar ltyhepiarrftuonfctthioeng,atmheen, lceaftme abotvaecskor mtaofetwepraotichnhet tafhureonucrtenisodtn.thAwenads rtwheesirudeltogtovheianrtgticmtroeeae, tnIedrdeuaupllitzwimeidtahwteae the geammoetiowneanlts,tahkeegsrweaetrerfor everybody. THE WINNING GOAL surreal by thatTshtaeggeaomf ethweas LAFONTAINE: roemnqiegunhipt.mII’tlehlnintekgvuoeyrf,tfJhoimergmePtoicosktna.erOdmu, tohledgmoael,, “yYoou’’rreeggooiinggttoopgoept tohneewina.”teArnbdothtlensohethsaqtuteheezed wthateerxwacetnmt doomwentm, tyhneeacrke.nAat P.A. system played the theme maLnitudesriIaclloflyrookemevderuypthiinntgo stthoepspteadn,ds, Zone.

The Twilight wanads paelmopolset wtweoreinslteheepminog.rInting, asenvdeInlopoekrieoddus,p7a5nsdhiottws taos 56 tahtitshraetamllyomhaepnpt,eannindgI?s”aIitdw, “aIs

I HEARD THE POST AND THOUGHT ‘OH’ IANS. ITFHIETNDIIDSNA’TWGO MASON DROP TO HIS KNEES – Pat LaFontaine, New York Islanders

IssuajuwrmreGpaoelr.dAonDvdien3re0tehnsefcblyonbadyrdsmslaeat.nedr,

(Islanders defensempuacnk)iKneWnnayshLienigtteornk’sepetntdhoen

DINEEN: tahnedoIpwpaosijtuestsicdoemoifntghoenritnhke, ticoem. Keeonnnythmeiostsheedrtshieden.eIthoand the shot, and the puck came baesnecho,nsdowI iwnednctoimn ibneghoinffdtthhee annetdatnridedcatmo escourtetmheysoetlhf,ebrustide wiptuhwcokawswbaelsnocctokrveigedhroitnuogtumitntyofrpPooanitntt.tyT., he But nobody ever mentions a(Issloaunrdgeurys wouint gfreorn) tD. Hale dHiednary great job of screening. Mason never even saw the puck.

(Capitals defensefmroant)oRfomdeL.aTnhgewpauycwkahsaidneyes

MASON: alengds,wcleanntktshoroffutghheapcoosut panledof eItvdinefHleacttcehdero’fsfs(tiecakm. mgoaetse)inK.

I just was covericnogmfionrgGaorroduine.dItrheemneemt,btreyrihnigm LAFONTAINE: to throw it out front, and I sthtiicnkkbtehfeopreucitkchaimt Leaonugtwtoaym’se near the blueline. I don’t think sI ahmaveeweavyersisnhcoet. aI jpuusctkspthuen atoromuendatbaencainutsertehsetinpgucakngcalem, e and Ihjoupset fwoarnthteedbteosst,hboeoctaiut se BevoebryMthasinogn Ksaewlly, tHhreuydsetyopapnedd.

The Isles goalie made 73 saves in the seven periods, including 50 in a row after Washington scored late in the second frame.

oI nreimtsesmidbee, rsothIedpidunck’t bcaeticnhg iotff fIlhate,aarnddthitekpinodstoafnkdntuhcokulegdh.t “thoehn,” IasaifwitMdaidsonn’t dgoroipn,tbouhtis kstnaeretst,oadnrdoIps, awndotuhregnuiytswas ajulblsotcuoutlnlabpmeslienedvu.ateb.leThemenowtioenjufostr

I was going back out toward my point, because DINEEN:

wI whaesngthoienpgutcoktawkaesmblyopckoeindt, pwoasi tio nthaegpaliany. Swohmeny tbhaeckpuck wbthyenthpteoiinsrt. ,pIalhaneydaerIrdsc’oirtuecladlacjntuikosntostfe.f lAl ll you could hear was our playewrassyperlleitntgy amnudcshcrdeamd isnilge.nItce other than that. It was all you could do to get the energy up to celebrate. Half of our guys went to Patty and the other thwalof thoerKoeellsy.. They were our scored, it was like fWeehlienng tyhoeuy

FRANCESCHETTI:

lwoeorneagnodintgheuphoint airhsout dadirebnalylIjudsotns’ttokpnso. Iwt wifaysoduecmouolrda’lvizeing. vherayrdquaipeitn. drop, but it was low feelinTghienrtehwe asrejunsat. Yaohuol

MASON:

could sense the air going out of mthe, bguoilndgintgh.rIonutgehretshtoinsgelyfo, fuorr bovloewrtiomf edsefaecattu.aBlluytlietsssteilnlesdtutnhge tawimcaotecushpeslidendtcheaayttshgalattmneireg. Ahntun,mdanIe’drvoeIus isntigllthavtepauctkouggohintimthe wneat.ch

THE AFTERMATH

We went down to see the officials afterwards, FRASER: iatnwdatsheovfeer.liTnhgetyhwereerewtaostarelllyief dfartaiginued, ,bbuetytohnedy wtherneohrampaply wgaanamsofetfr.iecTmihaele’snedcmaoolultsdio.indanl’tsetrnadinthe

There dwraessns’itnmg urocohmtoasfateyriwnaorudr.

FRANCESCHETTI:

mTheerteinwgserteo nscohyeedaurl-enbdacpklayer stheonw, suopwaet twherreinjuksotntotlhdeto Monday morning to grab our equipment and sign some autographs. That was it.

After it was over, I remember the lineup trying to

CLEMENT:

2geat.min.toAlal tDhenbnayr’s rinestthaeuararenat at hanad cI lwoseerde saon da‘Dmonc’hEumngrircyk. I wreemtehmoubgehrtbweien’dg wsoamlkiifnfetdo tahnat all-night restaurant, but there was a lineup out the door. We said, “Oh, you’re kidding!” to Long Island Wate7gao.mt h. omn e

LAFONTAINE:

Easter morning, and we had ctCoaotblcieshedauombwutnshtianot pfnrlioagnyhttinoaftPN7haiplsl.ysmatu.hteo naneinxdgtwnGeiagnmhttet.oW2Goeafemtnhedae7t dsweuriptihewsth2ino--1se guys, but we just couldn’t hang wone.nAtntdo theatCwupasfitnhael yaenadr Rthoeny BHuext tIa’lllnweovnerthfoergCeotntnhSemwyatyhe. Couapr stesaemriecsamtheatbyaecakr.in that

Billy Smith was still playing for the Islanders at that

MASON:

time but was the backup for that game, and he was famous tfohrenoethver stehamkining phlanydosffwith rounds. And I’m looking down fhtrhaoenidtcseo, fainmndteh.seHuldeindgerunapblystohmesy’hshainkaend, sbheastk-egsoiatltaennddseadygs,a“mTehaI’tv’se tehveer seen in my life.”

> This story originally appeared in The Hockey News’ May 28, 2012 edition