{"id":484233,"date":"2026-02-16T19:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/484233\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T19:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:32:09","slug":"top-10-islanders-tough-guys-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/484233\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Islanders tough guys of all time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lifting four straight Stanley Cups<\/a> as part of their NHL-record 19 straight playoff series wins from 1980-84 is unquestionably the top highlight of the Islanders\u2019 existence.<\/p>\n

But obviously there have been other memorable events since their birth in 1972.<\/p>\n

And one frequently mentioned among league lore is \u201cFight Night,\u201d as the Islanders\u2019 9-3 win over the Penguins at Nassau Coliseum on Feb. 11, 2011, devolved into a series of brawls and cheap hits.<\/p>\n

So much so that Penguins Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux questioned the direction of the NHL for allowing fighting, saying via a statement, \u201cIf the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The teams combined for 65 penalties \u2014\u00a0including 15 fighting majors and 11 game misconducts \u2014\u00a0and a total of 346 penalty minutes. The game, which included a goalie fight, made Micheal Haley a permanent fan favorite as he, Trevor Gillies, Matt Martin, Josh Bailey, Travis Hamonic, goalie Rick DiPietro and Andrew MacDonald all fought as did Craig Adams, Pascal Dupuis, Mike Rupp, Maxime Talbot, Joe Vitale,\u00a0goalie Brent Johnson and ex-Islander Eric Godard for the Penguins.<\/p>\n

On that note, here is a subjective list of the top 10 tough guys in Islanders\u2019 history:<\/p>\n

10. Ken Baumgartner<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bomber,\u201d a 6-1, 205-pound left wing, spent parts of three seasons with the Islanders from 1989-92 protecting the likes of Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine. He\u2019s ninth in team history with 52 major penalties in 175 games, totaling 678 penalty minutes.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New York Islanders Ken Baumgartner\u00a0squares off with the Rangers’ Tie Domi in 1991.\u00a0 Credit: AP\/Steve Freeman<\/p>\n

9. Duane Sutter<\/p>\n

The four-time Cup winner with the on-ice reputation of being a pest was a gritty right wing who could contribute offensively \u2014\u00a0twice notching 53 points with the Islanders \u2014\u00a0while also being physical and fearless at 6-1, 190 pounds. He had 75 majors \u2014\u00a0sixth in team history \u2014\u00a0and 893 penalty minutes in 547 games.<\/p>\n

8. Eric Cairns<\/p>\n

As a 6-6, 230-pound defenseman, Cairns was an intimidating physical presence and willing fighter for six seasons, accumulating 60 majors and 814 penalty minutes in 327 games. His signature moment came in Game 6 of a contentious first-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs in 2002 as he saluted the Nassau Coliseum crowd after dropping Shayne Corson.<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a0Islanders'<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Islanders’ Eric Cairns, left, fights with Toronto’s Shayne Corson in the 2002\u00a0Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Credit: AP\/Ron Frehm<\/p>\n

7. Denis Potvin<\/p>\n

Being a tough guy is not only about dropping the gloves, though the Islanders captain through their Cup dynasty was more than willing to do so with 20 career majors and 1,356 penalty minutes \u2014\u00a0fourth in Islanders\u2019 history \u2014\u00a0in 1,060 games. The 6-foot, 205-pound defenseman simply altered games with his bone-crunching checks and cutthroat attitude toward\u00a0physically punishing opponents.<\/p>\n

6. Rich Pilon<\/p>\n

The 6-2, 220-pound defenseman was a prototype enforcer, with just six goals and 54 assists in 509 games for the Islanders across 12 seasons. In that span from 1988-99, he accumulated 1,525 penalty minutes \u2014\u00a0second in team history \u2014\u00a0and 77 majors, ranking him fifth in team history.<\/p>\n

5. Matt Martin \"Matt<\/p>\n

Matt Martin of the\u00a0Islanders vs. Luke Schenn of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals. Credit: Getty Images\/Mike Carlson<\/p>\n

The enforcer\u2019s role decreased significantly during the 6-3, 215-pound Martin\u2019s 16-season career from 2010-25, 14 of those spent with the Islanders. A left wing staple on the long-lived Identity Line with Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas, Martin\u2019s 95 majors in his 855 games with the Islanders are fourth in team history and his 3,936 career hits are second all time in NHL history behind Clutterbuck\u2019s 4,029.<\/p>\n

4. Garry Howatt<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Toy Tiger,\u201d nicknamed for his diminutive 5-9, 175-pound frame and gritty on-ice tenacity, was an original Islander who was part of their first two Cup winners. The left wing provided both offensive production and physicality as an integral team member and his 152 majors are second in team history while his 1,466 penalty minutes are third.<\/p>\n

3. Bob Nystrom<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Islander\u201d came into the NHL with the team in 1972 and spent all 14 of his NHL seasons with the franchise, becoming an essential part of the Cup dynasty and scoring the most famous goal in club history, the Game 6 overtime winner against the Flyers to clinch the Islanders\u2019 first Cup. But his uber-competitive nature and fierce grittiness made the 6-1, 200-pound right wing a feared physical presence with his 108 majors third in club history and his 1,248 penalty minutes fifth. The team established the Bob Nystrom Award in 1991 for the Islander who best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication.<\/p>\n

2. Mick Vukota<\/p>\n

The 6-1, 225-pound right wing accumulated 1,879 penalty minutes and 163 majors \u2014\u00a0both first in team history \u2014\u00a0in 509 games during his 10 seasons with the Islanders from 1988-97 (and only 16 goals and 29 assists) as he protected skilled players such as Ziggy Palffy, LaFontaine and fellow Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon. In his Islanders\u00a0debut against the Hartford Whalers, legendary enforcer Dave \u201cTiger\u201d Williams challenged Vukota during a third-period stoppage. Vukota accepted and dropped his gloves only to have Williams skate away.<\/p>\n

1. Clark Gillies<\/p>\n

The left wing, a crucial member of the Islanders\u2019 Cup dynasty and often linemates with fellow Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy on the \u201cTrio Grande,\u201d likely would have fought more but opponents were rightfully wary of the 6-3, 215-pound Gillies. \u201cJethro\u201d had 41 majors in 872 games and 891 penalty minutes. Teammates cite Gillies\u2019 multiple bouts against the Bruins\u2019 Terry O\u2019Reilly in the 1980 quarterfinals as a crucial turning point in the first Cup run as the Islanders showed the rest of the NHL \u2014\u00a0and themselves \u2014\u00a0just how tough they could be when needed.<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions: Arron Asham, Eric Godard, Micheal Haley, Gerry Hart, Ross Johnston, Alan Kerr, Zenon Konopka, Gord Lane, Steve Webb.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John\u2019s and MLB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lifting four straight Stanley Cups as part of their NHL-record 19 straight playoff series wins from 1980-84 is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484234,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,5791,575,245243,245242,85],"class_list":["post-484233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-new-york-islanders","tag-nhl","tag-spevergreen","tag-splist","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}