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New York Islanders Three Most Penalized Games Ever

An overhead view of the penalty box at the home of the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
An overhead view of the penalty box at the home of the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 16: Robin Lehner #40 of the New York Islanders exchanges punches with Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 16, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 16: Robin Lehner #40 of the New York Islanders exchanges punches with Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 16, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

3. October 14th, 1982 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

108 penalty minutes, 9 minors, 8 majors, 3 game misconduct

With a game so heavy in penalties you’d think there was some sort of ill-will between the two teams. Or some sort of event to get everyone’s blood boiling. That didn’t seem to be the case.

The history between the Islanders and Penguins back in 1982 wasn’t one to write home about. Both teams were at different ends of the NHL spectrum. The Penguins weren’t very good and the New York Islanders were in the middle of their golden years.

The game started out as one normally would in the era. The first period ended with the Islanders up 2-0 with two Butch Goring shorthanded goals. And a few minor penalties for high-sticking and tripping, and a major for elbowing.

Looking back at the boxscore, maybe that what sparked the frenzy in the second and third period. The Penguins should have been up. They had the power plays, not the Islanders. The Islanders were the ones creating the majority of the infractions but they were still up 2-0.

In the second period, the Penguins figured they wouldn’t be taken advantage of so easily. The Islanders weren’t going to be intimidated though.

Within four minutes of the second period, fists started flying between Duane Sutter and Pat Price. By the end of the second period, the Islanders had picked up 31 penalty minutes. With the score now 7-0 the Penguins were further enraged.

The third period would be even rougher on the ice. The Penguins took two minor penalties within the first few minutes of the third. Clearly, they thought they’d try even harder to get under the Islanders skin. The Islanders gladly fought back.

At the end of the third period, the Islanders had totaled 68 minutes in penalties.

When all was said and done, the Islanders won the game 9-0 and took 108 minutes worth of penalties. There wasn’t a hit that set everything off. This was a nothing game at the start of the season that unreasonably exploded. That was hockey in the ’80s.

Most penalized players:

Islanders: Brent Sutter 39 minutes
Penguins: Randy Carlyle 27 minutes

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