Islanders: Best Player In Franchise History Tournament

Who was the best player in franchise history? We try to figure out the best players in Islanders history in a 16 player tournament.

Are you bored yet? Of course you are, without the New York Islanders, I find myself struggling to find something to fill my time with from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm during the week. It becomes such a part of our routine that we take it for granted.

Well, what I wanted to do was show a little bit of recognition to the great players that we’ve seen put on the blue and orange sweater.

I came up with who I thought were the 16 best players in Isles history and seeded them from one through 16, like a March Madness Bracket. Here’s what I came up with.

With 16 players, eight of them are looking to advance in the tournament so we put the vote to Twitter to decide and this is what we found with over 3,000 votes these are the round one results

Denis Potvin (1) vs Kenny Johnsson (16)

Kenny Johnsson was a very underrated Islander and a solid defenseman. Unfortunately, he didn’t stand a chance with 97.6 percent of the vote going to Denis Potvin.

Mike Bossy (2) vs Bob Bourne (15)

This was the most lopsided matchup in Round one. Taking home the win with an impressive 99.7 percent is Mike Bossy. Sorry Bob, it’s not easy going up against the best pure goal scorer this league has ever seen.

Billy Smith (3) vs Ed Westfall (14)

Ed Westfall is a legendary Islander, every single guy on here is important. It’s just that he is going up against a four-time Stanley Cup Champion and Hall of Famer in Billy Smith. Smith won with 96.5 percent of the vote.

Bryan Trottier (4) vs Ken Morrow (13)

When Trottier is your fourth seed it just goes to show you how many legends played for your franchise. With 94 percent, Trottier advances to the Elite Eight.

Bob Nystrom (5) vs Brent Sutter (12)

When you score a goal that wins a franchise its first Stanley Cup it’s pretty hard not to be beloved. With 92.6 percent of the vote, Bob Nystrom moves on to Round 2.

Pat LaFontaine (6) vs Pierre Turgeon (11)

This one was pretty close for a while. LaFontaine and Turgeon will always be thought of together because of the trade so it’s only fitting to include them here. LaFontaine advanced with 66.3 percent.

Clark Gillies (7) vs Butch Goring (10)

This one was close for a while as well but with 60.6 percent Clark Gillies beats out Butch. Sorry Butchie, we still love ya don’t worry.

John Tonelli (8) vs John Tavares (9)

I couldn’t not include him in this. The “real JT” John Tonelli beats out John Tavares with 84.5 percent to advance to the next round.

Elite Eight Matchups

Denis Potvin (1) vs Billy Smith (3)

Bob Nystrom (5) vs Clark Gillies (7)

Mike Bossy (2) vs Bryan Trottier (4)

Pat LaFontaine (6) vs John Tonelli (8)

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Voting will take place tomorrow on Twitter. Be sure to be on the lookout for the polls @EyesonIslesFS to vote for the best Islander in franchise history.