Islanders: Top Canadian players from each Province and Territory

To celebrate Canada Day, here are the best New York Islanders to hail from the Great White North.

Canada is 153 years old today! To celebrate my countries birthdate I’ve brought up the best New York Islanders played from each Canada’s ten provinces and three territories.

Or at least I tried to. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any players to suit up for the Isles from any of the three provinces (Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut) nor have we had anyone suit up from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

But we’ve got players from the nine other provinces. Here are the very best skater and goalies from each as well as an honorable mention.

The criteria for inclusion wasn’t too strenuous. For skaters, it was points and games played and for goalies, it was wins and games started.

British Columbia

Skaters: Ray Ferraro
Goalies: Wade Dubielewicz
HM: Mathew Barzal

We start out west with the Province of British Columbia. Ray Ferraro takes the honor with 238 points in 316 games. With 207 points in 234 games, Mathew Barzal will surely pass Ferraro by next season, but for now Ray is top dog.

Dubie had 16 wins out of 27 stars. His closest competition was Wade Flaherty who had 15 wins in 45 starts. Wade was the class of Isles BC goalies.

Alberta

Skaters: Brent Sutter
Goalies: Kelly Hrudey
HM: Duane Sutter, Chris Osgood

With 694 games played and 610 points, younger brother Brent Sutter takes the honor of being the Isles best player from Alberta. Older brother Duane wasn’t any slouch. He put up 292 points in 547 games and has four Stanely Cup rings. So at least he can show up Brent at family gatherings.

Kelly Hrudey takes the honor for the goalies with 106 wins over 224 starts. Although Chris Osgood has a better ratio with 49 wins over 101 starts.

Saskatchewan

Skaters: Bryan Trottier
Goalies: Glenn Resch
HM: Clark Gillies

He was one of the better centers to ever play the game, naturally, Val Marie native Bryan Trottier will make the list for top skater for the Isles. Even if the competition is fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gillies.

Chico Resch was an easy winner for goalies with 157 wins over 266 starts. The only competition he faced was Chad Johnson who had eight wins over 17 starts. That’s a great ratio but not even close to the depth and breadth of service Resch had. Resch also has a Cup ring, and could even have a Calder Trophy if not for fellow Saskatchewan native Trottier taking top rookie in 1976.

Manitoba

Skaters: Butch Goring
Goalies: Ron Hextall
HM: Travis Hamonic

The final piece of the puzzle takes top honors here. With the Winnipegger on the roster, the Isles went from being Stanley Cup contenders to a dynasty. Travis Hamonic isn’t far off of Butchie’s numbers with 146 points to Goring’s 195.

But with four Cups, a Conn Smythe trophy, and endless cultural impact on the franchise Butchie is the best Manitoban to play for the Isles. “In the toy department Brendan!!!” Classic.

Hextall’s tenure was short but he was the best Manitoban to stop shots for the Islanders with 27 wins in 60 starts.

Ontario

Skaters: Denis Potvin
Goalies: Billy Smith
HM: Glenn Healy, John Tavares

With 1,052 points in 1,060 games, Denis Potvin is the clear class from Ontario. Four Cups, three Norris Trophies, and a Calder Trophy to boot, it’s not even close. John Tavares is second for points with the Isles at 621.

With 304 wins in 637 starts, Billy Smith takes it. And just like Potvin, it wasn’t even close. Healy had 66 wins in 164 starts. Smith not only wins the wins battle but the ratio battle with a 0.48 win-percentage to Healy’s 0.40. Not that it even needs to get there with Smith’s four cups, Jennings, Vezina, and Conn Smythe Trophies.

Quebec

Skaters: Mike Bossy
Goalies: Eric Fichaud/Kevin Poulin
HM: Pierre Turgeon

He’s the best goalscorer to even play the game. With 573 goals and 1,126 points in 752 games, Mike Bossy is the best Islander to come from “La Belle Province”. Pierre Turgeon is a not so close second with 240 points in 255 games.

Fichaud had 19 wins in 62 starts for the Islanders. Kevin Poulin isn’t far behind with 18 wins in 44 starts. I split the honor because of the ratio. Fichaud had a 0.31 win-percentage while Poulin had a 0.41 win-percentage and I couldn’t make up my mind on which way to go.

New Brunswick

Skaters: Neil Nicholson
Goalies: Roland Melanson

Rolie the goalie had 77 wins in 129 starts for the Isles. Some of us also tend to forget that he was there for three cups with the Isles. Resch was there for the first cup but was traded to Colorado in 1981.

Neil Nicholson takes the honor for skaters with 39 games played and four points. Yvon Vautour might want to have a word with his four points in 17 games.

Prince Edward Island

Skaters: Billy MacMillan
Goalies: N/A
HM: Ross Johnston

Billy MacMillan was the original Canadian islander (by that I mean he came from a Canadian island) with 231 games played with the Isles between 1973 and 1977.  He put up 68 points in that time with the Isles.

Noah Dobson will likely surpass that mark in his Islanders career, but for now, his 34 games and seven points aren’t enough for even an honorable mention. That goes to Ross “The Boss” Johnston.

No goalies from PEI ever played for the Isles.

Nova Scotia

Skaters: Paul Boutilier
Goalies: Joey MacDonald
HM: Andrew MacDonald

Boutilier and MacDonald have the same production (89 points) but Boutilier did it in 82 fewer games. With both being defenders it was a simple decision to give the honor to Boutilier. But Mac gets an honorable mention at least.

Joey MacDonald was the only Nova Scotian to play for the Isles so he gets the honor unopposed.