No. 1 - Bob Nystrom: Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Final
The goal that will always be No. 1.
On Sunday, May 24, 1980, the New York Islanders hosted Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final versus the Philadelphia Flyers, a win away from their first Stanley Cup. The Isles appeared in control with a 4-2 lead heading into the third period, but two Flyers goals early in the third period tied the game and set the stage for the biggest goal in franchise history, giving birth to a sports dynasty.
The play started with Lorne Henning making a crisp cross-ice pass to John Tonelli, who crisscrossed with Bob Nystrom entering the Flyers zone. Tonelli then made a perfect pass on the stick of a streaking Nystrom, who deflected the puck past Pete Peeters to win the Stanley Cup.
"John Tonelli and I … if we didn't do 3,000 2-on-2s, it's just one of those days where it just worked out perfectly," Nystrom told NHL.com in 2017. "Bob Dailey bit a little bit on John when he crossed over , and I was able to get in behind him. It was a great moment," Nystrom added. "I always think of it as I thank God for putting me in that position and given the opportunity to do something for my teammates that we all wanted to do. I was thrilled, and I couldn't do it for a better group of guys."