NY Islanders History: Isles legend Bryan Trottier scores his 500th goal

In the history of the New York Islanders, only two players have reached the 500 goal milestone.

The first was Mike Bossy, the purest goal scorer of his generation, who did it in 647 games - second fastest all-time to only Wayne Gretzky (575). On Feb. 13, 1990, Bryan Trottier became the second, scoring his 500th goal in his 1,104th career game against the Calgary Flames at the Nassau Coliseum to become the 15th player in NHL history to hit the mark.

The Islanders lost the game 4-2, but for the 15,011 in attendance that night in Uniondale, the only thing they remember was Trottier's history-making goal. The goal occurred at 9:57 of the second period, with Gary Nylund and Pat LaFontaine getting the assists after a scramble in front. The 34-year-old Trottier found the puck and the back of the net for his 13th goal of the season and what would be his final as a New York Islander as he went without a goal the rest of the year before moving on to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Trottier received a standing ovation that lasted over two minutes. The fans were prepared with signs throughout the arena that in anticipation that it would be the night they witnessed Islanders history.

They were rewarded.

"To get the curtain call from the fans, you're a little bit embarrassed and humbled by the whole thing, but that moment of doing it in front of the fans and sharing that moment with them just makes it so much more special because that's what you're playing for to a certain degree, the appreciation, the support, and the recognition factor. They had a little something to do with it with all of that encourage."

Trottier in a televised interview

Trottier finished his Islanders career with a team-record 1,123 games-played and 1,353 points. also most in team history. He is the only Islander to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP (1979) and won the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP in 1980.