The 5 most devastating injuries in NY Islanders history

Pierre Turgeon 1993 Playoffs: Separated Shoulder

When Islanders fans think of the word cheap shot, this is the moment that comes to mind for those that witnessed it.

In 1992-93, the Isles were a Cinderella story getting into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season and were up three games to one in their first-round series against the Washington Capitals. After Pierre Turgeon put the Islanders up 5-1 in game six by stealing the puck from Dale Hunter, Hunter's rationality left his head, and decided to take out his frustrations on the team's star player, separating his shoulder in the process.

The Isles may have been a Cinderella team that season, but Turgeon was unquestionably one of the best players in the league in the highest-scoring season in NHL history. The newly-named 2023 Hockey Hall-of-Fame inductee scored 58 goals and 132 points that year, his best statistical season by far. He would then miss most of the next-round series against the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, besides playing some power play minutes in game seven. The Islanders ultimately won that game in overtime in one of the greatest upsets in NHL playoff history, with part of that claim being due to Turgeon's absence.

New York lost to the eventual champion Montreal Canadiens in the Wales Conference Finals in five games, part of the reason due to Turgeon clearly not looking like the same player before the injury. Dale Hunter would be suspended 20 games by the NHL going into the next season, the longest suspension ever handed out at the time. That was the final long playoff run in legendary coach Al Arbour's career as well, and the Isles would not win another playoff series until 23 years later. Unfortunately, this injury still leaves Islanders fans today thinking what could have been in a magical 1993 run.