The Iconic NY Islanders Sports Illustrated Cover Photos Through the Years

Yesterday was a sad day in the sports media world, as nearly all of Sports Illustrated's writers received layoff letters from what was once the standard of the sports writing world.

The magazine has been in circulation since August 16, 1954 - 18 years before the NY Islanders' existence, when Eddie Mathews of the Milwaukee Braves and NY Giants catcher Wes Westrun graced the cover of the first-ever issue. But now, after over 4,000 issues, it appears as if the magazine's nearly 80-year run is coming to an end.

For those of a younger generation before a time of instant news at your fingertips, seeing your copy of Sports Illustrated in the mailbox was one of the week's highlights. Scanning the pages, which included the best photos and quality of writing regardless of the topic, was the way sports fans absorbed knowledge before the days of social media.

Even for those who were too young to have a subscription of their own, there was SI for Kids, which brought sports to life for kids, with the culmination being the perforated page at the middle of the magazine, which could be turned into trading cards.

The hockey world has graced the cover of SI 100 times since 1954, with the Islanders receiving the honor four times. It's been almost 40 years since we've last seen an Islander on the cover page, with Mike Bossy being the most recent. While not having the cover to themselves, the Isles were part of the 1983 Year in Sports cover and were put in the corner of the April 27, 1987 edition, highlighting the Easter Epic.

Through SI Vault, every issue can be viewed from cover to cover, including all of the funny, old advertisements. With SI's time possibly coming to an end, we look back on all four times Islanders have bestowed the honor of SI cover athlete.