When the Islanders raised Butch Goring’s number 91 to the rafters at the Nassau Coliseum on February 29th, 2019, it sparked a lot of debate.
Was Goring, who played four full seasons and parts of two others for the Islanders, deserving of having his number retired by the Islanders?
The answer to that question is an emphatic YES YES YES!!!
Acquired by the Islanders at the trade deadline in 1980, Goring is referred to as the “final piece to the puzzle” and he helped the Islanders win four straight Stanley Cups, five consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final and 19 playoff series wins in a row. He had a brief stint as Islanders head coach from 1999 to 2001, but he has endeared himself to a whole new generation of Islanders fans as part of the MSG broadcast team since 2007.
On Tuesday night, the spotlight is on “Butchie” once again with his legends bobblehead night at UBS Arena when the Islanders host the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“He’s been a part of this organization for a long time,” said Islanders Captain Anders Lee. “He had a phenomenal career on the ice here on the island and was a big part of those cups. To have his insight and his charisma and his attitude towards the support for the team in the broadcast booth has been great throughout the years. It’s fun to see him get a bobblehead night.”
It's hard to put into words just how beloved the 73-year-old Goring is in Islanders Country. Between fans who were around during the dynasty years to younger fans who know him from watching the current Islanders on television, there’s never a shortage of “91 GORING” jerseys around UBS Arena and he’s always available to the organization when it comes to events and community related initiatives.
“He was a tremendous player,” said Islanders forward Matt Martin. “For me, it’s more what he’s done off the ice. He’s constantly involved in the community. I see him all the time in the summer at a boatload of different things. I think the people of Long Island love him.”
The fact that the Islanders chose Tuesday night’s game for Goring’s legends night is fascinating. You could also call it ironic and appropriate because there will be another 91 in the building and that is former Islanders Captain John Tavares who is now the Captain of the Maple Leafs. His decision to leave the Islanders in 2018 as a free agent to sign with his hometown team is still a store subject among Islanders fans.
As soon as he left, there were many Islanders fans who had their “91 TAVARES” jerseys switched to “GORING” and it would be just a couple of seasons later when Goring’s 91 was retired.
Even though Goring started his playing career with the Los Angeles Kings and finished with the Boston Bruins, he will always be considered a New York Islander and everyone associated with the franchise, including the players, coaches, staff and fans, acknowledges that.
“He was an impactful player back in his time and there’s a lot of memories for the fans in that era and he’s still creating them today,” said Islanders forward Brock Nelson. I think it’s cool that guys like that stick around the franchise and the area. That’s something that we’re all striving for here. He’s a guy that you look up to and you want to try and recreate those memories.”
Not only is Goring a fan favorite, but you can’t discount what he means to the current Islanders who are trying to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After back-to-back trips to the NHL’s final four in 2020 and 2021, the Islanders missed the playoffs last season but hope to make some noise this season if they can punch their ticket to the postseason.
Having a guy like Butch Goring around to share his experiences is something that you can’t put a price tag on.
“He’s been around so you have an opportunity to talk to him and have him tell some stories,” said Lee. “He’s got a lot of experience in this game so I think he’s been able to have a lot of good relationships with guys in the room.”
In this 50th anniversary season, there’s been a lot of reflecting and celebrating so many great Islanders memories. There’s evidence of the past all over UBS Arena and the Islanders’ practice facility in Eisenhower Park.
Goring and all of the Islanders greats serve as inspiration to the current Islanders.
“It's the history of the franchise,” said Martin. We want to win another one. That’s the goal is to create something special as that. It’s not going to be an easy thing to ever replicate but Butch and all those other legends have been in our corner.”
It’s appropriate that the Butch Goring bobblehead will be the 8th and final legends bobblehead giveaway of this 50th anniversary season.
That’s because back in the day, “Butchie” was the final piece of the puzzle.