Islanders alumni look forward to annual golf outing
John Tonelli of the Islanders, left, reacts after a long shot by Denis Potvin found the New York Rangers goal to win the NHL Stanley Cup semifinal game in overtime. (April 28, 1979) Credit: AP
Even though this is a busy time of the year for his thriving candlemaking business in Ontario and despite the fact that he has to get his lakefront house ready for a summer rental to hockey executive Cliff Fletcher, Billy Harris decided he has to get away for a weekend. His heart told him he must be in Middle Island next Saturday to play golf with more than 20 fellow Islanders alumni.
After all, Pat Price is going to be there. “I haven’t seen him since the ’80s,” said Harris, the Islanders’ first-ever first-round draft pick 45 years ago. Also, Dave Lewis is going to be there, the same Dave Lewis with whom Harris was traded for Butch Goring in March 1980 — the deal that is credited with turning the Islanders into a dynasty. “We were sacrificial lambs,” Harris said with a laugh.
No hard feelings. And plenty of laughs. That’s what Islanders from every era expect every June when they show up for the McMahon Family Golf Outing and Auction at Middle Island Country Club. This will be the 18th annual edition and the impresario, Joe McMahon, former Islanders equipment manager, hopes to raise $150,000 for charities that are close to his heart.
The event began as a tribute by McMahon and his two brothers to their late mother, Lee, who died of cancer. But it took a dramatic turn in 2002 after McMahon’s 1-year-old son Aidan died of a rare liver disease. The outing supports the Hospice Care Network and American Liver Foundation. It also brings former Islanders back to their roots.
“Eddie Westfall is there, we were roommates that first year,” Harris said.
Claude Lapointe, who came to Nassau Coliseum in the 1990s and was there to see the team rise from the ashes, will travel from his home, an hour north of Montreal. “Every year there are new faces. I hear this year, Eric Fichaud will be there and Todd Bertuzzi,” he said. “It feels like you’re going back to your playing days.
“And Gordie Lane, I can’t wait to meet him. It’s always exciting to see the guys from the ’80s,” Lapointe said.
John Tonelli, who does not make many public appearances, will be there along with Bob Nystrom, whom he assisted on the goal that changed everything 37 years ago. Bryan Berard, Benoit Hogue, Steve Thomas, Jean Potvin, Ken Morrow and Arron Asham will be among the golfers, McMahon said. He added that information for fans to participate and/or contribute is available at lam-foundation.com.
“It shows these guys,” the former equipment manager said, “that they’re not forgotten.”
Walters show at Smithtown Landing
The Dennis Walters Golf Show is coming to Smithtown Landing on July 10. Walters was paralyzed from the waist down in a 1974 accident but never lost his flair for golf. Hitting from a specially designed cart, Walters puts on a clinic and trick shot exhibition and adds a motivational talk. Donations at the show will go to help support youth golf, said Michael Hebron, Smithtown Landing’s director of golf.
New tournament at Glen Head
The inaugural Glen Head Classic is the newest addition to Long Island’s calendar of top amateur competitions. Entries are being accepted for the 36-hole event at Glen Head Country Club on Aug. 9-10. Information is available at the club . . . Justin Timberlake did more than ride a two-seater bike (with Jimmy Fallon, seen in a Twitter video that went viral) during his trip to the East End last week. He also went to Poxabogue Golf Center in Bridgehampton, the public par-3 course, hit a bucket of balls and played nine.
