Former Islander Brent Sutter waves to the crowd after his speech during...

Former Islander Brent Sutter waves to the crowd after his speech during his Islanders Hall of Fame induction before a game between the Islanders and the San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena on Saturday. Credit: Jim McIsaac

Brent Sutter never could have imagined one day being inducted into the Islanders’ Hall of Fame because, frankly, he never thought the organization would draft him.

Scouts from the Rangers and Flames had spoken with him before the 1980 NHL Draft, but nobody from Hall of Fame general manager Bill Torrey’s staff had.

Yet the Islanders, shortly after winning the first of four straight Stanley Cups, used the 17th overall pick to select their second Sutter. Brent joined older brother Duane, who had just finished his rookie season.

The Islanders held a ceremony before Saturday night’s game against the Sharks at UBS Arena to honor Brent Sutter for his induction. It served as a dual unveiling as the Islanders also debuted their Ring of Honor along the band beneath the upper bowl, with Sutter being the 16th name.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said during his thank-you speech, which lasted just shy of 10 minutes. “I’m truly humbled.”

Sutter’s path to being an Islanders legend had an inauspicious start at training camp in 1980.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I might be going to training camp with the Stanley Cup champions,’ ” Sutter recalled on Nov. 8 when his upcoming induction was announced. “I got there and the guys were all awesome. But the first day, I was so nervous I threw up all over the training room. So that wasn’t a great start.”

Sutter, 62, capped a heartfelt 21-minute ceremony with a speech acknowledging all those important in his life, from his parents and family to Islanders teammates, coaches, executives, owners and fans.

“From the day I was drafted in 1980 to this day, I’m truly blessed and honored to wear the Islander jersey,” Sutter said to conclude his speech.

This after a sheet dropped to reveal his name in all capital white letters against the blue background in the Ring of Honor.

Duane Sutter was in attendance, as were Brent Sutter’s wife and three children. Brent and Duane Sutter were two of six brothers who played in the NHL.

“You never squealed on me when I broke curfew and I really, really appreciate it,” Sutter said specifically to Duane. “To my brothers — and there’s a lot of them [seven] — your support never went unnoticed.”

A plaque listing Brent Sutter’s accomplishments also will reside on the Islanders’ Wall of Fame on the main concourse.

His name joins Torrey, coach Al Arbour, Mike Bossy, Bob Bourne, Pat Flatley, Clark Gillies, Butch Goring, Kenny Jonsson, Ken Morrow, Bob Nystrom, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, John Tonelli, Bryan Trottier and Ed Westfall in the Ring of Honor.

Bossy, Gillies, Goring, Nystrom, Potvin, Tonelli, Trottier and Smith also have had their numbers retired and have a banner in the rafters at UBS Arena, as do Arbour and Torrey.

Master of ceremonies Jiggs McDonald noted the passings of Arbour, Bossy, Gillies and Torrey and also announced that Bourne, Potvin and Smith were unable to attend. Flatley, Goring, Johnsson, Morrow, Nystrom, Tonelli, Trottier and Westfall joined Sutter on the ice as he was presented a painting depicting his playing days.

“I can’t say enough about everything you’ve done for me and my family,” Sutter said in addressing the fans after tapping his hand twice to his heart and saluting the crowd as he walked onto the ice.

The members of the Islanders’ Hall of Fame wore blazers designed for the occasion by FE Apparel. The blazers included “Brent Sutter #21” and “The Ultimate Two-Way Forward 1980-1991,” with crossed hockey sticks stitched on.

Sutter played three games in 1980-81 before cracking the lineup for good the next season, winning two Cups with the Islanders.

Renowned as a two-way center and faceoff specialist, Sutter compiled 287 goals and 323 assists in 694 games for the Islanders before being dealt to Chicago on Oct. 25, 1991, when he and Brad Lauer were exchanged for Steve Thomas and Adam Creighton.

Sutter was the last active player from the Islanders’ 1980-83 Cup dynasty when he retired in 1998. He finished his career with 363 goals and 466 assists in 1,111 regular-season games.

He’s the first inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame since Goring and Tonelli in 2020.

“It’s well deserved,” said coach Patrick Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie who played against Sutter after breaking into the NHL with the Canadiens in 1985. “He was a great Islander. What I really appreciate about him is it was not always a Cinderella story. There was a bit of pain before the game came. You learn a lot from your first year and it made him the player and the person that he is. So I do have a lot of respect for him.”

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