Islanders legend Pat LaFontaine inducted into club's Hall of Fame

On a day to celebrate his past, newly-inducted Islander Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine could not contain his enthusiasm about the team’s present and future.

LaFontaine called the Islanders’ team that went to five straight Stanley Cup Finals from 1980-84 – and won the first four – “the greatest organization in sports for that time,” better than the dynastic Packers, Yankees or Canadiens.

“And it’s starting to come back to that,” LaFontaine said following Saturday’s emotional ceremony before the Islanders faced the Lightning at UBS Arena as the 17th inductee into the team’s hall of fame during which he sadly noted his son-in-law Randel McCoy’s passing last week because of ALS and his wife Mary Beth’s health struggles.

“It really feels like a family,” said LaFontaine, praising, among others, the current ownership group, former president/general manager Lou Lamoriello, current GM Mathieu Darche and coach Patrick Roy. “The Islanders back then had a love affair with the community and the community loved them. When you have that connection, great things can happen. You start to feel now there’s a sense of family. It starts at the top and filters right through and you can see the way the team’s playing now.”

LaFontaine also singled out No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer – they share the same agents – in his speech.

“I was blown away what he’s doing this year,” LaFontaine said. “The kid didn’t play much last year and he just turned 18. The word ‘generational talent’ starts to [be used]. We thought he was going to be really good. He’s special.”

The same could be said of LaFontaine, enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

LaFontaine, drafted third overall in 1983, joined the Islanders after playing for Team USA in the 1984 Winter Olympics and compiled 287 goals (tied for seventh in team history) and 279 assists for 566 points (ninth in team history) in 530 games in eight seasons before forcing a trade to the Sabres in 1991.

Overall, he had 468 goals and 545 assists in 865 games before a concussion ended his career with the Rangers in 1998.

“I just remember the speed he played the game,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who attended Islanders’ games at Nassau Coliseum while studying at Hofstra from 1985-89. “It’s hard to compare eras but Pat LaFontaine was like the start of the future. Just the gracefulness he could skate with. You know who he reminds me a little bit of is [Mathew] Barzal. There’s a lot of similarities in the two in how they play. He was a special player. Like electric. He was the type of player that could bring you out of your seats, that’s what Patty would do.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.