Major honours
An expansion team in 1972 that won only twelve games in year one, the Islanders built a dynasty in eight years under GM Bill Torrey and coach Al Arbour — almost entirely through the draft. Bob Nystrom's overtime goal on 24 May 1980 clinched the first of four straight titles through 1983, the NHL's last four-peat. Nineteen consecutive playoff series wins in that stretch remain a record across North American pro sports. Mike Bossy scored 53 goals as a rookie and nine straight 50-goal seasons; his 0.76 goals per game over 752 games is the NHL's best rate. Bryan Trottier anchored the centre, Denis Potvin the blue line, and Billy Smith became a different goaltender every spring. The 2021 move to UBS Arena closed the Nassau Coliseum era.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
Sharing a market with the New York Rangers layers Long Island–Manhattan class tension onto the feud. In the 1980s, the Edmonton Oilers who ended their dynasty were the most painful opponent.