Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction - June 2009
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/16/2009
Remarkable team-issued photo of the 1974-75 New York Islanders presented to Clark Gillies by the team in honor of the 10th anniversary celebration on April 6, 1985. This studio-mounted photo clearly shows the first edition of the Islanders to make the playoffs. In their very first post-season appearance, the young Islanders became only the second team in Stanley Cup playoff history to come back to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games. New York won four straight games over Pittsburgh to win its first playoff series, joining the 1941-42 Toronto Maple Leafs, who won four straight games to claim the Stanley Cup after Detroit had taken a 3-0 series lead. The Islanders nearly repeated the same feat in their semi-final series against Philadelphia, winning three straight games after falling behind 3-0 before losing the seventh game to the Flyers, who went on to beat Buffalo for their second straight Stanley Cup. Veteran captain Ed Westfall and team architect Bill Torrey sit side by side in the front row along with coach Al Arbour and goalies Glenn "Chico" Resch and a youthful and clean-shaven Billy Smith. The makings of a dynasty are all there in the second row with Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies and Bob Nystrom poised to lead the Islanders to future greatness and hockey immortality. The image has minor surface damage that hardly detracts from what is a sensationally clear picture of a team that bridged the franchise's painful expansion beginnings with the makings of one of the NHL's great dynasties. From Clark Gillies' personal collection, this photo comes with his signed letter of authenticity.
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