IT'S A GREAT FEELING TO HAVE PEOPLE STILL CHEER YOU ON
Posted By: Ken Morrow
Posted At: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
Looking back at the Championship teams, we knew we had a good thing going. After that first Cup and you have a taste of it, you don't want to give that feeling up. And that's what we had going for us. Guys obviously built the team up through the 70s and they had this core of guys that had been through a couple of playoff losses in '78 and '79. When everything came together you wanted to take it and ride it for as long as you can, and that's what we did.
Starting with Bill Torrey and Al Arbour, it's always been my philosophy that you need stability at the top. Everything filtered down from there to the players.
This is going to be a really special weekend. A real thanks to Charles and the Islanders organization because they really made an effort to recognize the players. There was a disconnect for a lot of the guys through the 90s with the different ownership groups coming through, for various reasons.
But Charles has really stepped forward and made an effort to bring the guys back into the organization. I've been fortunate to be with them a long time, but there have been other guys you don't get a chance to see that often on Long Island.
I look back what they did two years ago with the '80 team and the walk across from the hotel. I'm really looking forward to it again because I was stunned by the reaction of the people then. I always feel like that whenever people remember the championships from 20 years ago. It's a great feeling to have people still cheer you on after all these years.
Posted By: Bryan Trottier
Posted At: Monday, February 25, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
Mike (Bossy) has been doing most of the organizing for this weekend, so I'm not completely in the loop as to what's going on. But I'll tell you one thing. My family is very excited. They're excited because my wife was there for the 25th celebration and she was blown away by the responses from the fans.
It feels like it was just yesterday when I was together with all the guys. The feeling of family is always nice. You get a chance to get caught up with each other and any news. It's a wonderful group of guys and gals. When we get together, we re-live some memories and share a few days with the greatest fans in the world. The group as a whole is really good about keeping in touch, but it's a little sweeter when you're all together.
The Islanders totally blew us away with the hospitality two years ago. The fan reaction, 25 years later also blew us all away. We don't come in with any ridiculous thinking. We look at this from the anticipation of a team, fan and community gathering, where everyone is involved. It wouldn't be the same without the fan and organization support. Everyone is important to that. The identity of Long Island seemed to magnify at times like these. We always felt we were a meat and potatoes kind of team and Long Islanders seemed loved that. Everyone was part of the fabric of Long Island.
The last celebration was a reflection of Long Island. That's what I like about the whole thing. Embracing the tradition magnifies it all. Charles, Garth and Teddy realize its great to have that history to look back to. There's recognition of tradition that is part of the Islanders Core of the Four aspect. We had an identity and that is still a recipe for success..
EXCITEMENT BREWING FOR THE BIG WEEKEND
Posted By: Mike Bossy
Posted At: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Hey Islanders Fans,
Welcome to the first entry of the Core of the Four Blog. For the next few weeks, my fellow Core of the Four members and I will be updating you on information regarding the weekend, and giving you insights on what the group of 17 are up to and feeling as the big weekend approaches.
Every one of the guys I've spoken to is really excited about the upcoming Core of the Four weekend. I think we finally realize that we have run the gamut of the celebration of the four Stanley Cups. We realize this might be one of the last celebrations for a while. I know everyone is thrilled to come back and to re-live those moments in front of the people who supported us all those years.
The best part about returning for these events is seeing the guys who you lived so closely with for those monumental moments. There are always stories that come out and they get a little bit bigger each time you reunite. It's always fun to re-live great memories.
This is going to be an unforgettable celebration. The guys are really starting to realize how amazing it was to win four Cups together. We realize how special it is to win 19 series in a row, not just in hockey, but in all of sports. Hopefully we'll all be able to see that realization in everyone's eyes during the event.
We're looking forward to seeing the Coliseum as packed and as loud it was during our Cup years. It's going to be an exciting weekend, and we hope everyone can share the moment with us.
