Butch Goring: The Missing Piece
By Stan Fischler and zach weinstock
If one had only four words to explain the success sculpted by Islanders General Manager Bill Torrey that led to five straight trips to the finals and four championships, the obvious choice would be "The Butch Goring Deal."
Historians have since called Torrey's March 10, 1980 barter of Billy Harris and Dave Lewis for Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring the “best deadline deal in hockey history,” and certainly the results underline the point.
At the time the Isles languished in fourth place in the five-team Patrick Division with a record of 31-28-9. Little could anyone imagine they were about to win 19 playoff series in a row.
Anyone, that is, besides Torrey and his faithful sidekick, chief scout Jim Devellano, who still believed their Isles could be just one player – the right player – away from glory.
The Nassau brass had known through the late 1970's that the Islanders were too dependent on Bryan Trottier at the center position.
"There was no doubt that Trots could do the job," Torrey explained, "but having only Bryan as our top center meant that the opposition could put so much more pressure on him and that could do us in – which it did."
Not too far toward the back of Bill's mind was a particular game he and Devellano had watched together during the 1975-76 playoffs at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California.
In Game Six of the Los Angeles Kings-Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Quarterfinal, Torrey and Devellano spotted a player they dearly wanted, but were willing to wait on; for a year or four, if necessary.
That would be Goring, who cradled a headman pass from linemate Bob Nevin, sliced between a pair of Boston defenders and slipped a diving wrister past the great Gerry Cheevers at 18:28 of overtime.
Butch's enraptured teammates mobbed him, hoisted him to their shoulders and carried him to the victor's dressing room.
It was a game that neither Torrey nor Devellano would forget. When the opportunity to acquire the hero presented itself four years later, they didn't think twice.
And the feelings were mutual. "I always wanted to come to a team that was used to winning," the tenacious 30-year old Manitoban enthused. "The Stanley Cup has been my chief goal."
"Goring's been a proven center in this league for a number of years," remarked Coach Al Arbour on the day of the trade. "We haven't been exactly strong in the middle, and hopefully he could rectify that position."
Suffice it to say that he did. After all, once this 5-foot-9, 165-pound tornado swirled east to the Atlantic shores of Long Island, the Islander franchise took on a new, invigorated, win-all look.
Also, Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum took on an appropriate nickname – Fort Neverlose.
Goring became exactly what the high command had hoped for – and then some.
"No question," said Devellano, "Butchie put us over the top."