Gerry Hart obit

Hart dies at 75, was member of Islanders expansion team

Defenseman helped New York to 1st playoff appearance in 1974-75, 3 seasons after joining NHL

 

He was not on the list.

Gerry Hart, an original member of the New York Islanders when they joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1972, died Saturday at the age of 75.

The undrafted defenseman was chosen by the Islanders in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft after four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and became a crowd favorite at Nassau Coliseum with his physical presence and style. Hart had 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 47 games for the expansion Islanders. He helped New York to its first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in 1974-75 and had NHL career highs of 23 assists, 25 points and a plus-44 rating in 1977-78.

Hart's two assists in the 1975 NHL Quarterfinals helped the Islanders become the second team in NHL history (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1942 Stanley Cup Final) to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-7 playoff series when they eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins. The run ended with a seven-game loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Semifinals after the Islanders again came back after trailing the series 3-0.

"Everyone thought we were a surprise and called us a Cinderella team," Hart said after a 4-1 loss at Philadelphia in Game 7, "but they forgot what the playoffs are all about. It's a brand-new season, and we gave it the extra effort that it calls for."

Hart was claimed by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft prior to the season when the Islanders would win the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12, 1980, and retired eight games into the 1982-83 season at age 33 because of knee and clavicle injuries. He finished with 179 points (29 goals, 150 assists) in 730 regular-season games and 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 78 playoff games.

"I liked Gerry from the very start," Islanders coach Al Arbour once said, "because, in some ways, he reminded me of me when I was playing. He was mostly concerned about taking care of business in his own zone -- and taking [nonsense] from nobody."

After retiring, Hart returned to Long Island and opened The Rinx recreation complex in Hauppauge, New York, in October 1992. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

"Gravity was on Hart's side," general manager Bill Torrey, the architect of the New York dynasty, once said. "He was built like a fireplug and had good balance. It was clear that he loved being an Islander."

Hart is the fourth member of the 1970s Islanders to die since January 2022 (Clark Gillies, Jean Potvin, Mike Bossy).

 

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season             Playoffs

Season Team            League            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM

1964–65            Flin Flon Bombers            SJHL            2            0            0            0            0            1            0            0            0            2

1965–66            Flin Flon Bombers            SJHL            57            7            10            17            170            —            —            —            —            —

1966–67            Flin Flon Bombers            MJHL            46            22            28            50            189            14            5            14            19            90

1966–67            Flin Flon Bombers            M-Cup            —            —            —            —            —            6            1            2            3            48

1966–67            Port Arthur Marrs            M-Cup            —            —            —            —            —            5            0            2            2            23

1967–68            Flin Flon Bombers            CMJHL          58            13            38            51            290            15            1            7            8            43

1968–69            Fort Worth Wings            CHL            26            2            3            5            52            —            —            —            —            —

1968–69            Baltimore Clippers            AHL            38            2            6            8            88            4            0            1            1            23

1968–69            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            1            0            0            0            2            —            —            —            —            —

1969–70            Fort Worth Wings            CHL            64            2            19            21            226            7            0            4            4            26

1969–70            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            3            0            0            0            2            —            —            —            —            —

1970–71            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            64            2            7            9            148            —            —            —            —            —

1971–72            Tidewater Wings            AHL            28            4            9            13            146            —            —            —            —            —

1971–72            Fort Worth Wings            CHL            14            1            4            5            84            —            —            —            —            —

1971–72            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            3            0            0            0            0            —            —            —            —            —

1972–73            New York Islanders            NHL            47            1            11            12            158            —            —            —            —            —

1973–74            New York Islanders            NHL            70            1            10            11            61            —            —            —            —            —

1974–75            New York Islanders            NHL            71            4            14            18            143            17            2            2            4            42

1975–76            New York Islanders            NHL            80            6            18            24            151            13            1            3            4            24

1976–77            New York Islanders            NHL            80            4            18            22            98            12            0            2            2            23

1977–78            New York Islanders            NHL            78            2            23            25            94            7            0            0            0            16

1978–79            New York Islanders            NHL            50            2            14            16            78            9            0            2            2            10

1979–80            Quebec Nordiques            NHL            71            3            23            26            59            —            —            —            —            —

1980–81            Nova Scotia Voyageurs            AHL            2            0            3            3            2            —            —            —            —            —

1980–81            Quebec Nordiques            NHL            6            0            0            0            10            —            —            —            —            —

1980–81            St. Louis Blues            NHL            63            4            11            15            132            10            0            0            0            27

1981–82            St. Louis Blues            NHL            35            0            1            1            102            10            0            3            3            33

1982–83            St. Louis Blues            NHL            8            0            0            0            2            —            —            —            —            —

NHL totals            730            29            150            179            1240            78            3            12            15            175