Longtime New York Islanders head coach, professional hockey Hall of Famer and four-time Stanley Cup champion Al Arbour passed away Friday morning at the age of 82.
"Al will always be remembered as one of, if not the, greatest coaches ever to stand behind a bench in the history of the National Hockey League," Islanders President and General Manager Garth Snow said. "The New York Islanders franchise has four Stanley Cups to its name, thanks in large part to Al's incredible efforts. From his innovative coaching methods, to his humble way of life away from the game, Al is one of the reasons the New York Islanders are a historic franchise. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Arbour family."
Arbour was an old-school coach who was able to maintain an eye on newer trends in the sport and blend the two to create a unique coaching style and approach with his players that allowed the Isles to win four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 through 1983.
As Arbour's Islanders players were in the locker room celebrating their fourth and final Cup victory on May 17, 1983, the gruff coach appeared on a television show and uttered the words, "There is no team with greater character, in any sport."
Arbour was originally named the head coach of the Islanders just prior to the 1973-74 season and stayed behind the bench for New York for 19 mostly glorious seasons. He led the Isles to 15 total playoff appearances, won 119 career playoff games - a record for the most playoff victories with a single team - and is currently second all-time in wins and games coached in the NHL.
He then joined the Islanders front office in 1985 under then-general manager Bill Torrey, where he remained for three seasons. He found himself behind the bench again in 1988-89 and remained there until the 1993-94 season. At the conclusion of that year, he'd amassed 1,499-career NHL games coached.
In Nov. 2007, the team brought Arbour back to coach one final game so that he could reach the 1,500-game mark - a mark which still stands as the most games coached by one man for one team in NHL history.
Arbour is survived by his wife Claire and four children.
