John Tonelli and the Islanders Thaw the Ice After 34 Years

Tonelli switched sides and skated for Calgary that night — “I never should have played,” he says now — and then helped the Flames reach the Stanley Cup Finals that spring, where Calgary lost to Montreal in five games. Two years later he joined the Los Angeles Kings, playing three seasons and twice eclipsing the 30-goal mark.

His final campaign, ending a career in which he skated alongside Gordie Howe as a teenager and with Wayne Gretzky in his L.A. years, was split between Chicago and Quebec.

Islanders fans have clamored for years for Tonelli to be recognized alongside his former teammates, and the ice between him and the team began to thaw in recent years as the majority owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin focused on reuniting alumni ahead of the franchise’s move into a new arena.

Tonelli returned to the Islanders fold when he did the ceremonial puck-drop before a home game at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in January 2018, but it was not until last December that the team announced that it would add his jersey to the rafters. All of the banners, Ledecky said, would occupy a similar place of honor at the team’s new Belmont Park Arena when it opens in 2021.

For now, though, the jersey will remain in use. The current Islanders captain, Anders Lee, will continue to wear the No. 27 jersey, with Tonelli’s approval.

“I consider 27 to be our number,” Tonelli said. “It’s not just mine.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/sports/hockey/john-tonelli-islanders-jersey.html