Bill Torrey
Bill Torrey | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | May 2, 2018 West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. | (aged 83)
Occupation | Hockey executive |
Known for | General manager of the New York Islanders (1972–1992) President of the Florida Panthers (1993–2001) |
Awards | Hockey Hall of Fame (1995) |
William Arthur Torrey (June 23, 1934 – May 2, 2018) was a Canadian
Early life
Torrey was from
Hockey career
Oakland Seals
In the mid-1960s, Torrey began working for the
New York Islanders
Torrey was named the general manager of the expansion
In the Islanders' first two seasons, the team finished last in the league. This netted them high picks in the draft. With those picks, Torrey quickly assembled a roster that rose from a doormat to an NHL power. In the 1977 NHL amateur draft, Torrey had the 15th pick and had to make a tough decision between two promising forwards, Mike Bossy and Dwight Foster. Bossy was known as a scorer who couldn't check, while Foster could check but wasn't very good offensively. Coach Al Arbour persuaded Torrey to pick Bossy, figuring it was easier to teach a scorer how to check. Bossy immediately emerged as one of the league's elite snipers in his first season, in which he set a then-NHL record with 53 goals as a rookie. Bossy achieved nine consecutive 50-goal seasons, as well as having more than adequate defensive skills.[10]
After helping minority owner
Under Torrey's leadership, the Islanders won four consecutive
After LaFontaine demanded a trade and held out for the start of the 1991–92 season, Torrey engineered a rebuilding project. He dealt LaFontaine, Randy Wood, and Randy Hillier (along with future considerations) to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Pierre Turgeon, Benoît Hogue, Uwe Krupp and Dave McLlwain. He also sent captain Brent Sutter and Brad Lauer to the Chicago Blackhawks for Steve Thomas and Adam Creighton.[13] Pickett turned over day-to-day control to a management committee of four minority owners. After the Islanders missed the playoffs in 1992, Torrey was forced to resign.[14]
Florida Panthers
Torrey was named president of the Florida Panthers, a new expansion team, in 1993. Torrey built his new team similarly to the Islanders, acquiring young talent that included Rob Niedermayer, Ed Jovanovski, Radek Dvořák, and Rhett Warrener.[15] The Panthers made it to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals.[16] The team reached the playoffs twice more prior to his retirement in 2001. He remained with the team as special advisor. [17][18]
Honors
Torrey was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.[19] He is honoured by the New York Islanders with a banner in UBS Arena along with Al Arbour and six of the players he drafted. Torrey's banner has the words "The Architect" and the image of a bowtie.[20]
On October 23, 2010, the Florida Panthers honoured Torrey by retiring the number 93, and raising a banner in his honour to the rafters. The 93 represents the year (1993) when the Panthers franchise was incorporated into the NHL.[21]
Personal life
Torrey had four sons, and ten grandchildren. Torrey died at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida, on the evening of May 2, 2018.[5][22]
References
- ^ "Florida Panthers Statement on the passing of William A. Torrey". NHL.com. October 1, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Habib, Hal (June 18, 2014). "Bill Torrey, Panthers' elder statesman, still grinding as he nears 80". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Eskenazi, Gerald (May 17, 1981). "Bill Torrey: Architect Of Hockey'S Best Team – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ "How 'The Chief' helped build the NHL's last true dynasty | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ a b "Former Islanders GM Bill Torrey, known as 'The Architect,' dies". Newsday. March 5, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ "How Finley Sealed Barons' – The New York Times". The New York Times. February 27, 1977. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (February 16, 1972). "L.I. Hockey Club Hires Ex-Oakland Aide". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer. "Bill Torrey, GM of Isles' 4 Stanley Cups, dies at 83". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Swift, E.M. (October 11, 1982). "Who Would've Thunk? One of the sorriest NHL teams ever, the 1972–73 Islanders, is now the model of how to turn expansion chumps into champ". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Fine, Steven (March 26, 1979). "Appearances Aside, Mike Bossy Isn't a One-Man Hockey Team—Just the Youngest Star of the Powerful Islanders". People. 11 (12). Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ 1:30 pm to 5:45 pm (April 29, 2018). "Legendary Islanders GM Bill Torrey Dies | WFAN Sports Radio 66AM 101.9FM". Wfan.radio.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Cyrgalis, Brett (May 3, 2018). "Bill Torrey, architect of Islanders '80s dynasty, dead at 83". Nypost.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Finn, Robin (October 26, 1991). "HOCKEY; Islanders Start Over by Trading LaFontaine and Sutter – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Yannis, Alex (August 18, 1992). "HOCKEY; Cablevision Buys Islanders, and the Torrey Era Ends – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Nobles, Charlie (December 12, 1995). "HOCKEY;A Rats-to-Riches Tale – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ "Bill Torrey, longtime Florida Panthers executive, dies at 83". Sun Sentinel. May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ McPherson, Jordan. "First Florida Panthers president Bill Torrey dies at 83". Miami Herald. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Steve Simmons (January 25, 2016). "Dynasty architects Tallon, Torrey at it again with Panthers". Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Lapointe, Joe (October 1, 1995). "'95–'96 N.H.L.; Seven New Coaches, Two New Arenas, an Adieu to Winnipeg – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Peter Botte. "Bill Torrey, Islanders' first GM and architect of 1980s Stanley Cup dynasty, dead at 83". NY Daily News. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Richards, George (October 22, 2010). "Bill Torrey Gets Another Banner: Panthers to honor Team Founding Father | On Frozen Pond". Miamiherald.typepad.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (May 3, 2018). "Bill Torrey, Who Brought the Stanley Cup to Long Island, Is Dead at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Legends of Hockey