NHL legend, Sudbury native Al Arbour dies

He won four consecutive Stanley Cups for the New York Islanders. He is the second winningest coach in NHL history (behind Scotty Bowman), with 782 regular-season wins. He holds the record for winning 19 straight playoff series.

He was also from Sudbury.

Al Arbour, the legendary coach of the legendary 1980s New York Islanders dynasty, passed away today. He was 82. Suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and dementia, Arbour had been in hospice care for the past several months after undergoing treatment for his Parkinson’s.

He is survived by his wife, Claire, and children Joann, Jay, Julie and Janice.

The Islanders confirmed Arbour’s death Friday in a statement.

Arbour coached the Islanders to Lord Stanley’s mug in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. In the process, he set an NHL record by winning 19 straight playoff series.

No one has won three straight titles since.

Arbour was a defenceman for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL before donning a Red Wings jersey in the NHL in 1953. Traded to Chicago in 1958, he won his first Stanley Cup ring with the Black Hawks in 1961.

He spent five years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was on the 1962 cup-winning team. He finished his playing days with the St. Louis Blues, retiring mid-season to take over coaching duties for the team.

Hired to coach the Islanders in 1973, he stayed with the team until retiring after the 1985-1986 season, but stayed on as vice-president of player development before returning to coaching in 1988 until he finally retiring in 1994.

Arbour has won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach, the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to sport and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.

Do you have any memories of Al Arbour? Share them with us in the comments below.