50 Years Ago Today: The Game That Changed The Rivalry

The date was Apr. 11, 1975.

Stefen Rosner

and

The Elmonters

Apr 11, 2025

Allan Kreda has been covering hockey for more than three decades, most recently for The New York Times and The Associated Press. He recently completed co-authoring Islander legend Ken Morrow’s memoir: “Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey.”

Fifty years ago today, the trajectory for the Islanders - and Rangers - changed dramatically.

When J.P. Parise scored 11 seconds into overtime, the Islanders had arrived. Their first playoff series win in their first visit to the postseason. At Madison Square Garden. And eliminating the vaunted Rangers.

It was so long ago, Islander player sweaters didn't even have names on the back.

Winning the best-of-three series two games to one was the end for that Rangers era, led by the GAG line (Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadield) and All-Star defenseman Brad Park (who surely would have won the Norris Trophy if not for Bobby Orr winning eight straight from 1968-75).

Here's how Park reflected on the fallout following Parise's infamous goal.

He is quoted in the new memoir by Islanders legend Ken Morrow. Park was reflecting on the effect the Islanders had on his Hall of Fame career, which included a six-game semifinal loss to the Islanders in 1983, Park's final season with the Bruins.

“I never won a Stanley Cup,” Park said, appearing on The Chirp podcast with Morrow in June 2021. “It wasn’t in the cards. I also realize that we just got beat by better teams. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due.... When I look at the Islander logo, I think of the two-out-of-three series [against his Rangers in April 1975] when we were supposed to beat them. After we got beat by the Islanders, they ended up dispersing the Rangers. And that’s how I ended up in Boston [Park was traded with Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais in November 1975]. It’s their fault!”

Park is in the famous photo taken moments after Parise managed to get the puck past Ed Giacomin, sending the Garden crowd (many of whom hadn't even made it to their seats for the start of overtime) home very unhappily.

After the Islanders won Game 1 3-2 at the Garden, the Rangers romped 8-3 in Game 2 at Nassau Coliseum. In Game 3, the Islanders took a 3-0 lead (on a Clark Gillies goal and two from Denis Potvin) into the third period, but the Rangers tied the game on two goals by Bill Fairbairn and another by Steve Vickers in a raucous third period.

It seemed the Rangers were poised to roll to victory.

Derek Sanderson narrowly missed scoring the winner, hitting the crossbar late in the third. Billy Smith was so exhausted by the Rangers' late barrage that he was leaning against his net to gather strength in the closing seconds.

Billy Smith made a stick save on Vickers very late. The Rangers had numerous chances to win it before OT.

Then Jude Drouin won the overtime faceoff, slid the puck to defenseman Bert Marshall, who sent it to his blueline partner Dave Lewis. The puck went into the Rangers' end, where Vickers and defenseman Nick Beverly miscommunicated, leaving it for Drouin to snare and send to Parise in the crease. In a flash, the puck was in the net, ending one era and beginning another.

The Islanders - and Rangers - would never be the same.

Brad Park was traded to Boston with Jean Ratelle in early November 1975, days after Giacomin was waived and claimed by Detroit.

Park “blames” the Islanders for being responsible for him never winning a Cup.

Catch more stories from Ken Morrow’s playing days in their book: Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups & A Lifetime of Islanders Hockey.