Talking Culture With Johnny Boychuk
Stefen Rosner spoke with No. 55 at the Islanders' Clark Gillies Media Room unveiling about helping to create a winning culture.
On Oct. 14, 2014, the New York Islanders traded for a pair of Stanley Cup champion defensemen, acquiring Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins and Nick Leddy from the Chicago Blackhawks.
At the time, the Islanders were in need of a culture reset, and these two deals were two pivotal steps in making Long Island hockey relevant again.
Islanders and a winning culture hadn’t gone hand in hand in decades, ever since the likes of Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, and Clark Gillies, amongst others, roamed the Nassau Coliseum ice.
It wasn’t just about winning. It was about the way those players showed themselves on and off the ice.
On Apr. 3, when the Islanders, in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House and the Clark Gillies Foundation, created the Clark Gillies Media Room, I caught up with Boychuk to talk to him about the importance of culture and how a guy like Gillies led the way even years after retiring.