RICHARD TORREY

Thank you @BraveWingsMag and @KyrianLyndon for the opportunity to ramble about my doodles! #Illustrator @ArtLeagueofLI @SterlingKids @randomhousekids @BNLakeGrove @BNBuzz

Congrats to the captain! Joining some true legends @IFANnetwork25!

👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏. An astounding achievement! Truly one of the best ever! @FlaPanthers

Jack Lambert looked like he walked out of a steel mill, put on shoulder pads, and decided to ruin someone’s Sunday.

How Matthew Schaefer Is Bringing Back a Position That Hockey Lost to Time In the early days of hockey, teams iced seven players, not six: a goaltender, two defensemen, three forwards, and a versatile wildcard known as the “Rover.” The Rover had no fixed territory. He roamed freely, jumping into attacks, dropping back to defend, and creating chaos wherever the puck went. By the 1910s, the NHA dropped the position to open the ice, increase speed, and reduce congestion. The NHL followed suit in its 1917-18 inaugural season, and the core role vanished from professional hockey. Over a century later, an 18-year-old rookie defenseman for the #Isles is making a compelling case that the Rover, or his version of it, is making a comeback. Schaefer plays like a forward from the blue line. He is the youngest defenseman in NHL history to reach 20 goals (22 right now), the fourth rookie blueliner to hit that mark, and will surely pass Brian Leetch’s all-time rookie defenseman goal record. The numbers are historic. The aura is revolutionary. On tape, the historical parallel is clear. Unlike standard puck-moving defensemen who activate occasionally, he consistently joins rushes as a full participant, turning 4-on-3 situations into 5-on-3 or 5-on-4 advantages at even strength. His elite four-way skating and pace let him lead or trail rushes, catching defenders flat-footed. In the offensive zone, Schaefer roams with purpose. He walks the blue line with deception, sells passes or low wrist shots, then manipulates release point and trajectory to change angles and wire shots top-shelf like an elite forward. He generates high-danger chances from the point and mid-range at an elite rate among defensemen, ranks top-10 in high-danger and mid-range shots, and leads all blueliners in penalties drawn—opponents constantly hook and trip him. Schaefer activates high and pinches aggressively, creating passing lanes and shooting options. His hockey IQ lets him read when to jump and when to recover, with risk-reward baked into his game. In an era that’s prizing speed, skill, and creativity over rigid structure, rover-like play makes sense. The game now rewards players who blur positional lines. Bobby Orr revolutionized the blue line by functioning as a fourth forward. Schaefer feels like the next evolution: a true rover in a six-player world. The position that died in the 1920s for speed has returned because the game is now fast, skilled, and tactically sophisticated enough to support it. Matthew Schaefer isn’t just scoring goals as a defenseman. He’s rewriting the positional landscape one rush at a time. The rover is back and the Islanders have him wearing #48.

THIS WEEK in 1976 #isles rookie Bryan Trottier appeared on the cover of the issue of #TheHockeyNews that Reggie Dunlop is reading on the bus in the opening half hour of the 1977 movie “Slap Shot”. #70s

The reaction says it all! 102MPH from Seth Hernandez ⛽️

Yes-heard that too. So happy to hear @EdMarti59020140 !!!!

Thank you, I’ve heard that as well @DanielCane1970. I truly hope you’re right and wonder what it says about the person who posted the original fake. #sick

Something to be said about playing to win rather than not to lose - especially against a great team of all-time. That Game 5 was mesmerizing - as a hockey fan and purist, deep down, I knew the Islanders would figure it out. Some way, somehow.

Oh baby!

YOUNGEST DEFENSEMAN IN NHL HISTORY TO RECORD 50 POINTS!!! 🤯

@richtorrey @5StevenSiegel5 The greatest goal scorer ever.

@richtorrey @ThomasCass9 Wow! Great call!

@richtorrey @ArthurTorrey1 Huge!

@richtorrey @ThomasCass9 Smitty made a pad save that saved the game. Also in 1984 1st rd vs #nyr in the drive for 5 made a similar save on RANGERS Bob Brooke then morrow won it. Amazing clutch G. 💙🧡🤍

YES!!!! @ThomasCass9

"There were around 600 major-league baseball players when Willie Stargell and I played. Willie Stargell was the only person who was liked by the other 599 players. Not one person ever disliked Willie. Some disliked me, or Pete Rose or other players, but not Willie." Joe Morgan. Nine different players in Major League history have hit one home run over the roof at Forbes Field...... Willie Stargell did it seven times. "Pittsburgh isn't fancy, but it is real. It's working town and money doesn't come easy. I feel as much part of this City as the cobblestone streets and the steel mills. People in this town expect an honest day's work. I've given it to them for long, long time." Willie Stargell.

Those types of games have a way of distorting time @BarryLI1. Making it seem like the clock is moving too fast and the next moment making it stand still.

Hahahahha. It was one of the most gut wrenching games I can remember @BarryLI1. There were people throwing up in the office from nerves. A game like that stays with you forever!

Signed, sealed, delivered.