There have been some great tandems in NHL history: The Bruins' Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, the Red Wings' Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay, the Penguins' Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, the Oilers' Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, the Islanders' Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, just to skim the list.
Islanders Hall of Famer Denis Potvin believes the organization's Hall of Fame duo of general manager Bill Torrey and coach Al Arbour _ with four straight Stanley Cups together _ deserve inclusion.
"I don't know that there was ever a tandem like Torrey and Arbour that seemingly worked so well together," Potvin, picked first overall in the 1973 draft by Torrey, said in a recent interview with Newsday. "Al would say, 'I think we need this component or that component' and Bill would go out and get it. They came to decisions that just kept improving the team. Together, they were an outstanding duo."
