Predators' Eric Nystrom, dad brace for emotional night

Predators forward Eric Nystrom grew up in Long Island, N.Y., as the son of a hockey legend.

His father, Bob Nystrom, became known as "Mr. Islander" after scoring the overtime goal that won the Islanders their first Stanley Cup (1980), spending his entire 14-year NHL career on the Island, and having his No. 23 jersey hung from the Nassau Coliseum rafters in 1995.

All of which makes Thursday's game between the Predators and Islanders something extra special for both father and son.

This is the Islanders' last season playing in their current Long Island home — they're moving to Brooklyn next season — which means Thursday's game will mark the final time a Nystrom plays in Nassau Coliseum, the only home the 42-year-old franchise has ever known.

"It's definitely a little bittersweet because I spent a lot of my childhood there, skating on the ice with my dad, and I have a lot of great memories there," Eric Nystrom said. "I'm going to soak it in and I'm sure my family is going to do the same thing. I'm sure my mom is probably going to shed a tear."

Said Bob Nystrom: "It's always great to see Eric play at (Nassau), but the fact it could very well be the last time here is definitely a very emotional situation. There are a lot of good memories there for Eric and I, so I'll have my camera in hand and I'll be taking plenty of shots."

Bob Nystrom's ties to Nassau Coliseum and the Islanders date back to the 1972-73 season — the franchise's first in the NHL — when he signed his first contract in the coliseum parking lot and then walked into the building for his first game.

"It was such an impressive building back then because it was brand new," Bob Nystrom, 62, said. "That was such a huge thrill. The first game you play in the building of the team that drafted you is always something."

Nicknamed "Thor" because of his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, his rugged style of play and his Swedish heritage, Bob Nystrom became one of the cornerstones of the Islanders' dynasty of the early 1980s.

His most memorable moment occurred in the 1980 Stanley Cup finals, when his overtime goal in Game 6 against Philadelphia turned Nassau into a madhouse and brought the Cup to the Island for the first time. That would be the first of four straight Stanley Cups for the Islanders and Nystrom, who would go on to play 900 games, posting 235 goals and 278 assists.

Eric Nystrom, 32, was too young to remember watching his father win four consecutive crowns, but he loves watching the tapes and hearing the stories.

"It never gets old," Eric Nystrom said. "My dad lived out what every kid's dream is when you're playing street hockey — scoring the overtime winner to win the Stanley Cup. It's amazing how many people have told me they remember exactly where they were when that goal happened."

Bob Nystrom retired following the 1985-86 season, had an Islanders award named in his honor in 1991 (for leadership, hustle and dedication) and had his jersey retired in 1995. He's never left Long Island, working for both the team and for local businesses over the years while earning yet another nickname in the area — "The Mayor."

"He knows everyone on the Island," Eric Nystrom said. "He's such a good role model and he's always been so great about being charitable on the Island. He really made a home there. Long Island has been such a good place for my family."

A regular visitor at Islanders' games over the years, Bob Nystrom would always be in attendance when Eric, a 2002 first-round pick, was playing in Nassau Coliseum. Eric's never been as offensively productive as his father, but shares Bob's aggressiveness, hustle and leadership skills.

"It's been one of my biggest thrills to see him there because I spent so many years there," Bob Nystrom said. "To see him play under the Stanley Cup banners and my jersey is the biggest thrill a father — or any family member — could have."

But barring a Stanley Cup showdown between the Predators and Islanders this season, Thursday night's game will mark the last time a Nystrom skates on Nassau's ice.

Islanders owner Charles Wang announced in 2012 that the Islanders would move to Brooklyn's Barclays Center in 2015-16, after attempts to raise $400 million for a new arena in Nassau County came up short.

There's no doubt that the Nassau Coliseum is a relic, a building that's been in huge need of an overhaul or upgrade for years. But as old as it might look to the average fan, it's still a special place in the eyes of the Nystroms.

"I know that it's outdated, but from growing up there in the years they made those playoff runs, I also know that building has a crazy atmosphere," Eric Nystrom said. "It's just so disappointing that they couldn't find a way to finance a new arena and keep the team on the Island. It will be a loss."

Said Bob Nystrom: "It's still a heck of a place to watch a hockey game. The thing that's so disappointing is with the team playing so well, it's going to bring the point home that they're losing part of the fabric of Long Island."

A fabric the Nystroms will celebrate once more on Thursday.

"It's always great to see Eric come back here," Bob Nystrom said. "For me to sit there and watch him is nerve-wracking, mind you, but it just makes me so proud the buttons pop off my shirt."

Reach John Glennon at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @glennonsports.

NEXT GAME

PREDATORS at ISLANDERS

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

TV/radio: Fox TN/102.5-FM