Miracle on Ice's Ken Morrow will always have second home in Northport, LI
Share this @internewscast.com

One day, Islanders legend and Miracle on Ice team member Ken Morrow was enjoying a leisurely drive in Huntington Village when he was unexpectedly pulled over by a couple of police officers.

“When they came up, I didn’t know why. I didn’t think I’d been speeding or anything,” Morrow told The Post.

“Their first words to me were, ‘I thought that was the Stanley Cup in the back of your car.’ With their lights flashing, they stood at my back window, examining the Stanley Cup and reading the names,” he recalled.


Former New York Islanders Bobby Nystrom (L), Ken Morrow (C), and Butch Goring are honored before a game between the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres on April 4, 2015 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
Ken Morrow (center) is flanked by fellow former Islanders Bobby Nystrom (left) and Butch Goring while being honored before an Islanders’ 2015 game at Nassau Coliseum. NHLI via Getty Images

This incident became one of the many unforgettable moments for longtime Northport resident Morrow, who claimed Lord Stanley’s trophy four consecutive times with the Isles — the first shortly after triumphing over the USSR powerhouse in Lake Placid.

In the Michigan native’s words, it didn’t take long to become a bona fide everyday Long Islander.

“You were just part of the local community, and you didn’t get mobbed or anything like that,” said Morrow, who now calls Kansas City home as director of pro scouting in the Islanders organization.

Still, the defenseman who fell in love with local beaches and drives on the scenic North Shore would “get a couple of people that would come up and knock on the door” occasionally.

“I remember one time, we had a school bus driver pull in our driveway, and we were trying to figure out what the heck was going on until he came up to the door,” he recalled.

“I struck up a lot of conversations with people. It certainly didn’t bother me at all that people wanted to do that.”

Now, nearly 45 years to that fateful day of May 24, 1980, when Morrow and the team celebrated their first Cup win in overtime of Game 6 against the Flyers, he remembers it all like it was yesterday.


 Jim Craig #30 and Ken Morrow #3 of the United States Hockey team celebrates after they defeated the Soviet Union during a metal round game of the Winter Olympics February 22, 1980 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York.
Ken Morrow and Jim Craig celebrates after Team USA defeated

the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympic Center in Lake Placid,

famously now known as the “Miracle on Ice.” Getty Images

“When Bobby Nystrom scored, I think the feeling was relief as much as it was joy,” Morrow said, adding that even climbing stairs became challenging when the Stanley Cup Final rolled around.

The Olympic gold medalist, now 68, returned to the island two summers ago and recounted his days on top of the world in his memoir, “Ken Morrow: Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups, and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey,” co-written by sportswriter Allan Kreda.

From gold to silver

It was a blur when he arrived in Nassau County just weeks after the greatest hockey game ever played.

Morrow and his family first stayed in a Holiday Inn on Old Country Road near the beloved Nassau Coliseum, but they didn’t catch much of an authentic glimpse of the island he adores at first.

What he did see, however, were fans salivating for their first chance to win it all in the spring of 1980.

“You had a lot of interactions with the fans, which was a really great thing.”

His playing days were when spectators were much more accessible, as players parked outside the arena — right by pregame festivities that Morrow distinctly holds dear.

“The tailgating is something I’ll always remember — probably unique to Long Island. The people were out there tailgating hours before games,” he said, adding it was the first time he ever saw the grills going for hockey games and fans escorting players toward the door.

Leaving after a victory, when cars would blare a honk to the tune of “Let’s go Islanders!” is also something Morrow cherishes deep down.

“I probably did it, too, at some point,” No. 6 said with a laugh.

Rocking the barn

The real magic, however, came inside the Uniondale walls that shook with the passion of thousands who showed up every spring to watch their Isles vie for another title in the early 1980s.

“The roar,” Morrow, who still gets standing ovations at games, recalled, “that’s a memory that will stay with me. You could hear it through the walls of the locker room. It just gave you chills to walk out.”

Rather than looking back at the glory days that well predate state-of-the-art UBS Arena, he’s enthusiastic about what the team has done since — especially when the old barn rocked at dynasty-level decibels.

Morrow distinctly recalls the shaking that followed the Shawn Bates penalty shot of 2002 and the Isles’ conference final run nearly two decades later in 2021.

“There’s something about the old barn, and there have been some great moments in the history of the New York Islanders — especially in the playoffs,” Morrow said.

“It doesn’t take much to bring that out in our fans today.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
AOC Could Soon Pay a Big Price As She Makes Same Defamatory Allegation Against Trump That Cost ABC $15M

AOC Potentially Faces Consequences for Repeating Defamatory Claim Against Trump Similar to Costly ABC Case

The mishap resulted in his network incurring a $15 million loss, as…
NYC dad gunned down while on his way to pick up 9-year-old daughter at Brooklyn beauty parlor

NYC Father Fatally Shot En Route to Pick Up 9-Year-Old Daughter from Brooklyn Beauty Salon

A young father from Brooklyn was tragically shot dead on Saturday night…
Mets' Edwin Diaz comes up clutch with 'efficient' six-out save

Mets’ Edwin Diaz Secures Crucial Win with Quick Six-Out Save

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Originally, Carlos Mendoza did not plan to deploy…
Shooting at Tennessee class reunion leaves 4 hospitalized

Four Hospitalized Following Shooting at Tennessee Class Reunion

Four people were hospitalized Saturday after a shooting erupted at a class…
Iran claims its president was injured in Israeli airstrike last month

Iran Alleges President Injured in Israeli Airstrike Last Month

Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, sustained a minor leg injury while attempting to…
Suspect shoots trooper, opens fire at Kentucky church leaving multiple people injured

Trooper Shot by Suspect Who Also Fired at a Kentucky Church, Injuring Several People

Authorities in Kentucky are investigating an officer-involved shooting with a suspect who…
DOJ drops charges against Utah surgeon accused of injecting fake COVID-19 shots and destroying $28K of real vaccines

US Government Drops Charges Against Utah Doctor Accused of Administering Fake COVID-19 Vaccines and Wasting $28,000 Worth of Real Ones

The Justice Department has decided to dismiss the charges against a Utah…
Enrique Fernandez Jr., an unlicensed engineer, faces millions in fines.

Man Faces Massive $3.6 Million in Fines Due to Signature Error on Forms

AN issue with a signature on hundreds of forms means a man…
‘This Keeps Happening’: Megyn Kelly Blows Up on Legacy Media After Another Anti-Jewish Terror Attack

Weekly Update from RedState: Supreme Court Tensions, Royal Drama, and Their Impacts

Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing — a quick overview of the…
New Mexico brute Adlai Mestre allegedly shot parents, teen sister and family dog to death -- and dragged their corpses to ravine to 'bury them'

Tragic Incident in New Mexico: Adlai Mestre Accused of Killing Family and Dog, Attempting to Conceal Bodies in Ravine

A violent individual is accused of fatally shooting his parents, teenage sister,…
Top Ukrainian spy gunned down in Kyiv ambush attack: report

Ukraine Reports Killing Russian Agents Linked to Senior Officer’s Ambush and Death

Ukraine’s security agency said Sunday they have located and killed two Russian…
WTH?! Kristi Noem Reveals Horrifying Details About Detained Cannibal Illegal Alien

Kristi Noem on ‘Meet the Press’: The Gotcha Attempts Were Ineffective

On Sunday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined “Meet the Press…