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Al Arbour created championship culture with New York Islanders

New York Islanders head coach Al Arbour (center, in suit) stands on the bench to watch a home game at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, Long Island, New York, May 1982. Arbour is flanked by Islanders players (from left) Bob Bourne, Bob Nystrom, Stefan Persson, Denis Potvin, and Roland Melanson. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)

Not often do you find a coach who was respected and adored by all parts of an organization.

Al Arbour gained the love of multiple segments of the New York Islanders.

From the team to their fans to management, Arbour – who died Friday at the age of 82 – was a man who garnered positive memories from those who worked closely with him. He spent 19 seasons with the Islanders a span where he went 740-537-223. Just for perspective’s sake, Claude Julien is currently the league’s longest-standing bench boss at seven seasons. It’s doubtful he’ll make it 12 more years in Boston.

How many teams would invite a coach stuck on 1,499 games back for one more to reach an even number? The Islanders did in 2007-08, long after Arbour's last game behind the bench in 1993-94

“Al Arbour was a man who not only left us feeling like champions, but he left us with a lot of memories we carried on through life,” Isles legend Denis Potvin said on a conference call with reporters. “Al always said, that negative energy you’re feeling … turn it into a positive energy.”

“He never thought anything was insurmountable."

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Arbour helped take the young, expansion Islanders and pushed them to dominate a market that already had the well-established New York Rangers. He was the face behind the bench of a team that won four-straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83 and helped cement a vocal and proud fanbase. And what a face he was with those glasses, which helped give him the nickname, “Radar.”

“The blueprint we had with our staff, scouts assistants and Al all participated in and voiced their opinion. We had a common goal obviously,” former Islanders general manager and Florida Panthers alternate governor Bill Torrey said. “The main thing is when you get young talent is it’s given the right direction and the right discipline it  can grow as a group. No one was better to lead a group than Al Arbour.”

In some ways, Arbour was one the last of a breed. He was a truly dynastic coach who stood behind the bench when teams had multiple Hall of Fame level star players in the 70s and early-to-mid 80s. Glen Sather – who recently left his post as the Rangers’ general manager – and Scotty Bowman were the others.

The last team to win four straight Stanley Cups? That was his Islanders.

“The one things about Al was, he was so positive in the direction he would go. Obviously we were a very, very young team. But he liked the idea that we were building,” Torrey said. “I know from my very first private meeting with him, I came away more determined than ever that this was a doable thing and his role in it was pivotal, or certainly early on would be the most important part and once he said yes, he never took a backwards step and he treated his team like a family.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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