Patrick Flatley

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Patrick Flatley (born 3 October 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played in the NHL for 14 seasons between 1983 and 1997.

Flatley was drafted 21st overall by the New York Islanders in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He was introduced to the Islanders late in their campaign to win five straight championships. Picking up where he left off on The Canadian National Team, where he scored 31 goals in 57 games, Flatley had a sensational rookie playoff campaign. Put on a line with Brent Sutter and Clark Gillies, Flatley scored 9 goals through the first three rounds of the playoffs and was a big contributor in the Islanders drive for their fifth consecutive Cup. However, the Islanders lost in the finals to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers. Flatley never got another chance to play for the Cup.

Although he never emerged as a top scorer, Flatley did become a highly effective role player, adding smart positional play, strong defense, and grit to the Islanders teams in the late 1980s and 1990s. Flatley was sometimes referred to as "the chariman of the boards" because he rarely failed to dig the puck out in battles in the corners. In 1991 he was named the Islanders' fourth captain.

He played 780 career NHL games, scoring 170 goals and 340 assists for 510 points. His best offensive season, pointswise, was the 1992-93 season when he scored 47 assists and 60 points.

Preceded by Brent Sutter

New York Islanders captains 1991-96

Succeeded by Bryan McCabe