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Former Husky enjoys NHL success
The New York Islanders' Mark Parrish is having a break-out year despite not being named to the U.S.A. Olympic Team
 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor Former Husky Mark Parrish was selected to his first NHL All Star game which was played last weekend in Los Angeles.
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 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor Mark Parrish and the Islanders lost to the Wild Sunday in St. Paul.
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ST. PAUL � What a difference a year makes, at least in Mark Parrish's case.
The former SCSU All-American has suddenly become an everyday face in a not so everyday city. Why? Because his New York Islanders are winning, and in the Big Apple, that's all it really takes.
A year ago, that wasn't the case. The Islanders struggled to a 21-51-7-3 record and missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, the longest drought in team history. Parrish, who the Islanders acquired in June, 2000 in a trade with the Florida Panthers, also struggled.
He finished with a modest 17 goals and 13 assists, giving him 30 points. And he appeared in 70 of the teams 82 games, but all of those numbers were career lows.
But that was then. Now, well let's just say the Bloomington Jefferson grad is living the high life.
"We got off to such a good start that I think it caught everybody off guard," said Parrish, following his teams 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild Sunday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center. "But we knew coming in what we could do."
He and his teammates became the early feel good story this season in the National Hockey League.
Parrish, like his team, got off to a torrid start and has yet to cool off. He leads the Islanders in goals with 25 and his 44 points are second on the team to only Russian Olympic team member Alexi Yashin who has 56.
Yashin was one of three big free-agents New York brought in last off-season. The addition of the former Ottawa Senators castoff along with Michael Peca and goaltender Chris Osgood, along with Parrish's emergence as a legitimate NHL star, has lifted the Islanders into a true threat in the Eastern Conference.
"What this organization did in the summer has really made us better," said Islander forward Jason Blake, who played his college hockey at North Dakota. "There is no question there is a better feel to our team."
That "feel" has put the Islanders on the verge of not only ending that drought, but also skating with home-ice advantage when the playoffs begin in April. Which would give Parrish the opportunity to experience some of what his old college team has in the postseason success.
"They are doing pretty well," said Parrish referring to the success that the SCSU men's hockey team has enjoyed this year. "It's always great to look back at the school you went to and see them doing well and get some respect around the nation."
That would be similar to the respect that Parrish has started to earn around the NHL. He was selected to his first all-star game, which he played Saturday in Los Angeles and Team USA Olympic head coach Herb Brooks said a number of times that Parrish was being looked at "very seriously" for the team, even though he was eventually left off.
His teammates have taken notice as well.
"Mark's has that ability to put the puck in the net," said Blake, who started Sunday along with Parrish and Yashin. "That's something that can't be taught."
Parrish has never been used to losing. His Bloomington Jefferson high school teams were regulars at the state tourney. In his final year as a Husky, SCSU went 23-13-4 and finished third in the WCHA and then in his first year in the NHL, the Panthers were a playoff team. Needless to say, last year was really tough. Even Sunday's loss was hard to swallow.
"There was a lot of frustration and anger in this locker room (following the game)," said Parrish. "It's nice to come home and see the family, but when you lose, it takes a little bit away from everything."
Parrish and Blake were two of the five players that played college hockey in the WCHA to see the ice Sunday at the X. Anti Laaksonen (Denver), Darby Hendrickson (Minnesota) and Brad Bombardir (North Dakota) all dressed for the Wild. Parrish attributed the success of college kids in the pro ranks to that of a blind dog opening its eyes and finding a juicy bone just sitting there.
"A lot of times college kids just got overlooked," said Parrish. "Now the scouts and organizations are beginning to realize that there are some great players in college hockey and I think we are just seeing the beginning of this. I think there will be more."
The NHL is expanding to the college level as well. Next October the Wild will play the Atlanta Thrashers in an exhibition game at the new Ralph Engelstad Arena where North Dakota plays its home games.
A sign that the blond, fuzzy-faced kid from Jefferson might be right. People do start to notice when you work hard enough.
Nick Clark can be reached at: [email protected]
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