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Islanders honor Bill Torrey by naming practice rink after him

The names “Bill Torrey” and “New York Islanders” always have seemed synonymous, probably not by accident, either. It was at the news conference on Feb. 15, 1972, called to introduce Torrey as the team’s general manager, that the expansion franchise’s name was revealed.

The familiar logo was unveiled that day, too, and the fact it still has such resonance on Long Island is a tribute to the man who put the franchise together and led it to greatness. Torrey, who died last May, will be saluted in a ceremony before the game Saturday night against the Flyers at his beloved Nassau Coliseum.