Torrey's trademark bow tie, "Architect" nickname will be lasting legacy to the hockey worldhockey hof
Hockey HOFer BILL TORREY, who took the Islanders from scratch, "helped rescue it from the brink of bankruptcy and guided it to four straight" Stanley Cup wins, died at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday at the age of 83, according to Mark Herrmann of NEWSDAY. Torrey left the Islanders in '92 and he became the first President of the Panthers, where he led the team to the Stanley Cup Final in "only its third year of existence." Including the time he "spent as a consultant and alternate governor, he spent more years working in South Florida than he did in Nassau County." However, it was with the Islanders that he "made the mark that will last in hockey history." His hockey career began in the mid-'60s with the AHL Pittsburgh Hornets and he worked with the NHL Oakland Seals from '68-71. He was recommended to former Islanders Owner ROY BOE by former Seals Minority Partner NELSON DOUBLEDAY (NEWSDAY, 5/4). Torrey's "trademark bow tie and nickname 'The Architect' will be his lasting memories to the hockey world" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/4). Torrey "received the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey" in the U.S. in '83 and was elected to the Hockey HOF in '95 (N.Y. TIMES, 5/4).
FIXTURE IN SOUTH FLORIDA: In Ft. Lauderdale, Matthew DeFranks writes Torrey was one of the "most recognizable faces" around the Panthers since the team's inception. he held a "variety of roles" with the franchise since April '93, serving as club president for nine seasons in addition to being Governor for the '02-03 season and Alternate Governor from '03-10. The Panthers "retired No. 93 in his honor" to represent the team's debut. The Panthers now have "lost two paramount figures in franchise history in the last six weeks," as former Owner WAYNE HUIZENGA died in late March (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 5/4).
