Butch Goring Robert Thomas " Butch " Goring Selected by Los Angeles Kings 5th round ( # 51 ) in 1969 NHL Amateur Draft Played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League , winning 4 Stanley Cups as a 12 - year - old , scored 150 goals in 40 minor - hockey games with the Glenwood Bears . . . . played on Canadian National B Team in 1967 - 68 and competed in Russia ' s Izvestia Tournament . . . . finished the season playing with St . Boniface in the Allan Cup playoffs . . . . in 1968 - 69 , left Winnipeg ( WCHL ) after 39 games while leading the league in goals . . . . joined Dauphin ( MJHL ) for a run at the Memorial Cup . . . . Dauphin ' s run was stopped in game seven of the western final with Goring on the sidelines . . . . suffered a separated shoulder late in game six . . . . after obtaining a shoulder brace , joined Regina for Memorial Cup final . . . . drafted by Los Angeles in 1969 . . . . promoted from Springfield to the Kings during his first pro season . . . . made NHL debut November 26 , 1969 at Chicago . . . . Los Angeles Rookie of Year in 1969 - 70 . . . . a serious case of mononucleosis forced him to miss much of the next season . . . . spent the rest of the year in Springfield getting his health and his timing back . . . . was very successful in the playoffs , leading the league in goals , assists and points . . . . Springfield won the Calder Cup . . . . spent most of the next nine seasons with the Kings . . . . developed into one of the most complete players in the NHL . . . . averaging 30 goals a season . . . . an excellent penalty killer , who could also score goals with the best of them . . . . good on faceoffs and a team leader in the dressing room . . . . his passing was first rate and had a reputation for being one of the best shooters on breakaways . . . . first Los Angeles player to score four goals in a home game on March 1 , 1975 . . . . named Los Angeles ' Most Popular Player in 1972 - 73 , 1974 - 75 , 1975 - 76 , 1976 - 77 and 1977 - 78 . . . . Los Angeles Most Inspirational Player in 1976 - 77 & 1977 - 78 . . . . Los Angeles ' MVP & First - Star Leader in 1977 - 78 . . . . won both the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1978 . . . . first player to win both in same season . . . . prior to the 1978 - 79 season , offered a huge five - year , $ 1 - million contract by the Edmonton Oilers . . . . although he turned the offer down , he realized he wasn ' t under appreciated around the league . . . . played in NHL All - Star Game . . . . acquired by the Islanders at the trade deadline during the 1979 - 80 season . . . . widely regarded as being one of the key elements that pushed the Islanders over the top to become Stanley Cup champions . . . . the next year awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy , as the Islanders repeated as Stanley Cup champs . . . . named the team ' s player assistant coach . . . . played for Team Canada at the Canada Cup in 1981 . . . . Manitoba ' s Athlete of the Year in 1981 . . . . in all , the Islanders made five straight Cup Final appearances and four straight Stanley Cup wins . . . . with Goring filling just about every role imaginable on the team . . . . claimed on waivers by Boston , January 8 , 1985 . . . . retired at seasons end to become Boston ' s head coach on May 6 , 1985 . . . . dismissed November 5 , 1986 , moments after the lowly Buffalo Sabres trounced the Bruins , 8 - 3 . . . . signed 25 - game tryout contract with Edmonton . . . . sent to Nova Scotia ( AHL ) . . . . after just 10 uneventful games , retired from playing . . . . spent a little over a year behing the bench with Spokane ( WHL ) . . . . rejoined the Islanders as an assistant coach in 1989 - 90 . . . . then coached their AHL affiliate in Capital District for three seasons . . . . Las Vegas ( IHL ) GM Bob Strumm hired him to coached the expansion Thunder in 1993 - 94 . . . . Strumm was the person who hired and fired him in Spokane . . . . once again , rejoined the Islanders , coaching their IHL affiliate for five seasons . . . . in his first year , the Grizzlies captured the league championship . . . . the following season , 1995 - 96 , the team relocated from Denver to Salt Lake City . . . . and the success followed them , as their repeated as league champs . . . . named coach of the year in both seasons . . . . inducted into Los Angeles Kings Hall of Fame in 1997 . . . . reluctantly accepted the Islanders head coaching position on April 30 , 1999 . . . . demanded a three year guaranteed contract . . . . fired March 4 , 2001 , after a 6 - 0 drubbing by the NHL ' s worst team Tampa Bay . . . . coached parts of four seasons in Germany ’ s Elite league . . . . winning the championship in 2003 . . . . joined MSG Networks in 2007 as a hockey analyst on the popular weekly hockey roundup show “ HOCKEY NIGHT LIVE ” . . . . in 2010 , named Islanders TV color commentator alongside long - time announcer Howie Rose . . . . elected to the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame . . . . and in 1992 to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame . . . . famous for a helmet that he was given when he was 12 years old and continued to wear his entire professional career .