Welcome to NHL99, The Athletic’s countdown of the best 100 players in modern NHL history. We’re ranking 100 players but calling it 99 because we all know who’s No. 1 — it’s the 99 spots ...

Islanders icon Billy Smith was a superb goalie and four-time Stanley Cup winner. But he was also a fantastic interview. And in this story Smith wrote for THN, he was in peak form. Amazing ...

Billy Smith also scored a goal for the Islanders and was the first goalie in NHL history to ever be credited with one. Like Sorokin's goal, it was also the result of an own goal. Of the 20 goalie ...

Edmonton Oilers and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky named a four-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender as the toughest netminder he ...

During the 1971-72 season, Boston Bruins goaltender Gerry Cheevers was one of the first goaltenders to customize the Jason mask, with his trainer placing stitch marks in spots to signify pucks ...

Sorokin joins Hockey Hall of Famer Billy Smith as the second Islanders netminder to ever record a goal. Smith has the distinction of being the first goalie in NHL history to be credited with a ...

The job of an NHL goaltender is to save goals ... Boston Bruins, Dec. 8, 1987 Billy Smith (5 saves), New York Islanders at Colorado Rockies, Nov. 28, 1979 Check out the ESPN NHL hub page for ...

He shot it the length of the ice into an empty net after Boston pulled goalie Rejean Lemelin, capping a 5-2 victory at the Spectrum. Smith became the first goalie to be credited with a goal when ...