After what felt like an eternity, Zach Parise confirmed he had a contract in place with the New York Islanders on Wednesday. The announcement came after the team re-signed four key free agents that helped them to the Eastern Conference Final. Although Parise is 37, he can provide some much-needed depth scoring. The 2021 season was a down year for him with seven goals and 11 helpers for 18 points, but his track record is strong with 393 goals, 417 assists and 810 points in his career.

While the move on the surface is merely a depth move to bolster the bottom-six, Zach Parise signing with the Islanders is a move of destiny. The organization has several connections to him and his family, from the front office to his family’s ties with the Islanders.

Parise’s connections with the Islanders go back to Jan. 5, 1975 – 46 years ago. His father, J.P. Parise, was a member of the Minnesota North Stars for nine seasons, tallying 154 goals and 292 assists with the team. However, Minnesota wasn’t a contender and looked to rebuild in the middle of the decade. As a result, they traded Parise to the Islanders for Ernie Hicke and Doug Rombough.

At the time, the Islanders were a team on the upswing after their early years post-expansion. After being in the doldrums of the league, Al Arbour’s team was in a position to make the playoffs for the first time in team history, and Parise made an immediate impact in their playoff push with 30 points in 41 games. After qualifying, the Islanders took on their rival in the Rangers in a best-of-five first round series, and in the decisive Game 5, Parise put the Rangers to bed with a goal 11 seconds into overtime. His strong play continued all postseason long with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points, helping the Islanders to the Conference Final.

His legacy as a playoff performer continued to grow from there, tallying 16 goals and 18 assists in 41 playoff games, and reached the semi-finals three times with the Islanders from 1975-77. Although he was traded to the Cleveland Barons in 1978, he was key to the Islanders’ development as a franchise. Along with the postseason heroics, he notched 73 goals, 98 assists and 171 points in four seasons with the club, acting as a strong piece to their emergence as a future championship contender.

Fast forward 25 years and his son Zach now enters the story. An upstart prospect in the 2003 NHL Draft, Zach Parise was drafted with the 17th pick by the New Jersey Devils and then-general manager Lou Lamoriello. Under his watch, Parise blossomed into a key contributor for the franchise, scoring 410 points in seven years with the club. His play helped the Devils to the playoffs six times, including a deep run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, before leaving for the Minnesota Wild where his father played.

Now the Parise family’s connection with the Islanders comes full circle when Lamoriello, now GM of the Islanders brought in Parise as a free agent. Lamoriello previously had an interest in bringing Parise to New York. At the 2020 Trade Deadline, analysts speculated Zach Parise could head to the Islanders for Andrew Ladd and other pieces. It was a gamble at the time, as Parise debatably was locked into a longer and pricier contract than Ladd, with five years left paying him almost $7.5 million per season. Even with his performance holding steady, the Islanders felt it was a risk worth taking. However, the trade fell through.

Despite the issues of the trade falling through, the Islanders were able to jump on the opportunity after the Minnesota Wild bought out his contract. Parise’s father was one of the better Islanders in the early days of the franchise, playing the role of postseason hero and leader in the locker room. However, with a new era of Islanders hockey, the connections continue as his son reunites with one of his father’s former teams and the GM that drafted him.

Although he likely won’t play as well as he did in his prime, he has a chance to follow right in his father’s footsteps. With the Islanders looking to contend for a championship once again, he can play the role of leader and hero that his father did over 40 years ago and help the Islanders back to the promised land.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.