Bill Torrey Passes Away

     Original Florida Panthers President Bill Torrey passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83. He was part of the organization for over 25 years and had the number 93 retired for him in a banner ceremony back on October 23, 2010.
     Torrey joined the Panthers organization prior to their first season in 1993-94 as team president under owner H. Wayne Huizenga. He worked under four different majority owners during his reign which included Huizenga, Alan Cohen, Cliff Viner and Vincent Viola. He left the president position and became a team advisor in 2001.
     The Panthers, who set an NHL record for most wins and points by an expansion franchise in their inaugural season, made the playoffs in on five occasions and won the 1996 Eastern Conference championship in just their third season in existence. They lost to the Colorado Avalanche in four games during the Stanley Cup Finals. The Cats won a Southeast Division title in 2012 and an Atlantic Division title in 2016.
     He was the general manager of the New York Islanders from 1972 to 1992. The club won four consecutive Stanley Cup titles from 1980 to 1983. The Islanders won 19 straight NHL playoff series, which is still a league record. The team raised a banner with a bow tie and the words the architect on it in honor of him.
     Torrey first joined the National Hockey League at the start of the expansion era. He was an executive of the Oakland Seals from 1968 to 1970. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.