The Islanders were founded in 1972 as part of the NHL's maneuvers to keep a team from the rival World Hockey Association out of newly built Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in suburban Uniondale, New York. After two years of roster-building, the Islanders found almost instant success by securing fourteen straight playoff berths starting with their third season.

After going undrafted in 1987, Mick Vukota signed with the New York Islanders, who were looking to add toughness to their roster. He would go on to become the team's top enforcer, racking up 1,879 penalty minutes over the next decade as he forged a reputation as a tough scrapper and punishing forechecker.

Bryan Trottier scored an NHL-record six points (four goals and two assists) in a single period against the New York Rangers on December 23, 1978. He finished the game with eight points (five goals and three assists).

On November 3, 2007, legendary Islanders coach Al Arbour came out of retirement for one night to coach his 1,500th game for the Islanders. At age 75, he became the oldest man ever to coach a National Hockey League game. The Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2, giving Arbour his 740th win. He is the only coach in NHL history to coach 1,500 games for the same team.

The New York Islanders made their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1980, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to two.

Known as the "Easter Epic" because the game started on Saturday evening but didn't finish until the early hours of Easter Sunday, the April 18-19 showdown between the Islanders and the Capitals was the longest Game 7 in NHL history. From the time the first puck dropped until Pat LaFontaine fired a slapshot over the glove side of Washington goaltender Bob Mason at the 8:47 mark of the fourth overtime, a full six hours and 18 minutes passed.

Nicknamed "Hatchet Man" for his fiery temper and unabashed use of the stick on players crowding his crease, Billy Smith won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders and was the first goalie in the history of the NHL to be credited with a goal.

The Islanders drafted Anders Lee in the sixth round, 151st overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. After bouncing around between the Islanders and the team's minor league affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Lee had a breakout season in 2016-17, playing mostly on a line with team captain John Tavares and Josh Bailey, scoring 34 goals. The following year, he was the team's leading scorer with 40 goals. And in 2018-19, after the departure of John Tavares to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lee was named the 15th captain of the Islanders.

The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships and 19 consecutive playoff series between 1980 and 1984.

Mike Bossy played his entire NHL career for the New York Islanders, and was a crucial part of their four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions in the early 1980s. In 1978-79, he led the league with 69 goals, at the time the second-highest single season total ever.