Billy Harris (ice hockey, born 1952)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

William Edward Harris (born January 29, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He was born in Toronto, stood 6 feet tall and weighed about 197 pounds, and shot left. Harris played in the NHL from 1972 to 1984 for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was the Islanders’ first-ever draft pick, selected first overall in 1972.

As a youth, Harris played in the 1964 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Shopsy’s. He helped the Islanders reach the playoff semifinals four times between 1975 and 1979 and played more than 500 consecutive games for the team before he was traded to the Kings on March 10, 1980, along with Dave Lewis for Butch Goring. That same year the Islanders won their first Stanley Cup, starting a streak of four in a row, though Harris was not part of those Cup-winning teams.

Harris finished his career with the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, retiring after the 1983–84 season. He is remembered for helping the Islanders grow from an expansion team into a dominant force in the late 1970s and early 1980s.