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SHOW STOPPERS - #39 STEVE REGIER

A Weekly Posting of a Sound Tiger who played for the Islanders this Season

Jul 25, 2007

Like our last "Show Stopper," Steve Regier had NHL experience with the New York Islanders in the season prior to last. As he entered last season's training camp, a sense of confidence grew in Regier. In his third season in the Islanders' organization, he produced his best season to date. In 77 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Regier registered 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points, making him the third leading scorer on the team behind only Eric Boguniecki and Jeff Tambellini.

The Islanders' fifth round selection in the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft, Regier, finished his fourth season in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers scoring 25 goals and 35 assists in 72 games and was primed for his pro career to begin in 2004 with the Sound Tigers. The timing was perfect for Regier because he would skate beside young players who already had NHL experience but were playing in the American Hockey League due to the strike. In his rookie year, Regier collected 22 points in 75 games.

In the 2005-06 season, Regier would use his first year experiences to add 16 points to his rookie total. That continued growth contributed to his first NHL call-up at the end of the Islanders season. Regier played in nine games with the big club before returning for the Sound Tigers first round series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

This past season, with Shawn Bates and Chris Simon out for the remainder of the Islanders schedule Regier received the call to make his stop in the show with Islanders for their trip to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on March 30, 2007.

Your first pro season was when the NHL was in their labor strike so you played with and against a lot of players who had already and are now playing in the NHL. Tell me about that experience?

It was an awesome experience. That season was probably the best the American League has ever been with players like Jason Spezza (Ottawa Senators) and Chris Higgins (Montreal Canadiens). Coming out of the Western Junior League, I never played with or against superstars like they are and to line-up on a face-off against them and see what makes them the player they are was great. Those are types of guys that I want to model my play after. You could see why they're that good and what it takes to play at their level every night.

Growing up in Edmonton, tell me about what it was like being drafted by the Islanders, who defeated the Oilers in 1983 for the Stanley Cup.

When draft time comes around for any aspiring player hoping to get drafted, it does not matter who picks you, just as long as you're selected. The excitement of hearing my name called and being drafted was the best. Growing up in Edmonton I don't really remember the rivalries between the Oilers and Islanders, but I've learned that my allegiance is now with New York. The Oilers are in my heart but are on back burner. It was nice to see them make a Stanley Cup run a few years ago, but my goal now is to contribute to the Islanders, so that's where my heads is.

Tell me about the whole experience of the call-up to the Islanders two seasons ago.

Every guy's dream is to make it to the NHL. When I first got the news, I thought it was joke since I was called-up on April Fools day. The first thing I did was call my family on my car ride down to the Island. As I got ready in the dressing room I was so nervous for just the warm-up. I was paired on a line with Phil (Rob Collins) and Nokie (Petteri Nokelainen) and we were playing the Flyers that night. Once the game started though I settled down and had a pretty good game. It's a day that I will remember forever and tell my kids about. No matter what happens I can say I made it, which is something that hundreds of players at the AHL level will never be able to say.

How did your call-up differ from your experience in Buffalo last season?

They were two totally different experiences because the second go around I felt I was more mature as a player and was hoping to contribute to the game. I was caught up in glitz and glamour my first call-up but last season I was focused on how to help the team win. The perk to the game against the Sabres that I was able to be a part of was we were in a playoff hunt. Whether it was supporting the guys from the bench or getting a few shifts, it was what I wanted to do to see that we made another step towards making the playoffs. It was a great experience to see what it took at that level to participate in an NHL playoff hunt.

What have you been working on this off-season in the hopes of making the Islanders at the end of training camp next season?

I've been doing the norm, training hard in the gym and doing everything I can to put on muscle weight. I want to do what it takes to make it in the NHL and help bring the Stanley Cup back to Long Island.