Former New York Islanders defenseman Gerry Hart has died at the age of 75 

Gerry Hart, a defenseman who played across 14 seasons in the National Hockey League, died on Saturday at the age of 75.

He was best known as a member of the inaugural New York Islanders team, being selected by them in the 1972 NHL Expansion draft.

Following four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Hart moved out to Long Island and became a fan favorite at Nassau Coliseum.

Hart helped the Islanders reach their first appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 1974-75 season.

Across his career with New York, he put up 20 goals and 108 assists alongside 783 total penalty minutes.

Gerry Hart, a member of the first ever New York Islanders team, has died at the age of 75

Hart was selected by New York in the expansion draft after four previous seasons in Detroit

He was then picked in another expansion draft by Quebec then ended his career with St. Louis

Hart was picked again in the expansion draft of 1979 by the Quebec Nordiques – the same season the Islanders won their first of four consecutive Stanley Cups.

The following season, Quebec traded him to St. Louis – where he finished out the rest of his career.

In total, across 730 NHL games, he totaled 29 goals and 150 assists for 179 total points and 1,240 penalty minutes.

After retirement, Hart returned to Long Island and opened a recreational complex in Happauge in the early 1990s.

Hart was inducted into the Suffolk (County) Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He is the fourth member of the 1970s Islanders to pass away since January of 2022 – alongside Jean Potvin and team legends Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy.