Kyle Okposo put on a good show for his mentor, Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier, at Nassau Coliseum on Jan. 16, 2015.
Okposo, then a New York Islanders forward, got to know Trottier at development camp after being selected by the Islanders in the first round (No. 7) in the 2006 NHL Draft.
"When I came into the League, my first rookie camp in 2006, I just kind of picked his brain," Okposo said. "The way that he carried himself and still carries himself to this day is something that I really look up to and try to emulate."
The Islanders honored Trottier, their all-time points leader (1,353), that night, and he must have been proud of his pupil; Okposo scored four goals, three of them in the third period of a 6-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only was it Okposo's first NHL hat trick, but he said he hadn't scored four times in a game since he played high school hockey in Minnesota.
Okposo became the first member of the Islanders to score four goals in a game since Matt Moulson on Dec. 3, 2011. No New York player has done it since.
Okposo had another unique accomplishment with the Islanders: From center John Tavares' arrival in 2009 until Okposo signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2016, he was the only other player to lead the Islanders in scoring. That came in 2013-14, when he had NHL career highs in goals (27), assists (42) and points (69), finishing three points in front of his linemate.
