Before the Islanders drop the puck against the Lightning on Dec. 13 at UBS Arena, they'll officially make amends with one of their icons.

The team announced Thursday that Pat LaFontaine will become the 17th member to join the Islanders Hockey Hall of Fame. The pregame ceremony will be a third honor for the legendary center, as he was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame back in 2003.

“I’m very fortunate and honored,” LaFontaine said in a press release. “When [general manager] Mathieu Darche called me, I could not have been more excited. It's very meaningful and very humbling that a lot of the guys I was fortunate enough to play with are in the Islanders Hall of Fame, it’s just a tremendous honor.”

The history of the Islanders can't be told without LaFontaine's contributions. Drafted third overall by the club in 1983, he donned blue and orange for eight seasons before landing with the Sabres in 1991-92 due to offseason contract negotiation rifts. The deal with Buffalo yielded Pierre Turgeon.

LaFontaine played 530 of his 865 career games with the Islanders, recording 566 points (287 goals, 279 assists) and becoming one of just three franchise players to produce four 40-goal campaigns. He's also one of five Islanders to average more than a point per game (1.07), and his 468 total goals rank eighth-most for an American-born skater.

“It’s a very meaningful time in my life, it's exciting for the family,” LaFontaine said. “I live on Long Island, my wife is from here and it's where I started my career. It’s just a tremendous honor.”

The Islanders plan to have LaFontaine's name unveiled on the Ring of Honor inside UBS Arena and etched on a plaque added to the team's Hall of Fame wall. The last player to be inducted was Brent Sutter, back in mid-January of last season.

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