The Mike Milbury hockey era with the New York Islanders is officially over.

The team has confirmed that Milbury has resigned from his full-time position in the organization, however, he will remain as an advisor to owner Charles Wang on Project Hope, a youth hockey program geared to growing the sport in China.

Milbury stepped aside as general manager of the Islanders last summer to serve as senior vice-president of sports properties.

"Charles gave me the opportunity of a new challenge for the last 18 months, and I enjoyed every minute of it," Milbury said in a statement. "I'm very proud of our staff and the strides we made last season in corporate sales, customer service and community relations."

Islanders owner Charles Wang paid tribute to Milbury's efforts in turning around a struggling franchise.

"Mike played a major role in getting the Islanders back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs three years in a row. Before I purchased the franchise and provided Mike with the stability and resources he never had in his early tenure, the Islanders were out of the playoffs for almost a decade. Worse than that, most years they didn't even have a chance when the season started. It was Mike who made the aggressive moves that put the Islanders back on the NHL map. Mike is also responsible for the Islanders careers of some of our fan favorites, including Rick DiPietro, Jason Blake and Trent Hunter, among many others."

Milbury has worked under four ownership groups with the Islanders and hired six coaches - he coached the team on two occasions.

The team hired Neil Smith in his place as general manager, and Smith was later replaced by current GM Garth Snow.