Isle Be There: An Islanders' Night In Brooklyn

Last night, our New York Islanders faced the Florida Panthers on a night slated to celebrate NHL and Islanders broadcasting legend, Jiggs McDonald. Jiggs was presented with a microphone award and specialized jersey to commemorate the night by the organization, greeting the crowd by making a gesture of a heart with his hands and pointing fondly to those in attendance. He concluded the pregame ceremony with a ceremonial puck drop and left the ice shaking hands with every Islanders player on the bench before making his way up to the booth to call what is probably his final game before retiring from broadcasting in New York.

I was lucky enough to get a few hours away from home courtesy of my wife, who looked after my father, so I could head down to Brooklyn for a rare opportunity to see my first game at the Barclays Center. When I arrived, the fans were gathered around the front of the building and the energy was evident.  Although our Isles haven’t exactly been putting the NHL world on notice, the die hards were there and ready for things to happen.

I won’t get into the abysmal 2-1 (Leddy) loss by an offensively deficient Isles squad (now 15-16-8) who seemed to have trouble staying with the puck at every turn. I won’t complain about their horrible passing game or about sitting through the worst effort by an Islanders team I have ever witnessed in person. This is not to say that every player was off or that they didn’t do anything right, just that it was another disappointing home effort on such a special night for the organization and the fans.

What I will say is that I still had a fantastic time. From being surprised with gifted tickets by my friend Chris to meeting Denis Potvin, the night started off well. I found the staff at the Barclays friendly and in good spirits. I made it a point to finally meet Paul Cartier and Eric Hornick in person and visited the new team store, all before puck drop. I had a nice time speaking to fans, stopped by to say hello to Tom at Section 228/229 and even managed to relax for a few hours and forget the personally unforgettable, even despite the game not turning out the way we all wanted it to. That’s the magic of going to Islanders games for me. Especially when you get as lucky as I am and have an opportunity to write a blog, meet people you wouldn’t normally meet and get to become specially involved in a fan community who in my experiences, are second to none.

While I still expect more from the team, I know there are a few issues that need to change before they can right the myriad of wrongs I witnessed last night. Not really sure when and how that will all occur. We all have our wish list on what those things are and I understand why so many of us are fed up with what we see as another campaign heading in the wrong direction. I even understand the frustration of not wanting to make the trip into Brooklyn or sit through what would seem to be another disappointing season from the stands.

But to me, the ups and downs of being an Islanders fan and going to the games has given me some powerful memories, intense emotion and a sense of community. A kinship that is shared by a fist bump or a smirk to a stranger I might pass in a mall or grocery store, even living almost two hours north of Isles country. I have gotten out at traffic lights to give out my KoC card when I’ve spotted a NYI bumper sticker and even started conversations with other fans, all over the country, who love this team and what they represent to us with deep rooted allegiances. From Ralph Macchio, to Kevin Connolly, to Vincent Piazza, to my cousins from Hicksville, we all share a bond that makes us what we are. We have big chips on our shoulders and have endured a lot of disappointment, hoping to get back to what we lost so long ago.

I’m still not giving up. I’m still staying positive, but always calling them out when I see something I don’t like because I’m a New Yorker and I’m a fan of the team born in Uniondale, now playing in Brooklyn.

And there is nothing more I’d rather be.

Isles Notes:

"John Tavares has been selected to represent the New York Islanders at the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, taking place from January 28-29 at Staple Center in Los Angeles, CA."

Scott Mayfield up for Hamonic (IR) with lower body injury.

Isles Prospect Report: Ilya Sorokin and Anatoli Golyshev named to KHL All-Star Game.

NHL Notes:

“NHL teams will be permitted to have only home and road jerseys next season as Adidas takes over for Reebok as the official outfitter of NHL uniforms.

There will be no third jerseys, in order to make the initial implementation of new sweaters easier.”

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Congratulations on an amazing 50 years in sports broadcasting to Jiggs McDonald. Thank you for being part of so many of our childhood memories when this team was great. And even when they weren't.

Sorry we missed each other tonight, but I can speak for all fans, young and old when I say we miss you already, but so glad you came around when you did.