Isles Buzz

It took five tries, but Mike and Dan finally get a podcast in the books about the Islanders' first three games under Barry Trotz. They talk about the night and day differences between last season and this one, and the good, bad and getting better of the small sample of games. They also discuss the end of the Jan Kovar experiment, the attendance at Barclays Center, a new job for former Islanders head coach Doug Weight, the stupidity of the NHL's schedule makers and sing about the greatness of Mathew Barzal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lighthouse Hockey’s founding father Dominik joins Mike and Dan to chat (and occasionally rant) about the Islanders’ season opening roster, newly revealed third jerseys, and budding Culture Club of newcomers. They also talk about legends on their the second (or third) acts and the diminishing returns that usually follow and how Lou Lamoriello has haunted Dom for decades. This week’s special theme song is, “Karma Chameleon - Culture Club (8-bit)” by Sonic for Hire Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan break down the Islanders training camp cuts and the ill-advised and alarming signing of defenseman Luca Sbisa, the Chris Pronger of the Italian national hockey team. They also discuss handsome Islanders, terrible goal songs and shockingly horrifying mascots. Includes bonus Geico trivia question! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan surprise themselves and return to cover the Islanders' new era, with some new things to look forward to, old things to get off their chests and a new weekly schedule! They talk about where they left off on July 1st and what they're excited about for the current season. Also, Dan explains why he walked away from his Twitter account, Mike gets his hopes up for a year of no expectations and infinite possibilities, and both promise to not talk about John Tavares (immediately followed by them talking about John Tavares). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan react immediately to the news that John Tavares has left the Islanders as a free agent. Spoiler: they aren't happy. They talk about the gut punch for the franchise, the things that confused and angered them about the entire process and what - if anything - the team can do going forward. WARNING: Contains unfiltered language. Parental discretion advised. Also contains funky audio, and for that we apologize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan discuss the Islanders huge coaching hire of Barry Trotz, fresh off a Stanley Cup championship with the Capitals. They try to come to grips with how much the franchise has changed in the month since Lou Lamoriello took over as GM and wonder how the hiring of Trotz impacts re-signing John Tavares. It takes a while, but they also get around to mentioning that Mathew Barzal won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year and that listening to an Entry Draft on the radio is awful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Islanders executive Lou Lamoriello has done what was previously unthinkable, relieving GM Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight of their duties. Mike and Dan discuss this huge move and what it means for the team, not just for next season or the future of John Tavares, but for the organization as a whole. They also have had enough of the Great Northern Rumor Mill and its affect on their ability to enjoy the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Islanders have finally named Lou Lamoriello as their president of hockey operations, ushering in a new era that Mike and Dan have a lot of thoughts, worries, hopes and laughs about. They discuss the impact the hiring might have on John Tavares, what it means for the franchise and how other markets have reacted to it. Also, Dan compares the 75-year-old Lamoriello to the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Islanders quiet for the time being, Mike and Dan reminisce about their days as interns for the newly-retired Hockey Maven, Stan Fischler. They share stories about the responsibilities of working with the Maven and remember some memorable characters, generosity, laughs and moments they wouldn’t have experienced without him. They also spend some time talking about the upcoming draft lottery and why it sucks watching other teams make moves and not theirs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan are joined by Arthur Staple of The Athletic to try and make sense of the Islanders' bizarre season ending media conference. They discuss what John Tavares might be thinking after seeing it, what the team might have been thinking by making it weird (twice) and what the owners might be thinking heading into the deepest parts of the offseason. Later, the hosts laugh about the idea of a 17,000-seat arena out in Suffolk County among other Islanders and Long Island oddities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This season's Islanders will go down as one of the most disappointing incarnations of the franchise's latest era. So Mike and Dan remember some other rosters that were just as bad but, because of the circumstances, are more fondly remembered. They laugh about legendary fights, angry nurses, weird-ass goal songs and the days of little to no expectations, while lamenting this season's lost opportunities. Parental warning: We usually edit explicit words, but this episode is uncensored. Special theme song: Live is Life by OPUS. You remember it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Islanders eight points out of the playoffs, Mike and Dan recount a season of frustration and take a dim look at the franchise's future. They kick around ideas to fix the team that probably won't happen and lament previous mistakes that have formed their negativity. But there's still plenty of love for "beautiful Band-Aid" Mathew Barzal and a lot of gallows humor thrown in as well. Use the promo code LIGHTHOUSE to take 10% off your order ProStockHockey.com. Code expires March 28th. Theme: "Sports" by Josh Spacek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a cathartic episode, Mike and Dan discuss the NHL trade deadline and the Islanders inactivity at it. They breakdown why the Islanders weren't in a position to make any moves and what it says about the organization as a whole. They also share a laugh at the expense of Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark, who said some boneheaded things about the Islanders this weekend. Finally, they advocate for the new film, Black Panther, and for the Islanders to be moved to Acapulco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arthur Staple of The Athletic (!) joins Mike & Dan to diagnose the disconnect between what the Islanders say and how they actually play. They also discuss what John Tavares might be thinking, what the trade deadline might hold and what it's like to have the flu in Winnipeg. He'll then tell us about his move from Newsday, what we can expect from Islanders coverage in the future, and regale us with the Tales of the Legendary Milan Jurcina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan awake from their All-Star Game naps to talk about where the Islanders sit in the standings and the plans to play some games at Nassau Coliseum next season. They talk about what the Barclays Center people might be thinking, what John Tavares might be thinking and who's pulling ol' Brooksie's strings. Also, Dan won't shut up about Sammy Hagar. Theme Song: "Sports" by Josh Spacek, available at the FreeMusicArchive.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan chat with Lighthouse Hockey founder Dominik Janksy about the Islanders season so far and what changes the team can make going forward to get back into a playoff spot. Later, Mike and Dan talk about the infectious enthusiasm of Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky in the face of the fanbase's hard-wired cynicism and the team's bizarre and difficult schedule going forward. Finally, Mike gets a vote for mayor of Rockville Center and John Travolta plays Garth Snow in a movie of a book that will surely never exist. Theme Song: "Sports" by Josh Spacek, available at the FreeMusicArchive.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the NHL's Christmas break ends, Mike and Dan discuss the Islanders issues in goal and some possible hopes for the rest of the season. But they save most of their energy for their high hopes for an arena at Belmont Park, which the team has won the right to build. Ideas include a statue of John Tavares on a horse, an Islanders Hall of Fame and a speaking engagement featuring Rob Davison and Vesa Toskala. Closing Song: "Meet Me at the Lighthouse." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan recap the evening's community meeting for the prospective Belmont arena projects of the Islanders and NYCFC. They also lament the Islanders' place in the impenetrable Metropolitan Division and the tough home stretch the team has ahead of them. Finally, they give Christmas presents to the Islanders and Mike braces for Mike Francesa's final week on WFAN. Dan was using some new software to record this week so please forgive the weird echo-y quality to his voice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan talk about a successful week for the Islanders, where they sit in the NHL and why they need to keep winning to stay alive in the brutal Metro Division. They also discuss fanciful trade ideas by local hockey columnists and the relentless nature of out-of-town columnists, which works in the Islanders' favor. They also say, "it's funny" a lot and reckon with watching a high-event hockey team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan discuss a strange week for the Islanders in which they won a game they should have lost, lost a game they should have won and didn’t show up at all for a game on their schedule. They also tell the epic tale of the Canadian friends they made at Barclays Center, the romance of Mathew Barzal and the shocking disappearance of the Islanders’ bottom two lines. Theme Song: "Sports" by Josh Spacek, available at the FreeMusicArchive.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices