Isles Buzz

Mike and Dan process the noise following the Bo Horvat trade and their own feelings towards it a week later, then give their thoughts on the often bizarre NHL All Star Weekend. After a week off, Horvat will finally suit up with his new team and answer some questions surrounding them while also defining how this season will be remembered. Outside voices are still skeptical but Lou Lamoriello did finally take a bold risk in an attempt to get his team back to the playoffs. We'll know if it paid off soon enough. In the second half, the hosts air their grievances about the NHL All Star Game and Skills Competition and how it was bad television regardless of who it's aimed at. The league and its broadcasters are trying different things but none of it sells hockey to new fans or makes the weekend any more enjoyable. Maybe one day, we'll even see some players smile there. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island me

Mike and Dan react to the Islanders' trading for Bo Horvat from Vancouver and whether or not he is the right player at the right time. In giving up winger Anthony Beauvillier, prospect Aatu Raty and a protected first round pick for the unrestricted free agent, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello is doubling down on his win-now team. Horvat is having a career year and could give the Islanders the scoring help they so desperately need. Or he could not mesh with the already center-heavy Islanders lineup. He could sign an extension or he could walk away for nothing at the end of the season. There’s a lot of factors in play and there’s no wrong or right way to feel about any of it but one thing we do urge all Islanders fans to do is to unsubscribe from The Athletic. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. Use the code ANXIETY to save 15%. The Pinot Project has Rosé

Mike and Dan are fired up after back-to-back wins put the Islanders back in the playoff picture and rock legends The Hold Steady make an unexpected appearance at UBS Arena for a game. They recap two quality victories in which the Isles scored a whopping (for them) four combined goals and ponder the incredibly bad luck of Kyle Palmieri, who has played so well after coming back from injury and yet still maintains the scoring drought that's been in effect since he came over in a trade two years ago. They talk about how the preceding two losses in Toronto and Ottawa had them ready to cash out the season, but a shutout victory over an anonymous Detroit team and Saturday's challenging overtime victory over Vegas - not to mention an appearance by The Hold Steady celebrating their 20th anniversary - brought everyone right back. In the second half, they talk about the various gimmicks that will be in effect for the upcoming All Stars Skills Competition and how they won't help bring hockey any new fans. Preorder your A

Joined by guest Peter Flynn - a former Islanders fan and Red Wings blogger - Mike and Dan reminisce about Zenon Konopka, one of the most popular one-and-done Islanders and more than just a fighter. Konopka came to Long Island with little fanfare but left as a favorite thanks to the incredible amount of fighting spirit and pride he brought to the franchise in a remarkably short amount of time. Whether it was intimidating evil Penguins, standing up to snarky media types or giving the Islanders an identity (and a goal song) all their own, Konopka helped give a young, rebuilding team a degree of backbone they severely lacked and made lifetime fans in Peter and the hosts. Oh, and he also had a pet bunny and started his own wine business. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders are only open for a few weeks, so get yours in today at this link: https://www.foco.com/products/ander

Mike and Dan discuss the Islanders' spectacularly unsuccessful week and their continued slide, as well as the cuts made at SB Nation and the future of this podcast. Beyond the four losses (two in overtime), they feel betrayed, angry and confused by the team's reluctance to make meaningful changes while they fall further out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Although more quiet than some others around the NHL, the Islanders seem to be creeping back to the circus level they occupied for so long. Their lineup is a mess and they continue to bleed losses, all while the focus seems to be on keeping injuries a secret, promoting UBS Arena and remembering the good old days (of two years ago). The second half of the show is dedicated to talking about what happened this week to SB Nation's hockey side and its effect on Lighthouse Hockey and its podcasts. The plan is to find a new home for this show, as well as Weird Islanders: The Podcast! and Islanders Award Winners, while also setting up a new model for liste

Mike and Dan recap the Islanders' week of tough losses and an underwhelming win, as the team still struggles with the same issues. They look at a shootout loss to Dallas in which the Islanders played well against a good opponent and its follow-up, a depressing self-inflicted loss to Minnesota that left both hosts overcome with anger. A win against Montreal snapped the losing streak, but the Islanders hardly dominated what should have been an easy opponent. While fans watch the out-of-town scoreboard, the Islanders continue to search for an identity and a formula for winning consistently. In the second half, they look towards a daunting and important upcoming schedule, talk about what they want to see in media coverage of their team and criticize the way the Islanders have handled their 50th anniversary celebration. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders are only open for

Joined by returning guest Noel Fogelman, Mike and Dan remember Justin Mapletoft, a highly-touted Islanders prospect from before the social media era. A decorated junior player and very strong two-way center in the AHL, Mapletoft's game never quite translated to the NHL. And on an Islanders team that was suddenly strong down the middle - thanks to the acquisitions of Alexei Yashin and Michael Peca - he didn't get much of a chance to show what he could do. Mapletoft was around the organization for a long time, but missed the time of podcasts, blogs, YouTube and the like, which is both good and bad for a prospect that fans had high hopes for. Noel has spoken to Justin and tells us his thoughts on his days with the Islanders, the time he considered asking for a trade and a very surprising regret he's been carrying around for years. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders are o

With half the season done, Mike and Dan discuss the many ups and downs that have left the Islanders on the playoff bubble. They recap the disappointing Western Canada trip that saw the team look generally awful picking up just two of a possible eight points. They also discuss the early season successes and the cushion the Islanders had built that's now all but used up, and how injuries to major players and extended slumps have started to cost them. They also lament the often surface-level coverage the team gets and how writers near and far often don't understand the Islanders true reality. In the second half, they praise Brock Nelson on his first All Star Game selection and explain why they don’t want Ilya Sorokin to get voted into the game. Finally, they look ahead at a schedule of daunting games against very different opponents. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders ar

In their first episode of 2023, Mike and Dan look at the Islanders' embarrassing loss in Seattle that followed two feel good wins at home, and how time is running out for the team to make changes. They discuss the need for the Islanders to be proactive if they want to stay competitive in the brutal Metro Division, whether it means making meaningful additions to the entrenched roster, finding a new game plan, altering their awful powerplay or something else. While the wins over the Penguins and Blue Jackets felt good, and they have winnable games coming up on their Western Canada road trip, they can't continue to let opportunities slip by when the rest of the division continues to win. Other topics include surface-level hockey coverage, the stale script for NHL outdoor games and ESPN inventing new levels of incompetence. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders are only open

Along with their friend Matty, a Nassau Coliseum usher since 2001, Mike and Dan remember eventual Stanley Cup champion defenseman Brent Sopel's brief time with the Islanders. They talk about the strange circumstances that brought Sopel to the Island and the high hopes management had for his veteran leadership and offensive skills. Sadly, the Islanders were a bit of a dumpster fire at the time, and his trade to Los Angeles just a few months later was greeted with relief and enthusiasm by the blueliner. Later, they discuss Sopel's place on the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks of 2010, the admirable charity and humanitarian endeavors of his playing and post-playing career, and how Matty once got the death stare by Jeff Tambellini, the weirdest Weird Islander to have played too many games to be an actual Weird Islander. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders are only open for

Mike and Dan look back at three games leading up to the Christmas break, all of which showing off the Islanders strengths and weaknesses. In a 1-0 shootout loss in Colorado, a blown third period lead against the Rangers and a sometimes dominating win over Florida, the Jekyll-and-Hyde Islanders ran the gamut of emotions. There were great goals, missed opportunities, good luck, bad luck, injuries and one spectacular rookie score that everyone wanted to see. And while fans like us are along for the ride (occasionally unwillingly), the insane nature of the team's season has gone mostly unnoticed, making Mike and Dan feel a little bit like an X-Files duo made just for this one franchise. Later, they look ahead to two big Metro Division games before the Islanders head way west for the first week of 2023. Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fine folks at FOCO. This is a fantastic limited edition collectable that you won't want to miss out on. Preorders are only open for a few weeks, so g

WARNING. CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE. Dan and pinch-hitter Carey Haber discuss the Islanders' volatile week of one big win, one infuriating loss and one resilient shootout defeat. They look back at toe-to-toe battle in Boston that ended in a coin flip, a(nother) ludicrous loss against one of the NHL's worst clubs in Arizona, and a surprising but haphazard win over in Vegas a night later. None of this makes any sense at all, and Carey shares his process-focused thoughts as to why the Islanders have returned to what he calls "Doug Weight Happenstance." The change in systems and lack of detail, not to mention some suddenly shaky goaltending, leave the Islanders and us with a case of "Shocked Pikachu face." In the second half, they look at the upcoming schedule, which is stacked with tough opponents and impossible to predict. But first, we hear from Michael Leboff, our man on the scene at the World Darts Championship at London's Alexandria Palace... Preorder your Anders Lee Reverse Retro Bobblehead today from the fi

Along with returning guest Nick Giglia, Mike and Dan talk about a pair of goalies with distinguished NHL careers who stopped by the Islanders very briefly after being traded for one another. John Vanbiesbrouck won a Vezina with the Rangers, then led the third-year Panthers on one of the most miraculous playoff runs in NHL history. But in his journeyman final seasons, he brought a touch of veteran presence to a very young Islanders team and showed he still had something left in the tank. He had enough, in fact, to convince then-New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello to ship stalwart Chris Terreri to those same Islanders, who were playing out the string while the Devils geared up for another Cup run. But surprisingly, Terreri taught a melancholy group the value of playing for pride. The trio also cover Vanbiesbrouck’s controversial history and Terreri’s unexpected fast food venture. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arb

WARNING. CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE. Mike and Dan look at back-to-back games that couldn't have been more different: an exciting win over the Devils and a frustrating shutout against the Hurricanes. Against a fast team that had taken them to school earlier this season, the Islanders exerted their will against New Jersey and came out on top. One night later against a team they had previously handled, the Islanders were impotent against a rested Carolina team with a frustrating game plan. Through both games, their physicality played a big part; giving them confidence in one game and being missing in the other. Along the way, they spotlight the play of Alex Romanov, Matt Martin, Hudson Fasching and players who were touted as the next big thing only to become simply... "guys." Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. Use the code ANXIETY to save 15%. The Pinot Project has

Mike and Dan look at three losses and one win that have them both encouraged and scared about the Islanders, who have some tough upcoming games. In dropping games to the beatable Flyers, Predators and Blues - after racking up 40 shots apiece in the latter two - the Isles looked better but let their early season points cushion slip, and let division rivals like the Penguins and Rangers back into the mix. A shutout against Chicago was strictly business, but with games against the Devils and Hurricanes over the weekend, they need to start stringing wins together again. They also cover the lack of coverage for Adam Pelech's injury, the overcoverage of stories no one cares about and what it means to be "comfortably" in a playoff spot (spoiler: it's not where the Islanders are). Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. Use the code ANXIETY to save 15%. The Pinot Project h

J-P Dumont was drafted by, but never played for the Islanders. Predators writer Alex Daugherty tells Dan and Mike all about the kind of player the third overall pick in 1996 was, and his unusual route to Nashville. Traded immediately after finally signing his entry level contract, Dumont took a few years to get going and find consistency at the NHL level. Once he did, he helped establish the first great era in Predators history by making them as dangerous offensively as they were defensively. Alex tells us what Dumont's acquisition meant to the franchise, how he has worked to grow hockey in Nashville and how he helped get everyone at Bridgestone Arena free tacos one night. As a bonus, we ask Alex about the legacy of Terry Crisp - longtime Predators broadcaster, expansion Islander and cookie connoisseur. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. Use the code ANXIETY to

Mike and Dan reflect on the Islanders' resilient and timely four game winning streak - with a cathartic cherry on top. They look back at wins over the Maple Leafs and Oilers, and how Ilya Sorokin staked his spot at the top of the goaltending heap while large swaths of the hockey world were watching. They then turn to a win over Columbus that could have gone off the rails after some curious officiating, and how Brock Nelson once again was the hero. Finally, it's on to an eventful win over a pitiable Flyers team which featured momentum swings, sudden goals and some fighting that felt good for the soul. In the second half, they look ahead at a Western Conference heavy upcoming schedule and a rematch against Philly that might get the Boss involved. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. Use the code ANXIETY to save 15%. The Pinot Project has Rosé, Pinot Grigio and a W

Mike and Dan look at the Islanders' win and two losses over the last week, none of which inspired any confidence in this still very undefinable team. They talk about the need for a change somewhere - be it on the player side or the execution side - in order to gain an identity that fans and the club can look to for the rest of the season. With high offensive capabilities and poor high danger defense, it's hard to trust the Islanders right now because you're never sure what they're going to do from game-to-game. In the second half, they address the hilariously petty booing of Johnny Gaudreau and the hockey media machine that made fans think he might be choosing the Islanders in free agency. Other topics include overdosing on the Devils, FIFA corruption and a couple of rumored Canucks who may be available for trade. Who exactly? Meh, they're all the same guy anyway. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island m

Mike and Dan are joined by writer, podcaster and Leafs fan Sean McIndoe (aka @DownGoesBrown) to discuss Wendel Clark - his favorite player and a short-time Islander during a crazy era. Sean tells us how the Saskatchewan farmboy became a hero in Toronto with a mix of goals and fights before being traded to Quebec due to age, injuries and ballsy general managing. After a wild three-team transaction a year later, Clark came to the Islanders to try to lead a young, Fisherman-clad squad in need of veterans. And while he was popular and tried his best, his true home was always Toronto, where he was traded back after less than a season on Long Island. Sean tells us what Clark means to him and other Leafs fans and how his legend grew through stretches of both bad seasons and playoff battles, while joking about the longstanding animosity between the Islanders and Maple Leafs. At least, we think he was joking... Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey lo

Mike and Dan discuss the Islanders' wild week, which featured comeback wins, inexplicable shutout losses and unexpected heroics. With huge wins against the Flames and Rangers - coming back from down 3-1 on back-to-back nights - they continued their strong play against good teams. But with a cursed blanking against the Coyotes and a back-and-forth overtime win over the Blue Jackets, they also showed the you can't predict what the Islanders will do next. In the second half, they look at unheralded star Brock Nelson, who continues to quietly lead the Islanders in big moments, and Mat Barzal, who is having and strange but productive season so far. Along the way, they talk about Mike playing podcast hosts against each other, The Athletic being obtuse and, somehow, Muammar Gaddafi. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. Use the code ANXIETY to save 15%. The Pinot Projec