Islanders Anxiety: A New York Islanders podcast Islanders Anxiety

Joined by David Skurnik of Skurnik Wines and The Pinot Project, Mike and Dan remember the short Long Island stint of "superstar journeyman" Olli Jokinen. Jokinen arrived and left in two of the worst trades in Islanders history. In between, he was ridiculed by his general manager, dismissed by fans, endured long slumps and trade rumors, and only finally came alive after it was too late. Once free of the Islanders, he found his game in Florida, then began a decade-long tour through the NHL before coming back into the Islanders' orbit as a coach... for a prospect who was also traded. David tells us his philosophy on the wine business, how kids birthday parties at Nassau Coliseum could easily get ruined and how a small bounce here or there can really change a team's fortunes.
Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.
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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 ANXIETY20 to save 20% off an order of two items.


The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.

Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).


Our theme is "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.
Drum sfx via Zapsplat.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Dan take a deep breath as the Rangers get eliminated from the playoffs, opening the door for the first ever edition of "Ranger Piece Theater." We do some dramatic readings of Blueshirts postmortems and examine how a fanbase that is catered to almost exclusively by the NHL's biggest broadcast partners somehow still seems to feel they are being targeted unfairly (maybe they'll make a documentary about that, too). We also throw in one Panthers-focused work that is somehow a referendum on the Maple Leafs continued struggles. But because we're not just here to hate, we start by discussing the recent changes at the top of the Islanders goaltending department, with new voices coming in and exiting, and congratulate captain Anders Lee on a much deserved King Clancy Trophy.
Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of the shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.
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 ANXIETY20 to save 20% off an order of two items.


The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

The fine folks at FOCO have two new Islanders bobbleheads commemorating the Stadium Series game at Met Life Stadium. Order your Ilya Sorokin or Sparky The Dragon bobblehead today at FOCO dot com. These are limited to 124 pieces so act now.

Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.

Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).


Our theme is "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music on Bandcamp and on Spotify.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In their Rangers-free zone, Mike and Dan discuss the recent trade the Islanders made with the Chicago Blackhawks that netted them an extra second round pick and some flexibility this offseason. Through a swap of first rounders, the Islanders received a well-traveled group of assets that could help them get rid of an onerous contract (whether they need to or not), or be used to trade for an impact player. And one particular talented but troubled player - who might be on the outs with his hometown team - could be a target of the Islanders, who have a lot of connections back to him, assuming he even wants to be traded. We also talk about some different players who are rumored to be on the move, and whether Lou Lamoriello could just use the picks to draft some other dudes we've never heard of in a month. Either way, this seemingly random Memorial Day Weekend news dump is something we'll be thinking about for the next few weeks.
Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of the shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.
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 ANXIETY20 to save 20% off an order of two items.


The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

The fine folks at FOCO have two new Islanders bobbleheads commemorating the Stadium Series game at Met Life Stadium. Order your Ilya Sorokin or Sparky The Dragon bobblehead today at FOCO dot com. These are limited to 124 pieces so act now.

Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.

Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).


Our theme is "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music on Bandcamp and on Spotify.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Along with Nassaumen Hockey's Jon Zella, Mike and Dan crown the first ever Weirdest Islander of the Year per the results of a listener vote. While several had the qualifications (less than 50 games played for the Islanders this season), only one man truly epitomized what makes a Weird Islander, with a long NHL tenure on other teams, a notable arrival on Long Island, and an eventful season that included a memorable ending. His victory might have come in a runaway but that doesn't mean there wasn't intrigue! The race for second place was a surprising one, and the man who lost might be the more interesting (and fitting) of the two. We also have some honorable mentions, who we don't expect to stay Weird Islanders for very long, and we name the trophy that will henceforth be awarded annually. It's a fine and festive way to celebrate the 50th episode of a show that’s a testament to the fans of this very weird team. Thank you all for listening to these and rest assured that we are nowhere near done.
And, of course, thanks again to Jon for joining us again. He’s one of our favorites to talk to all through the season. Follow him at @JonZella and look for the season finale of the Nassaumen Hockey podcast soon (I think).
Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.
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 ANXIETY20 to save 20% off an order of two items.


The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.

Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).


Our theme is "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.
Drum sfx via Zapsplat.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A free sample of our marathon Mail Bag for May! In this short bonus episode, we answer questions about newest Islander Maxim Tsyplakov, the constantly overlooked Brock Nelson, the legacy of Uncle Leo and where the Hudson Line stops next.
To hear the full two hour-plus episode, head over to Patreon.com/IslandersAnxiety and sign up for our Country Club tier. There you'll be able to hear all of our past Monthly Mail Bag episodes and ask a question for a future installment.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By popular (?) demand, we present a special standalone episode of an Islanders Anxiety favorite, dramatic readings of articles about the Toronto Maple Leafs. This time, we focus on the work of Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, "the Charles Dickens of Master Leaf Theatre," whose descriptions of the sorrow and misery of the Leafs' bleak house are as admirable as they are ridiculous. As he ponders the question of "What is the plan now?" for his favorite team, Siegel also wonders why the Leafs' brass didn't just listen to him and his friends years ago when they knew exactly what to do. Later, we turn our attention to a Master Leaf Theatre staple, LukeFoxJukeBox, as he analyzes the the sense and sensibility of Leafs captain John Tavares, who has many detractors both near and far.
Thank you for listening to this special episode. If you would like to hear more like this, please let us know.
Subscribe to our Patreon! Members get ad-free episodes of the shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.
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 ANXIETY20 to save 20% off an order of two items.


The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

The fine folks at FOCO have two new Islanders bobbleheads commemorating the Stadium Series game at Met Life Stadium. Order your Ilya Sorokin or Sparky The Dragon bobblehead today at FOCO dot com. These are limited to 124 pieces so act now.

Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.

Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices