Islanders Anxiety: A New York Islanders podcast

Islanders Anxiety

5.0 (4)
HOCKEY
UPDATED WEEKLY

For fans of the New York Islanders.

4 DAYS AGO · BONUS

Islanders Anxiety - Master Leaf Theatre Special - The Talented Mr. Chayka

In an epic edition of Master Leaf Theatre, the Maple Leafs find a very questionable new general manager and we find an unlikely hero in his dogged pursuer. Since the end of the regular season, the Maple Leafs have been a picture of disarray. Stories about dysfunction and questions about the future abound, including who will be their next GM. John Chayka's previous tenure with the Coyotes did not go smoothly. His teams found little success on the ice and he found himself in the NHL's crosshairs more than once. But after a six year absence, he is back to lead hockey's biggest franchise. It all seems a little strange, and with no answers coming from the top, it's up to old school sports columnist Steve Simmons to get the inside story on how Chayka was able to get another chance. Although the Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery on the night we recorded this, this insane episode in their history needed to be captured for posterity. A first overall pick is no guarantee of success. And with a brain trust of an out-of-his-depth suit, a beloved but green former player and a possible con artist at the helm, Master Leaf Theatre is in no danger of going away any time soon. Works cited: “Inside the stunning fall of the Maple Leafs: Chaos, dysfunction and AI” by Jonas Siegel, Chris Johnston and James Mirtle, The Athletic, 4/15/26 “Maple Leafs should aim high with their next head of hockey operations” by Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 4/20/2026 “Mats Sundin and John Chayka would be hockey’s newest odd couple running the Leafs” by Steve Simmons, The Toronto Sun, 4/29/26 “Mats Sundin makes us happy, John Chayka makes us wonder” by Steve Simmons, The Toronto Sun, 5/3/26. Press conference, The Real Sports Bar and Grill, Toronto, 5/5/26. “The Maple Leafs’ struggle to answer the question of the day: Why?” by Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 5/4/2026 “John Chayka has a divisive reputation. Can he and the Maple Leafs overcome it?” by James Mirtle, The Athletic, 5/5/2026 “John Chayka’s tenure with the Maple Leafs begins under intense scrutiny” by Cathal Kelly, The Toronto Globe & Mail, 5/5/26 “The confusing and confounding Leafs hiring of John Chayka and Mats Sundin” by Steve Simmons, The Toronto Sun, 5/4/26. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends! ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 50min
6 DAYS AGO

Islanders Anxiety - Episode 372 - Reminded of Something

Mike and Dan go PTI-style across a few Islanders topics before discussing how a recent playoff elimination made them reflect on the past, present and future of the franchise. The last few weeks have seen a couple of departures - of an assistant coach and a third string goalie, respectively - and a couple of guys being celebrated for the great seasons they had. But even there, we can feel disappointment and tempered enthusiasm where we really should be rejoicing. A few Islanders will be attending the World Championships, while one notable guy is staying home, for good reason. Finally, we listen to the new coach talk about his hiring and philosophies, which right now are the biggest reasons to be excited for next season. In the second half, we look at how yet another Oilers ouster took on a different feel now that the Islanders have a generational star of their own. Connor McDavid going home empty-handed used to be funny, but now we see him as a cautionary tale of how putting too much pressure on one or two players can be a huge mistake. The Islanders are one of the few NHL teams to not have made a Stanley Cup final this century, and it's high time the organization fixes that and produces some actual results. The right time is right now, not later. Just look at the Oilers. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends! ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠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 "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music ⁠⁠on Spotify⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 20min
1 MAY

Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Hartford Whalers Special (with guest Aaron Kleinman)

Aaron Kleinman of Heartland Signal tells us about his enduring love of the Hartford Whalers, his home state's former NHL team, whose final road game was against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. It's been almost 30 years since the Whalers last took the ice at the Hartford Civic Center, the only rink in NHL history located inside of a shopping mall. While the team had limited success in its time, it cultivated a rabid fanbase that still misses its best players, legendary logo, classic marching band theme song and other quaint charms. But rooting for a goofball team in a very small market feels like you're getting away with something. And as you try to keep the scam going for as long as possible, the jig always comes up. As a born and bred son of The Constitution State and a huge sports fan from birth, Aaron lived and died by the Whalers and still carries with him the memories and scars from their eventual move to Raleigh, NC. He tells us about how the team excelled at falling just barely short of the playoffs, what it was like living across the street from Whalers GM Jim Rutherford (and in the same town as tough guy Glen Featherstone) and the particular indignities of having your team bought and moved by a guy sporting a ponytail. Aaron also talks about how the team's off-ice strife shaped his outlook on the world, even at a very young age. Of course, we do cover some Weird Islanders here including a legendary tough guy of our own and two defensive defensemen we never thought we'd ever get a chance to cover on the show. Turns out there's a lot of connective tissue between these two teams aside from one game late in a lost season for both of them. We can't thank Aaron enough for his time and sharing his very vivid memories of his favorite team. He's a great guy to chat with and has been a legendary sports poster for many years. Check out Heartland Signal and his own free newsletter, Radio Free America. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. 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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 29min
28 APR

Monthly Mail Bag podcast - April, 2026 Sample

Please enjoy this sample of our Monthly Mail Bag podcast for April, 2026. If you like what you hear, consider subscribing to our Patreon at patreon.com/IslandersAnxiety to get the full two hour episode plus extra bonus episodes, written posts, chats and more. The Islanders are done and the people have questions, mainly about what the hell happens next. Do core pieces get moved or bought out? Who will be back? Are the Islanders even a normal team? We try our best to answer these and other questions about the interminably terrible power play, what is and isn't GM Malpractice and how injuries and the Olympics affected their performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

38 min
27 APR

Islanders Anxiety - Kids love JELL-O

Mike and Dan recap some news around the Islanders and their AHL affiliate, question the team's bizarre partnering with JELL-O and reveal some important announcements. While fans like us are still mad about the Islanders being home during the NHL playoffs, there was some news coming out of the team's prospect pool. The Bridgeport Islanders ended their 25-year-run in the city with a short and unsuccessful stay in the playoffs that mirrored how the big club ended their season. Once again, there are things to celebrate, but also things to be sad and disappointed about. Many have fond memories of the longtime minor league outpost that will become more intense as the move to Hamilton inches closer to finality. But there is excitement about a fresh start in a lush new home, and it will be a fascinating experiment to watch the... whatever they'll be called. Later, we do something people have been asking about for a while and give the Islanders themselves the Master Leaf Theatre treatment. What seems like an innocuous corporate cameo appearance is, for us, a concerning look at the team's real priorities. It's fair to wonder what truly matters here, as this flashy new toy isn't exactly filling us with the childish sense of fun it's supposed to and feels more like a peek into a dystopian future. Sprinkled throughout the show are three big announcements about a sweepstakes, a poll for our Weirdest Islander of the Year and our schedule for the rest of the offseason. So stick with us through the whole thing. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more.Visit our friends! ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠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 "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music ⁠⁠on Spotify⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 21min
20 APR

Islanders Anxiety - Complicated Complex Feelings

In a very stream of consciousness episode, Mike and Dan sort through the many thoughts they've had since the Islanders season ended a week ago. After their final game (a 2-1 loss to Carolina, of course) and all of the exit meetings, there's still a lot to process about the 2025-26 Islanders. Matthew Schaefer's incredible season remains above reproach but everyone and everything else feels like its under the microscope. From players once thought untouchable to questions of motivation to the GM whose moves didn't work out, there are good reasons to wonder what next season will look like. Missing the playoffs in three out of five seasons with the same core means that major changes are needed. Mathieu Darche's final presser of the season makes it seem as if he knows where the problems were, but he also leaves himself open for more criticism. It's gonna be a long summer of questions with few answers. In the second half, we look at Semyon Varlamov's amazing comeback from double knee surgeries, talk about Mat Barzal taking heat for how the season has gone and discuss an article about a strange subplot of the Islanders and UBS Arena that tells us a lot about how the owners see the team they control. All while some live Tarps Off action is happen as we speak. We solve nothing but at least we can talk it all out. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends! ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠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 "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music ⁠⁠on Spotify⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 41min
17 APR

Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 85 - Trevor Gillies (with guest Rocco, aka PizzaSportsGuy)

Joined by Rocco from Isles House, we remember enforcer Trevor Gillies, who was a much more complex individual than his monstrous reputation would suggest. Trevor Gillies had spent a decade in the minors fighting across North America before he finally got regular NHL playing time for a young Islanders team that needed a lot of protection. While his toughness and fearlessness instantly made him a fan favorite, those same qualities - plus one very scary image in one of the craziest melees in NHL history - made him a villain to outsiders. Getting two long suspensions in short order for two questionable actions made his time on Long Island brief. But he left a lasting impression upon those who both watched and played with him that's only grown over time. Rocco tells us how Gillies became one of his favorite Islanders fighters of all time, how he appreciated his list of bouts against combatants of various sizes and how Fight Night 2011 against the Penguins and its many storylines created a bond with that era that won't be broken anytime soon. In addition to the degree of "heavy metal" Gillies brought to the Islanders, we also marvel at his insane ECHL stats, some of his former teammates and, of course, his glorious mustache. Huge thanks again to Rocco for coming on and sharing his stories and his pizza tips. You should already be listening to him and previous Weird Islanders guests Jack and Ethan on the Isles House podcast. Or stop by Cafe Dolce Vita in either Jericho and Deer Park, grab a slice and say hello. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends: Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 29min
13 APR

Islanders Anxiety - They Threw It Away

Mike and Dan react immediately to the Islanders getting eliminated from playoff contention after a lost weekend against Ottawa and Montreal. We've seen the Islanders lose in many different ways over the years. But we've never seen them choke away a season like this. They played almost every game since the Olympic Break as if they were playing out the string, whittling away a playoff berth that they might not have totally deserved. And while a few players get a Hall Pass, namely Matthew Schaefer and Cal Ritchie, many of the guys who have been here a while conducted themselves in a despicable, cowardly fashion. Which calls into question what the franchise's real intentions are and where their true priorities lie. Do they want to get people to watch them and spend money on them, or do they actually want to win games first and foremost? Do they want to be just good, or truly great? In the second half, we look ahead to their final, meaningless game against Carolina and the few milestones that we'd like to see get hit. We also talk briefly about the week's one victory over a DOA Leafs team in a game we can't even enjoy anymore because, like everything else, it amounted to nothing. Very few of their games over the last five seasons have been purely enjoyable because of the team's attitude. There have been players and moments to remember but overall, this era can be personified by a noticeable and unsatisfying lack of accomplishment. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends! ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠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 "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music ⁠⁠on Spotify⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1hr 50min

See All (572)

5

out of 5

4 Ratings

Great podcast for a consistently poor franchise.

08/06/2018

Martin19806145

Being and Islanders fan can be pretty testing at times. Factor in that you don't live on Long Island or even in the United States and you have to question why you would subject yourself to the trials and tribulations of this seemingly "minor league" team. I'll tell you why. Entertainment. Being extremely knowledgeable about hockey, Dan and Mike offer a pragmatic view, loaded with humour, as they unpick the downright ludicrous day to day operations of the Islanders. I've been listening for 2 seasons now, and I'd like to think that this podcast keeps me abreast of whatever nonsense is generally going down. There's rarely any shortage of material that's for sure. Keep up the good work!