Islanders Anxiety: A New York Islanders podcast

Hands down, this is the best top shelf liquor of the many Islanders podcasts. I say this with love, hosts Dan & Mike are the biggest geeks in the game, and it’s truly a labor of love for them as this is not their “real” jobs. I have a HS radio background and have a pod cast mic, would be an absolute blast to jump on with these guys someday. No other platform understands the nuances of islanders fandom better, though it’s funny listening to these guys when things go well over a sustained period of time as they don’t know what to do with themselves. Lord willing, we will all get more practice with that in the years to come with this team. Best hockey podcast period, with Puck Soup coming in 2nd (especially when Greg W was still on it).

I am a penguins fan, but I tend to listen to podcasts about our upcoming opponents. Originally, I expected to only listen to pens adjacent episodes but Mike and Dan sucked me in and I’ve listened to all of their episodes over the last 2 years. I even (sort of) want the islanders to do well, for their sake.

When I moved from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn in 2012, I wanted to adopt one NY sports team. I am a big hockey fan who always hated the Rangers, so the decision was pretty easy. Being in my mid-50s, I also had great memories of the dynasty Islanders. My decision—while met with great disdain from many of my Pa. pals—felt like fate when the Isles moved to Barclays pretty soon after. I had a team I could root for 15 minutes from home and paid pennies on the dollar for live pucks. What could go wrong? I know traditional Long Island-based fans understandably hate this period but it’s when I really fell for the team. I enjoyed incredible playoff moments and started to feel like part of the Isles extended community. That said, I am glad they are in UBS. It’s only right, and it’s a tremendous arena. Another huge part of what made my transition so much fun has been this podcast. Mike and Dan do such a unique job in bringing home what it means to be an Islanders fan. I was admittedly spoiled in my early fandom after some fleeting success, but it’s what I signed up for. This podcast helps me understand it all and offers a weekly salve when times are rough…which is often the case. I also previously worked at a newspaper in Pa. in the sports department. It was the best job I ever had. A coworker there grew up in NY as an Isles fan. Decades later we still talk, and he was a bit shocked when he learned of my new Isles fandom. “Why didn’t you just pick the Devils?” I remember him asking. Looking back (and looking at the standings today) it might have been a shrewd move. But if that was the case, I wouldn’t have found this podcast, so I consider myself lucky. And as a former media guy, the “bad take, take downs” on the Leafs and Rangers Theater segments are tremendous. Thank you, Mike and Dan. Keep up the great work and LET’S GO ISLES! (It can’t get any worse, right? 🙄).

There are many Islander podcast, some I like and some not so much. Of all of them Islanders Anxiety is my favorite. It’s neither one of those overly optimistic where everything is prefect nor doom and gloom let’s tear down the team l, fire everybody and celebrate Islander losses to show how right they are. Dan and Mike sound like your run of the mill Islander fans, suffering and celebrating with the rest of us. I also love when they point out the hypocrisy of other teams. I highly recommend. It’s a must listen for me.