A Forever Fan

I’m not your typical die-hard Islanders fan, and no, not because I don’t paint my face blue and orange or because my car isn’t a four-wheeled Islanders decal. I am not your typical die-hard Islanders fan because I am a late bloomer. I didn’t start to feel that pride-crushing, soul-sucking, absolute obsession of fandom until I was around 18 years old.

During my 15 seconds of fame on the Jumbtron watching the Isles play the Pittsburgh Penguins

I, myself, had been deeply entrenched in my own sport that I was still competitively participating in until, you guessed it, my 18th birthday. Although the mania that comes along with diehard fandom did not hit full force until adulthood, I can trace my “fan-hood” back to some of my first memories as a kid. You see, my Dad, he’s a Rangers fan (long pause), yet he took it upon himself to take my brother and I to Islander games because of the obvious difference in ticket prices. My brother, Josh, became affixed to the Islanders; their success was his success and their failures were his failures. I was fascinated by Josh’s obsession as it was similar to mine with horses. I couldn’t imagine being so obsessed with a sport that I couldn’t actually play myself. Being season ticket holders, I was invited to a few games each year when Josh was unable to attend. As a kid, going to the games with my Dad meant two things: one was that we would probably lose (let’s face it, late 90s early-mid 2000s Islanders were just abysmal), and two was being faced with the overwhelming responsibility of remembering where we parked the car.

Over the years, my Dad started going to less and less games. This meant Josh would continually call for my attendance. The more games that I went to, the more I stopped thinking about which lot we parked in and instead directed my attention to the source of many years of my brother’s suffering with the Islanders. Josh is a whole nine years older than me so there was a lot lost in translation between the two of us. We globed onto any similarities we could because, as you could imagine, there aren’t all that many between a 7 year old and a 16 year old. So to me the Islanders represented the foundation of my bond with my brother. As the years went on, we went to more and more games together and the fever that is fandom only grew stronger. At first it was slow, such as checking scores to a game that I wasn’t even attending. I moved onto quizzing myself on the entire roster and the different line formations that were used throughout the season. Time went on and I felt that I was neck and neck with Josh’s intensity about everything Islanders related. Still, there was one thing that I could not get used to, and that was losing.

If you look at the Islanders history you will come to the conclusion that basically ever since I was born nearly 25 years ago, the Islanders’ record has been a losing one. Season after season missing the playoffs, finishing near last in the standings. Josh, having plenty of experience with loss, became numb to these outcomes. I however, faced all five stages of grief with each consecutive season. That was until 2009, when everything changed. There was finally hope for this team and it came in the form of a man named John Tavares. This guy was the real deal, the game changer, the future. It would only be a few years after he was drafted that we would make the playoffs and I would finally be able to go to my first Nassau Coliseum playoff game. We all know that hockey playoffs are the best in sports, but “The Barn”, as the Coliseum is nicknamed, is the best atmosphere in hockey. The low ceilings contribute to the deafening volume of the frantic and undoubtedly passionate Islander fan-base. I couldn’t believe the electricity that was pulsating throughout the arena. There was not a single quiet moment, even during the anthem shouts like “Fuck you Ovi!!” would ring loud. The game was fairly even throughout. Every play was accompanied by a symphony of cries from desperate fans. A goal from our own Kyle Okposo in the second period would only be met by the formidable Nicklas Backstrom one period later. We had made it to sudden-death overtime. The period was close to starting and it was made clear to me that sitting was no longer an option, we would be standing for the remainder of this game. It was 15 seconds into overtime when my perspective of the sport would change forever. Tavares chipped one in off a rebound that snuck past Braden Holtby. For lack of a better phrase, I completely lost my shit. The Barn was quite literally rocking. As the fans clear out of the parking lot they would blast their horns in the tune of “Let’s Go Islanders”. We won the game but would go on to lose the series against the Washington Capitals in Game 7. I was heartbroken by the series loss but filled with hope, after all this was the best my team has been in my lifetime.

Witnessing the double-OT playoff win against the Carolina Panthers at the stadium.

I would find myself in the same spot next season, only in a new arena. The Islanders had moved from The Barn to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in 2015. When you think of hockey locations, Brooklyn might be one of the last on your list. In typical Islanders fashion, ownership has made a new home in the Barclays Center informally known as the “home of obstructed views”. Nevertheless, it was Game 6 and tensions were high. We had entered the 23rd year of a playoff series winning drought. Florida struck first in the first period with an absolute beauty by Jonathan Huberdeau. It would be until the final minute of the game with an empty net that our hero John Tavares would wrap around the veteran net minder Roberto Luongo and send us into overtime. We had a chance. Josh and I, along with 16,000 or so of our closest friends, stood patiently waiting for every offensive chance and cringing at every defensive one. It is now the second, I repeat second overtime and all our nerves are shot. The time is winding down and I see Tavares step on the ice. This was our chance. Within seconds he performs the same wrap-around tactic as he did earlier and then time stopped. I had attended the game that would go down in history, the game that broke our 23-year drought. I will remember this seemingly small victory for a lifetime. Most importantly I will remember sharing an extreme sense of pride with my brother. He had been there all along.

In typical Islander fashion, two seasons later we would lose that hockey demi-god named John Tavares. Admittedly that was a tough blow which was only to be eased by the excitement of rookie and Calder Trophy-winning Mathew Barzal. During that dark time we acquired the legendary Lou Lamoriello as General Manager and the newly minted Stanley Cup-winning coach Barry Trotz. The following season I would yet again witness a playoff series win, this time in the form of a sweep against the highly revered Pittsburgh Penguins. The happiness was short-lived as we fell 4-0 in the next series against a “bunch of jerks”.

As you can see, the trajectory of your typical Islanders fans’ emotions are full of peaks and valleys. You just never really know what you’re going to get out of the team year after year but you can always expect a passionate fan base willing to give its unwavering support. I look back at the start of my fandom at 7 years old not knowing that this team would create so many lasting memories. Not knowing that I would be yearning for each Fall to come because maybe this year would be our year. Not knowing that this team would form an unbreakable bond between my brother and me. It may have taken some time for me to get here, but I am glad to say I am here to stay.

(Editors Note: After the incredible playoff run from the 2019-20 New York Islander team, Aly had the following to say about her team’s time in the bubble.)

The New York MF Islanders. What can I say. This season was unlike so many in so many different ways. Throughout the ups and downs and irregularities this team grew stronger and tougher. My first ECF will be one I will never forget. Proud of this team and this organization. We will be back to bore you into a championship soon enough! LETS GO ISLANDERS.