Growing up on Long Island there were two main hockey teams people followed; the Islanders and the Rangers (and after 1982 the Devils). During that time, the Islanders were on top of the world, winning four consecutive Stanley Cups while the Rangers were a playoff team, but weren’t very impressive (and when the Devils arrived from Colorado they were pretty terrible).
The vibe I remember in the early-80’s was “The Drive for Five”. Islander fans were everywhere and their dream was to be only the second team in NHL history to win five consecutive Stanley Cups (the first being the 1956-1960 Canadiens). The Islanders boasted studs like Mike Bossy, Brian Trottier, Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies, Billy Smith, and the 18 Sutter brothers (Brent, Rich, Ron, Darryl, the other brother Darryl, etc.). They were a hockey machine that dominated the league.Well not everyone was an Islander fan. For example, Chris’s family were made up of half Rangers fans and half Islander fans, and I rooted for the Flyers (SIDEBAR: The reason I rooted for the Flyers is because I liked the logo. That is until I saw Rick Tocchet play. Pretty gay; I get it.), but we were in the minority. Like most casual fans, when the local team is good, everyone loves them, and make no mistake, in the early 80’s they were Long Island’s team. Those casual fans were the same fans who couldn’t believe you “weren’t an Islanders fan” (which is a common occurrence when any local market’s team is among the league’s elite).
Unfortunately for the Islanders as they drove for five, lost control of the car, and hit a brick wall called Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and the Edmonton Oilers. To make matters worse, team icon Mike Bossy’s career ended early due to back problems. Although they were still competitive, now led by a young Pat LaFontaine, the Islanders pounded out a couple more good seasons but never found their way back to the Stanley Cup Finals. That ended when LaFontaine fell to his own injury bug and packed his bag for Buffalo.
That’s when the wheels fell off in Long Island and the team was bad; real bad at times. Suddenly Islanders fans were no where to be found. At the same time more Rangers and Devils fans started to sprout up (usually when the mighty fall the casual fans find the weather fairer elsewhere). Since 1995 the Islanders have made the playoffs four times and only have had four winning seasons (the same four playoff seasons), while the Rangers and Devils have gone on to win Stanley Cups.
The collapse of the Islanders wasn’t due to lack of money. This franchise isn’t the Kansas City Royals. The money was always there but the business savvy and common sense was non-existent. They just bogged themselves down with poor contracts, bad draft picks, and lacked the appearance of having any idea what was going on. Shit really hit the fan when current owner, Charles Wang bought the team and burned through the team like a junkie who just won the lottery (although he defends his decisions by being “unconventional”).
While Wang made billions in the computer market, if you look at what he did with the Islanders, he’s doesn’t look qualified to run an ice cream truck. One of Wang’s first major gaffes was keeping Mike Milbury as general manager as he started the collapse of the Isles. He did hired Neil Smith following the long overdue dismissal of Milbury, butt Smith couldn’t get along with Wang and stepped down before the season even started. That’s when Wang put the nail in the Islanders coffin and hired Garth Snow as general manager. Prior to being general manager, Snow was the Islanders backup goaltender. Unfortunately Snow was a better goaltender than GM, which is pretty bad because he was trash between the pipes. He handed out contracts that were overpriced and too long, which became albatrosses’ for the Islanders payroll and unable to unload. That combine with poor draft picks and the signings of players way past their prime, not to mention giving the Islanders the worlds worst logo (a poor mans version of the Gordon’s Fisherman), the Isles have been in a habitual world of shit.Well enough is enough. The Islanders being mentioned in the same breath at the Philadelphia 76ers, Baltimore Orioles, and Miami Dolphins as jokes in their respective leagues needs to stop. It’s time to turn this franchise around; in Quebec. That’s right. It’s time for the Islanders to be sold to someone who has a pinky nail worth of hockey experience and take the team to a city that is both starving and deserving of an NHL team.
The Nordiques left Quebec and became the Colorado Avalanche after the 1995 season, and like the relocation of the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix and Hartford Whalers to Charlotte, it was a damn shame. Most hockey fans I speak to are stoked about the Jets being back in Winnipeg. The next comment they mostly make is how great it would be for the Whale to be back in Hartford and the Nords to be back in Quebec. How could professional, North American hockey not be in Quebec? What’s next, are they going to move the Montreal Canadiens to New Orleans and be the New Orleans Undertow? You've heard of the "Broad Street Bullies" how about the "Bayou Bullies", huh? Well the Islanders are the perfect disaster to relocate to Quebec and Quebec City is the perfect place to turn the franchise around. The timing for relocation couldn’t come at a better time.
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