For this and an ongoing series of future posts, I want to chronicle the past and present of the most underrated and unfairly disrespected franchise of all professional sports: The New York Islanders. For the better part the past 10-15 years, the team has been seen as the laughing stock of the NHL. Giving up top draft picks, a string of losing seasons, and the well chronicled injuries (too many to count) of goalie Rick DiPietro have led hockey fans, especially New York Rangers fans, to ridicule the team.
Despite growing up going to games and enjoying them, I never really followed or took full interest in the team until these past couple of months. With my rejuvenated fandom, I began to see how other hockey fans truly felt about the Islanders. When I tell people I'm an Islanders fan, I usually get one of these reactions:
"You like the Islanders? man I feel sorry for you."
"You're a fan of the Islanders?!?!?! They suck!!"
"Who are the Islanders?"
I find many of these reactions to be shortsighted. In my next few posts, I'll argue that the Islanders' extremely poor reputation is highly exaggerated and unfounded.
In my next post in the series, I'll explore the team's HIGHLY overlooked and unfairly under-recognized 1980-1983 dynasty, sometimes fittingly known as "The Dynasty Time Forgot"
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