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Islanders Anxiety: A New York Islanders podcast

Islanders Anxiety

For fans of the New York Islanders.

  • 585 episodes
  • Updated July 15

Episodes585

  • April 8 · 1 hr 22 min

    Master Leaf Theatre Special - A Tree Falls in Toronto

    We bring forth a new edition of Master Leaf Theatre all about Leafs writers turning the firing GM Brad Treliving into Victorian tragedy. We had to wait a week to do this, but the mainstays of Master Leaf Theatre do not disappoint. There is poison in the tea, seeing ghosts, paralyzation and dysfunction, careening off cliffs, questionable messages, conflicts of interest and $90 selfies. It's a varied group of writers that all have one thing in common - calling someone an asshole in as many words as they can possibly muster. Whether it was Treliving, CEO Keith Pelley or some other wildly rich guy, the people paid to write about the Leafs are mad as hell and they're not taking it anymore (unless they pick up a few pieces this offseason and shoot for the playoffs next year). Yes, the Islanders are in a precarious spot themselves. But it's always fun to sit back and laugh at another team when you can. Like when they're having a bad season and you're about to play them. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Works Cited: Fox: Why Keith Pelley's next Maple Leafs hire must be a home run by Luke Fox, Sportsnet. 'We just didn't deliver': Brad Treliving's firing shocks Maple Leafs by Luke Fox, Sportsnet. Fired Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving took the team backwards by Jonas Siegel, The Athletic. MLSE has made a massive mess of the Maple Leafs after three dysfunctional years by James Mirtle, The Athletic. As Maple Leafs fire Brad Treliving, spotlight shifts to CEO Keith Pelley by Chris Johnston, The Athletic. Seven Maple Leafs takeaways from MLSE president Keith Pelley’s media availability by Joshua Kloke, The Athletic. How the Maple Leafs changed under Keith Pelley: From $1,000 locker-room dinners to $96 selfies by Jonas Siegel, The Athletic. Frank Seravalli ‪via Twitter and his original reporting on Neil Glasberg. 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

  • April 3 · 1 hr 4 min

    Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 84 - Ty Wishart

    Former NHL defenseman Ty Wishart calls in from an Australian beach to talk about his globe-spanning playing career and his 21 games with the Islanders in the eventful 2010-11 season. Drafted 16th overall by the Sharks and traded to Tampa Bay in the deal for Dan Boyle, Ty Wishart got a quick education in the business of hockey. After a few years in a minors, he was traded again, this time to the Islanders for goalie Dwayne Roloson. Wishart joined what looked to be an up-and-coming squad, and what they lacked in talent, they made up for in youthful energy. He scored his first NHL goal in a wild road game, and was scratched while his new teammates got into a legendary melee with a division rival before going back to the minors. But that was just the beginning of Ty Wishart's incredible hockey career. Ty tells us some great stories, from throwing up in exhaustion at the NHL Combine to sharing a locker room with guys like Zenon Konopka and Trevor Gillies to playing in Romania and elsewhere. A charity tournament first took him to Australia, where he now lives and plays for the Melbourne Mustangs of the Australian Ice Hockey League. He also served as the team's Director of Hockey Operations during their 2023 championship season. At 37, he still plays for love of the game and still carries memories and mementos from his time as an Islander. And he tells us all of this from a sunny, beautiful beach down under that made Mike and Dan very jealous. We can't thank Ty enough for coming on and giving us so much. It took a while and required a lot of email back-and-forth, but it was worth it. To keep up with the Mustangs and the rest of the AIHL, you can check out their website or subscribe to AIHL TV. The 2026 season starts on April 17th. 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

  • February 18 · 1 hr 13 min

    Master Leaf Theatre Special - Bad Sports Science

    In a standalone episode of a fan favorite bit, we dissect a recent Maple Leafs controversy that almost no one took the bait on except for the two guys who brought it to life. In late January, 2026 - while the Leafs were in a potentially season-ending spiral - an article was posted at The Athletic about a former staffer who had some things to say about how the team was run. The staffer? A doctor of sports science who left the team in 2019. How is the team run? Like "a traditional hockey team" a.k.a., one without a doctor of sports science on staff. The doctor believes that not having a person in charge of sports science and performance has led to the Leafs' spate of injuries this season. And clearly, Master Leaf Theatre regular Jonas Siegel, believes him. Along with Islanders and Master Leaf Theatre fan Don Becker, we dramatize the original article, giving it the weight that its author intended it to have but never got from inside Leafs World. We also cover the angry reaction by Toronto GM Brad Treliving, who had a few choice words for both Siegel and the disgruntled doctor. Finally, we tie things up with Siegel's podcast partner James Mirtle, who gives us an appropriately grim outlook on the Leafs' future that requires no doctorates to figure out. We can't thank Don enough for coming on and giving us some great reads of this bizarre Master Leaf Theatre side story. You may have missed the "scandal" when it was originally published, but it was perfect for us and our signature performance outlet. Works Referenced: Why did the Maple Leafs eliminate a job designed to keep players healthy? by Jonas Siegel for The Athletic Brad Treliving on TSN OVERDRIVE (starts around 22:00) Brad Treliving defends Maple Leafs’ approach to sports science by Jonas Siegel for The Athletic Why the Maple Leafs need to start thinking about selling by James Mirtle, The Athletic 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

  • February 16 · 2 hr 4 min

    Islanders Anxiety - Episode 361 - These Bums Have a Chance

    Mike and Dan run down the Islanders lineup to say something positive about each player and how they've contributed to the good overall season they've had so far. We heard some feedback that the last episode came off a little too nervous or negative, so we challenged ourselves to accentuate the plusses of every position player. For some, it was easy. Players like Ilya Sorokin, Matthew Schaefer, Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal have been getting rightfully praised all season, while Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and J-G Pageau seem to have regained their former forms. Legacy players like Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee have shown they still have a place on this team, while newer guys like Emil Heineman and Cal Ritchie have only scratched the surface of what they're capable of. For others, the task was slightly more difficult. In a few cases, we wonder if the team is just ready to move on despite what skills the player may possess because they're just not a fit. Regardless, we're able to isolate their strengths or things we think they can bring in the future, even if it's not evident this season. This was a fun exercise to do during the Olympic break. Next week, we'll look ahead to their first few games back. 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

  • January 26 · 1 hr 35 min

    Islanders Anxiety - Episode 358 - Barely Breathing (Part 2)

    In Part 2 of this episode, Mike and Dan react to the first concrete reporting on the Islanders moving their AHL team from Bridgeport, CT to Hamilton, ONT, and also wrap up the Mitch Marner Chronicles in another massive Master Leaf Theatre.