Islanders Anxiety: A New York Islanders podcast
Sports:Hockey
Mark Fitzpatrick came to the Islanders as a highly-touted goalie prospect and quicky established himself as a fiery NHL-caliber netminder. But right before the 1990-91 season, the 21-year-old found himself in a Los Angeles hospital with swollen hands and arms, and feet the size of footballs. Even when doctors were able to name his ailment as a rare blood disease called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome or EMS, Fitzpatrick’s frightening and frustrating ordeal to reclaim his playing career was just beginning.
After treatments and stops and starts on the ice, Fitzpatrick was able to play 30 games for an Islanders team with slim playoff hopes in 1992. He became the Islanders’ second ever recipient of the Masterton Trophy for dedication to hockey, but more importantly, became a beacon of hope to others suffering from EMS all across the world.
While Fitzpatrick was battling for his life and career, the Islanders of this time were an absolute trainwreck. Their scorers couldn’t score, their defense wasn’t consistent, their owner was an absentee cheapskate and their best player and only star wanted to be traded. Other than that, everything was great! It was all a far cry from where the team had been a decade earlier and a small taste of where things would go.
And, yes, the use of Georges Bizet’s “Habanera” aria as background music at times is an homage to Michael Richie’s 1976 classic The Bad News Bears and a way to lighten the mood a little. Hearing it still makes me chuckle and picture a field of foul-mouthed kids who can’t play baseball. That seems like an apt comparison to the early 1990’s Islanders.
Research and other assistance was provided by Kevin Schultz. Visit VintageIceHockey.com, where you can buy t-shirts, hoodies and mugs featuring the logos over over 100 classic hockey teams from all across North America, as well as our own Al Arbour tribute shirt. Use the code ANXIETY20 to get 20 percent off an order of two items. Our portion of the sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research.
This episode of Islanders Award Winners was written using archival material from Newsday, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, 100 Things Islanders Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die by Arthur Staple and Pride and Passion: 25 Years of the New York Islanders by Stan Fischler and Chris Botta.
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SPECIAL - Fans First Sports Network NHL Playoff Roundtable, Round 1
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 244 - The Favored Underdogs
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 243 - Most Relaxing Night of the Year
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 242 - Dreading the Feeling
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 241 - The World Stopped
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 28 - Two GMs and One MacG (with guest Phil Strum)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 240 - Hell on Earth
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 239 - Recognize the Situation
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 27 - Alan Quine (with guest Joe Buono)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 238 - Learning the Lingo
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 237 - Chewing at My Insides
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 26 - Roberto Luongo and Kevin Weekes (with guest Sean Cuthbert)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 236 - The Villains of the Playoff Chase
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 25 - Derick Brassard (with guest @RattMartin)
Islanders Anxiety - Patreon Announcement
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 235 - A Big Week for Belief
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 24 - Justin Bourne
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 234 - Thank You to the Dishwasher Gods
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 233 - Inexplicably Still Hanging On
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 23 - Micheal Haley (with special guest Travis Reilly)
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