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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Islanders Anxiety - Episode 218 - Dog Should Have Known Better
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 16 - Relatively Famous (with guest Mike Basile)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 217 - Genuinely Pleasantly Surprised
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 216 - Josh Bailey 1000 Games Special
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 215 - And Then It Went to Hell
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 15 - Felix Potvin (with guest John Muir aka @OlegKvasha)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 214 - Cautiously Encouraged
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 213 - Six Months of Playoffs
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 212 - Everyone is Such a Diehard
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 211 - The Natural State of Things
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 210 - All of a Sudden Out of Nowhere
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 209 - Our Third Season Finale
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 208 - There's Been No Shuffling
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 207 - Don't Be The Islanders
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 206 - We Have a Trade to Announce
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 14 - Craig Janney (with guest Dominik Jánský)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 205 - Research and Development
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 13 - Chris Simon (with guest Eric Needell)
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 204 - Deep Pocketed Monsters
Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 12 - Raffi Torres (with guest Nick Costa)
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