Islanders Anxiety: A New York Islanders podcast
Sports:Hockey
Season Two of Islanders Awards Winners is finally here. It’s taken far too long to get to this point, but I’m proud of how these episodes turned out and I’m excited to finally release them to the world. Thank you all in advance for listening.
The story of Al Arbour’s one NHL Coach of the Year season begins and ends with devastating losses. In between was a franchise-record winning streak, several of the best individual seasons in team history, and the often ruthless pursuit of perfection. Arbour was a complex man - a hockey innovator who wore “dark suits and white shirts and ties that look like they were given as Christmas presents” and a father figure who pushed his players relentlessly, sometimes to the point of exasperation.
But his drive was to win the Stanley Cup under any circumstance. And any stumble, no matter how minor, was unacceptable. Arbour was not afraid to butt heads with his best and most loyal players and they all understood it was all done in service of making them the best the could be.
Arbour’s use of video review, notes on opposing teams’ tactics and installation of assistant coaches were all ahead of their time. The leaning on his wife Claire to not only record out-of-town games but to find out more about players’ family lives in order to better understand and help them when he could, was critical and should not be overlooked.
Man, what I would give to read those notebooks he kept on other teams. I can’t even imagine the sheer amount of hockey knowledge they contained. Maybe they’ll be released some day...
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, and the books New York Islanders: Countdown to A Dynasty by Barry Wilner, and Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders 1972-1984 by Greg Prato.
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Islanders Anxiety - Episode 145 - A Wait and See Moment
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 144 - Don't Know What to Believe
PTIsles - Paging Pageau
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 143 - Fun Boring Hockey
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 142 - Up From the Taxi Squad
PTIsles - Identity Theft
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 141 - A Very Bleak Week
PTIsles - What just happened?
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 140 - Is It Too Early To Worry?
PTIsles - Feast and Famine
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 139 - We've Seen Everything Already
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 138 - Good Concrete Feeling
PTIsles - Welcome Back
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 137 - Get Lost in Optimism
Isles Buzz - I Hate Goodbyes
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 136 - A Walking Breathing Hockey Cliché
Isles Buzz - Cap Conundrum
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 135 - Breaking News, Trading Toews
Islanders Anxiety - Episode 134 - A Little Armchair GMing
Isles Buzz - Looking Back and Ahead
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