As A Rangers Fan, You Have My Respect Islanders

Across Long Island and the country, New York Islanders fans are waking up this morning with a sense of disappointment. I would imagine New York Rangers fans are waking up this morning with a sense of happiness and joy knowing that their long-time hockey rival has been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention. But for me, as a New York Rangers fan, I feel no happiness at all, I share in some of the disappointment that Islanders fans are feeling. Islanders fans have no reason to be disappointed in their team; the Islanders played every round of the playoffs with grit, determination, and passion. Islanders fans should hold their heads up high this morning, proud of their team’s accomplishments.

So why do I as a New York Rangers fan feel disappointed for Islanders fans? It started in the 90s when I was a teenager. My entire family, two sisters, father and uncle were all New York Islanders fans, but my older cousin Bobby, who was like a brother / father figure was a die-hard Rangers fan. I looked up to him and wanted to be like him as he was very influential on who I have become as an adult. So, it was natural that I would root for his team, as it connected us more and one year he gave me a New York Rangers quiz, in which the prize for passing was a #18 Tony Granato Jersey. That may not seem like much, but to me that jersey was the world. In 1994 when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, my cousin was a season ticket holder who got to witness the win in person at Madison Square Garden, and although it was 26 years ago, I will never forget the sound of excitement and emotion in his voice when he called me up shortly after that win.  In that moment I felt as though I was part of something amazing and historic.

As I got older, while in college I worked night security at the Long Island Marriott, next door to the Coliseum. I would get to deal with all the rowdy, intoxicated fans who would come to the bar before and after the game. I have vague memories of a guy who had a golden streamer style wig, who was always a huge, passionate fan, almost like a mascot or cheerleader for the team. I was lucky to meet a lot of players from various teams in the league who would stay with us, including Jeremy Roenick who put a $100 bill in my jacket pocket as an apology for making too much noise. In his first season with the team, I had the pleasure to meet Bryan Berard, as his dad locked his keys in his car, and I had to slim jim the door to unlock them. As a thank you, Bryan invited me to come watch a game, seated with his family. 

In 2012, I received an invitation from the Islanders Senior Vice President to come to headquarters and educate their marketing team on how to effectively send email marketing / campaigns. It was great to visit and meet some of the business personnel and share my professional skills and expertise with the team to stay in communication with their fans.

As years went by, my family welcomed the birth of my four nephews, born from passionate die-hard Islanders mothers. As my nephews grew up, one of them, Jeremy, became Islanders obsessed, his bedroom a shrine to the team that would rival the team’s official Pro Shop. He would even go on to play junior hockey. He was a kid that would stand outside the Nassau Coliseum with his blue and orange mohawk just waiting for players to come out, so he could get a quick hello, autograph, or photo.

Outside of the holiday get-togethers, the only time I spent with my family was going to a few Islanders games, and it was fun to watch them all dressed up in their blue and orange banging on the glass behind the players benches yelling and screaming. I have several memories going to games with my dad and my uncle John. At another game my family attended, one of my other nephews Lucas got to sing with his school during one of the intermissions.

A few years ago, Jeremy set up a lemonade stand outside his house with some of the local kids to raise money for the Matt Martin Foundation. Jeremy had met Matt a bunch of times over the years and always looked up to him as a player. When Matt heard about Jeremy’s lemonade stand, although he had just been sent to play for Toronto, he drove all the way out to my nephew’s house to visit the lemonade stand, meet some of the kids and spent a great deal of his personal time just hanging out, talking with the kids, taking photos and signing autographs. Football has always been my primary passion sport, but hockey players are above and beyond the best type of people.

It goes without saying, that 2020 has been a year filled with uncertainty, chaos and a sense of unknown. The climate of our country’s pulse and sense of togetherness feels like it has never been further apart. Civil injustice and unrest have been at the forefront of the news and has been present in many of our professional sports games as athletes are standing together, in unity to bring positive change.

Having hockey playoffs resume, finally felt like the beginning of a return to normalcy, something we could all watch and enjoy as only a few short months ago, it was very possible there would be no conclusion to this season. It’s amazing to think we are in mid-September and this time last year, I was getting ready to take a vacation with my dad to Las Vegas (the first time we ever traveled together), catching a Golden Knights pre-season game (something everyone should have on their bucket list). With the Rangers early departure from the playoffs, I was closely following both the Vegas Golden Knights and the New York Islanders. The Golden Knights, because meeting and talking with their fans and seeing how much that city rallies together was unlike anything I have witnessed in sports. The Islanders because I wanted my family and nephews see their team continue to progress.