NOTE: This is the first episode of second season of Islanders Award Winners. The rest of the episodes will publish later this year.

In 1975, the Islanders had made an improbable run to the NHL semifinals in just their third season. A year later, a 19-year-old kid from a farm in Saskatchewan would make sure that run was no fluke. Little about Bryan Trottier’s incredible rookie year makes sense in modern times. A unique underage draft, a boy so humble and quiet he barely said a word all season, an instant No. 1 center who started his career with a hat trick in a five point game in his first appearance at his home arena. Trottier would score throughout the season, finishing with record numbers and helping the Islanders establish themselves as one of the best NHL teams of the mid-70’s. It wasn’t long before he established himself as one of the very best players in the sport... even if you’d never, ever hear him say so. This episode will cover Trottier’s entire Rookie-of-the-Year season, from his background and drafting, to his adjustment to Long Island, to the stunning way he “controlled the puck like he owns it” from the moment he hit the NHL and finally to the adversity he experienced when his goals dried up at the worst time.

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One Weird Islander story wouldn't be enough for Arthur Staple of The Athletic, who saw countless players come and go in his almost 15 years of covering the team. Along with Dan and Mike, Staple takes us through an entire starting lineup of guys who spent less than 20 games in the blue-and-orange but who all took their own unique paths to and from Long Island. We cover surprise NCAA catch Kevin Czuczman, deadline acquisition Tyler Kennedy, high-draft-pick-turned-sell-high-trade-chip Griffin Reinhart and many, many more. Although they weren't Islanders for long, the players on Staple's Starting Six experienced just about everything; from massive brawls and crazed playoff games, to dramatic trades and evenings with porn stars.

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Theme song: "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.

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Mike and Dan talk about Ilya Sorokin's extraordinary week and pay tribute to the career and impact of Islanders legend Mike Bossy. Although the team was finally eliminated from playoff contention with a loss in Toronto, the Islanders' young goalie made a name for himself with three great performances including a 44-save shutout in Montreal that stole the spotlight from returning Habs hero Carey Price. They compare Sorokin to Islanders goalies of the past, and look at a few more positives fans can latch on to In a season categorized by a sick cosmic sense of humor. The second half is dedicated to the passing of Mike Bossy, whose career and unbelievable legacy make him a true superhero of the sport and for this very weird and often overlooked franchise. Despite all of his incredible skill and uniqueness, Bossy was always as approachable as other dynasty greats, and his pull was so magnetic that he was able to create an enclave of Islanders fans in a far off place all by himself. The loss of Bossy is another gut punch in a season full of them.

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Mike and Dan look at one satisfying win and two hugely disappointing losses for the Islanders, who have a zombie three weeks ahead of them for the first time in three seasons. The talk about losses to the Stars and Blues that had the hallmarks of the cursed early season Islanders and a win against the Hurricanes that not only served some karmic justice in the moment but also screwed two other teams (however temporarily) in the process. Later, they discuss how to deal with an end-of-season slog when your team isn't going to the playoffs, a once-familiar feeling they had been able to avoid for a while. Along the way they compare broadcast homers, offer solutions to help Mat Barzal find his best self and do their best to avoid some already beaten-to-death NHL storylines.

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Dan and former AHL reporter Bob Dittmeier reminisce about the Capital District Islanders, the New York Islanders’ upstate-based farm team from the early ‘90s and players like Graeme Townshend, Greg Parks, Jamie McLennan and more. Bob takes us through the Capital District Islanders' unique founding (that eerily mirrored its parent club's), and talks about some of the players he covered that would go on to be short time NHLers. From Townshend's intelligence and scary injury that inadvertently caused an entire other franchise to fold, to younger versions of Dean Chynoweth and Kevin Cheveldayoff being destined for coaching and management roles, we go around the locker room with the reporter that was there for the franchise's entire three year history. Along the way, they cover the birth of the River Rats, being locked out of an arena by burly security guards and a six-hour drive home with dedicated Dead Head and Capital District coach Butch Goring trying to get Bob to rent his house for the summer.

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Theme song: "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.

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Mike and Dan recap the Islanders four wins (!) this week and let themselves enjoy a team continuing to make games meaningful into the season’s final month. They look at some excellent individual performances in victories over the Rangers, Devils and Blue Jackets (twice) and how Islanders fans can use them to feel good about next season and beyond. They also discuss the close relationships the team has fostered, as evidenced by Cory Schneider's first win in over two years being celebrated by teammates he's primarily known off the ice for a short time. They also revel in another big win at Madison Square Garden and the joy of having a player that excels at taking it to the Rangers in The World's Most Overrated Arena. In the second half, they look ahead to a tough but short schedule, talk about the attendance and atmosphere at UBS Arena and hope that a new generation of Long Island-native NHLers will finally grow up as Islanders fans.

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Mike and Dan recap a spectacularly bad weekend for the Islanders and discuss GM Lou Lamoriello's words following the trade deadline. They look back at losses to the Bruins and Lightning that prove once again that this iteration of the Islanders simply can't beat the NHL's best this season, even when they give it their all. They also recap wins against the Senators and Red Wings that that prove once again that this iteration of the Islanders is better than the rest of the NHL's non-playoff teams. In the second half, they parse Lamoriello's press availabilities after the deadline and what it might mean for the wingers who have had disappointing seasons. They ask what kind of player Oliver Wahlstrom wants to be, whether Anthony Beauvillier can make himself untradeable, why there's no help coming from the minors and how to stop Lamoriello from dressing like a funeral director.

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Mike and Dan talk with Isles Fix's Joe Buono about goalie Wade Dubielewicz, a cult Islanders legend with a one-of-a-kind career arc. The diminutive goalie went from the NCAA to the AHL to the starter's net on a mercenary Islanders team needing to do the improbable in order to clinch a playoff berth. He went on to make the most famous poke check in team history and solidify his legacy as Islander hero. But that wasn't the ending of the story. Mike, Dan and Joe talk about Easter Sunday Magic, Dubielewicz's history of poke checks, waiver shenanigans that foreshadow future Islanders waiver shenanigans and much, much more as they remember the Islanders version of Yoda.

Thanks again to Joe for coming on. Follow him on Twitter at @IslesFix, and sign up for the newsletter here.

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Theme song: "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.

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Mike and Dan recap the 2022 NHL Trade deadline, in which the Islanders made zero (0) trades but two (2) signings. They talk about the philosophy in bringing back Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise, and how the franchise is (unsurprisingly) going to ride with this group until the wheels come off. They talk about the positives of not making any drastic moves, while at the same time knowing that the team will need upgrades to get back to where it was the previous three seasons. In the second half, they cover (some of) the rest of deadline moves, many of which helped the Islanders' Metro Division rivals get better in the short term. They look at how some players can help their new teams, a few guys that didn't move and a few deals they don't quite understand. Along the way they cover GM beefs, the annual trade deadline TV extravaganzas and, oh yeah, the four entire games the Islanders played last week. Almost forgot about those.

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In a super-sized trade deadline spectacular, Mike and Dan recap the Islanders three-game winning streak and talk about what they think the team will (and, more importantly will not) do this week. They talk about the milestones hit by Anders Lee and Barry Trotz, and how the quiet skill of Brock Nelson hasn't been fully appreciated by people outside the Islanders' bubble. They also discuss the continued evolution of Oliver Wahlstrom and while he's not what many fans want him to be yet, he is getting there. In the second half (31:40), they have a HOT TAKE about how the Islanders' roster will look after the trade deadline and how their supposedly available pieces will be dealt with. They also look around the league at some other names that have been thrown around and who they could see landing where. Along the way they cover a big public faceplant, some cathartic booing and an entire team of old Islanders defenseman working out at Eisenhower Park because that's just what they do.

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