Along with Desmond Zantua of the Through the Island podcast, Mike and Dan talk about five import players who didn't want to become Islanders. Some stayed a little while, some longer and one not at all. Alexander Karpovtsev and Richard Zednik were traded to Islanders playoff teams and left almost as quickly as they arrived. But they made enough of an impression that real heads couldn't forget them. Lubomir Visnovsky and Evgeni Nabokov fought tooth and nail legally to keep from coming to Long Island, only to sign on for more and become fan favorites. Yes, we bent the podcast's rules a little but for “The Silver Fox” and “The Professor,” we’ll do just about anything. And our final subject was able to successfully dodge the Islanders' grip altogether, which worked out just fine for everyone except the Sabres. Along the way there are legendary rants, mysterious absences and an entire rock band of Weird Islanders. Check out Desmond's Through the Island podcast wherever you get your 'pods..

Visit our friends:

Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and mugs with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour shirts which benefit dementia research. Use the code LIGHTHOUSE15 to save 15%.

Betway, the official betting partner of the NHL.

The Pinot Project has Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Rose all under $15. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices