Joined by Nassaumen Hockey podcast co-host Jon Zella, Mike and Dan remember when the Islanders acquired Trevor Linden, an actual NHL star, during a tumultuous time on an off the ice. Linden was just 27 at the time, a multiple time 30-goal scorer and All Star, and a longtime captain of a recent Stanley Cup finalist. He should have been the cornerstone piece for a "word salad of a team" that needed all the help it could get. But he ended up just passing through this very foggy era, and his acquisition left the Islanders "Generation Next" as more of a "Generation Left." Jon talks about his fuzzy memories of Linden as a player and about this very strange time in Islanders history; when the overmatched players, cheapskate owners and psychotic general manager made rooting for them impossible (unless you were a little kid and were just happy to be there).

Subscribe to our Patreon! Plans start as low as $2 a month and patrons get ad-free episodes of the shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.

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

Pre-order your Bryan Trottier-Mat Barzal "Then & Now" bobblehead from the fine folks at Foco today. These pieces are limited to just 72, so don't wait. Pre-order today.

Visit our friends:

Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. If you spend $50 or more, use the code FOURCUPS to get a free The Island coffee mug or pint glass or an Islanders Anxiety puck.

The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.

Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.

Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).

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