Islanders News: Stan Fischler, Hall of Famer

Itt would be hard to find an Islanders fan today who doesn’t trace some part of their fandom to Stan Fischler. As a New York-based reporter and broadcaster, he’s been associated with the franchise for its entire existence.

Plenty of writers who write about the team today were inspired by or even interned with him, including a couple of our own Lighthouse scribes. That wasn’t the case for me, but my Islanders fandom was cemented by a Fischler book my dad gave me when he was preaching the Church of Arbour: “The Triumphant Islanders: Hockey’s New Dynasty,” was published in 1976. That’s four years before they got over the hump and started the dynasty...prescient.

What’s crazy is the Islanders’ franchise story, which began in 1972, overlaps with only half his career. The man remembers — with detailed notes and an analogy-filled memory — the NHL as a six-team league. And 12-team, and 14-team, and...on up to 32.

Somehow only now, in 2021, the 2007 Lester Patrick winner has been inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

“The trick is, it’s never been work, it’s always been fun,” Fischler says. From SportsChannel to MSG to The Hockey News, Hockey Digest, and this newfangled internet, he’s had fun on more platforms than I can count.

Congratulations to the Maven!

Islanders News

• Fischler (and others) to the Hall of Fame [Isles | USA Hockey | NHL | Newsday] Here’s the full press conference, with lots of thoughts and reactions from Stan.
• Five Questions series takes on the Islanders. [NHL]
• Answering one of those: The Isles still have some scorers who could ignite the offense. [Empire Sports]
• Good read that expands on the Islanders logo origin story by talking to the sons of its co-creators. [NY Sports Day] (This reminds me of how hard the letters in the Isles logo were to draw small, when I was a child drawing all, ahem, 21 NHL logos.)
• Former Islanders goalie Anders Nilsson describes the concussion symptoms that forced him to retire. [Bar Down excerpts from a Swedish interview]
• Such weird milestones the pandemic hath wrought: Sept. 5 in Islanders history is now a day that the Islanders began training camp reached the conference final for the first time since 1993. [Isles]
• Matt Martin says yes, the Isles are a Cup contender and will be that way as long as Lou and Trotz are steering things. He also says getting so close to the final, only to have the Lightning steamroll their finals opponent, does sting. [Athletic]
• Also for Athletic subscribers: A survey on your Islanders fan confidence, favorite and least favorite things. [Athletic]
• For the jet set: The arena roof has been painted. [Isles]

This is how I will always picture it, however:

Elsewhere

• Some offseason updates from Elliotte Freidman, including the Sabres re-engaging with Jack Eichel. [Sportsnet]
• ENJOY: Crosby’s wrist surgery is another sign of “darkness descending over the Penguins.” [Post-Gazette]
• Here are Five Questions for that other New York team, I forget their name. [NHL]
• North American women’s hockey update: The NWHL is rebranding as the PHF. [Ice Garden]
• Here’s a conversation with their commissioner, Ty Tumminia. [Ice Garden]
• After years of rival leagues and division, the powers in women’s hockey see this as an important moment, and they have to take advantage of the upcoming Olympics. [Athletic]
• Not sure if this is cap compliant, but longtime Blue signs a “one-day contract” so he can retire with the team that drafted him. [Blues]
• His former Bruins teammate, Patrice Bergeron, will contemplate his future after this season as he enters the final year of his contract. [NHL]