FanPost

So... we're apparently really pissing off the Athletic and it's wonderful

For those of you who don't subscribe to the Athletic, you really should know about this. Not that there could be that many of you, considering that the Athletic is at this point obsessed with not pissing off us Isles fans.

Why?

Glad you asked.

It all started on January 2nd, with this: Down Goes Brown: Five teams that turned things around in 2018 and five more that can do it in 2019

The article wasn't even about the Isles, but we deluged The Athletic with comments wondering why we aren't one of 5 teams that turned things around in 2018.

That led to this: Down Goes Brown: Are Islander fans right in thinking their team’s not getting enough credit?

Which included such great quotes as: "If you happen to cross paths with an Islander fan on social media, or in a hockey forum, or (lord help you) in the comment section of a power rankings post somewhere, there’s a good chance that they’re coming out swinging. The topic doesn’t even have to have anything to do with them. These days, I’m pretty sure you could do a piece about the best moments of the Original Six era and a horde of angry Islander fans would show up demanding to know why they weren’t mentioned."

And now, it's just a running joke. For example, DGB Grab Bag: Finding pessimism for the league’s best teams, a guide to fake trades and a cancelled season

With this gem: "You’re not actually one of the 10 best teams in the league but all your fans are furiously CTRL+F’ing to find you on the list so they can go down and flip tables in the comment section if it’s not there and I really don’t feel like dealing with that today."

And then today, this masterpiece: DGB weekend power rankings: Why the recent flurry of trades could mean a busy deadline period

Which included this gem: "Not ranked: New York Islanders – EVERYBODY CALM DOWN I CAN EXPLAIN.

The "When will the Islanders get the respect they deserve?" narrative has become a whole thing lately. We took a deeper dive into both sides of the debate a few weeks ago and have been having some fun with it ever since. Many Islander fans are happily playing along. Others are, um, decidedly not doing that."

So Isles fans, sit back and enjoy. The Hockey Gods have smiled on us, and the rest of the punditry is busy having their heads explode from the sheer force of it. And nowhere has that been more fun than on The Athletic, where you wonderful people have been driving the writers insane for nigh a month now. Keep it up, and hopefully the Isles will be keeping it up, and we'll be riding this train for a (hopefully) deep playoff run while the hockey world sits there stunned.

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