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Lots of folks were keen to watch the Islanders 5-4 win over the Maple Leafs last night. But no one commanded more attention than two-time Super Bowl champion and current football analyst Damien Woody.
The journey of the former Jet (and Patriot and Lion, but we don’t need to mention them) to his first Nassau Coliseum experience started out inauspiciously. A few weeks ago, after the Yankees elimination from the playoffs, Woody tweeted about the sad state of New York sports teams (which - in fairness - can seem pretty dire when you spend so much time focused on the Jets and Giants). That sent a wave of Islanders fans into his mentions, notifying him of the team’s early season unbeaten streak and calling his attention to the one New York team that does not, in fact, suck.
“They were like ‘D Wood, you gotta check out the Islanders’ cause at the time they were on a nine-game winning streak. Then the team chimed in and said ‘don’t forget about us, we’re doing pretty good over here.’”
To his credit, the big man jumped in with both feet, correcting his mistake and partnering with the team to get to the game and take it in with some fans in a luxury box.
By all accounts, it looks like the Islanders have a new fan.
Thanks for having me! https://t.co/YCfAbf3PmL
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) November 14, 2019
During the second intermission, Woody sat down with MSG Networks’ Shannon Hogan and said what many before him have come to realize: these people are crazy (but good crazy).
.@Shannon_Hogan: What have you learned about #Isles fans?@damienwoody: They are CRAZY
— Isles on MSG Plus (@IslesMSGN) November 14, 2019
Where's the lie? pic.twitter.com/tJmfEEtdeE
There was even some bonus excitement thrown in, as Woody got to hang with gold medalist hockey players Meghan Duggan and Gillian Apps, and even got to fire the damn t-shirt cannon, which is the highest honor anyone can achieve at any sporting event.
Two Olympic gold medalists and a Super Bowl champion!? What a night at the #Isles game!
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 14, 2019
Thanks for coming to cheer us on @mduggan10, @damienwoody and @gapps10! pic.twitter.com/I1vPc6wpd0
Oh @damienwoody is here pic.twitter.com/Cqxjwh3dHc
— kerry (@Kschwenky) November 14, 2019
From the man’s own Instagram:
So like Daniel Bryan, Noah Syndergaard and many others before him, Damien Woody has discovered the signature insanity of Islanders games that were previously unspoken about in his corner of the sports world. Here’s to some more catching on in the future (Adam Gase need not apply).