Uncle Leo, Hello: Komarov on the Islanders, living on Long Island and life after hockey

It’s Sunday, the Islanders have three days off, and no one’s been traded yet. So take 20 minutes and watch this short film of Leo Komarov adjusting to life as a New York Islander.

The video is the third (and final, I think) part of a documentary series about the veteran forward that began running on the site Nordicbet.com in December. Bob McKenzie tweeted today about the new episode, and it basically centers around Komarov signing with the Islanders this summer, settling in with his family (in an absolutely ridiculous housing development) on Long Island and joining a new team in a new city for the first time in a while.

The audio is all in Finnish, but click the “cc” button to read the English subtitles.

This is actually the second documentary on Komarov from Nordicbet. The first was about his life and journey from the USSR to the NHL and the many stops in between. This newer series follows his leaving Toronto as a free agent in Part 1, a stop at Moscow to check in with his old Dynamo pals in Part 2 and, finally, becoming an Islander in Part 3. Again, you’re gonna need subtitles unless you speak Finnish.

The portion above is a short but entertaining glimpse into the life of the guy who’s basically everybody’s favorite teammate wherever he goes. You’ll see him talking about getting to know countryman Valtteri Filppula better after they both signed with the Islanders, ribbing fellow newcomer Robin Lehner about the rivalry between the Swedes and Finns, and talking about the differences between playing in Toronto and playing on Long Island. Yeah, the traffic sucks but at least you won’t end up on some jamoke’s Instagram when you take your son to the park for a little family time.

The whole thing is very much worth your time. They could probably do a sequel starring Filppula, too.

Even as the Islanders have enjoyed a resurgent season, debate continues to rage still every single freakin’ day (sigh) about the four-year contract Komarov was signed to this summer by Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello. But let’s leave all that aside for a minute and embrace the likable Uncle Leo as he observes Islanders fans, makes his friends mad at golf, ponders life after hockey and declares his undying love for his beloved PlayStation 4, something many of us (including myself) can acutely relate to.