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Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 10 - The Reluctant Euros (with guest Desmond Zantua)

The Islanders made a trade and you’re like “Hey, I’ve heard of him!”

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Along with Desmond Zantua of the Through the Island podcast, Mike and Dan talk about five import players who didn’t want to become Islanders. Some stayed a little while, some longer and one not at all.

Alexander Karpovtsev and Richard Zednik were traded to Islanders playoff teams and left almost as quickly as they arrived. But they made enough of an impression that real heads couldn’t forget them. Lubomir Visnovsky and Evgeni Nabokov fought tooth and nail legally to keep from coming to Long Island, only to sign on for more and become fan favorites. Yes, we bent the podcast’s rules a little but for “The Silver Fox” and “The Professor,” we’ll do just about anything.

And our final subject was able to successfully dodge the Islanders’ grip altogether, which worked out just fine for everyone except the Sabres.

Along the way there are legendary rants, mysterious absences and an entire rock band of Weird Islanders.

Thanks again to Desmond for coming on. You can listen to the Through The Island podcast here, and follow the show at @ttislandpodcast on Twitter. And check out his band Career Day on Bandcamp and elsewhere.

WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL!


What makes a “Weird Islander?”

We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:

  • Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
  • Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.

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

Drum sfx via Zapsplat.com.