THE TALE OF THE FISHERMAN JERSEY
Or, Shame and Mutiny on the Bounty
Before the Islanders’ fisherman logo was made public, I brought a copy of it to my father for an advance view. At the time, my dad was in the cardiac unit of Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital.
Said one of my colleagues, “When you visit a loved one in the hospital, the visit’s supposed to make them feel better.”
The day after the logo and new uniforms were unveiled, I figured I’d do my part as an employee. Before leaving for the Jones Beach Boardwalk with my wife, I bravely placed a new Islanders cap on my head.
Never felt so self-conscious in my life, and this is when I had a full head of hair. One lady looked at me with complete disdain – you’d think she knew I worked for the team. One guy started ranting about its sheer awfulness loud enough so I could hear. People were staring at the top of my head as if the cap said, “I’m with Stupid.” Of course, it was my wife who was with Stupid.
Yup, when some rocket scientist had the bright idea to mess with the Islanders logo, it was an especially dopey time to be around the organization. It didn’t matter what the new logo was; it just happened to be a fisherman because said rocket scientist insisted the map of Long Island with the stick and the puck had to be replaced by something animated.. You know - like a Tiger, a Lion, a Panther.
Yeah, like a Yankee, a Red Wing or a Canadien.
(The looks on Kaspar and Greenie's faces say it all)
The idea of a new Islanders logo was immediately lost with the thought, “Hey, we should change the logo”! It could have been the coolest, most dynamic logo in the history of sports, and it still would have been a preposterous notion. And that’s without even getting into the nauseating wave at the bottom of the jerseys. Darius Kasparaitis and Travis Green were two of the lucky ones around to model it. When Darius saw the jersey, his reaction went something like this:
“Oh ma Gahd, we’re going to look like ____________’in _____________________es.”
Before the press conference, the Daily News obtained a bootlegged copy of the logo. (Never thought about it at the time, but it’s not outlandish to think maybe a colleague sent it to them, hoping the backlash could kill the project…brilliant!). The News took the fisherman, placed it on a shot of Denis Potvin wearing the classic Islanders sweater, and the damage was done.
A top executive no longer with the Islanders jumped ship. Off-the-record but in earshot of a lot of people, he told Colin Stephenson, then of the Daily News, “I just want you to know that I think it’s awful. I had nothing to do with it.” For this man, we were all in it together – win or tie. Once we witnessed his mutiny, it was all over.
We hadn’t even made it to the press conference, and a colleague and I were already planning our approach to ownership about a transition back to the old logo.
For the press conference, baymen were honored for their work on the East End. At that point, the response to the Daily News story confirmed what we already knew: the new uni was going to be hated by more than 99% of the fan base. So a desperate, transparent effort was made to remind people that the Islanders were honoring Long Island’s culture.
Holy mackerel, even the baymen acted like they wanted no part of it.
(Poor Ziggy)
We were told by ownership that a call was made to Billy Joel, since he did a lot of awareness initiatives for the plight of the baymen and had a hit with “The Downeaster Alexa.” Displaying his greatest bit of show-biz savvy prior to his selfless invitation to have Paul McCartney close Shea, Billy passed. No doubt even the Piano Man thought the whole enterprise was, um, shameless.
I’m certainly ashamed of my bit part in this Geek tragedy. I wrote a column for the team publication on all the reasons people should give it a chance. It was my clever way of staying away from all the reasons it made me and just about everyone else sick. I didn’t write that it was amazing or that fans should line up to buy it. Imagine that: the best I could do was write why people should give it some time. You know you’re in for a disaster when that’s all you got.
Although I did not create the fisherman logo or had any say in the matter, I’ll always know I didn’t at least try to fight it as hard as I could. That embarrasses me more than anything.
(Countless blogoscoops have reported that the new third jersey will be similar to the one modeled here by Sly Asham two years ago. It's a start, but the uniform worn when the team won Cups is probably what most fans want.)
The Islanders are one of the fortunate franchises in major team sports. They wore a classic uniform and by just their third season were already making history by stunning their crosstown rivals in one series and coming back from 3-0 down in another.
In only their eighth season of existence, the Islanders won the first of four Stanley Cups in that jersey.
Mike Bossy scored 50 goals in 50 games in that jersey.
Pat LaFontaine scored a Game 7 overtime goal at two in the morning on Easter in that jersey.
Hall of Fame players played their entire careers in that jersey.
Ray Ferraro and David Volek beat Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in that jersey.
Nothing has been won since they stopped wearing that jersey. Hmm…
There is no reason to wear anything else.
82 Responses to “THE TALE OF THE FISHERMAN JERSEY
Or, Shame and Mutiny on the Bounty”
Please Wait
Wow Chris, this blog post is really well written. As much as I love the Islanders and I love having so much insight with this blog, I wouldn’t imagine that the writing’s quality would be this high. Pretty much, this site is really awesome, thanks.
Man, that jersey was awful. Maybe you could shed some light on what the deal was with Nyles, the ill - fated mascot for a season or two? I can’t find any information on the entire internet about him.
Does anyone know why on the old road jerseys they changed the arm stripes to the elbow and not the home sweaters?
A top executive no longer with the Islanders jumped ship. Would this be Jerry Grossman? I remember an interview he did with Stan Fischler at the end of the season prior to that management group taking over the team. He was very enthusiastic about what the group was hoping to achieve for the fan game experience. After that I don’t remember hearing about him again as being part of that management group that ran the team for John Pickett.
This is a great, great post. I hope we can look forward to more of these “view from the inside” perspectives. Secondly, I could not agree more that there’s no reason for the team to wear any other jersey than the one they wore for 23-some years and won four cups with. There’s no reason to bother with darker blue, brighter orange, shoulder patches, raised outlines around the numbers, orange all over the sleeves…
When they had the “update” jersey from 98 or so through the lockout, I would’ve preferred the pre-fisherman jersey, but I didn’t want to focus on externalities like that at the expense of what was going on on the ice. Now, though, since we’re rebuilding and all, I’d like to see a movement to restore the uniform from the cup era. If the rumors are true and the third jersey uses this design, I hope it’s popular enough and sells well enough that management gets the message and switches over full force. The current super busy design is better suited for an experimental/third jersey type situation anyway.
Any possibility of rallying anyone who still has any of this horrendous reminders to bring them to a bon-fire in the coliseum parking lot?
God, if it was only that simple! Put on an old jersey and start winning again. Maybe the hockey Gods will grant us that wish. For at least one year…please!
What happened to Niles? I remember that poor little girls face when she won the contest to name Niles. That girl got booed right out of the Coliseum. She had no idea what the hell happened. That girl also had no idea that a once great franchise really didn’t need or wanted a furry mascot walking around. Especially a large version of “the fisherman” that every fan loathed!!
So now we have Sparky…great!
I agree completely. Keep this 1972 look as a 3rd jersey because it is a nice lookin jersey. Then go back to the STANDARD for Isles uni’s. Get away from this DARK BLUE that they went to because it is close to the cruddy BLACK that everybody wants to use. The ROYAL BLUE looks so much better. Go back to the multi colored gloves. AND BY ALL MEANS PUT THE DARN STRIPES BACK ON THE PANTS!!
Great piece. But my question is why did they want to change in the first place?
$
bringing back the royal blues would be the right thing to do. building a core team would be even BETTER!
Great article Chris!! The new RBK jerseys are a disgrace along with the Fisherman. I would love to see a return to the classic uniforms worn by this team during its hey-day!
‘There is no reason to wear anything else’.
You nailed it right there Chris. Chuckles & Company need to stop catering to the 8-18 year olds, and start paying attention to the fans who have supported this team since the beginning - the jersey, the way it is now, is fine. The original is the only other jersey anyone wants to see these guys put on.
The alternate jerseys are a step in the right direction.
I am a fan of going back to the Royal, or even brighter blue.
But don’t listen to me.. I never really minded the Fisherman logo..
can’t wait to see the jersey the team uses in Kansas City or Las Vegas
Want a great blog. You answered a question i had. In what role did you play if any with the Fisherman logo? I remember the first time i seen the Fisherman jerseys. My buddy somehow had a pic of it three days before it became public. I though he was messing with me i told him i cant believe you did all this work to play a joke on me. Three days latter the joke was on the Isles.
nothing represents everything that has gone wrong with this franchise since 1993 better than the fisherman logo. at least that jersey gave us the lighthouse logo, which is a sweet secondary logo that should be brought back. i actually like the 72 jerseys better than the jerseys they wore during the glory years. i think the 72’s should be our primary jerseys and the orange jerseys should be our alternate.
Great post as always, CB!
it brought back a painful memory of being laughed at in a Boston elevator while wearing my Season Subscriber “fisherman” sweatshirt. Enjoyed burning that shirt at the team sponsored event when they came to their senses!
The Fisherman logo honestly wasnt any worse than lots of other sports logos. It was just the horrible timing and the ultimate pointlessness of changing it in the first place that doomed it from moment one.
BTW: Every year my fantasy hockey team is always called “The Ancient Mariners” as a reference to this logo (and Iron Maiden lol)
Hey Chris, great site. Remember reading a lot that I didnt know about the jersey in one of the chapters in the Fish Sticks book a few years ago. I’d imagine you have at lot of behind the scenes info to expand on a lot of what went down on that topic and others in that book.
Wondering what you and the others here thought of the book and if you’ve heard of any plans of those guys doing another one with everything that’s gone down the last few. Or maybe YOU could do one now that you don’t work there anymore! (Or are you not allowed to?)
CB.. You out did yourself again. BRAVO!
Old school rules! You DO NOT change jersey logos or even jerseys in my opinion. With the history behind those jersys its something you do not change. Look at all well established francises - jerseys and logos = SAME.
isles should trade for rob schremp. he was sent down to the ahl again and he wants to get traded and was born is syracuse. check him out at hockeys future and youtube.
Great story Mr. Botta.
But I would have waited for the memoir contract from Harcourt before releasing this priceless tidbit.
Ya gotta any Sunday afternoon heartwarming stories to make us feel PROUD to be Islander fans??
Great Read! What is funny is when you go to WikiPedia about the Islanders they refer to that period of 1995-2000 as “Management Issues”(sounds like now) and make statements as the Fishstick chant! Anyway I like the Original Jersey White,orange and”Royal Blue” bring back the Royal Blue!
i got mike bossy to finally sign my 1980 jersey, isles go back to the blue and orange. and yes i own i fisherman jersey, just like butch said ” i bleed orange’
I still have a FISHERMAN T-shirt…………….and there is no legit reason for me keeping it—-but I need a T-shirt on when I clean the basement or change the oil on the car. Plus, it’s always good to watch people’s reaction when they see the emblem. While it does symbolize an era of futility, it always makes me laugh—-because it shows that ANYTHING is possible….someone actually thought this was a ‘good looking emblem’…or else they wouldn’t have used it!!!!!!!
Should we start a campaign to just keep repeating it? So many bloggers and commenters have weighed in on their preference for the return of the royal and white of old.
There is no reason to wear anything else.
By the way, those of you searching for info on the old mascot, be sure to use the awkward, but correct, spelling, “NYILES.” But even if you do, there really isn’t too much out there.
I will confess to having a fisherman jersey buried deep in a closet. But it was a gift.
True story at Christmas last year. My grandparents won a Chinese auction for Islander apparel at their church. They assumed only naturally that me, being the only hockey fan in the family and a diehard Islanders fan, that I would appreciate the gift.
I tried my best to let them down easy when I opened the basket and saw it full of brand new, tags still attached, fisherman logo crap. They were all excited they won because the person who put the items up for auction said, “These things will be worth money someday because they don’t wear this logo anymore, they are truly collector items!”
This was the worst story ever written. It… needed to be told. Let us never speak of it again. [well played, Botta... well played]
Yes, I too have a fisherman jersey buried in the back of a closet somewhere. I just find it hard to throw out a hockey jersey!
Mr. Botta, quick question… You’ve expressed your disdain for “The site which will not be named.” Were you still with the Isles in an official capacity when the deal was struck to have them sponsor the blog box? If not, what are your feelings on their sponsorship?
DDDoo, fair question. I had the concept of the Blog Box. I suggested to our corporate dept that it was “sponsorable.” I thought maybe a bank would sponsor it, maybe a college (like SUNY-Farmingdale does now). That site would not have been among my first thousand choices to be the sponsor. I was not happy, but I had no say. I heard about the deal after it was struck. They committed to pay for a sponsorship for one season. They are not back this season…CB
Thanks for the prompt response CB. I never bother buying into the BS rumors thrown around on that site, but I enjoy reading BD’s blog and seeing what fans of other teams are writing and thinking about their squads. Keep up the good work! This site is a must read everyday.
Speaking of the blog box, Wyshinski took a swipe today (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Edmonton-Oilers-get-a-blogger-beat-down-after-ce?urn=nhl,115851) at the idea as a gimmick. I thought you boys were tight?
You can make the case that any new idea is a gimmick. I don’t know Daddy that well, although we have had some kind correspondance and I always appreciate when he links me. I know he didn’t like the association with last year’s Blog Box sponsor. I have no problem with anyone taking swipes here.
Time will tell with the Blog Box. I had some thoughts on where to go with it, but I’m not there anymore so I have no say in its direction. The Boxers are all good people who do it totally on their own time.
Thanks to everyone for the Comments on the fisherman story. The Islanders were off today, have an early practice Monday. I’ll be there and it will (hopefully) be a week of non-stop hockey bloggin’…CB
Hey CB,
TSN says Fritz was sent to B-Port again, this is crazy. Was this because they dont play till later in the week or this is for good again?
Look forward to all the news tomorrow.
As for the Fisherman jersey, I not only had a home jersey but the day the new stuff came out, I was at Modells in Freeport scooping up a bunch of shirts. Although I wish they never changed it, I wanted to support my team - the only sports team that I care about.
I remember watching a playoff game on ESPN and seeing two kids modeling the new Caps and Isles jerseys. Decorum prevents me from sharing my immediate reaction to the Fisherman.
But in truth, as far as mid-90’s uniform changes went, the wave jersey with the circle crest wasn’t bad. I still have two of ‘em and wear them occasionally. Had they chosen to just introduce that as a third jersey instead of replacing the logo, there probably would have been little to no backlash.
I had a conversation with Puckdaddy. It wasn’t a swipe at the blog box itself, but how it was covered by others. All is good. But not nearly as good as these informative and entertaining Point Blank entries.
They’re the cherry on the sundae.
You think thisis bad - wait till the NHL follows European soccer with sponsor logos all over the shirts and a complete new set of at least 3 shirts each season. Its all about selling to the fans. What the players do on the ice/field is modelling the outfits for said fans.
Hey Chris,
Any clues into what the new third jersey is going to lool like? Seems like they are keeping it pretty hush hush.
Stump: Please refer to photo caption under Asham in the article….CB
I absolutely hated the fisherman logo and the jersey. When I saw that ridiculous rag, I refused to purchase one and refused to ever purchase anything that even had that logo and those colors on it. I even gave up Gorton’s Fishsticks.
I heard that the design of the fisherman logo and jersey was conjered up by a players’ or team executive’s wife. Is that true?
the only jersey this team should wear is either the ‘72 throwback or the royal blue ones from the ’80s. Even the one they wear now is only okay, I don’t really love it. Its too busy, too much going on.
BTW, Not to offend anyone who’s posting here, but it sickens me when I go to the games and see fans walking around in that miserable fisherman rag. These people need to either not go to the games or leave that rag in the trash before coming to the game. There is no reason for that jersey to ever be permitted inside Nassau Coliseum ever again.
Jethro09:
Stop trying to sugar coat it and tell us how you really feel
I would love to see the team go back to wearing the jerseys from the dynasty, and maybe use the current jersey vs western teams (unless it’s for the cup :-).
I also think “they” made a HUGE mistake changing our goal song! the new song sux, it sounds like they made it for the 8-17 age group, and i feel like they only changed it becuse of the “you suck” after “hey” thing that started last year. this is BS! I feel like “they” only care about the kids. Is ther ANY way you could help to start an online petition to get our REAL goal song back! (maybe 16,234 signatures would do the trick)
If it’s any consolation, I still think the secondary logo - lighthouse patch - was pretty sweet. It managed to pay homage to the area in a more tasteful, less-fishy way…
The new song is not good, but anything is better than hearing a bunch of fools scream “you suck” after their own team scores a goal. Its tasteless and makes the organization and its fans look ridiculous. The new song is not good, but its better than hearing a tasteless chant.
CB, I will constantly point out that our fans need to focus on the importance of keeping the Islanders here. I know you do not have much information on the Lighthouse Project. But I certainly can feel the rug being pulled out from under the fans in the very near future. Is there any politician out there that is a good candidate on November 4th. One that will be stridently on the side of Long Island and our team. What can our hockey community do to keep the Islanders here. I am willing to spearhead any type of committee on my own time to bombard Nassau County with all types of ideas on how to get the Islanders a building they deserve. Or at the very least a complete remodeling of the Coliseum. Charles Wang will move this team when and if the Lighthouse project fails. There are many cities that are licking their collective chops for a hockey franchise. By that point it will be too late. Everyone on this blog obviously has a strong passion for the Islanders. We need action now! We cannot afford to wait until the Coliseum lease expires and the Isles disappear. It can happen. Let’s make a difference.
Rich: when you’re ready to launch your project, please let me know and I will post a link and write about it.
But this particular area is to Comment on my story about the fisherman jersey and fans’ thoughts on the upcoming third jersey, not for another note on your thoughts on saving the franchise. I post several stories a day. There will be places for that. And btw, the Lighthouse Project is a complete remodeling of the Coliseum, not a new arena. Thank you…CB
i agree fans chanting “you suck” after a home goal is definitly ridiculous, and i was NOT one of them last year (accually used to yell at anyone who did) … but
I have, and will yell “you suck” every time the play this new song, not at our players, not at the opposing team/or goaltender, and not even at the refs, but at the song itself. I think this new goal song is destined to be the next mistake we will look back on and say “what the hell were “they” thinking”! and to make matters worse I heard the franchise acually paid for this horrible song! If the song needed to be changed then so be it, but the fans should have had some say in it! maybe an online vote from a list of songs? this new song has no energy, no passion and I am looking foward to the day it is ex-isled!
to NYI365-318J1, I am all for the fans voting on-line for a new song to follow a goal being scored by the Isles. I think its a good idea, so long as the song selected isn’t tasteless. It’s was just flat-out embarassing to go to games and hear a bunch of idiots chang “you suck” after the Isles would score. Made the team and place seem so tacky and tasteless, almost substantiating the league-wide perception of the Isles that the franchise is a joke. But lets get a vote going and pick a song we all agree on, something with a some teeth in it, but not over the top.
Sorry I didn’t realize the comment section was blog specific. If my comments seem like rabblerousing or off topic it comes with good cause. Everything seems inconsequential compared to the crisis that the team is facing. I will take this into account and post accordingly.
to Jethro09, thanks for the feedback. i agree the song can’t be tasteless and it should have passion and energy. it would be cool to have a clip from a Billy Joel song (or from any group from L.I.) but i cant think of anything right now except the ending of downeaster alexea. ill think about it during lunch and post again later. any ideas?
An observation and a question on the “goal” song.
1. Let’s hope we produce enough offense for any song to actually be heard.
2. Do we really need a song anway? Blast the foghorn and be done with it.
Gillies you are right on…Forget the goal song. The loud obnoxious horn is good enough. Fans should be pumped anyway..when the team scores. Also, while we are getting rid of useless gadgetry, can we please dump the noise meter.
CB, I love Point Blank! You’ve done an amazing job and I look forward to it each day.
However, I rememeber that article you wrote way-back-when asking the fans to give the fisherman jerseys a chance…and I hated you for it. At the time, I thought you were just another suit who could care less about the Islanders. I’m so glad that I was wrong. I truly enjoy what you have done and you have my respect, admiration…and thanks.
Hi Chris, great article as usual, no writter in the business, has a better understanding, or more intellegent knowledge on this great franchise, than you. Onto the Uniforms, this subject to me, is simple. As it was for 23(Bob Nystrom) years. Just like it has been for 72 years with the NY Yankees, Classic’s are Classic’s, and in my opinion, and many, many, many, others, should never change. Chris to me the “UNIFORM OF A TEAM” is the face of the Franchise, Team, and Fan’s. And to me and most true NY Islander’s Fan’s, the face of the NY Islander’s, were the uniforms worn during their Stanley Cup Champion Year’s. Why doesn’t this Great Franchise get it. Why do the Player’s, Employee’s, and Fan’s of the NY Islander’s have to be subjected to this humiliation, when all involved would feel so much prouder wearing the Classic’s. The NY Islander’s have gone from donning the sharpest uniform’s in hockey, especially the “Classic White’s”, to I hate to say, the worst. These new, bad pajamas, do not represent the Franchise correctely, as did, and would, the Uniform’s worn during their Stanley Cup Years. I ask you Mr. Botta, to do what ever you can to have Mr. Charles Wang, return to the Classic’s. You know Chris, you can count on any support you need from me on this. Returning to these Classic’s would also add alot to the allready Great Rivalry, that exists between the NY Islander’s, and the ny rangers. On the sounds after the Islander’s score a goal, how about going back to the siren. How about bringing back, the Bar Styled Cap. The Old Pennant, getting a quality radio station that plays in NJ, Win’s 88? or 77, bring Gigg’s back more often, push for white’s to be worn at home again, go after Eric Nystrom, and Chris, keep up the “Excellent Work”. Thanks, Mark from NJ
wow! that was a great story and um talk about your 8 track flash backs..lol!
to Rich and Gillies,
your right! we don’t realy need a goal song at all! i agree, blast the fog horn, then let us scream our heads off! and maybe keep the wooo! wooo! thing. its classic and simple, can’t go wrong.
to CB,
Is ther any way you could start an online petition to ex-isle the new goal song, or maybe just a voting blog to ask fans if the would perfer the new song, the old song, no song, or other.
For everyone’s viewing displeasure:
http://hfboards.com/imagehosting/588614719673298e08.jpg
My God, what were they thinking?
Rich: I feel the same way you do and Id like to do even more, as well. There are groups that have been going to town meetings and encouraging people to support the Lighthouse project. Ive gone to and spoken at town meetings, myself.
I think that if you have the enthusiasm to help, it might be wise to join with likeminded people who are already interested in raising awareness. You might contact the lighthouse blog and talk to Katrina (she runs the blog) -she might be able to help you get in touch with others and help you find ways that you can spread the word.
http://lighthouseliblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.lighthouseli.com/news
http://www.lighthouseli.com/event
Jethro09: I am the one who actually took that picture.
I cut my friend and her (little at the time, now 14yo) daughter out of it to protect the innocent lol!!! I put it up online because, amazingly, there were pretty much NO pictures of Nyisles Mk2 on the Internet.
to Jethro09, wwwooowww!!! great job with the pic! i couldn’t even remember what NYIles looked like! …now i feel seasick LOL
My band in college all wore fisherman jerseys for a show/party we threw at our house senior year. It was pretty stupid.
Just out of curiosity, where would the Ders play during a complete renovation? Izod Center? Can the Rinx accomodate?
Why do people have to talk about relocation. That scares the crap out of me. I’d only support them if they moved to Quebec City and called themselves the Nordiques. Now those were some sweet unis!
Interesting thing I just noticed in the Kasper pic is that the waist striping appears to be diagonal, kind of like the Anaheim jerseys of that time. Am I seeing things, or were they like that on the prototypes, then changed to the sea-sick curves?
Oh man, I had forgotten just how hideous “Nyisles” really was. That giant goal light on his head…I’m speechless, haha.
If the Islanders were a good team back then, what jersey they wore would have been a moot point. The jerseys weren’t so bad. Many NHL teams during that era experimented with new/different uni designs. It’s easy to kick a team when they’re down.
to bCarey: I don’t like to think about relocation either, but unless they get a building, they’re not going to be able to financially compete with other organizations. Apparently, Wanger won’t engage in an arena-only project and is insistent on this “Lighthouse Project” being built in its entirety. So, unless he gets the approval necessary for the “Lighthouse Project”, there will be no new/renovated arena. If Wang can’t have the “Lighthouse Project”, then he’s really got no incentive to hold onto the club, so someone will buy the team and move it out of Long Island.
In short, the only way the Isles stay on Long Island is if the “Lighthouse Project” gets the go-ahead from the Town of Hempstead.
First of all, I thick it’s safe to assume that the current NY Islanders are never going to fall through the ice, so the water wings included on the current clown suit jerseys are really pointless. In fact the whole current uniform it pointless, ugly and must be disposed off ASAP (League rules allow).
If Charles Wang and Chris Dey really wanted to pay tribute to this teams glorious past, they would simple return this team to it’s real uniforms with the royal blue full time. Then once the 1979–1995 uniforms with the royal blue are reinstated full time, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!! No more changes or experiments.
Also, If Charles Wang really wanted to pay tribute to this teams glorious past he would telephone “Bow-Tie” Bill and ask for a recommendation on a competent reasonably experienced and promising candidate for the Islanders team President/GM position. So we can really start building a contender again.
As fans, we all recognize a rebuild is necessary, but when you have a GM who passes on better first round talent to acquire two later round picks, you began to wonder what are we building toward. More mediocrity or greatness?
Point Blank: “It was my clever way of staying away from all the reasons it made me and just about everyone else sick. I didn’t write that it was amazing or that fans should line up to buy it. Imagine that: the best I could do was write why people should give it some time. You know you’re in for a disaster when that’s all you got.”
Kinda like what you wrote about the new goal song, no?
There seems to be a lot of people who want a return to the 1973-1995 uniforms, and I am definitely one of them. The Fisherman uniforms were obviously awful, but I will echo the sentiments of many who have already said that we have only one true uniform. I like the 72 jerseys in comparison to the ones we wear now and the others from this team’s past, but this organization has only one true uniform. Other than the hockey operations, the main priority of the ownership and front office has to be the arena. After that’s settled, there should be a big time push from this fanbase to go back to the uniforms that involve so much tradition and winning.
Mikko: I saw that theory by Witty on Islandermania, too. I don’t compare the team completely changing its logo and uniform to the changing of a goal song. The goal song can be altered or outright obliterated over the next 10 games. The NYI didn’t have that option with the fisherman logo…CB
The return of the classic uniform makes so much sense I don’t see how they cannot do it. For a team starving for positive publicity this move would be a slam-dunk move with the fans.
‘There is no reason to wear anything else’.
Chris, I could not have said it better. As you might have noticed, I REFUSE to buy that disgusting Reebok joke of a sweater. And I agree 100% with the poster who said the Isles should care about the real fans, not the 8-18y/o demographic. Isles need to go back to the TRUE design.
On the uniform issue itself - I’d be fine with returning to the classic layout, be it in royal blue or the navy, which I thought was a tad more striking. A friend of mine once suggested that the Isles should give a nod to the geography by having 2 patches on the shoulders: the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Lighthouse, to show the east and west boundaries of Long Island. CB, can we suggest that to some higher-ups and make that happen? The chevrons are nice but I don’t think removing them would lead anyone to forget the dynasty.
Now, onto the soapbox…While I completely understand the desire to see the old uniforms come back, I have to agree with Rich on this one. Yes, the fisherman logo was hideous and I threw the jersey out when someone gave it to me as a gift. Yes, a return to the vintage uniforms would be nice. However, it seems to me that my fellow Islander fans pick some odd things to complain about given the state of the franchise. Rich is absolutely right - the Town of Hempstead is currently evaluating the Lighthouse Project, which, if it fails, will likely lead to the end of the Islanders. Suffolk County, for all the press it gets from some fans, is a wholly unrealistic option, and the Brooklyn project looks so dead the Islanders might benefit from talking Ratner and the Nets into joining them in their quest for the Lighthouse. Let’s try to attend the public hearings, which are currently on for January, and make this a voting issue at the local level. Our team needs us to rally behind it and ensure its ultimate survival, and something tells me complaining about the uniforms isn’t exactly the most productive use of our time.
Rich, if you want to get involved in supporting the Lighthouse, I sit on the board of a small community group that’s committed to supporting the Lighthouse. Go to http://www.lilighthouse.com and shoot us an email to let us know you want to get involved…we need as many people as we can get.
Thanks CB. I just feel better knowing you read something I posted, even if it was lifted from Witty.
I guess the Buffalo Sabres learned some things from the Islanders here. Number one, they learned also how to make a terrible logo when the slug was brought into the world. The Sabres instead tried to avoid the negative reaction all together and hope the slug hate would go away.
Excellent piece, but I’m curious to know what you think about our current Frankentstein jerseys, Chris.
Chris, it’s been too long! Wanted to weigh in with my thoughts concerning the classic Islanders uniform in contrast to the newest variation - I do like some elements of the latter very much, INCLUDING the faux shoulder piping a.k.a. ‘water wings’ (if I’m not mistaken, the Isles were the first professional sports team to introduce such a concept - with the blue uniform wave stripe motif - and I always liked it a lot). I’ve always felt that the original jersey design lacked something and such a change balances it better.
Secondly, as someone who felt for a long time that the team didn’t utilize orange nearly enough (and BTW, it should ABSOLUTELY stay with the current shade even if reverting back to royal blue - original orange presented wayyyy too often as brick red in photos) I really appreciated the blazing bright 3rds; only mistake there was in trying to introduce an incongruent design element such as the huge blue arrow flares to follow the logo Y’s angle - should’ve just made it a straight and wide vertical blue flare with white border piping.
I never liked the white and orange elbow stripes motif on the blue - then away - unis; also appreciate how the RBK design rectifies that, on both the sleeves and socks - do believe the hem stripes are too narrow, though.
And it remains a mystery to me why, what with all this talk about a Lighthouse project, the obvious wasn’t incorporated into the standard Islanders uniform design since Wang first proposed it, or to the best of my knowledge, even recognized by anyone else: I presented a design to Steve Ellers of STIC back in 2000 when I came down from Western MA for a game, which simply took the 4 Cup stripes and incorporated them into a 2-dimensional lighthouse shoulder patch much more reflective of the team’s roots than the nondescript design of the last decade, but it never made it to the front office and Ellers couldn’t tell me what happened to it when inquiring a few years later (I never made a copy, unfortunately…..) I did an interesting alternative logo incorporating the added wave colors, as you yourself may recall, that eliminated the redundancy of the word Islanders, what with Long Island having been clearly represented in the classic logo, replacing it with a much more dynamic puck skipping off a similarly-styled wave and gave more of a 3-dimensional feel to the NY - it looked very attractive to a lot of observers…..but management could be forgiven for being gun-shy about any more new design elements after the fisherman debacle!
Finally, I’m wondering if anyone else has ever commented on just how terribly inconsistent were the Islanders logos from 1974-1982; some of them looked unbelievably amateurish, especially the 1980 and 1982 entries - my favorites remain the inaugural style, the one worn in the 1976-1977 playoffs which featured predominantly in the following season’s yearbook and inexplicably disappeared forever afterwards, and the ones worn from 1997-2000, as well as the orange 3rd - I talk to Josh Bernstein from time to time and suggested last year that the same logo be used with the blue home jerseys, gave it much more pop…..
Anyhow, those are my thoughts…..don’t know how active this thread will continue to be, but…..a very interesting story you’ve written here - I have one of my own in which I got a sneak peak at the fishies when touring the Coliseum for the first time in 1995……
Jim
As a longtime Vancouver Canucks fan who had the misfortune of seeing my team get swept by the Islanders in the ‘82 Final while I was living in the Big Apple, I totally feel for the fans of this once-proud franchise. I know what it’s like to see my team have inept ownership and management and to have one of the worst uniforms in pro sports. To me, the Islanders are not just Long Island’s team, but they are also New York City’s “other” team. They just happen to play outside of Queens. When I first moved to New York in 1981, I hated the Islanders. I resented the fact that they were so great and the Canucks were no more than average and whose existance was the complete opposite of the Islanders’. Fast-forward to 1984, I found myself pulling for the Isles in their Drive For Five, only to see them fall short against Edmonton. They had gained my total respect.
Today, I am not just a Canucks fan, I am a HOCKEY fan. I would love to see the Islanders get back to respectability. This includes going back full-time to the uniforms of their dynasty years and having a proven hockey man to guide the franchise without any interference from Charles Wang. I would love to see a future rematch of ‘82 between Vancouver and the Islanders. If and when the Canucks ever do win their first Stanley Cup, I would love to see them do it against the Islanders. It would be like beating the Rangers or Montreal. Against Carolina, Atlanta, or Tampa Bay wouldn’t mean anything other than just winning.
So, as a Canucks fan, I am pulling for the Islanders to get their ship sailing in the right direction. Islander fans, who at one time, were spoiled rotten by constant winning, have paid their dues and deserve their long-time loyalty to be rewarded.