Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 68 - Neil Smith

Dan is joined by former Islanders GM Neil Smith, who talks candidly about his his long association with the club and 40-day tenure in the front office. While he is still mostly connected to their chief rival, Smith has been part of the Islanders going back to their very beginnings. He was a draft pick, a player and a scout before finally getting his chance to be their GM in the summer of 2006. But the unorthodox ideas of owner Charles Wang clashed with what Smith (and everyone else) knew was the proper way to run an NHL team. Although he was let go after just month-and-a-half, many of his decisions would benefit the Islanders for years to come. Smith speaks very plainly about getting hired by Wang, the personal distress the job caused him and his acrimonious dismissal, as well as his relationships with fellow "committee" members Ted Nolan and Bryan Trottier, and the acquisitions of players like Kyle Okposo, Mike Sillinger, Brendan Witt and Chris Simon. He also tells us how the dynasty Islanders figured into the Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup championship and how the Islanders should approach having the first overall pick in this year's draft. We also hear some great stories about helping build another champion in Detroit, being the first D1 captain for the current NCAA champion Western Michigan Broncos and working with Jaclyn Smith and Armand Assante on a TV miniseries in 1983. We cover a lot in an hour so buckle up. Thanks again to Neil for coming on and being so open and honest. Be sure to check out his NHL Wraparound podcast, especially their upcoming special celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Islanders' first Stanley Cup, which releases (appropriately) on May 24th. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of the shows, bonus podcasts, written posts and much more. Or follow us for free to get announcements and our weekly release calendar. Visit our friends: ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠The Pinot Project⁠⁠ has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena. Visit ⁠⁠Lighthousehockey.com⁠⁠ for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion. Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (⁠⁠@FansFirstSN⁠⁠). Our theme is "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on ⁠Spotify⁠ and at ⁠Bandcamp⁠. Drum sfx via ⁠Zapsplat.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices