Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 69 - James Wisniewski (with guest Ryan aka @RattMartin)

Joined by friend and Skates at the Stakes co-host Ryan, we discuss defenseman James Wisniewski, who is more remembered for one regrettable incident than his quality play. Wisniewski was already well-traveled before he was acquired by the Islanders to augment their blueline offense. But when Mark Streit went down with an injury in the preseason, Wisniewski became a key contributor and point producer... until one game against the Rangers and a decision that got him suspended. Over the course of another month and a half, he endured a long losing streak, a coach firing and getting accosted by a Long Island nurse just before Christmas. Then he was traded to Montreal before the end of the calendar year, leaving just as quickly as he arrived. There was a reason he played for so many teams - James Wisniewski was pretty good! He found ways to produce no matter where he played. Unfortunately, he also found new ways to get suspended, which probably explains why he was moved so often. For Ryan, this season was his first as an Islanders fan and that fateful date with the Rangers was his first ever live game experience. We talk about Wisniewski's crazy career, his early hockey blogging, how his game should be soundtracked by Linkin Park and other on-the-fly fun facts. We also throw in a bonus Weird Islander! Johan Sundstrom was drafted with the pick the Islanders got from the Canadiens for Wisniewski and was expected to be the next Frans Nielsen but ended up having a short North American career with a few odd footnotes. Thanks again to Ryan for coming on. Be sure to subscribe to Skates at the Stakes. And yes, we held this back so it would be Episode 69. 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