Josh Bailey recently played in his 800th game for not only the NHL, but for ONLY the Islanders organization on Oct. 8.
Bailey was selected by the team in 2008 NHL Entry Draft ninth overall and has been with the Islanders organization for an astounding 12 years. As a fanbase, we saw the young Canadian winger grow and mature as a player on and off the ice in his time here and he has truly left his mark on the community of Islander fans and players.

Bailey has certainly had his ups and downs like every NHL player will during their respective careers, but he was always resilient and sought to be the best player he could be. He silenced his critics each and every year by continuously growing as an improving each and every season to the point where he became one of the most impactful players each and every single night.

During the 2017-18 season, Bailey was selected as an All-Star, an enormous accomplishment for the 28-year-old. Seeing Josh Bailey compete with the best players in the NHL meant so much to the fans after seeing how much Bailey overcame in his career to make it this far, especially with the New York Islanders.

But most importantly the thing that should be most admired about Josh Bailey is his loyalty to not only the team, but to the organization as a whole. During his breakout 2017-18 season, he re-signed with the Islanders for six years on a team-friendly contract.
Rumors spread that he signed as soon as possible to help convince former captain John Tavares to also stay on Long Island and continue their goal to bring the Stanley Cup back home.

Josh Bailey has been here for it all.

He’s been on teams that finished last that featured players like Bill Guerin and Doug Weight, whom have moved on from their playing careers and have both have had management jobs for NHL teams.

Josh Bailey has been through all the ups and downs throughout his time here and he has been nothing but gracious and humble his entire career. Thank you Josh Bailey for staying true to not only Long Island, but the fans and organization that so adore you as a person and a player.

Congratulations on 800 games. We hope to see your continuous success on Long Island as well as personally seeing your number hanging from the rafters whenever your playing days are up.

Thank you for being the true definition of what it means to be a New York Islander.

#Retire12

Yours truly,
A passionate New York Islanders fan

John Smark