Islanders Are More Than John Tavares' Old Team
The underdog role is no stranger to the Islanders, as for the past two years expectations were minimal after losing John Tavares to the Maple Leafs in free agency. Even after last year, when the Islanders surprised fans alike when they made the playoffs, going into this year, again, nothing was expected. The Islanders were on nobody’s radar this year. Little posts from the National Hockey League’s social media sites subtract from the potential hype this young, gritty team could have. This treatment begs us to ask the question, are the Islanders under-appreciated by the National Hockey League?
It’s not hard to argue the Islanders status among the casual hockey fan, as being a smaller market team they traditionally are overlooked by most. While that expectation can be aggravating to many Isles faithful, it is a reality that must be faced.
However, little advertising and next to no nationally televised games hinder the chances of attracting new fans or convincing fans of other teams to grow a relationship with the Islanders. A premier example of under marketing is the NBC Sports “Wednesday Night Hockey” schedule.
A total of 109 NHL games will be aired on the broadcast, which, if divided evenly amongst the 31 NHL teams, should air about 7 games of a single team per-season. The tragedy for Isles fans is that only three games are featuring the Islanders, those being against their inter-divisional rivals New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers: teams, which were just short of the playoffs last year, and the reigning Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Bruins. Those three teams, however, do not have a budding rivalry with the Islanders unlike Carolina, Pittsburgh or Toronto.
On social media, posts by the National Hockey League usually consist of highlights, stats and quotes by players. While many miscellaneous quotes and not so spectacular highlights are featured, there was not a single post by the NHL’s Instagram featuring the historic seventeen game point streak the Islanders were on, aside from a simple caption in their nightly recaps. It is the subtle things that get ingrained in the minds of the casual viewer, and without the photo proof on a surging site like Instagram, the Islanders are becoming a commodity widely seen as the team that can’t get over losing John Tavares.
had to do it. Hear is my Tavares Jersey burning video! https://t.co/FijDtJaGSK
— Gordon Perkins (@peconicgp) July 2, 2018
While one could say that the Islanders market that they play in is small which results in less screen time, that can be refuted. When children are growing up, their favorite teams are typically influenced by what they see on television accompanied along with which teams their parents are rooting for. By not giving the Islanders primetime games, fewer children outside of the Brooklyn area won’t have the privilege of watching this historic Islanders team. Childhood is when memories are made, and the Islanders are being shoved aside in many hockey fans’ minds.
The Islanders are doing well, revamping their social media and including local stars like Damien Woody. But they need help. With one of the best teams in the NHL residing on Long Island, it is time they get some respect.
