Thursday night will not be just any ordinary hockey night at UBS Arena.
The buzz in Elmont on Thursday night will partially center around the fact that the Islanders will be hosting the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes in a 7pm face-off.
It’s a game that starts an important two game stretch for the Islanders who will also host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
“A huge test,” said Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer following Wednesday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
“I think New Jersey and Carolina are two of the top five or six teams in the league, at least recently anyway based on their records. A great test for us and our group at a pretty critical time of the year.”
14 games into the season, the Islanders are hoping to start climbing up the Metropolitan Division standings. They are 7-5-2 for 16 points which puts them 5th in the division and Thursday night presents a good opportunity for the Islanders to show what they can do against the first place Hurricanes.
Matthew SchaeferNew York Islanders/Dennis DaSilva
“For sure,” said Islanders captain Bo Horvat. “They play every game tough. They’re tight-checking. They’re all over you all of the time. We have to be ready to go. It’s a good test for us.”
The Islanders will certainly be in tough waters against Carolina on a night when they’ll be fishing for a very important two points in the standings.
It’s also a night when the Islanders will play their first game wearing their new “Hometown Remix” jerseys…
…it’s the return of the fisherman logo.
“I’m excited to get the fisherman logo back,” said Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer. “I just love the way it looks. I think it’s going to be a great touch to our collection with new colors and a new look so it will be awesome.”
The fisherman logo has gone through a long and controversial history.
“I vaguely remember some controversy,” said DeBoer. “I know people are really excited about it and there’s a really good buzz about it. I like the fact that we’re wearing something different here. It’s exciting for our group. I think the guys are excited about it.”
It remains to be seen just how many Islanders fans will embrace it although a good barometer will be just how many they have sold since it was unveiled this past Monday and how many people are wearing it on Thursday night.
Initially introduced prior to the 1995-96 season as a complete rebrand for the Islanders, the logo and the wave-designed jerseys drew plenty of anger from the fan base, especially those who had been the team through the early years and then through the Stanley Cup dynasty.
The Islanders were horrible on the ice at the time and the new logo, to this day, represents a very dark time for a franchise that was also going through ownership issues and a quest for a new arena.
In 1996-97, the Islanders put their traditional logo on the wave sweater as a third jersey which became the permanent jersey the following year. With new ownership in place, the Islanders returned to a more traditional looking uniform for the 1998-99 season washing away the fisherman jerseys at a Jones Beach press conference.
The fisherman made a return as a warmup jersey for a game during the 2014-15 season as the Islanders were playing their “final season” at Nassau Coliseum. The controversial logo made another return as a “Reverse Retro” jersey for six home games during the 2022-23 season.
And now, it’s back again.
“I love them,” said Horvat. “I think they’re sweet. It will be cool to wear the white at home again. That will be a cool feature as well. I just think the jerseys look really sharp so I’m looking forward to it."
That appears to be the feeling of everyone in the locker room.
“It’s really cool,” said Islanders forward Emil Heineman. “I knew of it before coming here. I was hoping to play with it at some time. I’m excited.”
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what jersey or what colors the Islanders are wearing…the most important thing is to win games and a victory over the Hurricanes on Thursday could be a huge boost for a team hoping to contend for a playoff spot.
One thing is for sure…the Islanders aren’t lacking in the confidence department.
“They have a good group over there but we have a better group,” said Schaefer. “We feel good about what we got in here. We’ve been doing good. We got a lot more to show.”
The Islanders will be showing off their new look on Thursday as the Hometown Remix jerseys make their debut. On the ice, the Islanders will be hoping to reel in a very important two points against a very good team.
