November 11th, 2008, Islanders vs. Flyers at Nassau Coliseum: the day that Josh Bailey made his NHL debut.
“Just a kid…a teenager,” said Bailey, who was selected ninth overall by the Islanders in the 2008 NHL Draft. “I feel like my eyes were wide open. I was just trying to soak it all in. My mom and dad and brother were there for that one. It’s something I had dreamed out since I was a little kid and you always remember that first game. Looking across in warmups and seeing guys that you watched on TV and played video games with…to be on the other side was pretty cool.”
Fast forward another 998 games, and Bailey is set for a major milestone, as he is expected to play in his 1000th career NHL game on Friday night when the Islanders visit the Carolina Hurricanes. Before the season started, Bailey was set to hit the 1000 games mark on Wednesday night, but he was a healthy scratch for this past Saturday’s game in Tampa, making Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Rangers career game number 999.
And now, 1000 is right in front of him.
“It’s tough to not get emotional thinking about it,” said Bailey, who scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday’s win. “I had a lot of family and friends here (Wednesday), people who have meant a lot to me and riding the wave with me with the highs and lows. It will be just as special for them as it will be for myself and having them be a part of it will make it that much more special too. I wouldn’t be here without a great support system and that includes everyone in this room. It’s been a fun ride.”
Related
Bailey’s parents will be in attendance for game number 1000 on Friday night, and then everyone else in his cheering section will be back at UBS Arena for Saturday night’s game against the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche, the first time that Islanders Country will be able to salute him for his amazing milestone.
And that brings us to Bailey’s relationship with the fans – one that can be looked at in two ways.
There have been fans who have been highly critical of Bailey over the years, and that’s probably due to where he was drafted and the feeling that the offensive production should have greater.
On the other hand, there are those fans who have been strong supporters of Bailey since day one – and that support has never wavered, including the singing of the “Hey Josh Bailey” song at home games, with the latest performance of that tune coming at UBS Arena on Wednesday night.
“From my perspective, it’s always been great,” said Bailey of the fan support. “Yeah, I’ve heard the occasional thing when I’m out on the ice…that’s all part of it. I learned early that you’re not going to please everyone so there’s no point in trying. We did the signing at the start of the year and the amount of positive things people said to me touched me.”
Related
I’ve written this before and I’m going to write it here again: whether you agree or not, Josh Bailey is an Islanders Hall of Famer, and his name needs to be on that Hall of Fame banner in the rafters of UBS Arena at some point in the future when his playing career is over.
But don’t just take my word for it – the fact is that Bailey is in the top ten of multiple categories in team history. He’s third in games played, trailing only Bryan Trottier (1123) and Denis Potvin (1060), fourth in career assists with 379, eighth in points with 556, and tenth in shots on goal at 1530.
A lot has to go right in one’s career to reach 1000 games. It’s more than just a number; it’s a journey.
“I think you need some luck along the way too,” said Bailey. “The relationships you build along the way just really makes this all a great ride.”
Given the landscape of sports today, with free agency and financially driven trades, it’s not very often that a player stays with a team for a long time, much less an entire career. But in Bailey’s case, he’s been an Islander from day one, and 15 seasons later, he’s about to suit up for game number 1000.
Bailey and his family have called Long Island home for a long time, so that makes this milestone even more special.
“For me it definitely does,” said Bailey. “I’ve lived the majority of my life here opposed to anywhere else. My kids were born here. My wife and I love it here. It’s been an honor to wear the jersey for this many years and hopefully more to come.”
But first things first: the reality of what lies ahead on Friday night. He’s gone from being 100 games away to 50 games away to 25 games away, and now, 1000 is the next game.
There’s no doubt it’s going to be emotional.
“I’m sure it will,” said Bailey. “My wife and I talked about it throughout the summer. I’m not someone who really thinks too far down the road, but now, as it approaches, you can’t help but think about it. I think it will be an emotional night in a good way.”
Josh Bailey has been a really good Islander for a long time.
He’s been an NHL All-Star, scored some big playoff goals, and been a part of some Islanders postseason success. It would be hard to imagine him playing in any other uniform.
Thankfully, he’ll be wearing the blue and orange in career game number 1000, just as he did in games 1 through 999.
Congratulations Josh on this very special milestone!
Follow Peter Schwartz on Twitter: @SchwartzSports
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch