About

Gary Harding is the “EYES” of the eyesonisles.com blog.

A former President of the Islanders Booster Club, and a season ticket holder for over 20 years, Gary qualifies as a ‘long suffering’ Islander fan.  He, and his wife, Claire, sit in row A of Section 317, and attend just about every game possible, as well as a few road games in the year, too.

He has been a member of the “Islanders Blog Box” since 2008; a project that allows bloggers like him, to be able to obtain media cridentials to Islander home games, and get the perspective of reporting a game, just as if he is a full blown member of the media.

Gary, born and raised in Levittown, on Long Island, has been working for a major car rental company for almost 24 years.  He has been married to Claire for almost 4 years.  They met on a bus trip to see the Islanders play in Montreal.  Gary also is a fan of the New York Mets, Long Island Ducks, New York Jets, Everton of the English Premier League, and is a big fan of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  Gary is also an accomplished bowler, having achieved perfection on May 4th, 1994, by bowling a perfect 300 game.  His highest league average ever was 216, and highest series was 798.

Favorite Isles Moment – Everyone says the cups.  They were great.  However, I was not a season ticket holder, or going to the games, so my favorite, was the 1993  march to the semi’s – beating Washington and Pittsburgh – the best was seeing Darius Kasparitis punching Lemieux like a rented Mule!

Favorite All time Isles player – Tie – Bossy on Offense, and Glenn Healy at the net.

Favorite Current Isles player – Okposo and JT – of course

Favorite NHL City – Not Long Island – Vancouver with  a close second to Ottawa – followed by Montreal (spot a pattern here?)

Favorite player – not an Islander (I like watching Ovie! – He is animated, funny and makes his mark)

Team I hate the most (what do you think?)

 Gary currently resides in Halesite, Long Island.  His e-mail address is gharding14@gmail.com.

As of December 1st, 2009 – Eyes on Isles is proud to add John Panarese to the writing staff:

John Panarese is a blind Islander and hockey fan who has followed the game for over 30 years.  From the days of having been slipped dollar bills to change the television station to channel 11 by his uncle to turn on the Islander game, he has been a bleed blue and orange Isles fan suffering through all the rebuilding and stretches and rejoicing with every success of the team.  Besides having followed the team via the radio broadcasts through the “glory years” with Barry Landers and Jean Potvin calling the games, he was part owner of season tickets over a dozen year span and has been a member of the New York Islanders Booster Club for four years.

John, who lives in Hauppauge in Suffolk County, has lived on the island his entire life.  He runs a home business reselling adaptive hardware and software for blind and low vision computer users, as well as being an authorized Apple Affiliate business.

Besides the Islanders, he is a big Mets fan, and follows the Giants and Long Island Ducks.  He also is a bit of a hockey geek, subscribing to both XM Satellite Radio and the NHL Center Ice package because he doesn’t have much of a life.  As for what “qualifies him to write here, well some might say he’s simply an opinionated big-mouth.  He likes to think of himself as … well .. an opinionated big-mouth.