Islanders Players As ‘Tiger King’ Characters

Casting New York Islanders players and coaches to play the different characters of the Netflix docuseries “Tiger King”.

It’s been 18 days. 18 days since the New York Islanders last took the ice and I’m starting to lose it. As stated on one of our Patreon Podcasts, I’ve been addicted to the Netflix series “Tiger King” and everything that has to do with Joe Exotic.

The series goes through the crazy life of what it’s like to own Big Cats and the cast of characters from the show is so wild it leaves you wanting more. I blew through the seven-part series in two days and it got me thinking, who are the best comparisons to these characters from the Islanders?

This article works better if you’ve seen the show already. I recommend watching it and then coming back to this as there will be some *spoilers* ahead.

Joe Exotic – Mathew Barzal

The main character of this series is the man, the myth, the legend, Joe Exotic. Right away we’re introduced to the blonde-mullet, fu manchu mustache wearing wild man. He’s the owner and operator of GW Zoo in Oklahoma and becomes the most lovable character.

The easy choice, based on looks would be Cal Clutterbuck when he has the mustache but I’m trying to go more for who fits the roles. Mat Barzal is the answer here. He’s the guy that everyone loves, a fashion icon, and sometimes he leaves you scratching your head saying what was he thinking.

Rick Kirkham – Barry Trotz

Rick is the producer of Joe Exotic TV, Joe Exotic’s internet show, while also filming his own documentary at the zoo. He’s an outsider, just taking in the chaos that is everyday life at GW Zoo.

The best example of someone coming in from the outside to save the day is Barry Trotz. Kirkham probably has a little bit more of an eye for content but like Kirkham, Barry is the reason for the success.

Kelci “Saff” Saffery – Johnny Boychuk

Saff is a grinder. She got her arm ripped off by a tiger and just five days after her amputation she was back to work. Earlier this year, Boychuk got a skate blade to the face and it took 90 stitches to close him up.

He was back skating way earlier than expected and was ready to go. Like Saff, Boychuk is a great teammate and someone you want on your team

Carole Baskin – Josh Bailey

Carole runs Big Cat Rescue and is Joe’s mortal enemy. She’s a huge hypocrite and everyone can’t stand her. Joe and many others want her out of the picture, so much so that there is a hitman put out on her.

Anyway, this one is more for the Isles Twitter sesspool who still can’t stand Bailey. A blonde that gets a lot of hate, seems like Carole Baskin to me.

Howard Baskin – Michael Dal Colle

Howard is Carole’s third husband (not the one who went mysteriously missing). He will do anything to make her happy, likely to avoid going “missing” like the second husband. Michael Dal Colle will do anything his coaches ask of him to avoid getting sent back to the minors. It’s a perfect fit.

John Finlay – Anthony Beauvillier

John Finlay is Joe’s first husband. They met when Finlay was 19 and he is easily Joe’s right-hand man. While Beauvillier and Barzal don’t play on a line together anymore they are still the closest on the team.

Doc Antle – Lou Lamoriello

Doc is another zoo owner in Myrtle Beach. He runs his zoo like a cult. There’s nearly a full episode dedicated to the crazy ways of Doc Antle and how he expects everything to be a certain way, including his women workers.

While cult is a stretch for Lamoriello, he does run a very tight ship.

Travis Maldonado – Noah Dobson

Travis is the youngin’ of the group. He marries Joe and first husband John when he was 19 years old. Noah Dobson made his NHL debut at 19 years old, and like Travis was introduced to his new family at a young age.

Don Lewis – Anders Lee

Don was Carole’s second husband, who went missing right as he was planning on divorcing Carole. Like Don, Anders Lee can go missing at times as he is a streaky goal scorer. Lee and Lewis both have a lot of money and didn’t really do anything wrong, they just tend to go MIA for extended period of times.

Jeff Lowe – John Tavares

There is no bigger snake than Jeff Lowe, do I really need to explain any further?

Allen Glover – Ross Johnston

Allen was GW Zoo’s handyman (hired by Jeff) who was paid $3,000 to kill Carole. He’s a big tough guy who is definitely intimidating. Ross Johnston, while likely would never get into a situation like that, is someone you definitely don’t want to mess with.

James Garretson – Andy Greene

James is most responsible for Joe’s arrest, as he became an informant for the FBI. Are sure Andy Greene wasn’t brought in here to report straight to the Feds (Lou Lamoriello)?

Joshua Dial – Brock Nelson

Joshua Dial was Joe’s campaign manager and an important part of the team, he was the brains behind the operation. Brock Nelson, like Joshua, is an integral part to the team, is a smart hockey player and someone who has witnessed some tragic things in his time with the Islanders.

Dillon Passage – JG Pageau

Joe marries Dillion two months after Travis’ tragic death. Dillion is the new kid on the block, so the newest Islander (JG Pageau) would be perfect for that role.

Erik Cowie – Adam Pelech

Erik was the head zookeeper at GW Zoo for a long time and was an extremely reliable piece. The zoo doesn’t run without Erik, kind of like how the Islanders defense doesn’t run without Adam Pelech.

John Reinke – Casey Cizikas

John is one of the managers of GW Zoo and one of Joe’s right-hand guys. Like John, Casey is a good, reliable teammate that is loyal to the end.

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If you haven’t watched the show yet, you absolutely must. It’s going viral right now and for good reason. Who knew the underground zoo scene had so much drama.