Doug Weight weighs in on the passion brought by fans of the NY Islanders and NY Rangers

Doug Weight is considered one of the greatest American-born hockey players in NHL history. Drafted by the NY Rangers 34th overall in 1990, Weight played for six teams over his 19 seasons, with his final stop being Long Island. He then returned to the Islanders as an assistant coach under Jack Capuano, and spent one season as the team's head coach,

Weight, who spent more time with the Edmonton Oilers than any of his other five organizations, was unsure of the passion of the Islanders fan base but quickly found out. 

“I knew the Islanders had such a great backing because of the dynasties in the 80s,” Wright said on Daily Faceoff’s Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast. “I was always a fan of that team. You see a team win four straight, and the names that came through. But I didn’t realize the passion they have on the island and around as fans… they’re great fans. All the teams I played for, just great fans, I’m really lucky. The fans there, they’re different. It’s just amazing that you can have two fan bases (Islanders and Rangers) so different. The Rangers and the Islanders fan bases are completely different, both as crazy as the other one. It’s a completely different experience to play.”

Weight played three seasons on Long Island, two of those seasons as the 11th Captain in team history. 

The Islanders didn’t see any success during Weight’s tenure, as they were consistently among the league's bottom-dwellers, and had difficulties keeping the puck out of their net in his one season as bench boss.

But Weight’s analysis is spot on. Islanders and Rangers fans would probably agree that the two are nothing alike, but both convey passion as strongly as their cross-town rivals.