New poll finds NY Islanders fans to be the second-least hostile in the NHL

The NY Islanders have grown a very passionate fanbase since their inception in 1972. In the early days, the Nassau Coliseum would be taken over by New York Rangers fans since the new expansion franchise had yet to establish itself. It never felt like a home game for the players dressed in blue and orange. New York had only knew one brand of hockey, and its location was Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

Fast forward to the late 1970s and the Isles were finally garnering an audience full of local Long Islanders. The team would go on to make the playoffs 14 out of 15 times between 1975 and 1990 including winning 4 Stanley Cup championships. By the end of this era, Nassau and Suffolk County residents had grown an emotional attachment to the Billy Smith-led Islanders. Ever since, the 'good guys' with Long Island drawn across their jerseys have grown among the most passionate fanbases in the tri-state area.

New poll finds Islanders fans to be the second-least hostile in the NHL

This takes us to the recent news from a poll that ranked Islanders fans the second least hostile out of all 32 NHL franchises. This result is pretty surreal considering we are the crowd known for chanting a certain expletive word that begins with an A at opposing players who play the game dirty. We are also the crowd that unloaded our frustrations at former captain John Tavares. We sing the chant, "I don't want to be a chicken, I don't want to be a duck, but do you know who really sucks? The Rangers suck!" Unfortunately, that song has not aged well in 2024.

On the flip side, we are the fanbase that can sing our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, word for word, beat for beat without a vocalist. We are the fans who hold United States flags across multiple sections as we sing along. We are the crowd that noticeably everyone stands and gives solitude to our highlighted military veteran of the game.

Islanders fans are not hostile, but we are certainly loud and passionate

Islanders fans also have playful fun with our favorite players. Josh Bailey is not best known for his play on the ice, but our rendition of "Hey Baby". We support our goaltenders by chanting "Ilya" and "Varly" loud enough for the whole island to hear. Our fans and players alike also stand and copy WWE's Daniel Bryan's 'YES YES YES' chant. 

During the Nassau Coliseum era, there was no louder building in the NHL. Hockey players from around the league were intimidated to play in front of our crowd because we made the Coliseum so electric. We even earned accolades from former WWE professional and current Knox County, Tennessee Mayor Glen "Kane" Jacobs, who loved to perform on Long Island.

In summary, it is rather shocking that we are ranked 31st considering how intimidating we make our home arena. In terms of 'hostility', we certainly are not violent in any way, just loud and passionate Long Islanders. In terms of patriotism, we are number one by a long shot. In terms of connection with our favorite players, we deserve at least consideration for a top NHL franchise. This poll is interesting, but hey, at least we are not the Rangers at number 3 right?