Islanders resurrect the fisherman for final season in Nassau
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As part of their final season before moving to Brooklyn, the New York Islanders will resurrect a widely reviled symbol from their past.
Neil Best, Newsday, reported the following information on Monday night:
Ahead this winter: a night in which, during warm-ups, players will wear a modernized version of the notorious "fisherman" logo that debuted in 1995, after which the jerseys will be auctioned off for charity.
Those jerseys already are available for purchase by fans.
Um, shouldn't the Islanders be trying to forget that logo?
"It's part of our history," [senior marketing manager Eileen] Mathews said. "I saw probably five to 10 people in Brooklyn wearing that jersey. I think it's gotten a cult following."
She said younger fans particularly seem to like it. That presumably is because they don't remember the first time around.
Five to 10 people is a reason to bring it back? Not that I'm complaining. I was 11 when the "fish sticks" jersey came out and therefore loved it — finding the old jersey to be stale and boring.
I've developed better taste over the years, of course, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited to see this happen — and at least it won't be used in a game.
The pre-game warm-up is a good time to showcase a stunt jersey like this. Wearing it in an actual games makes it a much bigger deal than it should be.
I'm also curious about the "modernized version" of the logo Best mentioned. How exactly will it be modernized? It's only 20 years old. And why not just go with the original logo unedited?
Another thing. He says the jersey is already available for purchase. Does that mean it's available now in the team store? Can any Long Island residents out there confirm that for us?
While we wait for more details, I'm eager to see how the Islanders market this event. Should be an interesting year on the island.
By the way, the story of how the original logo was returned to the jersey is readily available on the Isles' website. I highly recommend reading it.
So what do you think of this news? Excited? Scared?
UPDATE · Oct 7 · Check this out.
UPDATE · Oct 8 · If you're still wondering about the "already available for purchase" comment, I have some news to share from Brian Erni. He writes:
Weird little wrinkle to the Isles fisherman story. Neil Best's article said the "jersey was already available for purchase by fans" but I emailed the NVMC Team Store. Here's their response below.
"We are not selling the fisherman jersey. The team is just wearing the jersey during warm-ups for selected game(s)."
Maybe just an error on Newsday's part, but who knows. Also, I find "selected game(s)" interesting. Could be more than one.
Something to keep an eye on. I'd be surprised if a warm-up jersey were put on sale to the general public. If you want one, you'll probably have to bid in the auction.