Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Chris Simon (with guest Eric Needell)

2 years ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

A can of worms that keeps on giving. Mike and Dan are joined by friend and longtime Islanders fan Eric Needell to talk about Chris Simon, a tough guy who packed a lot into his short time on Long Island.
After a big trade, one Stanley Cup and about a million fights, Simon signed with the Islanders thanks to coach Ted Nolan, with whom he shared a special relationship. Although his big penalty minute (and outlier scoring) seasons were behind him, Simon made himself into a valuable player on a team loaded with mercenaries.
But two long, shameful suspensions within a few months of each other brought his NHL career to an unceremonious close, and he faced many difficulties in his off-ice life. The guys talk about the rare highlights and sobering lowlights of a player who meant a lot to Islanders fans for a very brief period of time.
Eric also tells his tale of getting to ask GM Garth Snow just how Chris Simon, of all people, ended up as a top line winger. The answer will not shock you.
Thanks again to Eric for coming on. He probably has many, many more Leboff stories to share.

WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL!
Hope you like fights and suspendable offenses. Because that’s mostly what you get when you search for Chris Simon on YouTube. Here’s a row with Todd Fedoruk:

and one with Mark Fraser:

Suspension No. 1: The Ryan Hollweg Incident:

Suspension No. 2: The Jarkko Ruutu Incident:

But he did have a big two goal performance in a wild game against the Penguins:


On his 2017 bankruptcy hearings.
and a short catch-up article with a wholesome picture at the top.



What makes a “Weird Islander?”
We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:

Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.


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