Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Roberto Luongo and Kevin Weekes (with guest Sean Cuthbert)
Once again, all roads lead back to Rick... Joined by Hockey Night in New York host Sean Cuthbert, Mike and Dan talk about the goalie tandem of the future that wasn’t, and the mad weekend that changed the Islanders forever.
Roberto Luongo needs no preamble at this point. He was one of the most outstanding goalies of his era and a rock for two franchises — neither of which was the one that drafted him. Kevin Weekes was no slouch either, playing solid backup minutes for a number of teams. But neither could overcome the itchy trigger finger of the general manager who acquired and then traded them away in order to take the real goalie of his dreams first overall.
Sean’s a pro at this whole podcasting thing and they waste no time in diving into the insanity of June 24, 2000. They run down the “terrible dominoes of decisions,” the “Sliding Doors” moments and the brain-breaking what-could-have-beens that categorized an entire era of Islanders hockey. The pace is as fast and furious as the trades were.
Thanks again to Sean for coming on. He’s been in the broadcasting business even longer than we have and no matter who’s with him, Hockey Night in New York is always packed with high quality Islanders discussion. Watch the show live or on demand on Twitch or on YouTube. And follow Sean at @seanyhockey and the show at @hockeynightny on Twitter.
Note: Weird Islanders: The Podcast! will return to its normal biweekly schedule next week.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL!
There’s so, so, so much from that era whirlwind. Here’s the New York Times, and ESPN, and CBC on the whole flurry.
Luongo, as we would find out later, had a good sense of humo(u)r about the whole thing.
Meanwhile, Weekes had a wild ride to the Islanders from Vancouver. Sounds like his Canucks experience was a clash of personalities.
His trade to Tampa Bay from the Islanders came outta nowhere.
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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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Theme song: “Knuckles” by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.
Drum sfx via Zapsplat.com....
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