The Islanders are trolling their fans to the max with the Fisherman

new york islanders

It didn’t take long for the Islanders to get in on all the fun of how much they missed the mark on their Reverse Retro jerseys.

One day after the team decided to go conservative on their new threads, they pulled the ultimate troll job by releasing brand new Fisherman merchandise to be sold at the team store.

The items, in a collaboration with Herschel Supply, included a nap sack, trucker hat, beanie, short sleeve and long sleeve shirt.

Fans immediately took to social media to voice their disgust and admiration for the team to do what they did.

Many were hoping the organization would go with their infamous look as the choice for their retro getups. Several news outlets including The Athletic, ESPN, and The Sporting News all took umbrage that the team didn’t embrace their worst logo and uniform from their history as it plays well into what the league-wide program was intended to be all about.

Obviously general manager Lou Lamoriello didn’t feel the same way as the Isles went the way of paying homage to the 1980 regalia that marked the beginning of the dynasty years.

Still, the fact the club obliged to the needling of the fans who wanted the Fisherman, only for it not to be worn as a jersey, made for a good chuckle.

The Islanders’ marketing department saw a moment to pounce and they seized it. To take a phrase from AEW Wrestling, “Have to give the people what they want”, right?

And I’ll admit — the Fisherman is a big seller. What’s old is new again in 2020. Even Stan Fischler, who people believe was the inspiration of the logo — it looks like him — still gets a kick out of seeing it. There’s no denying that. But it’s still a look many hold in a dark place in their heart.

The Isles aren’t the kind of organization to joke about things anymore. That in large part comes from the button-up style brought about by the general manager and their head coach. But for once they decided to get in on the festivities and pulled of a great troll job.

Well played Islanders. Well played.

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A few other Isles notes:

-Fantastic interview by Arthur Staple with Rick DiPietro.

DiPietro opened up on a ton of topics, and some were more fascinating than others.

Talking about his relationship with former g.m. Mike Milbury and saying the two went at it was fun to read, especially with how much the fans condemn his time with the organization.

His relationship with late former owner Charles Wang and how he tried to sell free agents on coming to the Islanders showed how much he felt the franchise was close to attaining success.

DP having to think back to how his career derailed also was enlightening. We all know what could have been had he stayed healthy, but for him to go in-depth about it showed just how much a toll it took on him.

The former goalie also saying he’d like to be a part of the alumni stuff is not surprising. With how strong the bond has become between the franchise and its former players — ownership has played an instrumental role in that — DiPietro should absolutely be a part of those occasions. Guy was a part of the Islanders family for 13 years.

Last, great to hear his opinion on Ilya Sorokin. DiPietro was once in Sorokin’s shoes as the supposed long-term answer in net, and for him to say “He’s the real deal” and it’s perfect timing with how a Barry Trotz team plays, should have Isles fans feeling even more giddy.