Isles Buzz

Dan and former AHL reporter Bob Dittmeier reminisce about the Capital District Islanders, the New York Islanders’ upstate-based farm team from the early ‘90s and players like Graeme Townshend, Greg Parks, Jamie McLennan and more. Bob takes us through the Capital District Islanders' unique founding (that eerily mirrored its parent club's), and talks about some of the players he covered that would go on to be short time NHLers. From Townshend's intelligence and scary injury that inadvertently caused an entire other franchise to fold, to younger versions of Dean Chynoweth and Kevin Cheveldayoff being destined for coaching and management roles, we go around the locker room with the reporter that was there for the franchise's entire three year history. Along the way, they cover the birth of the River Rats, being locked out of an arena by burly security guards and a six-hour drive home with dedicated Dead Head and Capital District coach Butch Goring trying to get Bob to rent his house for the summer. Visit our frie