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Weird Islanders: The Podcast! – Marc-Andre Bergeron (with guest Isles Den)

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There’s a reason every time wanted to trade for this guy every trade deadline.

Joined by Islanders commenter (and new podcaster) Isles Den, we remember Marc-Andre Bergeron, a surprisingly important short-time player for a number of NHL teams.

Anyone who watched Bergeron play, either before or after his season-plus stint on Long Island, will no doubt immediately picture a very small man skating up and down the ice scoring power play goals at the mere mention of his name. But there was a reason he was so sought after to the point that he became something of a human internet meme – he was really good on the power play. And if you were a playoff hopeful – as the Islanders surprisingly were in the spring of 2007 – he could be the perfect addition to your lineup (until he was eventually traded someplace else).

We talk with Isles Den about how Bergeron was integral to his attachment to the Islanders as a young fan, his unique and energetic style of play and the joy we all felt when he just kept popping up on random teams for years to come.

Thanks again to Isles Den for coming on. Be sure to follow him on Twitter and listen to his podcast Isles House.

WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL!

  • Edmonton fans may (unfortunately) remember Bergeron best for being the guy who took Dwayne Roloson out of their Cup final run in 2006.
  • The Oilers were excited to get the 23-year-old Dennis Grebeshkov in a deal for Bergeron, according to this Hockey News article. I know I wasn’t exactly broken up about losing him…
  • I wrote about the MAB (and Michael Leboff) experience for our Islander of the Day series.
  • Not only does this IslesDen video feature some classic MAB moments, but it ALSO features some extra classic Pierre McGuire analysis.
  • For a little guy, he was able to deliver some big hip checks, like this one on Brendan Morrow. Must have been that low center of gravity.
  • More MAB-era fun: versus the Leafs and (in a really grainy video) against the Flyers.
  • We needed to include the infamous CBC video of Ryan Smyth’s arrival on Long Island, that featured a quick Bergeron cameo appearance:

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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