Stefen Rosner sat down with Tony DeAngelo following Monday's practice.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- There's no question that the New York Islanders signing of Tony DeAngelo was controversial.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and a portion of the fan base was up in arms, given DeAngelo's past, which included suspensions in the OHL and getting into an altercation with Alexander Georgiev after a game when he was with the New York Rangers.

Even his departure from the KHL, where he played 34 games with St. Petersburg, was highly scrutinized. 

DeAngelo is very active on social media, primarily "X," where he freely shares his beliefs about life and politics. He has not made a post since signing with the Islanders. 

After Monday's practice, DeAngelo's first as a member of the Blue & Orange after being thrown into the fire against the Carolina Hurricanes, on Saturday, I caught up with him.

The purpose of this DeAngelo interview was not to accuse him of things or put him in a losable situation. The purpose of the interview was to let him share a message to Islanders fans based on his reputation. 

Let's start with how DeAngelo got to Long Island. Yes, we know that Noah Dobson's injury left them clearly in need of a puck-moving defenseman and a power-play specialist.

But, the opportunity came after DeAngelo left the KHL, where there were rumors about him making comments towards his coach, chasing milestones, etc.

Per DeAngelo, the move back to North America and to Long Island was about being close to his family. He didn't want to discuss the personal matter.

"It's good to be home, but I'm not gonna talk too much about it," DeAngelo told The Hockey News. "It’s good to be back here, where anytime I need to be home, it's one flight away. Now it's a drive away."

DeAngelo was born and raised in Sewell, New Jersey, about a three-hour drive from the team's practice facility in East Meadow. 

How was his half-a-season stint in the KHL?

"The KHL guys treated me excellently.  I got nothing but good things to say about what happened over there,' DeAngelo said. "It was mutual, and they helped me out, and obviously, this worked out as well.

"The hockey is great. There's a lot of really, really good players, talented players," DeAngelo said. "Obviously, looking at one right next to me [Maxim Tsyplakov] that played there. Yeah, it's just great hockey."

Now, to the fanbase, the ones that were against the signing or the ones that are torn by it. Here's DeAngelo's message:

"They'll get to like me if they get to know me," DeAngelo said. "Reputation is a powerful thing. Sometimes, you get one that's not justified in your own opinion, but it is what it is, really. 

"So, I just gotta keep doing what I do, and then, if people like it, they like it. If they don't, there's nothing I can really do about it. I'm focused on what I can do with the guys in here, in the organization, and the most important thing is helping the team, and that’s what I’m here to do."

Nowadays, most NHL teams play fast hockey, and Patrick Roy's system certainly complements DeAngelo's strengths. 

How much did the system play a factor in DeAngelo's decision to come here?

“I didn't look too much into the style when I was picking. I just looked at the roster here," DeAngelo said. "I played against it for years. I know the team pretty well, and I think it's a team that I could help and I appreciated their interest in me. That made it pretty easy.”

The Islanders have gone up against DeAngelo at every stop, whether it was when he was with the Rangers, the Arizona Coyotes, the Philadelphia Flyers, or the Carolina Hurricanes. 

"I know a couple of guys, not super well, but well enough," DeAngelo said. I played with Duke in Arizona, and I and Duke got along real well there. So, it's nice to have some familiar faces. When you're around the league as long as I've been, it's almost like you know guys without knowing them. So everyone knows somebody."

DeAngelo will play in his second game with the Islanders on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM ET when they host the Colorado Avalanche looking for their fifth straight victory. This game is an ESPN+/Hulu exclusive. 

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