In this exclusive interview with The Hockey News, New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly discusses the New York Saints fiasco from the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the passionate fan base and more.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Mike Reilly just completed his sixth game as a member of the New York Islanders Saturday night following a 3-2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Since being acquired from the Florida Panthers on Nov. 26, the 30-year-old has impressed and is riding a three-game point streak with one goal and three assists into Monday night's matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He's been a welcome addition to the backend in the absence of Adam Pelech, Sebastian Aho, and now Ryan Pulock, using his mobility and transition skills to help the Islanders create offense.
Outside of knowing a few of the Islanders personally upon his arrival, Reilly was part of the Boston Bruins, who fell victim to the Islanders four games to two in the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Hockey News caught up with Reilly to discuss that playoff series and the New York Saints extravaganza, along with his thoughts on the Islanders faithful now that he's playing in front of them.
The New York Saint Fiasco
After the Islanders took a 3-2 series lead over the Boston Bruins back in 2021, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy wasn't too pleased with the officiating.
Backed by three power-play goals on four tries, the Islanders headed back to Uniondale with the chance to ship the Bruins back up to Boston following a 5-4 win on T.D. Garden ice.
“It's a very well-respected management and coach staff over there,” Cassidy said after Game 5. "But they sell a narrative over there that they’re the New York Saints rather than the New York Islanders.”
Cassidy had no idea what he had just done, as his words riled up already energized, rambunctious fan base.
"Yeah, it happened, and then the next day, I remember he got to the rink, and I'm pretty sure the news had just come out mid-morning," Reilly recalled. "We were at the rink, and then I remember the coach addressed it. I think he was saying, "I can't do that," and I'm not saying we didn't get a little chuckle out of it, but it started to blow up.
"We figured the fans here were gonna let us and the coach know as soon as we stepped on the ice, so yeah, we had a little bit of fun with that, for sure. It's just because it blew up on social media, and it was the talk of the playoffs for the day or two there a little bit.
"We were prepared that the fans were going to start coming down with it."
And that they did.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFygfKbTVeY[/embed]
The Islanders went on to win Game 6 by a score of 6-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals for a second straight postseason.
Reilly on Islanders New Home & Fan Base
Up until the Islanders game against the San Jose Sharks last Tuesday, Reilly only knew the Islanders fan base as the enemy. That didn't stop him from understanding just how passionate the Islanders faithful are, and he's enjoyed his first three games in front of them.
"Obviously, the old rink -- played there a couple of times -- was very historic and hosted a lot of great runs for a lot of the guys here and years back," Reilly said.
"The rink here [in Elmont] is amazing. Even the locker room setup...I've never seen anything like it. It's really impressive. I almost kind of got lost in there the first day. I had to get a little tour and stuff, but the fans are passionate here. I knew that before I came here just from playing against them."
The one thing that Reilly has been able to read through the boos, which echoed throughout UBS Arena in the 5-4 overtime loss to San Jose, is that there are expectations on Long Island.
"Some buddies on the team were talking about the fan base," Reilly said. "They're passionate, and the expectations are high. When there are high expectations, that's a good thing. That means people care.
"Fans care, and we care just as much as anybody, so yeah, definitely, a very passionate fan base, and they want us to do well, but that's part of the business and part of hockey. There's expectations for sure, and I don't think that's a bad thing at all."
Back during that playoff series, Reilly's routine was thrown off due to an Islanders tailgate.
"I remember, I was going into Game Six. I'm looking outside of my room, and there's like a school bus, a party bus, tailgating from...it might have been from 10 in the morning and on," Reilly said. "The music was just blaring, and I remember I couldn't nap that day because the music was so loud. I think I had earplugs and a sound machine, but it didn't work.
"It went right through, and then I remember the fire alarm went off."
Putting the Past in the Past?
Chirps and cheap shots are just part of the NHL game. Players usually brush those moments off, saying that it's nothing personal, and go on their merry way.
Islanders newcomer Robert Bortuzzo has a not-so-friendly past with a few Islanders players, and Reilly himself, in that playoff series, had some gritty battles with rivals-turned-teammates.
Is it easy to let things go?
"I think it's just a hockey play. I think there are maybe some guys around the league that do stuff time and time again [and are treated] differently, but at the end of the day, it's hockey."
Reilly's learned so far that the Islanders' room is a rather welcoming one.
It's bringing guys in just like they brought me in and welcoming you with open arms, and kind of made me feel comfortable for the first day.
"Regardless of who the guy is, they're gonna welcome him in, and that just shows the kind of the culture here."
Then Reilly brought up the playoff series against the Islanders.
"I remember even after that series in the summer when I was working out with Brock, and I'd see Anders [Lee] and Nick [Leddy]," Reilly said. "We joked around a little bit back and forth."
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny.