Former NHL defenseman Ty Wishart calls in from an Australian beach to talk about his globe-spanning playing career and his 21 games with the Islanders in the eventful 2010-11 season.
Drafted 16th overall by the Sharks and traded to Tampa Bay in the deal for Dan Boyle, Ty Wishart got a quick education in the business of hockey. After a few years in a minors, he was traded again, this time to the Islanders for goalie Dwayne Roloson. Wishart joined what looked to be an up-and-coming squad, and what they
lacked in talent, they made up for in youthful energy. He scored his first NHL goal in a wild road game, and was scratched while his new teammates got into a legendary melee with a division rival before going back to the minors. But that was just the beginning of Ty Wishart’s incredible hockey career.
Ty tells us some great stories, from throwing up in exhaustion at the NHL Combine to sharing a locker room with guys like Zenon Konopka and Trevor Gillies to playing in Romania and elsewhere. A charity tournament first took him to Australia, where he now lives and plays for the Melbourne Mustangs of the Australian Ice Hockey League. He also served as the team’s Director of Hockey Operations during their 2023 championship season. At 37, he still plays for love of the game and still carries memories and mementos from his time as an Islander. And he tells us all of this from a sunny, beautiful beach down under that made Mike and Dan very jealous.
We can’t thank Ty enough for coming on and giving us so much. It took a while and required a lot of email back-and-forth, but it was worth it. To keep up with the Mustangs and the rest of the AIHL, you can check out their website or subscribe to AIHL TV. The 2026 season starts on April 17th.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL
- Before being involved in a notable trade for the Islanders, Ty Wishart was involved in a notable trade for the Sharks, one that saw fellow Weird Islander Brad Lukowich and spiritual Weird Islander Dan Boyle go from Tampa to San Jose.
- A few years later, the Lightning needed serious goalie help and they found it in 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson. On New Years Day, 2011, Garth Snow sent Roloson to Tampa for Wishart, straight up. Although that version of the team was a mess, the trade had a lot of elements that Dom dissected here. Wishart’s numbers at the end of the season were pretty solid.
- Wishart’s only NHL goal came in an amazing game we’ve talked about before, a wild 7-6 win in Buffalo in which Michael Grabner scored a hat trick and Al Montoya picked up the win.
- Wishart re-signed with the Islanders that offseason but only played one game for them in 2011-12. All told, he spent three seasons in Bridgeport, occasionally scoring goals like this:
- He was waived in 2013 and signed with the Schwenninger Wild Wings of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). It was also around this time that he visited Australia with Team Canada to play in the Douglas Webber Cup games against Team USA.
- After years traversing the globe playing hockey, Wishart decided to stay in Melbourne and make the AIHL his home. He’s been very successful there with the Mustangs, winning a Goodall Cup championship in 2023. All told, he’s played over 800 games in 10 countries.
- His journey to Australia has been told before. He’s a cool video from 2024 that shows what a day in his life is like:
- BONUS to the BONUSES: Here’s a snippet of the Coliseum Referendum rally featuring a live performance by the one-and-only Blue Öyster Cult:
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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