Mike and Dan are joined by Pascal Morency and Blog Box veteran Tom Liodice to discuss the tough guy’s time with Bridgeport and one preseason game with the Islanders.
Pascal Morency has a well-traveled career in hockey, providing grit, scoring and community service to teams across Canada, the US and Europe. He spent three seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, then one of the tougher teams in the AHL. Although he only had one preseason game in a New York Islanders jersey, it was a memorable one,
with Morency coming to the aid of a fallen Kyle Okposo after he was laid out on a dirty hit by Calgary captain Dion Phanuef.
In the first half of the episode, we talk with Tom about the legendary Islanders Blog Box and what it was like covering the team as a fan in those early internet days. We then discuss Morency’s impact and our lasting impressions from the one game most will remember him playing for the organization. It was a dark time for the Islanders, and seeing one of their bright young stars get injured in a meaningless game made it just a little bit more painful. Players like Morency helped us feel that at least someone had our back.
Then in the second half, we’re joined by Morency himself, as he candidly recounts his time in Bridgeport, his fondness for those years and for the community he served so readily, his favorite teammates and some memorable fights. He talks about his continued closeless with another Sound Tigers soldier, Trevor Gillies, having to learn how to fight with one hand after one particularly gruesome injury and once tussling with a guy named Robin Big Snake. True story.
Thanks again to Pascal for joining us and sharing his great memories. And a huge thanks to Tom for not only being a great guest himself, but putting us in contact with Pascal. We also have a Weird Islanders Extra! bonus podcast with Tom where we discuss a photograph that’s a snapshot of what kind of team the Sound Tigers had in the late 2000’s.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL
- The Blog Box was a truly revolutionary idea that got the Islanders some decent attention for once. As usual, if another team had done this at the same time, the tone might have been slightly different.
- After bouncing around the minors, Morency signed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in October of 2007. He quickly established himself as a scoring option and a physical force on the ice and a leader in the community. He was named the team’s 2007 Man of the Year for his contributions.
- This fight against Chris Taylor is where he may have had Taylor’s tooth embedded in his hand.
- Brian Lee learns that battling a guy with one hand is sometimes not a good idea.
- And here’s the fight with – yes – Robin Big Snake of the Rockford Icehogs.
- Pascal had a bobblehead showcasing a famous pose after a fight!
- Then came “the incident.” In a 2009 preseason game in Calgary, Flames defenseman Dion Phanuef laid a high, open-ice hit on Islanders winger Kyle Okposo. Immediately, Morency – called up from Bridgeport for the game – jumped off the bench and went right at Phanuef.
- The usual arguments started up, with both Phanuef and Okposo getting blamed. Islanders fans didn’t see it that way. Okposo was stretchered off the ice but played in 80 games that season.
- Morency was suspended for five preseason games and five regular season games. He was regretful of the incident but not for playing the game as he always did.
- Morency’s final team before retirement was the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey league in England.
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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