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Weird Islanders: The Podcast! – Episode 81 – Rob Davison (with guest John Cullen)

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Along with comedian, podcaster and new author John Cullen, we remember Rob Davison, who had one major moment against a marquee opponent in his very short stint on Long Island.

Like a lot of defensive defensemen, Rob Davison was not a player most people would remember. His job was preventing goals, not scoring them, for a very good San Jose Sharks team in the early 2000’s. When he was dealt to the Islanders at the tail end of the 2007-08 season, it barely registered with the fanbase and was more about filling a giant injury hole than anything else. He arrived late to his first game and would eventually leave the team after that playoff-free season.

BUT! In those 19-games, Rob Davison – of all people – scored a goal so crazy, so unbelievable, so memorable that we’re still talking about it 25 years later. In an otherwise pointless game at Nassau Coliseum between two teams going nowhere, Davison launched the puck 190-feet down the ice and ended up with one of the most ludicrous shorthanded goals in NHL history, forever tying him to former Sharks teammate Vesa Toskala in a moment of infamy no one who watched it will ever forget.

Instead of finding a Sharks fan to talk about Davison, we asked John – a fan of the hated Maple Leafs – to talk about that game, that goal and Toskala’s legacy in Toronto. Ironically, we all find a degree of sympathy for the goalie who faced an impossible play and whiffed on it the way just about anyone would have. We talk about his reaction to his friend Davison scoring a goal like that on him, and about how trading Davison helped the Sharks draft an upgrade, who has a goofy connection to the Islanders decades later. We also enjoy a rarely remembered fact about that famous game (that the Islanders still lost).

We can’t thank John enough for coming on. He’s a very busy man between his many podcasts, his new book – Curling Rocks! – being out (and recording its audio version) and his work for CBC covering curling at the Olympics. Check out his shows Broomgate, A Curling Scandal, What is…? A Jeopardy! Podcast (with Emily Heller), The POD Kast (with Bryan Quinby) and Blocked Party (with Stefen Heck).

A Weird Islanders Extra! bonus episode with us and John discussing the Islanders/Leafs/Tavares thing was released back in January.

WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL

  • After 176 mostly-quiet games and one Western Conference with the San Jose Sharks, Davison was traded to the Islanders for a seventh round pick that, ironically, turned into Jason Demers, another defenseman who played 200-plus games with the Sharks and an astute observer of the game.
  • On that same day, Garth Snow traded Chris Simon to Minnesota and Marc-Andre Bergeron to Anaheim. Replacing Bergeron with Davison is like replacing a fresh, sweet, juicy apple with an onion (in a complimentary way).
  • This man scored three (3) goals in his NHL career and this, from March 18, 2008, was by far the most memorable one (the Islanders lost 3-1). This was also the final NHL goal of Davison’s career.
  • That bouncing goal on Vesa Toskala of the Maple Leafs continues to be a core memory for those who saw it. Toskala and Davison were once teammates on the Sharks and, according to Davison, Toskala told him afterwards, ‘“If one guy was going to do it – I am glad it was you.”
  • Davison went on to have short stints with the Canucks (23 games) and Devils (1 game), and two seasons in Europe playing in Austria and Czechia. During his even more brief time with the Devils, Davison fought Islanders Micheal Haley and Matt Martin… in the samepreseason game!
  • He signed a deal to return to the Sharks in 2013 but spent the season in the AHL with Worcester.
  • Since retiring, he’s had an extensive coaching career, winning a Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies and back-to-back championships with Salzberg in Austria. He’s currently an associate coach with the OHL’s Guelph Storm.

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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