Picture this: It's December 6, 2014, the New York Islanders are 8-2-0 in their last ten games, including a month of November which saw them undefeated in six games on Long Island. I'm sitting in the cheap seats at the Coliseum with my dad.
It's the dying moments of the first intermission. Goals from Frans Nielsen, Ryan Strome, and Michael Grabner have staked the Isles to a 3-0 lead over today's opponents, the St. Louis Blues.
As the seconds tick off the clock counting down to the period, an announcement flashes through the old barn.