The Short Lived John Spano Era as Islanders Owner

[@chrisgarry22]

The 30for30 “Big Shot” was amazing. Glad for my Islanders to get some mentions on ESPN! Hopefully next time it’s under better circumstances

[@edalder2000]

Beat me to it! fantastic documentary.

[@CloydRoyal]

I've watched that documentary at least 5 times.

[@soonerfan4321]

It’s my favorite 30 for 30

[@samuelfrick3475]

Ditto That was a great documentary

[@Showthebill765]

Nice to meet another islanders fan

[@bigjohn08865]

Even Spano admitted himself that had his lawyer, the Islanders and the bank had ever gotten together and compared the notes the whole scheme would've unraveled a lot sooner than it did

[@McSomething15]

This is the kind of off-season content I'm here for.

[@oracle013]

These history videos are awesome! Thank you, THG!

[@danielkrall6501]

Let me tie this into the John Tavares Returns game. Everyone was shocked and appalled at the Islanders fans who packed the ol' barn that night for some much needed catharsis. That game wasn't just about John Tavares...it was about 25 years of getting completely shit on from top down, with pajama boy being the last straw. Being an Islanders fan honestly takes a lot of dedication because we've been run through such a ringer for the last 25 years that we're almost always on the verge of breaking. It started before Spano and it really didn't end until 2019.

[@SarahMaywalt]

I was at the US Hockey Hall of Fame a few months ago. I did ask the man at the front how he thought anyone could take the Hall seriously when Mike Milbury was an inductee.

[@frogger1952]

@@SarahMaywalt No way!!! Please don't tell me that idiot is in the US Hockey HOF!!

[@jasonbieber6431]

This is precisely why Isles fans were so angry at Tavares when he left for Toronto. We'd watched the team flounder in the 90s under terrible ownership and Milbury's even worse leadership, had to watch as Luongo, Salo, Bertuzzi, Chara, and others became superstars elsewhere, struggled to stay on Long Island, no one wanted to come to LI, and then the team starts to kinda/sorta/maybe be good with Tavares (and Barzal!) and then Tavares leaves and everyone thinks the Isles are back to the Spano era and it's time to make fun of the franchise. The past few years have fixed a lot of things, but the emotions are still extremely raw and I will only wish for NHL karma for Tavares.

[@frogger1952]

@@jasonbieber6431 So far JT hasn't even won a playoff series and he was supposed to be the "last piece" of the puzzle for Toronto.... and their window is closing rapidly. Their two goaltenders for next year are Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov. Not going anywhere with those two.

[@jasonbieber6431]

@@frogger1952 True, but the Isles could have kept both Tavares and Barzal,a nd had a legit chance to win the cup. And in the summer of 2018, the Isles were in a deep, dark hole after he moved on.

[@martynclough602]

I've watched the ESPN 30-for-30 on the story of John Spano. It's unbelievable how he managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes for as long as he did.

[@derekcabanaw1789]

It's even more amazing that if this went on as little as another week (or less) longer, he might have pulled this off.

[@OotoriKyouya]

I really enjoy these history lessons. I hope you make more in the future, THG. This is the kind of stuff is why I am subscribed to your channel

[@pyrielrising4338]

That Bettman kept his job is still mind boggling to this day...meanwhile Spano sits in prison for multiple counts of wire fraud and the Islanders are still recovering from the damage done. Someday they need to put up a statue of Charles Wang outside of UBS Arena because he saved the franchise.

[@NolanEgbert]

There is a very nice bronze plaque dedicated to him and his role in saving the franchise at UBS Arena. He wasn't the best owner, but he was dedicated to keeping the franchise on Long Island which wasn't something that many owners would've bothered to do given the circumstances he inherited

[@MrOctober44]

Wang wasn't a great owner. He was OK, but seemed like a Godsend after Pickett, the gang of four, Spano, and the Swine line. He gave Yashin and Dipi ridiculous contracts. He let Millbury stay around way to long. The whole Neil Smith situation was terrible as was immediately hiring Snow who had zero mgmt experience. They also might have had a new arena quicker but he insisted that an entire hub had to be built instead of a just an arena.

[@NolanEgbert]

@@MrOctober44 Totally agree he wasn't a great owner, but he was a necessary one. After all the nonsense of the previous ownerships, he at the very least provided some much needed stability

[@MrOctober44]

@@NolanEgbert Oh absolutely. As I said, compared to previous owners he was incredible. Everyone talks about Pickett or Spano, but people forget or don't realize how horrible Gluckstern and Millstein were as owners.

[@kramalerav]

If I want to see a statue of someone’s wang, I’ll go to Florence.

[@wildbill7756]

Came for the story, stayed for the comedy....literally cracking up with all the sarcasm

[@frogger1952]

As someone who lived through this entire incident and appeared briefly in the 30 for 30 documentary, everything Shannon says is correct. Permit me to add a couple of additional points: 1 - Spano grew up in Pittsburgh and was a huge Penguins fan his whole life. That's how he got to know Mario Lemieux and how he conned him out of $1M. 2 - Denis Potvin was offered Presidency of the Islanders, but on condition that he loan Spano $1M. Whether he didn't have $1M laying around or smelled a rat, Denis never gave him the money. 3 - Before Pickett "sold" the team to Spano, the Islanders were run by a group of 4 managers who had the title of owner, but had no real control over the team as Pickett set the budget. Of those 4 owners, also referred to as the "Gang of 4", 2 of them (Stephen Walsh, Paul Greenwood) went to prison. So if you add in Spano, Roy Boe, and Sanjay Kumar, the Islanders have had 5 owners who ended up behind bars. Wang should have been the 6th along with Kumar but the Feds couldn't prove anything. He was, however, forced by the SEC to repay a $600M bonus he paid himself and his own Board of Directors fired him.

[@elliemyers6435]

I have been re-watching the 30 for 30 recently, and all you said is dead on....Only small thing is that Spano actually grew up in Ohio, not Pittsburgh. He went to college in Pittsburgh, and maybe that's where he met Lemieux...It could've been there or during the time when he owned the Islanders and was rubbing elbows with other hockey elites

[@frogger1952]

@@elliemyers6435 Thx for the clarification ellie myers. I actually had dinner with Spano at an Italian restaurant in Westbury off OCR and I vaguely remember him telling me he grew up in Ohio, but I had put it out of mind. BTW - that was probably THE most uncomfortable 90 minute dinner I've ever had in my life. The guy had absolutely no personality whatsoever and sat there like a potted plant for the entire dinner. Looking back at it, he probably was afraid to reveal anything to me that might have tipped me off as to what a fraud he was.

[@frogger1952]

@@elliemyers6435 Yes, that's me. I was not the only person running STIC. Art Feeney and Steve Ellers were instrumental. MM says he physically threw me out of the Coliseum which is another one of his many self aggrandizing lies. The producers showed me the film before it aired and I asked them to take that out as that never happened. But they loved Milbury so whatever he said was accepted at face value. Mike and I are about the same age, height, and weight. There is no way he could have thrown me out of the Coliseum without physically assaulting me.... in which case I would have filed a complaint with the NCPD.

[@arseface2k934]

​@@frogger1952 do you know if Millbury has ever met a person that he didn't needlessly antagonize? I wasn't alive when he was with the islanders and history doesn't seem to provide a single positive thing he did there.

[@WarioSaysSo]

Those NY Islanders jerseys they had after the fisherman logo was removed was there BEST ever = the only jerseys I have ever liked from the Islanders, and I somewhat liked the "Fisherman" logo. The waves and the Lighthouse shoulder pathes looked GREAT. Like many have stated, the "Fisherman" logo could and still would work as a 3rd jersey for the Islanders as they are not bad, just not the official / 1# logo that represent the team. Because the Islanders jerseys are overall so freakin boring and have beside this period never caught my attention unlike most other teams in the NHL.

[@1bert719]

I've always preferred the darker blue Islanders uniforms, just seems to be meaner, that post fisherman was an interesting compromise. I never actually disliked a uniform until the Brooklyn Nets style came along.

[@jmld11]

The first year 95-96 was the fisherman jersey you wore yesterday. 96-97 they wore the white version of the jersey you have on as the “third “ for select home games. The fisherman was worn the rest of the time and for all road games. 97-98 they wore the jersey you have on for all games effectively eliminating the fisherman. 98-99 they went back to the original jersey design full time. The fisherman never to be heard from again.

[@TT-rt9vv]

The dodgeball reference had literally laughing out loud 😂😂😂💯

[@tmoore4075]

Figured this was coming after the last Isles video. The ESPN doc on this was very interesting and amazingly screwed up with how the NHL handled this.

[@tmoore4075]

@The Esquire of Sports ® Too bad Spano didn’t have any. lol

[@moonsofneptune5]

That carpet story is literally what Ricky does In trailer park boys!! Lmfao 😂😂

[@senorsoupe]

I think that sort of scam (not necessarily carpets) is a staple of any TV show about petty criminals lol

[@TheDevilsKnot]

If they don't win multiple consecutive cups in the 80s. Do the New York Islanders even exist today?

[@ssmith87]

I vaguely remember this as i was still in middle/high school at that time. 🤣😂”i don’t know he was in the parking lot and said he was a really good goaltender”🤣🤣

[@mercywilliams2698]

The owners who enable management incompetence..I wonder about that, too. Are there no analytics done on them..or is that an in-house job that nets you no objectivity..the situations in Philly and Vegas..it’s on the owners but one would think they would think more of their fanbases who are a weather vane…and pay their bills in some part..

[@vinceniederman]

@The Hockey Guy I’ve Read About This Story on Wikipedia!

[@sierramodre1]

Love your history videos Shannon; it is absolutely bonkers this happened… thank you sir!

[@Ohhelmno]

It’s funny, if he had just used the entirety of his net worth to make those payments he may have started generating enough revenue to keep the wool pulled over everyone’s eyes long enough to actually start making money as a franchise, although that’s doubtful given the shape they were in and the paychecks that were due. It’s funny that Gary Bettman survived this, it really goes to show how much NHL owners love this guy that he wasn’t immediately forced out because of the lack of due diligence on John Spano, and that theoretically any one of them could’ve been duped if they had been in the Islanders John Pickett situation. Most businesspeople I know, if someone had made that kind of decision and they knew it could’ve been them and their money at some point would’ve torn Gary Bettman apart and not let him near another decision like this again in his life. Again, just goes to show just how much the owners believe Gary has done for them.

[@InsignificantNick]

John Spano is the reincarnation of Eddie Livingstone, I never thought about it like that!

[@SRQBID]

The legend of Spano.... gather round, let me tell ye the tale of total batshittary

[@deepvoicegames5024]

It happen in 1989 with football club the great Manchester United. He agreed to buy them for 20 Million and went on the pitch in a united shirt before the game. waving at fans. but no one actually checked if he had the money. he didn't his name was Michael Knighton.

[@1bert719]

Luckily United have suffered no ownership woes since. 😉

[@dawnrivera600]

As a Islanders fan this was a dark cloud over us lol

[@nollieflipcrook]

John Spano stole $5 out of my piggybank when I was a kid

[@donaldpaluga]

Sure it wasn't Henry Gondorff?

[@soup5174]

Hey man I'm from Edmonton, and I love what you do man, been watching your content for about 2 years now. Everyday after work ill come home and throw on a THG video and catch up on what happened that day in the hockey universe, you and Dangle, you guys are great, the future of hockey entertainment/analysis. I would honestly like if instead of ron, cassy, bieksa. THG Steve Dangle, and the guys from bardown did the intermissions

[@therealDJG]

Dude was already worth $5 million. The textbook definition of greed.

[@filrut]

If you have Disney Plus, the ESPN doc on Spano is available. Well worth watching.

[@derekcabanaw1789]

The incredible thing is that if Spano gets the money from the CableVision deal, he likely has enough money to make the first $17 million down payment.

[@NolanEgbert]

Its interesting to think what would've happened if he had been able to make the payment and actually gone forward with all his team operation plans that summer of 1997 and whether it may have actually brought them back to relevance way sooner. Supposedly he wanted to offer sheet both Sakic and Forsberg to big deals that summer and force the Avs to pick which one they wanted to keep

[@csiborg4203]

Can you do a video on Jim Ballsilli?

[@Dratchev241]

i totally forgot about all this until the islander season video... man time sure passes quick.

[@larry309]

The milbury Era was a disaster

[@xDaviluv]

We were so excited for this guy only to have our hearts broken yet again.

[@Nud182]

Excellent vid 👍🏻

[@zeusthedrumlord547]

Relating to the carpet stealing story, I’ve always said you can get away with so much if you just look like you know what you’re doing lol. Just be confident and no one questions you.

[@cmanhatan4]

they did this on trailer park boys, taking furniture from offices. They said Jeff from Head Office cleared it and said they're getting new stuff.

[@weeds526]

Great example of when the attitude of "fake it til you make it" is a horrible idea

[@Malforian]

For players doing similar look up the story of Ali Dia at Liverpool FC, priceless

[@philipcoggins9512]

You had me at Norm Greene not wanting to work with him...

[@williamfryman4360]

You should’ve worn the Fishsticks logo version of the Montauk Lighthouse Jersey!

[@gordonmacdowell8117]

There's always been grifters who could charm banks/investors into financing them ridiculous amounts of money, while hard working people are treated like garbage by banks. People like Nelson Skalbania, who bought and sold a few hockey teams in his time. It's all about the gift of schmoozing and staying ahead of the creditors in a game of musical chairs.

[@mattblom3990]

I second Chris Garry - 30 for 30 "Big Shot" on Disneyplus is surreal and fascinating. Can't believe this situation ever happened!

[@mikeciuffo9981]

dude is just destroying the islanders past two days LOL

[@Christhegreatbro]

The 90”s Islanders are super fascinating though

[@mikeciuffo9981]

@@Christhegreatbro oh absolutely

[@xDaviluv]

How dare you

[@alexanderscavello6253]

I don't consider it "destroying" anything, just telling the facts.

[@donaldpaluga]

It's 6:30 PM ET......AND POTVIN STILL SUCKS

[@RRaquello]

Back in the days when you could buy an NHL team with a fax machine. The NHL is interesting because it's the only sport where more owners end up in jail than players, including Spano's successor Sanjay Kumar. Wang probably would have joined Kumar in the penitentiary, but was saved by the statute of limitations.

[@azisles02]

The sad part, this is the time frame that I became a die-hard Islander fan (was a passive one before then). I grew up 15 minutes from the Coliseum and even though I was 12 then, i knew the Coli was an outdated and obsolete arena then. If it rained, you needed to bring umbrellas IN THE ARENA. Add you mentioned with Wang, he did indeed bring stability to the Islanders. He was dedicated to keep the Islanders on the Island and I feel so bad that he passed before he could see UBS Arena (thankfully they have a memorial for him in the arena). Had he not been the owner, the Islanders would be in Kansas City for well over a decade at this point.

[@ff2x701]

Islanders need to stay away from people named John. The team really hasn't recovered from the reputation of the mid 90s. From trading Turgeon, to the 94 sweep, to Spano, to Milbury, to Snow. Its hard being a fan of this team.

[@justjohnny420]

Don't blame John's for mike milbury 😭

[@daledemanchuk7920]

yes that 30/30 documentary could be made into a whole movie!

[@jdeighan]

I highly suggest everyone watch the ESPN 30 for 30 on this

[@SarahMaywalt]

Alright, why are you doing this to us? First a retrospective on the "career" of DiPietro and now crawling through the post-Arbour 90s? I became an Islanders fan in 1993. I have endured enough torture.

[@TheBaggedcow]

Amazing video good jokes and great explanation

[@UncleAnaesthesia]

Hot take: I adored the Captain Highliner jerseys. Anyone remember when Travis Green smooched Ziggy Palffy?

[@wilseph1]

The Spano era was certainly not short on excitement.

[@nuck97]

9:45 So that's where the Oilers found Koskinen...

[@XaviRonaldo0]

As a truck ad-hoc courier I turn up to a place and say I have something to pick up. 98 times out of 100 they just take my word for it. Makes me wonder how easy it would be to do a carpet job.

[@garybass4029]

Very interesting video! 👍

[@literallywho4197]

Spano negotiated the Islanders TV deal--which lasted for 15-20 years.

[@sdeepj]

This is why it’s good for expansion teams should be good immediately. If it were not for the dynasty years, the Islanders would not have survived the late 1990’s. The dynasty years generated so much good will and support, they can whether this fiasco and make Bettman work to keep the team in NY

[@exeter1985]

Money? To buy an NHL Franchise? I don't need no stinking money...

[@cameronmccormick89]

We need the desk. We spoke to Jeff or Stan. Oh you spoke to Jeff? It's OK guys, Jeff said we're getting new stuff today.

[@joeb2151]

The only thing I enjoyed more than the video is your bit about Spano totally stealing that carpet. So good.

[@nicholasilluzzi1087]

"This is from a point in time for the Islanders where there was a lot of problems." Gotta be a bit more specific

[@Tykoon22]

That carpet scam you described is pretty much the same scam Ricky pulls in every episode of Trailer Park Boys.

[@mike.og13]

I don't want the fisherman back but the more I see it the more I think a reverse retro with that teal color and orange could really work

[@sweetmapleleafs]

Gary Bettman should have been ousted as commissioner after the Spano-Islanders scandal because he didnt learn anything after the Bruce McNall-Kings situation. If you look at both situations, they're basically the same thing, except McNall lasted 6yrs longer as owner of the Kings. Plus, McNall was the man who is responsible for getting Gary Bettman into the NHL as its first commish!

[@ImmortalfireTheMod]

Spano was certainly bold, but also nuts. What on earth possessed him to think he could buy a multi million dollar NHL organization, we may never know. 30 For 30 "Big Shot" was a great episode in telling this story.

[@billverge7822]

I just watched the 30 for 30 on this last weekend lol

[@Bla_Razor]

Did any heads roll from the NHL's side after that fiasco? I mean someone must've been responsible for checking the financial reports.

[@davidmurrell403]

JT Miller for Rasmus Andersson who says no? Flames get their star centre, Canucks get their star RHD for hughes, team rivalry *actually* goes beserk, Flames have younger and cheaper RHD to fill the void (and Tanev), Canucks get cap relief and a stronger dcore, Calgary stays competitive.... How attached is clagary? How big a role do they expect him to play? Probably bad asset management to pay career high for a career high but still.... How big of a deal is same-div trades? Cah'maaaan

[@yasnac7576]

I am still burned up over 1980.... Offsides!!

[@jahmanoog461]

I know a guy. He can manage the Yankees and the Rangers, and the Jets. He's good. Real good. Mackin' Boss Player.

[@klompsauce]

This is the guy the documentary was on right?

[@DavidPeveto]

Yeah, Big Shot. It's one of my favorite 30 for 30.

[@isaacwest276]

I also really liked these jerseys too, I really liked the Fisherman logo too, though I agree the original was better.

[@ExplodingHaggis]

Spano showed up with a clipboard and acted busy... and everyone believed him.

[@chrisnelson3046]

I wonder if he was going to try to sell the team as soon as getting handed ownership

[@GreenBayPayton]

Mike Milbury=Vince Vaughn 🤣🤣

[@leandroramos3041]

A video about Charles Wang is a given now

[@MrOctober44]

The Milstein/Gluckstern era was the worst

[@markko17]

Spano makes Bruce McNall look like "Mr. Dependable".

[@nollieflipcrook]

John Spano definitely stole those carpets

[@biffdanielson2820]

That jersey is 🔥

[@skiinggator]

Much prefer that jersey to the fisherman or their current 3rd jersey

[@andrewmeyer3423]

I loved Charles Wang at the time, as the alternative was moving to KC or who knows where….

[@JohnnyBuschi]

if Charles Wang used email he would've been in jail same as Kumar.

[@kramalerav]

*”I loved Charles’ wang at the time..”* Don’t ask, don’t tell? No judgements, sir.

[@christianokolski9701]

No reason to ever wonder why us Islanders fans are so disgruntled and jaded, haha. Never a dull moment with this team.

[@donaldpaluga]

NOBODY CARES ABOUT HOCKEY, BOOMAH!-Craig Carton

[@gregsaldi1292]

how close did the NHL come to just not making it as a league?

[@nintendofan50]

What’s amazing when all is said and done Spano probably wasn’t even the Worst owner in team history. He ends up securing that Cablevision deal that probably ended up keeping the Islanders on Long Island for so long. Frankly what the next set of owners in Gluckstern and Millstein did to the team itself may have been even worse. But Spano truly fits the phrase “Fake it till you make it.”

[@frogger1952]

You are 100% on the money, no pun intended. If he were able to convince Cablevision to front him the cable payments, he basically would have owned the Islanders for no money down!!!

[@donaldpaluga]

And The Old Barn would've been The Money Store!

[@rcl1955ca]

Ièd love to see one on Xavier Gutierrez. Down the road I suspect the stories will be quite similar.

[@joeroganreal]

Oh boy was I waiting for this. This is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to a professional sports team ever… and isles fans thought it was the best thing that ever happened to them when they first heard he was buying the team

[@JohnnyBuschi]

Almost like how Philly fans would feel if their team ever did something.

[@joeroganreal]

@@JohnnyBuschi Why are you salty? I’m not taking a shot at your team I’m taking a shot at the league. I know it’s a terrible legacy but did that really strike a nerve?

[@alexanderscavello6253]

I remember the "we want spano" chants in the late 90's at the coliseum LOL

[@UserName-ts3sp]

even worse then when the lightning were owned by the japanese mafia?

[@shanestanton8]

Were either of Spano’s prison sentences related to his dealings with the isles?

[@brianeleighton]

The first one was. That is why part of the sentence was he had to pay restitution to the Islanders, two Dallas area businesses and Mario Lemieux. You could argue the second time he got sentenced was heavily influenced by his actions with the Islanders. As THG said, he got the book thrown at him during the second sentencing. The crimes he did the second time would have probably gotten a much lighter sentence if he didn't have the Islanders in his past.

[@Friggle_Dee]

Remember this story way back when. Gotta respect the size of the con-job.

[@italianbadass656]

my family prides itself on being able to prove and provide evidence showing all spano’s are related…that being said i’m mortified to see how i’m related to him 😂😨

[@romancravic2103]

they need to move the islanders what a redundant team location. Move em to Quebec City or Hartford

[@Riffrippinroddy]

Unbelievable

[@davids.5903]

On the bright side we didn’t replace him with Bernie Madoff…??? 🤷‍♂️

[@donaldpaluga]

BRO!-Joe In Saddle River

[@samuelattias3702]

COOL!

[@SouthernSkeptic]

As an Isles fan, Spano actually was trying to do some good things even though he was a complete con man. And on the Fish Sticks jersey. The only Isles fans that want that doormat back are young fans that don't remember that year. Us old people remember how it felt to be a fan during that time.

[@cmanhatan4]

This is wrong. There are plenty of Islander who remember the Fish Sticks era and are just sick of being sad pathetic Islander fans crying about everything. By embracing the Fisherman you stop being a victim. I am a lifelong Islander fan born in 1986 and our fanbase constantly embarrasses me with the "woe is me" takes. Yes, no one remembers but people of a certain age. Kids don't have memories, only old people.

[@SouthernSkeptic]

@@cmanhatan4 Nah. That kogi represents a horrible time and most people who remember that logo don't like it. No matter what you say. And lol. You were 9 or 10 when that logo was released.

[@cmanhatan4]

@@SouthernSkeptic yes i was 9 or 10 i volunteered that information. Why is that lol? i remember being chanted at "fishsticks" "fishsticks" Rangers fans making fun of us at school while the Jets also went 1-15. I remember it all. Just because most people feel a certain way, doesn't make it good or right. No matter what you say.

[@SouthernSkeptic]

@@cmanhatan4 I didn't day it was good or right. I said it was fact that this is the way it is. I let you whine about uf its good or right. We know millennials love to whine.

[@samuelattias148]

Johnny Spano

[@somerandomidiot1333]

Agreed

[@samuelattias148]

John Spano

[@bigjohn08865]

The original Johnny Drama. #insidejoke Kevin Connolly of Entourage directed BIG SHOT

[@daydaviddunn]

Yeesss, Wong hishe

[@rookie999]

I hope you will make $5 million in your lifetime Hockey Guy.

[@christhornycroft3686]

And Canucks fans had problems with John McCaw. McCaw was fine compared to this guy. LOL.