{"product_id":"we-want-fish-sticks-nicholas-hirshon-9781496206534","title":"We Want Fish Sticks: The Bizarre and Infamous Rebranding of the New York Islanders","description":"The NHL's New York Islanders were struggling. After winning four straight Stanley Cups in the early 1980s, the Islanders had suffered an embarrassing sweep by their geographic rivals, the New York Rangers, in the first round of the 1994 playoffs. Hoping for a new start, the Islanders swapped out their distinctive logo, which featured the letters \u003ci\u003eNY\u003c\/i\u003e and a map of Long Island, for a cartoon fisherman wearing a rain slicker and gripping a hockey stick. The new logo immediately drew comparisons to the mascot for Gorton's frozen seafood, and opposing fans taunted the team with chants of \"We want fish sticks!\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e During a rebranding process that lasted three torturous seasons, the Islanders unveiled a new mascot, new uniforms, new players, a new coach, and a new owner that were supposed to signal a return to championship glory. Instead, the team and its fans endured a twenty-eight-month span more humiliating than what most franchises witness over twenty-eight years. The Islanders thought they had traded for a star player to inaugurate the fisherman era, but he initially refused to report and sulked until the general manager banished him. Fans beat up the new mascot in the stands. The new coach shoved and spit at players. The Islanders were sold to a supposed billionaire who promised to buy elite players; he turned out to be a con artist and was sent to prison. \u003ci\u003eWe Want Fish Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e examines this era through period sources and interviews with the people who lived it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Nicholas Hirshon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1496206533\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496206534\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Nebraska Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/01\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/15\/2018 pg. 82","brand":"Nicholas Hirshon","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43985876910335,"sku":"9781496206534","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_a932a251-19db-4f04-b3ba-947b2bfbb61a.jpg?v=1683280068","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/we-want-fish-sticks-nicholas-hirshon-9781496206534","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}