“Islander goal!” (hockey catchphrase)

American sportscaster John Sterling did radio broadcasts of New York Islanders hockey games on WMCA from 1975-1978. Sterling is best known for being the New York Yankees’ radio play-by-play announcer, but he developed a catchphrase during his brief time with the Islanders.
 
When an opposing team scored, Sterling uttered a short, “Goal.” When the Islanders scored, Sterling made it into a big production:
 
“Goal. Islander goal! ISLANDER GOAL!”
 
Although many hockey fans—even Islander fans—thought the catchphrase was obnoxious, it was memorable nevertheless and is still frequently recalled when the Islanders score.
 
 
Wikipedia: John Sterling (sportscaster)
John Sterling (born John Sloss; July 4, 1938) is an American sportscaster best known as the radio play-by-play announcer of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees. He has announced every Yankees game since 1989.
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Sterling came to New York broadcasting as a talk show host with WMCA in 1971. He later served as the radio voice for the WHA’s New York Raiders, the WFL’s New York Stars, the NHL’s New York Islanders (where he was paired with Bob Lawrence), and the ABA/NBA’s New York/New Jersey Nets (where he was paired mainly with Mike DeTomasso). Sterling also did a stretch with the Yankees as pre-game host on WMCA and WINS radio, as well as co-host on cable segments with Mel Allen.
 
From 1975 through 1980, Sterling announced Nets and Islanders games for WMCA, WVNJ, WOR-TV, and SportsChannel New York, continuing his WMCA talk program until 1978.
       
Google Groups: rec.sport.baseball
John Sterling: Baseball’s worst announcer on its best team?
Joe Negron
10/19/01
Hey, I had to listen to him during the Islanders’ glory years.  When the Islanders scored it was “GOAL!  ISLANDER GOAL!  ISLANDER GOAL!  ISLANDER GOAL!”  very loud and obnoxiously.  When the opposition scored it was a quick “goal!”. It got on my nerves pretty quick, even though I was young and not quite as crabby as I now am.  😊
 
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Irritating Catchphrases    
Boodikka1
9/4/02
hunthurst wrote:
>My vote goes to the radio guy who says “Yankees win! THEEEEEE Yankees win!”
 
That would have to be all-around jackass John “The Shrill Master Shill” Sterling, I believe. I remember years ago when he was doing Islander games on WMCA. He would scream “GOAL! ISLANDER GOAL! ISLANDER GOAL!” every time they scored.  I was an Islander fan and he used to make me want to smash the radio.
     
Frum Forum
John Sterling: The Adolescent Radio Announcer
October 15th, 2011 at 2:02 am ALAN HIRSCH
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It’s impossible to capture the obnoxiousness of all this in print, just as it’s impossible to capture the obnoxiousness of him as announcer of Nets and Islander games. He treated every goal by the Islanders as if the team had discovered a cure for cancer, bellowing, “GOAL, ISLANDER GOAL, ISLANDER GOAL!!!”
 
Twitter
Al Cavagnet
‏@alcav54
Always remember before “It is high, it is far, it is gone” it was “Goal, Islander Goal, Islander Goal!!!!!!”
#Isles
12:02 PM - 10 Jan 2015
 
Twitter 
Marc Berman
‏@NYPost_Berman
Before there was WFAN, there was John Sterling’s WMCA talk show, “Islander goal!” & Bullseye calling #Nets. Sterling is FAN co-host today.
9:54 AM - 23 Feb 2015
Plainedge, NY
 
Twitter
Mike Santos
‏@mikesantos731
@cc660 how bout digging up an old John sterling islander goal radio call. He was wacky way back then too
6:45 AM - 20 Apr 2015
 
Twitter
John Bradshaw
‏@JBLuvsCeltic
@blueshirts_ny @MacTrucked John Sterling was the voice of the NYI in the 70’s. I remember his “ISLANDER GOAL-ISLANDER GOAL-ISLANDER GOAL!”
9:53 AM - 14 May 2015