Shortly before Thanksgiving, the Blackhawks were trending up, with a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games.
Robin Lehner, as he has been all season, was a crucial part of that surge. But he’d also somehow managed to keep one eye on the Islanders, who were on an incredible 15-0-1 run at the time.
“I’ve watched a bunch of their games,” Lehner said on Nov. 22. “It’s a great system and everyone’s bought in. I’m happy to see their success, because it’s a tremendous group and a lot of really good guys. They deserve everything they’re getting.”
Lehner’s 2018-19 season with the Isles — his lone year with the franchise — was a tremendous success on the ice.
But Lehner made even more impact with his openness about mental health struggles and substance abuse, his honestly about all things in life and his quirky yet infectious personality, which struck a chord with both his Islanders teammates and the team’s fanbase.
And so Lehner’s praise of the Islanders, even while now playing for another NHL team, blew up on Twitter, with Isles fans across the social media universe sharing stories of how their admiration of Lehner has lasted far beyond his actual tenure on the team.
“He will always be a forever Islander,” one fan replied.
And Lehner, to some extent, agrees.
“Islanders fans are very special,” he said Friday. “You can see it with the whole group, with the whole team. It’s a little bit more intimate relationship than with other teams, it feels like sometimes. They supported me from Day One, that’s the biggest thing.”
Lehner has had largely the same impact in Chicago, even just half a season into his tenure.
The same honesty and quirkiness has carved out a large niche for him in the locker room, made him an instant fan favorite and been backed up by his fantastic on-ice performances: with a .944 save percentage (and 3-0 record) in his last three starts, Lehner’s season average is back up to .925.
And his admitted appreciation of both his current and former team clearly isn’t compromising that performance. Lehner’s 38-save victory over the Islanders on Friday, in his first meeting since the summer move, was one of his best nights of the year.
That’s unlikely to burn any bridges with the Islanders, though.
“As a friend and teammate, you want the best thing for him,” Isles captain Anders Lee said. “Selfishly, we all wanted him back. But it’s great to see how well he’s done here and how well he’s made an impact...in the community here. I can see how well-accepted he is.”
Lehner has kept in touch with a number of Isles players; he tweeted at Lee, Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield with some lighthearted Christmas trash talk. Even stoic Isles coach Barry Trotz said he plans to text Lehner when he hits milestones as his career progresses.
While Lehner visibly had some words for Isles forward Ross Johnston after a second-period snow shower, he said postgame there wasn’t too much chirping on the ice.
“They’re gentlemen over there, they’re a professional team,” he said. “It was fun playing them.”
And both he and the Isles will always have the memories of their season together, just as he eventually will after his year(s) with the Hawks conclude.
“We learned a lot from him,” Lee said. “[We] saw how he was after he’d gone through a lot of things and how he’d risen out of that and how he performed on the ice. It was an all-around great year to be his teammate and be his friend.”
