You might think that going from the Canadiens and playing in front of hockey-mad fans in Montreal to playing for the Islanders and their . . . somewhat lacking fan base would have thrown Mark Streit off a bit.
Not really.
“It wasn’t an adjustment coming from Montreal because I come from Switzerland,” Streit said. “There, we had no crowds, too.”
Fair enough.
The 30-year-old played most of his professional career in Switzerland until signing with Montreal in 2004, making his NHL debut a year later. So he still is more accustomed to how things were in his homeland.
That’s why, despite its well-documented flaws that have caused virtually everyone involved with the team and the league to call for a new or renovated arena, Streit may be the only person who actually enjoys playing at Nassau Coliseum.
“I like the atmosphere,” Streit said, with a straight face. “It’s old school. Even though the arena is kind of old, I always loved to play here when I was with Montreal. It has a lot of character and a lot of history.”
It was more difficult, in fact, for Streit to play for the Canadiens.
“It’s a hockey city,” Streit said of Montreal. “There’s only hockey, nothing else. It was a good experience, but it’s a tough market to play in. . . . But if you can play in Montreal, you can play anywhere.”
Including, evidently Long Island, where Streit has been consistently solid for his new team despite its early-season struggles.
“Here, it’s a little bit different,” Streit said. “There are so many other sports in the U.S., especially in New York.”
Streit said he believes better times are ahead.
“This franchise has won Stanley Cups before, and I’m sure as soon as we keep playing better and better hockey and climb up the standings, people will come back.”