From Nassau Coliseum to national television, the Josh Bailey song gets airtime
Josh Bailey of the New York Islanders celebrates his second-period goal against the Penguins in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series at Nassau Coliseum on May 22, 2021. Credit: Jim McIsaac
PITTSBURGH – Josh Bailey is getting some national airplay. Or at least the song chanted to him by the Nassau Coliseum crowd is.
"Yeah, it’s fun to have that many people behind you supporting you," Bailey said on Monday at PPG Paints Arena before the Islanders faced the Penguins in Game 5 of their first-round series, which is tied 2-2. "It’s a good feeling. Then, for me, personally, to have my wife and kids at the game was pretty cool, too. The boys are pretty excited."
Long a staple at Islanders’ home games for the playmaking wing, the "Hey, Josh Bailey," chant came through loud and clear on NBC Sports’ broadcast of Saturday afternoon’s Game 4. The Islanders won, 4-1, with Bailey scoring the game’s first goal at 8:07 of the second period.
Bailey and his wife, Megan, have three children, two sons and a 14-month old daughter.
The Coliseum crowd serenaded Bailey several times during Game 4, including during a television timeout. That’s when coach Barry Trotz heard it, apparently for the first time since his concentration is obviously elsewhere during game play.
"I didn’t even know that Bails had a song," Trotz said on Sunday before the Islanders traveled to Pittsburgh. "They were singing that one. I didn’t even know he had one. So, I’ll have to get the lyrics and the music for it and make sure I’ve got it on my phone."
For the record, the lyrics are: "Hey, Josh Bailey [ooh, aah], I wanna know, will you score a goal?"
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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