Cole Bardreau of the New York Islanders in a preseason game at Madison Square Garden on September 24, 2019. Photo Credit: Steven Ryan
Cole Bardreau watched the time waste away at JFK Airport. The Islanders' newest call up was wearing a borrowed blazer over his sweatpants and had already missed his first flight after taking a car service to Queens from Bridgeport. The next stop had him going to Columbus, Ohio, to meet the big club, and he managed to get there about a half-hour before warm-ups.
Bardreau had waited years for this moment – a lifetime, really, when you consider the neck injury that nearly cost him his career seven years ago.