Islanders games will have a radio broadcast with Alan Fuehring

The Islanders have a new plan for their radio coverage in 2025-26, headlined by a new play-by-play voice in Alan Fuehring, the team confirmed on Wednesday after Newsday reported the news earlier in the day.

Fuehring will call around 70 games on radio, usually working solo but with occasional guest analysts and celebrities. For the other 12 or so, when he is filling in on MSG Sportsnet for Brendan Burke, Fuehring’s TV call will be simulcast on radio outlets.

While Fuehring will call the Oct. 9 opener at Pittsburgh, he mostly will work remotely off monitors for road games other than those of nearby opponents, including the Rangers. Islanders radio announcers largely stopped traveling two seasons ago.

When the news broke in April that the Islanders had let go their longtime radio team of Chris King and Greg Picker, the expectation was they would fully simulcast MSG’s TV calls, a notion that widely was criticized in local hockey media circles, and among fans.

Now the simulcast idea mostly has been shelved, but King and Picker still are out of the mix. King had been part of the Islanders’ radio coverage since 1998 and Picker since 2013. Both declined to comment publicly on the news. The team said in a news release, “As the Islanders launch this next era, the team thanks Chris King and Greg Picker for their years of dedication and contributions to Islanders radio."

The team sees in Fuehring, 35, both a fresh and familiar personality who knows many Islanders players from his nine years as the play-by-play man for the team’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He has filled in for Burke on MSG since 2022.

Islanders games can be heard on WRHU (88.7 FM) and LI News Radio (103.9 FM), SiriusXM and apps for the Islanders, UBS Arena and NHL.

The Islanders plan to add other elements to radio broadcasts, including fan interaction.

In another new wrinkle, the Islanders plan to launch an alternate digital broadcast featuring former Islanders Cal Clutterbuck and Josh Bailey for select games.

When the Islanders are on national TV, the two will talk about games before, during and after, commenting on action as it happens. (Unlike ESPN’s “ManningCast,” the Islanders cannot show live action while Clutterbuck and Bailey are speaking.)

The Islanders are moving on several fronts to be more open and modern in reaching out to and involving fans — especially younger ones — including a team-produced “Hard Knocks” style behind-the-scenes series called “On the Island.”

The first episode included scenes from the Islanders draft room, something that would have been impossible to imagine under former team president Lou Lamoriello.

Part of the appeal of hiring general manager Mathieu Darche was his less restrictive polices compared to his predecessor.

When operating partner John Collins was asked about what attracted him to Darche during an introductory news conference, Collins said, “I think you’re seeing a lot of it right here. I think it’s the total package.”

Even though some games on radio will be television simulcasts, Fuehring will be a constant.

“No matter what game you’re tuning in on the radio, you’re always going to hear my voice,” Fuehring told Newsday. “We’ll have some different analysts in there as well.” The Islanders said Bailey will be among them.

Fuehring said he is used to working solo from his time in Bridgeport so he's comfortable with any format.

“We’ve got some different segments where we’re going to involve fans, too, so it should still be a pretty entertaining broadcast,” he said.

Fuehring said covering players he has known since their earliest pro days has allowed him to forge a connection with them.

“I've gotten to know these guys riding buses for seven hours at a time or just being around the rink with them for countless hours,” he said. “That helps me with background info. It helps me with storytelling during the game. There's also just the emotional attachment to their story.”

Regarding King and Picker, Fuehring said, “I owe a lot to both Chris and Greg. I've always considered Chris King to be a mentor to me, and he's a friend. For me, it's very humbling to follow in the footsteps of two all-time great broadcasters on Long Island.

“Chris King and Greg Picker cannot be replaced . . . I want to carry forward their spirit of integrity and passion with the broadcasts, and I'll always consider them to be the closest friends and closest mentors and just want to carry forward the legacy that they built.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.