Way back on April 9, Jim and I posted a debate on whether the Islanders should fire Ted Nolan, 'cause it was obvious to us that this was a marriage that wasn't going to last.
We got killed on the blog for sticking our noses in, mostly because hockey fans think their sport is some kind of sacred holy ground that only true believers (ie face painters) are allowed to comment on.
Yo, that's one of the reasons your sport is No. 5 or 6 or whatever on the U.S. depth chart. It's a sport, not a cult.
Islanders fans, I feel your pain today. This Mickey Mouse organization once again has proven it has noooooooo clue. Nice timing on the firing...after all of the good available coaches have been snapped up.
Here are highlights of the April 9 debate:
ANTHONY:
Fire Ted Nolan? Ridiculous. Give him an extension and thank him for putting up with this situation in the first place.
JIM:
The coach's status will be a cloud that hovers over the team all through next season. They don't need that, especially if they're going to be relying on their youth more and more.
Jim wins. And Islanders fans lose -- again. Pathetic.
Comments (25)
Until the Lighthouse project gets the OK from Nassau County, no top notch free agent is going to want to play in the Coliseum. The Isles are being forced to go with youth and if Nolan does not want to let he kids play, then he had to go.
Anthony, with all due respect - and I mean with all due respect ...you're a b!tch and shouldn't be talking about a man's game at all ...
Why do you 2 continuously use inflammatory language under the guise of making a point? This is why this blog ticks some people off - you guys seem to constantly avoid doing the work and never add any shred of objective analysis, especially to sports that are admittedly not your forte.
This, to me, was a simple business decision. The organization decided to go in a certain direction, and for once in seemingly forever there's an actual, tangible plan. Ted Nolan, despite being a fantastic coach and someone I deeply admire, did not want to go that way. Basic business rules apply: If I'm the boss, and you don't want to play on my team, you can go play on someone else's team.
You guys, however, decided to call it "Pathetic," another move from a "Mickey Mouse Organization," and claiming Islander fans lose. Wouldn't we lose a lot more if Nolan stayed on, the feud escalated to a fever pitch, and by the time he was fired the prospects lost another half season in development?
I'm all for debating whether or not this was the right move in an intellectual and civil manner. Please stop with the deliberately inflammatory language - I hope you guys are better than that.
QUOTE:
"Snow said he felt the team was underachieving while Nolan countered that he lacked adequate personnel."
I’m not sure I buy the “underachieving” bit. Exactly what kind of team did Snow think he built?
Way to build consistency…2 coaches in 3 years. Fantastic.
And great job by Garth signing the whole team (with the exception of DiPietro) to 1 or 2 year deals.
Slogan: NY Islanders Hockey- Every other year you get a brand new team!
Until you two opened your mouths and posted on this, I felt this was a bad move by the Isles. Now I see it was the best move for them to make. Nolan didn't want to coach a team of young unproven kids, he wanted a team filled up with vets. Hard choice, but the right one, if this team is on a youth movement building up from the minors.
BTW, which good available coaches have been snapped up recently? Melrose??? You two really are stupid, no wonder they make you two write on a blog people rarely read instead of writing with the grownups.
"Yo, that's one of the reasons your sport is No. 5 or 6 or whatever on the U.S. depth chart. It's a sport, not a cult."
That's the type of grammar that keeps you buried on a worthless blog, making $500 a week instead of writing articles like real writers.
If the GM and coach are not on the same page, a change has to be made - regardless of who is right or wrong. I just wonder who will come in to coach the team. I don't want to see any retreads from past Islanders teams - no offense Butch and Lorne. I'm also concerned that Mad Mike might be waiting in the wings. I doubt Snow would hire him because Mike might come in and try to pull the GM from him. Very unlikely. I wouldn't mind seeing John Tortorella come in. His fiery attitude might be just what is needed. I wouldn't be surprised either, considering how the Islanders seem obsessed with bringing in players from the US, and from the MA area specifically.
It's never dull in Islanders Country - at least not off the ice.
I can't believe they just fired the best coach since Al Arbour...how do you let a backup goalie make a decision like this? It is clear to me now that Charles Wang has no clue what he is doing. Not that there are many of us left, but you have just alienated what remaining fans the Isles have left...
This is the last straw for ISLES fans. I am disgusted by what has happened to this franchise. New bad uniforms, trading away great prospects over the years, and total mismanagement.
This organization is dead.
Kudos to Phil and Mark for telling it like it is...This organization is the laughing stock of the league. Garth Snow has no business being a general manager for any team, let alone the islanders. What experience does he have? NONE!!!! On top of that, they let go of Neil Smith who has a proven track record. Charles Wang has no business running this team like Computer Associates. Sorry Wang, this is hockey which you know nothing about. Just give the budget for the team and shut your trap. This whole committee management B.S. does not work in the NHL. Shall we look at how those teams who won the cup never had a management committee? I hope all season ticket holders get their refunds. You know I will be chanting for GARTH to go on opening night. Go play in the Russian league!!!!
Guys, if Neil Smith is such a wonderful GM, how come he's only held the title for 41 days out of the last 8 years?
Why hasn't anyone hired him since he left here?
I know it's hard, but let's try to remember this isn't Milbury anymore, and decisions actually happen for a reason now. You can disagree with the reason, but to actually say the team is finished based on this move is unbelievably short-sighted and "pathetic" (though not in the same way as our esteemed authors, here).
Also, Mike, want to clarify something about the Lighthouse. The County has approved it, but the land isn't zoned for the type of development they want. The Town of Hempstead needs to approve the re-zoning, and then the project will be built.
This is the arcane system of LI Politics and local fiefdoms:
County owns the land and approves the Lighthouse
Town must now re-zone
Goes back to County for the lease
Shovels in the ground
Also, it's interesting how this Islanders post is garnering so many more comments than the usual postings here. Not bad for a "Mickey Mouse Organization" with no fans left.
I find it hard to believe that the Isles will bring in Hartley or any other top notch coach that won't have much say as to personnel decisions and has to play mediocre level youngsters. Nolan's problem was that he didn't have talent and asked for it. The Isles responded by getting dinosaur players like Doug Weight. Looks like another long year, but cheer up fans, the Isles might be coming to your town with a free movie, the ice girls and players from 25 years ago.
The 'Wang and Snow Amateur Show' is now playing at a mausoleum near you! For someone who, admittedly, has no hockey knowledge, Wang is proving to be much more of a hands-on owner than is helpful. Wang better convince Bruce Ratner to move the Nets to Nassau instead of Brooklyn, or you can kiss this franchise goodbye. Without that extra leverage, I don't see Wang getting his Lighthouse Project off the ground. He'll look to cut his losses by moving the team. The NHL will be fine with it: the Rangers are Devils aren't going anywhere and two teams in the Metro area is enough.
Way back on April 9 when you posted your debate, contrary to what you now claim, it was NOT obvious that the marriage between Ted and Garth wouldn't last. Perhaps it was obvious to you, but you hardly made it obvious to the readers of your newspaper by including information regarding the coach-GM relationship that apparently you knew about, yet decided not to share.
The "obvious" only actually became obvious over the course of the past month and especially, with the publishing of Logan's 2 Sunday articles, this past weekend. Could we perceive that there were disagreements between the two? Sure. But quite frankly I think the only thing "mickey mouse" as relates to the Islanders is the role played by Newsday's sports department in not bringing to light details that were known long ago but never reported on.
The day Nolan deceide to play the backup goalie in lieu of DiPietro in a home game against their hated cross-town rivals was the day this sports department should've revealed all it knew, and done so full page on the back of the paper. We were all over you guys when you came out with your debate because, based upon what had been reported up to that time, there seemed not to really be any GROUNDS for debate about a very popular and somewhat sucessful coach. But I suppose you guys just forgot to include that part.
In response to Cincy:
I will have to say one thing about the reporters. As lame as they are, it is hard to address some of these issues when they are only allowed 50 words in their articles. Newsday needs the space for the 20 or so Yankee and Giants articles.
I won't say I told you so ...
If they are going to bring up the kids how about a quality coach who is presently working with and a highly respected coach in his own right and is part of the Islanders dynasty days - Bryan Trottier. Trots never got a fair shot with the Rangers and went on to work with the U-19 USA team with great success. Bring him back and give him a shot. He can also teach the boys what it means to be an Islander!
hiring an ex Isle is not the answer here.
Getting Wang away from the team and letting Hockey people be hockey people that is the answer.
Honestly I am a huge Isles fan but this is just pathetic. They the the laughing stock of the sports world. They hire Smith as GM then fire him, then bring in a back up goalie as replacement?? Then somehow they get a decent coach but the back up goalie fires him. Mickey Mouse is the term I would use also. In case anyone doesnt know all the young players they have other then kyle O are all 2nd or 3rd liners at best. Its not like we have Crosby and Malkin in the pipeline. Total Jokers
Honestly I am a huge Isles fan but this is just pathetic. They the the laughing stock of the sports world. They hire Smith as GM then fire him, then bring in a back up goalie as replacement?? Then somehow they get a decent coach but the back up goalie fires him. Mickey Mouse is the term I would use also. In case anyone doesnt know all the young players they have other then kyle O are all 2nd or 3rd liners at best. Its not like we have Crosby and Malkin in the pipeline. Total Jokers
The owner of this team is being allowed to hold a professional sports franchise hostage while he focuses on his real target, a hug real estate project. The Isles are being used as a bargaining
chip with Nassau County as an accomplice. He just sold the Dragons arena football team. Did he get more bad news about the Lighthouse? If he did the Islanders will be on the block shortly!
Rieber I don't read your blog, but your writing is both infantile and substandard and you come off sounding like a complete tool. It would probably be best for you not comment on things about which you know nothing at all.
It's hard to put this decision in the "Mickey Mouse" catagory. We need to wait and see who the replacment coach is. If Snow lands John Tortorella , then this move looks good. Tortorella has exactly one more Stanley Cup ring as a coach than Nolan (who has none).
Don't get me wrong, I agree with Nolan's Philosophy and his idea of the direction of the club, I believe, is the right one.
Can we as fans stand yet another one of these cycles we have seen over the past 25 years? It goes like this:
1) Rebuild with Youth movement - Have 3 or 4 horrible seasons
2) Land some very good High draft pics
3) trade away every sing last one of them
4) Hire these draft pics back after 10 years to mentor the new youth movement.
I love Butchy and Trots as hocky guys, but we need to get back into this league with a first rate coach. After the lock out, all teams have an even playing feild regardless of the economic situation of the markets (Pittsbug and Detroit have two of the worst economies in the nation but made it to the finals).. All teams are even. Each of them rise and fall on the back of managment decisions.
My vote is for Tortorella, who coached young guys successfully in Tampa and Phoenix (as an assistant).
Don't insult me like this........Yuor owner and GM compete every day with Jimmy Boy a Cabelvision for the laughingstock of pro sports......STOP BUYING TICKETS YOU FOOLS.............IGNORE THEM.........if you do, they will evenutally go away...............
What about Bobby Frances as a coach? I thought he was great in Phoenix and had that one overacheiving year with a bunch of no-body's to coach.