On the Islanders Beat

I'm done with this. Everytime these buffoons screw something up it seems to be at the expense of the Islanders.

Vancouver just had a line of Pyatt-Smolinski-Linden out with Sopel on D and Luongo in net. God there are alot of ExIsles out there

So much for Colin Campbell "manning up" and admitting that the goal should have counted and that Numminen deerved a major penalty for boarding Blake. If Witt boarded Briere like that, do you really think he would have only received a 2 minute penalty? Give me a break. That goal could have meant the series being tied at 2. It certainly would've been a huge momentum shift. And what's with Campbell trying to shift the blame to Snow and Nolan? The conclusion is the league screwed up big time and he's not man enough to admit that a maor mistake was made that decided the game. Campbell is a "gutless puke" (you might hate Milbury, but that's a great line). Mad Mike should beat him with his own shoe.

It does look like it clearly went in, but the articles in Newsday and the Times seemed to refer to another angle from which it was even clearer that the puck crossed the goal line.

Ooops... meant to add: Does another angle exist and if so, can it be posted on Newsday.com Greg?

The link didn't work for me....am I doing something wrong here?

And again, this whole thing is just a little crazy. I try very hard not to blame issues like this on the officiating, because I've always thought that was a cop-out move. However, it's nearly impossible to not fall into that trap when every major call seems to go against us. That non-goal from Ryan Smyth in the Rangers game was atrocious (I actually broke my chair by slamming it on the floor when they announced it), but the NHL, in its infinite wisdom, decided to make a bad decision worse by actually issuing a PRESS RELEASE calling it an "optical illusion." Then, Brashear's sucker-punch on Brendan Witt draws a snarky comment from Colin Campbell, and now with this they're shifting the blame to Ted Nolan and Garth Snow. I'm not very old, but I even remember this from one of the earliest years of my life as a hockey fan, 92-93. We all remember the John LeClair overtime goal that was scored with too many men on the ice.

All we want is a mea culpa from the NHL and some sort of consistent officiating. I couldn't agree more with Cincy's point from the previous post. I would be angry as a Sabres fan that Islander fans have an opportunity to say this series is only the way it is because of the referees and not Buffalo's play. As a Yankee fan I still wonder how the dynasty years would have played out if not for Richie Garcia's horrific blown call on the Jeffrey Maier play.

Let's be honest with ourselves. Good teams make their own breaks, and they mature and grow together. The Rangers looked lost last year against the Devils and now they're laying waste to the playoff field. This should bode very well for our future as a team if we can cut out the cancer (cough, Yashin) and add the proper pieces to make a run (as a hockey fan and a BU alum I REALLY read Chris Drury's comments about the Coliseum with interest....I did suggest in February they replace Yashin and Blake with Drury and Smyth.....). I'm excited for the future direction of this team and only hope we can continue the growth trajectory.

That having been said, we've come back from worse deficits even this year. 6 games had to go our way for us to even be here, and they all did. In this case, 3 games have to go our way to advance to a second-round date with whomever it happens to be. Let's go out there, keep playing our game, and forget about the Four Blind Mice that seem bound and determined to hand this series to Buffalo.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!

I still say it...Why Not Us?

While I'm not going to join the conspiracy train, I do have to wonder, if the league could spend 5 minutes reviewing a Sabres goal, then they could have spent 2 or 3 looking at an Islanders goal. Obviously, there's an angle that disproves the ref's on ice call. And Colin Campbell's "a play is dead when it's dead in the ref's mind, not when he blows the whistle" seems to prove that the man knows nothing about the sport.

OK, the link worked now....that was a goal, no doubt about it. We've played Buffalo even; it's a shame we have to play a series against the officiating too

Nick, thanks for the excellent post. What (or where) were Drury's comments about the Coliseum? I didn't see that. Also, is he a free agent any time soon?

Thanks

WHY NOT US?

KH, check the articles from Tuesday's paper...He talks about the Coliseum's old-time feel and how he loves playing there

And also...he's a free agent at the end of this year. He DID grow up a Yankee fan in Trumbull, CT, after all...

Dallas just pulled one out on the road to give them a shot. We can still compete. We are not out of this thing yet.

Wow... Chris Drury would be an incredible acquisition for the Isles, needless to say. The guy is a total winner, and has been everywhere he's played in every sport (including baseball).

WHY NOT US?

The guys on Vs. just said that Buffalo will "roll" the Islanders tomorrow night. Still no faith what so ever, just the way we like it.

Campbell's comment about Garth Snow shows he's got some personal issues with the Islanders organization, coming as it did after his snide comments about Witt.

The fact is that the league's becoming a joke in terms of Campbell's attitudes on a number of issues, and they don't all involve the Islanders. Then again, for those of us who remember him as a player, this comes as no surprise.

Quotes from Drury

After a July 2003 trade from Calgary to Buffalo: "I just don't know what to think. I play in Colorado, they tell me they like me, and I get traded. I play in Calgary, and at the end of the season the GM tells me he likes me, and I get traded. I just hope my fiancee doesn't tell me she likes me."

Ever since the fishsticks era, the Isles have had to work harder than just about any other team. It's obvious and unfair. The guys just need to realize that being up a goal actually means it's a tie game, a tie game means they're down a goal, and being down a goal is a deeper hole than it seems. They need to adjust their play and try to win by 2, tennis style. It's a raw deal but it's also a vicious circle. Until they do some major damage in the playoffs, or at least take the division for a few years in a row, it's not changing.

I'm also not one to jump on a conspiracy bandwagon. I can live with the fact that the Islanders lost this game; a team that deserves to move on does so even in spite of a robbery. I'm certainly not going to whine for the rest of my life as most Buffaloans I've met seem destined to do. What is most irritating is the denial of reality by the league. How can they possibly expect fans to pay $50 per seat--$2000 for a season ticket--when they don't offer the basic respect of a mea culpa?

The game shouldn't be changed. It's in the books, the series is 3-1, and that's that. After the final whistle, the on-ice proceedings should _never_ change. I don't think any true fan of the sport thinks otherwise. But afterwards, a game should be looked at from a "lessons learned" perspective. The league should evaluate all calls made on-the-ice and and have a sturdy, comprehensive review process. And, most importantly, it must be transparent--the public must see that the process works and that efforts are constantly being made to ensure fair and accurate officiating.

The common argument against transparency is that it undermines the authority of the on-ice officials. Actually, the opposite is true. Officials that consistently call good games will earn their careers, and incompetence won't be protected by some old-boy network.

This is not some idealistic argument. Hockey is a business, and a smart business that is seeking to endure must maintain a loyal client base. The best way to do that is to show respect. With his actions this year, Mr. Campbell has shown a lack of respect for the game and the Island in particular. His statements regarding the cold-cocking of Witt were pathetic--basically, Witt is a physical player that spends most of his ice time shadowing the opposition's top offensive players, and therefore should be able to take punishment. Let's forget that Brashear broke one of the oldest rules by decking Witt with his gloves on. Witt doesn't deserve the protection that the league gives Ryan Hollweg (justifiably) because he is an effective player?

The GMs and players should do what is necessary to clean out the stonewallers in Toronto. It is in their own interest.

Thanks for the high res video. My take on it is this: it was probably a goal, and if Leggo calls it a goal they probably don't overturn it. But it was NOT clear to me that the puck crossed. It was clear that Witt made contact and the puck moved, but Miller also closed the pads just after Witt hit it, so it's pretty much impossible to determine whether the puck went in before it was under Miller's pads.

Note: instinctively, I look at that and I say "it's a goal", but I'm just saying it's not an open-and-shut case for overturning the ref's call.

As for the Vanek goal, this video frame (posted by someone else in another comment) seems conclusively to show a line of white between the puck and the goal line. This is much clearer than the Witt goal.

As for the Numminen hit, knowing Numminen, it was certainly not intentional, but it probably deserved 4 or 5 minutes. Blake did turn into the boards, and that's probably why they gave him only 2, but I think it could have easily gone 4.

The Bergeron penalty that created the 5-on-3 was definitely weak. That was probably the worst call of all the calls Isles fans are complaining about, because he hardly laid a stick on Afinogenov, and the ensuing 5-on-3 led directly to a big goal.

Mike:

Part of the frustration from the Vanek call comes from a similar situation earlier in the season. What's been called the "turning point" was a goal--originally called a goal by the ref--that Toronto overturned in favor of the Rangers. In that situation, the puck crossed the line and a very clear line of white is visible between the puck and the red (clearer, in fact, than in this situation).

Toronto's rebuttal is that the puck was standing on its side; the bottom edge of the puck was in but the top edge never cleared the entire line. The league's comments referred to the video as an "optical illusion". Incidentally, the shot was from almost the same exact angle as the picture I saw on one of the other boards.

Personally, I'd like to know what the league's guidelines on overturning calls are. I wasn't able to find anything clearly documented on NHL.com. There must be a manual somewhere for when it is or isn't appropriate to overturn the call, what angles are allowable, etc.

And all this could be eliminated if they outfitted the pucks with RFID tags. Then you'd know when the little bastards were over the line.

Back to actual hockey talk: the most interesting thing in the Isles playoff blog is that they've recalled Fata. Think Nolan might scratch one of the guys who's playing hurt (Hilbert is the first to come to mind, but it'd be hard to replace the way he's been hustling with a 7th D) right now to get a guy with fists into Game 5?

Sorry, one mistake in the above--the goal against the Rangers was ruled a no-goal on the ice. Toronto deemed the video inconclusive.

There answer is obvious . . . there was second puck that came from back and to the left under the gnarly netting . . . back and to the left . . . back an to the left . . . back and to the left

Did anybody think to ex-Ranger Colin Campbell would side with the Isles!! His comments make me sick. "We understand Snow is a rookie GM." Looks like Campbell would like to see the Isles exiled from NY!! Conspiracy, oh most definitely.
I HATE COLIN CAMPBELL!! He is a piece of .... I also hate the NHL front office this new league is redicoulous!!! Anyway I still BELIEVE!! LETS GO ISLANDERS!! Its us vs. Buffalo/NHL Refs/NHL Front office. Looks like they want us out and moved to KC!!

Collin Campbell in Toronto.......Now that is funny.....

Lets make it even easier for them....Next time they want to stick it to us let's just send the video to SAM ROSEN and RON DUGAY in the BLUE SEATS of the Garden........

Probably would of lost the series anyway, but this officiating has been horrendous. LEGGO MY EGGO should be banned from any further series.....He missed the call on Blake....He made the call on Park....He watched Smyth being mugged at every turn......Was he the official the night before on the RR call with a minute to go?

I love this game 1st and the Isles a very close second.....I am not being a homer.....Buffalo is a great team and would probably have moved on anyway, but for the league to not admit that the Isles have been screwed this year is EMBARRASSING!

Maybe they are still sticking it to Nolan for sleeping with the Dominators wife??? I don't know any other reason. They kept him out of the league for ten years, and maybe this was his final piece of punishment???

Still one game left and hopefully more...Leave your blood and guts on the ice tonight boys.....You have nothing to hang your heads about....You gave us more than we asked for this year......For that I Thank You!

All that video shows is that somebody touched the puck right before the whistle was blown. That does not mean that by touching the puck he pushed it 100% over the goal-line, and there is no evidence in that video to support such a claim. There is also no video of the puck crossing the goal-line anywhere. All we know is that the puck ended up in the net after Miller was barrelled into. I would have to say the right call was made based on what evidence there was to support it.

I think the guy who installed Colin Campbell's cable gave him ESP instead of ESPN. He consistently refers to a player, or official's thought process when rationalizing his own stupidity.
1. Brashear THOUGHT that Witt was going to hit him. So he was acting in self defense when he threw the first and only punch... with his glove on.
2. The play ends when the referee THINKS he can't see the puck. If that is TRUE, then the NHL has a ton of explaining to do. Dozens of goals are scored each year on rebounds where the ref has no angle to see the puck. What a great way to justify my subjective BS!

Bettman and Campbell are laughable. I love the sport, and I am truly tired of it being run by MORONS who couldn't manage a Dairy Queen.

The game has always had a reputation for POLICING itself... well... Roll out the scrubs... What does a 25 game suspension mean to Drew Fata... let's see if he CAN BOARD BRIERE and only get 2 minutes. Roarke played a few games, he should be eligible to slam Miller's head into the ice.
Let's see if Nielsen would like to see what the penalty is for spearing Drury in the junk!

Buffalo is a tremendous team. they deserve to be in the second round...maybe even skate around with the cup. But it would be nice to know that you, at least, had a fair shot at it.

Where's Billy Smith... Denis... Gillies...

There have been a lot of Sabres fans here who have either admitted it looked like a goal.

But good Lord! It's hard to feel bad for you Isles fans when you keep insisting the Vanek goal was a no-goal. You can watch it bounce off DiPietro's right skate and back - front-left view, even ESPN has a highlight of it. I have sympathy for the rational fans out there - but apparently some of ya want *every* call to go the Isles way, instead of a fair game. And for those fans, I have no sympathy.

I think what's most galling about this is the basic lack of respect shown at every level. Campbell snorts derisively that Snow is a "rookie GM" and implies that Ted Nolan is whining because he has no other way to win. The officials in Toronto spend fifteen minutes agonizing over the Vanek goal and trust the ref's decision on the Witt goal. Where are the guidelines on when a review is appropriate? What is the burden of proof for a call on the ice to be overturned? Why doesn't the league have enough respect for the fans to offer transparency?

That statement from Campbell, by the way, is ridiculously obnoxious. I can't really remember the last time a figure in the league offered such a snitty response. What, the guy feels like he's under pressure because one reporter is asking questions (thanks, Greg)?

Curse my half-edited sentences!

Furthermore, yes, Toronto/NHL really screwed up on the Witt call. What's up with that? Why can't we have consistency in our calls? I'd much rather have the booth make the call on a review than the ref.

Cleveland: The Vanek call was the right call, but it would help if those same standards were applied uniformly.

Agreed. Game 4 OT would have been a lot of fun, too. I'd like the Sabres to win "honestly," not because of crappy calls.

I'd just like to add: regardless of the Witt goal/no-goal situation, we in Buffalo share your frustration with Campbell. Now, I believe that there was probably not enough to overturn Witt's goal, but I still believe that the NHL's explanation stinks. You have Leggo saying he wanted confirmation from Toronto that the puck was frozen, and then you have Toronto saying they wouldn't review because they were going with Leggo's call.

What should have happened: Leggo requests that Toronto review whether the puck was frozen, Toronto confirms it wasn't frozen, then Toronto proceeds with a regular review to check whether there was visible confirmation that the puck crossed the line before Satan collided with Miller.

Note: I don't think the call would have changed, because, while I do believe it was a goal, I don't believe there was indisputable evidence that the puck crossed the line before Satan hit Miller.

So I (as a Sabres fan with a great fondness for Ted Nolan) am frustrated that the NHL still refuses to waver from the "Leggo's call was not reviewable" crap. That's just bulls**t, and we in Buffalo can certainly relate to your frustration...

The comments made by
"We understand Garth Snow is a rookie general manager, and Ted Nolan has to play the cards he's got. When things don't go the way you want, we'd understand they want to play that game." BY NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell.

are just insulting and shows the lack of respect the NHL has for the New York Islanders. We can dispute the no goal call until we are blue in the face. They (NHL) are going to side with their employee, the ref. I think Campbell owes an apology to Noland and to Snow, and even to the Islanders and their fans for that remark. It doesn't matter how long a person as been in a position. He is just trying to cover his butt and did a poor job of commenting on it. All I know is I really want the Islander to put up a huge fight in tonights game and win. I need this win. I need to be able to tell my Sabre loving Husband....HA HA they are not going to get walked over by anyone.

The NHL really is amall-time enough to believe that its high officials could potentially be operating with deep-seeded bias.

If Wang wasn't such a cartoon character, he'd sit down with Bettman to get to the bottom of the repeated slights this organization has faced from this league. This is still one of the NHL's most historic franchises in it's biggest market and for someone in Campbell's position to regard it so deriseively is simply bad for the game. That's before you even consider that there's any bias in actual policy.

But let's examine...

1) As bad as Simon's hit was, it is not even in the same ballpark as the Dale Hunter, Marty McSorely, or Todd Bertuzzi hits yet it received a bizarrely variable suspension...I mean, the full year was excessive, but to add a clause to carry into next year if he didn't miss "enough" games this year? Islanders on Rangers violence, Campbell in charge...hmm.

2) Blatent mistake on the Smyth goal vs. the Rangers which, if you do the math, is the difference between the 6 seed and the 8 seed if we go on to win that game.

3) I agree that if you want the Smyth and Witt goals you have to accept the Vanek goals, and to be honest I think that goa was in. He penalty calls on the Isles have been atrocious...having watched them all season I am astounded at how disciplined they are playing. I guess the ref are too - maybe they are also applying Campbell logic "well, he started to raise his stick so I THOUGHT he was going to hook him and I called it...so what if he never actually did?"

Colin Campbell needs to shut his trap. Every time he speaks, he reveals how dumb and one sided he truly is. Obviously that Stanley Cup goal by Mike Bossy continues to haunt him.

I'm not going to whine about the refs. What's done is done. We faced a much harder task getting into the playoffs. At least now we don't have to rely on other teams to help decide our fate. As far as I'm concerned the Isles have proved they can play with this team (1 goal differance going into
3rd in every game). It's an uphill battle but this team plays great with their backs against the wall and I for one am planning on using my game 6 tix. LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After looking at the video in slow motion 5 times, I just noticed something very interesting.

I was on Home Ice radio lastnight with Esposito. We talked about the phantom whistle or the intent to blow the whistle rule. My position is, with video replay as now part of the game, the intent rule must be eliminated...Ref must blow the whistle...That's my opinion...we can all accept a quick whistle but not the lack of one. Espo mentioned that players are always taught to play until they hear the whistle.

MY POINT IS THIS...

Watch the video...the Ref has the whistle in his mouth the entire time...so why didn't he blow it...if he felt the play should have stopped and Miller made the most famous no save in Sabre history?

That's why the Ref asked Toronto if their was a shot...he wasn't sure...and Toronto could not back it up with the video we just saw?

War Room = Romper Room

There is no reason they can't win tonight. They haven't been blown out, and they've shown that they deserve to be in the playoffs.
I'd still like to see tambellini get a shot tonight.
Their PP was much better in game 4. They have to look to finish every check, and make them hurt.
Somebody MUST make them pay for the Blake play... and I don't mean Park!
I still can't believe that Yashin just stood there for that. That is why he'll NEVER be a "C".
Even Bouchard stood up for his teammates last year. Bouchard, who's last fight was probably in third grade when the girls would dip his hair in the inkwell dropped them. But the 6'3" 220 Yashin stands there like a rubber-necker while his linemate is lying on the ice...
Grow some stones and roll over these gremlins!!!!
One more NHL situation that killed the Isles... Instituting a salary cap. I'm sure it wasn't done to crush the Isles, but it didn't hurt any team more than it did the Isles.
Only four years left though... and then the franchise will rise like a phoenix from the ashes of the #79 Jersey...

Does Buffalo have anything but a few National Lacrosse League championships to feel proud of. "Stick" to Lacrosse.
You have a very good hockey team... but they are in Buffalo...
Chicago has the Blackhawks and the Cubs, but they also have the Bulls.
Boston has the Bruins and 80 years of disappointment with the Sox, but they had the Celtics and the patriots to be proud of.
Folks in Buffalo have the Bandits... and the depth of their winter precipitation...

So, here's to 9 inches and the "Bandits" coming from behind!!!

Have a nice day.

It will be only fitting if the isles win the next 3 to make it to the 2nd round....never say die, Lets Go Islanders

Let's make this as easy as possible. Let's forget about the Witt goal... it was probably most botched by the ref, so we'll cut Campbell some slack.
and let's forget about the penelty calls, no-calls, whatever. Let's just look at the Smyth "no-goal" in the March Ranger game, and the Vanek "goal" in game 3.

Remember, each were ruled NO-GOAL by the ref. Vanek's was ruled goal, Smyth's wasn't. Can you tell the difference? Colin? Anyone?

Vanek GOAL... http://members.cox.net/pschulwitz/pics/goal.jpg

Smyth NO-GOAL... http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/bcrt2000/nogoal1.jpg

Note to self:

* Tie up Drury in front of the net better.
* Use my stick when shooting the puck instead of a shovel.
* Try not to run the goalie thru the net & boards
* Gotta get a hair cut
* Don't be on the ice for all of the goals all of the time

Sorry Brendan. I was trying hard to make the right call. I asked Lindy Ruff for his take and he didn't think it should count, so that was my ruling.

I can't wait until next week when I'm sitting at work blogging those Ranger fans...At least they will have some wit on the their responses....Isles fans got nothing, except the constant whine of how they don't get any breaks. News flash girls...you make your breaks.As they say... excuses are the nails that built the house of losers! Guess what.. you can have the room next to Teddy's..

Bye Bye ladies!

As some of the Islanders have said... just move on. Tonight is Game 5. No amount of whining/complaining/justifying is going to make the Islanders win Game 3 or Game 4. Even hard evidence of a mistake by the referee or video review people is NOT going to change things. Bad breaks happen to every team at some point during the season. Unfortunately for the Islanders, these things are happening during the playoffs this year.

My interpretation of the NHL rulebook is... the referee just has to THINK that a play is dead. He doesn't even have to blow the whistle right away. If he says that the play is dead, then the play is dead. Nobody can overturn that decision. This rule, and others that involve "judgement calls" by the officials, are open for interpretation.

As for tonight... Let's Go ISLANDERS!!!

I called the NHL yesterday to complain and, though I was very polite, I still had a rather contentious conversation with a gentleman in the office that oversees the officiating. He said, among other things, that the question of when the whistle blew and whether the goalie was pushed into the net are NOT subject to replay. The replay is only used to settle the question of whether the puck crossed the goal line. The other aspects of the play are left to the judgment of the on-ice officials, no matter what the replay shows. That was really his only argument... When I pointed out what the video showed, he didn't contradict it directly, he just kept repeating what the ref's call was. It took a while even to get out of him the admission that the replay didn't matter because of the type of call that was made.

Anyway, the number, if you want to call, is 416-981-2777. I think the comments Colin Campbell made about Snow and Nolan are alone reason enough to complain, as they call into question Campbell's impartiality, which is frankly the most important qualification for the job he holds. No one associated with the Islanders went beyond the evidence and made an ad hominem attack on any ref or on Campbell, so why is he reacting that way?

If you do call, be polite and persuasive. The guy I spoke to was very defensive until I said, "I know you find it annoying that I am calling." Then he changed his tune and said, "No, I don't find it annoying at all. I don't want you to think that. If you're calling all the way from Long Island..." etc. They want to present the appearance of being receptive to feedback from fans who care enough to follow up.

WHY NOT US?

TO THE LEAGUE,

To quote Bob Dylan:

"Your gonna make me lonesome when you go."

The league will certainly be lonesome when we go...but I guarantee the Islanders won't go quietly.

I personally guarantee that they'll be a Game 6!

TO THE OFFICIALS,

Messier says it's gonna happen. Please make it happen.

Here's a question. If the aim is to get the call right, why doesn't the NHL allow the referee to review goals on a screen similar to what the NFL allows for its video reviews?

On Monday night we had an official who saw one thing but wanted to make sure his call was right. But, the guys in Toronto publicly stated that they didn't want to have a look it given the prior controversy. So instead of having the referee and Toronto working together by looking at the same replays to get the call right, we had each hoping the other would make a decision.

The conversation probably went something like this:

Leggo: I saw Miller make the save and get pushed in with the puck? What have you guys got?

Toronto: (After looking at several replays) The only definitive view of the puck in the net occurs after the collision? Didn't you stop the play?

Leggo: Okay. If you've got nothing. No goal stands.

Would there have been a different result if Leggo could have seen the replay itself and discussed it with Toronto? If Leggo saw the puck loose in front of Miller, would he have thought there was no save?

Also, is it conceivable that the NHL could use two side-side-replays that coincide with each other on time, i.e., use the overhead shot and frontal view to show alongside each other to show what is happening simultaneously.

The League would have a lot more credibility if it said that these are always tough calls and are notr always perfect. But we are constantly trying to improve our ability in this area (and listing some ways, yada, yada, yada).

Instead, we're told the Campbell equivalent of "Shut up and stop bellyaching; we made the call and rookie GM's should be seen and not heard." Whether you agree with the call or not, Campbell's response is bush league and unacceptable for a rules enforcer in a "legitimate" professional sport.

See y'all Sunday night at the Old Barn for Game Six!

Let's face it, Buffalo is a fast, explosive team with lots of offensive talent. You saw blowouts in the Rangers series against Atlanta. Everyone expected the same in the Buffalo, Isles series.

If the Toranna was actually making calls to screw the Isles, that is actually a compliment our play.

But I think from what KH said, Toranna opted to refer to the Refs original NO GOAL call.

I will be looking for Nolan to put out different line combinations.

Go Isles!

Kevin T.

PREDICTION: BUFFALO IN FIVE!

Posted by: MARK MESSIER | April 20, 2007 12:59 PM

Messier,

That can't be right... Rangers won't play Buffalo until next round.

after being picked to finish 30th. in the league, the isles can be very proud to even be in the playoffs. the nhl can diss us all they want but we will raise the cup again very soon.

GO ISLES

Bottom line is that great teams win in spite of adversity.
This team will be defined by their actions.
So far, they have given it their all, but have come up short... but let's define short.
They weren't supposed to have a winning record. At one point of the season they looked as if they were a legit contender for the division crown.
They weren't supposed to make teh playoffs. They NEVER dropped out of contention, and pulled off a pretty good four game run to achieve THAT GOAL in spite of the adversity brought on by the last third of the season.
They weren't supposed to be a factor in the first round. They have been in every game in the last period... and they've won one game.
Take everything else, and put it aside. What Islander would not be proud of the product this organization delivered... even if they were to lose tonight.
BUT THEY'RE NOT DONE JUST YET. They are 5 games deeper than anybody thought they'd be. They pulled 2 playoff games of revenue into the account... and can possibly get a third... and who knows.
Thanks Charles, Garth and Ted...

Give Buffalo credit... It wasn't a fluke that they won the president's trophy.

Nobody said it would be easy.

Let's go out there like men... and if your opponents are better than you, make them prove it!

Why not us???

KH,
Can't believe you actually called the NHL. More power to you but, do really think they care what you or any other fan has to say? Remember bottom line this is one big business thats all.

JP,
Your dead on. Still a great season. Easy for me to say as an outsider but, the Isles did good and will do better next year.

All,
Again easier for me to say as an outsider. So first let me say I know if this happened to the Rangers I would feel the same, type the same and think the same most of you do. But, let go of it. There is nothing that can be done. They won't change the call now and put the time back on the clock tonight before game five. It is on the team to get by it and win. It is on the team to play and smile in the face of adversity.

Yes Nolan, Snow and players had their opinions that night. But, do you think that any of them have lost sleep? Or any of this is topic of conversation among them? DEFINITELY NOT!

If you guys really believe there is a "conspiracy" here I am alot more scared for our sport than ever before.

Folks-

You can ask for Campbell's office directly at the number KH provided. I also asked for the PR department. In both calls:

* I first condemned the bottle throwers at NVMC

* Said I was a money-spending Isles season ticket holder

* focussed on the integrity and credibility of the league given Campbell's statements;

* and requested that Mr. Campbell provide a public apology to Islander fans for making remarks calling into question his impartiality on matters where even-handedness is demanded.

I agree that Campbell (ex-gutless Ranger) always had it out for the Isles! He has the balls to try and blame Snow for being a 1st time GM and Nolan working 'with whatever he has', WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE CALL. I happen to see the Pens/Sens game where Fluery got runned over let alone the western series where goalies are open targets. Campbell has always been a bum and should excuse himself for being an idiot.

Guys, forget Campbell. Remember when Jonnson got run from behind in the series against Toronto, and how the Leafs basically mugged the Islanders in that series to barely win in 7 games? I thought Jonsson was dead after the hit, so did just about everyone else. I wrote to Campbell, and he told me "you Americans don't understand how this game is played." This is not a paraphrase. I don't care what any of you Ranger fans say, Campbell is anti-Islander. Period.
Either that, or the man has no social skills whatsoever.

good job Merrick and KH. I am going to call after the season so they know it is not a spur of the moment heated call.....Then I am going to have over 150 cold callers in my company do the same thing :) :) :) ... LOL

Lets get em tonight boys! Not ready for the summer just yet!

Go Islanders! Let's get back to the Island for Game 6!

The guy posting as everyone else is telling us to "get a life!"

Funny he waits all day for smeone to post and then answers them??? Hmmmm who needs to get a life? Rags advancing isn't enough? What a loser!

DP -- Good post and nice to hear from a classy Rangers fan.

I called the league because I figured if they hear from enough people, they'll get the impression that fans notice bad officiating and that it affects their image as a league. And maybe they'll review the tapes carefully and as a result, these particular on-ice officials won't advance to the next round where they could screw someone else's team. If every fan called when his/her favorite team got victimized by clearly mistaken calls, I think it would start to have an impact. (Obviously, people should only call on the *rare* occasions when the call is unquestionably wrong and affects the outcome of a game.) The NFL has been incredibly responsive to fan concerns about blown calls, and tinkers with its replay system every year because it is important to the league that people perceive the games as being decided by the players and not by the refs. (I realize that comparing the management of the NHL to that of the NFL is like comparing a Yugo to a BMW, a cubic zirconia to a diamond, etc.)

I would just add that Colin Campbell has shown himself again and again to lack the "judicial" temperament that someone in his position should have.

WHY NOT US?

Merrick,
You're a stand up guy, but right now somebody is having a good chuckle at your expense.
The whole NHL is run by a network of folks with about as much executive experience as Goopta at the 7-11. Actually, there's a good chance that Goopta has a better education.
Remember that they were on the cusp of filling the void that the post-michael NBA had left on ESPN. then... blam.. lockout.
WHY. Basically because the NHL EXECS, OWNERS and the NHLPA couldn't figure out a way to share revenue.
I like the idea of a salary cap, but these morons couldn't come to this conclusion without a wasted season... and the loss of their biggest revenue stream, and PR MACHINE.
ESPN plays ten fat guys sitting around a felted table throwing chips at each other on endless loop EVERY DAY, rather than crisp exciting hockey...why.. Because the NHL execs are idiots.
So we get NHL on VS. VS puts on a good product, but they aren't growing the sport.

Until EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS GONE the NHL is in jeopardy of it all just going down the drain.

They said they were going to come back with a faster, more exciting product. Well... there just isn't that kind of talent to fill 30 rosters.
How can a team fill a 17-24k seat arena when their fans were used to seeing the Habs, Maple leafs, Rangers, flyers... and now they have to plunk down $150 to see their team play the columbus blue bonnets. WTF??
How can you expect the man who gave you that to make a rational decision.
THEY MUST ALL GO... NOW!!!

The fact this loser keeps replying to goo posts is comical...What is even funnier is he said Barry Beck was a fighter!

To funny....It is 70 degrees out today and this moronic rags fan is sitting at home reading our posts.

GET A LIFE....LEARN HOCKEY....GROW UP!!!

Game 6*
Buffalo @ NY Islanders

Game 7*
NY Islanders @ Buffalo

*=if necessary

Games 6 AND 7...NECESSARY!!!

In a few years Snow will be a veteran GM, and Campell will still be a jackass.

KH,
I hear you. I have enjoyed posting here this year with you guys. There is good fans that can talk hockey for both teams. The rivalry is great and a little 'you suck' no 'you suck' can always be fun. But, people like this idiot that has nothing better to do for the last five days and claims that he is off from work and everyone else is a bum has gone beyond comical to childish.

This Rangers fan right here says LETS GO ISLANDERS tonigh! As well as LETS GO LIGHTNING!

JP-

On target!

I've worked for politicians in a past life and I know all about irate constituent calls and those I would at least listen to with a sincere ear. In fact, I put in a preemptive strike against the chuckle by acknowldging that no one would listen to me and that I would have called Mr. Bettman's office directly if I truly believed he had any demonstrated capacity to improve the league.

Still, FWIW, the underlings in the NHL front office of today could be the League's leaders and PR men of the future. Hopefully they're still young and idealistic enough to leave a positive impression if you treat them courteously and with respect.

JP - Hear hear! For some comments by Brett Hull about the state of the league, check out this link:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-briefing19feb19,1,4833542.story?track=rss

Gary, you are not fooling anyone. Grow up and get a life.

Exciting news!
Orr and Hollweg just got contract extensions.

lol...sorry had to do it to lighten the mood a bit