On the Islanders Beat

It's time to part ways. Enough is enough. I agree whole-heartedly with your assessment here Greg. I think you could/should have added that Ruutu probably hammed it up a bit too though, as Mike Sillinger was quoted as saying, not that it changes circumstances of the ugly incident.
Simon's roster spot has to go to someone else. And perhaps he shouldn't be back after whatever fate awaits him from the league office.

I agree. I braught two of my friends from work to the Isles/Rags game last year and it was their first game. I've been hyping up hockey to them and what did they see? A great game get decided by some washed up goon!

RELEASE SIMON!

It's embarrasing to all Islander fans that a classless person like Simon is still allowed to wear our jersey!

You're so right Greg. I can't even imagine how difficult this is for Nolan. The NHL will render a decision, and perhaps that will make Ted's decision a little easier on him.

Greg: Let's call a spade a spade. Your subtle error in the blog heading did not go unnoticed, it should have read "Simple Simon".
There is no way on earth Teddy can keep protecting such an unappreciative player as Simon has turned out to be this year. He doesn't offer anything positive to the team so do the right thing and let him go Nolan. Don't worry about filling his spot on the PP either as that will sort itself out too. Just pretend his surname is Bergeron, Gervais, Meyer, Campoli or any of the other players who receive virtually no latitude when even one mistake is made.

Why did we ever get rid of Goddard?

Stupid Simon ... gone. The sooner the better.

Greg, this may be the best blog you've ever written. I'm glad to see the organization is taking a stand and refusing to continue to condone this ridiculous and destructive behavior.

Simon's time on this team is over. Here's hoping he never causes any real damage.

Thanks for taking a break from your time off Greg to address this issue.

I tried to post a comment last night "in-game" right after the incident but my browser kept timing out. I actually thought at the time that other fans were flooding the blog to make comments themself.

I, as other dedicated Islander fans have mentioned, really was rooting for Simon. I wanted him to come back from last year's embarrasing, disgusting and bone-head move on Hollweg to reward Nolan's confidence and pay-back the fans of the team.

Well this was the last stand... as much as I want the best for Simon .... the Islanders come first. He let us ... the fans down .. he let Nolan's loyalty down ... he let his teammates down ... and he let ALL FANS of the NHL down.

In the previous thread I saw some people post that Nolan better not let Simon play anymore, of he should be fired. I honestly don't think it's Nolan's decision anymore. I think there is a good possiblity that Simon will face a "Lifetime" ban being this is two hanious moves in just his 26th game back from his last suspension. He was just gone for 25 games and just eclipsed that same amount last night .... Simon certainly has a short memory.

If the league doesn't ban him ... I think it's Snow's and Wang's decision, not Nolan's. Wang has to know that Simon is bad for business... I just think Wang is too loyal. However he is a business man and maybe he can put personal feelings aside. I also think that Snow will take more hits against his reputation as a GM if he lets Simon return after Simon gets what ever is coming to him from the disciplinary wing of the NHL. So Snow has to realize it is over for Simon. The Isles don't need any more negative publicity.

I also think ... as AZS has pointed out numerous times (both sober and with a good buzz) ... regarding this subject .... but it's time to bring in the youth. I'm not saying tank the season. It is just time to bring in some young guns. The deadwood hanger's on aren't doing any better. If Satan who I like a lot brings in a good offer they have to pull the trigger. We need to restock the prospect pool.

Others have echoed those feelings in a less colorful way than AZS ... but still as relevant and valid in their opinions. Us long time Islander fans have endured the pain of a fruitless rebuilding project over a prolonged period of time, even as we watched the product off the ice erode as much as the product degraded on the ice.

I think the Isles can restock and start putting out a highly competitive team with good drafting and prospect mining in 2 years of deep drafts. I'm willing to deal with a young team that competes hard and improves than to watch the team run out of gas come playoff time.

I think one a notable thing about Simon incident was the reaction of fans at the game. Most people didn't see it. While I was able to see Ruutu on all fours, nothing else was happening, and I was kind of surprised that a player was down with no other altercation or jawing between sides.

Then we saw Jackman heading to the box, and the reaction was, "Huh?"

When it was announced that Simon was assessed with a five-minute major and match penalty, rather than booing the refs, which is customary if not ritual, the reaction was more like, "What did that idiot do now?"

About the only person who may be pleased with Simon is Bergeron, who reverted to having perhaps his worst game of the year. He was absolutely clueless with the puck, and in addition to his opening gaffe, probably cost the Isles 40 seconds of the last 56 in the game with additional mishandling.

Btw, I mentioned before how I thought teams were shutting down the Isles in their own zone by taking away play along the boards. While I agree that we could use a pure scorer, I think if there's one thing this team needs more anything, is a reasonably skilled and decisive puckhandling defensemen on each pairing, who is merely capable of moving the puck up the middle in our own end. If a defenseman can't do it, let a forward start the rush to simply break down defenses.

Lo and behold, one of our strongest forechecking shifts came in the 3rd when MAB was able to be start a play by skating up the middle in our own end, breaking down the Pens defense, and allowing us to establish some positioning in the offensive end. Although, my heart was in my throat seeing MAB start the play, I believe we will continue to have difficulties in our own end and gaining the neutral zone until are D-Man are capable of carrying the play on their own. Otherwise, teams will continue to just lay back and focus on our forwards along the boards and daring our D-Men to make something to happen.

On that score, Campoli and Gervais should be given more of a chance to show what they've got--and we should be willing to live with some rather huge mistakes as they attempt to make this part of their game.

I appreciate that the penalty hurt the team. However, Ruutu is a complete jack arse and anyone who plays against him knows that. Comparing Godard and Simon is insane--yes, they are both heavyweights.But, Simon is a pretty good player and a top notch player for a "heavyweight". So, the crys to toss him aside dont address the need for physical presence on this team. Who fills in for him? The Isles dont have the skill to play finesse Buffalo -esque hockey--they need to grind and play physically. Hunter may throw a ton of hits, but not a single player on the opposition is scared of him. When Avery, hollweg, Orr blah blah smack DP around, who will avenge that? Look, what Simon did was wrong. But, his role is crucial. If the Isles cant hit and play physically, why the heck watch them? They cant score and when they do it aint pretty--we need grit more than ever. Let the league do what it will, but, Id welcome Simon back. Im confident that when the going gets rough, hed back a teamate. Let Ruutu seek him out for revenge--oh, thats right, he wont drop the mits. Let hockey justice play out on ice. If we have no Simon, we are a soft soft team. Thats a fact.

Simon should be done with the Isles. I couldn't believe he did that. There is no place for that in the game. I hope he doesn't see the ice again in the NHL.

The teams motto that's plastered all over their website

Heart, Character, Grit

Yeah, when I think of Simon the 1st thought is usually character ...

hey thanks for the youtube video of the incident..that is so embarassing and disgusting..simon has to go, and as much as i love ted nolan, if he pushes for simons return, i think simon and nolan both need to go....Bring up the young guns let them play, and please for the love of god, and the well being of all us islander fans, please get rid of hilbert...i beg you snow get rid of this guy...as much of a hustler he is and pretty decent penalty killer hes just horrible..if ur a professional, u have to be able to put the puck in on open nets, hes had sooooo many open net opportunties its just embarassing..get rid of him and simon, bring up tambi and walters..LETS GO ISLANDERS

Posted by REIDS | December 16, 2007 22:30 :
"Let hockey justice play out on ice"

Swinging your stick at Hollweg isn't justice. Jumping on and punching Fedotenko isn't justice. Simon is part of the problem with hockey. He is one of the guys who doesn't have any respect for the game, for the trust his teammates and coaches have placed in him, or for the opponents who compete against him.

You want justice? Deliver a big, clean hit on the guy next time you get on the ice. There are both the pests who get away with too much and the enforcers who don't understand how to protect and stand up for their team. When a guy makes a dirty play, you don't retaliate by trying to injure him. You can protect your teammates without injuring an opponent. Simon doesn't understand this, and has shown that he doesn't intend to try and understand it, so get rid of him. He doesn't deserve to play hockey.

This team has too many low skill players that wouldn't be picked up on waivers (i.e. Hilbert, Meyer, Simon etc...) I think the saving grace for the long term is that I see no way they will be in playoff contention come the trading deadline. Snowy will have to face the music this year and be a seller @ the deadline, maybe then we can restock. The Isles are a team with a good goalie pretty good defense (with a couple glaring exceptions) and a horrid offense. If they don't rebuild now they will waste DP's best years (the next 5-7) being mediocre at best.

Simon needs to either be suspended for the rest of the season or banned from the NHL.

Wang also needs to come down hards and release Simon. The only thing I am glad is now we have roster spot for someone else

Blake Comeau has been recalled

REIDS: are you serious with Simon, he is not the old Simon, he gets us penalties and we lose 4 min a game PK for him. He fights and holds on for dear life. Besides we will not be seeing him anymore thank god. His role is crucial on any team but he could not play that role. Bootland and brennan can fill that role.

Anyways, who cares how they score, last i checked a goal is a goal

I actually feel horrible for him. He obviously is messsed up enough inside to do something like this and disappoint his teammates and especially Ted, a person who has stuck by him with unbelievable loyalty.

How could you do this, Chris? To your team? To the coach you love? To yourself?

This stuff just cant be tolerated. You have hurt the people who were standing by you, and for what? Just to get last licks against a guy everyone knows is a jerk, anyway? WHY? There was no point to it, and I cant justify it at ALL. :(

Chris has a problem. I hope the Islanders get him some help, and I frankly dont see how he can just come back and play after this, no matter what the NHL says. I guess time will tell.

Its just so disappointing.

Nolan shouldn't have to answer questions, yet he does because of his insistence of sticking with lost causes (Simon, Hilbert, MAB).

I like Nolan ... but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

AZS (answering question from the previous thread)
Tambellini has been given multiple opportunities. He's played 56 games in the NHL with little more than andy hilbert type scoring success, and he doesn't play a solid defensive game. I don't know that much about the kid. He most likely won't get another chance this year unless Bergy or Tank have extensive injuries... and nobody wants to see that.
Walter is stuck behind the core of the team. Though a lot of people can do without Comrie, he's not going to be benched so Walter can play... the same goes for Vasicek, Sillinger and Park.
A mid season deal will probably remove Satan from the roster. Park will most likely fill that spot, leaving the fourth line center spot for Walter. He should get 30 showcase games where he can prove he can rise up as highas a second line center.
It looks like comeau is going ot get an opportunity with Simon getting (at least) benched. Park between jackman and comeau isn't going ot scare anybody, but they could get 6 good minutes if they can push the puck and spend a good amount of time in the offensive zone.
Simon may have packed on the last straw, but he did help up and down thet lineup. As much as most people like to fantasize about tambellini being the second coming, he couldn't beat simon out for a roster spot...
As far as being "Nolan" type of players, look who has STUCK from this organization. Bergy goes out and bangs every night. He finishes his checks, he wins one on ones for the puck, he pushes the puck, he moves it... Is that a nolan type player??? I HOPE SO. He's not burning the light, but he can play NHL hockey.
For all the complaining about Hilbert, he hustles, he plays solid positional hockey... and he creates scoring opps... he just doesn't finish. Neither of those guys, rightfully so, are scared for there jobs when tambellini hits town.
I do agree, I don't want to see the kid get traded. Because he does offer depth... a good example is probably Jeff Hamilton. He scored at every level, but he was a defensive liability. He's on an NHL roster now, 5 goals, -6 on carolina... I bet Lavs would rather have a guy like Hilbert he could get 15 quality minutes out of... mostly for the PK.
Yes, I'd like to see a little more youth on the team.... but their scoring woes can be turned around by staying out of the penalty box. This team can not be successful killing 7-9 penalties a night.
Simon being gone will help with that. But the worst offender is Comrie, because he can skate, and takes way too many obstruction penalties .. the same goes for Guerin... The first scoring line shouldn't lead the team in penalty minutes.

JP,

I again do hear where you're coming from, but my whole thing with Tambellini is that he's never really been given a chance - in my opinion.

I was looking at his career stats and he's never even averaged 10 minutes of ice time - either here or his brief time with LA.

Now, this could be looked at two ways - he hasn't earned the ice time or he wasn't give enough time on the ice to show what he can do. Personally, and I know this isn't going to be a shock to you ;-) I'm going to choose the fact that he hasn't been given much time out there to show what he can or for that matter cannot do ...I think to fairly evaluate him he should be given the same ice time as others on the top 2 or 3 lines.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/stats?playerId=2936

And while I appriciate Hillbert's hustle 5 points in 31 games is unacceptable ...I don't care how much you try ...if he were getting 4th line time with PK duties I don't think many people would complain because we like his hustle, but when you're getting 13 minutes a game it's not asking a lot to show some point production

Folks, the Isles have a basic problem -- lack of offensive skill. They have excellent 2nd, 3rd and 4th liners; what they don't have is first-line talent. Comrie-Tank-Guerin would be a fine second line. Sillinger-Hunter-???? (Park) and Vasicek-Bergy-???? (after Miro is traded) are OK. But there's no premier scoring talent here, and none is coming anytime soon. There is no impact player at Bridgeport (do you want rookie grinders or vet grinders?).

Hilbert has to be dropped to a 4th line/PK. A guy who can't finish can't get that kind of time.

And has anyone noticed how slow Isles look? They look like they're standing still these days.0

The Isles have no margin for error. Selfish plays like SImon's are killers, as are stupid penalties -- one difference this month is that Isles are killing 6-7 PPs a game, not 3-4-5. Huge difference.

Simon will get at least 10 games. It will be hard to bring him back after this -- his play has deteriorated markedly, and the selfishness of this act goes against everything hockey players ostensibly stand for (team before self).

Chris Simon is clearly not fit to play in the NHL. He has some sort of aggresion problem and can not control his anger. It is an embarassment for him to be an Islanders and worse, he can truly injure someone threatening not only their career, but the way they live the rest of their life. If the NHL does not rule down with a lifetime ban, the Islanders need to release Simon.

Ted Nolan should not be blamed. Yes I think that Nolan plays Simon too much on the PP or top line, but Nolan knows that Simon is wrong. I dont think Nolan will allow Simon to play for him again. Nolan will sympathize with Simon as a person and feel bad for him and probably try to mentor him, but he definitely does not condone what Simon did or should this put bad light on him.

In response to the Islanders having to bring up younger players, I agree. I think that Tamby deserves to be playing over a guy like Hilbert, but Hilbert has had some shining moments. The problems is that Hilbert's plays is not scoring goals, its being physical, working hard and being defensive and the Islanders have too many players like that. We should bring up Tamby and Comeau and hopefully allow these players to mold into solid NHL player.

As a team the Islanders have to stop cycling on the boards so much and crash the net and find rebounds. Create traffic, take shots and the goals will come. Enough with the exterior work, they have to work inside and thats the way to score.

I am loyal but how do you defend this repeat behavior. I am twisted enough to blame it on passion and rough play but I am not stupid enough to think this is an acceptable response. Simon's 9 lives are over it is sad to say. He lost all cred that was already a sliver I hate to say. He is a good guy and I would look the other way if I was his teammate but I am afraid he is a liability now. How can he be trusted? I am confused and I am not simply because I am loyal to the Isles but I am speechless when it comes to defending him now. I look like the ass if I do. Sucks really. The tough guy role in the NHL is still there a bit, guys still respect the looney who protects the lot at all costs but why? why did he do that? I think it was Ted Donato who once (as a bruin perhaps) kicked upwards with his skate as a player was going to "address" him. I remember losing all respect for him and this is very similar. it sucks, I do not want to feel this way about Simon but how can a sane person thing any other way???

Posted by JPinVA
The first scoring line shouldn't lead the team in penalty minutes.

this pretty much says it all in a single sentence. other than simon, guerin and comrie are the 2 most penalized forwards on the team. this is a fundamental, self defeating problem. it also means they are not legitimate top line players. this team does not have a legitimate top line at present.

Ted Nolan ought to play a little game of Simon says with Chris.

Simon says take a seat.

Simon says pack your bags.

Simon says get off our island.

Please get rid of this guy and call up Ben Walter.

Tambs has not had his chance in the NHL. 56 games scattered through seasons. Its even harder to come up and play for the Islanders than most teams b/c you do not have the support players on our team. He should be brought up for the rest of the season but it would be hard since we do not have spot for him. If the Islanders want to continue bringing him up and down. He is trade value is going to be down. If you let him play, last year he had 3 assists in a game for the Isles. he set up scoring plays and that is why I am supportive of him as well as our team not scoring. He has not had the ice time to be labled as of yet.

I think Hamilton is a good player, one we gave up again. Hilbert is great defensively and on the PK but how many games so far we could we have had if he could just score. This year has been a couple so far. For all the good Hilbert does, he needs to be held accountable for blowing chances. This is what Hilbert does, he comes down on a break away and takes a slap shot every time...how about going in on the goalie and making a move. He has had the time, it seems he is stuck on breakaway shot mode.

I think Bergy has been playing great as well and hope we do sign him again.

I am done with Simon. I gave him the benefit of the doubt last year because Hollweg's hit was clearly a run from behind (sorry Rangers fans I don't care what Mullet-Man says) and he was out of his mind reacting to it. I thought he should have just started punching Hollweg rather than stick swinging but I was willing to forgive this year and give him another shot. I think he's blown it. Another stupid move, at a crucial point in a game and he had no reason good or not to do it. I don't want him back. He's a liability in every aspect of the game.

As for Satan its hard because he is one of my favorite players. Earlier in the season when he started to wake up he looked to return to dominating form but he's slumping again. Where are those great moves from earlier in the season? I caught the Rangers-Coyotes game yesterday and started to get envious of the 'yotes play. I know it was an anomally as they are lowest scoring team in the west but they skated hard, went to the net, and controlled the puck much better on the power play. And they are primarily a youth movement. I think they will continue to rise. Ted take a page from the great one!

Well, the whole Simon charade was wearing thin even before this incident. I'll be pretty disappointed if even Nolan defends him this time. Nice write up, Greg. Spot on.

Posted by 19 ISLE in NJ 22 | December 16, 2007 21:51...

"...In the previous thread I saw some people post that Nolan better not let Simon play anymore, of he should be fired. I honestly don't think it's Nolan's decision anymore... If the league doesn't ban him ... I think it's Snow's and Wang's decision, not Nolan's. Wang has to know that Simon is bad for business... I also think that Snow will take more hits against his reputation as a GM if he lets Simon return after Simon gets what ever is coming to him from the disciplinary wing of the NHL."

As always, I appreciate your well thought-out comments. But I disagree with this part of your last one. I think it definately has to be NOLAN'S decision to let Simon go. It's Nolan, not Snow or Wang, that has taken the heat for giving Simon yet another chance this year. For the sake of his own reputation, and for the sake of his credability with the team, Nolan has to be the one to give Simon his walking papers. In fact, it would be best if he could do so BEFORE the league renders its decision on the incident. This sends the clear message to the team, league, EVERYONE... the Islanders are a class organization. Nolan is a class coach. You play first and foremost for your TEAM. Simon betrayed that not just once, but TWICE. Nolan needs to re-establish his credability.

JPinVA.......Tambs has not been given an opportunity at ALL..I agree w/ you nautik..tambs may have 56 nhl games under his belt, but they have been scattered, u dont get experience by playin 2 games gettin sent down, beign called back up to play 1 game then gettin sent down again,he needs a legit amount of steady time in the line up w/ more then 4 mins a game..im not saying hes gonna turn the team around, but he has talent, and if nolan shows confidence in him throws him in the game for 15 mins it will boost tambs confidence with the puck...and i also agree with have no first line scoring threat, i said this in previous posts..we have 2 second lines, a third and fourth..we need offensive threats on a first line, thats what a first line is...we need to really start building offensive for DP, this guy has turned out the be a top goaltender in the league...its time to show him we really want to win and start bringin in some scoring ability on this team or what is the point of signing DP for 15 yrs, if were just gonna sign 2nd, 3rd and 4th liners and struggle for the 8th playoff spot every year...its time bring in the taletn now while DP still has all his energy and desire to be on the ISland...if we keep this up, i dont see DP wanting to stay an islander much longer...

One more thought on Tambellini, which I think people are missing.
The Isles are giving guys opportunities based on situations where they can help now, or at least allow for some sort of improvement.
Tambellini got an opportunity to play on the top line with limited defensive responsibilities, and he blew it. that doesn't mean that he shouldn't get other opportunitites, but where do you fit him in.
Everybody has a solution, but nobody thinks it out.
Do you sit Tank? NO WAY
Do you sit Bergenhiem? Give up on a prospect that is finding some level of success, for one that hasn't?
Do you want to disrupt the most productive line by moving bergy to the checking line? This might work, but I don't think Nolan is ready to drop Hilbert just yet.
Do you sit Hilbert? This might be the most plausable, but it really doesn't make sense. Hilbert's main responsibility is to be the lead forechecker on the line responsible for shutting down the opposing top line. Tambellini can't do that. He can't shut down the other teams checking line... or at least he hasn't shown that ability yet. Hilbert, for all of his scoring woes is a positive to the team.
Things might shake out at the deadline becasue Satan will most likely be offered up for some sort of organizational help becasue he's a lame duck. I think we can all agree that Satan is a solid NHLer, but may be more valuable as trade bait, than he would be in the playoff push. That move will probably make room for a solid opportunity for Tambellini, or Walter (if Park moves up to play that wing).
Either way... PATIENCE... I'm sure Jeff understands that... and I think he knows that it is better to get 18+ mins in the AHL than it is to get 6 mins in the NHL... for now.
He's one of those guys that could use 15 pounds and hooking up with a guy like Goring to understand how the undersized guy with speed can play a solid two way game.
Sometiems I think it would be better for him to learn how to play without the puck. He needs to work on his ANTICIPATION and awareness... but at this point in his career he might need more of a rabbi than a coach... his dad should be able to help him with this, as steve was an overacheiver and was a solid third line player.
In the organization, I definitely think Goring could make Jeff a better player.... people forget that Butchie might be the second best coach in the organization. I'm surprised he's not leading Bridgeport now that Milbury is gone.

Well you KNOW my name IS Simon
And I LOVE to do DUMB things
I GET suspended each season LONG.
So come & do DUMB things with ME.

Come and do Duuuummmbb things....with....meeeeeee.

Enough with Nolan type players. Garth needs to look at bringing in talented players. Chicago has Samsonov a proven scorer that may need a change. They need a powerplay defenseman. MAB for Samsonov. This team is slow & are playing lazy hockey. It's time for a shakeup. Also if they want a Nolan type player Edmonton is wasting away Raffi Torres. The fact of the matter is Nolan may be a great people person and motivator but is not a good tactical coach. Too many times the team is being run over & he lets the game get out of control where a simple time out would have callmed things down. And I'm sorry to say but Snow is way in over his head. this is where Neil Smith's reputation might have gotten us something in a trade by now. Everyone is looking to rip off Garth. The only player of value we have is Okposo & they are not trading him. There is no true first line foward on this team.

Samsonov? C'mon now. Did you see him play anywhere towards the end in Boston? Then there was the debacle in Montreal, and now he is absolutely horrid on Chicago - he's doing worse than Hilbert! Change of scenery? Maybe to the Russian Super League...the scenery's been bad for this guy everywhere he's gone. We all want to see the team do better, but further damaging what's left of the system to bring in more veteran reclamation projects will only dig a deeper hole.

As for Nolan's coaching...some specific decisions are definitely questionable, but he does a great job in other areas too. When he coaches games away from home, and does not have the benefit of the last change, he still manages to get Witt out on the ice against the other team's superstar more often than not. And he gets his defensive line out there against top lines pretty consistently as well. That's good coaching, so you have to give some credit where it's due.

On trades...it's not just Snow. Lots of teams have players they want to move and are not getting decent offers. Even Burke, who everyone considers a genius out there in Anaheim, couldn't find a good deal for Bryzgalov when so many teams are in desperate need of goaltending. Lots of teams are looking, there's just not an active trade market now for whatever reason. There have been a few transactions, but not much - especially considering how many teams there are out there with very obvious needs. In that regard, I actually commend Snow for not making a trade just for the sake of making a trade when teams are clearly not ready to give up anything worthwhile yet.

Samsonov is a big no in my books as well..I think MTL put him on waiver last year or were about to. He would be a cancer on our team.

I am not sure what we need. I know it is obvious to go. lets a get a #1or 2 dman and a goal scorer. I always have the feeling we may have the one of worse teams on paper but we may only need one more character guy...and i hate to say but like Avery was to the Rags last year. I just hope we do some moving.

We need to be sellers this year at the deadline

"Everybody wants to Rip off Garth..." No shitake sherlock... every GM wants to rip off every other GM.

"Neil Smith's reputation" .... LOL

Do you even realize how silly that sounds.

Snow put a pretty good product on the ice last year. He and Nolan made a playoff team out of a roster that was picked to finish last in THE LEAGUE last year.

This year he got burned by his efforts to make a playoff run last year, but still managed to fair pretty well. There are loopholes that can't be managed under the constraints of the CBA... like ancillary personal service contracts and other things that organizations with deep pockets can afford. That's where the league needed to step in and say, "you want to be a free agent, then you go to the highest bidder... you can't choose who that bidder is... sorry" But not in the BETTMAN NHL.
Guys would play for the rangers for a dollar more than the CBA says they're worth, and have Dolan give them a $10M contract to host a pre-game show. Who's to stop them.
Wouldn't you rather play for a team that has a good chance of winning the cup, rather than one that relies or presence to even have a chance.
Neil Smith's reputation is to over spend for veterans past their prime. Snow has found some diamond's in the rough, while they've had to filter out the ahl mediocrity that Milbury left them.

this team is better now then it was 18 months ago, and the system will continue to get better once they can put together a few good drafts. Until then, give the guys some credit for obtaining and (in some cases) improving players like Sillinger, Poti, Kozlov, Hilbert, Hill, Sutton, Guerin, Vasicek and Tank.

So, take your neil smith bologna and take a hike. More than likely we'd now own the rights to Forsberg if Smith was in charge.

If you hadn't noticed... PHO 5, Rangers 1... PHO 4, NJD 1.... PHO 2, NYI 3....

I think Nolan is doing a pretty good job with what he has.

BTW: I don't necessarily disagree with this, but this blog has been brutally honest about the Simon situation. It took a lot to return back to my pre-islander assessment of Simon, but I have to agree after seeing what he did saturday night. The boy just isn't right in the head.
And that's too bad, because except for those momentary lapses of judgement he's a lot better player than most people give him credit for... but those moments ARE HUGE, and way outweigh his positives.
I really thik the organization needs to make a stand here and end his relationship with the team.

Simon should have been gone after last year's incident.

He is an embarressment to the team.

Please cut him. Now.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Simon's return from suspension coincide with the Islanders going into a slump. Is there something to that?

Yes the Islanders lost against Pitsburgh but the way they played that 5 minute major was awesome.

As for Satan, I think he gets a lot more room out there when the team is playing aggressive. He's a keeper, don't trade him.

Kevin T.

to JPinVA get off your high horse. Last I knew it was a free country & I can express my opinion. It was Smith who signed Sillinger,Witt, & Poti. So as you so eloquently put it in your post to me Why dont you take a hike Sherlock!!!!!

That's true... then curiously said, "I don't want to be a part of this".
My instincts say that is becasue Nolan gave the Bill Parcels speech... He wanted to write the grocery list if he was going to do the cooking... and Smith didn't much care for the players he just signed... and the direction the team was headed in.

Well.. they headed for the playoffs. Do you think they would be somewhere better with Smith as the GM, and possibly Glen Hanlon coaching... or some other dust rag like sterling.

I bet Wang got a little perturbed when Smith offered Messier $20M to come out of retirement... He was probably listening in on the extension and told him to go to his room.

Snow is a pretty sharp guy, and he was the type of player that showed heart and loayalty. The team was good to him when he was going through the problems with his brother, and I think there is now a real bond between him and Wang.

He may not be the best at what he does, but sometimes grit and determination work out... and Nolan is the best coach this team has had since arbour.

It's a pretty good situation... why complain so much.

as for it being a free country... I'm sorry... you definitely have the right to make a silly point.

I wonder what the team would be like if they kept Luongo.
I wonder what the team would be like if they drafted Heatley.
I wonder what the team would be like if they didn't deal for Yashin.
I wonder what the team would be like if they had Pyatt and Connely.
I wonder what the team would be like if they had spezza and chara.
Why did they fire laviollete?
Why couldn't torrey have left the team in better hands.
Why did ownership have to suck every dime out of the team from 82-99.
Why did they sign the cablevision deal.
why did they sign the SMG lease.
can I go on... I have the right...

I just read Wang's statement on the Simon incident and while I'm glad he is getting suspended by the orgainization enough with this bleeding heart compassion nonsense. This guy is a repeat offender and has already been given numerous chances and has basically spit in the faces of those who gave him those chances. Enough is enough with this guy I don't want to see him in an Islander uniform again. BTW the best coach the Isles have had since Arbour is in Carolina his name is Peter Laviolette and he has won a Stanley Cup.

Isles give Simon time off to get help
http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=225410&hubname=nhl

Thoughts? Obviously more to come from the league when they're ready to make a decision...

So I guess in your world if some one has an opinion that does not agree with yours you just need to belittle them. Since your going to bring up Parcells he won 2 Super Bowls & went to a 3rd when a GM gave him the ingredients & told him to make me a Super Bowl Champion. When he was in charge buying the ingredients & cooking what has he won. So as you said again so eloquently in your post you are free to make another silly point.

I was agreeing with Wang statement until he allowed for a return of Simon. So we are going to take a repeat offender, give him time away from the game where he only going to get older and more rusty and then have him back again? I hope the NHL suspends the crap out of him or he decides to finally retire. I am glad the Islanders are worried about his personal troubles but enough is enough. Doesn't make any hockey sense to bring him. Yes he fills a role but he hasn't been very effective in that role for a while. I'd rather bring Jonathan Sim back in next year with Jackman or Bootland holding his spot.

I think this team plays better with Simon out.

"When Chris is completely ready, he will be a member of our team again." - Charles Wang

Utter, complete, and total failure. All credibility lost.

I literally just can't watch this debacle of a season, not for one more single game. Its insulting.

Simon is done.
Stick a fork in him.
He has played his last game in the NHL.

Doesn't anybody think this may be a way to keep him away from the team for the rest of the year in a more dignified manner than simply cutting him? For once, get off the ledge and try to give the team's management the benefit of the doubt.

"I wonder what the team would be like if they kept Luongo.
I wonder what the team would be like if they drafted Heatley.
I wonder what the team would be like if they didn't deal for Yashin.
I wonder what the team would be like if they had Pyatt and Connely.
I wonder what the team would be like if they had spezza and chara."

It's funny how the Islanders always seem to make the wrong move. You never hear Detroit go, "I wonder if we should've kept Shanny". Or Colorado go, "I wonder if we should've kept Forsberg." Or the Devils going, "I wonder if drafting Zach Parise was a good idea."

Good teams don't need to reflect on the past. They make good moves to improve the team & go on from there. Sure, a lot of teams make mistakes, (think Tampa is missing Khabibulin?), but the fact is they make enough good moves to counter a mistake.

Right now, the Isles seem more concerned about avoiding autograph seekers by driving their cars down the Coliseum ramp at 70 mph instead of parking. They should be focusing on hockey & scoring goals. If they put in a much an effort improving their shooting & passing that they do by trying not to sign their names to the "crowd" of 10 people waiting outside, they'd be a tremendous team!

This is not about autographs of course, (I did have to vent about that though. It's not like we have Crosby, Ovechkin & Kovalchuk on this team that get bombarded with autograph requests). The fact is that the Isles are the Ralph Kramden of hockey. Ralph: "Nobody's perfect." Alice: "YOU are. You've been wrong every time." They should be making a strong effort to get the right players on the team, not getting the most out of "head cases" like Simon and "projects" like Vasicek. Most every other team makes an effort to get the best players possible & the elite teams go one step beyond that & get the best players PERIOD.

Look at the past Cup winners over the past 12 years:

Detroit: Yzerman, Shanahan & Lidstrom
Colorado: Sakic, Roy & Forsberg
Dallas: Modano & Hull
Tampa: Lecavalier, Khabibulin & St. Louis
Devils: Brodeur, Scott Stevens & Claude Lemieux
Hurricanes: Staal, Recchi & Cam Ward
Ducks: Selanne, Pronger & Giguere

The first player mentioned on each team, (except the Ducks), was drafted by that team & stayed with them their entire career. All the other players were acquired either by free agency or trades. Now each player listed isn't just a "good" player, or ssomeone designed to "fill a role" or "adjust to the system" or eeven be a "work in progress". NO. These players were among the elite in NHL history & are either Hall of Famers or well on their way. Who was the last "elite" player the Islanders had? LaFontaine? Turgeon?

Every team gets a chance at getting better either through the draft, free agency or trading. Otherwise, they may as well eliminate 20 teams & have just the best going against each other. The fact is the Isles have shown poor judgment in getting players. I don't want guys who "fit" or "could be better" or "need a change of scenery" or who Nolan could get "the best out of". The Isles need players who can win now. Who can produce now. Who want it. I just don't see that in Simon, Hilbert, Hunter, Comrie, MAB, Berard, Gervais, & I'm sure I'm missing a few in there. There are players out there who can make this team great. It's up to the Isles to get them and with their recent history, I have my doubts.

Healy: "Yes he fills a role but he hasn't been very effective in that role for a while."

Ha, I think Guerin has dropped the gloves more this year...

But...do we want him gone for good because he stepped on Ruutu or because he sucks?

There are arguments for Laviolette, and I would agree with you except for these points:
1. The team got worse after his first year. More as an affect of losing Peca, than his coaching... but he seemed to have lost the team even after Peca's return.

2. He had a team that wanted to go in three different dirsctions, and he could never get tehm on the same page.Yashin definitely wanted to play in a trapping style becasue he was slow as heck.
Peca, and peca jr (blake) wanted to play a more dump, chase and forecheck style becasue they excelled at that game.

3. He needed those two years to get the stones to be the coach he is today.

4. he had to work for Milbury... that was a death sentence from the get go.

Nolan already has the stones. HE makes decisions, and he lives or dies by them. It was his call to bring Simon back, and now he has to eat crow... but he stood up for one of his guys in a tough situation... That buys something among men.

Laviollete ran a sleepover for 13 year old girls. Now he knows he can't let things get out of hand. EXPERIENCE.

As far as X's and O's go, I'd have to say the team tightened up since Nolan arrived, and under the Laviollete they had some of the better defensive corps the team has iced.... and they could hold and hook... and still had a tough time keeping teams under four... with a tremendous goalie.
That may be comparing apples and oranges, but I like the play that Nolan promotes... I can't say I didn't like the Laviolette teams... but this one is fun to watch when it's on... crushing hits and hard fought goals.
They are three solid first line two way players away from contention... and they will get there soon enough.
If Okposo lives up to the hype last year and can be a forty goal power forward, they will be so close next year... but I'm not counting on it... he's going to have to put in at least 30 AHL games to prove he can play with MEN.

Greg, when you get back can we get some Okposo information?

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on who is the better coach but I am willing to bet if you polled all the GM's in the league and asked them who they would hire between the 2 more would hire Laviolette and I don't even think it would be close.

I think in terms of this debate, JP is 100% correct. The debate centers around who coached the Islanders better, Nolan or Laviolette. I think that given the fractured clubhouse under Laviolette and Nolan's success with a team to whom nobody gives any credit or respect makes him a better Islanders coach.

As for the other issue, I agree with Hilbert. We could drive ourselves crazy dwelling on the powerhouse this team could be right now. We have a hand and we need to rebuild the system. I think if Vancouver offers decent prospects and a high draft pick we need to take it in order to replenish the farm system and get this team back on the path to contention and league-wide relevance. In the meantime, I checked the list of UFA's for next year and made a shopping list.

We need to have patience here, because there were mitigating factors. It's too easy to say the Islanders should've signed a top-flight goal scorer in the off-season, but there really weren't any past a top-heavy first tier of free agents. Given this scenario, the holes in the lineup, and the cap floor, the team needed to build with spare parts. It isn't a reflection on the GM's ability as much as it was the current conditions and the necessity to be at a certain level under the cap. Let's all calm down, Snow does not seem to be the second coming of Milbury as of right now, and Wang is the only reason this team still exists. How quickly we forget that.

Pure speculation.. and yes... we'll have to agree to disagree.
There are a handful of coaches that I would want if Nolan ever left... but none of them would come here.
I think Nolan was the right man for THIS job.
Lavy moved to a better environment and proved his worth... I can't argue there.
We probably agree on more points than we disagree on...

They need a strong direction through the period of player movement. Sign guys you want to return, and trade everybody who's not tied to the floor.
They need a strong plan going into the draft. Target 5-10 players at each level and evaluate their cost over a three year development period.
Then they need to target two or three top free agents under 32 who can be first line players... or just let the kids run the store.
BUT DON'T GIVE UP ANY GROUND FOR ANY QUICK FIXES!

Upstate Isles Fan..

"But...do we want him gone for good because he stepped on Ruutu or because he sucks?"

Yes?

Watching Chris Simon on the ice is painful.
I have been wondering if he was wearing skates or street shoes.
If it wasn't for the side boards he wouldn't hit anything with a pass.
His only chance at finding the back of the net is if he is checked into it.
As far as being an "enforcer" now, from what I can see even the other team's goons are avoiding him, and it's not out of fear as much as it is an adherence to a mercy rule.
He has shown absolutely nothing this year (and last) other than a frequent ability to take a grossly stupid penalty at the wrong time.

In some ways I feel for the guy, it is a classic example of an old pro hanging on too long. Unfortunately, his frustrations over his own inabilities are manifesting in ugly ways that are detrimental to the team.

So long Chris Simon, thanks for the effort.
It is neither too early, nor too late in the season to open up a permanent roster spot for a Walter/Jackman/Comeau.

Just my opinion, I cold be wrong.

Nick, what has this guy done that he deserves to leave with his dignity?

I don't remember sean hill getting the opportunity to salvage his.

Fact is the guy is basically neanderthal scum who exists here because he's an indian, not because he's a good hockey player.

I'm all about empathy and sympathy and whatever else you want to call it, but this is a hockey team, not an encounter group. He's had way more chances than I ever got. He's too stupid to realize that playing a game for a living is a privilege. He isn't fit to be here, and he lowers the level of the franchise (as if it were possible) as long as he remains.

You find cancer, you cut it out, or you die. Thats how it works. For some reason, Wang needs to fail miserably and learn everything the hard way, consequences be damned. The team suffers (year after year) because of this.

Frei, I'm not disagreeing with you. I said in the previous thread that I wanted him off this team and if Nolan tried to stop it than the 2 of them should share a cab out of here. All I'm saying is that maybe this is the organization's line of thinking.

I know I do this a lot. Just because I can understand your thought process doesn't mean I think it's correct.

Hilbert... I guess the sarcasm didn't drip onto your keyboard. That was pretty much the point I was making.
It's not easy turning this old rusty ship around. It would help if a GM could offer a full building to a prospective UFA, but that's a chicken vs egg conundrum.
I can't blame Snow for the sins of Milbury. he starts with a clean slate, but an empty coffer. He made offers to the top UFA's and got jacked. Who wants to play in front of 7,000 people and 2000 of them are 7 year olds who get more excited when the dragon comes out in between periods.
Let's face it, the Island is a tough sell.
But as the ship turns around it will get better... and better and better.
they need a GM and a Coach that have teh will to turn this thing around. Milbury left this organization in a shambles.
Year 1... playoffs... then all the rats jumped ship.
Year 2... one step forward, two steps back... and they are still making the surface presentable while they restructure the guts.

Give these guys some credit and let's hope we get a little stronger through the next three phases (trade deadline, draft, f/a)

Then... maybe the lighthouse project fills the building for a year or two... But I wouldn't hang my hat on that... too much corruption in local gov't... and I'm really not sold on that particular project (but I don't have a clue).

JPinVA,

"Greg, when you get back can we get some Okposo information?"

His last name means "thunder storm" in Arabic.
How's that?

or from the "read it and weep" pages....

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38861&SPID=3322&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1291319
(6 goals, 5 assists and a MINUS 9 through 18 games).

Chalk it up to Sophomore Blues.

505: "Yes?"

Good answer :)

On Okposo:

"(6 goals, 5 assists and a MINUS 9 through 18 games).

Chalk it up to Sophomore Blues."

I think he started the season horribly...like an assist in the first handful of games, or something like that. Maybe with the 11 points he's turning it around...also couldn't help but notice that half of his goals are on the PP...

"I'm not disagreeing with you... Just because I can understand your thought process doesn't mean I think it's correct."

Is that a Yogiism? My head hurts now.

Now that Simon is gone for an indefinite amount of time, who is brought up to try to add a spark to this team? Tambs (again)? Walter and move him up on a higher line and put Hilbert on the 4th line? Any thoughts?

It's Christmas season, so while Wang's statement may be a bit over the top in terms of support, at the end of the day, I have no problem -- so long as Simon doesn't actually return to the team! Heck, you can still support someone, even as you send them off to jail.

One note on the 2001-02 team. That team went into the season with Garth Snow as its number one goalie. Chris Osgood fell into our laps just before the season started (waived by Detroit) and absolutely sizzled in getting points in the first 11 games and setting the tone for the rest of the season. Had Osgood not become available, that entire season could have been very different--in a not so pleasant way.

Good thing we had Osgood or we could have never flipped him for the amazing Justin Pappineu. What ever happened to that guy anyway?

505, excellent post on Simon. He put his head in the noose on this one, and it shouldn't be too difficult for Nolan to kick out the chair. He's made more than a fair effort to talk him down in the past, and Simon gave a fair effort most of the time. It's just over.

As far as Okposo goes, I knew the stats were a huge drop off, and I've found some articles but most of them pertain to his freshman year, and do not offer any more analysis on his sophomore drop off. His scoring numbers are okay (third on the team) but the -9 is disheartening... that's the worst on the team.
A guy who has been said to look like "a man among boys" should not be -9.

I think it is a little more than "pure speculation" look how long it took Nolan to get another coaching job in the NHL after Buffalo and then look how long it took Laviolette after the Isles so for whatever reason NHL GM's were in no hurry to hire Nolan when he was available after he left Buffalo. And yes I know I heard a million reasons why Nolan was blackballed but I'm just stating fact here. As far as Osgood getting Laviolette points and making him look good don't forget Nolan had the best goalie in the world at that time playing for him in Buffalo standing on his head game after game making him look good so I agree it's hard to win in this league without a top notch goalie. Laviolette's first year the Isles got to a seventh game against Toronto in what was a GREAT series and they haven't come close to winning a series since. As far as missing Simon here's the benchmark I use on the Isles tough guys they still don't have a fighter who can take Colton Orr in a fight since Orr became a Ranger. Orr used to beat Goddard every time they fought he beat Simon when they fought. I would like to see the Isles get someone who can beat Orr in a fight. And trust me this is killing me as much as it is killing you guys that we haven't won a playoff series since 1993 and I wish the people who make fun of the Isles attendance realize that very few teams in any sport would draw with that track record and if you want to get on fans for not supporting their team look no farther than NJ where the Devils have 3 CUPS since 1995 and can't draw.

Yea, way to selectively quote my post. I said that I agreed with you Simon is a thug and needs to be off the team. I made reference to the Islanders trying to show Simon the door silently rather than outright releasing him. I think this is the wrong thing to do, but I also think that's what they're trying to do. The logic is not too hard to follow here. I can understand your thought process without agreeing with it, and I can say the Islanders are trying to show Simon respect even if I don't think he deserves any.

In the future, if you need clarification, can we actually have a conversation rather than selective listening? Thanks.

Fried... just scrolled up to your comments... you're parents didn't like you much did they? you haven't been the same since edith died.

Here I go making a point to a TROLL, who just might know as much about hockey as I know about life under a bridge.

Simon has been in the NHL far longer than you have been out of diapers. I don't think his heritage had anything to do with his draft status, nor did it have anything to do with his ability to stick in the league for 15+ years. He also put up 10 goals and 27 points last year, on the fourth line. That's a contribution.

I feel uneasy about defending the guy after what he just did, but there's a lot more to him than the momentary lapses of self control. Though those lapses definitely warrant his exile from the Islanders. He's been lost this year, and there is absolutely no excuse for what he did on Saturday.
Who knows what could have been going through his mind... and any time you have to say that about a guy who is in a position to do serious harm to others... he needs help. And he definitely does not deserve to be rewarded (rememeber, playing in the NHL is not a right, it's a luxury) for such actions.
He's done... but the whole "indian" statement was way out of line, Archie.

Lotalty of isles fans is laughable. Simon made a mistake--okay, two. Take your didactic sanctimony over to Manhattan cry babies.
If Chris comes back, I look forward to watching him play. Hes one of few Isles with heart.

HEY FREI
I was catching up on some posts here and I want to extend an apology to you about something that was written under my handle on Thursday night following the Coyote game (STFU and all of that).
It was under my handle but not me.
Was gone all weekend and have now come across the nasty little post.
During the game I left the computer on and APPARENTLY, one of my beer drinking buddies took a liberty without my knowledge. As soon as I figure out which Simonlike friend did it, I will suspend him for an appropriate number of games.

Please accept my apologies.

Good riddance.

Sorry, JP, but who the F do you think you are, exactly?

What do you know about me? About my life? About my trials and experiences, and my ability to speak on them? How old I am? What my hockey experience is?

Did you have a difficult childhood? Have you gone through anything like a divorce after 20 years of marriage? Have you ever lost a child? Dealt with abuse? Addiction?

No, I thought not. You seem to me to be just a punk who goes around passing judgment because for some insane reason, you feel that you are special, that somehow, you transcend normal societal rules? You are really that much better than everyone else? No, my friend, very sorry, but I think not. "Diapers"? If you comments were not so pathetic, they would be laughable.

You know nothing, and yet, you are arrogant enough to speak as though you were omniscient.

Here's what I can tell you about Simon, things that are FACTS: Its a FACT that he's a goon, its a FACT that he's been suspended multiple times and has a reputation for violence. Its a FACT that I've seen him attempt to injure players during games twice since last March. Its a FACT that he's Ojibwa, and has known Ted all his life, and that is the only reason he's here. FACTS, my son, undeniable ones, not subject to your or anyone else's interpretations.

Here are the FACTS that you know about me: NOTHING.

Come down from your pathetically self-enamored little soap box, and step off, little boy.

JP
"As far as Okposo goes, I knew the stats were a huge drop off, and I've found some articles but most of them pertain to his freshman year, and do not offer any more analysis on his sophomore drop off. His scoring numbers are okay (third on the team) but the -9 is disheartening... that's the worst on the team.
A guy who has been said to look like "a man among boys" should not be -9."

According to my Gopher fans (in-laws) in MN, Okposo's stats are merely a reflection of the struggles of the team as a whole. They are a very young team this year and Danny Lucia (the coach and HS buddy of the in-laws) has his hands full with these KIDS.
The in-laws (they all played various levels of hockey) are VERY HIGH on Okposo and consider him a true diamond and think that he could easily play on the NHL level right now.

Hell, the way I see it, Okposo's current stats with the Gophers could fit right in with the Isle squad as it is now.

We dont need Simon on the pp--but, i feel for the guy and think he lays it on the line more than most. Both incidents are against agitators who rarely fight and just act like children. Good luck Simon, hope you are back.

I'm not disagreeing with you... Just because I can understand your thought process doesn't mean I think it's correct."

Is that a Yogiism? My head hurts now.

if this wasn't so illogical, i would think it made more sense than it did.

"505" - Just got my kickdown for the Isles-Avs game from the wife's boss. Sitting in section 134. Remind me of the name of the bar in Denver where you'll be...I'll see ya there.

505, those comments seemed a bit over the top for you. Don't worry about it, no ill feelings harbored here.

D-Money
The "Boiler Room", it's in the Tivoli Center.
We'll be in Section 104 Row 5.
In fact, I may have an extra ticket available as nephew from LI is iffy at this point.

It is time to part ways with Simon, he has really not contributed to the team this year and it maybe time to retire from the game. Bring up a young kid from Bridgeport who can instill some life on the 4th line!

Frei,

"505, those comments seemed a bit over the top for you. Don't worry about it, no ill feelings harbored here."

Eh, I won't say that I am not capable of going to the dark side, HOWEVER, when I do, I will take credit for 'em (See various posts to/re Baumbach on the general pages).
I am a tad miffed that one of my "buddies" took a liberty here, though. My own fault for leaving the computer on with the blog page up.
I've narrowed the culprit down to the 2 guys that I know can read and write.

And what about the Isles Record before and after Simon came back from his suspension. Anybody know the stats?

Kevin T.

Two things ...

1) Just read an article last night about Okposo ...talking about his rough start ...made it sound like he was turning it around ...I'm very curious to see how he'll do at the World Juniors which start on the 26th. Rhett Rhakshani (sp?) will also be on the team and has shown some talent for Denver ...I wouldn't worry about Okposo though ...he sounds like one of those guys that are destined to be great ...

2) This has been mentioned before, but it shouldn't have taken this for Simon to be excused from the team. His play should have warranted his dismal a long time a go. I'm all for loyalty but it's sickening the amount of loyalty this guy gets. I mean why do I show up to games? It's not to watch guys like Simon. I don't care if he even plays 1 minute - it's still 1 minute too long. What has he even done for this team?? Seriously, he's done nothing but cause national controversy on two occasions. But like I just said - his play should have been enough ...I can't believe that Nolan just doesn't come out and say "He's a friend of mine and no matter what I'll always make sure he's got a spot on any team I coach" ...

This team is a really frustrating organization to be a fan of ...they always leave you feeling annoyed ...confused and frustrated by their decision making

James,

"Lotalty of isles fans is laughable."
I find the concept of "lotalty" downright hilarious.
Okay, I'm flaming you for a typo. You meant "loyalty".
You might be right. We Isle fans may very well be disloyal here to Simon. But keep this quote from an old British politician when it comes to questioning our loyalty to Simon:
“Loyalty is a fine quality, but in excess it fills graveyards.”

"Simon made a mistake--okay, two."
Uh, if you have been watching many Islander games over the last 2 seasons, you could fill a garbage can with them. And I am not talking about the well publicized "cheap shots" that have occurred. I am speaking of "mistakes" consisting of ill-timed penalties, dirty, clean or whatever.

"Take your didactic sanctimony over to Manhattan cry babies."
I am not sure there is any room left on that small island for any more "didactic sanctimony". Certainly around the Herald Square area.

"If Chris comes back, I look forward to watching him play."
Well, if he comes back, let me know if you see him play, cuz I haven't seen much, this year especially. The guy has no game left. He's done. Finished. Kaput

"Hes one of few Isles with heart."
I do not dispute that statement. He definitely has heart.
The Tin Woodsman in The Wizard of Oz had nothing over on Chris Simon.
Except a better game.

theres nothing more to say... HE HAS TO GO!

I am so disgusted with this team I think I'll watch a little Knicks basketball to get a break from the ugliness and losing.

Love Simon!

You were a character of a game that has passed you bye! What ever inner demons you are facing, I wish you the best!

To the rest of you. Come on! I am the one who is normally negative and needs a nudge every now and then!

AZS: Take care of this board! The way you snapped me into shape when I got pouty at Christmas time last year and caused our one month feud!! :) :) Now were like peas and carrots jenny! lol

Frei: I'm sorry dude but if I had to bet a million dollars on what type of fan you were, I would say a Ranger fan....Every single day win or lose you trash this team. The rest of us get frustrated and vent, but you are down right negative and abusive toward the team. One of your posts up top, you 100% QUIT and said the team is "insulting?" Give me a break. This is freaking hockey, not hop scotch!

Nolan is playing the hand that he has been dealt. This is the best coach possible. Do not ever forget that. We lose him and we are in absolute chaos! I am just worried he is going to use us as a stepping stone to a better organization!

***Simons acts were wrong. He needs to walk off into the sunset. BUT, I can name 150 other worse things players with clean records have done and got away with. You are looking at a man fighting some inner troubles at the end of his career. He realizes he can not do it with his fists anymore, and the new NHL has passed him by. He is tired, frustrated, and embarrassed! HE was one of the great Heavy Weights of our generation! ROCK ON SIMON !!! ROCK ON !!! ******

p.s With that said I do think he needs to be off the team. Along with around 5 other guys for different reasons!

My humble Hockey Opinion.

Well, it's official. Simon has taken a leave of absence from the team. Watch, next year he'll be working alongside Eric Cairns for the Isles doing outreach with kids. Best to keep him off the ice, I'd say. I'll miss his heart, but he's looked like a relic out there recently.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-islanders-simon&prov=ap&type=lgns
http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=346969

Simon is a very good 4th liner--he can fight, he keeps peoplee in check and he does have talent. is he slow? yes...but so are many 4th liners. Take him away and the islanders, minus Asham and Simon, are total pushovers. he makes 475g a year--hes a freaking bargain compared to half the slouches on this team. he made mistakes in the heat of the battle--but, who hasnt? Hollweg wants to rip the stitches off martineks face while avery pounces on DP--anmy idea who dissuades this lewd behavior? Simon, like him or not, has a presence. hes a much better player than most fighters(ie. godard, boogard). Simon will be missed. You clams what to see tambellini? lol...he sucks man. So does hunter,and most of the lineup. The Islanders are a soft, fruity team with Andy hilbert as a prime example...i dont give a rats arse how hard they try--we need results.
ill take 5 or 6 simons on my team---perhaps the fear factor alone would be refreshing. Hockey needs fights and hits--we need Cairns, Webb and Simon..we dont need tambellini or hilbert ....THANKYOU SIMON FOR SHOWING GUTS. THANK YOU FOR ENDURING A FICKLE , DWINDLING, PATHETIC , LIBERAL, ANTI-VIOLENCE FAN BASE. YOU ARE DA MAN.

Im not sure i need 4 or 5 Simons, but, one or two would be good. I cant remember the last time I went to Uniondale and saw a hockey game that inspired me...a fight filled, slug fest filled with passion. The games, like this team, are meaningless. Simon has made his own bed. However, I think its sad and I pray he comes back. The thought of Toronto bashing us around in the playoffs or the rags running all over us kills me. Indeed , the islanders are a soft team. Bring back Cairns! Best wishes to Chris Simon, a warrior and a great team guy. Perhaps he's lucky to escape the fans of Long island who turn on a dime and cry us a river.

Let me first say this -- I love Chris Simon as a hockey player and he is certainly not a bad man. However, that being said, especially after coming off last season's incident, I find this latest chain of events absolutely mind-blowing. Simon is one of these people -- athletes or anyone -- who tend to carry out an act a half-second before common sense takes over and the brain tells the body,"I really shouldn't do this!." Unfortunately for him, his teammates and us, the fans, rely on him to play gritty, determined hockey -- even skirting the rules a bit every now and then -- but without crossing the line. The Hollweg incident was carried out in a blind rage -- which certainly doesn't excuse the action, but as any psychologist will tell you, resaonably explains it. This is entirely different. All this being said, do I still want Chris Simon to be an Islander? Unequivically, yes. He's one of those guys whose heart you know is in the right place, but just does some incredibly foolish things. Outside of that, I still believe he is a valuable team member, but after this latest incident, the Isles brass needs to look long and hard at the big picture. There's no question, he's a "Ted Nolan"-type player and he exudes the positive sides of that description most of the time -- it's just the dark side of it that gets him in trouble.

Anyone remember where Crosby got into a scrum with Witt, Vasicek and Whitney. Crosby didn't get penalized. Still upset about that too.

I have to wonder what sets Simon off? Is he frustrated in his diminishing skills? Once skating ability begins to degrade you are "Toast" in hockey ... at any level. Most hockey players know that energy sapping sensation as the "Skating in Cement" phenomenom. It's where it looks like the effort going into the skating stride isn't translating into skating speed. Too much energy exerted without much skating speed. It also happens on bad ice too ... but I'm talking about on a consistent basis.

I've noticed that Simon's skating appears labored (Skating in Cement)... and when a player of his intensity feels it slipping away .... I'm sure he gets frustrated, and that is a recipie for disaster .... I have no idea what Chris' frame of mind is day in and day out ... but it certainly doesn't look good from this side of the TV set ... and with his sub-par play this season his mistakes stand out that much more.

I think it's time a once great warrior retire and accept his medicine that the NHL will certainly hand out. He had a good season last year before he flew off the handle in his blind rage. This year he brought nothing I'm sorry to say. It's time the Isles move on ... no more retreads.

Islander505 ~ On Okposo ... I talk to one of my company's clients about him a few times a month. His version of the team as a whole kind of sounds like what your in-laws have noticed as well. He said that Okposo seems to be turning it around ... and they had some goaltending inconsistancy which affected the team as a whole, thus affecting his +/- ... and he also says that Kyle did have some issues of his own to work through .. but he started to turn it around and plays a strong game and looks like he's NHL worthy already.

Metal Chick- very funny line about the Knicks :):)

Returning to pure self-interest, if the Islanders can continue paying Simon as they will on his leave, why the heck can't they pay for a shuttle bus from Mineola or someplace else????

Frei,
Sorry about my comments. It wasn't just your parents that didn't love you, but also your wife, bartenders, pushers... and probably your kids... if you have any... so I apologize.

And you're right, I don't know anything about you... Maybe you can come over for coffee and we can talk about it.

Well... one day ata time buddy...

Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbayah

Someone's laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Just read the updated story on Simon and I just have to shake my head at Nolan. Hey Ted you wanna show compassion how about showing some compassion to some of the other players on your team when they screw up not just your boy Simon. Some guys make one mistake and they are out of the lineup and here you have Simon who took a 5 minute penalty with 6 minutes left in the third down by 1 and you want to show him compassion. It was a selfish play which screwed all of his teammates and yet they should have compassion for him? And we won't get into what a dangerous play it was. Stop playing favorites Ted it's not a good way to coach.

----------
Posted by Saint Nick | December 17, 2007 15:15 Doesn't anybody think this may be a way to keep him away from the team for the rest of the year in a more dignified manner than simply cutting him? For once, get off the ledge and try to give the team's management the benefit of the doubt.
----------

EXACTLY. If people werent so negative and reactionary, they might actually see whats going on here. This seems like a way for Chris to leave the team and get some help and the tam to support him in doing so without condoning his action.

Honestly, some of the reactions on here sicken me. Have a friggin heart. Many of you obviously dont realize it, but you CAN completely disapprove of what someone does and still be a compassionate human being.

I am THRILLED t the way that Charles Wang is handling this. He has what far to few people have- COMPASSION for someone who obviously has a problem.

My attempt at a final word on the "Simon issue".

No offense Jamie, I am using your post as a reference.
You said:
"....THANKYOU SIMON FOR SHOWING GUTS. THANK YOU FOR ENDURING A FICKLE , DWINDLING, PATHETIC , LIBERAL, ANTI-VIOLENCE FAN BASE. YOU ARE DA MAN."

The actions of Chris Simon on Saturday night were hardly the actions of someone showing guts. Gutless is a more appropriate description. Not since the days of John Brophy's LI Ducks at the old Commack Arena, not since the days of Derek Sanderson's two handed knee swipes at Brad Park while skating off MSG ice, not since Marty McSorley's reign of terror in the NHL have I seen a blatant disregard of fellow competitor's well being, and in effect the type of play glamorized in the movie Slap Shot..
I have just described people in hockey who are distant memories,
players/coaches/movies in/about the NHL who eventually made their way to the trash heap of ignominy.
I am sorry that Chris Simon put himself into that category.
I am NOT SORRY that I feel the way I do about his future in the game.
And I am NOT a "fickle, dwindling, pathetic and ESPECIALLY not a liberal or anti-violent fan".
And I doubt that many other "real hockey" fans are in that category either.
Most "real hockey" fans that I know are not fickle (never have I met more passionate fans of their teams), they are hardly dwindling (Hockey has a stronger base of passionate fans than other sports do, IMHO), and the fact that we all watch and enjoy THE MOST VIOLENT SPORT in the world hardly makes us Quakers.
Chris Simon has had a very good NHL career. One that any of us would give a testicle for.
It's unfortunate that his career should come to a close on this note.
And yes, Jamie, even in your own sophomoric left handed praise of Chris Simon, i.e., your attempt to place the blame for his actions and the results of his actions on others who find fault with what he did; EVEN YOU intimated that he should leave the game as a player.
And for that, I agree with you.
YOU ARE CORRECT Jamie.
Chris Simon needs to leave the game as a player. Cuz his inability to "play the game" can no longer overshadow the dark side he brings to the game.
And the Islanders, or the Avalanche, or the Cap's, need to find a place for him in their organization's in a capacity that thanks him for his time and efforts.
THAT'S where the loyalty needs to come from. Not from us fans.
We pay a lot of money, we deserve more from the game than what Chris Simon has given us this year, especially after what he gave us Saturday Night.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

"Have a friggin heart" - TheMetalChick

I like reading your posts, but I think you may be a tad off on this one. The guy took his skate and stomped on another players foot. Last year he took his stick and swung it like a bat into someone's face. He's got a long career of doing some extremely scummy things. I don't think people, myself included, are out of line to want this guy gone.

The whole hockey world is talking about the Islanders again - and again it's because of a Chris Simon heartless move. Plus, I read in an ESPN article that Simon on has 12 hits this year. That's one for every other game. So, he's not hitting, not scoring, not skating ...and caused national controversy ...why shouldn't we want him gone?

Would you get this many chances at your job if you messed up half as often and half as bad? I know I wouldn't ....I hope Simon does get the help he needs, but I don't ever want to pay to see him skate, or stomp or swing, for the Islanders ever again

"So, he's not hitting, not scoring, not skating ...and caused national controversy ...why shouldn't we want him gone?"

Because he's a great guy in the locker room.

/sarcasm

The thing that gets me is ... if his stomp was better placed ... he'd of caught Ruutu's ligaments on the lightly padded back of the calf .. severing them very well would of ended his season or depending on how severe ... ended his career. Most people don't realize how sharp hockey skates are unless they play ...

I sometimes like to run my skates on a piece of wood right after sharpening them in order to clean the edge a bit. You can see tiny steel residue on the wood after doing that inside the rut you cut into the wood with only a few passes of a skate blade. That is sharp!!

On a freshly resurfaced sheet of ice ... if you skate hard enough and hit the breaks ... you can create curly slivers of ice shavings that are sooo thin ... they float down to the ice from about 8 feet. Those are some sharp skates ... I don't care that it was 5 minutes left in the game and Simon's skates were probably not at their sharpest ... he doesn't get much ice time .. so I'm sure they were pretty damn sharp.

I'm not a doctor, but it may be that Chris Simon has incurred brain damage during his long hockey career. It happens to boxers, and Chris has received plenty of head shots over the years. Sadly, there is no place on the ice for a player who hurts people on purpose. It's time to hang 'em up.

Joyce...Way off. Hockey players do not wear gloves when they fight. So the brain does not get "shaken" like that of a boxer. The reason boxers wear gloves is not to protect the head. It is to protect the hands !!!!!

Ruttuu has done a million things worse than what Simon did on Saturday night. The fact is you can say at least ONCE a night that if a player did something an "inch" closer he could of caused permanent damage. Simon messed up. He is an ageing warrior! ROCK ON CHRIS !!! YOU WERE FUN TO WATCH ALL THESE YEARS !!!

**For those dumping on him right now....Do not forget HE was the biggest player we lost at the end of last year. YES it was his fault for responding to the moron Hollwig, but Simon was a huge part of that team last year and the biggest leader in the lockeroom. This year we have more voices with Guerin. WHO NOW will protect DP ? Who will stand up for Comries big mouth? Jackman ??? He is a punching bag. Careful what you all wish for. I want the kids like Tambi and my boy #29 to play also.....Not going to happen when we need muscle! It is a part of the game. A GREAT PART OF THE GAME which is why every team has one.....Watch what Mrs. Avery does to us know! You are all going to be begging for Simon when Avon comes calling!**

Enjoy your day!

The Islanders as an organization are handling this the right way (IMO). Address the issue before the NHL hands down their ruling. You need to show compassion for a player because you have 20 something other guys on the team who are friends with him paying close attention to how the management handles the situation. You can't send a message that says make a mistake in the eyes of the NHL and you are gone. All players and coaches talk about how important it is too have good guys in the locker room and how it is one big family. If you send a guy packing for his mistake it affects the rest of the team. I think it was smart what the Islanders did. They acknowledged they don't condone his behavior and that he is leaving the team and they will let the NHL determine how long that will be for. He probably has seen his last shift but that does not come at the hands of the Islanders organization.

I was listening to XM 204 yesterday and each one of their talk shows was all over the Simon issue. It is a shame that the Islanders got so much negative attention. I will say that most everyone had high praise for the Islanders organization and that Chris Simon's actions were not at all a reflection of the organization and what they stand for. Denis Potvin was the first one I heard say that Chris Simon needs anger management classes.

Any word on Aaaron Johnson? I was thinking that maybe you sit both Berard & Bergemoron so maybe they both get the message that you must play consistantly in order to have a roster spot. Plug a guy like Johnson in there for a night and let both Berard & Bergemoran some time to think about their game. It's frustrating that either player has found any type of consistency all year.

Blake Comoeu...hmmm, interesting choice. I thought perhaps Walter would have got another look. But I remember Comoeu having a decent training camp.

The team needs to put it all together already. If you are a good defensive team you need to play with a lead to be effective. The slow starts in the first period are killing this team. The Islanders record last year and this year when they score first is stellar. They need to score first way more often. That is when you see the best in a team that is commited to defense. I remember last year playing the Devils; the Devils would get that first goal and you kind of felt that you were going to have a tough time winning that game.

i feel bad for simon. i always liked his combination of talent and toughness. i understood the isle's fans need to defend him against hollweg. there's no doubt in my mind that, while hollweg is an antagonist, simon's actions were too overboard to be defended. i just felt bad because i always liked simon's character and felt the incident was unfortunate. as a ranger fan, i never jumped all over simon during that incident. it was just an emotional clash between two physical players with one player going a little over the line.

this incident leaves no doubt that simon has some issues and, unfortunately, this could very well be the end of his nhl career. his 4th line numbers last year were impressive, but he seemed to have lost a step this year. that harsh reality for simon is there are younger, faster kids that can do what he does without his baggage.

I totally agree that the Isles need to get tougher up front you can't have your D-Men being your enforcers and right now it seems the only guys on the team right now that can drop the gloves are some of the D-Men and this is Snow's fault. As far as Simon being an enforcer he was washed up and I'll give you a perfect example. Last Ranger game when Hollweg told Martinek he would rip his stitches out was that addressed on the ice with Simon in the lineup????? No it was addressed in the newspapers after the game which made the Isles look like a bunch of crybabies. You think the Isles of Gillies, Nystrom and Howatt would have cried to the newspapers about that? Where was Snow when a legitimate enforcer like Georges Laroque was available? Thank God there are no more bench clearing brawls in the NHL or this team would get killed. Snow needs to toughen this team upfront and he needs to do it now.

Steady, I like your posts mostly, but I think you're way off on this one. I remember Simon dropping the gloves only once this season, I think against TB, and getting beat up by some marginal defenseman, or somthing like that. Heck, Sutton has dropped the gloves more than anyone, as has Jackman (even though every time he does it he takes more hits than Rocky did against Clubber Lang).

Who will protect DP? I've seen Witt go ballistic on anyone who even looks at DP funny. Sutton's back there too. The funny thing is, it's never the heavyweight enforcer that goes after another team's goalie. You don't need the toughest guy in the league to protect your goalie. You need character guys who stand up for each other and send the message that the crease is a bad place for the other team's forwards to be.

Maybe Simon was that guy once, but I haven't seen him do anything this year, except become the only player to my knowledge that manages to take a penalty while on a breakaway. That, and make a national spectacle of the Islanders once again, when they're having enough problems getting good press.

You can give some credit to Simon for last year, but it was also his 100% selfish act at the end of a close game that put the team in such a bind and started a multi-game slide at the worst time. If they got that point, and perhaps two, in that game vs. the Rangers, then Dubie doesn't have to make a sprawling poke check in the last game of the season to get them into the playoffs...heck, maybe they ride some momentum from that game and end up 6th.

Now, despite how poorly they've been playing, the team put together a nice win over Phoenix, and was mounting a good comeback against a divisional rival...with first place a mere five points away - as improbable as that was. Instead of keeping pace with the Devils though, Simon decides to be 100% selfish again and destroy any hope the team had to complete the comeback.

A night later, former enforcer Aaron Asham roofs a nice pass from Parise helping the Devils to a close win over the Flyers, putting them seven points ahead of the Isles.

/novel

A week Before this incident happened - I told my brother Simon doesn't bring anything to the table anymore, he should be released. This guy doesn't even challenge anyone to a fight. Just release this guy already, he was given enough chances by the Islanders and he made them look like fools for resigning him.
I would rather give his spot on the roster to a younger Guy from the minors.

So let's move to something we can all agree on.

NBC announced Mike Milbury will be part of its broadcast team for the New Year's outdoor game. Thank you, NBC, for again giving that moron air time.

Guys, pround islander fans that we are. 1983 is looking like long time ago. Ranger fans are close to starting chants for us.

Nolan is great players coach but his stubborness is getting the best of him. Its not the early 90's. The NHL has changed. You need to utilize skill players under new rules. The days of Goons is gone. Witt, Sutton, Guerin are plenty tough. And guys like campoli, grevais, sillinger, satan are soft players.

Our most skilled players have to be utilized better. Satan should be down low with puck in his stick. that is how he scored all his goals through the year.

Also, being coaches pet should not apply in NHL. Simon was taken up valuable time from other younger hungry player. Nice to see Comeau will get his chance. I would also take Pet #2 Hilbert to pk and 4th line and play tambellini with hunter and sillinger.

"NBC announced Mike Milbury will be part of its broadcast team for the New Year's outdoor game."

Hey, hats off to NBC.
Mike Milbury and Peter Puck in the same booth.
No finer combination of knowledge, conceptual analysis and pure entertainment..
Summerall/Madden, Rizzutto/White, McKay/Schenkel, Costas/Anyone,
They can all step aside on New Year's Day and admire the hockey geniuses on NBC.

You can't win with this guy. Once again Simon does something horrific and you get a template apology from the guy. "I'm sorry to everyone????" How about specifically to Ruuttu???? No mention of the guys name at all. Do you think he will "speak" to Ruuttu so he can apologize like a man, just like he said he was going to do to Hollweg??????? Never spoke personally to Hollweg and will never speak to Ruuttu. Know why???? Because it takes a man to apologize in person and admit you were wrong, IN PERSON. Instead, he and the Islanders leave it up to Botta and his cronies to issue a statement. I don't care about the ba**s he's shown over his career, he hasn't shown any over the last 8 months, no guts at all, that's not a man. Good riddance.

JP, you talk down to everyone on this board when you post. It is clear as day when you write. Now this guy Frei comes back at you and you rip the guy. Then he tells you that you don't know him, he's right, and you have the nerve to mention his kids and drugs???? Once again, you seem to be a keyboard tough guy. I just didn't think it was necessary for you to post what you did after the guy basically told you what has happened to him. That takes no guts as well. Think about it, it was a shi**y thing to do.

I hear you UPSTATE. Just my opinion. I have always loved the art of the goon in this wonderful sport of ours, so maybe my judgement is clouded. Simon will walk off into the sunset.

With Comeau coming up it could add another dimension to the team. This could turn into something positive.
the team is lacking a larger presence, and is mostly why, I assume, they were using Simon on the top line and on the PP.
Regier might have been a better choice if size was the only issue.
Comeau should add more speed and puckhandling ability to the fourth line, but I don't think he can be the statue in front of the opposition's net that Simon was used for.
Most likely we won't see comeau getting PP time until he's in double digit goals... and that could be years, if ever.
If nothing else they should be able to roll four lines. Hopefully one or two less kills per game... but you never know how many rookie obstructions Comeau will cause.
They will need to find a little muscle before the Philly and Ranger games start piling up again. Sutton has done what he has been asked, but you don't want to lose a key "D" for 5 minutes at a time. I think Bootland, and maybe even Spiller (as a 7th "D") might be in their future.
Upstate,
Steady made a very valid point about Simon. Part of the downward spiral was losing Simon on 3/8/7. Unfortunately I think they lost him for longer than the 25 game suspension there. He was not the same player in October that he was in February.
Simon was one of the key players to their early success last year. He wasn't helping much this year.
Any reasons we could offer would be purely speculation unless there is someone who posts to this blog that has a personal relatonship with Chris.
Let's just wish him the best, hope he can find himself again, and lives a long and productive post hockey (playing anyway) life.
The guy was a warrior... no need to trash him. that's why I went off on Frei.... and another reason why it's hard to play in the NY area...
A guy works his whole life... in the gym, practice, gets beat up on a nightly basis, lives under the pressure of losing his job in a split second... and the people he's charged with entertaining show absolutely no appreciation for that... It's sad.

Things with Simon just felt different this year. He was such an integral part of the team last year, and if you remember he was the original partner with DP on the jumping high-five. I agree that the team had the wind knocked out of it completely after the Hollweg ugliness last year. The Islanders of last year needed Chris Simon, and he was rising to the challenge. This year, he's almost looked like an obligation at times, and Nolan was trying anything and everything to get him going. This is a different year, I thank him for what he did BEFORE HOLLWEG last year, and it's time to move on. Brennan, Jackman, Bootland, Comeau, et al, can better fill his role moving forward. Let's see what the team is truly made of now.

One of the recent CBC hockey debates put it this way, "A Good Goon is Hard to find".

Steady, here's a good article on Simon.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_14_224/ai_61524808

Kevin T.

Brian,
The last thing I am is an internet tough guy... but you also have a right to your opinion.

My original lash out at Frie was due to two things:
1. as Steady points out he is obviously a ranger fan spewing negative spins on every situation, good or bad. All I said was that his parents probably didn't love him... I didn't say that I was gonna kick his a$$... not a big deal...
2. the "cause he was an indian" was uncalled for. Simon has 15 years inthe NHL, and has been a stand up guy for most of those 15 years. Again, as others have pointed out, there are hundreds of worse incidents that occur in the sports world. Of all the "goons" in the sport, Simon was one of the good ones. Most of his teammates have concurred with that in print. Look it up. So his knee jerk negativity is unwarranted. My response was just in the tradition of "JANE YOU IGNORANT SLUT"... that's how I roll. :-)

His family and personal history was unsolicited and who really cares... this isn't a group counseling session... it's a blog where people voice their opinions... and doing so... open themselves up for critique. He opened up the wound, adding some insult directed at me... and I stuck the knife in a little deeper... so what.

there's nothing I have typed in this, or any other medium, that I would feel uncomfortable saying to ANYBODY face to face...

Brian -

FYI... Simon tried to apologize to Hollweg i person. It was Hollweg who didn't have the "guts" or "balls" enough to meet with him.

Just making sure you have your facts straight.

MetalChick: you are way off on this one....how many chances do we or the NHL give him. This is hockey and he clearly shows he does not want to play the game, the way it is suppose to be played. Being an Enforcer is one thing just being a goon is another thing. The effort and compassion was all used up on him last year. No defending him at all. Let just hope he doesnt come back and go postal

Kyles article: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_7733398?nclick_check=1

"Can't we all just get along"-a lot of tension on the board

We played better when Simon was not on the team this year. We will be better without him. We will need a enforcer, Bootland or Brennan b/c jackman gets laid out all over the ice.

Off topic question -

For any who regularly watch the Islanders (or other teams) on the NHL Center Ice package on DIRECT TV... Have any noticed that the Wednesday Islander-Sabre game and Saturday Islander-Capital game are not on the schedule? Neither is tonight's Ranger-Pens game. The games aren't listed on the Direct TV web site OR on the program guide thru the satellite receiver. I call Direct TV, but t hey gave me a load of BS that they got "outbid" on t hose games by another satellite provider. The inDemand web site (the distributor of the games) lists ALL the games on it's web site, so they're being distributed as part of the NHL package.

Anyone know what's really going on???? Maybe if Direct TV hears from enough of us they'll provide a straight answer.

Cincy
My Center Ice is through Comcast. If I have any problems I will be on their doorstep.

Nautika
"Can't we all just get along"-a lot of tension on the board"
Comes with losing and is not a bad thing. Hopefully, the tension on this board is manifested X10 in the Isles locker room. Properly channeled (unlike Simon) it can make for hungrier team.
Otherwise the tension on this board is gonna get worse.
NOBODY likes to lose (except select European armies that reek of garlic).

Cincy,
According to the schedule that I use for NHL CENTER ICE the Isles are on tomorrow and Saturday, and oddly enough do not appear to be scheduled on friday.

http://www.indemand.com/sports/nhl/schedule/schedule.jsp

they haven't missed a game yet, so I assume they will be on VS on Friday, as it is not a packed schedule for that night.

I can't get to the VS schedule, there site seems to be messed up.

JPinVA,

Well, if something like this happened to Witt, for example, I'd definitely agree you...and with Steady - it'd be a very unfortunate incident to a true warrior who made a horrible mistake. It's cool that you guys think like that about Simon. Personally, I don't.

This is a repeat offender who is on his SEVENTH suspension. Some of them could be considered "things that happen in hockey," but cross checking Popovic in the throat? Making racial slurs to Grier (who by the way is a true team-first guy)? And those (and others just as bad) are before we even get into Hollweg and Ruutu. I just think we're getting all mushy on a guy who doesn't really deserve it. There are other "warriors" out there to admire who leave it all on the ice and don't try to intentionally cripple people multiple times in their career.

Regarding Simon last year...the slide technically started on NYR game that Simon CAUSED them to lose. Plus, I think the very next game was the one in Montreal where DP was injured - and let's face it, that's the real reason for the slide, not a fourth line goon being out of the lineup. From the minute DP went down until they finally started Dubie in net...there's your slide.

Cincy: I've had center ice forever and the only times they don't have games is if they're nationally televised. Check 'Vs' for some games. If not check teams individual channels (624 for isles and 629 for caps and around 627 for sabres). Also on saturdays games are sometimes on HD NET-channel 79. I'm at work all day... I'll look into it when I get home...unless someone addresses it before then. Let's go Islanders. We don't need Simon anymore. Thanks for for all the hard work and effort Chris...but we don't really need you anymore. Why is anyone scared about toughness without him. I haven't seen him do anything yet. Jackmans on that line anyway. Witt and sutton protect the keeper... Don't need to drop the gloves to do that... And I think DP has no problem sticking up for himself anyway. This could be a blessing in disguise and make the team better anyway.
There is one thing: he's been horroble as a point producer and enforcer this year... But we can't comment on the impact he makes as a teammate. I hope this doesn't have the same effect the hollweg incident did.

Upstate,
I see your point. When he was signed by the Isles I was one of the guys (not here yet, but on other boards) that questioned the signing. I watched him with the caps while he was there, and he could go from a fruitful power forward to a monster enforcer... but he had those "incidents" hanging over his head. I really didn't think he was worth the trouble at his age.
I think my original assessment was wrong. The guy seemed to really put out last year. He was contributing up and down the lineup, and he smoothly drifted into his "role" when called upon to do so.
On 3/8 he turned into the "evil" simon. And even at that point he was worth standing up for, because it was a hazy act at best spawned by disreputable NHL punk... and he was clearly in an altered state when he got up. (but that has been hashed, rehashed and over-hashed).
DP was definitely the biggest factor to the slide, but the loss of Simon definitely contributed to it. And he just hasn't been the same player. His skills seemed to have deteriorated markedly.
It would be unfair to speculate as to the reason of this downward turn, but it is fair to say that he should skate off into the sunset… leaving a wealth of Youtube classics in his wake.
And Goon to me is Dale Puriton… not Chris Simon. Simon had skills… Simon could score, finish his checks and play a solid two way brand of hockey… and as Steady pointed out , he was a top heavyweight in the NHL… I don’t think that gets you to heaven, but the AHL and ECHL are full of guys who can drop the gloves, but can’t lift their skates.
He’s gone now, and the Isles should be better off for it. We should be talking about how they react with some new blood on the team. Sometimes you just have to move forward. We get to see Blake Comeau get an opportunity to show if he can play in the NHL.

So let the cries for Tambellini and Walter begin…

I don't know if I am the only one who noticed that Tambellini yet again was a non factor. I'm not saying that he won't make it some day but that day ain't today and most likely not tomorrow either. It was like he was the invisible man on the ice during his latest stint (except for the first game he was called up).

I think Simon was frustrated with his diminishing skills this year. He has had scoring opportunities and failed to convert. He lost the fight against Orr when they played the Rangers (ALTHOUGH HE MIGHT HAVE TRIPPED ON THE STICK THAT WAS LAYING ON THE ICE).

It kills me on this board, one day you all are complaining we don't have enough skill, and now I hear complaints we don't enough toughness that we need to pick up another enforcer. Are we watching the same games? IMO the Islanders don't fight enough. But if they needed too in games against the Rangers & Flyers, they could call up Bootland or Miller. Remember losing Chris Simon is a non issue because we are loaded with 4th line talent as said by many of the regulars and irregulars on this board.

Back to Tambellini; if he wants to stick he needs to look at a guy like Bergenheim. Bergy has had growing pains this year at times but one thing that has remained a constant has been the effort. Look at him now, he is on the second line and he is making an impact each and every shift. When his line is out there you here his named called several times. With Tambellini at times you wonder if he was getting ice time. He barely was involved. Look at Jackman the last couple of games. You knew he was on the ice because he was making an impact. Tambellini needs to learn the NHL game and until he does he should be in the minors.

Bob E: with regards to your post; maybe you should ask Santa for a "Speak & Spell" this year. I'm no better at times but your last post was horrific.

What a terrible time to have three days off. It must be hard to focus on the upcoming game when you ahave to answer constant questions regarding Chris Simon. I bet the Islanders can't wait till tomorrow.

JP, that's great to hear, that you're so comfortable with your comments. Tell you what: I'd love to give you the opportunity to tell me all about my parents and my upbringing face-to-face. What would it take? Do you plan to be up in or around NY for the holidays? I'll even buy you seat in the 200s and a beer to go with it, and we'll chat. Really, honest and for true. If your comfortable with it, that is.

I'm not going to hold my breath, 'cause my money says you're a near 17-year-old punk with nuts the size of BBs that likes to hang out behind his keyboard talking tough to people he doesn't know. So? So prove me wrong. Come up and hang out, grab a beer, catch a game. My treat. You pick the date. Absolutely no lie.
_____________

In retrospect, saying Simon is here because he's Indian isn't accurate. He could be Chinese, Namibian, Inuit, whatever. What matters is that he shares the same blood as the coach, and as a result of that bond they share, he gets special treatment and consideration. One form of it is the infinite amount of second chances he gets, and the way he has never been held accountable for his actions. Every time he goes out and does something stupid, like trying to injure someone, he gets told, its OK chris, you are "special" because you have had "problems" and so we all have so much sympathy for you, you can get away with it. Its no big deal.

I can tell you from experience, the very worst thing you can do for someone that is dealing with serious issues is tell them its okay when it isn't. All that does is enable them and allow them to continue whatever the problem behavior is, without forcing them to make the necessary changes in their life to better themselves. Its only when the enablers step away and the person is held accountable for their actions, including whatever consequences come with them, that there is any possibility for qualitative growth and change.

Simon's out of chances. He does not deserve to be here, because people that cannot control themselves do not deserve positions of privilege in our society. As a big money maker, a high-profile celebrity, someone who gets to play a game for a living, there are standards to be held accountable to. Chris Simon has failed, many, many times, and does not deserve to occupy a position of privledge any longer. This guy is getting powerplay time? How much does that say about this team?

Aside from that, he's been an absolutely terrible hockey player. He's been useless on the ice, produced almost no points, and taken a huge amount of penalties. But, he's Chris, he's got problems, and well, you just can't mess with that, right? Truth is, aside from being a disgusting animal that tries to injure other players, and a lousy player himself, he's just taking up a roster spot that someone like tambellini or walter or comeau or anyone else might deserve. Guys that go out and work hard every night to try and earn their spot, instead of gliding by on the sympathies generated by a misspent youth. Is he supposed to be the only person in the world to face alcoholism? I can tell you right now he isn't. He's no more deserving than anyone else because he made stupid descisions growing up. If anything, he's less deserving, because he's had a load of "second" chances, and he's pissed all over each and every one.

Frei,
look man, this isn't about us. I apologize if you took my original comment personally. I have no desire to talk about your parents, that's what counseling, and those meetings under the church are for.

You've voiced your opinion. and I voiced mine.

Have a nice holiday.

why is it ok to back Simon on his actions against Hollweg, but not against Ruutu?
This team is full of Goons, including Nolan. A bunch of sorry sacks.
Shame on you Chris Simon! Like I said last year, this guy is going to do this again, he's going to hurt someone. Kick this GOON out of the league forever. On top of that, he should no longer be able to complete in any league with relations to the NHL.
Shame on Nolan too!

It's ridiculous that the Islanders have absoultely zero zip nadda young talent to call up to help this team. Comeau? The guy has below average numbers at the ahl level, what's he going to do here? It's obvious that they don't like Tambellini. What else is there? Anyone? Bueller?

-16
and in last place.
no young talent to call up and replace that Simplton Simon after last years exidous of youth for Symth. The Summer's exit stage left of all our major talent.
This team and this Org stink to high heaven!
Another year of stinking it up.

they should approach today and tonight's game as a restart of the season. purge the negativity of the last month of play and the last few days of the simon thing and get themselves thinking this is the real start of the season for them. i would have brought in more new blood other than just comeau, but he can help in this process. this may sound like grapsing at straws to some, but this kind of thing has happened before (in all sports) and the timing is right for it. and this particular coach is the right guy for it too. i will not be surprised to see a clear upturn in their play over the next while.

Frei...Are you a rangers fan? Honestly? Nothing wrong with it. Mook, Brian, MM are all strong bloggers. I just never see anything positive coming from you.

I think this blog has gone sour b/c there has been no games. The blog reflects the teams play....Boring! At leaset last year we all could get fired up over Blakey or pissed at our captain. This team is like VEGETABLE LASAGANA!!!! No meat to it!

Hopefully that will turn around. Let's get fired up for tonights game and turn the page.

Come on ISLES give us some life. GET FIRED UP! GET PISSED! PLAY WITH PASSION!

God I want check someone through the boards right now. Think the Isles want an aging former highschool player with a nasty wrist shot and a beer gut? :) :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Steady and The Blacks!

I think its time to re-access the Islanders Organization. While catching a little bit of Wings-Caps on Monday night I realized that the Isles have ZERO excitability outside of DP. DP cannot score so unless we win about 40 1-0 games then we have nothing. We have a bunch of 3rd and 4th liners with a few has beens sprinkled in. Not worried too much about the D outside of Stupid and Berard. They both should be axed. I wouldn't mind us restocking our system as it is as bare as an old and dry wheat field in Milwaukee. Who wants to be a fringe mediocre playoff team the gets drilled by a one seed in you guessed in 5 games. I am tired of that. Snow and the committee and scouting department have failed although its not their fault as a result of Dilbury sucking the life blood from the organization. My solution trade any of our weak commodities for prospects or picks and just accept losing with youth for a couple years. It didn't take Philly long to recover. A young team with youth would be alot more fun too watch than this crew of has beens and AHL castoffs.
Keepers:
DP
Witt
Marty
Camp
Gervais
Bergy
Park
Vasi
Hunts unless you get a nice prospect or pick
probably forgot another or few but dump the rest and restock!
Lets go Islanders!

I don't think much more illuminating can be added about Simon, so can we let it go?

Coral, as for Tamby v. Bergenheim, they are two totally different players. Bergenheim has always played with an edge. Personally, I think Tamby is so concerned with not making a mistake, his game and nose for scoring have been stuffed. To be perfectly honest, althgough you are "supposed" to win PP time, I'd give him a shot on the power play--even in place of Satan. Heck, we've brought in the likes of Randy Robitaille for the PP--whey not look within.

Obviously, this goes back to what this team is all about. Is is just trying to make the playoffs or is to build some foundation to compete for the Cup. I always expected this year to be the one where Tamby, Bergie, Nielson, and Nokie (replace with Walter) finally cut their NHL teeth after a few seasons in the AHL. If they finished 10th, so be it. At least we'd have some idea as to how the fiull out the roster while going after some other talent in the FA market.

Btw, the Isles sent me about 4 copies of a fan survey with roughly 60 questions. It can be accessed below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=3JJgaF0YWvZkqho2WuoFGw_3d_3d

Merrick:

Thanks for the survey. Always glad to have a way to voice our opinions.

I'm making the mad dash from the city tonight and catching tonights game. I hope the Isles play with a bit of a chip on their shoulders as last time they faced Buffalo they got their rears handed to them. Also excited to to see Comeau and Bergenheim. Last time I was at a game Andy Hilbert scored on a pretty good shot. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Cincy:

vs Sabres: 770, 771, 624, 627

vs Pitt: 624, 628, 215 (NHL Network...great HD picture)

vs Caps: 624, 659

This team needs a minimum of 4 points over the next 3 home games. Can't afford to fall further behind. IMO I feel that this is a crucial point of the season. Our current lack of play has gone on for too long...too long to call it a slump. So something drastic happened, maybe it will light a fire under the teams a**es. Plus...for once we've had some freaking days off in between games. LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Ps- Pheonix wins against Philly too... Makes me feel a little better.

I don't know if anyone else saw this, but it looks like Simon is suspended for 30 games. Hopefully his actual time away from the team is the rest of the season.

There was a time when this team was considered to be THE class act of the league. Strong values, grit and hard working.
And no Merrick dropping the Simon convo isn't finished until the team is finished with him.
I went through this crap last year with my son, explaining to never use you stick as a weapon, now I've got to explain skates too. Poor.
Until Simon is removed from this team we will just watch the games from home. Players like this is why I stopped watching basketball. Just a bunch of criminals mouthing off playing ball.
Selfishness like Manning not wanting to play in S.D., no more Gaints in the house either.
The last real sport in North America is covered up with this goons poor attitude and bad sportsmanship.
Remove Simon and 4 fans will return for every home game. Not until then.
Anyone want to buy season tickets?

I'll buy them and give to clients or go when I can. DIE HARD !!!!

Getting my kid a Simon Jeresey for Xmas !! :)

Steady: Do you run Blakes Fan Club? j/k...i know what your saying with, how he was fast and exciting and now we are slow and playing a slow game. I am still glad Blake is gone but it is hard that we didn't replace someone with his speed. He is doing alright in Toronto but This number is really bad 5 goals on 146 shots.

If we lose, we lose, no needs for people get mad at one another. We do not some changes on our team and if Ryder goes to FLA . I will be crazy mad.

Depending on our season, if we need to be sellers, here is who needs to go at the deadline:

Satan--he could come back after the season

Comrie

meyer,mab,--we need pucks and sticks for next year

Gervais: possible..depending on the deal

I want to keep Tank and Vas.

One other great thing about DirecTV. They now offer MSG and FSNY in HD. It's fantastic. No reason to go back to Cablevision now.

With regard to Simon, he's most likely done with this team and as much as I want him out of here, I do applaud the effort of Snow and the Isles organization to get this guy some help, but having the two longest suspensions in NHL history is not something I would want to put on my resume.

With regard to the Isles play, I agree with most who see this team as a bunch of 2nd and 3rd liners. Problem is, when they are playing as a cohesive unit, playing hard, feisty, physical game they are fun to watch. I am not a fan of the dump and chase, but they have very few true skill players. That's just the reality.

I was happy to see The Great One's comments about DiPietro. He has definitely moved into the upper realm of goaltenders in this league and it would be great to see his stats when he is not asked to hold a team to under 2 goals each game.

Lets go Isles this week.

Simon got 30 games ... good riddance

It's time to re-tool and re-stock .... I understand completely what Mad Mike tried to do when he grabbed Yashin and Peca ... he tried to get this team back on the map (kudos to him for trying) ... but inevitably, it didn't work. The drafting has been near horrendous for years and the decisions on who to trade and/or let go (Chara, Connelly, McCabe, Jokkinen, etc.) has been brutal.

The Isles have ZERO young studs in the pipeline ... after all of the years of brutality, how can that be? At the current stage we are nothing more than a 7 or 8 seed every year that will get whacked in the first round. Is that really fun? Granted, last year's drive for the playoffs WAS exciting but then the harsh reality of playoff hockey came crashing in again.

Does anyone get the feeling that NO TOP FLIGHT FA's want to play for the Isles? How sad is that? It just shouldn't be that way for a once proud franchise.

Trade off assets and start accumulating picks ... be smart and fill the pipeline and in 2 or 3 years we will have a solid core to attract those top flight FA's with. DP has 6-8 years of solid play in him ... let's not waste the next 4 and be in the same spot we are today 4 years from now.

http://www.gopherpucklive.com/viewtopic.php?p=191068#191068

WOW Nautika,
THAT IS A SCOOP.
I've got calls in to my MN Connections to verify

That one completely blindsided me. Can we get confirmation, and how about a full story on what's going on? Something about that seems very strange to me if it's true.

Lineup news for this evening: Meyer and Comeau in, both MAB and Berard out.

Could they try to get MAB out of here before the trade freeze goes into effect tonight?

According to the NHL, the financial penalty for Simon's suspension, which is based on his average annual salary, will amount to $292,683. The money will be donated to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund.

Is that the hotline Fluery calls when he can't find crack?

Low blow, JP, but funny.

One more thing on Okposo: he's not officially signing. Let's not forget he's leaving for Prague to represent the USA at the World Juniors. I don't expect anything to happen there until after the tournament is over.

Screw the Junior's tournament St Nick (Okposo).
It's just another chance to get a career ending injury.
MONEY TALKS.
I wonder if Snow flew from Toronto to MSP after the Simon hearing?
SIgn him today or tomorrow get him in the lineup by next week.
Give Bergie, Comeau, Okposo more ice time and MAKE SOME REAL CHANGES IN THIS LINEUP!!

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I agree...my point is that he's already there. It's highly unlikely that he'd sign with the Islanders until after the tournament for that reason.

USA TODAY (mcpaper) is confirming the Okposo signing:

http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=7f199720956b03f0&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a7f199720956b03f0Post%3ab884594d-3971-4b33-aafa-9845c122b750

Get well Simon.

Hope to see you in Isles uniform again.

I'm hoping to travel soon, any other sites to find good cheap hotels?