On the Islanders Beat

Quote from the Ottawa paper:

While the apparent lack of effort was disappointing, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Some of Ottawa's worst games have come against the league's dimmest lights.

And the Isles are still ranked in the bottom third of the league in TSN's power rankings.

*sigh* I hate Canada...

As much as I recognize the Isles have a ways to go, this Canadian-more-holy-than-thou is getting irritating. God bless the Canucks and Flames announcers for actually calling fair game and giving credit where it is due.

Lets hope we stick it to them again tonight. If the boys come out chomping at the bit we have a good shot at beating them. Go Isles!

Sometimes I wonder if Ottawa exists just to piss off the rest of the North American cities. I have heard, word-of-mouth from several Canadian friends, that most of the rest of Canada wonder what the heck is up with the fine residents of Ottawa and their "attitude." Let's just roll our eyes and move on.

Thank goodness Howie Rose will be back. I got tired of Jiggs getting the player names wrong and apologizing for lousy play-by-play commentary. Billy & Howie are a great team!!

I hope that the defense plays in a highly aware state of mind & body tonight. MAB better not turn the puck over too many times, and Campoli has to stop the cross-ice passing in the defensive zone while opposing players are onsides. We could also use a strong performance by Comrie, Guerin, and Park. Let's Go Islanders!!!

although mark is reporting that tambs is back with the big club, newyorkislanders.com is reporting that TANK will go tonight...aguess we called Tambs up again for no reason...

leaving for the game now...LETS GET 2 TONI

2 TONIght, that's 2 TONIght

I have to comment on this one. Eastern Canada (Ontario/Quebec) have traditionally had all the power and money. While Western Canada has survived by building good relationships with the US. Then we send all out taxes to Ontario/Quebec for them to spend on themselves.

Thus the level of respect versus lack of respect.

I am a BC boy and I have more in common with Seattle, Washington than I do Toronto.

Kevin T.

Kevin T- we (Long Island) have a similar relationship with the rest of New York State. We send a lot more money to Albany (the capital) from Long Island than we get back from them. In effect, we subsidize the rest of the state. We also get attitude from the Governour. So, I know what you mean (on a much smaller scale, of course).

we have to stop christopher higgins from scoring tonight. he has 7 goals in 8 games against us recently.

Yep, I am sure it happens everywhere.

I just get really ticked when they think they are speaking for all of Canada, and they come off like ignorant a-holes. Especially when it comes to hockey.

Don't you think Bobby Orr was proud to represent the city of Boston, or Steve Yzerman repesent Detroit?

Kevin T.

"While the apparent lack of effort was disappointing, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Some of Ottawa's worst games have come against the league's dimmest lights."

Yeah, well, has anyone noticed if Spezza's bulb has any incandescence to it?

Seattle fan
"we have to stop christopher higgins from scoring tonight."
STOP HIM?
I vote we revoke his passport (and Komisarek's) and make him come home.

Is it me or are the Islanders worse than Belichek and Mangini when it comes to injuries? Man, it's annoying. I understand the, "he's got a lower body injury" so it can't be a target. But, how about coming clean with length of time they're expected to miss?

Nolan would have said that Roy Hobbs was day to day after his little hotel incident.

Vukota - I agree completely. The Isles are even worse than the Jets!

Since when does a "bruised leg" keep a guy on the sideline for more than a month? Next thing you know we'll find out Martinek is out for the season to get his knee reconstructed. Then again, I could've sworn I saw a blood stain on his uniform in the abdominal area.

>Thank goodness Howie Rose will be back. I got tired of Jiggs >getting the player names wrong and apologizing for lousy >play-by-play commentary. Billy & Howie are a great team!!

I'm glad Howie Rose is back too, but we won't hear him tonight, since the game is on Versus. Probably Mike Emrick

Komisarek,I believe is from West Islip..not Islip Terrance

Is this the same Canada that the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nords. left? . Canada sucks.

I'd be surprised if Marty isn't being fitted for a prosthetic as we speak.

505,
I completely agree. I posted in the intermediate blog that I would love to see a blockbuster. (MAB, SATAN, HUNTER) for (Mike K, Chris Higgins and a 2nd round pick)... also Garth needs to reimburse Mike's mom for her ticket purchases and offer both of them 20 lower bowls for each HOME GAME they play at the NVMC.

Apparently Toronto is having a meltdown over their record and getting ready to hang the GM.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/morrison/2008/01/public_emasculation_of_john_fe.html

Here is a recent article, but what really made me laugh was the comment below by Winston Cole.

Enjoy...

Kevin T.

Martinek is killing me. The guy is soooooooo darn good when healthy.

Witt will be missed against these Eastern Division teams that play with grit. Get healthy soon Witt!

You want to really piss off Ottawa? Join me and some friends next year at the World Juniors in Ottawa. I am going to spray paint myself red/white/and blue.....Then drink around 20 red/white and blues.....Then cheer for USA to end Canadas run. Individual tickets will be hard to come by, but that is what ebay and credit cards are for!!!!!

Guys give Jiggs a break. YES he is old and messed up names, but for those over 35 he is a living legend. He is ISLANDERS HOCKEY where ever he goes!

Someone call a priest. Freddy Meyer is possessed.

No need for holy water for the rest of the team. They are normal and prepared to rip our hearts out if they keep playing like they did in the first period.

Hey guys, greetings from Cleveland, OH. It's a long time since my last post, but I was travelling to the US and doing some other stuff... anyway, today I watched first Isles' game here in the US. Just lost to Habs 3:1.

My impressions...

Overall: you can't win a game with 17 shots on goal and zillion of passes. We generated NO OFFENSE!

DP: Solid as always...

Def.: Meyers was one of better players, probably the best D tonight. Bergeron unvisible with only one big shot on goal late in the 3rd. Sutton & especially Berard huge disappointment.

Forwards: Comrie... thanks god he signed only for a year. Satan had two decent chances in the third but this is the only difference between him and Bergie & Vasicek. Whole line unvisible. Hunter should be traded, he is about to become younger version of Mark Parrish or Oleg Kvasha (oh, do you guys remember Kvasha?! Ouch!). Sillinger won 13 out of 18 faceoffs or so... ideal 3rd line center. Park was the best Islander (with Meyer) on the ice...

Bottom line: I already wrote it before, you can't win a hockey game with only 17 shots on goal. We have generated absolutely no offense in first two periods and would probably continue in this trend for the rest of the game should Park not score his goal. This sparked the game, but only for 2-3 minutes and that was it. Habs played it very simple in the offensice zone and that's what they won this game for them...

Question: why was Blake Comeau on the top line in last five minutes? Are you kidding me!

Note to Ted Nolan: Please do not call up Kyle Okposo. He won't changed anything this season!

Back to their old 1 goal score per game ... flashes of greatness ... flashes of last place.

I guess this is one of the downward parts of the roller coaster ride that is the Isles' season.

Arms up everyone .. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

We'll get dem Devils.

Welcome to USA Piero ... good to see you posting again...

Looks like you got right into it with the Isles ... I agree with your assessments ....

BTW ... the Sillinger stat of 13 of 18 faceoffs won was for the Ottawa game on Sunday. The announcers just brought it up after he won that face off late in the 3rd to illustrate Sillinger's importance during face offs.

Good to have you posting again. You make some very good observations.

DP ... on as usual. Showed a National audience his value to the Isles ... to bad the Isles couldn't beat those Canadiens for the American viewers ... oh well ... on to the Devils.

"Daddy why do the Isles never shoot on the Montweal goalie?"

That was my 3 1/2 year old watching tonights game!

19 Isles,,,,,,The weeeeeeeee was hysterical!

They fooled us again. Let's try and rebound against the Devs. Sooooooooo frustrating!

LOLOL!!! Steady ~ Glad you liked that roller coaster reference ... that is what I feel we go through ...

I'm not going to get too high or low anymore ... I'm just going to enjoy the games as much as I can without the scoring. Three goals in a game is a bonus.

Classic what your 3 1/2 year old said ... I'd like to think it's because they are looking for the perfect high % shot ... because at least that is an excuse ... but look what Eddie O said just prior to the Isles scoring ... Guerin got it to the net .... key play .... So hopefully your 3 1/2 year old will not have to see many more of the Isles futility in shots on goal. It's like they wait too long of the course of a game to figure out what to do before they begin putting on pressure sometimes.

I'll call tonight's game the Western Canada / Ottawa Minions hang over, and not lose sleep over it tonight.

Just back from the game ...some thoughts from section 217 ...

1) I'm going to email the Islanders tonight and ask for a refund. I'm serious. I pay a whole lot of money, granted the tix are discounted cause of deals for season tic holders, but its still way too much for what was displayed on the ice tonight. This was such a boring game from the get go ...this is what we've been talking about. Winning is important, but its sports - it should be FUN - but watching a bunch of scrubs not be able to skate is very frustrating. 4 shots at the midway point of the game (none of which were real chances either)

2) No one hates it more when people yell "shoot!" more than I do, because often the players have no clear path to the net or are being hounded BUT what the h-ll was Campoli thinking?

3) This entire team is pretty much garbage. They're no fun to watch. They have people playing in spots they shouldn't be. I like Park, and he scored tonight, but why's he our #1 line winger? Why do we have to pay full price to watch a bunch of 3rd and 4th liners cycle the puck around for the 60 minutes and never get anyone to the front of the net while other teams have speed and can break out?

4) I go back and forth on this because my natural desire is to see them make the playoffs, but we need to finish last or as close to last as possible ...they need some youth that can score desperately! If they make the playoffs they'll get bounced 1st round and get a mid-level pick ...Okposo, Tambellini, Walter, Figren, Rahkshani, Comeau ....we need more young guys that can skate and I know this is against the Isles motto but we need guys that can also PRODUCE!!!!!! We need more players that give us a reason to show up and cheer ...people we sitting on their hands tonight and no one can blame them!

General observations from section 309:

The first period was horrible - 1 shot? 1 shot?!? There went the game. They can't win if they don't shoot. Comeau's unwillingness to shoot the puck is annoying - he makes a good run at the net, and then pulls up, spins, and passes. Ugh! It really showed his lack of confidence. There were too many cross-ice passes that were picked off by Canadiens. Most of the Islander forwards seemed to be skating slow. The crowd was the quietest crowd that I've heard in my last 6 games at NVMC. There was a lack of energy tonight. The hits were good tonight, though. 3 penalties and no fights - that's the fewest I've seen in any game this year.

At least I was sitting next to 2 guys who were talking hockey the whole time. They were interesting to listen to. Apparently, the dad knows some of the players, and the son plays college hockey.

On to Newark... and the Devils, who we've beaten up every game this season.

I was at the game and it pretty much had the atmosphere of a exhibition game. It seemed like the game was being played in slow motion. I'll chalk it up to that old "it being the first game back from a long road trip" letdown. Hopefully the Isles will be well rested for the Devils tomorrow since they barely broke a sweat tonight.

Fits my low-attendance theory. The Isles are now 10-3 in front of home crowds above 14K, and 3-5-2 in front of home crowds below 14K. Huge split. Coach Ted needs to figure out a way to get them mentally ready when the fans are not there in big numbers (invariably on weeknights).

That wasn't the worst game to attend this year, but certainly far from the most fun. The crowd was more than I expected--and if the Isles gave us anything to root for, would have been energetic.

Once again, this team has very little skill. As Cincy posted yesterday, the PP is nauseating to watch. Montreal played MAB high, which is supposed to open up lanes down low--IF someone could pass a puck. Of course, when we do make a nice pay, the one-timer is flubbed, as Satan did in the 3rd.

Actually, the worst thing I saw tonight was when I got home on NHL on the Fly. Wang with Simon. I hope Simon took his meds.

This team doesn't deserve to play in front of a national audience. Don't get me wrong...I love this team as much as you...but its bad for the game of hockey. I think the isles played a decent defensive effort today. A cough up on our blue line, and one on the PP cost us. We should be used to the lack of offence by now. Its fun for me to watch because of the crest on their jersey, but in reality this team is so boring to watch compared to other teams. We should be counting our blessings that we're in the position that we're in

The Isles picked the wrong game to lay an egg on national television. They totally muted the buzz about them in one game after having a spirited 5 game road trip.

DP didn't disappoint, although he might of been fooled pretty good on one of the shots.

When AZS posts I can kind of take the day off from posting.. because he always seems to have his finger on the pulse of the team and the game. I'm not a season ticket holder ... but my sofa is reserved for most of the games at home.

Regarding the Wang / Simon thing... they showed them on Vs. and it seemed more like Wang was lecturing him by his body language. He seemed really serious in his lip flapping eye brow raising gestures toward Simon. I think they should have Simon spend the rest of the season in the minors IMO.

The team is slow ... the veterans will only get older and slower next season..... we need youth ... speed ... a great draft pick ,,, and two really good UFA signings ... one star forward ... and one star d-man.

I'll be posting later this evening about my overall feeling of where this team might be headed.

Enjoy the day all.

All I can say is that Freddy Myer had a nice game and has really impressed me in filling in for Witt. Anything else i would want to say has already been said and I am going to avoid any further negativity. I will save that for after tonights game if it is a repeat performance. Lets bounce back.

Wow.. you folks are nuts. They are missing their top two "D". Meyer has stepped up, but he's no Brendan Witt, and Gervais was getting beat like a drum.
I'd like to see Sutton be the man, but I have a feeling he was hurt somewhere on theroad becasue he seems invisible.
They held a very good team to 2 goals and stayed in the game without Braveheart and Marty, but they are also playing hurt. Satan and Tank are day to day, so we can assume that they are playing through injuries. It's a tough stretch to rest them, but maybe it is a good time to rest one and give tambellini the chance he deserves.
The first home game after an extended road trip is always tough. Add to that playing against a tough MON team that was trying to save face after a dismal performance against the LOWLY RANGERS. It's really not the end of the world, they just need to hold their position until they can get healthy. A win against teh devs puts them on the right path again.
Might not be a bad spot to see Dubie, Tamby and Johnson.

ALSO...We can all root for a 2 point ranger-Sabre game. I don't care who wins, I'm just tired of the teams we're chasing or being chased by playing 3 point games...

Can anybody tell me why the NHL refuses to make every game worth 3 points?
WIN - 3 points
OT WIN - 2 points
OT LOSS 1 point
LOSS 0 points

JP -- Totally agree, except I would make it

WIN or OT WIN - 3 points
SO WIN - 2 points
SO LOSS - 1 point
LOSS or OT LOSS - 0 points

The skating part of the OT would be an extension of regulation except for the 4-on-4 aspect of course. To me, if the teams are still skating against each other, that should be treated as a "real" win or loss. The point of removing a skater is to make it easier for either side to score and so make the game more likely to end quickly. But it doesn't render it "not the game of hockey" like a shootout. Just my 2¢... purely subjective.

By the way, am I imagining things or do you swing back and forth between a rather upbeat assessment of this team and a very dark vision of a barren franchise that needs not just to clean house, but to plow the house under and rebuild through the draft with Ricky as the foundation... depending on which day you post? ;-)

Unfortunately, I think this is as good as the Islanders get, unless Garth makes a deal for a stud scorer. They'll finish 7th or 8th, maybe 6th with some luck. And get blown out in the first round of the playoffs by Ottawa, again. So what would be the harm in recalling the entire Tambellini-Nielson-Okposo line from Bridgeport and give them some regular third-line ice time? Let 'em rip, and bench Hilbert, Fedetenko and Vasicek. Or Fred Jackman. The team as currently constituted doesn't score enough to put together 5 or 6 or 7 wins in a row, so give the kids a chance.

KH, your'e not imagining. The swing in attitude on this blog is a roller coaster...as is the team.

I think the 3 pt regulation win, 2 point OT win break down makes great math sense but I think it would even further put hockey into that "niche" category. The 4-digit record provides an accurate picture of performance but speaking strictly of attracting new fans and putting the game up on the big stage in terms of media coverage I think a record of 26-14 is a lot easier to digest then 22-4-9-5.

My wish would be to have games stay 2 points and just play continuous 4 on 4 OT until someone wins it. I know its not realistic as regulation overtime games would go on too long and that causes problem with TV coverage, but it would be exciting! In addition there would no longer be 2 vs. 3 pt games and everyones record would simply be wins vs losses.

You're forgetting the fact that the addition of the shootout has been one of the great new features that has given the NHL its legs again. I don't think they're ready to throw that away.

I agree, the shootout isn't going away, so let's just enjoy the ride.

As for the roller-coaster views on this team, I couldn't agree more. They go from having me convinced they can compete to making me want to strangle all of them save DP and Witt seemingly game-to-game. I realize that since the Lighthouse is a sensitive issue Wang is less willing to blow the team up and go for a youth movement. However, anybody who follows sports knows you sometimes need to take a step back before you can take a step forward. I just hope that come the trade deadline we have a clear picture of where this team is going so we can make decisions accordingly.

http://www.lilighthouse.com/

we played bad for the first 30minutes..its a loss..get over it...not worried.

Lets beat the devils

The view from section 505
No excuses, flat team last night, for the second time in a row MTL outplayed the Isles in what the Isles do best....defense and backchecking. The Isles do not have the weapons to overcome a team that plays defense as good or better as the Isles.

Miro Satan is playing himself into oblivion. I suspect he has no trade value at this point and he ain't gonna get much more than a token lowball offer as a UFA. Being on national(?) TV last night did not help his cause with all the opportunities (3? 4?) he could not convert. Sniper? If he's a sniper, Hilbert is an assassin.
Freddy Meyer could fetch more in a trade right now.
I am becoming concerned with Comeau's "tentativeness" in the offensive zone during the last few games. It's like someone told him "don't shoot".
Please put Tank or Satan on the IR and call up Tambs.

Huet must have watched the Ottawa game, cuz Comrie tried the EXACT same move he scored with on Gerber and Huet read him like a book. Comrie will probably try that same move 5 or 6 times in a row now. (At least he has pretty much put the toe drag to bed).
No offense to those of you who were there, BUT THE CROWD SUCKED. (Ya shudda seen Toronto last night there were more empty seats there than a 7AM Monday morning mass at St. James in Seaford).
Do I have to buy more charity tickets?
I would give a right testicle to see Higgins and Komisarek in an Isles jersey. At least it would add a 100 or so more fannies in the rink.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

BEAT THE DEVILS PLEASE. We have the Hummer Challenge on the line.

Notwithstanding KH’s assessment, I think JPofVA paints the most reasonable picture of the team and last night’s game. In fact, I think KH was missing the context of JP’s post. He was optimistic regarding the circumstances surrounding last night’s game, while he tends to be pessimistic about the CURRENT state of the Islanders prospects, most notably the defense. JP – please correct me if I’m the one who’s not reading you correctly.

I tend to agree with JP regarding last night’s game. Yes, I saw negatives. Particularly in the offensive decisions made by Campoli. He was directly responsible for the 2nd period shortie when he pinched at the absolute wrong time, and he made a stupid pass to Hunter with the net empty that was easily intercepted for the Habs 3rd goal. BUT… Campoli along with the rest of the D played extremely well last night. In fact, the absence of Witt may actually have been an advantage against the speedier Montreal team. (Perhaps Nolan might want to think about resting Witt in the future against some of the faster skating, less physical teams that tend not to plant a big body in front of the net). Most have brought up the first period in a negative light, but the only negative that I saw was in the offensive zone passing and decision-making. The neutral zone play and puck movement out of the defensive zone in that period was outstanding.

Question for those at the game: One of the commenters to Mark Hermann’s article today mentioned the behavior of the fans in the “Loudville” section. Specifically, they supposedly yelled “Canada sucks” during the anthems. Did anyone notice this?

505 -- Isn't it amazing how many of the guys we want in an Isles jersey for sentimental reasons also happen to be outstanding players/prospects? Anyway, here's my sentimental list:

LIers
Komisarek
Higgins
Rob Scuderi of the Penguins (from Syosset, grew up an Isles fan)

Legacies
Zach Parise
Eric Nystrom
Colton Gillies (Wild 1st-round pick already)
Brandon Nolan (sorta) (ok, this would be taking the nepotism way too far...)

Anyone else I'm forgetting?

"The swing in attitude on this blog is a roller coaster...as is the team."

Good point, actually. The thing about the team is that we all knew they didn't have God-given talent, and we're OK with losing when the team leaves it all on the ice and comes up short. But this team was billed as one that would never lose a game as a result of lack of effort or hustle. Getting rid of Yashin was supposed to be the final step in that direction. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen them take a lot of periods off this year, and even entire games. When they do skate and give that “Nolan-type effort” we were all told about, I think this team is far better than any of us thought they’d be. But there are other times where it looks like the BP team could come up and give a better effort. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy with the point production on the road trip – thrilled, actually, but it took until somewhere in the second period of the Vancouver game – 2 ½ games into the trip – for anyone other than DP to even show up on the ice and play the game with some sort of passion. It’s more frustrating when we watch the same team come out like men possessed and play with insane energy that same week in Calgary and shortly after in Ottawa. Consistent effort was something I don’t think any of us thought we’d have to worry about, but that, rather than lack of ability, I think has been the biggest hurdle so far. I would have to say that Vasicek has been the biggest offender here.

Cincy - I heard the comments during the Canadian anthem. It was only a couple of people, but unfortunately the place is quiet during the anthems, so one person shouting carries across the whole arena and everyone can hear it. Far more telling, I think, though, is how the entire crowd applauded nice and loud after the Canadian anthem was completed.

cincy-i was in loudville last night and yes there were a couple of @$$holes that kept on yelling...seemed like 1 person would start it and then the next would say something and so on and so on....i would say it was prob close to 10 different people that were yelling stupid things...it got to the point last night where they were yelling things during the USA anthem...how the isles are going to fix it i do not know but it was pretty ibad and something has to get done....btw it wasn't just just loudville section, it was that hole side of the arena.

I'll be the contrarian/Satan's lawyer re effort: The season's 82 games long, which is too damn long for a heavy-contact sport anyway, and the Nolan style of play is especially bruising and exhausting. The Islanders lead the league in hits, and I have no doubt we're also among the leaders in blocked shots. The guys are just wiped, many perhaps most are playing hurt, and it shows. I think Teddy does get a consistent effort, but remember the Isles have to try a lot harder than the more talented, quicker teams to look like they're trying. Right? If you're trying to catch a quicker skater, you've got to bust arse to keep up. When you're both giving the same effort, you look slow and lazy and he looks like he's working.

I don't think guys are taking games off, but maybe there is some degree of trying to pace themselves over a long season. Better to have something left for the playoffs. Al Arbour discovered that between the 78-79 and 79-80 seasons. The Isles backed off the breakneck intensity with which they'd been chasing the President's Trophy in previous years, and had enough gas in the tank to win their first Cup.

Yes, I realize that this team may need to give it their all just to make the playoffs. But I don't think all the ripping is deserved.

If what I just said is right, it does argue for giving the youngsters more playing time though. The old guys get rested, healed, etc. The young guys develop (and we all feel they'd play just as well as some of the older players have lately). There's healthy competition. It's a win-win.

Cincy, I may be old school, but fan behavior during national anthems has been growing steadily worse this year--regardless of the opponent and Candian or U.S.. I remark on every game.

It's also not confined to Loudville. It started last year in the playoffs during a moment of silence no less, and the shouts during anthems now are quite numerous. And when people are not shouting, they're simply talking. While crowds used to be quiet, now there is a distinct talking buzz--and it's not people singing the lyrics. To me, it's just another example of the culture in the toilet. I'm very curious to see what it's like at the Rock tonight.

Of course, some teams have a habit of butchering the anthems on their own. In Okposos's Bridgeport debut, they had a bunch of school kids on violins play the anthem. They may have been cute, but anyone who has gone to their own kids' school concerts knows what that sounds like--so if there were any shouts during this anthem, they were shouts of pain! Poor Kyle.

cincy-where did u see that article where mark mentions about loudville.....can't seem to find it

If the score is tied at the end of regulation, I would like to see 2 5-minute OT 'periods' be played: the first as 4-on-4, the second as 3-on-3. The chances of getting to the shootout (which most people seem to dislike) would be a lot slimmer.

KH / Upstate –

I think you both make good points about effort, the lack thereof, and the reality of the age/talent level of this team relative to what level of effort we should be willing to expect. But I think there’s another variable here that needs to be addressed. And I might be touching the “3rd rail” among fans by doing so.

Here goes… I’m so entirely sold on the job that Guerin has done so far as Captain. Don’t get me wrong, he’s light-years better than Yashin, and I’m sure he’s probably at least average, if not above-average, in his abilities to lead IN THE LOCKER ROOM. I’m just not sold yet on his leadership on the ice.

To explain my point, consider the Sunday’s Sens game. The Sens were playing with little emotion, little effort and were missing a few pieces of their offense. What was the reaction of their Captain? Alfredsson became a one-man example of effort. He was the one who confronted Meyer after the hit on Spezza. In fact, he was the first one to start hitting everything on the ice that was moving. He was also the one to do the most “trash-talking” to the Isles. I’m not saying that Guerin needs to do those exact things whenever the team needs an obvious spark. All I’m saying is that he needs to do SOMETHING in those situations to try to get the team going. Whether it’s calling people out on the bench, leading by example on the ice, or anything else – it’s his responsibility to LEAD the team when they’re in obvious need of leadership. But I’m not even sure Guerin has accurately PERCEIVED those instances of need. He was interviewed last night by Deb Kaufman, and was asked what he thought about the 1st period shot total. By this time the Isles were down 2 goals and had played poor offensive zone hockey. His remark was that he felt the shot total wasn’t really reflective of the play on the ice. WHAT???? Even if that statement was half-true (which it wasn’t), was he really perceiving the game the way the Captain should be perceiving? I don’t think so. It should’ve been obvious that the team was flat and that they needed someone to step up and say so – either by word or action.

Islesfan222 - It wasn't in Hermann's article. It was in one of the comments to the article.

Sorry, I meant to type...

I’m NOT entirely sold on the job that Guerin has done so far as Captain

whoops.

Cincy: I was across the coliseum, but I heard the shouts from the Loudville side anyway. I couldn't quite hear what was shouted. It was numerous times, not just once or twice. As 'Upstate Isles Fan' wrote, there was a much louder ovation at the end of the Canadian anthem than usual. During the Star Spangled Banner, I heard numerous "Rangers suck" shouts. It was disheartening to hear these things, and I found it to be very disrespectful.

JP, 2 quick things:

1. Sorry for not answering your message....I got moved off my project in Washington, and it doesn't look like I'll be back there anytime soon.

2. I just saw your question about Rakhshani from 2 threads ago (give me a break, I was sick yesterday). Rakhshani goes to Denver University, and anyone who plays hockey for that team almost always plays all 4 years at school before moving forward. Expect to see him play the next 2 years at DU before moving on to a year at the Bridge and a substantial role with the Islanders. Then again, nobody expected to see Okposo this early....

Cincy, I'm with you on the Guerin assessment. He doesn't seem to be fully aware of how a captain needs to act in certain situations. Peca was really the only captain I can remember that put the team on his back and assumed responsibility for improving the play. You can't even say Guerin will pick it up because he's been in this league so long. If he doesn't have that sense now, he won't ever develop it.

no disresepect intended, but there is no way for anyone on the outside to know how well or to what degree a certain captain is fulfilling his responsibilities in that role. there will aways be indiscretions, mistakes etc. on the ice, regardless of who the captain is or how effective he is. what noone who is not in the room and is not around the team on a regular basis can know is how any captain relates to, affects, influences his teammates. and if you don't know that, its unfair to judge a captain's performance.

Good points KH and Cincy...I was going to mention that Guerin quote, too. I think he (or maybe someone else...pretty sure it was Guerin) also said that they played well in the second and third periods. I didn't really see that. There was about a seven-minute span in the second where it looked like they found their legs...but the third? Other than the lone goal on a quick strike, the fans were booing because it really looked like the Isles had never before seen a team employ the 1-2-2 trap before. The Isles would just cycle back to their own zone over and over again like a dryer. Maybe, on that point, it's a matter of preparation and studying some film. But when Montreal switched to the trap, the Islanders looked utterly confused, almost like they would have never expected it from that team. I guess it could also be that they were prepared for it, but the Habs just executed it to perfection. Who knows.

It's true that none of us can say how a captain leads within the room. However, as a fan I can say that I'm disappointed when the captain does not call out his team for poor performance, nor does he take it upon himself to try to make things happen out there. I wish Guerin was doing more of that.

"no disresepect intended, but there is no way for anyone on the outside to know how well or to what degree a certain captain is fulfilling his responsibilities in that role. there will aways be indiscretions, mistakes etc. on the ice, regardless of who the captain is or how effective he is. what noone who is not in the room and is not around the team on a regular basis can know is how any captain relates to, affects, influences his teammates. and if you don't know that, its unfair to judge a captain's performance."

Guerin? Is that you?

Just kidding - obviously we can't know what's going on in the locker room...but one thing Internet message boards are great for is speculating! And I think Cincy did a good job of explaining why he holds that opinion...rather than just writing something like "Guerin sucks as captain!" and leaving it at that.

I have been slightly critical of Guerin's "on ice" captaincy from time to time. The fact that I have made mention of it when I have seen it a FEW times on display this season is not insignificant.
However, I am also a firm believer that he gets a full season with the title before any true overall evaluation can be determined.
At this point he is light years ahead of Yashin, which really means nothing and beats nothing.

I'm disappointed when the captain does not call out his team for poor performance,

how do you know he isn't ?

I'd cut Guerin some slack.

The guy was just about to start a press conference annoucing his signing and the Bobbleheads throw a C on his jersey and say, "Go on out there." He's their pick.

Everyone's style is different; so be it. But I do agree with Cincy in that it would have been nice for Guerin for to at least have started jawing with Alfredsson on Sunday night.

ex -

Your point is well taken. And it's true. But if you notice in my comment about Guerin, I specifically gave him the benefit of the doubt behind closed doors, so-to-speak. My comment was only directed to his role as captain ON THE ICE. While a fan generally can't hear what's being said on the bench, we can watch to see if anything at all is being said, to whom it might be directed, the manner in which it's directed, and the circumstances which may have generated the comment/call-out. We can also readily observe what a captain might do during a game that is specifically intended to change the mood or energy level of his team.

KH

"I'll be the contrarian/Satan's lawyer re effort:"

I am not questioning his effort. Certainly if his effort was not there, Nolan is the type of coach who would not be playing him.

I am questioning his abilities at this point in his career.

I would like nothing better than if he printed this blog, hunted me down and shoved it up my......after scoring 15 goals in 15 games.

Merrick,

"But I do agree with Cincy in that it would have been nice for Guerin for to at least have started jawing with Alfredsson on Sunday night."

He did. It was pretty clear on the Ottawa feed late in the 3rd period.
That incident was behind of my post game comments about Guerin demonstrating some on ice captaincy during the game..

Now that's funny. My post about effort was in response to Upstate Isle's post about the whole team's lack of effort. But because I called myself "Satan's lawyer," 505 thought I was responding to his post about Miro. I was just saying "Devil's advocate"... you know, THE Satan, not the one from Slovakia.

I don't question Miro's effort. And neither does Satan.

about guerin, a few times last night when the team looked extremly lost u could see him tryin to stir it up with a few Montreal players (it was on the other end of the ice so i really couldn't see with who) but none of them would bite....i for 1 do not question his leadership at all

KH
"Isn't it amazing how many of the guys we want in an Isles jersey for sentimental reasons also happen to be outstanding players/prospects?"

It's not amazing, simply another corollary to "the audacity of hope".

I'm still holding out for Garth to put together the blockbuster 3 way trade together with MTL and TPA that sends Higgins/Komisarek to the Isles, Vinnie L to Les Habs, and the Isles send half the team to Tampa. Unfortunately, it's probably gonna have to include an Okposo, and/or a Tambs and/or a Nielsen, and a young D-man (Meyer, Campoli or Gervais) and a quality goaltender yet to be determined (Price from MTL?)
Oh, and any other forward on the current Isles roster.

Just my mindless role playing opinion

KH
"But because I called myself "Satan's lawyer," 505 thought I was responding to his post about Miro."

WHOOPS!! LOL.

ex -
Your point is well taken. And it's true. But if you notice in my comment about Guerin, I specifically gave him the benefit of the doubt behind closed doors, so-to-speak. My comment was only directed to his role as captain ON THE ICE. While a fan generally can't hear what's being said on the bench, we can watch to see if anything at all is being said, to whom it might be directed, the manner in which it's directed, and the circumstances which may have generated the comment/call-out. We can also readily observe what a captain might do during a game that is specifically intended to change the mood or energy level of his team.

fair enough. but also keep in mind that stuff happens during the game, on the ice, on the bench, that a fan can't see. even more so on tv. just because you didn't see something doesn't mean it didn't happen.
i guess i'm a little sensitive about it.
i may have been a little oversensbe a little i

may have been a little oversensbe a little i

sorry about the sloppiness. i don't do this stuff very often.

"...we can watch to see if anything at all is being said, to whom it might be directed, the manner in which it's directed, and the circumstances which may have generated the comment/call-out."

Well, Mike Sillinger definitely comes to mind here. Almost every game he's having an animated conversation with someone, but I'll never forget that game where he chewed out Campoli for about a minute straight, and then they go on the ice together and hook up for the OT winner.

Good discussion today... since we're talking about leadership, what do people think is the checklist for a good captain on a veteran team like this? Not to bring up the devil again, but would a Messier type make sense at this point in the Isles' development? Would he grind a little too hard on a locker room that lacks the talent to be a serious contender? I've heard Campoli say that Guerin is extremely respected throughout the league. Guerin seems to have a less confrontational, more teacherly style than some others, or at least it looks that way to us from the stands/TV screen. Is that what people are criticizing?

ex -

No problem. As I said, calling-out Guerin, even just a little, is a "3rd-rail" type of thing to do. In other words, you can count on upsetting more people than the number of people who'll agree with you. I realize many will be sensitive about this, in that Guerin is a respected vet (justifiably) who obviously fills a big leadership role on this team. And this is just his first season on the Islanders AND as a captain of ANY team. So, as Merrick says, it's probably best to cut the guy some slack for now. It was just something that crossed my mind last night and I thought I'd toss it out there for discussion.

KH -

I response to your question, I think it's most important for the captain to lead by example. It should probably be infrequent that anyone needs to be on the receiving end of a verbal barrage of the type Sillinger handed out to Campoli. (Of course, that tongue-lashing was justified, effective and classic!!!) That's why I think it's important that your captain preferable be the highest skilled or best overall in talent on the team. Alfedsson is an excellent captain, even though he's generally a quiet guy. Drury and Briere were pretty good co-captains, yet they're both not the fiery personalityy types. Interestingly, the Rangers have tried to follow this formula with Jagr, but Jagr is not a natural leader. Some have argued that he was an even better talent than Mario in Pittsburgh, but Mario captained and Jagr thrived.

A captain who does most of his leading with his style of play rather than his words will be much more effective in his leadership.

"The coach said of Tambellini, "It's only a matter of time before he's in the NHL permanently."

Has anyone else with a conspiratorial mind read what is said and what was is said?
Ted said "NHL", not "the Islanders."

Trade in the works?

Where's the edit last post icon?
should say
...'read what is said and what is NOT said"

KH,
I assume we are talking about "on ice" captain as opposed to "locker room" or "off ice captain".
Cincy kinda nailed it on the head with "leading by example" and "style of play".
Which means, in no particular order, nor is it limited too....
A/Jumping into a scrum in front of the net to get that late game tying or winning goal
B/Getting into the face or throwing down with someone or the other team's captain when the opposition is taking on ice liberties with members of your team
C/Giving up the body to block a dangerous shot.
D/Demonstrating by your play that the coach would be crazy not to have you on the ice at the end of a close game.
E/A million other little things, but basically HUSTLE and DEVOTION to winning every shift, every period, every game.

505 -- To me, B through E sound more like Braveheart than Guerin. Not that Guerin's not doing those things, but Braveheart's doing them even to a greater degree. Except A... he's not a scorer. Guerin's got him on that one.

505, your Tambs comment made my head hurt. Cut that out!

I read that about Tambs 505 and was wondering the same thing...

But then there's the criteria for being a Ranger's Captain,
A/Make sure that you are paid more money than anyone else on the team
B/Take a number for your jersey that is clearly unique from anyone who has ever played for the orgainzation so that you won't be confused with anyone else when your jersey is contractually retired at the end of your career.
C/Do not allow yourself to be put in any on ice situations which could embarass you......like a shootout.
D/Try to rack up more assists than goals cuz assists are easier to come by and frequent blown goal opportunities may cast a negative shadow on your value to the team.
E/NEVER, EVER throw down with the other team, if you lose the fight your reputation could be permanently damaged.
F/Share your preferred parking space at MSG from time to time with other members of the team.
G/Send flowers to the coach's mother on HIS birthday and thank her for having him.
H/Buy Al Trautwig a summer home on Fire Island.
I/Prepay the Maven's medical insurance.
J/What is Zipay driving these days?

What have I missed?

LOL... Glad you made sure to include Zipay the Pinhead on that list.

Don't forget frequently playing up your own leadership abilities to the local and national media to distract attention from your poor performance.

And convincing Jim Dolan that Isaiah Thomas should be kept on the job, once again to distract attention from your own team's poor performance.

KH/Cincy... been busy today, so I haven't had much time to reply.

KH, I think I try to be objective about the team. I am very optimistic about their future. My point was that the the team, with some patience, should go through a positive transition over the next two years at the top six forward positions. I'm a little less optomistic about the turnover in the top four defenders.
The current team is a group of over-achievers, and have an upside of a 5th or sixth seed. A true cup contender would be closer to the division lead at this time and wouldn't need a herculian effort by it's goaltender night after night.
But they're getting there.
I'd just like to see them start valuing their potential UFA's and RFA's at this point and maybe help the effort to build a solid foundation for the future.
Replacing Satan with Tambellini (if you believe in him) now won't kill their current playoff chances, and Satan has the most value (IMHO) on this team... and the added value of TOI for Tambellini is huge.
The same goes for Sillinger/Walter, Hunter/Comeau. I don't want to see all of them get traded, but one would be helpful. It's kind of what they tried to do with Zhitnik last year for Cap Space...and didn't do with Blake.
The team definitely needs to get younger and faster... and they need true defensive depth.

I will add that I am impressed with Meyer recently. I think his effort over the last few games proves that he was playing injured last year... but I still haven't seen enough out of him to say he'll be a top four guy in two years (and that would be my target if I was a Bobblehead)

Right now I see Sutton and Campoli filling top four roles in two years. Marty can be in that picture, but eventually they have to wrap him in duct tape in september and not unwrap him until June. Witt is awesome, but he'll be Sean Hill in two years.
There is nothing more than mediocrity in the ranks, and you don't win cups with mediocre defenders... and not one first liner throughout your roster.

Cincy,
I think you were correct in your assessment... but I wanted to be clear.

PS: Wang in the box with Simon was something to behold. I wonder if Wang needs a bodyguard with the SEC all over his back. Chris is probably a really good guy who people want to be around when he's off the ice, and he's going through something that us amateur psychologysts couldn't imagine.
I hope he finds a home in the organization, and I also hope that he has played his last game as an Islander.... I also hope he gets back some of the money that CAMPBELL STOLE FROM HIM.

although u guys may be questioning guerin and his captain ability, i really think he showed great captain ability's in the OTT game by NOT taking a stupid penalty and puttin the isles down a man in such a close game where a PP goal by OTT could of changed the game drastically. sometimes you just gotta ignore the other guy and let him do his thing, much like guerin did in the OTT game and his teammates followed him in that aspect

505 -- You know, it's kind of sad about the Maven. I remember really enjoying his commentary during the Dynasty years -- he was like the Ralph Kiner of the Islanders. But that was before he started working for The Man and became a Rag stooge.

Hey, I just thought of the perfect slogan for his employer:

"MSG Network -- Fair and Balanced."

"MSG Network -- Fair and Balanced."

LOL.

That's great. KH - I share your sentiments on the Maven. I actually still enjoy "some" of his commentary, but I think he's covered one too many Devils game. He's become a raging homer in his sunset years.

"sometimes you just gotta ignore the other guy and let him do his thing, much like guerin did in the OTT game and his teammates followed him in that aspect"

Well said Islesfan

I really really want to post on Herrmann's blog about his Okposo article last week. But apparently Mark has the comments
"blocked out".
So I'll post here anyway. Pass it on to him Greg....

Mark Herrmann,
I still have an axe to grind with you about the "gist" of your article about Okposo last week.
I have heard that....
Richard Park wants to know why you never asked him about any racism he may have encountered growing up in LAX as a hockey player of Korean descent.
Matthieu Schneider wonders why you never asked him what it was like growing up as a "NY Jewish" hockey player?
Uwe Krupp wants to know why you never asked him what it was like being a German playing in front of NY crowds speckled with members of a specfically persecuted religious faith.
Sean O'Hara of the Giants is wondering why you never asked him what it was like to be of Irish Catholic origins playing Miami in Wembley Stadium in front of the English people.

SO........why did you ask Kyle Okposo, of NIGERIAN descent, whether he encountered any racism growing up in, of ALL PLACES, Minnesota "Nice"?

Why is that an issue in your mind with Okposo but different for Park, Schneider, Krupp, and O'Hara and a million others.....
MARK????
Unless, for some reason known only to God, you saw a need to make it an issue?
Why?

The guys on VS, including Jaffe, indicated Simon could be skating in practice with the Isles in the coming weeks, as preparation for his return. Are they freakin' seious?

Greg - please do some digging and see if you can get a read on what Simon's role may be after his suspension. Clearly, most of us hope he is long gone...

505,
I agree. I'm so tired of the race angle when it comes to sports... or just about anything.
Last week while in Tampa, and maybe a little overserved, I noticed the couple in front of us(in line to get into a restaurant). One was wearing a Bucs jersey and the other, giant gear. I mentioned (maybe a little too loudly) that they were a "mixed marriage"... as I was being escorted out I noticed that one was black and one was white...
So I told the manager that, "It's okay... we're cool...my wife is black irish..."
Nobody has a sense of humor anymore.

I dedicate this post to Jennifer Tillman...

As for Herrmann's fresh "Hall of Fame fill in" blog that we (at least me) are prohibited from posting on...
Mark says..
"There are just no weak spots on the Islanders, Rangers and Devils crews. Too bad more people aren't interested, but for those who are, the treatment is informed without being condescending."

I generally concur.
Although Michelletti grates on me at times as a listener, (there are times I wish he would shut up and enjoy the game), and "Chico" cracks me up with his unprofessional "youthful exuberances", i.e."OH BOY", NY hockey is truly blessed with all of it's play by play announcers.
(Trautwig in the studio? whole nuther issue).
Anyone with NHL Center Ice who sees what else is out there would recognize this as well. Steigerwald (PIT) and the guy from Buffalo (sorry, can't remember the name) are absolutely top notch.
Ottawa? Toronto? Enough has been said.

JP
"Nobody has a sense of humor anymore.'

Great story. I probably would have made the same comment about the couple given the circumstances. Unfortunately people IMMEDIATELY assumed the worst in the comment and the real meaning flew right over the top.

For years I have played men's senior baseball out here.
A few years back a guy joined our team midseason, left handed pitcher, HELLUVA hitter and a great all around athlete and he was/is black. One of a handful in our league (both blacks and all round athletes). After the last game of the season we are all sitting around a bar with some cold ones.
I start complimenting him on the season he had and I am giving him credit about "his contributions to the team, and how well he fit in on the team in view of his OBVIOUS PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES with everyone else".
Well of course, his eyebrows raised a notch and everyone else at the table gave me a look, got hunched shoulders and slinked back a little.
He says to me "What? What are you talking about?"
I said "Well, you're different from the rest of us"
"HOW SO?" was the reply
I said....
"You're the only lefthander on the team. And a pitcher as well. Lefthanded pitchers are usually a little cuckoo".
Him and 3 other guys had to be picked up off of the floor.

505, as a center ice customer I concur.
I do, however, remeber posting last year about the Buffalo announcers not calling an Islander name until late in the first period. It was as if somebody didn't buy him a scorecard... or he spilled his bud all over it and had to get a new one. That is inexcusable by a professional at that point in the season.

The pitt goal calls are classic... "Put out the dog, he's gotta go"... the guy just blurts out a random thought that happens to be bouncing around his coconut at the time. But that's what makes it enjoyable for the fans.

When I hear somebody say, "happy recap" I feel 30 years younger... Hearing Kiner on his occasional visits to the booth is what ponce de leon was looking for.... a dose of jiggs would have had the same effect. Unfortuantely I didn't get any NY feeds during the road trip.

On the other hand... I have lived a very full life without hearing Westfall on the air for umpteen years... I feel sorry for his golf buddies... and I bet they are usually buying.
I'm glad that Pots went to FL to do the color. he was my favorite Islander as a kid (a notch above Gary Howatt)... but I can only take his voice in small doses. You'd think their (eddie and Denis) nasal cavities would have expanded after living in FL for so long... no such luck.

505,
Nice... I got a great chinese take out story... but it's innapropriate for this blog. Maybe soem day we'll catch a cold one.

Off to watch the game... catch y'all later.

Big game tonight from Guerin and Silly... NJ is the recycling capital of the country...

okay... i just made that up

Layta

One caveat to that 505... The Devils radio team on the FAN is dreadful and frankly, an embarrassment to a top-flight organization that's won three recent Cups. Matt Lachlan (Met fans know whereof I speak), and a female color analyst whose name I do not know. Heard them recently in the car and was floored at how awful they were in every respect.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!

To quote MAB's favorite poster: TAKE TWO!!

"Big game tonight from Guerin and Silly... NJ is the recycling capital of the country..."

the crystal ball is back baby!!!

That's pretty good, JP. Do we hold on and win in regulation?

D-money and 19Isles where are you!!!???

D-money, grab your Kasparaitis jersey, 19 isles grab ANY jersey and beam over to the rock.
SOMEONE, ANYONE please replace Berard.
He's killing me....
Oh and now Trautwig is on...."The Isles are doing everything they can to get the Devils back in the game"...followed by very quickly and QUIETLY "DPisprovingwhyheisanallstar" OVER TO YOU STAN!!!

If I see Berard spend any more time on the ice other than what it takes to skate over to the LOCKER ROOM after this latest penalty I just might destroy the tube of life.

(But I won't)

Nice call JP on Silly and Guerin (love the recycling reference).
Guerin mighta had another if Mottau(?) didn't dive into the post off of Comeau.
C'mon Isles finish the game please.

Good lord! What happened to Campoli? I didn't see anything.... they're dropping like flies!

Good point KH
Where the hell is Campoli?

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDDPDPDPDP

oh and THE CAPTAIN too!!!

THE CAPTAIN!

Campoli has a shoulder injury. "Will be reevaluated tomorrow" This is getting absurd.

Incredible win. Let no one question this team's work ethic EVER!

(The foregoing is null and void immediately upon the conclusion of the next Islanders contest that is not a win.)

Just watched second game in two nights ... and I almost wrote: WOW, what a game!!

But if I am about to write it down, it would be only because of Devils. This was absolutely the same game we watched yesterday. The other night, Habs were lucky, tonight, we were.

DP was absolutely sensational and it's a shame he didnt finish with shutout. But he made some top saves late in the 3rd and it was him who won this game for us. TO be honest, Devils should have had 2 points...

Defense: Berard was very average tonight. The same should be said about the rest, but Berard was the weakest point...

Offense: Not much to say. Sillinger was great, so was Guerin. Comrie presented absolutely nothing (oh yes, first goal assist, but that's all), Satan's lite was huge disappointment and Hunter is good but only when it comes to fighting for the puck along the boards....

To sum it up, this was a bad game by Isles, without Ricky in the net, we would lose 2:5 at least...

But we have two points and that's all that counts. I can now open another beer and go sleep :) Not a good job but we are back on the track! Nice!

all i gotta say is THE CAPTAIN!!! and the FUTURE CAPTAIN!!!!(DP)

Teddy
Give the boys a day off tomorrow to rest up for the Flyers.

And I don't care WHO DP wants to go to Cabo with for the day.

Send him down there with Comrie and Duff and some friends (what's Brinkley doin tomorrow?)

The word for tonight is:

Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

Yeah, DP was astounding. That's as good an individual performance by a goaltender as I've seen. It is truly special to be able to watch this guy and have him on our team.

Piero -- I really disagree with your take on the game. A couple of things to consider: (1) The Islanders, as Ted just mentioned on the postgame show, went to bed at 7 am (i.e., were up all night) 2 nights in a row earlier this week, when they flew back from the west coast and then got stuck in Ottawa due to weather the next day. (2) The Devils had rested for 3 days, while the Islanders just played their second game of a back-to-back, and third in four nights. The first of those three was a brutal game against Ottawa (a win, but tons of hitting + cheap shots from the Sens), the second a dispiriting loss to a very fast Montreal team, and now the Devils, who are also one of the best teams in the east. (3) The Isles are riddled with injuries. They lost Campoli after the 1st period, and had to play 5 defensemen for the rest of the game. Satan was also clearly playing hurt. (4) Despite all that, the Islanders had the better of the play (not just the scoring, but the play) for the first period and the first 12 minutes of the second period. It fell apart when we got the 4 straight penalties at the end of the second, but even after that, when the Devils were getting a lot more shots, the Isles still did a pretty good job with positioning, blocking shots, etc. And great penalty killing. It was clear these guys were EXHAUSTED for reasons 1 through 3 and played their tushies off to get the 2 points.

Great win.

By the way the Maven is gushing about DP right now on MSG (Fair and Balanced).

Spot on Steady

My only digression would be accusing the Isles of have 5 D men when Campoli went down. FOUR only. (Berard is a pylon with a stick waiting to be called for something). BTW, Meyer has been HUGE of late, yes? I have cancelled his ticket to ANC.

While the Maven is gushing, is Trautwig gurgling?

What is becoming more and more apparent is how our grinders and penalty killers are the heart and soul of this team (Besides DP the almighty!) Players like Sillinger, Hilbert (YES I said Hilbert,) and others are the engine that makes this team go.

I have abused these guys more than anyone, but it is not their fault they are put in positions they do not belong ....Like scoring so we can win! They win face offs, they come to play every night, they block shots, and lately Silly has been finding the twine!

The problem with this team is the players that are paid to score. Comrie had another one of his toe drag nights where he avoided any and all contact and was his normal soft stuff on his skates. I counted 4 toe drags, two stick checks, and 50 bats of his eye lashes. Satan, Tank, and the boys were non-factors as usual.

In the great Jiggs ~ Howie debate......If Howie was offered the Rags job tonight, he would quit. Jiggs will have an Isles grave stone! I love Howie for his game calling, but deep down a Rag monster awaits! Great Met announcer!

Is it me or is Martinek and Moises Alou the same person? Both are so damn good when healthy, but are as fragile as as a house of cards.

505...I think you meant to give props to KH...Unless you are a psychic as I had not posted yet. Or are you in my home stalking me? Oh God I just heard a noise...I'm going to get my gun.

:) :) :) :)

LOL... "I counted 4 toe drags, two stick checks, and 50 bats of his eye lashes." That will send me off for the night still chuckling. And I'll laugh again the first time I think of it tomorrow.

505, Trautwig had to agree about DP. Sometimes reality just smacks you across the kisser and you have to take it. By the way, is "Merkin" a nickname we can use for Traut-wig (it's almost a pun...), or is that too vile for this family-friendly board?

By the way, Steady, that Moises comparison is even more dead on than you might have realized. Moises missed half the season with a quadriceps injury, and Marty has the hockey version ("deep thigh bruise").

I predict Braveheart plays on Saturday night.

"505...I think you meant to give props to KH."
LOL, yeah I think you're right. KH is simply starting to read like you.

"..Unless you are a psychic"
No, that would be JP's claim tonight.

"as I had not posted yet."
Hmm, the "force" is strong with young Steady.

"Or are you in my home stalking me? Oh God I just heard a noise...I'm going to get my gun."
If ANYTHING ever happens to you the primary suspects will ALWAYS be guys with Canadian accents in baggy orange and blue shirts with odd looking skull caps.

You had me until "skull caps"... MAB wears a skull cap, or are you talking about the ninja Hasidic French Canadian Islander avengers?

The other image that came to mind is Steady as Clouseau and MAB as Cato, hiding in the house in ambush. Except it's MAB who has the Clouseau accent, so it doesn't exactly work...

Well how 'bout that!!!!
For the second time in less than a week AN ISLANDER received Player of the Night Honors from "NHL on the Fly" tonight.

When's the last time THAT HAPPENED??

PACK THE BARN Saturday night guys and girls!!!
Buy another ticket and bring a friend.

505- i got tickets to the philly game before the new year and there was slim pickings...gonna be the worst seats ive ever had. To make it worse im bringing my buddy from pa(who happens to be a flyers season tic holder). Im pretty sure that it should be a sellout

WOW! A great game... a great effort... and probably the best performance by a goalie this season.

Devils announcers... Emerick especially.... kept saying how the puck is deflecting off of DiPietro.... as if he wasn't making the save but that the puck somehow just luckily bounced off of him.

Give me a break... while it is true that the puck will sometimes hit a goalie even when he is not looking... this did not happen to be the case tonight.

DiPietro sometimes appears to be out of control.... but that is his style and he always seems to be in relatively good position despite his chaotic appearance from a biased announcers viewpoint.

I don't see how any Islanders fans are being critical of any players performance tonight. To call TANK invisible is strongly misleading. Here is a guy who 3 days ago took an elbow to the eye/forehead, left the ice woozy and was still pretty effective tonight creating a few scoring chances, grinding it out along the boards winning some battles and losing some... but his effort along with Freddy the IV, Gervais, Hunter, Silinger, HIlbert (who saved by my count two loose rebounds in front of DP), Guerin and others was the main reason they won tonight.

of course DIPIETRO is the STAR... and he performed like one... again!

DOC

Did anyone hear what Brodeur said about DP. Something about having to put the other 19 players on his shoulder because of his contract and how he isn't doing it? I just read the quote on sportscenter and im amazed i can't find anything about it.

Is anybody ready to criticize DP now? lol! This guy is sensational! I'm just going to go ahead and say it, DiPietro is better than Brodeur right now. He is one of the top 5 best goalies in the league. I'd rather have him over any other goalie in the league except for the guy we traded to make room for him, Luongo. Isn't that ironic.

Doc .... regarding the other Doc ... Emrick that is ... he always says "deflected" .. I worked games with him ... and watched Devs games since they existed .... he has lots of corky adjectives ... which I find ... well ... corky to say the least. You'll hear him say "deflected" when a goalie makes a save that has the puck richocheting off of him .. or if the goalie gets a piece of the puck to make a save. He does it with Brodeur too.

You'll also hear him use dumb adjectives like. "cancelling out", "stalemate" etc to describe when a player nuetralizes another players efforts. That is just Doc ... Doc.

A lot of people thing Emrick is great ... I think he is a good play by play guy that has a good energy level. I can do without his dumb adjectives to describe a play.

Bryan ... I didn't hear Brodeur say that .... however ... after the last Devs / Isles game on the Devils' post game ... he did say that DP has a responsibility to carry the team with a contract like his ... and that it's really hard at times for a player to carry a team and a the expectations called upon you night after night .... and then he added... but ... as DP usually does ... he proves you guys (the media) wrong once again ... because he certainly carried the team again tonight. He also mentioned that the Islanders and DP's contract aren't his concern ... he is more concerned with how they performed ... and that should be the subject.

Out of curiosity I always switch between a teams' announcers when the Isles are playing the Rags & Devs just to see if they see a play the same way. I also do the same thing during pre-game and post game. Kinda like switching between CNN, Fox and MSNBC ... because at work... I send them the same footage ... I like to see how each network reports it. You'd be surprised.

Brodeur was praising DP up and down in the interview I saw. The olny negative he said was that he needed to mature playing the puck. I agreed at the time.

Last night Howie brought up that statement. DP in my opinion has cut down his stick handling mistakes triple fold. Last night he would of never passed that puck to Bruno while short handed. He would of tried to ice it himself and something bad could of happened.

Doc. I respect your opinion sticking up for certain guys all the time, but the offensive players on this team need to play better. The ONLY reason we are winning games of late is b/c of PP being scored by my whipping boy, and the grinders putting up points. Park, Silly have led the team in the past 7 games.

Goal scorers are paid to score. They are paid to score BIG GOALS.

$1.50 PATH Train, $10 game tickett, and a 3-1 win. I should be content.

Stll, from where I was sitting, the Islanders didn't look very good and DP had to pull their &(&*^%&^ out of the fire--again. Of course, ongoing props to Meyer, Hunter for making Sillinger's goal, Sillinger's face-offs, the PK, and a D corps highly depleted--which certainly contributed to on-ice inefficiencies. However, I think at the next game I may try and count how many times the Islanders successfully complete three passes in a row, (other than on PP, which still presents a challenge). To me, Sillinger's botched SH play on the two-on-one is the exclaimation point on what I've seen all year--and he's one of their more skilled players!

Winning is surely better than losing, but this team faces some tough choices at the deadline.

Btw, Devils fans are just as obnoxious during the national anthem as ours--with repeated chants of DP sucks and other assorted vulgarity while the anthem was playing.

All I have to say about last night....

DP and Freddy! I can't believe this Meyer is the same person we've seen previously. He's knocking people down, getting in people's faces, and putting his body in front of the puck. Which brings me to another point, how many blocked shots did Sutton have?

I am happy they hung on. At the end it looked like they were grasping at straws, but DP kept them in it!

Ha! The Isles last three games ....3-1, 3-1 & 3-1 ... middle one being the loss to Montreal. Have the Isles started a new trend? I guess this is the part of the roller coaster ride where there are a few short up and down waves on the tracks ... Weeeeeeeeeeee!!! What a ride!!!

From two time zones away,

Emerick and especially Chico, were EBULLIENT in their praise of DP all night. As captured at the end of the game by "NHL on the Fly", Emerick closed out the game with "A MAGNIFICENT performance by Rick Dipietro."

Nuf said.
On to the Flyers.
Just a thought here.
Given the track record of the Flyers this year.
Given the fact that DP is HOTTER THAN A PISTOL RIGHT NOW.
Given the fact that the Isles are a tad shorthanded, particularly in the "enforcer" area..
Do we consider bringing of the Bridgeport Bomber -Kip Brennan, for a game?
Cuz, I will bet my last nickel that someone on the Flyers takes a run at DP on Saturday.
I was just looking over the Sound Tiger roster--they got a D-man from Coleraine MN. (dat's my wife's people up dare doncha know). Andy Sertich. I know the name....well pedigreed name in MN hockey. Have e-mailed the in-laws for an update.

Just some thoughts.

Yeah ... once again it was ALL DP .... he is shinning even without the Isles' best to D-men in the lineup. Meyer has to be recognized for his stepping up to the challenge and making a contribution on D. Nolan and Snow have to be pleased with his performance. I know I am.

For me ... and yet ... even these players showed lack of consistency at times .... but for me .. the guys that have been playing well since the loss to Edmonton are: Hilbert for his defensive play, Park for his consistency on both sides of the puck, Hunter for his hits and some sparking some offense, Sillinger .. arguably the best on both sides of the puck, plus face offs ... Guerin ... he's been shooting, scoring, hitting and creating chances, Meyer .. just stepped it up big time ... Steady's whipping boy ... MAB ... even with his D break downs ... he's making defenders guess wrong half the time instead of guessing right all of the time .. this is creating some chances on the PP. Not to mention his goals. Comrie ... still not perfect ... but generating chances and seems to be making a few small improvements .... and last but not least ... the man who carries this team .... DP!!! Carrying the team when they need him most ... without him ... all of the above's improvements are a wash.

Oh, and regarding the question of Brodeur's opinion of DP. Brodeur knows that DP idolized him ... I don't think Brodeur has any interest in tearing DPs game apart. He did make the correct comments about DP in that Sports Illustrated article. We all have said that ourselves about DP over the years. I think he's in a lot more control than in the past. Although a couple of times last night I was on edge.

Okay, we'll forget about Sertich as an NHL D-man.
Just got the scoop.
and it's stuff not fit for a message blog in fairness to the kid.

Let's just say he is marginal.

Throwing the alternate captain 'A' on Hunter due to Witt being out ... what does that say of Nolan's opinion of Trent? I say he's either 100% behind him ... or trying to inspire him and show him that their is a reward for his play of late. Hunter rewarded Nolan with a 1 assist +1 and some good penalty killing.

I was thinking last night .... Does DP have a shot at the Hart Trophy this year? Then I thought ... nahhhhh!!! He's a great goalie ... but they'd never think about giving that hardware to a guy on a mediocre team ... maybe if he carries the Isles to the Atlantic Division crown .... but ... nahhhh!!! Too much anti-Isle bias ... plus it forces them to eat crow.

Then I just looked at NHL.com .... and they have on the first headline ... Ricky's Got lots of Hart!! Great article .... and maybe .... just maybe some hockey experts are seeing what we see. I just want Ricky to get rewarded for all he's doing. He's having a great season.

"corky adjectives "

"corky to say the least. "

pardon, but do you mean quirky?

Not that there is anything wrong with it ... but ... it seems that Brian Compton .. a writer for NHL.Com has a thing for Ricky .... and it's about time DP gets the kinda of recognition. BC seems to be a huge advocate for DP, and he has the guts to put it all out there.

Here are two of the latest links to his articles.

Today's
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=350272

Jan 14 ... following win in Ottawa
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=349907&nhlLink=true&page=NewsPage&service=page

19Isles
Nice article on DP. How 'bout the picture? Isn't it a shot of DP sweeping the only goal into the net last night?

Hart for DP- Why not.
I nominate Sillinger for the Masterton
And Steady for the Lady Byng

nope ... I meant corky ...

there is a difference between corky and quirky ... although .. quirky can fit the bill in that context also....

for those that have never heard of the "corky" expression in that context .. it means slightly intoxicating ... and not agreeable ... kind of a benign annoyance that really doesn't mean anything. Like sniffing a cork to get a hint of the quality of a wine.... when you can only truely get a sense from having a taste.

I guess you can say ... even the expression corky ... is kinda quirky .... LOL!!

quirky to me just means odd and non-conventional ... which fits Doc Emrick's expressions also.

"it means slightly intoxicating ... and not agreeable ... kind of a benign annoyance that really doesn't mean anything."

AKA Ranger fan

I believe the Brodeur comments on DP are straight out of the SI article. I don't even consider it a backhanded compliment, I consider it a straight up compliment. Like 19 ISlLE said, Brodeur is only reiterating the same things we have said about Ricky the last few years.

And I am in the camp that says last night's game was a reflection of the Jekyl and Hyde Season. Another garbage 1st period in which we only put shots on and get a goal because of one play 1:20 into the 5-on-3. But you know what, we capitalized on our "chance" while DP stood strong agains the Devs. The rest of the game was a little better, but I have to agree with 505 that the defense, esp. Berard, did not look that great.

nope ... I meant corky ...

there is a difference between corky and quirky ... although .. quirky can fit the bill in that context also....

that's pretty cool. had no idea, thanks.

Yeah 505 .... that picture was the worst of all to pick ... oh well.

I agree with you on all your picks for the other trophys ... but would like to have Steady remain on stage to hand MAB the Norris trophy. LOL!!! Joking of course ... it would probably be the Selke after MAB is moved up to forward. ;)

I'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to let Newsday know that their back page coverage of the Isles ... well ... pretty much ROTS....

I understand that yeah .. the Giants are going to the Conference Championship game ... and yeah ... as much as I'm rooting for them ... this game could be their last of the season .. BUT!!! It's thursday ... the day after the Isles won a huge game ... and got a huge performance ... by one of the best goalies in the league ... against the best goalie maybe in history ... this could be the begining of a challenge to that legacy ... if of course the Isles build a team infront of him ... what helps that? Create a buzzzzz about DP ... get the folks attention that read your paper .... everyone loves a Cinderella story ... and right now the Isles could be in the middle of a Cinderella season ... and Newsday's missing the boat ... why? Because they are soooo interested in pushing the Knicks ... a team going no where .... they put this side caption next to the worthy Giants .... New York New York with a photo of the Knick game .. and a mention of the Isles also winning.... If Newsday is truely Long Island's paper ... Isles should get the nod ... you alienate Long Island's team.

Just checking in quickly (I’m pretty busy this time of year…

Steady – I think you’re dead on about the grinders on this team being asked to fill roles they’re not designed for. They deserve full credit for how well they’re doing their real job. It’s a job that’s valued the highest by Nolan. Nolan places the highest value on those types of players, in that you can at least compete with a team that has all grinders and no real “scorers”. Put the reverse on the ice and all you get is… is…. uh…. the Rangers!!! LOL

I also want to point out that it was Fedetenko that made the most important pass on Sillinger’s goal. Hunter was free and clear to make that great feed to Silly only because Tank recovered the puck after Hunter was unable to initially corral it in the corner, and made a great, quick reverse pass tho Hunter toward the back of the net. I actually moaned when he put the puck in that direction because the point was open and that pass would’ve been a much easier play. But Tank shut me up big time when I saw Hunter’s pass a split second later. It was a great play by Fedetenko and was on par with the rest of his play last night.

About Campoli… I’m thinking that he may have been playing with this injury for a few games already. He most definitely had a poor game against the Habs and has actually been sub-par for about a week now. I know Miggsey has been saying that it’s been MAB’s fault for bring down Campoli’s game, but I don’t buy that. I think something has been wrong with him physically and he perhaps tweaked it past the pain threshold last night.

Me for the Lady Bing....LOL

Tanya Harding has a better chance.

I agree about Campoli Cincy. Something has been up? My question is why Nolan would pair him with MAB in the first place?

I keep trying to figure out why I hate MAB (besides his pathetic defense.) Berard has been just as poor lately, yet I have no hatred toward him. Is it the way MAB looks? His cocky comments? Not quite sure.

DP is really coming into his own. Imagine him on a star filled team? The reason we should all be excited, is he can certainly take a team to Lord Stanleys Cup. Now it is up to the Bobbleheads to fill the holes and come up with the plan. God help us!

Cincy, Steady ... my brother brought up Campoli's lackluster performance during the westcoast swing. He thought he had an upper body injury that he was hiding because of the way he labored at times ... and seemed to be shooting tenatively. He said if you look at him in December ... and look at him now you see a different upper body positioning for making hits and taking shots ... not finishing his checks as much. My brother was a defenseman.... well still is ... so he knows more about the technical mechanics in that area than I do.

So to me ... that is a hat trick .. Cincy, Stead and my bro noticed something wrong ... and now Campoli left after the first period. Lets see if they announce an upper body injury as my brother suspected and that will solidify that theory of him being hurt for a bunch of games.

By the way... I'm ashamed to say I was screwed over by a Ranger fan last night. My "friend" former teammate, and fellow puck head ... I'll call him Ragged Raymond for the purpose of this post ... actually that is fitting ... because Ray is / was a scrappy defenseman.

Yesterday I at work, during lunch I get a call from Ray. RR offered me tix to the Devs / Isles game at the Pru Center ... his girlfriend got the tix from her boss ... but she couldn't go to the game.... he first admitted to me that he asked a mutal friend of ours first ... Mike the Devil fan ...

Mike declined because he already had tickets. Mike works for Modells and gets tickets to games anyway ... so Ray figured ... why not bring his buddy the Islander fan (Me) ... this way he'd have someone to root against the Devils with ... he actually hates the Devils worse than the Islanders because he thinks the Devs are more of a threat to the Rags he says.

I joked with him that he needed the Devs to beat the Isles because it would give the Isles a commanding lead in the Hummer Challenge. He was like ... oh yeah... in a dense kinda way.

Well ... I work 3 exits south of Newark ... but I couldn't just go to the game. I would need to find a way to kill 3 and a half hours first ... and you don't kill 3 and a half hours in Newark unless you want to be killed.... LOL!! Besides I needed to drive 30 miles to the south first where I live and get my Islander jersey.

Well, at 5pm ... just before I was leaving to meet Ragged Ray in Woodbridge, NJ to go up to Newark together ... RR called to tell me that Mike was going to go with him ... because Mike thought Ray couldn't get someone to go ... he ended up giving his tickets to another employee at Modells ... and then Mike told RR that he'd take RR to a Devils / Rags game at the Rock....

So I was sold out..... geeezeeee ... can't trust those Rags fans.

I just spoke to Mike 15 mins ago .. and compared notes ... and Ray never told Mike he found someone .... and Mike said that he made the ticket offer to Ray before Ray even had a chance to tell Mike that he got me to go.

Mike also told me that Ray ended up rooting for the Devils for 3 reasons ... (1) He didn't want to blow a chance to get free tix from Mike to go to a Devs / Rags game. (2) He didn't want to get his butt kicked by Devs fans that were rowdy near them ... lol (3) He brought up the Hummer Challenge ... which originally he didn't care about. Tooooo funny.

Well ... here is the best part .. Mike is taking me to the next Rags / Devs game .... and Mike who plays with my squad (a mix of Devs / Isles / other NHL teams) in open hockey ... and Ray plays with ALL Rags fans ... Mike suggested that he dump the puck into the corner ... and have Ray chase it down and we sandwich him with a check. Of course checking isn't permitted ... so we gotta be careful. That might also errupt into a bruhahahaaaa .. and since we all work the next morning ... not be in our best interest.

Is it me or did i hear that stupid whistling followed by "Potvi Sucks" last night?

Background info regarding my previous post. Ray used to be paired with another teammate of mine .. Robert .. on the blue line. We called them the RR line .... both Ranger fans .. and both damn good blue liners. However ... we used to notice .... back in the early to mid 80s ... we are talking HS hockey here ... that when the Rangers lost .. they were inpenatrable ... mostly because they were pissed and would hit everything in site. Rob was a big boy in HS ... about 6'1" / 200 lbs his senior year ... and he was a +35 on our team. When he tried college hockey ... he was horrible .... he became a human pylon.

Ray his linemate ... used to be the defensive specialist ... not as much a hitter as Rob ... but very effective at breaking out and being strong on the puck. Neither guy could shoot the puck very well. But they really played based on their emotions at that level. We used to piss them off in the locker room to get them going. LOL!!

Well .. in our early 20s we had tons of Isle fan vs. Rags fan games ... and Rob and Ray would go bonkers trying to line me up and my linemate Darren. We to them were probably the two biggest Islander fans they knew. If you wanted to see two grown men cry and whine ... that would of been the time. Especially b/c Charlie our defenseman who always played in their shadow during HS when we were all teammates was destroying them.

Ahhhhhhhh a nice walk down memory lane....

Now back to the roller coaster I now dub .... Islander Cyclone.... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

the mass ... you probably did hear it since my friend Ray was at the game ... he still do this day talks about Potvin.... he hates him .. and he was yelling that Potvin Sux when he was down in FL during a Panther / Cap game ....

My thoughts on the top 6 reasons why the Islanders are a roller coaster ride this season. 3 reasons for the ups ... and 3 reasons for the down.

The Ups:
(#3) Nolan ... as much as I critque him for not bringing in youth... his job is to get the roster playing the best they can. They over achieved thus far. As others have put it ... he has grinders playing above their abilities. Thus winning games they might of otherwise lost.

(#2) Despite their disadvantaged schedule of multiple 3 games in 4 nights the Islanders are actually doing pretty good in the 2nd of back to back games. It seems the more they play the better they are. Even in some losses.

(#1) Dipietro ... if I have to list reasons ... then you haven't followed the team this year or read this blog.

The downs:
(#3) Defensive breakdowns. The job of the defenseman isn't just to prevent the other team from having a scoring chance. Their job is also to help move the puck out of the defenisve zone. To many times have I seen the Isles defense incapable of making the first pass out of the zone. This helps the other team's forecheck, and has effectively allowed the opposition to create turn overs in the Islanders' zone and giving themselves great scoring opportunities ... some of which they have capitalized on.

(#2) Power Play ~ Largely related to the #1 problem below .. no offense... the power play has sputtered along half of the season. The power play has also given up a bunch of short handed goals. When you aren't scoring on your PP, and you are giving up goals while up a man. You are going to lose some games.

(#1) Lack of offense. The Islanders are top heavy with 3rd and 4th line role players. Don't get me wrong ... they play their roles well. Infact I no longer am going to criticize guys like Hilbert and Park for their offensive ineptitudes. Park infact has done a good job in that respect. However, they didn't ask to be relied upon for offense. They are who they are... and when they play their roles .. they are effective. The crux of the blame has to go to the guys who are payed to score. Even though Guerin has picked it up ... there was a 6 week span where he couldn't score at all. Lots of one goal losses in that span.

The Isles probably would be easily in the top 3 in the league ... yes the league if they had a "REAL" 1st line. Let say ... Spezza, Iginla and Kovalchuck kind of players. Then have a "Real" PP specialist at the pivot. Like a Pronger type of player.

Thanks for the clarification on Doc Emerick.... I don't tend to listen to Devils games that often... and so I haven't picked up on his corky/quirky termonology... although I didn't hear him using those same words for Brodeur... but I believe you none the same.

As for Brodeur's comments on DiPietro... ESPN cut the comment in half and stopped at ".... and I don't think he's there yet... " meaning getting under control.

But what they failed to play was the rest of the comment where Brodeur continued his praise of DiPietro and he said something to the effect....
".... but when he does get his game totally under control... the sky's the limit"

Apparently in the interview, Brodeur was pointing to the sky as he said it and meant it with nothing but praise.

This is the way Emerick and Chico paraphrased it during last nights game.

And Steady... yes I do like to stick up for the boys more than being critical of them.

But I appreciate reading the critics too.

Wow 19Isles,
Theme of the Day

"Days of Isle's Lives"
:)

All good doc.

505 ... you must miss being out in the thick of the rivalries since you hitched up yar wagon and moved west ole boy. These blogs must be a great oultet for all transplated Isles fans.

I know for myself ... I grew up in Staten Island .... and was in the thick of enemy territory ... but there was a great amount of Isles fans there at the time. Heck, there was a time on SI that you could go into a bar .... and they'd be showing an Islander game instead of a Ranger game .... those days are long gone. They withered away when the ownership debacle was in full swing ... the Rangers & Devils both fresh off cups in the mid to late 90s swallowed up most of the marketing in the Staten Island / Brooklyn areas. Meanwhile the Isles marketing kinda retreated to a Long Island only marketing policy. That is just from my point of view.

In central NJ ... you can find a resurgent tempest of rivalry between the 3 local teams fresh and doing just fine ... throw in some Flyer and Bruin fans around this area ... and we have a real variety of fans always on the ready to defend his / her teams' honor.

One of my neighbors is a new NHL fan ... he's a Duck fan though .. he was a Devil fan for one year ... and then Niedermeyer left .... and took this one new Devil fan with him. Go figure. Speaking of Niedermeyer ... he's one of those impact type defenseman I think the Isles need (who doesn't?) ... the Ducks are 10-2-2 since he returned ... and he had 1G 2A in his last game.

19Isles

"If Newsday is truely Long Island's paper ... Isles should get the nod ... you alienate Long Island's team."

I have it on SOLID insider info that the powers that be at Newsday, Editors/headline people, are unabashed Ranger fans.
So either we send them on an all expense trip to the "Fair and Balanced" boot camp/spa deep in the jungles of Central America for some intellectual adjustment or we take a page out of 1930's German democracy and stage our own "Kristallnacht" and storm the offices in Melville (I liked 'em better when they were in Garden City--Suffolk County is simply pedestrian).
Until then the Isles are stuck being the red headed stepchild of this newspaper.

You guys read the Isles Insider yet for today? If not, there is an interesting twist on the quote from Ted on Tambeliini the other day. If you remember, he was quoted as saying Tambs would be in the "NHL" soon. Well, the quote in the Insider goes as follows:

Islanders coach Ted Nolan said, "You get good people, you have good reasons for success. Signing Billy Guerin ... he's one of the top quality guys in the league. That spreads to the young generation where Jeff Tambellini is doing the same thing. It's just a matter of time before he comes here and plays here permanently."

Any opinions on whether or not there is a big difference in saying "NHL" vs. "here" ? I personally think so.

At this point, I say unless we are out of it at the deadline and trade someone, Ted has Tambs in the AHL until next season, and then we see the youth movement finally hit up front with him and Okposo joining the club. I would say the youth movement has already started on defense.

19Isle

"505 ... you must miss being out in the thick of the rivalries since you hitched up yar wagon and moved west ole boy."
Ya think?
For too many years I kept it all at a distance while parenting, coaching, and playing ball. Kid's are just about gone, tired of coaching, and started taking too many inside fastballs for strikes.
Time to be a fan again. (although I'm addressing the inside fastball issue with eye surgery).

"These blogs must be a great oultet for all transplated Isles fans."
Great way to avoid mundane work issues and engage in mental gymnastics as well as stay distracted from being too much of a "modern man" when it comes to spousal issues. ("Yeah sure honey, I like the mauve better than the lavender"--WTF is MAUVE? A sitcom from the 70's?).

D-money

"Any opinions on whether or not there is a big difference in saying "NHL" vs. "here" ? I personally think so."

Nice catch D-money.
Spot on.
KO-Tambs- Nielsen as the nbr 2 line next year.

Wang should start his own newspaper ... and call it ... Light House Journal News .... the only Real News about Long Island's interests ... Hire Logan as the managing editor in charge of sports ... and Steady as the Ombudsman ... making sure that MAB gets no back cover accolades. LOL!!!

The most recent blog entry is no open for comment... and I WAS FIRST!!!!!!!!

Where is that edit last post button?

"I am putting this in seprate from my long diatribes because it deserves it's on post"

Should be ...

I am putting this in seprate from my long diatribes because it deserves it's OWN post

... Not going to be on here much today ... I have a lot of work to do if I'm going to make it to Philly tonight. Enjoy the day all.