On the Islanders Beat

Best wishes to DP, hurry home, take care of business.

FAMILY FIRST

And kudos to you Greg Logan for doing what very few in the media do anymore.

SHOWING OTHER PEOPLE A LITTLE GD RESPECT.

Logan is a good journalist, and a decent man, for sure.

I am on a business trip in Cali until 3/14 and BUMMING that I will miss the entire Core of Four thing, and the chance to meet everyone. Ugh!! I wanna see 19 Isle-esque LONG blog entries describing all the goings on! Enjoy, guys.

DP, thoughts and prayers - definately family first.

All my best DP.....

Anyone remember how Lundquist played just before and after the all star break, when he knew his fath was ill ????

Imagine what these guys must go through to play a game at this level when they are hurting inside ove a loved one. I cannot even look at a computer screen or talk on a phone when I am thinking of a sick loved one !!!

This explains a lot !!!

Thanks Greg Logan for the facts.
DP: best thoughts and wishes to you and yours.

Tonysac: and ill keep sayin this over and over and over and over....WHY IS HILBERT ON THE FIRST LINE??????????????????? PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION!!!
--------------------------------

Here's why I think Hilbert is, and perhaps should remain, on the first line for now:
They need his defensive capabilities to cover for his line mates, Mr.and Mrs. Turnover. And the other three current line combinations all seem to be clicking pretty well as is.

The first line did score 3 goals last night. Perhaps they are finding some rhythm?

That said....I would love to see Comeau up there, if for no other reason than to give him the TOI he clearly deserves. Sh*t, why not just start rolling all four lines to get all the kids more time, and keep the older guys fresh?

My condolences to the DiPietro family.

Rick needs to take whatever time he needs.

Best wishes to DP and his family. Gotta love a guy that actually plays through the pain!

If he can't play with it, then he shouldn't have played. No excuses.

He sucked last night.

Greg -

You know you have my respect, but I'm not really sure if you're telling us the whole story. Your question to Nolan that prompted his cryptic comment last night cited DP's save percentage SINCE THE ALL STAR BREAK. Ted could've easily passed it off by talking about the injuries to the defense. But he didn't. And his response was to you question about DP's play - not just in last night's game - but in all the games since the break. Couple all this with the fact that there's no doubt Ricky suffered some kind of injury during the skills comp, and also that he had to sit out a few games with a knee sprain earlier in the season. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I smell smoke. And considering that you asked your excellently phrased question during the Nolan post-game interview, I suspect you smelled it too.

Posted by 19 ISLE in NJ 22 | February 29, 2008 00:17 Thanks for the info Isle27. My condolences to DP and his Family.

....................................................................

Great piece Greg ... as always your show class and sensitivity.

However, I'm with Cincy .... I had the game on TiVo ... and when I heard Nolan's response ... I played it over and over about 10 times .. just to make sure I heard him right ... The question was about his save % performance of late.

I am one of the first people to boost up Ricky and defend him ... trust me ... I work, live and play hockey in NJ ... dominated more by Ranger and Devil fans ... we have this debate all the time .. who is better? .. Marty, Henrik or Ricky ... You don't need any SI article to bring up that debate in these parts ... and us fans know it.

Ricky is the sole reason the Isles are in position to grab a playoff spot post trade deadline. That is another fact that doesn't need a headline to us fans. I really wish DP well in his time of loss ... we all go through it inevitably at times in our life ... and right now there are some things more important than hockey. I think he deserves to have the time off to be with his family ... he's a real trooper for even trying to play last night.

That said ... I also hope he has the time to take care of what ever injury may be ailing him. I'm not convinced he's going through a slump ... like all goalies do. I've noticed that he isn't peforming at his normal level since returning from the All-Star game.

Infact ... during the All-Star game ... he performed outstanding ... after I saw that performance I felt completely relieved that he wasn't hurt from the skills competition. However his performance since then is nothing but average, or a tick below average.. and I think he knows it too.

Take care of your family Biz Ricky ... we are all behind you ... I wish you and your family all the best.

I don't think it's an injury with DP, personally. Injury wouldn't explain why he's having so much trouble just playing an angle correctly. Lately he's reminded me a lot of MA Fleury - all the skill in the world, and all the tools to be great, but just horrible positioning more often than not that athleticism can't always make up for. DP made such great strides last year playing the angles, it was amazing to watch really. he was able to save his energy because he was always where he should be, and the diving athletic saves were only made when they were absolutely necessary. This year he's gotten gotten beat consistently from very awkward angles, and I think that's happened since before the AS break, actually. Part of it may be dealing with personal problems. We can all only guess what he's going through and how long he's been going through it. Hopefully he's getting a lot of support from family, friends, and teammates. Part of it may be a coaching problem. Perhaps Dunham is not the best person for this job. I just think there's a very noticeable regression as far as where DP is positioned on most shots. There are far less acrobatic goalies that are stopping a much higer percentage of shots on teams that are not exactly stocked with all stars, and those goalies do it by being positionally sound (Bryzgalov, for one). There's no reason, given how much DP learned last year, that he can't be among them, or beyond them, on the stat sheets - and yes, even with this Islanders team in front of him.

I'm sure he'll get better than he's been. If it's a personal issue, then definitely we all should be supportive and patient until he gets through it. If it's something else, then the coaching staff needs to figure it out and correct it.

Posted by Islander505 | February 28, 2008 18:00

Attention all Isles Fans..

I have long maligned Newsday on this blog for it's dearth of attention give to the Islanders. Most notably THE COMPLETE NON-EXISTENCE OF BACK PAGE COVERAGE. Now, I've never said that the Isles should be there every day. BUT ONCE A YEAR would be nice.
In fact, in my New Year's post/prediction of what Islander fans would see in Newsday this year, I sarcastically alluded to the fact that this being a Leap Year, the Isles would now get their "one day every 4th year back page coverage".
Well tomorrow is that day. And the Isles play tonight
Will the Isles get back page coverage from the HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER tomorrow?
...........................................................

In regards to 505's post from the previous thread made last night and shown above.

NOT!!!!!! The Isles couldn't even get back page coverage on Leap Year with an OT win.

They plastered a pointless, BS, stupid headline with regards to a FORMER Mets' comments in a Sports Illustrated story. So not only are they not promoting .. LONG ISLAND'S ONLY major professional sports team .... they are promoting in a sense another publication.

No wonder there are lay offs there as 505 also included in another part of the above post.

Shame on Newsday. SHAME!!!

Keep your 50 cents LI Islander fans ...

I think it's time for Islander fans to start making a loud and clear objection to two office issues that affect the Islanders.

#1 - The media coverage of the Islanders ... or lack there of by Newsday which claims to be "Long Island's" newspaper. Long Island fans should only buy the paper on days after a game ... and a home delivery subscriber should cancel the paper during the offseason to send a message. Sorry Greg ... nothing against you... I know you have nothing to do with it .. if it was up to you you'd have back page all the time.

#2 - The Light House Project ... I know that there is a once a month email barrage on the 12th of every month ... however I see one flaw. They can disconnect their email server on the 12th of every month ... and if I'm right ... the mail gets lost in cyber space. That is if they manage their own hosting and email server.

They can also filter their email to ignore any reference to the Islanders... and it will go into a spam or trash bin.

So another strategy has to be coupled with the email barrage.

..... That is my barrage for now.

Upstate ... you make some good points in your counter to DP being injured.

It may be a combination of both. He did have a problem at one short point during the early part of the season ... that clearly was positioning.. and Yes, I've noticed it again as of late. However ... maybe he's cheating on his positioning because he is hurt? I don't know ... I don't want to speculate. I am not a goalie .... and goaltending is all together different than playing forward.

If I'm out of position .. it means I don't get to a loose puck, or receive a pass .. maybe I let my guy break free of my coverage ... it usually doesn't result in a goal against.

I can however detect that a goalie I'm bearing down on is out of position or deep in the net .. that is usually what determines in a split second whether I just blast a shot if he'd too deep ... fake or make a pass if he has an angle on me .... or go for a deke to force him to commit first.

It seems like DP is flopping more on breakaways ... staying deep in his net ... getting off on angles .. and even giving up some rebounds .. that god help us ... the Isles bandaid defense hasn't been all to good at clearning.

For now I'll just wish DP the best during this time ... and when he gets back ... I'm sure he'll work on what ever it is ... personal distractions from this hard time ... or physical ... and he'll be back on his game.

BTW ... I see no benefit for Dunham (DP's insufficient backup from last season) to be his goaltending coach. Just weird.

First and foremost: Prayers to the DiPietro Family

Second. A Note to the Bobbleheads: The follwoing is from Greg's Insider on Davison's getting to Tuesday's game after the trade:

"It was pretty overwhelming, considering I was late and trying to get out there," Davison said, explaining that the rush-hour ride from LaGuardia to the Coliseum took about 90 minutes."

Guess what morons? If you can't even get your players out to the game in time for a 7:00 p.m. start on weekdays, then how easy do you think it is for your fans? Or better yet, how many fans do you chase away because they won't even try?

But that's okay; keep your stinking empty building on weeknights and blame everything else but your own stupidity.

Merrick~

I hear ya ... I don't expect them to accomodate me having to come from NJ ... but I would expect them to accomodate LI residents and Queens Brooklyn residents at the very least.

I'm not sure though that Snow has anything to do with the start times. I think he's strictly Hockey Ops.

Anyway ... that was a great post.

Does #1 = your place in line for Hades?

only the simple minded believe in hell.

Been out of the loop - slammed with work - and there is no way I am going to even think about catching up on posts, let alone try.

In any case, sorry to hear about DP's loss. This sounds awful, but I do hope this has been part of the reason for the soft goals as of late, because he has let in pleny of them, including at least two of last night's goals.

Anyways, this team dropped some critical points as of late, and need another good run to keep pace with the teams ahead. I still think they control their own destiny at this point, given their remaining schedule, so they will only be able to look in the mirror if they blow it.

Condolensces to DP.

One thing thats particularly evident the last two games is that DP's concentration is off. Concentration is the most important factor that seperates the elite goalies from the rest. How able a goalie is to zero in on the play allows him to better read it, position himself, and have his reflexes take over.

Particulary if you check out Zhitnik and Holik's goals from the ATL game he seemed to be suprised by them even though they look like harmless perimeter shots. Something like the death of a family member could certainly be throwing off the mental edge DP has shown all season.

A question has been brought up how this doesn't explain the prolongued period of less then stellar play. DP could be hurt or perhaps the death in the family was a drawn out affair (PURELY SPECULATIVE). This could explain the extended period of time.

Condolensces to DP.

One thing thats particularly evident the last two games is that DP's concentration is off. Concentration is the most important factor that seperates the elite goalies from the rest. How able a goalie is to zero in on the play allows him to better read it, position himself, and have his reflexes take over.

Particulary if you check out Zhitnik and Holik's goals from the ATL game he seemed to be suprised by them even though they look like harmless perimeter shots. Something like the death of a family member could certainly be throwing off the mental edge DP has shown all season.

A question has been brought up how this doesn't explain the prolongued period of less then stellar play. DP could be hurt or perhaps the death in the family was a drawn out affair (PURELY SPECULATIVE). This could explain the extended period of time.

Whoops sorry about the double post... the first time I tried it gave me a Forbidden error message...I guess I wasn't after all.

All my best to DP and his family...

For all those going to the game tomorrow and meeting down at Doolin's, I'll be in my new blue DP jersey with a cream-colored hat that says "US Open - Oakmont"

Also, are any of the Jersey or PA-area fans going to the game next Saturday in Philly? I scored tickets a week ago, and I'm heading down with a friend of mine. It'd be nice if Philly wasn't all hostile territory.

DP says he'll play Saturday and maybe skip Sunday, and that his injuries are just "normal bumps and bruises"

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/islanders/2008/02/29/2008-02-29_rick_dipietro_may_miss_sundays_isles_gam.html

I'm glad to hear that Nolan was pretty pissed off about the game last night. He ripped into the pp and hopefully this will lead to some fire, or even personnel changes.
As for DP, I definitely think his concentration has be terrible not only in the last 2 games, but since the losing streak occurred. DP is extremely competitive and I wonder if the frustration of knowing that the season isn't going very well has impacted his play. I'm sure he has some injuries, but I don't think they are the whole story as others have said. The point that19 Isle made that maybe the injuries are causing his abysmal positioning seems right. You hear about all the time in baseball, why not hockey?
One last point, Nolan needs to play the kids more than 8 minutes a game. They had 2 or 3 more prime scoring chances and played alright. What happens when Silly comes back though? Tambs gets sent back down and we'll probably see Bergenheim and Nielsen playing cards on the bench cause they are going to be so bored without the ice time.

19Isles....
re- Lack of Newsday coverage....
Here's a comment I put on Neil Best's blog in reference to a blog he wrote about Leap Year, Feb 29:

From the files of.....
What if Long Island had a hometown team, but nobody told the hometown newspaper?

Here I was, all excited....
Feb 29, leap year.
The extra day of the year....
The day when the Islanders, LONG ISLAND'S ONLY HOMETOWN TEAM....
Receives their once every 4 years back page coverage in THE HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER...
After all,
They played last night....
They won in overtime....
They are still in the playoff chase.....
And what are we Isles fans and the rest of LONG ISLAND treated to?
A juvenile bitchfight between the New York METROPOLITAN'S Milledge and Wright.
About as newsworthy as the tampon dispenser breaking down in the locker room at Sacred Heart Academy..

Ya gotta wonder why the hometown newspaper is crying the financial blues when.......
A/They "giveaway their content for free"
B/They generally ignore the only hometown team they have.

Bryan,
I agree with your comments about TOI for the kids.....

One comment though,
"What happens when Silly comes back though?"

I doubt we'll see Silly back this year.
I question whether we well see him playing again at all..
Hip surgery for a guy his age is not a good thing.

Time for him to look at opening the Sillinger/Trottier Center Iceman Summer Camp.
First enrollee?
Black Comeau.

Black Comeau???
"Edit last post icon" alert!!!!

You know what I meant...

My bad, I forgot he needed surgery on his hip. Black Comeau got me chuckling. Witt's coming back Saturday!! Bigggg boost for this team, any news on Sutton and his progress anybody?

The linked story about DP also says no Smitty at the ceremony Sunday. Does he have any lingering issues with the organization since he doesn't work there anymore?

I would like to point out that the OT goal last night would not have been possible without the previous play by Meyer. 3 out of the 4 players went off for a change while Meyer carried the puck to the off wing. Atlanta was changing too, so he skated hard into their zone, fired it at the goalie, and rushed him to force a whistle.

Seems like a small thing, but I haven't seen too much of that kind tactical play this year. They got a faceoff in their zone and Hunter scored the OT winner shortly after. Meyer was still on the ice but I don't think he got an assist for that goal. Maybe Hunter should give him a big kiss on the cheek!

:)

Meyer is definately a smaller sized hockey player but his quickness and hockey smarts make up for it. Anyone know what the contract status is on Meyer?

Kevin T.

LMAO!!!! 505!!! That post that you put on Neil Best's blog most definitely is the leading candidate for "Post of the Year" Honors .... and if we go by Leap Year standards ... that will be the best post for Feb 29th for at least 4 years.

Tomorrow the kids either shine ... or get mugged. The Flyers are another team joining the Isles at their local physical therapy clinic. Tomorrow's a Battle of the Battered and Bruised Royale.

I have a game tonight ... Flyer fans, Devils fans & Rags fans galore ... it ought to be an interesting pow-wow at the local barn. I love hearing others' biased views. Can't wait to hear what they have to say about DP.

I read that article posted by Bring Back KJ in the NY Daily News also ..... I'm really sad for DP ... losing a Grandma is tough ... I bet ya she was a huge influence in his life.

That said ... I'm not convinced that normal bumps and bruises make a goalie less effective ... not that he said he was. I'm just saying ... concentration as some of our fine esteemed goaltenders that post here mentioned is "critical" to a goaltender's focus and effectiveness. I will not contest that .. I'm sure that is very true. My thing is ... if he's losing consentration .. isn't he putting himself in danger out there?

My brother played goalie ... then forward ... then defense .. then goalie ... back to defense ... he has a great perspective on all positions ...I gotta have his take on this.

Kevin T. -

Garth gave Meyer a 2-year contract a few months back. Both he and Nolan cited Freddy's work ethic and non-complaining attitude as a factor in giving him the piece of paper. Ya gotta love how Freddy has stepped up his play in response to the increased ice time. And you have to love the message that it sends out to the players when Garth rewards a guy with real character and grit after having endured three trips through waiver-land.

They might all be bobbleheads... but they're OUR bobbleheads.

19Isles,

"My brother played goalie ... then forward ... then defense .. then goalie ... back to defense ... he has a great perspective on all positions ...I gotta have his take on this."

If your brother is half as "analytical" as you, we look forward to you compiling that "take" by........next Feb 29.

ari-erik .... regarding Smitty .... I kind of got the feeling from a friend of mine in Florida that he really wants nothing to do with the current Isles ownership / organization.

That friend of mine is a season ticket holder for the Panthers and ran into Battlin' Billy and Duane Sutter a few years ago... apparently Billy had some choice words about Mike Milbury when it was asked why he isn't with the Isles anymore ... so ... I'm not sure how he feels now that MM is outta here ... but obviously there is some lingering resentment. I don't even think that Billy is with the Panthers anymore ... so who knows what he's up to?

What we do know is that Billy isn't one to mince words.

Of course I got my info second hand from a former Ranger fan ... her hero is Messier ... and Beezer .. so I take it from where it comes.

Cincy,
Freddy the IV has been the epitome of a diamond in the rough.

AND....a special pat on the back.....
TO ME!!!!!.
While many others from this blog on November 11 were BLASTING the Isles for picking him up on waivers (you know who you are!!!).....I pulled a rabbit out of my hat with this little nugget....
(I called the Devil turnaround as well)......

Posted by Islander505 | November 11, 2007 00:27 Thoughts and Perspectives from 2 Time Zones Away.

Islanders played their best 53 minutes of hockey this year tonight against the Devils.
2-1 lead controlling the lead.
Islanders played their worst 7 minutes of hockey this year tonight against the Devils.
A beyond reason number of icings, WAY too many faceoffs lost.
Got to find a backup for Sillinger. He got tired. (1,000 games, remember?)

Devil's will be a tough team in February.
Sutter has a good system.

BIG road trip ahead.
Potential for 8 points.
Let shoot for 6.
Be happy with 5
And accept 4.

GREAT PICKUP OF FRED MEYER today.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong..

First off... Thoughts and prayers are with DP. Don't know who it is, or how close, but it's always tough for a young person to lose friends or family.

I would not quetin the fact that every human alive including past friends and present family are in Smitty's DOGHOUSE. I don' tthink he took kindly to being replaced by the maharishi... but that's just my opinion. I heard on one broadcast recently that he was in the Ottawa system and doing a really good job there.

I wonder if they scheduled it for a FL game to make sure the most important person shows up?
In a FROZEN IN TIME piece on the NHL Network Gillies and Nystrom were reliving the '80 cup. Gillies said, "Denis definitely had a very high opinion of himself..." But those guys would have naked fingers without Denis. IMHO... It's one of the biggest holes in this team. Even if they had a defensive corp on par with that of what Laviollette started with they would be in the middle of the race. But they don't have one guy who moves the puck, is a threat from the point and can move bodies in front of the net.
When they find that guy, they'll be okay...

Witt... warrior... slow... and a shot that has been timed with a calendar.
Marty... closest we've got... he moves teh puck well, but his passes are devoid of anticipation and he doesn't carry the puck strong.
Sutton... road grader... not strong on the puck at all.
Campoli... moves it well, passes are accurate... developing better instincts offensively and defensively. He lacks size, presence and confidence... and he doesn't handle it in the nuetral zone with vision. He's close though... if he is paired with Witt or Sutton next year he might surprise.
gervais... mediocrity personified
Berard... He was the next potvin [for this organization] now un occhio is struggling to get some of that magic back. he shows flashes. Hopefully the TOI and responsibilities to come will help him get it back... but time is not on his side.
I don't really need to go into the rest of the corp, do I?

Let's hope there is a blue line diamond late in the first round.

I will say this, Grebeshkov didn't look too bad on the EDM PP last night. Small sample, but he's better than what we got for him.

505 .... my brother will be talking about one thing ... then drift off the subject to something else in the middle of the convo ... so this ought to be interesting.

Kevin/505

Meyer has been a GODSEND... I can rememebr not so long ago when I would literally (literally) bash him on a daily basis. There was some speculation that he played through a terrible injury last year and had solid 2nd or 3rd pair potential. So I was happy when they picked him up off waivers as NINTH defenseman. WHO KNEW?
It's nice to see him holding on to his equipment, and dishing out more than he accepts...
But I can't put him in the category of COMPLETE just yet. He does make the small play, and it's appreciated, but he does it in a manner consistent with his talent. When we see Freddy making the nuetral zone play that deosn't stall 70% of the time I will jump on the bandwagon.
One of the better "little plays" was the pass from Davison that sprung Comrie. those plays are available 2 or 3 times a night, and we (as Islander fans) NEVER see them. For the most part it is due to our defensemen skating with their heads down.
Davison has shown some confidence, and if he helps them get through the next four with more than 5 points he will be on the team next year... and in a 50-80 game role.
He just might be the THIRD PAIR 6'3" 220 lb guy I thought we desperately needed. If they can fill the 1st pair puckhandler/ PPQB role and top 3 forward positions they could be tough next year.

19Isles,

"my brother will be talking about one thing ... then drift off the subject to something else in the middle of the convo ... so this ought to be interesting."

really?
Well, when you sit him down, don't call and order any pizza delivery. And if the Buxom blonde shows up with her Green Navigator (whatever) and golden retreiver looking to get her chassis waxed, give me a call and I'll bring over whatever loose change I have with a steak bone in hand and play wingman for you so you don't Hilbert out and can keep your brother on task.

;)
Thanks for the setup Costello.

505, 19Isles

First off Condolences go out to DP and his family.

Being a former goalie, I just wanted to give my 2 cents on what i may think is wrong with DP. The first thing i noticed was his positioning, the second is his glove side arm doesn't come up as high as it used to.

Over the last 5-6 games, i tried to watch DP's positioning and i noticed he's a second off, which could indicate a minor hip injury or bruise.

I'll explain....Try standing in a defensive basketball position, feet shoulder width apart. Now push off with your left foot to the right side as far as you can, while taking a step with your right foot .
If you move correcly, you should feel the left hip a little. Same goes for the right side.

Now if you have a hip injury of any kind, minor or major, you're not going to move as far to the left or right because you're adding moe pressure to the hip.

Now try being on the ice with skates, and you have to push off with either the left or right skate, on your knees, in a butterfly position. Now you have more pressure on your hips. If you're hip is sore or injured, it slows your speed down to anticipate where the puck is going. Hence, more difficult to make the save, and more possible "five-holes."

The other observation i made on him, as stated before, was his shoulder on his glove side. I have not seen him make a "robbery" (rotating his arm forward to snag a goal) save on anyone lately. He has only been able to bring his arm up to his shoulder or mask height. Possible shoulder injury....maybe.

Of course family distractions are also a factor. Being a goalie means to have more emphasis in having your head in the game.

Just my thoughts on DP'd play though. Hope this explained what you guys were looki for.

with neilson out tomorrow who will the islanders call up...colliton or walter? i think i would almost like to see coliton more since i liked what i saw from him...please dont put johnson on the 4th line thro like he skated today in pratice

Its obvious that DP needs at least one game off. My question is why is Dubie not getting a conditioning stint with the Sound Tigers. It seemed to be exactly what he needed when they tried it earlier in the season. I'm just worried that with points being so important right now that a rusty Dubie can cost us 2 points. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the few that think he has rebounded well since the beginning of the season and has proved to be a decent back-up. But any keeper with rust will not play to potential.

Reading other articles it seems like DP will play against Philly and take off Sunday for his grandmothers viewing and funeral (monday). He will definitely be back for the home and home against the NYR. I feel like we need 6/8 points from now till the end of the home and home. Lets hope Witt coming back and some rest for DP is just what we needed.

On a side note... Does anyone know where to get FREE archived news articles. I've located the first game that I've ever went to against the North Stars on 01/21/89 and would love to read a wrap up report. Newsday's website charges for such things. The reason is that my father and I are wondering if Smitty relieved Hrudey in that game. I seem to think he did and the old man says he didn't. But I remember chants of "Billy, Billy" similar to the "DP" of today. It may have been a different game that year for all I know... I was only 8. If anyone has info I'd appreciate it... thanks fellas

watching the devils play the caps....Caps got some great young talent. Their kid Green on def. shows you just how LESS of young talent the Isles have....Bobbles have a lot of work to do.

Hi Greg. Great work.

My sincere condolences to Rick Di Pietro. But It
really was an unwise decision to let him play yesterday
against Atlanta. Firstly, when a family member passes
away, one must mourn properly; and one must honour the
dead. Therefore, it should not be "business as usual". In
order to go through the normal mourning process and
respect the deceased family member, one needs to
take some time off. Secondly, your not helping your team
by playing shortly after a family member dies. In professional
sports, especially down the stretch, you need to be totally
focused on every game. In such tragic situations it's impossible to retain that focus and killer instinct that is required to perform well. A death in the family is a huge distraction. Thirdly, the Islanders probably have the best backup goalie in the NHL - Dubie. Just look at how he played the last 4 games of last season and how he has been playing recently. He's perfectly capable of doing an outstanding job backing up Di Pietro anytime. He deserves more faith/confidence from Nolan. He deserves more ice-time. He got us into the playoffs last year. Therefore, it really wasn't necessary for DP to have played last night nor should he play the next two games. He still needs to take some time off. Again, my condolences to Rick Di Pietro.

netminder39 ~ You pretty much laid it out ... we all know goalies don't just stand infront of the net .. it takes an incredible amount of athletic ability to just manuever in the goal crease ... and keep the mental sharpness to know where you are infront of the net ... keep your angles ... focus on the puck ... and anticipate the movement of players and puck ... all that has to wear down on the hips and legs. Thanks for painting that picture

-------------------------------------------------------------

Steady~ That has been my fear for the past couple of years ... I've seen the Isles set themselves up for mediocrity. Every raging river (talented team) starts from a group of smaller steams (prospect talent) .... when you make your way upstream to the Isles talent pool .. the pools have runneth dry.

Even K.O. is considered a lower level high tier prospect. Washington & Atlanta & even Tampa have positioned themselves to become better in the next couple of years. The Isles and Toronto have the weakest talent pools in the east ... followed by Ottawa ... as far as up and coming talent.

claudio Giannoccari

With all due respects:

Everyone mourns in the way that is appropriate for them. There are no rules to mourning... unless I missed that class.

Steph Marburry misses two months of the season claiming he's mourning. Nobody has the guts to say... "Hey Steph... get back to work" because it would be politically incorrect to do so. Don't you think that his period of mourning was detrimental to the team? and a little rediculous i might add.

What if he only took 5 days... would that then be the appropriate time frame? How is it that YOU decided what the appropriate respectful mourning time frame is....?

I personally would not be able to take but a day or two off, if that, from my career if faced with the same situation.... so would I be accused of not mourning properly and paying respects?

I respect people and their decisions.... we can all agree that this was a well thought out process by DiPietro to play. He did not make a decision to play and NOT respect the family member who passed.

Don't confuse his playing with not properly respecting the passing of a family member.

Paul O'neill played in a World Series shorty after his father's passing and we all "loved" him for it because it showed his "warrior" side and ability to respect his father by "soldiering" on despite the loss. He said his father wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Mourning is personal and should be left to the individual as to what is right and appropriate for them. That particular person (DiPietro) is more in tune with his decision making process than what you are giving him credit for.

DOC

DOC,

You continue to post some incredible work....

Nice.

19Isles,
Get yourself over to Nassau County on thursday...
I owe you a cold one.....or two.

DOC I agree completely, another good example is Brett Favre after his father (who was his idol) died. Favre played a Monday Night game that next night and threw for about 350 passing yards and 3 tds, IN THE FIRST HALF! Now Im not trying to compare that in anyway to Dipietro and his family's loss, but Doc said it perfectly when he explained nobody heals in the same way after the loss of a loved one...

GOOD MORNING ISLANDER COUNTRY!!!!!

Thanks for getting up so early and reading this blog.

We've got the Flagger's, er, Flyer's this morning and there are some desperate points on the line.

Desperation is the soul of life. We all experience it.
The teams that succeed are the ones that shield desperation.
They let the other guy show it.

Two points would be a REAL steal here today.

STEAL 'EM.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!!!

In Strong Island !!! Nice to see mostly rain, rather than the 8 inches of snow I get pelted with every storm.

I will be at the game around 12:30 pm....Most likely going to Doolans for lunch.....Hope to see you guys there.....I will be there with a friend and his kid along with me an my my lil guy....Merrick shoot me an email and tell me where you will be !!

MARCH IS HERE....GET ERRRR DONE !!!!

**Sabres lost last night...Today a 4 pt game...Washington looked good last night, kid Greene is awesome.

Doc:

Does your handle indicate that your a doctor of psychology? Nice post!

Going to the game today with 2 Flyers fans, a Ranger fan, a Ranger/Islander fan (don't ask me how this happened), and an impartial who I am forcing to root for the Islanders.

We thought it would be fun to make signs. The Flyer fans would hold up "Go Flyers!" I would hold up "Go Islanders!" And the Ranger fan would hold up a sign saying "Will someone please win this in regulation!!"

Go Islanders!

Steady-

I'll be there with your jersey; I've got my three trolls this weekend, so we'll be roaming around the arena, but I've got your number and will stop by Doolans.

It's Core of Four WEEKEND.
Not today, not tomorrow........WEEKEND.

Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar, ALL REAL ISLANDER FANS, GET YOUR ASSES OUTTA BED !!!

We want 4 points.....STARTING TODAY...

LOLOL!!!! Looks like the lil Rags Whore dumped 505 ... and is setting her eyes on me.

Must mean I toched a nerve ... good ... doing my job.
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Doc .... well said ... good piece of writing.
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505 .... I'm still trying to get someone to work for me on Thursday ... I have an unrealated biz meeting in the afternoon ... and of course the Rags crawl into NVMC.
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Steady ~ Enjoy the game.... your kid must look up to you like a God taking him to the game.
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Healy ~ Love that Ranger fan sign ... LOL!!! That will get some TV time I'm sure.
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Last night we had a game similar to the Isles / Atlanta game the other night .... Last night we were leading 4-1 shortly before the end of the 2nd period ... then we get a delayed penalty chance ... our goaltender leaves the net ... and for some reason .. our RD decides to go off on a change ... and the winger on our team blind passes back to that position ... into the emty net ... ughhhh ... comedy of errors.

They ended up tying us with 3 minutes left to play ... and then retribution ... the D man that left for the unadvised change takes a slapshot that is deflected in by our winger that made the blind pass faux pas with 12 seconds left in the game.

Tonight is a huge game for us just as the Flyers / Isles game is for the Isles ... we are playing the 2nd place team which is 2 points behind us. They are the Flyers too ... and we have a history of some spirited and chippy play with these guys ... So I need two victories against the Flyers today.
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Witt is a GO!!!! Thank the Hockey Gods!!!!! Just in a nick of time... TiVo'ing the game today ... will be in and out .... enjoy the game all.

Nielson is out today, gotta say I wish Ted would call up a forward, (is Walter hurt too?) instead of playing Aaron Johnson. The idea is to develop Tamby and Comeau, I dont see how playing a dman at forward is going to help this guys, guess theyll get about 5 minutes of ice time today. That being said, I have ripped Hilbert many times and wondered why he got so much ice time, well I think he's been one of our better players of late, he is really getting in on the forecheck and creating some space for Comrie and Bill G.

Lets sweep this weekend. LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!

"The truth"- how can the rags and devils both be in the top three???? And you question our hockey intelligence... Ha

Hey 19----the Cuervo Gold

"our RD decides to go off on a change ... and the winger on our team blind passes back to that position ... into the emty net ..."

So Joe Piscarcik is playing hockey these days?

"LOLOL!!!! Looks like the lil Rags Whore dumped 505 ... and is setting her eyes on me."

What can I say??
I didn't measure up.
Curse of the Irish

Mike,

Walter was hurt, but played last night and scored a goal for the Soundtigers. Trevor Smith also scored his 11th goal in last night's game. He's been on fire as of late.

I totally agree with you. I know Colliton was called up for the game, but I don't know if he'll be scratched. Kinda sad that Nolan would rather play a "D" man at center, than bring up a young kid to play.

I don't think that line should see 20 minutes a game or anything, but how can they grow if they see under 9 a game with a "D" man as their center?

Well, thus is the life of an Isles fan ;-)

Read a rumor on BD's blog that said he heard the Lighthouse deal was approved ...hope that's true ...

LOLOL!!!! The Truth!!! Is that a joke? .... putting two teams in the same division in the top 3? Whatta maroon!!! :: Bugs Bunny voice ::

the mass ... I saw her list of the standings too ... I did the old "Geico Caveman" commerical flabbergasted ... "What?!!?" When I saw that ... and then she finishes it off with questioning our intelligence. That was a Gilligan moment if I've ever seen one.... please keep posting troll ... the belly laughs are much appreciated.
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505 ~ curse of the Irish? I have Irish herritage too .. sprinkled with a bunch of other European bloodlines. Classic Red Blooded American Mutt here.
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505 ~ LOL!! The winger that scored into our own net's name is Joe.

Great info AZS .... I agree also ... the Bridge line needs a good 12 mins a game. I don't expect them to get 15 - 20 mins ... but give em a good 12. I also don't understand why Johnson is up on their line ... could it be for defensive purposes to support them?

Light House approved? That would be outstanding news ... and maybe the announcement is being saved till tomorrow's celebration .... I'm working like a dog tomorrow .. but Tivo'ing everything .... Maybe they'll announce today .. nothing on the website yet.
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My nephew just told me that he's dedicating the goal he scored this morning to DP's grandma ... now there is a thoughtful kid.

Of course this has spurned his older brother to dedicate his whole game to DP's grandma this afternoon ... LOL!! Competitive brothers .... gotta love it. He's not dumb either ... he splits between playing goal and defense .. so he knows he's probably not going to score.

You read it here first....

DP WILL HAVE THE BEST GAME OF HIS CAREER TODAY

WAY TO GO RICKY! Sorry about gramma, but don't sweat the 13th SHG against this year! Keep up the razor sharp play! I smell a Stanley Cup!

I'm sick of celebrating things that happened more than a quarter century ago.

No MAB means Satan at the point means more SHGs. Way to go garth. You don't make the MAB trade unless you were going to pull the trigger on McCabe.

All those I was looking for at the game, I apologize. I went to post before leaving that I was meeting friends at Champions instead of Doolans. The Blog was down for 3 hours for some reason ??????????

The game was pathetic to say the least.

1) The crowd was 1/4 Philly fans...Those that were ISles fans were DEAD SILENT !!! .Around 30 college Philly fans were above my son and I wearing philly t shirts that said "This is our Island" on the back. What happened to the place I loved so dearly ?? In my younger days they would of left with a scrap on their hands. Today they OWNED NVMC.

2) This team has ZERO identity....We ar NOT physical....We are NOT offensivley talented. We are NOT loaded with young talent. The bobbleheads have RUINED this franchise !!!!

3) Hey #3 ... You cannot fight either...Cote beat the bag out of you !!!! Simon would of put up a better scrap than the turttle show you put on! You BLOW !!!!!!!!!!

***Highlight of my day was showing up early to Champions and getting my son Mike Bossy's autograph! ***

SELL THE TEAM WANG.....IT ALL STARTS AT THE TOP AND YOU ARE TO BLAME.....SNOW YOU ARE RIGHT THERE WITH HIM !!!!!!

p.s I am miserable....drove 240 miles...$100 in gas round trip...$300 in tickets for 204 row b.....$120 at Champions....$45 in isles toys for my boy.....FOR WHAT ??????????

The Mike Comrie lead Isles.....We are toast for the year, and the future looks bleak.....Thank God for Spring Training and the METS !!!!

p.s.s The Isles gave up sooooooooo many shorties before MAB left CM, so do not go there....The WHOLE TEAM STINKS !!!

The difference Steady is now we still give up shorties but don't have an able qback.

MAB isn't a powerplay quarterback either. He needs a puck-moving defenseman to feed him the puck in order to be effective. I have very rarely, if EVER, seen him make a play from the point on the PP that would qualify him as a quarterback.

I was also very disgusted by this game, and infuriated that my fellow Islander fans didn't do more to rein in the morons from Philly all around us. I was in 304, in front of a huge group of them blowing horns and coming up with idiotic chants the entire game, and barely anybody said anything to them. I was the only one who tried to take exception when I screamed at a Philly fan who grabbed one of the flying T-shirts over a kid's head and waved it around in victory...what low-life SCUM. I'd say more, but they still had to go home to Philly afterward, and that's punishment enough.

I agree the team has no identity, but today's game was lost through a lack of offensive pressure. I counted at least 10 blind passes from Guerin during this game, and I barely ever saw Biron forced to make a 2nd or 3rd save with havoc in front of the net. Puck support is of paramount importance, and it's even more vital when your team isn't offensively gifted.

Wang needs to stay, because at this exact moment i doubt anybody else will want to buy this team for any other reason than to move it. Let's concentrate on letting him get his Lighthouse and give the Bobbles the benefit of the doubt. You can't undo the damage caused by Milbury in a single season, and the Flyers' turnaround is different. They had a nice core of young players and a good rep around the league when they had their off year last year. The Islanders are still at Square 1, regardless of many things. Let's accept them for who they are, keep cheering, and hope we come away from Ottawa with Stamkos, Beach, or Wilson.

Attaboy NIck

My thought on today's game?
YUCK

Philly flat out beat our boys

I ain't singing yet

You're both right. It's better to have Satan at the point. Worked real well today.

I can't speak for Steady (then again, who can?) but I never said anything about liking Satan's placement on the point during the Powerplay. I'm just saying MAB isn't a powerplay quarterback because of his weak passing and lack of overall hockey sense. Berard is a PP quarterback, and Campoli is hopefully getting there. Freddy spent some time back there in his BU days and I'd like to see him get more of an opportunity.

Bottom line is that regardless of the personnel this team needs some creativity, and I don't know if it's a function of the players we have or the coaching. The Flyers were going down to block shots all game, and instead of trying to go at it from a different angle the Islanders simply shot it into the Flyers, resulting in either a giveaway or an easy clear.

Not much to add. Nick is right on Guerin--although his PP goal was nice--and keyed by a faceoff win by Comrie to start (Also, Nick, sorry to interrupt your lunch).

I like Satan, but he has not been a scorer in more than 100 games. That's a long track record.

Coburn's PP goal was a thing of beauty. I was watching him a lot and none of our young D-man bring his complete package of potential. That's a D-Man type I'd like to see us draft.

Gotta luv how Hilbert learned from Bergie to throw away a great scoring chance in exchange for a pass to nowhere.

Dp still didn't look sharp and looked hurt in the first minutes when he went down and took a LOOOOONG time to get up.

Steady, I threw your Simon autographed jersey in the trash!

Gotta another good picture with the Cup.

The Isles did make a decent offer for season ticket holders to re-up for two years with a 12.5 price cut for next year and free parking. Call it what you want, but it works for me. The staff, however, was confused by our query if we still get priority for seats in KC.

Peace, y'all!

I get you Nick, I just think it was a mishap by Snow to trade MAB and not to have anyone to replace him with at the point on the PP.

You know its bad when all my Flyer buddies here don't even call to talk crap because they feel bad for me. We did a good job of cycling and maintaining pressure in the Flyer's zone, but for some reason Biron didn't feel any heat. IMO it is a lack of talent/creativity. It really sucks being a fan of this team. I'm already looking forward to Oct.... AND ITS F***ING MARCH 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh... and tomorrow better be the last celebration of the 80-83 teams... How can this team expect to move forward if its always glorifying the past... enough already!!!!

505----start warming up that voice bro, because if we don't win tomorrow and take the home and home from the rags the season is over... well, more over than it is right now.

peace... I'm out

back to the same ole, same ole for the Isles ... without a win tomorrow THIS PARTY IS OVER. Stick a fork in us. And bring us a miracle ... Stamkos? Beach?

As for the Lighthouse project don't worry everyone ... if it fails I hear they're gonna build a monorail to Kansas City!

It's amazing the Islanders are only 4 points out of a playoff spot with 16 games remaining. They were in a worse position last season with only 4 games remaining. Remember, they were already pronounced dead with 4 games left, and you know the rest. It's amazing because they have a huge GA/GF ratio that is negative; they lost a lot of key players during the off season; and the many injuries. They still have a very good chance of making the playoffs. However, if they're lack of scoring, especially at home, continues and if DiPietro continues to play poorly, then we will not witness another miracle comeback near the very end. For the amount of money that he is making, the Islander fans deserve better. Why don't the fans start cheering "Duby, Duby, Duby..." - the clutch, fearless, and confident backup goalie.

Do I even bother to watch the rest of the game on Tivo?? We left for the rink about 5 minutes after Guerin tied the game.

Both my nephew's won ... my team won ... the Isles winning would of been icing on the cake.
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We seem to get drawn into this Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde mentality when the Isles go through their fits of win / lose ... win / lose.

This game was important ... but all it means is that they have one less loss that they can afford to take. Win the next three ... they are back in it ....

However .... I honestly don't think the Isles have the guns to do it on talent alone. They have their work cut out for them.

The sad thing is ... they are too far from the bottom of the pack that should they not make the playoffs ... they have no prayer drafting a top forward. Stamkos is the cream of the crop ... He'd be an A blue chip ... the other top 4 are B blue chips ... and teams are looking for more help upfront then on the blue line .... the Isles need both .... so even if they don't get a top forward .... they'll get a blue chip D man....

... but here is the thing ... so will other teams in the Isles predicament .... so that cancels out any advantage. The Isles need GREAT ... not good drafting in the later rounds ... after Stamkos, Beach and Wilson ... the other players as good as they are will be a wash. So they need to be GREAT in the later rounds.
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I still think the Isles will hang in there till the final week of the season .. maybe even squeek out another 8th place finish.

I just think as inconsistent and offensively inept they are they just aren't bad enough to finish in the bottom 10.
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I'll add more thoughts tomorrow ... had a long day today and have to work a long day tomorrow.

Wow, 19Isle voluntarily stopped himself. Are we recording this? (Just kidding - you know I always enjoy reading your take on things).

Merrick, nice to meet you. It was no bother at all, and I hope your girls enjoyed the game despite the outcome.

Logan hasn't been telling the whole story since day 1 on the Islanders beat and this latest entry by him confirms that.

I"ve been saying it all along. You can't have it both ways. Either you're going to be a beat writer and cover the team 100% objectively or you're not.

Logan clearly can not and his relationships with that PR moron Botta and the rest of the organization right on down to the players obviously gets in his way of telling things as they happen.

Go back to your little columnist gig and leave the beat writing to those writers that can be objective without fearing retribution from the organization.

Your stuff on the Isles is unreadable anyway, it's the same as reading the Islanders web site. It's the pure white cake with a cherry on top stories all the time as if this is the perfect organization with perfect players surrounded by a perfect staff and a perfect record. Get a clue. It's not!

I'll give a thousand dollars to any of your favorite charities if you can tell me the direction this team is going ????????

What is their game plan ????

Next year we have more holes than we did at the start of this year.....No # 1 line, no depth on def., no enforcer, no pest, and the same headaches.......

I blame WANG and only WANG......He is the one that kept MM around to long. He is the one that let Lafontaine and Smith walk. He is the one trying to re-invent the wheel. He is the one that hired Snow. It starts at the top.

There is no doubt all of you on this board love this team. I feel sorry for you season ticket holders the most. What I witnessed yesterday was PATHETIC !!!! The Bruins have stunk for years and years, but NO WAY another team walks into their building and takes it over....NO WAY !!!! Especially the hated Flyers!

This is an ALL TIME LOW !!!

p.s Merrick....You should lf thrown all your jerseys in the garbage. I should be arrested for raising my son an Isles and Jet Fan!

Merrick ~ Last night you brought up a point in the game that stuck out to me more than any other part ... even though I only saw up to the middle part of the 2nd period. ... The point I'm refering to is when you said - "Gotta luv how Hilbert learned from Bergie to throw away a great scoring chance in exchange for a pass to nowhere." - That pretty much sums up the Islanders this season ... and that has something to do with confidence. There is noooo way a first line winger bails out on a play like that. NEVER ... You have control of the puck ... you are in the offensive zone ... a defender commits to blocking a shot while you are still in 100% control of the puck ... What do you do?? You slow down and throw the puck into the corner? WTH was that??!!

This isn't going to please Steady much ... because he appears justly ticked off right now ... but you do a couple of things ... you A) Toe drag and skate around the prone defender B) You do a spin-arama (yes all hockey players know how to do it .. I consider it fundamental) ... C) if you are receiving puck support .. drop a pass ... But NEVER .... EVER give up the play by making a pass to no where or taking a shot into the a defender ... or dump the puck into a corner putting it up for grabs.

Maybe Bryan Trottier should grab a hold of him ... Cause Trotts taught me a few things about confidence and not giving up when I was just a young lad. I take that lesson with me every day in life and on the rink. Sometimes I need to remind myself of that .... Here is a quote I use on my Islander Mania profile.... "100% of the shots you don't take .... don't go in"

Steady ~ I think you can definitely hold Wanger accountable for the Isles current situation ... it really has nothing to do with the Lighthouse taking this long to come to fruition ... I say that because ... at the grassroots development of the team ... there is nothing to show for at this time.

I think Wang kind of tried to run a hockey team ... like a computer company ... when infact ... a hockey team or any sports franchise has a great amount of fluidity year over year ... and that no matter how much money he throws at a problem ... it just doesn't make a player peform better.

I think Mike Milbury by the time Wang took ownership was sooo frustrated ... so burned out ... that his ability to manage a hockey club ... at any level was eroded away. Mad Mike was a loose cannon as it was. However ... who was Wang to listen to? He had to trust in Mike Milbury ... which by default was all he "thought" he could do at the time. Maybe in hindsight he should of hired a team VP to advise him ... and be an independent "eyes & ears" To educate him and keep him away from the operation of the team. Wang should of been more of a results oriented owner ... instead of trying to fix things without knowing the first thing about the game.

The Neil Smith / Pat LaFontaine thing had me shaking my head. As you put it Steady .. -"reinventing the wheel" - Why??? Yes, I believe that a coach .. or coaches style of coaching should weigh into the decision making procces ... but ... I don't think a coach should be concerned with being in on every conference call... A coaches opinion and grading of talent is invaluable ... and should be considered ... but it isn't mandatory that a coach be in on the decision ...

... rewind to about 31 years ... when Bossy was drafted ... I read that Torrey was deciding between Bossy and some other guy .. that thank God the Isles didn't select.... Torrey asked Arbour what he thought ... The other guy was a good fiesty forward and good checker ... Bossy was as we know was a pure goal scorer .... Arbour told Torrey ... I can teach a player to check .... Can't teach that kind of scoring touch to any player .... and there ya have it. Torrey based his selection on Al Arbour's analysis and his abilities to get the most of a raw player.

As much as I like Snow ... and I have faith that one day he'll be a fine GM ... I just don't think that this is the right team for him. The Islanders are not in the right point in their development for a guy to learn on the job. The Islanders are at a point where they can be considered an expansion team a couple of years into existence. They have a good group of 3rd line .. maybe even some 2nd line talent ... and as much as everyone is hanging their hat on Okposo ... I think we are asking to much of him. That is a whole other story. The Isles need an NHL insider ... a guy that is part of the NHL fraternity ... Smith was that guy ... and for some reason ... Wang really had no vision to see that Smith was right.

Does anyone else use the SAP feature when watching Isles games on FSNY?

Yesterday when I went to cancel out Howie Rose after he was saying certain Flyers were cold .... "were cold before yesterday that is" ... I tried to use the SAP feature to just get the "Nat Sound" of the rink .. there was what sounded like a Chinese announcer calling the game?

I don't mean any disrespect to Chinese people ... I know Wang's back ground ... but ifffff .... and I say this with tongue in cheek ... but if hockey was going to be promoted to another demographic .... because God forbid the Isles try to expand their fan base ... but wouldn't it be more beneficial to expand that fan base to a larger minority demographic??? Like Spanish speaking??? Another foul ball of mis-management.

Long post ... skip if you want.

OK ... back to the talent pool situation.

I think I've mentioned this a few weeks or so back ... but .. the Isles' prospect pool ... in comparison to most other clubs is at or near the bottom of the pack.

The only two players in the Isles organization under 25 that is considered a "B" level prospect is Tamby and Okposo ... which means they are first line potential ... amongst their peers ... and that they may have a shot at all-star status sometime in their NHL career.

Now Tamby is going to be 24 this year I think ... and going to be an RFA in the near future. KO is still probably a year or half year away from being a full time Islander. However, KO's advantages that he had in the USHL & in college will be zero to non-existent ... so he'll need to learn to play with men. His biggest asset is his great passing and hockey vision. He'll need to improve on his skating ... because the NHL is so much faster than college.
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ALL the other good prospects that we hear about and see ... are C or lower. Meaning they might become a 2nd line potential player but more likely 3rd liners. Our defensive prospects .... NIL ... the best we have is Fata and Kohn, touted to be no better than 5th & 6th pair on D, and the jury is still out on Kessel & Katic ... they might NOT even be of NHL caliber pedigree. They may both become career minor leaguers and depth guys that get called up from time to time.
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What about the forwards? ... The Figrens, the Rakhshanis and the Marcinkos? What about em? That is what a NJ junior scout said to me. He said they have skills ... but those skills are not projected to be of any advantage at the NHL level. They are 3rd liner projection at best.
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So there you have it ... we are stocked with 3rd liners.
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Where do I get this info? Well .. I compiled it from a few sources.
I didn't get all this info from just Hockey Futures ... they are mostly outdated and base a lot of their NHL team prospect ratings on where the NHL team that owns the player's rights ranks them. I used Hockey Futures as a cross-reference to what I got from a colleague in Montreal (he works getting footage of players for scouts during the season) and a Junior scout that is a partner in the rink I play at. The guy in Montreal and the scout seemed to have the same opinions. Hockey futures was close too .. but appeared to show a brighter picture.
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Sooooooo ... now you know why Snow signed Trent Hunter (who happens to be one of my fave players) .... to a 5 year deal .. and why he extended Comrie ... and why he has offers on the table for a few more vets ... there is nobody else to step up to even replace their mediocrity. He's just trying to buy some more time.

As the NJ junior scout told me ... you don't sign 3rd line players to 5 year deals. 3rd liners are a dime a dozen and easy to acquire in today's NHL. He said that Hunter in today's game is not a 2nd liner ... he was before the rule changes ... but not today's game.
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Another thing I was told to keep in mind. Deep drafts do nothing for teams that really need help. A deep draft means that a lot of teams will benefit from getting quality prospects. The usual advantage of drafting low means that a low talent team gets a step up on new talent ... and puts better teams at a disadvantage in acquiring fresh new talent. With a deep draft ... it evens the playing field.

To put it in money terms.... If Team A has only $50 ... and that represents their talent ... and Team B has $75 as a representive of their talent ... and you give Team A the first choice of picking which bag of money to take ... and that Bag #1 was worth $50 ... and appears to be the best option ... and Team B picks bag #2 for a value of $47 ... then who still has more money in the end?

Say we get to team M who had $90 ... and by the time they get to picking they were up to Bag #13 ... and because it was such a deep pool .. that Bag #13's value was worth $43 .... who still has the advantage?

I know that is an odd way to put it ... but I wanted to put the new draft pool in a perspective we all understand ... and that is $$$$.
Stamkos definitely is the BIG can't lose pick. I'd take that any day ... but the Isles will not finish last ... and will not even be 3rd from last to hope to win the draft lottery.
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There ... ya have my long A$$ War & Peace version for the day. LOL!!

Oh ... almost forgot ....

Gone~ To be fair to Greg Logan ... What do you want him to do? If he starts digging into the Isles ... and criticizes them ... which ... yes ... on most cases they probably deserve ... then you think he's going to get a pat on the back by Isles VP of PR Botta?

Of course not ... he'll be put on the outter perimeter of the media circle ... which already is small right now.

I think Greg has a tough job of balancing criticism and praise of the organization.

If we want the dirt on the Isles ... we'll check with TSN. I think if anything ... an investigative reporter kind of journalist is probably what you are looking for. You want someone to challenge the Isles ... to make them admit accountability.

Good luck ... most of us have been keeping a close eye on this team for decades and pretty much know when smoke is being blown up our you know what. You obviously do too or you wouldn't of posted what you felt.

Right now Greg is the closest we have to being an insider ... and I don't want the door closed in his face. I think he asks the right questions ... and maybe tosses a few softballs. But we can read between the lines.

19 Isles-

I like everything you say and I definitely recall your original referral to the NHL future team talent report. But it is sooooooooooo, depressing. As for the lack of scoring, you now understand what a Jason Blake brought to the table. And, God help me, you also see that while he was grossly overpaid, Alexei Yashin was still a very talented player. If he were here this year, he'd be leading or close to leading the team in scoring.

Looking ahead, perhaps this could backfire in the GM fraternity game, but maybe one of the best opportunities we'll have in the off season is to bring in some talent is to throw a number of offer sheets at prime RFAs. I'll have to start taking a look at who is out there, but why does Ron Low have to make all the noise???? OK, maybe he's not a good role model, but I'll bet there are some reasonable offer sheets that could be used, and such offer sheets can be used strategically regarding other teams' needs. If our cap space is an asset that could not be utilized at the trade deadline--then we need to find other places to use it.

Merrick ~ ... I'm with ya on the fact that we have to do something ... but we can't compare to the bargaining position Edmonton had this summer ... We gave them some prospects and a draft pick ... we also I think packaged a pick to get MAB with ... don't ask me to spell that russian D'man's name at this point ... LOL!!!

The thing is .... we have nothing to give in compensation at this time for a PRIME UFA ... if we do anything like that ... it might be 3 First round picks over the next 3 years .... and we need to bulk up our farm... Edmonton's farm pond is stocked.... they can afford to part with some.... and the thing that kills me ... we helped stock it for them.

We are really handcuffed to do any real killings by offering a sheet to UFA's ... I do believe that Snow knows this ... and he'll do what he can to rectify the situation.

Isles have probably the least impressive group of young players presently on their team in the league and their prospects rank 24th according to the Hockey News. No present, no future.... that is Islander hockey in a nutshell.

Islanders 5 Panthers 1
NYR 4 Flyers 2

History is important and should be celebrated.

Islanders won 4 straight stanley cups. The Islanders have more memorable playoff comeback victories than any other professional sports franchise. More than the Canadiens, Yankees, and Celtics. Their victories were more exciting and dramatic. Let us forever cherish and celebrate great historical moments of the Islanders organization. For they help us recover from the disasterous Milbury years.

Cheers!

Per BD Gallof
"Let me ask you.

Would DP be able to play so many games under Al Arbour?

Not a chance.

Arbour had them share time and earn their spots. And was willing to sit them down. Not take it upon themselves to play Iroman."

Per Mike

The stats dont lie. Rick D. is 29th, thats right, 29th in Save Percentage (ahead of Dan Sabourin) and 26th in GAA.

forgot to put my name to the last post

Amen Mike,

1( Misles, good point on draft picks with RFAs. I'm not thinking this morning. Off to the barn to--hopefully to see my man Wayne Merrick!

Merrick ... hate to break this to you .. I think Merrick is the other guy aside from Smitty not going to be at the event today.

Enjoy the ceremony and the game. I TiVo'd it.

I'd like to add ... Kudos to Newsday for their back cover ... not having the Isles loss up there with 1 MET big splash back page with a Yankee and Knick related caption. Thanks.

Lets see what they do tomorrow in their coverage of the Core of Four ... celebrating the 4 biggest sports moments in Long Island history.

After 2 periods - 42 shots on goal and nothing to show for it. What's wrong with these guys? They keep outshooting their opponents by a wide margin and still lose.

As Nolan said last night when he threw Garth Snow under the bus, this team doesn't have a "pure goal scorer." This Wang, Nolan, Snow marriage is going to end in disaster within a year. Just you watch! I can't wait either because this is a very difficult team for me to root for and I feel Snow's hands were tied by Wang, Nolan at the deadline and he wasn't able to move guys like everyone knows he should have.