Well, all those loyal Islanders fans who made it out to the Open House and Chalk Talk at Nassau Coliseum were rewarded tonight.....but if you missed the event and were basking in the beautiful weather sipping on margaritas, I don't blame you, so no worries, I'll relay the message.
During his Q and A, Garth Snow revealed exclusively to Islanders fans (seriously even Isles PR hadn't had the chance to dish) the signing of 2006 draft pick and prospect Tomas Marcinko, of Slovakia to a three-year entry-level deal. I talked to Garth afterwards and he said the deal has been made in principle, with just a few remaining wrinkles to be ironed out...so expect an official announcement soon.
Here are some of Garth's thoughts on Marcinko:
"He's a big, strong, two-way center. He's a leader. We've had him in training camp and he's a good skater and he just need to be developed properly. So we'll get him into our system and do that."
Here is a link to his Islanders bio.
Comments (18)
who cares
who they really need is Richard Marcinko...
6'4" and 180 pounds?
Crosby and Malkin skate past him and the breeze will blow him down.
Send him out to the 505 Summer Diet Camp.
Cheetos, Coke and beer.
He's a Center?
At that height?
After my Diet Camp we send him to the Avery Stand In Front Of the Goalie Camp.
Looking at his stats, he gets a lot of penalties. Most of the PIMS are even (no 5 minute majors?).
6'4", a center, and gets a lot of 2 minute penalties.....Hmmm.
If they are of the hooking and holding variety, we have a problem.
But I am being too negative here....
Hooray for Marcinko.
Couldn't average a point a game at the Junior Level. Not a big time prospect, but I guess the Isles needed something to sell at the meeting tonight.
Nobody has to read this long post .... this is for KH....
Regarding KH's comments from the previous thread ~~
KH said .....
"19 Isle -- As I've mentioned here before, I'm doing some work for the Isles (they're buying an ad I created), and consequently have their ear on marketing issues for the moment. I'm trying very hard to convince them to reach out beyond Nassau/Suffolk and I've even compiled some demographic data about Queens and Brooklyn to support my argument.
Here's my question for you: Do you have, or could you point me to, any evidence of their former fan base in NYC? It would be immensely helpful if I could show the Isles that they can attract fans in Brooklyn and Queens if they'll just try (which the former regime did not)."
************
KH --- much like Long Island ... I'm pretty sure that the NYI's former NYC fan base is scattered around the union.
However that doesn't mean the Isles can't re-establish themselves in the NYC market. Bigger challenge and circumstances between now and back then.
I know the former beat writer for the Islanders at the Staten Island Advance ... when he was dismissed in 1989 they never replaced him ... as you know ... 1989 wasn't a good year for the Isles.
The fact that the paper used to have a beat writer for the Islanders in itself is evidence that there was a strong following of the Islanders in Staten Island ... and Staten Island is the furthest boro from Long Island.
The name of that former beat writer is Joe Nuggent ... he also was the beat writer for the NY Jets ... so he spent lots of time in Hempstead / Uniondale. Joe also wrote some special columns at one time for the NY Newsday edition .. he had of course made some friends in Long Island during his tenure.
Joe used to use me as the hockey expert on his TV show for Time Warner Cable in SI which is much like Long Island's News 12. I haven't seen Joe in almost 8 years ... but I'm sure he'd get a kick out of helping out.
My best friend still produces Joe's television show ... so I can probably get Joe to contact you or Isles PR. After all ... Joe was also an Islander fan too.
As far as other evidence of a strong Islander fan base in Brooklyn, Queens & Staten Island .... I'm afraid that the sands of time have erroded away much of the evidence ... In Staten Island, hockey fans felt abandoned by the Isles new ownership after the first wave of new owners hit.
There used to be local news paper and cable tv polls about local teams in the early 90s ... and sure .. the Rangers usually won out with 50% ... the Isles were usually around 45% and Devils were usually around 5% ... but a lot has happened since then.... Doesn't mean the Isles can't re-establish a presence.
Staten Islanders' psyche is much aligned to a Long Islanders'. Staten Island historically is more sub-urban then the rest of NYC ... and they feel kind of outcast from the geo-political and cultural identity of the rest of the city. So it was natural for Staten Island hockey fans to embrace the Islanders.
Hockey after the USA 80 team won the gold exploded in SI ... and with the Islanders winning cups thereafter .... the natural attraction for the new fans was to be drawn to the Isles.... remember .... bad things going on for our country in the late 70s ... so the Isles were a feel good escape.
I used to live a few miles on the south western tip of Staten Island and could see the Outterbridge clearly from my bedroom window .. and it used to take me 50 minutes to get home from the NVMC .... reasonably within the influence of Islander nation.
Lots of Islander swag was sold in Staten Island sporting goods and department stores... heck ... I even won an Islander plaque at Seaside Hts New Jersey ... the Islander influence was deep.
I can remember seeing lots of fellow Islander fans with "4 in a Row" tee-shirts on during the summer of 83 around the Jersey shore .... it was Brooklyn, Staten Island and North Jersey hockey fans mostly.
The Devils now have established a dominant market position in their home state ... but I can tell you this much .... after playing in a hockey tournament the other weekend .... there are still tons of Islander fans in NJ.
Any NJ Islander fan here can tell you that. Heck ... we were loud at the ROCK against the Devils..... they are going to need to reach out to Islander fans in outlying market areas ... The Rangers certaninly aren't shy about it.
There is a bar in NJ called the Stanley Cup ... it had great pictures of Islanders, Rangers and Devil fan cup pictures.
There used to be a bowling alley in Staten Island called Showplace ... they had this huge mural of Denis Potvin hoisting the Stanley Cup..... yeah .... the Islanders were deeply entrenched in the Staten Island market.
Brooklyn too ... I used to play hockey with a lot of Islander fan Brooklynites .... That guy Kevin M. that I'm friends with that was posting on here while he was up here .... he lived in Brooklyn ... and we also had tons of Islander fan friends from Brooklyn.
Queens should be a gimmie ... it's about 15 minutes from NVMC.
I'm going to be in Staten Island all day tomorrow ... I'm going to see what else I can do.
I attended 2 games this year....one at the Pepsi Center (yo D-Money!!!) and one at NVMC (Ranger game).
Seemed like there were as many Isle fans in Colorado as there were in NVMC. (I KNOW that's not true....but you see my point?)
As Nick stated a long time ago....the DIASPORA (still love that word) of Islander fans is everywhere.
Let's not forget PHX/TPB/FLA and LA.
Marcinko ~ I got a tip on him from my scout friend in Montreal about Tomas Marcinko last week ....
Basically Marcinko is thought to be one of those hidden gem players .... he can go either way. He needs a great development plan because he's a late bloomer and a great student of the game. He's very good defensively ... good setup man ... his biggest known fault was that he wasn't a finisher... and that his skating .... although improved this year ... is only average.
Some think Marcinko has the raw potential to be that explosive 1st round caliber type player that can play both center and wing.... he's slapped on 10 pounds during the season but still needs 505's diet plan....
The upside? Well ... he had a slow start .. and was also injured in the begining of the season ... but finished just shy of a point per game ... he improved a lot over the course of the season ... and as long as he keeps improving ... the closer he comes to fulfilling the promise of being an effective NHL player... but more in the mold of a 3rd line center.
My overall feeling? Well ... it obviously doesn't vault the Isles into contetion status ... but hey ... maybe they have a diamond in the rough ... he'll see the Bridge this upcoming year for sure ... there is room for him there now.
Good stuff 19Isles....
505 .... great point .... we now live in a Global Economy ... why not market the Isles Globally?
At the very least reach out to Isles fans ..... perhaps use that idea I had mid winter about having a few out of town Islander fan weekends... get some good bulk rates and discounts for out of town fans.
Hey guys!
I just wanted to throw this out as the Isles start to show signs of moving towards a youth movement.
Comeau-CODY HODGSON-Okposo
Let these guys grow together. This is the Isles FUTURE!
UFA/Sim-Comrie-Guerin
Why.. because they're signed... Comrie and Guerin are lame ducks.
Robin Figren--Nielsen-Sean Bergenhiem
THis has the making of the 2 in a very nice 1-2 punch down the line.
Brennan-Park-Hunter
Park can fill in anywhere, Hunter can check from the fourth line, and 7 goals from teh fourth line is Huge, as compared to 10 from the third. Brennan will need to show he belongs and he'll have plenty of support when he finds ice time with Park and Hunter.
I'd definitely like to see then sign somebody that pushes Sim to the third line instaed of Figren (so he can tear up the AHL). But I just don't see them landing any BIG fish... they need to THROW THE LITTLE ONES BACK. No more Tanks! No more Hilberts... PLEASE!!!!
No Tambellini, No Sillinger, No Hilbert.
Hey guys!
I just wanted to throw this out as the Isles start to show signs of moving towards a youth movement.
Comeau-CODY HODGSON-Okposo
Let these guys grow together. This is the Isles FUTURE!
UFA/Sim-Comrie-Guerin
Why.. because they're signed... Comrie and Guerin are lame ducks.
Robin Figren--Nielsen-Sean Bergenhiem
THis has the making of the 2 in a very nice 1-2 punch down the line.
Brennan-Park-Hunter
Park can fill in anywhere, Hunter can check from the fourth line, and 7 goals from teh fourth line is Huge, as compared to 10 from the third. Brennan will need to show he belongs and he'll have plenty of support when he finds ice time with Park and Hunter.
I'd definitely like to see then sign somebody that pushes Sim to the third line instaed of Figren (so he can tear up the AHL). But I just don't see them landing any BIG fish... they need to THROW THE LITTLE ONES BACK. No more Tanks! No more Hilberts... PLEASE!!!!
No Tambellini, No Sillinger, No Hilbert.
19Isles,
I'm all about sending the Ice Girls on a road trip this summer to film a 60 second TV spot with snips of me, you, D-money, JPinVA, Cincy, CoralIsles (Where has he been?) and STEADY and others etc... in front of local landmarks with our Isles jersey on (and an Ice Girl on either arm, of course) saying "WE"RE ALL ISLANDERS!!"
The visual of Steady in front of Fenway wearing an MAB jersey is simply mind numbing.
But I'm not sure how or what we do for you in NJ as far as a landmark shot...Perhaps you'd be willing to take a barrel over the Passaic Falls in Patterson?
With proper preliminary innoculations, of course.
JP .... I like your first line of the future combo there .... that would be interesting.
The second line .. yeah ... sure ... whattcha gonna do? Ya know.
3rd line ... Figren other than a nice stat sheet and what I saw from him at the WJC is still relatively an unknown ... that line might be soft for a 3rd line caliber line ... Bergy is the only solid player there.
That 4th line might have something to it.
I'm not ready to make any lines till camp ... but I enjoyed seeing you put together a few ideas.... not bad.
JP,
I've been leaning to Hodgson with the 1st pick as well.
If he's not available I think we gotta go with one of the D-men....
Pietrangelo?
505 ~ Landmarks in NJ?
Atlantic City boardwalk ... Barnaget Lighthouse .. Asbury Park boardwalk ... Monmouth Battlefield .... Oil refineries (LOL) ... Six Flags ... Cape May .... Palisades... and sure .... the falls in Patterson ... wierd waterfall... dontcha think? Think Sopranos opening sequence .... some landmarks there too. LOL!!!
FYI ... my brother and I have pictures taken with Bud girls infront of NVMC with our jerseys on ... so I can definitely see the ice girls in your scenario ..... sell that.
505 ~ Landmarks in NJ?
Yeah....and you proved my point.
A/Atlantic City boardwalk--Too dangerous for the Ice Girls
B/Barnaget Lighthouse-- Lighthouse???? Conflict with Wang's plan for LI (YOU WANT A LIGHTHOUSE!!!--TAKE IT TO JOISEY)
C/Asbury Park boardwalk--see Atlantic City boardwalk above.
D/Monmouth Battlefield---Like anyone in America has read a history book
E/Oil refineries (LOL) ----Uh huh..that MAY have to do.
F/Six Flags ----HUH? which one of the 80 or so 6 flags scattered around the country are you talking about?
G/Cape May--that would appeal to anyone who has ever listened to a bad weather forecast on a CB radio.
H/Palisades----oh sure....we'll hit the old Circle Line Demographic.
I/ the falls in Patterson ... wierd waterfall... dontcha think?---THAT'S JOISEY
K/Think Sopranos opening sequence .... some landmarks there too. --
THERE YA GO......19Isles inside of the Bing with the Ice Girls.
LOVE IT.
LMAO 505 ... the Bing it shall be ... that place happens to be just down the street from my company's field shop.
1) What they needed to do last night was announce that they have signed Ted Nolan to a 3 year extension. THAT would have excited the crowd way more than some 2006 4th round pick contract