On the Islanders Beat

Steady, okay, let's have a look at the D. For blog purposes I'll rate from the hip out of ten (Bobby Orr / Nick Lidstrom caliber, depending on your needs). From the current roster:

14 Chris Campoli 24 6-0 190 L
8 Bruno Gervais 23 6-0 188 R
38 Jack Hillen 22 5-11 200 L
56 Dustin Kohn 21 6-1 187 L
24 Radek Martinek 31 6-1 210 R
44 Freddy Meyer 27 5-10 192 L
32 Mark Streit 30 6-0 196 L
25 Andy Sutton 33 6-6 245 L
32 Brendan Witt 33 6-2 220 L

Campoli - Okay. Not great. Not terrible. Gets hurt. Could grow into a better player but how much more can he be expected to grow? As is I give him about a 7 tops.

Gervais - Not as good as Campoli. Hasn't shown offensive upside. Hasn't shown me much, really. Say about a 4.

Hillen - Unknown quantity. What is known is that he's tiny. Didn't look out of place but played only two games. First year in the league. I'll toss him a 6 as is with the benefit of the doubt. BUT, he's SMALL.

Kohn - Non-factor. 4 max. 5 if you have to have it.

Martinek - Good player! Mobile, nice shot, good break out of the zone. Known quantity. Problem? Hurt every other game. Would be an 8, frequent injures drop him two to a 6.

Meyer - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Meyer? Who is this guy? Sometimes he gets smoked like a rack of ribs, other times he's a freight train. Definitely got better later in the season. Will he stay the best he can be? Will he get better or worse? Still kind of an unknown. SMALL. I hope he'll be the player we saw during his best games. I give a 7 today

Streit - I really don't know about this one. He's little and I'm convinced that his points were very much a product of those he played with. We know he's not here for his defense. Time will tell. Either way I can't see him putting up similar numbers here. There's not enough around him. In a few years, maybe he'll be a weapon. I'll throw you a bone and give him a 7. Maybe he will prove me wrong. I doubt it though.

Sutton - Has looked like a cone on the ice at times. Yes, occasionally he lays someone out cold. He's huge, and has a long reach. He cannot skate. He was one of those guys supposed to be made better by a coach we no longer have. Todays game is predicated on skill and speed. I don't think he's the man to be defending against that. Not an offensive threat. A 6, 6.5 max.

Witt - See, what you really like about the defense is Brendan Witt. So do I. Witt is one of the toughest SOBs to ever play in the NHL. He's got balls of brass and happily puts them on the line every single play. I bet if the team had six Brendan Witts, it would only give up 100 goals a year. But we only have one. And Witt's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness, because he'll give anything to make the play and win the game. On this team, that's going to mean giving a LOT. And he's getting up there, like it or not. The end result will be that his playing time and health suffers from the beating he's forced to endure night after night leading this defense. You can only stick your head in front of so many shots before one cracks your skull. When he gets hurt, and he will, he's going to miss time. That means everyone else gets shuffled, like comrie trying to be a number one center. It doesn't work out, as we've seen. I love him, but facts are facts. A 9 if he's healthy, 6.5 if he misses 10 or more games. Look at his stats. 81 games two seasons ago is an aberration. We'll look at both.

7 4 6 4 6 7 7 6.5 9 = 56.5 / 9 = 6.27 with Witt healthy

7 4 6 4 6 7 7 6.5 6.5 = 6.00 If Witt gets hurt.

Even if you go and bump a couple of guys up a point you're still under a 7. I don't think that's anything to get excited about. There's no Pronger, Lidstrom, Phaneuf or any real stand-outs.

This is not a championship caliber defense by any stretch. It could be a playoff defense, like the team had two years ago, one that squeaks in and gets spanked and embarrassed. But, really, that's all it is. Even if a couple of guys have career seasons.

Since 7 of the 9 centers on the team are 5-11 or smaller, and none can score, I don't think the D needs to worry about being tested in the playoffs.

Post above not me. Enough siad.

19 ISLES Lets look at your arguement about Nolan getting the most out of his players. That assumes that the players themselves have nothing to do with how well they play.

You've written on this blog that you have changed coaches this year. So what kind of year can the coach expect from you?
If your goal total increases, it's because of the coach or is it because of your individual inner pride to play better.
If you have a worse year than last year is it because the coach sucked or perhaps you are a year older and a step slower?

A coach has very little to do with individual players playing better. What a coach brings to a team is a plan for the individual players to play as a team. Certain players will flourish in the coaches sytem and others will not. Still others will not buy into the system at all and continue to play as they always had. The mark of a good coach is how many of the players he can get to buy into his system. Not how many have better individual stats.

The reason that so many Isles were signed as UFA's was that they had talent. Which was exactly my point. All the so called "guru's" labeled the team as a last place team with NO TALENT full of castoffs and scrubs. This assessment turned out to be totally false.

Did Nolan get good years out of Kozlov and Poti. Yes, he did. But how much of that is due to the players individual talent and desire and how much is due to coaching.

19 Isles does who coaches you make any difference to you or do you play hard because you love the game? My guess is that you would play the same game whether it was Al Arbour or Bugs Bunny who was coaching you.

And how did the great motivator do with Yashin? Did he get Yashin to set the world on fire? Or did yashin just play the same way he always had?

No mention of the midget goalies stats or Dunhams. I guess we just disregard that which doesn't stand up to the light of day.

As for Comeau, he is the perfect example of a player who flourished in a system. Nolan's system suited him to a "T."

I don't think he is any more than an average third line player. He happened to look good last year because of the cast around him was so poor. He looked better than he is. I'll be taking 505's
lunch when he fails to score 30 goals this year.

So 19 ISLES, Who do you play for? Yourself or the coach?
Since you have changed coaches this year let us know how your
year progresses............Sir William

So Steady, after all that, I will give you a "Playoff Defense" instead of "No Defense". Not necessarily a "good" defense.

FREI........Some of your comments are dead on and some just plain silly. You give FMV the same rating as Streit. The same FMV who was cut, sent packing, cut again and resigned for nothing. And you equate him to a player who was a sought after UFA, who signed a huge contract, after scoring 62 points last year.

Tell you what Frei, you keep all the FMV's on your team and give me all the Mark Streits, since they are both equal in your eyes.

You also fail to take into account that D men play in pairs. Some compliment each other and make up for a weakness that his partner may have.

Witt and Martinek are a top shut down NHL pairing.

Andy Sutton stepped up his play last year and was playin his best hockey when he got injured. I expect him to continue to play at that level.

Campoli needed to put on more upper body muscle. If he did so while rehabbing then he will greatly improve. If not he will be back to a number 6 or 7.

Gervais is what he is. He should play 10-12 mins a night as a third pairing. The less mins he plays the stronger his gane is.

Hillen. Who knows. He looked good in 2 games. He is an unknown. But that doesn't mean he wont surprise.

Witt is Witt. If the Isles were in the hunt last year he would have played. The fact that he resigned shows you what Snow thinks of him.

Martinek. Just needs to stay healthy to be one of the biggest bargins in hockey.

Do not discount that a trade is comming and that a D man or two may go and another may arrive.............Sir William

7pm games suck. It is impossible to get to NVMC from the city in time.

I don't think their defense will be as much a problem as their offense. Obviously, "famous last words" here, as their defense was in shambles last year due to injury. Is Rob Davison off the team now? Not that he was stellar or anything...

Bill that's fine, but you aren't making any case for anything other than what I've accounted for.

If you look at Meyer, he played like he was possessed at times. If he plays that way, he's an asset. He played that way after he was kicked around and brought back and resigned. So I don't know what you're looking for there. He could be very valuable, at least as much as streit if not more. He could be nothing. My assessment of him is right on. Plus according to you "he was signed for two more years" so that should "tell you what Snow thinks of him", yes? So if he was resigned he is a valuable player, yes? We talked about this flip-flopping thing of yours earlier, I think. You may pick one and one only, not both.

Streit is a one-dimensional offensive player that will produce based on the level of offense around him. "Huge Contract"? Do you think because Garth overpaid for him he's a lock to put up points? The reason he's here is because he was offered the most money to come here. No way he produces 60-anything points on this team. The teams LEADING SCORER last year, that's a player on offense, who is paid to score, had less than 50 points, I think? You're going with your usual argument that "WE COULD WIN THE LOTTERY!" which is meaningless to me and others like me who are smarter than that. He's as good as what's around him, no better.

Sutton stepped up his play because of Nolan who is no longer here. You're guessing on what he will do, hoping to win the lotto again.

And "IF" Campoli did whatever, put on weight, ate a good breakfast, found his car keys, if if if and maybe and maybe not, so I'm right on with him too.

I don't know what your issue is on Witt, I said he's a good player, and he is, but he will get hurt. That greatly diminishes his value. Look at his games player each season, excepting the 81 games he played two years ago. Again, facts.

Martinek... Just needs to stay healthy to be one of the biggest bargins in hockey.

Well, that's the real trick here, isn't it? So tell me, exactly what do you think the chances of that are?

I'm right on with the assessment of the D. Right on.

FREI What are you talling about flip flopping? Meyer is nowhere near Streits class. And how you can predict who gets injured and when is beyond me. That is pure speculation on your part.

Meyer was signed as insurance when the the D men were getting injured. He was cut here. Cut in Coyoteland and only resigned here because Phoenix was paying half his salary and he was cheap insurance.

Streit was a sought after UFA.

Big difference between an insurance type D man and a gifted PP QB who scored 62 points last year. How you can equate the two as equals is just plain silly..........Sir William

"So 19 ISLES, Who do you play for? Yourself or the coach?
Since you have changed coaches this year let us know how your
year progresses............Sir William"

Sir W ... I play for the team ... it is only that mentality that gets me going. The coach coaches for us ... I don't think I've ever played for a coach... I've never played for myself ... I've played to win ... and utilized any means possible to try to win.

I'll keep ya posted on our team's success .. and failures.

You also said ...
19 ISLES Lets look at your arguement about Nolan getting the most out of his players. That assumes that the players themselves have nothing to do with how well they play.

You've written on this blog that you have changed coaches this year. So what kind of year can the coach expect from you?
If your goal total increases, it's because of the coach or is it because of your individual inner pride to play better.
If you have a worse year than last year is it because the coach sucked or perhaps you are a year older and a step slower?"

What we have here is a chicken or the egg debate it seems ... Did Nolan get the best out of his players? or Did the players make Nolan look good with their skills?

Maybe a combo of both? Nolan had some skilled players ... and he had the recipie to make them perform above what they do as individuals. That to me is the key to coaching.

It is finding the right chemistry.

Also .. the coach can expect me to play about the same most of the time ... there will be times I step it up a degree or two depending on the situation ... but at my level of play and state of development ... I've learned most of what I have been able to... my experience comes into play ... and muscle memory kicks in. The coach will help me with technique and drill us during practice ... but the way he runs the bench during games will either diminish our skills ... or enhance them... because of that chemistry thing.

You also said ... and I'll add upfront that this is one part that I disagree 100% on ... and to me ... it's the fatal flaw of most coaches when they lose their way.

You said .. "A coach has very little to do with individual players playing better. What a coach brings to a team is a plan for the individual players to play as a team. Certain players will flourish in the coaches sytem and others will not. Still others will not buy into the system at all and continue to play as they always had. The mark of a good coach is how many of the players he can get to buy into his system. Not how many have better individual stats."

The thing about systems is this .... a coach that institutes a system that his players lack the skill sets to incorporate ... is a very poor coach .... a coach uses a system based on the skill sets that come with the team ... and based on the opponent.... a team also has to be coached to learn at least 3 different systems ... and know them backwards and forwards .... that is preperation ... because you can't play the same system game in and game out ... #1 ... different opponents bring different challenges ... and #2 ... when you make it easier for teams to scout you when you play the same repeatitive system over and over ... you have to modify certain systems at times... and finally ... #3 there are injuries ... and you have to fill gaps ... so being able to modify a game plan prior to .. or in the middle of a game may be paramount to success.

Coaches have to be flexible with the team ... and be able to adjust on the dime ... or else you miss the off exit to success.

Bill

I predict who will be injured based on their past history. Also, I'm smart in an uncanny way.

Flip-Flopping is when you say "Witt was resigned for two years, therefore he is valuable", while Meyer was resigned for the same two years, but you do not regard him as valuable.

Its just like the "Throwaway Prospects" that had no value that were spent on Smyth, so don't sweat it, but the ones we just picked up, well, they have value, so Garth is a great GM, and watch the plan take shape.

One, or the Other, but not Both.

Flip-Flopping, see?

Good luck with Streit. Maybe he scores 30 points here. That's gotta be worth 4 big, large ones, right?

Time will tell. And, there will be plenty of it around here this very, very long season.

I am supremely confident. And I can wait.

Frei

"I'm right on with the assessment of the D. Right on."
"Also, I'm smart in an uncanny way."
"I am supremely confident"

So Frei?
Are you auditioning to become Mad Dog's new partner when Francessa leaves?
How did you type those sentences with one hand, while the other was waving in the air?

Nope. Just been around this team for way, way too long.

Well, that and the uncanny smartness thing.

Put anything I wrote that doesn't turn out on my tab.

Frei-

You said the team had NO DEFENSE...I simply said they were playoff calibar defense. Everything else you are not that far off.

P.S: I guess we should hire bugs bunny as coach, since coaches do nothing. I prefer Droopy Dog. Glad other motivaters like Bill PArcells never heard people say a coach cannot get more out of players......Funny how all those Isles players played WORSE after leaving Ted...Hmmmmmmm ????

AZS...I will stop the Nolan talk forever...I have said my peace !!! Now PLEASE stop the others from saying........ playing young players is a "MASTER PLAN" by Snowy and the Wanger.....It is a fall back plan that every single GM in the world would do in the same position. A plan of desperation by a GM that has done zippo for two years and an Owner that has had SEVEN coaches in 8 years !!! Nice stability Wanger....bobble bobble bobble !!

Wow.... the last 15 games of the season are going to be brutal....every team they play either made the playoffs last year or will this year (Tampa and Chicago are much improved). 1st overall pick here we come!

SW,
I agree with most of your critique of FREI. The one thing I'd add to that is the fact that Streit is not really a "D". He won't be on the ice late in the game if the Isles are ahead, and he may be used as a fourth line wing, kind of like what they got out of Johnson last year with WAY more upside.
I like Sutton, and having him in a set where he can meet the puck carrier at the blueline. In Snow's RESTRUCTURE he backed down (if I put the timeline together correctly). If that is true, and they are going to stick with a more full court approach... Sutton will be wasted... and might be a good yard sale victim.
Did Spiller move on? I kind of like the Eric Cairns in him... if he was ever available to use it (too shallow on "D" to have him in the PB for 5 at a time)

Jon,
Davison has signed elsewhere.

Steady,
Good point about post Ted productivity. Put into an even better perspective is that the team that Ted was given in 2006-07 had very little to offer coming out of their time with Stirling. Single year guys like Poti (soft) and Kozlov (soft) had CAREER YEARS under nolan... and ra to the bank because Snow was clueless in December and February when he could have had them for 2 and 3 year extensions with moderate raises... but he was a rookie, and I'm not going to throw him under the bus for that.
What happened to Blake was a travesty. I can't say I felt this way at the time, and hindsight is 20-20, but this is the one that cost nolan the 2007-08 season. His system was built for Blake. Blake was the perfect bomb sniffing K9 to pressure weak D into playing a half-ice offense. They didn't need a "D" when Blake was on the ice... Blake's forechecking was a key component to Nolan's success... In dec and feb I thought that Tambellini would replace that... I was wrong... but I wasn't the GM... I definitely wasn't the GM who let his personal feelings for Blake undermine the team's success...

So... I'm in off the ledge and willing to wipe the slate clean (because I'm only a fan, and don't have any recourse). Let's see what happens in Wang's World Next...

Can Wang and Garth lure a Joel Quenville to the bench.
Can Garth make a deal spreading some mediocrity (Gervais, Hilbert, Meyer) around the league for draft picks?
Will Garth jump behind the bench after he fires his coach in December, to cut costs... ala Milbury. They will be paying 2 coaches this year, and I know wang won't let him add another guy to the payroll... so maybe Trotts gets a shot.
Will they set Bailey back two years in development by rushing him to the NHL. I haven't seen Bailey defined as NHL ready on ANY scouting reports... but he talks as if he has a shot. NO WAY
Will Doug Weight have a year like Sillinger did in 2006-07... that would be AWESOME.
Will Guerin, Weight and Sillinger be doing little blue pill commercials during the playoffs... "It doesn't take much to get up for the playoffs, but when your on the Islanders... well... the little blue pill is the next best thing to being there!"

19 ISLES ... You miss my point. Players play hard because they have pride in themselves. It's what makes a palyer throw himself in front of a slapshot when his team is behind 7-1 in the third period. If a player does not have that inner drive to be the best he can be then he never will. I played for maybe 50 coaches and I always played as hard as I could because I wanted to be the best player I could. It had nothing to do with the coach or the team.
If I gave it everything I had then the team benefitted. If players loaffed then the team suffered. It is all about the soul of a player.
A coach can only do so much.

As for your systems querry, it seems that Ted was incapable of changing his 1-3-1 sytem to fit different teams and different circumstances according to Logan. Not the mark of a good coach.

Most players understand the basics of the trap, the left wing lock,
and a few other systems. Anything more than that becomes a bit too confusing on the ice with player not understanding exctly what their roles are. Simple is better.

And a final thought. If you only play for the team why bother to keep individual stats. It shouldn't matter how many goals or assists you rack up since it is only the teams record that counts........Sir William

FREI

Flip-Flopping, see?
No I don't see. What part of insurance `signing don't you understand? Meyer was signed to fill in when other D men were injured. He is a competent fill in who was signed at a cheap price.
Meyer will spend plenty of time in the press box this year.

Witt on the other hand is a valid number one D man in the NHL that any team in the league would want.

That uncanny smart thing is not working out too well for you if you can't see the difference........Sir William

ANNON "Teaching is everything in sports"

WRONG..Talent is everything. Can an average person be taught to hit 100 mph fastball? Or to shoot a puck 105 mph? Or to stickhandle like Kovalev?. Or hit a tee shot like Tiger?

TALENT is what seperates the professional from the rest of us.
You can take 10 million swings under the best batting coach you can find and you're still not hitting a Major League curveball or fastball unless you had the talent to do so in the first place.

Coaches can refine skill and perhaps show a player a different or better way to do things. But without that raw talent all the coaching in the world can't help you.........Sir William

Coaches do not only teach...They motivate...Look no further than Bill Parcells.

Just my correct opinion. :)

Come on now!! Nov. 4th... I'm marking my calendar... can't wait to see Rainbow Wighead, President of the Icelander's Business Club, in my house..
I guess they'll let him out for the evening as long as he takes his meds..
Thanks for keeping my summer full of Icelanders funnies!
See you in the fall, can't wait!

DING DONG.....No more AVery Calling !! NO MORE JAGR !!!

BWAHAHAHAHAH

Since Wang brought the Islanders, what do all these people have in common:

Robbie Ftorek
Larry Robinson
Kevin Constantine
Pat Burns
Larry Robinson
Lou Lamirello
Claude Julian
Lou Lamirello
Brent Sutter

Correct. That's the list of NJ Devils head coaches. Nine changes in less than 8 years. Didn't seem to bother them.

Would Gretsky have been a lesser player but for Glen Sather?
Or Mario Lemieux for any of the number of coaches he had?
Would Mike Bossy have been less of a pure goal scorer if not for Arbour?

Good players motivate themselves. They don't need a coach to do it for them..........Sir William

STEADY You can motivate all you want. You're still not hitting the 100 mph fastball without the talent to do it.......Sir William

what are the odds if the lighthouse project doesn't go through, wang will move the isles to brooklyn if or when the nets move?

i figure if it doesn't go through wang won't want to keep losing money, and it would be inevitable that he would sell the team. his game has been this real estate stuff ever since he got here.

playing him as a bad nhl team owner is one thing, but playing him as a man that doesnt understand dollar signs is certainly another.

honestly i'd love that move a helluva lot more than keeping the team in long island. much bigger fan base, more revenue, easier to catch games with the subway. plus i bet more players would enjoy or atleast welcome the thought of playing in brooklyn than long island.

what are the odds if the lighthouse project doesn't go through, wang will move the isles to brooklyn if or when the nets move?

i figure if it doesn't go through wang won't want to keep losing money, and it would be inevitable that he would sell the team. his game has been this real estate stuff ever since he got here.

playing him as a bad nhl team owner is one thing, but playing him as a man that doesnt understand dollar signs is certainly another.

honestly i'd love that move a helluva lot more than keeping the team in long island. much bigger fan base, more revenue, easier to catch games with the subway. plus i bet more players would enjoy or atleast welcome the thought of playing in brooklyn than long island.

Tell you what....Tell Snowy to get me Gretzky, Lemieux, and Bossy type players and we can use your "bugs bunny" as coach.

To say a coach cannot motivate is the most ridiculous thing you have said to date. And that says a lot !

You ae proving my point nightly. Snow has not gotten any talent so we need a coach that can get more out of his players....Liike we had!

What have the UFA's of 06, that had great years, done since leaving ?

As for NJ going through coaches...Ummmmm they alos do not have a no name GM pulling the strings...Come on WAKE UP !!

To people that actually know NFL:

Why is Bill Parcells a HOF coach ??? Great offensive mind ? Great Defensive mind? Great at ping pong ? Or is it b/c he was a MASTER motivater ???

Nolan was no Parcells, but to say a coach cannot make a difference is simply stupid.

I've been reading a lot of good posts lately, but I have have to ask these two questions:

Will Nolan be motivating the Islanders players this year? NO

Will Nolan be teaching the Islanders players this year? NO

Move on. How about this question: Who do you want to coach the Islanders this year now that Nolan is no longer here?

So let me get this straight - two years ago when the Isles made the playoffs Snow assembled the team, but Nolan gets all the credit for motivating them to win, and Snow is left with no praise ....last year the Isles stink and Snow gets all the blame while Nolan gets none?

It really seems that some of you just have a hard on for Snow ...I just hope that you'll all be man enough that when the team starts turning it around over the next 3 years that you'll all write Snow a letter apologizing ...

Steady First off, I never said a coach can't motivate. Why is it that you make these things up when you get caught with your facts down? Please show us the quote were I wrote that a coach can't motivate. You won't because it's not there. You made it up.

Motivation is a tool that a coach uses, that's all. A coach can motivate all he wants, but if the team has no talent they will not fare well. The Isles had more talent on the 2006 team then they were given credit for. And that's the point I made.

Nolan motivated Dunham right into a 4-10-3 record, a 3.74 GAA and an .889 save percentage. And he almost motivated the Isles right out of the playoffs.

My second point about all the coaches NJ had, was that it really didn't matter all that much who was behind the bench, now did it?
The team had talent and a system that they stuck to and won.

Some people here had written that the Isles had 8 coaches in Wangs tenure alluding to the premise that they franchise was in disarray because of the number of coaching changes. I pointed out the NJ had nine changes. Another simple fact.

Parcells has nothing to do with hockey, so why do you keep bringing him up? Compare Nolan to hockey coaches not football.

Was Bowman a master motivator?
Was Arbour?
Was Sather?

No, they were not. What they had was respect. They players respected them and maybe even feared them a little.

According to Logan, Nolan had players go behind his back to the GM and the owner. Does that sound like respect to you?

AZS you points are well taken...........Sir William

Headed to the Prospects Scrimmage .... can't wait to see what we got in youth ... since that is what it all boils down to the next couple of years.

All of these questions.....and no answers..

Who is Nolan?

Who is our coach?

Have there been any Sundin/Maurice sightings at Borrelli's Restaurant on Hempstead Tpke? (hey, just some wishful dreaming)

Why not Parcells?
I mean c'mon, he is currently Exec VP of Football Operations for the MIAMI DOLPHINS. That's kinda like being 1st Officer on the Titanic, or in charge of handing out the buckets.
(At least he is not expected to go down with the ship).
A Tuna leading the Dolphins? Just ain't natural.
Can he skate?
Does he have to?
Would it bring a new positive meaning to the chant "Fishsticks" if Tuna coached the Isles?
Who better to "motivate" Comrie? (Besides Duff, or course).

What's wrong with Coaching by Committee with Parcells and the NHL Commerical Coach?
The post game media interviews would be a hoot.

With the All-Star Game festivities over, can we expect a news blackout from the Isles from now until Labor Day?
(Uh guys? we need a coach)

Did Jim Baumbach just write a NICE "fluff article" about playing paintball with the Isles rookies?
Was there a bounty on him during the contest?
Who paid it and how come no one called me to contribute?
(I'd post a nice comment about it on your blog Jim, but it would violate my promise to you know who and the Newsday delete police would have to be paid overtime again).

Are Ranger fans agreeing with and complimenting Steady?

Are the planets out of alignment again?

Sometimes I wonder if that's a bad thing.

Just a coupla Friday morning questions from two time zones away.

Bill You wrote:

"Coaches can refine skill and perhaps show a player a different or better way to do things. But without that raw talent all the coaching in the world can't help you.........Sir William"

All the coaching in the world won't help ??? Well that to me is saying Motivation and other coaching prowess means nothing? It cannot help ???? That is nonsensical.

Of course NHL players have talent or they would not be here. They are the elite of the elite. A good coach can simply get more out of the good NHL players. Obviously the Greats can perform under howdy doody.

So do not say I amde things up....Caught again huh !

How come you can keep coming back and ripping Nolan and picking and choosing what you want to respond to but, others cannot do the same to Snow?

You can bring up Dunham, but I cannot bring up the guys that flourished under Ted ??? Unfair !

As for a MASTER MOTIVATER in hockey....Look no further than Herb Brooks that took a team of kids to upstae NY and won the greatest game ever played...If you watch the documenary every players says he MOTIVATED them like no other. The goalie and captain of that team played their guts out for the guy and never became squat in the NHL after that ! More simple facts

***Nolan is gone....bye bye...Could care less now.....Just stop the LOVE for Snow until he proves himself JUST ONCE !!! Stop buying into his so called plan until he keeps it and proves it will work. So far he has done nothing! MAKE THESE BOBBLEHEADS EARN YOUR RESPECT ***

Tell you what AZS...I will write that letter. Will you do the same if Nolan wins a cup or takes a team deep first ?? OR will you say it was the system, the GM, the right fit, blah blah blah.

This is not a one way fight here. I and others bash Snow .... You and others bash Ted.

Ted has no job, no interviews, no nothing, and I will bet you anything he gets a ring before Snow one day !!!

"What really struck Jankowski was the way Bailey responded after Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud died suddenly late in the season. "Two-point games, three-point games," Jankowski said. "He was unbelievable and carried his team through that difficult stage and proved to everyone his ability as a player and his leadership character."

I guess their thinking is that Guerin is prettyold, and could go at any time....

"What really struck Jankowski was the way Bailey responded after Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud died suddenly late in the season. "Two-point games, three-point games," Jankowski said. "He was unbelievable and carried his team through that difficult stage and proved to everyone his ability as a player and his leadership character."

I guess their thinking is that Guerin is prettyold, and could go at any time....

Posted by icelander26 | July 17, 2008 22:51 what are the odds if the lighthouse project doesn't go through, wang will move the isles to brooklyn if or when the nets move?

I've asked this of anyone and everyone I think may have some real insight and noone seems to have any firm knowledge. It’s not something the interested parties would let out. I live near the Brooklyn site and am a lifelong Islander fan. It seems like a logical move if a move must be made, but there are roadblocks. Atlantic Yards/Barclay Center is as uncertain as The Lighthouse. The Nets could end up in Newark. All the arguing going on about the Isles’ roster and player moves seems misplaced to me (if that's the right word) because Snow's "plan" is more a holding pattern than anything else. It's a contingency plan and a way, the only way really, of holding down the fort until the project issue is resolved and the future of the team is known. I’m not being disrespectful here, I know the people who post here care about the team and love talking hockey – but whether Jack Hillen is too small etc. really doesn’t matter THAT much. Not yet anyway. Collecting a bunch of picks now is a good move in case some of them pan out later and the team does stay, but what really matters is what Snow does THEN, much more than what he’s doing now.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3487345

even better than the one I posted the other day.

this team is moving. Reality is setting in. Good. I'll make sure the camera's are ready. You moe-moes make sure the tears are ready. I'm sure it won't be a problem for you toolboxes.
Told you so... hahahahahaha

:)

the Lighthouse will fail. and with it's failure, the death of the Islanders. YEAH!
That alone will make 6 yrs at war, 10 years in the Navy, the death of love ones and being robbed and captured by militants in Iraq totally worth it for me.
I think god is on my side this time.

Denis Anders
South Beach.

Oh the troll is back...This time going by Smiley...The same troll that says we see his work all over. LMAO

Hey Smiley I got some pics of your heart and soul Avon Avery packing his bags....I got another great one of Jagr getting his passport re-newed.....Can I get one of you crying in your cheeze doodles when your team is flat and boring every night?

Please explain the record of your over priced bunch of chokers wihtout Avery and Jagr in the line up.....Let me give you a hint...REALLY UGLY !!!!

Enjoy the demise.

Hey Sally.

You SHOULD have posted the Burnside column THE OTHER DAY.

It's as dated as the Rangers winning the Cup in 94, or even the Isles dynasty run.

And that column is certainly as shallow and poorly researched as most anything else that gets written by glorifed hacks who are blessed with a national byline. Who use that byline to make themselves feel better about their own miserable team's performances.

505,
I don't think you learned how to count very well pinky.
Burnside wrote that in July. 15 days old maybe.
The Ranger won the Cup 13 years ago. That's about 4730 days difference.
The Islanders won the Cup 25 years ago. That was about 9110 days ago.

Problems we might have on the Rangers. Welcome problems. But we aren't on the verge of being shopped around for sale. We didn't praise the Nolan Type players all year. We didn't fire the old drunk and now are stuck with a team built for and around Drunk Nolan. 7th fired since 2000. That's a lot of rebuilding, don't you think. What are you rebuilding for, the sale? It isn't to make the playoffs that's for sure.
Good luck to you Sir.
Life will be easier for you after you learn to count.

505
you read Hockeybuzz man, Burnside is a massive upgrade.
( I would have said a 1000 times better, but you can't count)

Denis Anders,

Ya had me going with the 6 years of war and 10 years in the Navy.
I was ready to salute me.

But you lost me with the "God is finally with me" thing when you rated the Islanders possible demise higher than the fact that you obviously survived "being robbed and captured by Iraqi militants".

Makes it kind of hard for me or anyone else (I think) to believe that you were either robbed or captured by Iraqi militants.
Cuz if you were, I doubt that the 1st thing on your mind at that point in your life was whether Wang was gonna get the LH approved.
But I could be wrong.

If it WAS the case, then may I suggest that you are praying to the wrong god.

Besides, Tony Montana and Gloria Estefan are the only gods in South Beach.

Steady, I will be more than happy to write a letter to Nolan if/when he were to win a Cup, whether it was before Snow or not, because I don't hate the guy or anything ...

I just still don't get why it is that both Snow and Nolan were responsible for the team making the playoffs 2 years ago yet Snow gets no credit for that ...ya know ...how it was all Nolan's motivating mojo that made it happen ;-)
Yet when they didn't make it last year it's not because Nolan couldn't motivate them or that the defensive system he was using didn't work, but it was all because Snow couldn't assemble a team ...kinda sounds unfair that in good times he gets no credit, yet in bad times he's to blame ...can't be both ways ...

Plus, I think it will be easier for Nolan to be put in a place to win a Cup as a coach, being that there are many destinations that are much closer to winning a Cup than where the Isles are right now ...I'll still write that letter, I just want you to acknowledge that point ...

One last thing - and I'm going to steal your trademarked line and i'll send you a royalty check ...It seems that many - not just you at all - but it seems that there are many media "bobbleheads" ...some people who don't really even watch this team (burnside and others) take the low road with easy shots about the Isles and how this was a mistake and many on here use that as a basis for the reasons why Nolan should stay ...seems ironically a little "bobbleheadish" way of thinking ...writing the check ...Do I make it out to the Ted Nolan Support Group? ;-)

Sally and Dude (the real dude?)

My math is fine.
Milk left out on Jul 15, is just as sour today as milk left out 4000 days ago or 9000 days ago.

We've seen that article already. There's even been some comments about it here.
Stay up to speed.
Have either of you got ANYTHING NEW to add?
Or maybe you want to post an article about Milbury from the 90's?
Would that enhance your sphncter rush?

And Dude, I read both ESPN and Hockeybuzz.
Both have their moments.
What's your point?

Not at "that" time 505, at "this" time.

And Sir with all due respect to you and your team, the fans and life in general, I could give a crap if you believe me or not.
Instead of putting a smile of your face for what was supposed to be satire... you took it personally.
You are a sensitive little B*tch with no sense of humor.
Guys like you don't last very long in the Navy. You must have been in the Air Force huh?
Where will the Islanders be in 2 years, Brooklyn, Hamilton, Seattle, Portland. It won't be the Island man.

Dennis Anders
South Beach

505 you are really a dumb person. Is that why you spend so much time here?

All good stuff AZS...I think we are all just freaking frustrated !!

p.s Sally - How would you know who spends a lot of time here, unless you do also??? Move along....NO JAGR...NO AVERY .... Your team has gone from Cup contenders to a boring Gomez run team.....Drury another year older.....Enjoy the demise

"How would I know who posts here a lot"
are you dumb too pinky. That's a pretty easy thing to figure out, for me anyway. How long did it take you? Not that I care.
Demise? lol
This coming from a guy who's a summer away from watching Wang sell the team.
Demise, your deflecting. and your bad at it too.

And Sally,

"I don't think you learned how to count very well pinky.
Burnside wrote that in July. 15 days old maybe"

Miss Middle Finger, I promise to brush up on my math if you promise to brush up on your history and reading comprehension skills.
Burnside could not have written that article "15 days ago".
Nolan still had his job "15 days ago" Maybe.

Ah, and now the ZINGER from Sally.....

"505 you are really a dumb person. Is that why you spend so much time here?"

Brilliant my dear...absolutely brilliant.
Well thought out with a unique delivery.
There's a future for you as a commenter and cheerleader on the Vinal Flore. Cuz looking at the dearth of comments over there, they could use your help.

Sally,

I mean this with all due respect, and I mean all due respect ...go in the kitchen and make us some sandwhiches woman ....this is a man's game so leave it to the men to talk ...and don't make eye contact ethier ...just drop off the food ...clean up the kitchen ...and wait in the bedroom untill called upon ...

now that's funny pinky.
you aren't married, huh. That makes a tone of sense.
Gett your fat arse off the coach and do somethin other than play video games you lazy piece of crap. The Islanders are not going to hire you because you've mastered NHL 08. You spend hours of your day writing and clicking away for no one other than yourself. Why don't you look for a better job, help around the house, do some yard work, pick of your cloths once in a while. Wear something other than a Potvin jersey and sweat pants faty.
Be careful, we get more than half of what ever it is you're worth.
Half of nothing is nothing. That's probably why you're not married.
(I'm way out of your league by the way, you can't afford me McFaty)

Mr Anders...

"Instead of putting a smile of your face for what was supposed to be satire..."

SATIRE?
You call that satire?
If I am not mistaken, satire is supposed to have a degree of humor in it.
Sorry Mr. Anders, I fail to see the humor in drawing a satrical analogy between Wang moving the team out of LI and someone who has been "robbed and taken captive by Iraqi militants".
Especially to someone who has REALLY had that happen to them.

But then again, what do I know, I was never in the Navy.

"(I'm way out of your league by the way, you can't afford me....)

Well Sally, at least you have enlightened us as to what line of work you are in.
Now we just have to come up a mutually agreeable fee for your services.

zinger... lol
good one pinky good one.

samantics are below me.
Is this place always full of male pigs, anti military dimwitted knitwitts. For shame.
No wonder the world makes fun of this team and other teams fans hate you toolboxes.
Good for you guys. 3 cheers for the islanders retards.
Too bad I won't be able to call you islander retards forever.
I already work for one of the largest fashion rags in the world.
I'm a Commentator not commenter, that's what you are a commenter.
I think your comprehension level is way below par... you can't afford me....

"samantics are below me"

What country are those guys from?
Does it get a little crowded down there for the rest of your clients when the samantics are in town having their convention?
Where do your geriatrics go?
Apparently spelling is below you as well, to complememt your history and reading comprehension shortcomings.

"I already work for one of the largest fashion rags in the world."
Well good for you Sally.
That is impressive.
That oughtta shut AZS up after his chauvinst laced anti-female rant from above.
And I bet your boss would love to know that you just called "his" magazine a rag.

Yep Sally, you have really struck a blow for women today.
What with your erudite prose, esoteric command of the English language, suggesting prostitution as a substitute for motherhood, and once again clearly demonstrating how loyal women are to their jobs and professions, YOU, Sally, have singlehandedly advanced the cause of Gloria Steinem today.

She would be SO PROUD!!

And BTW, not sure where you were going trying to draw a distinction between "commentator" and "commenter". They are both words. The have similar definitions and in fact are synonyms of each other.
I suppose the word "commentator" has a little more glamor in your mind.
And "glamor" is what makes the world go 'round, right lady?

This Sally broad has posted more on this thread than we have in a year.

AZS...Classic

Sally...Move along...Go watch Nemo on ice, you're small poataoes.

Wow reading the Sally crap has me longing for my flame wars with Steady............Sir William

Just kidding Steady, Don't get your knickers in a twist,

Like one big happy family....We can rip each other, but when someone else steps in we join forces....:)

Mets who? above post not me...........Sir William