Sorry, had to take it down.

JT in some CCM pics

John Tavares at BP

Islanders 10 Greatest Games

Get the new Islanders DVD box set that includes the 10 greatest games.

1. Game 6 Stanley Cup Final - 5/24/80
2. Game 5 Stanley Cup Final - 5/21/81
3. Game 5 Comeback vs. Penguins - 4/13/82
4. Game 4 Stanley Cup Final - 5/16/82
5. Game 4 Stanley Cup Final - 5/17/83
6. Ken Morrow Playoff OT Winner vs. Rangers
7. Easter Epic
8. David Volek OT Winner vs. Penguins
9. Shawn Bates Penalty Shot vs. Leafs
10. Al Arbour's 1500th Game.

-

Double Standard

How is it possible that a clothesline to the head isn't really making contact?? It seems that Colin Campbell has one set of rules for the players of 29 NHL teams and a totally different, harsher set of rules for the Isles. Thomas Pock and Mike Mottau, Chris Simon and Chris Pronger, etc. It's hard to think that there isn' t something behind his decisions.

Before Mottau made like Tito Santana, Nielsen was having one of his best games as an Islander. Confident and energetic, Frans was flying around the ice like a 10 year vet. He was in position and comfortable with the puck. One play in particular made me think that Frans had finally arrived. Midway through the game, Frans picked up the puck in his defensive zone and started up the ice. Jeff Tambellini was skating full speed behind Frans and Nielsen stayed ahead of the high flying Tamby controlling the puck without losing stride. While the play had not materialized into anything, the control that Frans showed had proven the maturity he had grown into. It's unfortunate that Nielsen had gotten hurt at this time in his career, right when he had turned the corner.

It's been a while.

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Sorry to those of you that have emailed me, I'm sure my responses clarified. For those wondering, let me just say that the Election and financial Crisis have taken up a bit of my time.

Let's get on to the more important stuff at hand, the ISLES.

So we're 18 games in and the Isles have compiled a rather decent 7-9-2 stats. Decent because the majority of Islander fans have expected this team to sink like the Titanic. That's obviously not the case and Coach Gordo's got the team to believe in the system. OVERSPEED. What I've noticed is that this system is built for a team like the Isles. Fairly young, speedy guys with a knack for forechecking. Alot of fans around the boards are saying that if the Isles had better players, the system would work better. The only way I believe this to be true is if they had some more finishers, otherwise the system gives the team chances off turnovers, clearly evident during the Vancouver game, and eventually they're going to bury some. It's safe to say that Gordo put in a decent system that, once the team is fully comfortable with, will show signs of interest from other teams.

The injury front had hit as well. DP, Witt, Marty, Sutts, Campy, the IVth all have been sidelined this short season. With a depleted D, the team gave up some leads and have 9 losses. This team could easily by above .500 had the D remained healthy. Unfortunately, those are the breaks and it looks like the full D will be back together shortly.

Weight and Guerin have proven that they can still play and, if it were up to me, given another year on the contracts. Now, let's not go rushing into anything, alot can change over the next couple of days, weeks, months, but I'm sure Snowy hasn't closed the door on that option yet.

And the brightest spot of this young season is not so young Joey Mac. With the Rick on the shelf, Joey (clap clap) has provided solid goaltending. Schooled by guys like Ozzie and the Dominator, Joey Mac has come into his own and has been as good as anyone could've hoped for. Wade who??

What about Comrie & Tamby, Nielson & Bergy, Bailey & KO? That's coming up a bit later.

Addiction

September has begun and we are only a few short weeks away from training camp. While most fans will be looking to see if the players trained well in the off-season or what Gordo's line combinations will be, I will be looking elsewhere. All my attention will be on the players, it will be focused, not on their skating, passing, and shooting, but on their gear. The Nike Bauer skates, Warrior sticks, Easton gloves and Reebok helmets the players adorn are my main concern. My first impression of any player is based on the tools he is using. They say "You can tell alot about a person just by looking at their shoes." Same can be said about a player and their gear.

If you need an example, look no further than our own Brendan Witt.

Ever notice the gloves and stick he uses. He's been known as a Warrior for quite a while. No coincidence, that's his brand of choice.


So when training camp begins and pictures start trickling in, I'll be back with an update on the gear and my impressions of what to expect from the players.

As a little gift to all the gearheads out there. There've been pictures floating around the net of some new Warrior sticks. Don't be surprised to see several players on the Isles using these sticks.

Warrior Dolomite Spyne












Click here to get your new Warrior.


WARRIOR JOHNSON - (One Piece)

2008-2009 Goals by Player

I mentioned in an earlier post that the Isles will, in no way, score fewer goals then last season. To back up that claim, I have pulled out my Crystal Ball and looked to see where they are coming from. Below is my prediction.

FORWARDS (in alphabetical order)

Sean Bergenheim - 12
Blake Comeau - 16
Mike Comrie - 17
Bill Guerin - 21
Andy Hilbert - 9
Trent Hunter - 7
Kyle Okposo - 21
Richard Park - 12
Mike Sillinger - 11
Jon Sim - 8
Jeff Tambellini - 23
Doug Weight - 15

DEFENSE

Chris Campoli - 12
Bruno Gervais - 3
Radek Martinek - 7
Freddy Meyer IV - 4
Mark Streit - 15
Andy Sutton - 3
Brendan Witt - 1

EXTRAS

Nielsen - 6
Colliton - 0
Walter - 2
Bailey - 3
Jackman - 0
Dipietro - 1

So there you have it. The scoring is accounted for and the Isles will score 229 goals next year. 40 goals more then last year. Our leading scorer will be Tambellini with 23, followed by a tie for second with 21 from Guerin and KO, then in fourth is Comrie 17 and rounding out the top 5 will be Comeau with 16. The Defence will pitch in a ton. Streit will make a solid debut with 15, Campoli will score 12, and Marti's gonna rip it up with 7. In addition, Ricky's gonna score 1 this year, and Josh Bailey will start his career right with 3, scoring in his first NHL game.

Now bookmark this site and return on Sun Apr 12, 2009, after the season finale against the Bruins, and compare stats.

Kudos to the Isles

While we wait for some news from the new coach, I wanted to touch on a couple of things.



First, I have to say that the Isles Marketing Dept. has done a great job getting the Isles out into the community. From Eisenhower, to Cantiague to Central Islip, the OrganIzation, led by Chris Dey, has really gone grassroots and should be commended. I don't know what other sport allows for their players and staff to work their butts off to help get the team some recognition. Good job Chris, now just stay away from the table on draft day.


Second, MSG+ will be airing another edition of Islanders Illustrated on Thursday at 7:30. They'll have a one-on-one with Coach Gordo, Josh Bailey's was mic'd up during the prospects camp, Campy's talking with "the 2-man advantage", and KO's gonna teach us how to go top shelf on Marty Brodeur. Sounds fun and the best part is we get another look at Shawna Ryan.





Finally, for fans looking for a deal, the Isles have announced the "Victory Plan." It's a four game plan that could turn into an eight game plan. Each time the Islanders win one of the games from the plan, you will be rewarded with tickets to another select game. Sounds like a decent deal.

Another bashing...blah, blah, blah

Jim Kelley from Sports (except Hockey) Illustrated is the most recent "journalist" to jump on the bash the Isles bandwagon. I guess it's easy nowadays to talk about what happened in the late 90's with this team and continue those thoughts through to present time. As a fan, I can agree that it's been a fiasco, changes in ownership, hoistgate, fishsticks, Milbury. There is a lot of good material there for lazy hacks, looking for an easy story. The thing is, it's old news, the team has turned the corner and many reporters choose not to look at the bright side, instead they continue to harp on the bad. Let's take Ted Nolan for example.

Everyone in the OrganIzation knew it was time to change the course and rebuild. Everyone except Teddy. Keeping a guy that clearly is not on board with the future of the team would be disastrous. Instead everyone's painting Teddy as a victim to the idiocy of the higher ups. There was a reason Nolan was out of the league for so long, and this recent tenure behind the bench only proves how big Nolan's ego is. Good luck catching him behind an NHL bench anytime soon. Another topic everyone loves to bring up is Neil Smith. Where is he now? What team is he the GM for? There have been several opportunities for Neil and there's a reason he is not currently in the league. "Well Smith one the Rags a Cup." I say whatever to that. He did not help the team's future, he asked Mark Messier who he likes playing with. Kevin Lowe, Adam Graves, Glenn Anderson, Craig MacTavish, Esa Tikkanen. Looks like the New York Oilers to me. Not too hard to win a cup when you compile a core of players from a recent Stanley Cup winner.

Bashing the Isles is a new tradition among sports writers and it's about time these guys checked the stats. Here's a good one:

Since the 2001-2002 season, the Islanders have a better record than the perennial Stanley Cup Contending Rags.

W L OTL T PTS
NYR 223 197 21 51 518

ISLES 226 199 30 37 519

That's right, the Isles have had more wins and more points than the Rangers over the past 6 seasons. Instead of beating someone when their down, how about looking up the stats and writing a new story.

A Coach Is Named

The Orange smoke has been seen coming from the Coliseum. Garth Snow has made his decision. The Islanders have given the coaching reigns to current AHL Coach of the Year Scott Gordon. A Masssachusetts native that has compiled a fantastic record in Providence, will be the coach of our Isles. With the decision, comes the cheers or jeers from fellow Isles fans. Is Gordon the right choice? Is Gordon Snow's yes man? Is he capable of coaching at the NHL level?
The questions will not be answered till the season gets fully underway. In the meantime, lets look at the pros & cons of this hiring:

PROS
AHL Coach of the Year
221-141-20-27 Coaching record
Familiar with the Isles young players he has coached against.
Looks like he can work well with Young players.
A MASS native and former Goalie (good for Ricky)
High Goals For, Low Goals against

CONS
No NHL coaching experience
...

So, in my opinion, the Pros definately outweigh the cons. I believe this is a great choice and shows that Snow is committed to his plan. I think Scott Gordon has more of a chance of becoming a successful Laviolette than a tarnished Stirling.

Where do you get your Islander fix?

So I mentioned that I check out the Isles official site on a daily basis. While the site is full of info, there's times when I still need more info to satisfy my Isles fix. Thank goodness for the internet. As Islander fans, and hockey fans in general, we are treated to some great content on a ton of different sites. Below is a list of sites that I visit, just to get that fix.

NEW YORK ISLANDER FAN CENTRAL
NYISLES1 runs a fantastic blog, part of the Isles Blog Box, that has a ton of info on it. Regular updates and great insight make this a great read for fans.

NYIPOINTBLANK
Former Isles PR guru Chris Botta has had the inside track on Isles info for a long time. While he may have left his post with the Isles, he still offers Cameos worthy enough to check out the blog, hoping for some new info.

DEE KARL'S 7th WOMAN
Another Blog Box participant, Dee's blog may be the truest blog around, dedicated to her favorite team. Her daily routines are classic LI.

ISLESBLOGGER.com
Mike's blog is chock full of info. Video's, photos, links and his thought on the OrganIzation. Part of the blog box as well.

THEPALMISLE
One of the best Isle blogs you've never heard of. Just reading the site makes me think I'm out on a lake Ice-fishing.

ISLANDER'S ARMY
If you want any type of Islander info, go here.


Other sites that have some great hockey related info.

Puckdaddy
Icethetics
NHL Digest

If there's a site you think I left out, leave a comment.

In the Archives - NewYorkIslanders.com

Pic IslandersArmy.com

I've been checking NewYorkIslanders.com for news ever since it launched. To this day, I check it on a daily basis. In that time, the site has had many changes and I thought that it might be fun to see what the site looked like in the past. Below are links to the site, fully functional, from way back.

NYI.com -Dec. 6, 1999

Mark Lawrence clears waivers, Isles lose to the Thrashers 4-3.

March 11, 2000

March E-Mail Madness, Olli Jokinen's goal in OT beats the Stars 4-3.

Dec. 6 2000

Isles lose to the Sabres 3-0, Meet Kenny Jonsson in Huntington Station, Isles ticket deal, $13.50 for Youth Hockey participants.

March 9, 2001

Five Islanders going to World Championships, Draft prospects, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Spezza.

March 25, 2002

Islanders play fifth and final game against the Rangers, series tied 2-2. Rags in 10th place, Isles in 6th.

Oct. 22, 2002

Chris Osgood Bobble-head night. Isles apologize for not being able to give out the bobble-head because of a strike.

Feb. 10, 2003

Snow saves the day with huge effort, beat Sabres 3-1.

Aug. 2, 2003

Prospect Profile: Wade Dubielewicz, Yash's "Today Show" appearance.

If you'd like to see more, check out the Wayback Machine.

Throwback - 1997

I was cleaning up around the house and stumbled across a New York Sportscene (February 2007) with Eric Fichaud and Tommy Salo on the cover. Wow, I thought, great find. This should be a fun read. Thinking back about the potential of these 2 "stud" goalies. It should be interesting what they predict for these kids. While thumbing through, I came across something better. It is pure gold that I thought alot of Islander fans would be interested in reading.

In the magazine, several pages in, is a readers thoughts page about the "New Ownership" coming in and their thoughts of the future of the OrganIzation. It speaks for itself. (click on the picture for full size)

It's always fun to see how things change in a matter of only a couple of years. In this case, within 3 years, there was a drastic change in the thoughts of the "Fan on the Street". The potential savior and smart businessman turned out to be a fraud, the GM was a hack, and the Arena is still up in the air. The saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same" comes to mind.

"STEVE WEBB" clap clap

Back in the 2001-02 season, we Islander fans were finally spared some misery and given a fantastic treat. While the first round playoff match-up against the Leafs was an instant classic, we were given an opportunity to be a part of someones 15 minutes of fame. We were treated to the most exciting player to wear an Islander Jersey since Ziggy Palffy. While he barely ever found himself on the scoresheet, he was undoubtedly an impact player in each game he played and quickly became a leader of the classic 7 game series.

Steve Webb will forever be remembered for his aggressive style, hard hits, and his ability to bring everyone in the Coliseum to their feet. During the playoffs, Webby became a star and proved to the Leafs that the Isles wouldn't be pushed around. After our Captain was taken out, Webby made sure that didn't go unpunished. He hunted down the Maple Leaf crest as if it were a bullseye. Against the boards, at center ice no Leaf was safe. From Robert Reichel to Gary Roberts, each Leaf felt the wrath of Webb.

And if you point your ear towards the Coliseum, you can still hear Darcy Tucker's bell ringing.

'72-73 Vintage Jersey

Before the beginning of the 2007-08 season, the NHL decided to make a league wide change in Uniforms. The league partnered with Rbk Hockey to design a new system and the teams were all given a variety of templates to choose from. Because of the league wide change, 3rd Jerseys, alternates, special occasions were banned for 1 season. Well, they're back and the Isles are one of 17 teams that will wear a 3rd Jersey again. It has been widely speculated that the Isles would return to the beginning and don the same Uni's that Eddie Westfall wore. Howard Berger of hockeybuzz.com has made it somewhat official. He claims that he has been given a glimpse of all the Jerseys and has described them for all interested parties.

While the decision seems to be the right one, it's also very telling of a new beginning for the franchise, starting from scratch with hopes of something great.

The Search is on!

Garth Snow has already met with 2 candidates for the head coaching position with a third on the way. After Paul Maurice and Bob Hartley, we will have John Tortorella come in for an interview on Sunday. While fan reaction has been spread across any of these choices, my thoughts are that a guy like Torts would fit the bill perfectly. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy that took a bunch of kids and molded them into Stanley Cup Champions. Some say that he might be too tough on the kids and that he's not the type of coach, or person, that would fit into "the plan." If that's the case, why did he take the interview. He knows what's going on with the Isles and knows that there's a plan for the future. Here's to hoping he likes what Snow has to say and vice-versa.

10 Reasons to be excited about the '08-09 campaign

What could I possibly look forward to next season. We have no scoring, the Power Play was horrible, we fired Ted Nolan, and we're fielding the Varsity SoundTigers as an NHL team. The season's over and training camp hasn't even started yet.
While some of this may be true, we still have a lot to look forward to.
So go get yourself a glass of Orange Kool-aid and see what I mean.

10. Career Years - The OrganIzation is going with youth and we are bound to see stat's for guys like K.O., Comeau, and Bergy jump. But someone like Mike Comrie, one year deal, will be looking for a contract, either to stay or go and should put up his best #'s to date.

9. New Isles 3rd Jersey - While no info has been released about the design of the jersey, there's been rumblings that it will be a vintage style royal blue jersey. It should be a nice change from the Orange sleeved jerseys they wear now.

8. Seat Availability - I think it's safe to say that there will be an abundance of available seats this upcoming year. With the exception of the 3 Rags games, there should be no problem getting into the Coliseum to see a game.

7. Western Conference games - The NHL has reverted, somewhat, to the old scheduling and we will be able to see every team play the Isles this year. As a hockey fan, it's always nice to see the Flames, Oilers, Ducks, etc. play.

6. Isles Defense - While the Offense leaves a lot to be desired, the Isles D-men are arguably one of the most solid groups in the league. Although there is no Dion Phaneuf in the bunch, we do have skating ability in Martinek, toughness in Witt & Sutton, scoring and passing in Streit, all around potential in Campoli, steadiness in Gervais & Meyer, and a tiny bit of depth in Hillen. Let's just hope they stay healthy.

5. More Goals - That's right, there is absolutely no way in hell we score fewer goals than last years horrible tally of 189. No way.

4. New Coach - While the new coach hasn't been named yet, we will be looking at someone that, more likely than not, will be here for a while. Someone that knows how to handle both the young players and the Vets is key. This next coach will be instrumental in the development and future of this franchise.

3. Make or break seasons - Several Isles are getting an opportunity this year. Guys like Tambellini, Gervais, Nielson, & Comeau are players the team will be looking at to fill several voids. This is their make or break seasons and it should be fun watching to see who can handle the pressure.

2. D-P - We all know Ricky's a good goalie. He's an #1 overall pick, first goalie ever selected that high, an All-Star, our Franchise Player. He's progressed nicely over the past several years and will be relied upon heavily this year. If he stay's healthy, this year we call Ricky an Elite goalie and Vezina nominee.

1. The Future of the OrganIzation - For good or ill, the future of the Isles starts this season. Once the coach is hired and final cuts are made we will see in what direction we are going. It's obvious the youth movement has begun and Snowy's following his "plan". Let's hope there was method to all this summers madness.

Start of a new Era!

Since the end of the '07-08 campaign, we've all been eagerly anticipating this off-season. What's Snowy gonna do? Will Wang open up the checkbook? Will we get Filitov? Well the majority of those questions have been answered and as Islander fans, it's time we took a seat to look over the past couple of weeks. Some will reflect with disgust, others with a glimmer of hope. This is the start of a new era in Islander Country, and I hope you're ready. The youth movement is on it's way and anyone not on board with this, well, see ya later. Ted Nolan, that means you.