Don't Want a Lost Weekend

Isles lost a tough one last night in Pittsburgh. Fell victim to the ole - "you skated too close to Crosby so you deserve a penalty" syndrome. How ridiculous was the penalty call in the 3rd period? Wasn't even close to an actual penalty - and even if it was close - it certainly wasn't a call you make in OT.

So, the Isles earned points in 3 of their first 4 games so far. That has to be a positive to take away - especially since they did it without Tavares, Streit, and Okposo. Tavares will play tonight against the Avalanche (matched against the guy picked right behind him - Duschene) and the Av's are coming in with a 3-1 record and an impressive win against the Rangers.

Isles caught a bad break yesterday in Pittsburgh - they need to put that behind them and put a "W" up on the board tonight to avoid having a lost weekend. I think we'll see Rollie in net - DP has played 2 straight OT games and probably can use a break and Rollie needs to play to stay sharp. I think the Isles will surprise the Av's - prediction - Isles 4, Av's 3.

Rivalry Day - Isles v. NYR

Isles faced off in a matinee with cross-town arch-enemies the NY Rangers on Saturday at the Coli.

First observation: there is a VERY small crowd for a NYI/NYR game. I get it, it's a Monday at 1:00 - but so what. This is THE game for NY area hockey fans. Where is everyone? Between periods we (media) interviewed Commissioner Gary Bettman and he was asked about the sparse crowd and used the same lame excuse - its a Monday afternoon game. OK - then why schedule a game involving one of the biggest rivalries in all sports on Monday afternoon if you know there is a chance the crowd will suck. You know the Isles need help selling tickets - so the league screws them by scheduling this game as a matinee. I digress.

Second observation: Ranger fans are IDIOTS. How disrespectful -- all the moronic shout-outs during the national anthem. I get it - Potvin sucks, you hate the Isles, whatever. But it's the NATIONAL FREAKING ANTHEM. Have some respect, stand up, take your hat off and SHUT THE F**K UP. Seriously.

Third observation: Both teams skated well. Both teams came out flying and hitting. No surprise here. DP looked sharp early and came up huge on Gaborik's penalty shot. Early reports on Bailey are correct. He is skating better and looks like he is brimming with confidence. He has shown some additional maturity already this season - looks like an experienced veteran out there. Bailey displayed some SICK stick work in front of the net to tuck one past Lundquist as he was getting knocked down. As I said earlier, talk about Bailey’s elevated play are not exaggerated. Just before the goal he made pretty set-up in front to Parenteau that was denied. Isles have shown some resiliency so far -- coming from behind in 2 of their first 3 games.

Final observation: Commissioner Bettman was asked between periods about the Isles and/or Phoenix moving to one of the cities allegedly begging for a team (Winnipeg, Kansas City, etc). He stated - the league has NO plans to expand and currently has no interest in moving one of its existing teams to either city. He continued by agreeing that the Isles NEED and DESERVE a new facility and that the clock is ticking. The Isles are still a few years away from having to make a critical decision about the arena. He said maybe Nassau Cty needs to step in and cut the Town of Hempstead out of the process to get things moving in a positive direction.

Commissioner had all god things to say. Hopefully the local politicians were listening.

Isles Help Open a New Rink

Over the past few years that I've been a blogger for the Isles, there have been a few consistent themes running through most of my posts, such as: Isles need more scoring, my boys & I are huge fans of the team, the Isles are one of the most generous sports franchises with regard to community service; and I can't understand why Jon Sim still plays for this team.

Well.... this post is going to be a little about item 3 - the Isles giving back to the Long Island community. Say what you want about the product on the ice or how the team is run - but no one can criticize how much community service the Islander organization engages in each year. Many of the efforts are visible - Isles support for literacy; the school visits by Sparky and the Ice Girls; the incredible charitable giving seen at most games; and the visits to hospitals at Christmas and in the off-season; just to name a few. But the Isles do so much more.

Just last week the Islanders helped a local roller hockey league achieve its dream when they were present at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new St. John of God roller hockey rink in Central Islip. The St. John of God roller hockey league (SJOG) has been around for over 30 years and is a tremendous organization that enables almost 1000 kids each year to play organized roller hockey. The league started in a old parking lot behind SJOG church on Carleton avenue in Central Islip. They used old timbers for an edge to keep the puck from disappearing down the street. Over the past several decades, as the league grew in popularity, the rink morphed into an imitation hockey rink with painted plywood boards, chain link fencing, wooden benches, and a well-worn but playable blacktop surface. Last year the league reached a critical stage - continue to spend money attempting to maintain the old rink, or, take advantage of a unique but costly opportunity staring them right in the face. For years the league had dreamed of installing a more professional rink for the kids to use - but the cost of making that dream come true seemed insurmountable. Then the NY Islanders contacted the league and made them aware of an old ice rink that was being torn down and replaced in Brooklyn. With the Isles help, the league was able was able to obtain the old rink (which was still very good condition) and have it transported to Central Islip where one of the league coaches volunteered to store it for the season until enough money could be raised to replace the old rink.

The Islanders stepped in a second time and gave the league more than 1000 discounted tickets to sell to help it raise money. The kids in the league jumped in and sold almost 1500 tickets to one of last season's Isles/Devils game. It was SJOG night at the Coli and the money raised in the 50/50 raffle was also donated back to the league. Because of the Isles incredible giving spirit, the league raised more than $50,000 that night toward construction of the new rink. As a reward offered to the players from SJOG who sold the most tickets, the Isles invited the 3 top ticket selling kids and a parent to accompany the team to an away game in Pittsburgh. These young hockey players (who each sold over 100 tickets) got to ride on the Isles chartered jet, stay in the team hotel, attend the morning skate, and were the Isles guests at the game that night. Other top sellers won a ride on the Zamboni between periods, could high-five the team as they headed to ice each period, sat on the bench & was stick boy during warm-ups, and other meet & greet opportunities with Isles players. This was a night these young boys would NEVER forget. All made possible by the generosity of the NY Islanders.

Last week, on a beautiful late September evening, the officials from SJOG, the Islanders, and several hundred of the roller hockey league players and parents all gathered together to celebrate the grand opening of the new rink. It was truly a special night.

The new season is underway at SJOG. The kids are flying around the rink delivering clean checks, crisp passes, and congratulatory handshakes after the games. The tremendous smiles on the players faces can be seen through their caged helmets as they marvel at this beautiful new rink they get to play on each week. It is truly a sight to see.

One last note -- a little more than a year ago the Pastor of SJOG passed away from cancer at the too young age of 45 years old. Father Jim Kissane was a terrific priest, a good friend, and a tremendous supporter of youth hockey. He will be missed, but never forgotten --- the new rink was dedicated to his memory.

Next Up: A New Season Begins

A Few Words With Calvin de Haan

Earlier in the week I, along with fellow Blogger Ken Dick, had the opportunity to talk with Isles 19-year old prospect defencemen Calvin de Haan.  Calvin, a first round pick in 2009 (12th overall) is attending his second Isles rookie camp.  First, before I get into the details of my interview, let me start by saying that Calvin was very comfortable in front of the microphone (OK, it was a MP3 recorder) and he was a complete natural talking to the media.  He was personable, considerate, didn't give short, clipped, one-word answers, and was smiling during the whole interview. Then again, who wouldn't smile after coming off the ice playing defense for an NHL club at 19 years of age.

How is his shoulder?
Calvin put to rest any concerns over his health by remarking that his shoulder "was 100%, he felt great, and he was ready to play hockey."  His season in the juniors was cut short last year when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery.  Calvin didn't look like he was having any problems physically during practice.  This is good news for the Islanders.

What are his chances to play on LI this season?
I asked Calvin about his chances to play with the big club this season seeing how the Isles already have 8 defencemen under contract.  He said having depth is a good thing and that it presents a challenge to him - that he "will just have to work that much harder" to make them consider him over one of the veterans.  "Besides," he told me, "the worst case scenario is I goes back to juniors for another season and get lots of ice time to get ready if the call comes."  He seemed very comfortable with the reality of the Isles logjam at defense.  He was realistic about his chances, yet remained positive that another year at juniors could be good for him and that he would focus on improving his game.  Speaking of improving his game, my colleague Ken Dick asked Calvin:

What areas are you focusing on improving?
Calvin said he was working on his size & strength, noting that these are 2 of the major differences between juniors, the AHL, and the NHL.  He joked, "besides, we're just 18 and 19 year old kids trying to skate with grown men."  He also obviously has a good sense of humor.  I commented on the Isles lack of size in my earlier blog about rookie camp (something noted subsequently by other bloggers in their post-game analysis of the Isles prospects game against the Bruins) and Calvin acknowledged the size issue.  But he did remark that size isn't everything (ladies - you're used to guys saying that about other things) and that things like center of gravity, quickness, speed, balance, and how you use your body can all compensate for size to some degree.

Do you think your puck-handling skills give you an edge over other prospect?
We all know that over the last 5-10 years the Isles have struggled putting the puck in the net from the blue line (Streit is the exception), so I asked Calvin if he thought that the scouting book on him as being a puck moving and offensive defencemen gives him an edge should the Isles need to fill a slot on the blue line.  He said possibly, it all depends on what the team needed at the time - he also said guys like Hamonic and Katic also can move the puck.  He just wants a shot and that he "plans to do his best to be ready when the time comes."

It looked like de Haan and Hamonic were the top defensive pair in the practice?
I asked Calvin if Coach Gordon had given any indication that there was a "pecking order" or "leaders" on the rookie team.  He said the Coach hadn't come right out and said anything, but that he felt like the guys who have been here before possess a different comfort level than some of the newcomers.  He thought the coach might pick captains for the Boston games but that nothing had been said so far.  He said he liked being paired with Hamonic and thought they both played well in the practice.

During the entire interview you could sense a level of maturity and poise in Calvin that you don't find in most 19 year old athletes, or 19 year olds in general.  As I said he was affable, at ease, comfortable with his answers, and very accommodating.  I think with the current contract situation on the defense (all 8 guys having one-way contracts) that Calvin is likely to start the year in the juniors, and that's OK with Calvin.  It will give him the chance to make up some of the time he lost last year as a result of his shoulder injury.  But when the call comes, I have no doubt that he will be mentally ready and that he has a bright future in the NHL.

That's Why They Call Them Rookies...

I spent this morning at Iceworks in Syosset watching the Isles rookies practice.  You could tell the difference right away between the guys who have been there before and the new guys.  Return players like Hamonic, Katic, de Haan, DiBenedetto, Rakhshani, and a few others seemed to have less difficulty with the drills while newcomers Niederreiter, Kabanov, Nelson, and Dehart all showed occasional signs of confusion or were out of position.   Coach Gordon's whistle got as much of a workout as the players.  This wasn't a run-of-the-mill practice with skating & passing drills and the usual stuff you see in camp.  They spent the bulk of their time on the ice running 5 on 5 drills in preparation for the 2 scrimmages against the Bruin rookies later this week.  Here are some observations from the practice:

There were only 6 defensemen on the ice.  The defensive pairings were: de Haan and Hamonic (looked like the number one pairing); followed by Klementyev and Katic; and then Syvret and Dehart.  All looked steady but de Haan, Hamonic and Katic looked a step or 2 ahead of the other 3. Their having been here before is largely the reason.

Kabanov seemed lost at times and several drills were stopped because of him being out of position.  Coach Gordon would give him a pep talk (rather loudly) and then the drill would resume.  His being lost might have something to do with his showing up late for his physical yesterday and as punishment for his lateness I heard Gordon wouldn't let him take the ice.  So while today was day 2 for everyone else, the big Russian was only on day 1.  When practice ended, all the players except Kabanov went to the dressing room.  Kabanov was left behind to be tortured by Coach Scott Allen who made him do skating drills.  I had flashbacks to Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle --- "Blow the whistle Craig."  He eventually came off the ice sucking wind and dry heaving a little -- I am pretty sure he'll be on time the rest of camp.

First round pick Nino Niederreiter looked good (meaning, he didn't embarrass himself) and worked well with line mates Rhett Rakhshani and Robin Figren.  Goalie Mikko Koskinen looked like Lerch in net (although he did move a lot quicker).  He is enormous.  He doesn't look as smooth as other goalies - which I think is a function of his size (he stands at 6'-5").  They looked a little rusty, made plenty of mistakes, seemed confused at times, and they were all exhausted by the end of the 2+ hour practice.  But then again, its understandable -- they are rookies.  Putting it in perspective, all-in-all, they looked fine.

One last observation -- these guys all looked pretty small to me (except Koskinen).  Now I am 6'-3", so lots of people look small to me; however, some of these guys will be playing in the NHL this year and they looked like kids.   Calvin de Haan said it best when I interviewed him: "Most of us are 18-19 years old out here trying to skate with grown men."  He is right, most of these guys are not even 20 years old, haven't finished growing, and are just kids.  Speaking of Calvin de Haan, I had the privilege of speaking with him briefly after the practice.  My next blog will contain my interview with this very likable young man.

Anyway, as I sat there contemplating the team's youth and lack of size, there was this sudden but brief period of almost total darkness.  I thought perhaps there was a power surge, or they were dimming the lights to send a message to Coach Gordon that practice was over.  Then I looked up and noticed it was Trevor Gillies standing in front of me.  Holey Moley is he huge.  The Isles website says he is 6'-3" and 215.  I think that's a mistake.  He looks like he is 6'-5" or 6'-6" and pushing 225.  Or maybe some of that is just the mustache.

We'll have a better idea of where the rookies stand after their 2-game scrimmage against Tyler Seguin and the Bruins rookies on Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Finally, even though it was rookie camp there some very familiar faces walking around Iceworks.  I saw: Hunter, Schremp, Moulson, Okposo, D.P., Bailey, Hilbert, Martinek, Gillies, Gervais, Jurcina, Parenteau, and a few others.  

Seeing these guys in the orange & blue made me think of one thing --- the season is just around the corner.

Next up: My interview with Isles prospect Calvin de Haan.

Devils Fined & Lose Picks

Gary Bettman has settled on a punishment for the Devils attempt to circumvent the CBA rules with regard to their original efforts to sign Kovalchuk.  According to ESPN, the Devils were fined $3 million (does not count toward the salary cap) along with losing a 3rd round pick next year and a 1st round pick in one of the next four years (Devil's choice of which year).

While this may seem a little harsh on first blush - it does send a big message to the rest of the GM's and teams that the league will not stand by while teams make creative attempts to avoid the cap.  Let's face it - the original contract was sketchy (paying him $550,000 in the last 6 years until he was 44 yrs old).  This is especially tough considering GM Lou Lamoriello was part of the team negotiating the new CBA.  Some reporters feel the Devils got a break here and that it could have been worse --- they could have counted the fine toward the cap, took away more picks, increased the fine, etc.

One last note -- DP's contract always gets lumped into the conversation about these long-term contracts.  It's important to remember that DP is getting significantly less money than the others mentioned (Kovalchuk, Luongo, Hossa, and Ovechkin).  I think the league reached a fair penalty here.  Lou can squawk all he wants about not doing anything wrong here.... but as they say, sometimes the mere appearance that something is up is as bad as if something was actually up.

Park Moves to Europe

Katie Strang of Newsday reports that Richard Park, age 34, has left the Isles and signed a 3-yr deal to play for Swiss team Geneva-Servette. Apparently the Isles had only offered Park a two-way deal.  The Isles will miss his penalty-killing and faceoff prowess.  He averaged between 12 and 13 minutes of ice time last season and won a little more than 50% of his face-offs. He has always been one of their best on the PK.

Park only made $800,000 last season - so it surely wasn't a decision based on economics.  As mentioned in my previous post, the Isles have a lot of guys for only a few open slots.  Maybe this gives one of the younger guys a chance to show what he can do.

Good luck Park, we'll miss seeing number 10 out there when we are down a man.

Just Around the Corner

The dog days of summer are behind us.  Earlier today the cool ocean breezes were bumping the early autumn leaves off the trees.  The kids are all back at school.

These are all signs of one thing... the 2010-2011 NHL season is just around the corner!  

A new NHL season means the players are getting prepared to endure their annual right of passage... Training Camp.  In only a few days we will get our first look at the 2010-2011 Islanders. Like most other teams, the Isles will open camp with some familiar faces (Okposo, Bailey, Tavares, Streit); some new faces (Wisniewski, Eaton, Jurcina, Konopka and Parenteau); some old faces (i.e., Weight & Sim); and lots of young faces.  Many of these "faces" will be trying to prove they belong on the top 2 lines or as one of the top 4 D-men; while many others will be fighting just to make the roster.

There will be lots of excitement as camp opens.  We'll get our first look at 2010 draft picks Nino Niederreiter, Brock Nelson, and Kirill Kabanov, along with returning prospects Calvin de Haan, Casey Cizikas, Travis Hamonic, Dustin Kohn, Dylan Reese, and others.  All of the above will not only be fighting to make an impression on Scott Gordon and the staff -- but to hopefully make the big club.

But do they even have a shot?  According the Isles website, they already have 14 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 2 goalies on the roster.  That's 24 players... and NHL rosters are limited to 23.  So, somethings gotta give.  It's obvious that some guys are guaranteed a spot -- Bailey, Hunter, Moulson, Okposo, Tavares, Weight, Streit, Martinek, Hillen, Wisniewski, Eaton, Roloson and DP (that's 13).  A few of the guys listed on the roster are likely to have only a little to worry about -- Neilsen, Schremp, Comeau, Jurcina, and MacDonald (that's another 5).  I think it's fairly obvious that the remaining guys are going to be fighting for their very lives (Sim, Gilles, Konopka,  Martin, Parenteau, and Gervais).  So... in reality, there is probably only 6 slots that are clearly open for competition.

When camp opens we'll have a clearer picture of where guys stand.  But for now... it looks like there are enough unconfirmed roster spots to make pre-season interesting.

Next Up:  Blog Box Update.

Isles Drop Some "E" at the Draft

It seemed a little bizarre to me to watch the 2010 NHL Draft on the scoreboard at the Coli and see the Isles "Entourage" approach the dais to announce their pick and walking next to Garth is a short guy in a suit that doesn't look like he works for the team.  He reaches the top step, turns around, and its....... Kevin Connolly from HBO's Entourage!!  That's a little weird.  I mean, I know he is a huge fan of the team and all --- it just seems odd to think he was sitting at the table while the brain trust discussed their selection and then accompanies Garth, Charles, and Ryan, to the podium for the pick.  Just odd... all I'm saying.

Now on to the pick -- Nino Niederreiter, a Swiss winger who played in Portland in the WHL.  I was at the Coli for the draft and listened to mostly groans from the fans because Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley were still on the board and a lot of fans were pulling for the Isles to pick a defensemen.  I DISAGREE.  I think Garth made a wise and bold choice.  Here's why:

First -- the Isles were 20th in the league in scoring last season and too often suffered from a lack of scoring from their 2d and 3d liners.  They NEED wingers who can put the puck in the net and Nino certainly can help fill that need.

Second -- the Isles have a decent collection of young defensemen in the system -- many of them proved themselves capable of playing in the NHL last season; i.e.; MacDonald, Kohn, and Reese.  Plus, Hillen has developed nicely and they have DeHaan and Hamonic in the wings.  They still have Streit, Martinek, Witt, and Gervais -- granted Witt and Gervais don't give you much.  Surely between all of the above --- and don't forget free agency --- the Isles can find 6 guys to steady the blueline.


Last --- Nino is a pretty good player who is likely to be NHL ready (or very close to ready) when the season opens.  Defensemen are notorious for taking longer to develop and both Fowler and Gormley have weaknesses.  Fowler isn't very physical and Gormley lacks size and is known to be a little weaker skater.  They probably would have started the season in Bridgeport and we wouldn't see either of them for a few years anyway. 

Here is the scoop on Nino ---

Niederreiter boasts good size, and all ready knows how to use it to protect the puck etc.. His balance is impeccable leaving him dominant against the wall. Moreover, like many WHL players, Niederreiter plays with some serious grit and never stops competing or bringing the intensity. This is evidenced by his great play in big games. Finally, and this is what really sets Nino apart from many other prospects is how creative he is with the puck for a big guy. He has good hands, and is a proven goal scorer at every level. All his skills, coupled with his character makeup will make Nino an attractive winger for any NHL GM come draft day.

This is exactly what the Isles need -- a proven goal scorer on the wing and someone who plays with grit.  I say this was a good selection.  Now let's see what Garth and the boys do with the rest of their picks and in the free agent pool.

MLD

Am I a Prophet?

Back in November I declared that I was dumbfounded or mystified by several things the Isles were doing.  They were as follows:
1) Why Gordon separated Tavares, Moulson & Okposo when they had been so productive for the first 2 weeks.
2) Why Jon Sim was playing over Tambelli and Schremp.
3) That the team was repeatedly blowing leads in the 3rd period.
4) That Gervais was underwhelming - along with the rest of the defense.

Turns out -- I was right about most of this.

Item 1: We saw Tavares go through an extended slump as Gordon rotated the guys on his wing.  In the second half of the season he played with more guys than a whore in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.  How can someone become "consistent" and "comfortable" if they have different line mates every night.  Then finally in the last few weeks he was reunited with Moulson and they both started finding the back of the net again.  Sometimes Gordon just over-coaches.

Item 2: OK, I said some crappy things about Sim on more than one occasion.  Mostly because I saw him playing on a top line or getting PP time.  That is just asinine.  Anyone whose seen Sim play knows that he plays hard, he is a scrappy guy, a pesky troublemaker and a garbage goal-scorer.  Now a goal is a goal is a goal.  However, when you have a guy with the talent of Schremp sitting on the bench for a team that is struggling offensively and someone like Sim is getting line 2 or 3 playing time it just doesn't make sense.  I've heard Schremp has focus issues and/or trouble keeping his game at a consistent level at both ends of the ice.  But when given some consistent ice time -- like we saw in the middle 3rd of the season -- we saw Schremp emerge as a real play-maker and someone probably capable of scoring 20-25 goals if given a real chance.  If Sim stays as a 4th line agitator, then that's fine -- but Schremp needs to see the ice more.  As for Tambellini -- I just have no answer for what is wrong with him.  He has brief (very brief) moments of brilliance - like when he scored a hat trick or during the shoot out - but then he'll go a week or two being completely invisible.  I think we all might need to finally accept that he would benefit from change of scenery.  Only problem - he played so little & Gordon has criticized his play enough that he probably has little to no trade value.

Item 3:  Late game collapses.  Once the Isles young guys got some experience under their belts we saw them play a little more consistently late in games.  I think having Roloson emerge as a solid net minder also allowed the team to relax a little and not be so worried that a mistake would cost them the game.

Item 4: No production from Gervais specifically and from the defense as a whole.  With the exception of Streit (whose production dipped from 16 goals last year to 11 this year) the defensemen scored a total of 17 goals for the season!!!!  That is putrid.  That is also the exact output from the defense the year before.  There are teams with a single defensemen with 17 or more goals -- and the entire defensive unit for the Isles had only 17 - again, taking Streit out of the equation.  Now for Bruno.  He had 3 goals and 16 assists last year for 19 points.  This season - 3 goals again and only 14 assists for a mere 17 points.  That is ANEMIC and he actually played 2 more games this year.  He was a -15 last season and a -15 this season.  So, essentially there has been no improvement in his game statistics-wise.  I know stats don't tell the whole story -- but I have season tickets and I watched Bruno make mistake after mistake with the puck this year.  Meanwhile Hillen went from 1 goal, 5 assists and a -9 in 40 games last season to 3 goals, 18 assists and a -5 in 69 games this season.  He showed some improvement and his stats may have been a little better if he didn't get his jaw broken so violently.  I am sure that has to have an impact on his play.

Lessons learned from above --- don't monkey with lines that are working; Schremp has earned the right to more ice time and, yes, Sim has value - just as a 4th line guy, and the Isles need to SERIOUSLY upgrade their defense.

In about 2 months from now is the draft.  The Isles have the 5th overall pick.  This is a draft allegedly rich in quality defensemen - so Garth should have his pick of a handful of qualified candidates.  Plus, with only 11 players under contract and the team more than $15 million under the minimum payroll, we should see some free agent spending this summer.

Next up:  I play swami for the Isles pick and free agents.
MLD