Archive for the 'Al Arbour' Category
…so consider the following SI.com photo gallery link 27,000 words about how the Islanders became synonymous with “suck”, “circus”, and “farce”. Thanks to an old co-worker/Toronto fan for the link. No really, you shouldn’t have. Great to hear from you too…how’s that Jason Blake signing working out?
Watch the Isles go from this proud moment – Stanley Cup Champions, top of the world…
To this confused mess, throwing money into a seemingly bottomless pit…
All your favorite Islander low-lites are accounted for…Ron Hextall, Fishsticks, John Spano, Alexei Yashin, Dale Hunter, Dave Chyzowski, Brett Lindros, Don Maloney, Kirk Muller, Mad Mike Milbury, Neil Smith, Cryin’ Ryan Smyth, and the aging Nassau Coliseum. Normally I’m not big on Vanilla Ice quotes, but “Will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know!” is just too fitting for this franchise.
As part of the “Core of the Four” festivities next weekend when the Islanders will honor the players who played on all four Stanley Cup Championship teams, the Islanders have arranged a special fund raiser next Saturday night. “Skate With The Greats” will take place at RexCorp plaza across from the Coliseum and will allow fans to fulfill their dreams of taking to the ice with the Islanders Championship Dynasty.
Ever wanted to skate on an outdoor rink with Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Bobby Nystrom and your other Islanders heroes…and have the Stanley Cup nearby?
You can when the Islanders host “Skate with the Greats” on Saturday night, March 1 at 7:00 pm at Rexcorp Plaza. The night is a benefit for the New York Islanders Children’s Foundation and is limited to just 100 guests so you’ll have plenty of “time and space” on the outdoor rink to rub elbows with the legends.
“Quite simply, the Islanders have never had an intimate event as special as ‘Skate with the Greats’ is going to be,” said Bossy, the greatest goal scorer of his generation and a hero to countless Islanders fans. “Because it’s for the Islanders Children’s Foundation, we wanted to make it first-class for our benefactors. I promise you that my teammates and I are going to make this a night you will never forget.”
Not only will you have the chance to meet and skate with your favorite Islanders legends from the past, but the Stanley Cup will be also be in attendance for photo ops. There will be a silent auction during the evening, which includes cocktails and dinner. Appetizers and beverages will also be served rinkside when the “Core of the Four” members skate from 7 – 8:00 pm before the evening moves inside to the gorgeous Rexcorp Atrium.
“I look forward to meeting our fans and getting the rare chance for me to skate alongside them,” said Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier. “It’s going to be a blast and best of all it’s for a terrific cause, the New York Islanders Children’s Foundation. I’ve talked to a bunch of the guys and they’re really looking forward to it.”
Tickets to this event are $325 and are first come, first served. The event is limited to 100 people. I’m seriously thinking about doing this. The order form is located here.
Here is the schedule for next weekend’s festivities:
Saturday March 2nd, 2pm: Isles vs Philadelphia, Fan Appreciation Day
Saturday March 2nd, 7pm: Skate With The Greats
Sunday March 3rd, 2pm: Walk of Champions from Marriott to the Coliseum
Sunday March 3rd, 3pm: Core of the Four Celebration
Sunday March 3rd, 4pm: Isles vs Florida
And your honored guests:
Bill Torrey
Al Arbour
Mike Bossy
Bob Bourne
Clark Gillies
Butch Goring
Lorne Henning
Anders Kallur
Gord Lane
Dave Langevin
Wayne Merrick
Ken Morrow
Bob Nystrom
Stefan Persson
Denis Potvin
Billy Smith
Duane Sutter
John Tonelli
Bryan Trottier
Trainer Ron Waske and equipment manager Jim Pickard, who were with the team for all four Stanley Cups, will also be honored as part of the event. Hall of Fame broadcaster Jiggs McDonald will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
Of all the times to take some vacation, Logan misses Al Arbour night?? I’m not sure what he was thinking or if he secretly snuck-in the backdoor on Saturday night, but Newsday’s Islanders beat writer Greg Logan is back from vacation and gives us this update on DP.
A nasty abrasion remains at the corner of Rick DiPietro’s right eye courtesy of Sidney Crosby’s inadvertent stick to the face Saturday night, but the Islanders’ franchise goaltender was cleared to practice today and was pleased with the way he performed. The best sign about his readiness to go against the Rangers Tuesday night at the Coliseum might have been the way he rolled around on the ice and clowned with teammates. It was Ricky being Ricky, which is always a good thing.
Here’s Coach Arbour’s line, including Saturday night’s victory in Game 1500:
With the Islanders
740-537-223
Total
782-577-248
Some wins are more than just wins. Miroslav Satan’s game winner with two and change left in regulation gave the Isles a big come from behind win over the Pens tonight and, just as importantly to the sell-out crowd, gave honorary Coach Al Arbour win number 740 in his illustrious career.
It was a night like about 739 others except the names were different. Tonelli, Bossy, Gillies, Trottier, Potvin, Langevin, Smith, Nystrom, and Bourne were all absent from the line-up. Instead, Coach Arbour, who guided the Isles to four straight championships and tonight became the only man in NHL history to coach 1,500 games with one team, had to rely on players who in many cases weren’t even born the last time he raised the Cup. Sure, Coach Ted Nolan was right by his side to help Arbour pronounce names like Ruslan Fedolenko, but we like to think Coach Al was the difference maker tonight. Even if it was just his impact on the fans, it was more than enough. You could feel it in the Coliseum air all night long. Seemingly everyone in attendance was willing the Isles to victory, not for their place in the standings but for Al. Just for Al. Call it a big thank you for the Four Cups, for helping make the Isles a legitimate franchise and for instilling pride in everyone of us who are lucky enough to be Islander fans.
Isles management did a great job with the night, having a legion of Arbour’s former players on hand as well as a family big enough to rival the Sutters. At a postgame ceremony, they took down the “Arbour 739″ banner and replaced it with an “Arbour 1500″ banner. Then the orange, blue, and white confetti rained down. Chills were in attendance as the crowd alternated chants of “Ar-Bour” and “Se-Ven For-ty”. I give the Isles lots of credit for bringing back Al and honoring him this way. Maybe next year we can convince them to get Bossy back out on the ice to try and score goal #574. That would be pretty cool.
It was a really special night and it had its share of laughs. When the Isles Alumni appeared and Mike Bossy was announced, the crowd immediately began its “Bos-sy” chant. Then came Trottier and Gillies, Westfall and LaFontaine, then Benoit Hogue and Eric Cairns! (never saw that coming), and the best was still to come, wait for it, wait for it, Steve Webb! And of course Webb got the second loudest chant for a player of the night. So, for the record, it went Bossy #1, Webb #2, Isles Hall of Famers Trots and Gillies and rest next. Steve Webb. They love that guy in Uniondale.
In the end, this night was really about the last two minutes and 13 seconds. Once Satan’s rebound went past Marc-Andre Fleury, it was a celebration. It was the final minute of Game Four against the Oilers in 1983. It was a victory for all Islander fans, for the players, for the franchise and for Coach Al Arbour. Some wins are more than just wins.
I’ve had the luck and/or misfortune of being stuck down in Florida for work for the past three weeks. The good news was I was able to enjoy 85 degree weather and a nice ocean breeze in between 12-hour stints at the office. The bad news is I had to eat at the crummy hotel buffet every morning and didn’t get to see one single Islanders game.
In all, I was gone for 19 days. The amazing thing is, I missed just THREE Islander games! That’s as many games as my beloved Jets managed to play (and lose). What gives? You can look at it two ways – the extra time between games gave the squad more rest and time to practice or the extra time has prevented the team from getting into a groove. I’m going with the latter. Hockey players are conditioned to play three games a week. As we see every Spring when playoffs come around, a tight schedule with a lot of games can benefit a team. Sure, they need time to recurperate from the ravages of the game, but averaging a week between contests isn’t going to benefit one single Islander. And it also might come back to haunt the Isles down the road, when suddenly they are playing a tight schedule and fighting for a playoff spot (fingers crossed) and their competition has a critical night off.
Right now, with just nine games under their belt, including just three since Oct. 12, it’s hard to tell what kind of team the Islanders have. The next couple of weeks should give us a clearer indiction of this squad’s ability and more insight on its strengths and weaknesses. Starting tonight, the Isles play three games in five days and a total of 14 games in 30 days for the month of November, followed with 15 in December, their busiest month.
Some random thoughts while traveling in South Florida:
I saw two Florida Panthers jerseys in and around the Hollywood, Fla. area. Both guys were coming out of different liquor stores on differnet weekdays in broad daylight. Understandable. The Panthers are 4-7 and have scored just 27 goals.
We got lunch at this joint called Chicken Kitchen a few times. I’m totally on board with this place. They basically sell cut up grilled chicken (kind of like you’d get in a fajita or chicken taco) and a bunch of different sauces. The salsa is great. Some chicken and salsa over yellow rice and I was set.
As a Jet fan, I have an inherent dislike for Miami Dolphins fans (but I put that aside for my cousin, that s.o.b) but that may no longer be a problem. You see, even in the heart of Dolphin country, the Dol-Fans seem to be a dying breed. A group of us were getting lunch in a local sports bar and grill last Sunday. There were about 10 televisions in and around the bar. One was tuned to the Giants-Dolphins game. One. A few others were on bowling. You gotta be kidding me. I know the Dolphins are terrible (after all, the Jets beat them for their lone win) but come on. You can’t leave your team hanging like that. Still, I know the Dol-Fan will never be extinct. I have no doubt all the fans will come back the next time the Dolphins look good again. Sunshine fans in the Sunshine state.
Looking forward to Al Arbour Night this Saturday. Get a ticket and come honor big guy.
And lastly, Happy Halloween.
