Friday night, the Yanks don’t play until 10p, so how about the Islanders Army “Bag of Pucks” link dump makes an appearance this summer?
Since the season ends today, we figured why wait on handing out the hardware. So, without further ado, some of my thoughts on who did right by us Isles fans this season, with a top choice and a runner-up. I also refrained from picking any one player for two different awards. I love making up rules for myself. Murph, let us know what you think, too:
MVP - 1) Rick DiPietro 2) Brendan Witt
Ricky was the obvious choice here. On a team with very little firepower and a no-name defense, DiPietro stood on his head a ton of times to keep the Isles in the thick of things before going down with the injury. His play and Ted Nolan’s coaching were the primary reason the Isles had a shot at the playoffs for most of the season. For that reason, I almost picked Nolan as the runner-up but then I thought it was lame to pick a coach. Brendan Witt personified the team’s toughness and did a very good job manning the backline until, he too, went down with an injury (I sense a pattern here). Honorable mention goes to Mike Sillinger, Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, and Trent Hunter.
Hardest Worker, aka the Jason Blake Memorial Trophy - 1) Trent Hunter 2) Bill Guerin
Both of these guys leave everything on the ice every night. I know a lot of Islander fans are disappointed in Hunter’s lack of points (just 12 goals this year and 40 points), but the guy is one of the few Isles playing physical from end to end, each and every game. He’s also the type of player who would be lighting the lamp much more regularly if the Isles were fortunate to have a true sniper on the team. Guerin is exactly what we thought he’d be. The guy works hard. He’s a little older now and maybe a little slower but it’s hard to gauge when there is just so little offensive talent around him.
The Wow He’s Actually Pretty Good Award - 1) Richard Park 2) Dubie
Richard Park! I can’t tell you how many times I caught myself getting excited at something Park had accomplished and then saying to myself, “Hey, that Richard Park is pretty o.k.” Maybe not the most ringing endorsement in the world but in all honestly it can take some time to win me over and Park is slowly doing that. The guy made a host of big plays this season and was fairly consistent. He currently ranks seventh on the team in points and leads the Isles with three shorthanded goals. Maybe that’s what won me over right there. Love those shorthanded goals. Back-up goalie Wade Dubielewicz was more than solid spot-starting for DiPietro for much of the season before DP went down with the injury. Since then he’s gotten even more time between the pipes and he continues to keep the Isles in games. He’s shown that last season’s heroics wasn’t a fluke and proven he can play at this level.
The Dumbest Play of The Season Award - 1) Chris Simon
The Jarkko Ruutu play. Totally unacceptable. Simon played hard but every once in a while the guy just went off the deep end. The Ruutu play got him a 30-game ban and a ticket off of the Island. Simon won the same award last year when he hit Ryan Hollweg with his stick and was suspended for 25 games.
The Invisible Man Award - 1) Shawn Bates
Another winner without a runner-up. Bates, you know we fell in love with you in 2002 but, man, where’ve you been? For the second straight season, Bates was pretty-much a no-show. He played in just two games this season. Makes last year’s 48 seem Ironman-esque.
The Why I Can’t Wait For Next Season Award - 1) Kyle Okposo 2)Blake Comeau
The Young Guns have shown some signs of things to come in their limited action this season and should give all Islander fans some hope for the future. The Isles need to get some help from the outside if they want to take the next step, but it’s nice knowing the cupboard isn’t empty.
As always, we look to our readers to let us know where we screwed up.
So I was just cruising the NHL Auctions site for Islanders gear - some interesting stuff up there. At first I was scared when I saw Guerin and Comrie’s locker room nameplates for sale - does the auctions staff know something we don’t?? But there are a lot of locker room nameplates up there, including DP and I’m pretty sure he’s not going anywhere.
Need skates? I wish they told you what size they were - Comrie’s look barely used and $80 for Bauer XXX’s is dirt cheap.
You could get the “new RBK-style” Bossy jersey signed for $65, but I’d rather have the “classic” style for just $46.
Act fast…Ryan Smyth jerseys are almost all sold out. $99…yeah right. Maybe if you paid ME $99.
It appears all of the game-worn jerseys from the “Core of the Four” ceremony are available online. Here’s DP’s. Hey, wait a second…DP didn’t even play that night. Oops…false advertising!
Finally, the one thing that really caught my eye was the lineup card from Kyle Okposo’s debut, signed by both coaches. No bidders, bidding starts at $25.
Check all the Islanders auctions here.
Ladies and gentlemen, Kyle Okposo’s first National Hockey League goal…
A powerplay, game winning goal versus a future NHL Hall of Famer. Marrrrrr-ty! Marrrrr-ty! You Suck!!
After a 3-0 drubbing at the hand of the Montreal Canadiens last night and Islanders’ golf season just 3 weeks away, the Isles answered the only remaining question of the season with a press announcement. Kyle Okposo the Islanders 2006 first round draft pick, will make his NHL debut at home on Tuesday night vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Okposo, selected seventh overall by the Islanders in the 2006 NHL Draft, is considered one of the top prospects in hockey. After playing for Team USA at this year’s World Junior Championships, the 6-foot, 200-pound wing left the University of Minnesota and signed a three-year contract with the Islanders on January 11. He started his pro career in the Islanders organization by playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In 29 games with the Sound Tigers, Okposo had 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points. He had an assist in Bridgeport’s 4-2 over the Philadelphia Phantoms on Saturday night.
“It’s the right time to give Kyle the chance to show what he can do at the NHL level,” said Islanders general manager Garth Snow. “From the beginning we said that when it came to Kyle we would do what was best long-term for both him and our franchise. He has played well in Bridgeport and deserves a look. Our organization is very excited to see Kyle in an Islanders unifom, and I’m sure so are our fans.”
When run through Google Translator (using the new bullshit to english translator), Snow’s statement reads like this.
We looked at the schedule and realized there were still 5 home games left. 4 of which are not against the Rangers. He has played well in Bridgeport and we need to put some fannies in some seats for those games. Now is the right time for Kyle’s debut, even though the Soundtigers could really use him for the AHL playoff push. Besides, half the guys he’s been playing with in the AHL have been called up already.
In other somewhat Islanders related news, the NHL re-reviewed the tapes from the Chris Pronger skate stomping incident and decided that it warranted an 8 game suspension after all.
Duck’s GM Brian Burke was quick to point the finger at Richard Zednik’s scary skate injury, rather than the media/blog outcry of a double standard, or *gasp* repeated offender Chris Pronger.
“I think what’s happened here is there’s a lot of sensitivity to anything related to skates right now,” said Ducks general manager Brian Burke, a former NHL disciplinarian. “I would have to hope and believe that the NHL disregards any kind of outcry when they evaluate these kinds of things.
“I have a lot more confidence in Colin Campbell that he’s never going to respond to media pressure. I know I never did when I did that job.”
I was in VT again this past weekend, and now I’m sick as a dog. Did make it home in time for the Isles/Sens tilt. Wow. The Orange and Blue really it took it to them that night.
Here are a couple of links about Kyle Okposo’s AHL debut last Friday, and his first home game for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday. Wearing #12, Kyle had 2 assists in his debut Friday night in Binghamton, then gave the hometown Bridgeport fans plenty to cheer about with 1G and 2A on Saturday night. On Sunday, Bridgeport’s third game in three days, Okposo was held scoreless.
Okposo Net: Okposolypse Now
In what can only be described as the media event of year in southern Connecticut, Kyle Okposo made his home debut for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday night.
As promised, Okposo Net was at the Arena at Harbor Yard along with 4,523 paying customers to see if Kyle was and is the real deal. The verdict: a definitive yes.
On the Islanders Beat: Okposo’s Debut
The only time nerves seemed to affect Islanders prospect Kyle Okposo in his pro debut Friday night was when he first took the ice.
The 2006 first-round draft pick was the last Bridgeport Sound Tiger onto the rink in Binghamton and his first practice shot went about 10 feet wide to the left.
“I got a little nerves, but that’s to be expected,” Okposo said.
The Tiger Track: Okposo’s Debut a Success
Ever hear of this kid, Kyle Okposo?? If you haven’t, you did now. Last year’s first round draft pick made his home debut tonight and did not disappoint.
Kyle notched his first professional goal tonight and added two assists to his total. Two games…five points. How’s that for a start?
The media attention and presence in the Sound Tigers locker room was MUCH different tonight than it was any normal night. Mike Fornabaio, who usually runs the show, got to take it easy for a bit, as Newsday’s Mark Herrmann led the media blitz.
And some new Kyle videos on IslandersTV
Sound Tigers - Falcons Highlights
Watch Kyle Okposo’s first professional goal as the Sound Tigers defeat the Falcons 4 - 2.
Exclusive: One on One with Okposo
Sound Tigers radio play by play man Phil Giubileo talks one on one with Kyle Okposo after his first home game as a Sound Tiger.
Exclusive: Ryan Jankowski on Kyle Okposo
Islanders Assistant GM and Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Jankoski discusses Kyle’s first home game as a Sound Tiger.
With Team USA’s disappointing 4th place finish at the World Junior Championships over, what’s the plan for the newest Islander? Greg Logan on his On the Islanders Beat blog gives us the scoop on Kyle Okposo.
Just got the word from Islanders general manager Garth Snow. After helping Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the World Junior championships in Czech Republic, top Islanders prospect Kyle Okposo will join their Bridgeport farm club next week.
Okposo returns with Team USA on Sunday and will get four days off to recover from the tournament. He’s expected to practice with the Sound Tigers on Thursday, and he might play his first game Friday night in Binghamton. Fans living on Long Island might want to wait until the weekend when they can hop the Port Jeffferson-Bridgeport Ferry to see Okposo and the Sound Tigers against Springfield on Saturday night or against Binghamton on Sunday.
Okposo had 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points in the tournament.
I might be late coming to the party on this but I figured some of you folks might have missed it, too. A Dec. 20 article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune says Islander GM Garth Snow convinced top prospect Kyle Okposo to sign with the team by telling him his coach at the University of Minnesota, Don Lucia, wasn’t doing a good job.
“Quite frankly, we weren’t happy with the program there,” Snow told the paper. “They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that.”
“(Okposo) just wasn’t getting better — bottom line. And to me, that’s the frustrating part. We entrusted the coach there to turn him into a better hockey player, and it wasn’t happening.”
The Islanders on Dec. 28 signed Okposo to a three-year deal that could be worth as much as $2.55 million, depending on certain bonus provisions, according to published reports.
In response to Snow’s charges, Lucia told the Start Tribune “I believe our staff does an excellent job of developing our players on and off the ice.
Thanks to Paul Harris’s column at USA Today for pointing out the Star Tribune story.
Woah. Didn’t see this coming…Logan’s got the scoop that Kyle Okposo is about to turn pro. Guess he’s not going to the World Junior Championships after all.
Kyle Okposo, the top prospect in the Islanders’ system, has left the University of Minnesota and is in the process of negotiating a contract with the Isles, according to sources at the NHL and collegiate level. The Golden Gophers have called a news conference for 5 p.m. ET to announce Okposo’s decision.
The Islanders offered no comment about the situation and have not scheduled any formal announcement of a signing.
[Update] NewYorkIslanders.com is reporting the contract negotiations as well. They also mention that Kyle WILL be attending the World Junior Championships, and wouldn’t join the Isles (or Bridgeport) until after the new year.
The 6-1, 205-pound right wing will represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships before turning pro. That means a timetable of joining the Islanders organization as early as the first week in January.
Kyle Okposo and three other Islanders’ prospects will get a chance to shine at the World Junior Championships this year, beginning the day after Christmas. Joining Kyle on Team USA is Rhett Rakhshani, while Robin Figren and Stefan Ridderwall will represent Team Sweden.
Okposo will be looking to improve on last year’s WJC performance where he only had 1 assist in 7 games as Team USA took home the bronze medal.
For the second year in a row, Islanders 2006 first-round draft pick, Kyle Okposo will help lead a talented American squad at the 2008 World Junior Championship, taking place this year in Liberec and Pardubice, Czech Republic from December 26-January 5. Joining Okposo is Islanders 2006 fourth-round draft pick Rhett Rakhshani, who will be making his first appearance at the World Juniors.
“As expected by their good showing at the Islanders Prospects Camp this summer, Kyle and Rhett will be joining the US team at the World Juniors,” said assistant GM/Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Jankowski. “Kyle is going to provide good leadership on this team having played last year, while Rhett also has plenty of international experience having skated with the Under-18 Junior National Team. They’re going to provide a spark for the US offense at this year’s tournament.”
Also appearing in their first World Junior Championship are Swedish prospects forward Robin Figren – drafted by the Islanders in the third round in 2006 – and goaltender Stefan Ridderwall – selected in the seventh round.
