Blogging about the New York Islanders, the NHL and everything else hockey
In the middle of a dreary Islanders season, we wanted to share some good Isles vibes on a hockeyless Monday. Doesn’t get much better than this moment from Dave Volek in 1993! Thanks to pens91 for this post on YouTube.
We’re just a few days away from the Blackhawks taking on the Red Wings at Wrigley Field. Man I’d love to be there. Wrigley is an amazing place to see a baseball game, I can just imagine how cool it would be to see some hockey there.
NHL.com has a cool time-lapse photography video showing the construction of the rink and other prep work.
I’m thinking the new Yankee Stadium would make a nice setting for an Islander game. Isles will need to become relevant again before that will happen.
Hey all, been pretty quiet around here just as camp opens and things should be picking up. Just a heads up that I’m getting my shoulder scoped tomorrow morning and will be in a sling (and a lot of pain I’m told) for about 2 weeks. Tom might stop on by and post in between work and changing Hank’s diapers, but no guarantees. Just wanted to let people know what’s up. Islanders Army will pick up the pace once my shoulder is better and the season’s underway. Hopefully I can make it to the opener.
If you’re looking for some stuff to read, check the Recommended Link over to the right. After the first couple of days in a vicodin/percocet haze, I should be able to at least keep that section fresh with new stuff.
Could the new RBK jerseys be on their way out…after only a month? Let’s hope so! A report from the Boston Herald says RBK is going to replace all the new jerseys at their expense due to player complaints. Thanks to Uni-Watch for the pointer.
According to sources in the B’s dressing room, Reebok has been unable to correct problems with the new jerseys introduced this season across the NHL and will replace them at the company’s expense with new uniforms made of the old materials.
Players have complained since training camp that the new jerseys, which are supposed to be lighter and allow sweat to evaporate out through the shirts, have instead trapped water inside and gotten heavier.
[Update] Uni-Watch got an official comment from the NHL regarding the jersey issue.
Update, 12:55pm: Just spoke with an NHL spokesperson, who told me that the Boston Herald report is incorrect. As it was explained to me, Reebok has informed each team that players who have “moisture issues” with the new jerseys (i.e., lots of water ending up in their gloves and/or skates) will be given the option to have the option to wear a jersey with a new front panel made of a different high-tech material. The spokesperson maintained that there was no league-wide move to scrap the new jerseys, nor was there any move back to “old materials.”
When I asked if the league had any sense of how many players were requesting this option, I was told to direct that question to Reebok. I’m still waiting to hear back from them.
Our favorite hockey rumor site has the dirt on our least favorite team. With $50+ million in salary and only 5 points in 8 games, things are a little tense at MSG.
1) Word from our sources within the Ranger organization have told FAUXRUMORS this morning that things are NOT going particularly well with in the team locker room. Apparently superstar Jaromir Jagr is not at all happy with the way the team is being coached and how the roster was/is constructed.
2) Evidently JJ does not like the direction the team seems to be moving. Specifically away from their European dominated roster of the recent past and more towards a North American dominated roster. One may recall how well Jagr performed the first year after the lockout when the team had a very heavily Euro-laden team with JJ as its center piece. Those were very happy days for the former cap/Penguin. However things began to change last season with the addition of Shanahan, and then escalated with the bringing in of Avery, then over the summer the additions of American free agents Scott Gomez and Chris Drury
Click over to Fauxrumors for the full story.
In a short but fun video where the nicknames were better than the actual fight, Battlin’ Billy Smith takes on Lanny “Moustache” McDonald.
Newsday Islanders’ beat writer Greg Logan wraps up 2006-07 in a long post on his “On The Islanders Beat” blog. It’s a long post covering Smyth, Blake, DP, Yashin and more. Check it out, a couple of excerpts are below.
RYAN SMYTH: You might have seen these comments previously on the Islanders’ web site, but I found it interesting when Smyth spoke about his contact with former greats Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier before leaving. In particular, Smyth recalled a passage from Wayne Gretzky’s book about the scene in the locker room area at Nassau Coliseum after the Isles swept Edmonton, 4-0, to win their last Stanley Cup in 1983.
“It’s pretty special, actually,” Smyth said. “I came from the west side, knowing all those Oilers, and now, getting to meet the other side. I still remember when Gretz wrote in his book the fact that, when he walked down this hall, they were on ice bags. They weren’t even celebrating when they beat [the Oilers]. They knew how hard it was to win and what it took to win. That’s the reflection you get when you see the other side of it and how they deal with everyday life. It’s a great opportunity to get to know them all.”
That history might be meaningless to many hockey free agents, but I think Smyth honestly appreciated it. Whether it’s enough to convince him to return, I don’t know. But Marc-Andre Bergeron, another former Oiler and a friend of Smyth’s seemed to like his experience on Long Island and to think Smyth did, too.
“It’s been great,” Bergeron said of his own time with the Isles. “Right from the get-go when I was traded here, I talked with Garth, and he made me feel really confident about coming down here. He made sure I was comfortable. The players and the staff made it easy to adjust. That’s the biggest part. They showed me confidence on the ice, and I took advantage…I’m closer to home [in Quebec]. I’ve got friends coming down here. I’m in New York, so, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Of course, Smyth’s heart is far away in Edmonton, where he grew up as a kid in Alberta rooting for the Oilers. But when I asked Bergeron how he thought Smyth liked the Island, he said: “I think he likes it. I know he likes it. So, it’s a matter of having a deal that will make him happy.”
JASON BLAKE: It would be surprising to me if Blake signs before July 1 when the free agent market opens. It’s in his best interest to see if there’s a team that will blow him away with a big-money offer. He is coming off a career season of 40 goals despite playing with a wide variety of linemates that went from Alexei Yashin to Viktor Kozlov to Randy Robitaille. He proved in the second half of the season that he wasn’t just a beneficiary of Yashin’s hot start. If anything, it might have been the other way around.
As much as the Islanders need Blake’s speed, he actually might fit in better elsewhere with a team that places more of a priority on speed. “Is there a better fit out there?” Blake asked. “I don’t know that. For me, I’ve been here for six years; I’ve made a home here, I’m comfortable here, I know everyone in the organization, I know Charles and Mike Milbury and now Garth’s the GM. We’ve done a lot to make it successful. Is there a better fit? I’ll never know that unless I do go somewhere else. I’ll be 34 at the start of next year, and I want to win. It’s not necessarily about money. It’s being happy, and I want to win. Hopefully, that’s here.”
Interestingly, Blake said he and Rick DiPietro both tried to sell Smyth on the advantages of Long Island.
FAQs: Q: What are the chances of 2006 No. 1 pick Kyle Okposo leaving the University of Minnesota after his freshman year to join the Isles?
A: “That decision could come by the summer,” Snow said. “It’s not a rush. We’re not putting any pressure on from the organizational side of things. It’s something Kyle and his family have to talk about. It’s a big change in lifestyle.”
Q: How much talent is left in the farm system after sending Robert Nilsson, Ryan O’Marra and this year’s No. 1 pick to Edmonton for Ryan Smyth and trading this year’s No. 2 pick to Washington for Richard Zednik?
A: In addition to Okposo, Snow mentioned several young players who played with the Isles and Bridgeport, including forwards Jeff Tambellini, Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau and defensemen Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais, who were a pair in the playoffs. He said the signing of University of New Hampshire star Trevor Smith, whom he likened to Trent Hunter but with better skating ability, was meant to offset the loss of Nilsson and O’Marra. Smith probably is a couple years away. Snow also mentioned that defenseman Dustin Kohn will be moving up from juniors, and he hopes to sign Sean Bergenheim, who spent last season playing in Sweden.
Q: When will defenseman Radek Martinek return from his fractured leg?
A: He is expected to be ready to go when training camp opens. Snow said Martinek will remain on Long Island during the offseason to undergo rehabilitation.
Q: How is Bergenheim’s knee injury that he suffered at the end of the season?
A: According to agent Marc Gandler, Bergenheim is perfectly healthy and will play with Finland in the world championships. As for signing with the Isles next season, Gandler said discussions haven’t begun, “but both sides are interested in getting a deal done.”
Q: Can Alexei Yashin restructure the remaining four years of his contract worth $26.45 million?
A: Restructuring a contract is NOT allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
Q: What is the procedure for a buyout?
A: If the Islanders want to buy out a contract, they must do it by June 30 or wait another year. The player then receives an amount equal to two-thirds of his contract spread equally over twice the remaining years. In Yashin’s case, he would receive a total of $17.63 million in annual installments of just over $2.2 million paid in monthly checks for a total of eight years.
I almost threw up my Easter ham when John Madden scored with .9 seconds left in the game to tie it, but the you-can’t-kill-us-Islanders are HEADED TO THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS thanks to another stellar performance by Wade Dubielewicz who stopped 2/3 attempts in the shootout. The Isles will head to Buffalo to take on the #1 ranked Sabres in Game 1 on Thursday night. Woo!
Sweet! From ESPN.com.
It’s not drunken driving in New Jersey if it involves a Zamboni.
A judge ruled the four-ton ice rink-grooming machines aren’t motor vehicles because they aren’t useable on highways and can’t carry passengers.
Zamboni operator John Peragallo had been charged with drunken driving in 2005 after a fellow employee at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown told police the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards.
Police said Peragallo’s blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent. A level of 0.08 is considered legally drunk in New Jersey.
Peragallo appealed, and Superior Court Judge Joseph Falcone on Monday overturned his license revocation and penalties.
The Islanders have fessed up to the worst kept secret in hockey these days…that goaltender Rick DiPietro suffered a concussion on March 13th when he collided with Montreal’s Steve Begin. What you might not know is that DP actually suffered two concussions, thanks to Rangers’ pest Sean Avery last Sunday.
The head injuries goaltender Rick DiPietro suffered March 13 in Montreal and again last Sunday in a home game against the Rangers were diagnosed as mild concussions, Islanders general manager Garth Snow now admits. But DiPietro’s condition is not considered career-threatening, and Snow maintains he was not rushed back into action prematurely after the first concussion.
DiPietro did not accompany the Islanders on their flight to Buffalo yesterday for tonight’s game at HSBC Arena because he still is suffering the classic symptoms of a concussion – headaches, diminished mental acuity and some nausea and dizziness. If those symptoms subside and DiPietro subsequently passes a neuro-psychological exam, he still could return to play some or all of the five regular-season games remaining after the Sabres match.
DiPietro wanted to return two games after the original concussion, at Florida, but the medical staff made him wait three more days until March 20 at Tampa Bay. Asked if that was premature, Snow said, “No. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion. His CT scan was fine, he had six days of rest, and he was monitored by the medical staff. He had no complaints leading up to the games.”
DiPietro played the next four games, going 2-0-2 with eight goals allowed on 122 shots. Then he was involved in a pileup in which Rangers forward Sean Avery landed on DiPietro’s head before several other players piled on. He also took a shot off the facemask. After that game, DiPietro complained of headaches and was held out Tuesday against the Devils.
The bottom line is that DP did not make the trip to Buffalo tonight, Mike Dunham will start in net again.
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