Tag Archive for 'al-arbour'
…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.
I don’t even know what else to say about Saturday night. It was quite an event…oh and there was a pretty good hockey game in there too. Tommy and I started Islanders Army a little over a year ago, and if you had told me I’d be bumping into Scotty Bowman and watching Al Arbour give a press conference in the locker room of the Coliseum, I would have had you committed or tested for drugs. Really, how could it possibly get any better than Saturday night? Chris Botta and the Isles’ PR/Marketing team have set the bar pretty high for “a press pass with training wheels“. The only way to top Saturday night probably involves spraying champagne and Lord Stanley. And so far this season, I’m liking our chances of seeing that happen better than a certain Caps blogger we all know and respect. Thanks again to the Isles’ staff for making this possible and letting the bloggers be a part of it.
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.
[10:00 1st Period] Halfway through the first period here on Al Arbour night, the Isles are picking up where the left off Thursday night, skating hard and taking the play to the Penguins. Isles outshooting the flightless waterfowls 7-2 so far but Team Crosby just picked up a pretty weak interference call on Gervais for the the game’s first powerplay.
[12:06 1st Period] Islanders-Killer Ryan Malone bangs in a rebound to put the Penguins up 1-0. Lame. Should have never been a powerplay in the first place. Malone had two hat-tricks (out of 16 total goals) vs. the Islanders last season.
[16:46 1st Period] Who’s reffing this game…Mario Lemieux? Witt decks Malkin at center ice, breaking up a head-man pass but gets called for interference. Isles kill that Penguins powerplay and with 36 seconds left, it looks like they’ll enter the first intermission down 1-0.
End of one, good crowd at the Coliseum but I’m not sure if it’s a sellout. Might get announced as one but I’d say there’s 15,000+ change here tonight. 300’s are pretty packed but I see sections of empty seasons in the 100/200’s. Al Arbour “1500″ banners are hung around the Coliseum and will probably be available on Ebay tomorrow morning. When the Isles announced this, Coach Arbour said he didn’t want a lot of pregame fanfare. The Isles respected that and kept it simple with Bill Torrey and Scotty Bowman dropping the ceremonial faceoff before the game. Isles are wearing their white jerseys tonight, which used to be the old home jerseys back in Arbour’s days. They’ve announced on the PA that there is a post-game ceremony to raise a new banner for Coach Arbour.
Immediately after the game, Arbour will be joined on the Coliseum ice by his wife Claire, the Arbour family, Ted Nolan, the 2007-08 Islanders and several of Al’s former players as the franchise raises a new banner commemorating his 1,500th game as the head coach of the Islanders.
[1:48 2nd Period] Pens score one off the inside crossbar but no one in charge sees it. Play continues for another minute and a half before there’s a whistle. Toronto calls on the Batphone and after the review the Isles are in a 2-0 hole. Pens have also taken the lead in shots 14-12. Penguins’ 2nd goal was scored by rookie Tyler Kennedy, his first career NHL goal.
[8:20 2nd Period] Isles picking up the pace and buzzing now. Hunter bangs in a rebound for his second goal in as many games, making it 2-1. Next shift his line is at it again as Marc-Andre Fluery makes a big save on a Sillinger one-timer and then a Hunter wrist shot.
[13:56 2nd Period] Wow. Things just got crazy here - Isles get a 4 on 1 rush, I think it went missed net-save-missed net. Terrible. The Pens come down on a rush and Crosby high sticks DiPietro under the mask. Refs call goalie interference at first, then DiPietro heads off ice to be attended to. The refs call DP back to the ice to see if he’s cut - he is, so they change it to a double-minor high stick. Crowd (and Jumbotron) starts the DP chant as he walks back up out to the rink, only to have him turn around and head back in the dressing room to be attended to. Probably needs a couple of stitches. Doobie’s in for now.
[18:59 2nd Period] Isles have plenty of chances on the four minute powerplay but can’t beat Fluery. Sid the Kid is now public enemy #1 around here, the home crowd is booing him everytime he touches the puck.
[End 2nd Period] End of two, Isles after a slow start outshoot the Pens 18-11 in the period as the teams exchange goals. Isles did a really cool thing between the 1st/2nd - they showed and introduced all of their 15+ year season ticket holders on the Jumbotron. The season ticket holders are in hallway outside the locker room. A very nice gesture for the most die-hard of the die-hards. Just now they showed Eddie Westfall on the Jumbotron, he’s here too.
[20:00 3rd Period] Start of the third…Doobie leads the troops out onto the ice. No sign of DiPietro.
[3:56 3rd Period] Doobie makes 2 huge saves on Malone standing on his doorstep.
[5:30 3rd Period] Sutton clears the puck out of the Islanders zone which somehow springs Vasicek on a bad angle breakaway. He pulls up, feeds it across to Satan who ties the game. Fluery got a piece of it, but not enough. 30 seconds later…Crosby rings one off the post behind Doobie. Whew!
[17:19 3rd Period] Shot from the point from Bergeron, save Fluery but he puts the rebound right onto Satan’s stick for the go-ahead goal. Less than 2 minutes away from Coach Arbour’s 740th win.
Not to skip past the Lightning tonight (and I certainly hope the Islanders don’t either), but NHL.com has a couple of good articles online about birthday boy Al Arbour and his return behind the bench of the Islanders this Saturday night. Al is 75 years old today.
The first article by Evan Weiner, is a look back at Arbour’s career and what his players thought of him.
Back in 1973, Islanders General Manager Bill Torrey persuaded Arbour to take the coaching reigns of a team that had just finished its first NHL season with a 12-60-6 record, which was good for 30 points and the worst record in the League.
The Islanders then drafted Denis Potvin with the top selection in the 1973 draft, and Arbour began the process of nurturing and growing his team, a team that eventually would win four straight Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983.
Arbour coached 1,499 regular-season Islanders games, but that number just didn’t look right to current Islanders coach Ted Nolan, and he decided to do something about it. Nolan felt Arbour should have a nice round number, like 1,500, so Arbour, who celebrates his 75th birthday Nov. 1, will sign a two-day contract on Nov. 2 and coach on Nov. 3 against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
Arbour coached 1,038 Islanders games between 1973 and 1986, when he retired; he returned, replacing Terry Simpson 27 games into the 1987-88 season, and finished up in 1994. His teams won 739 games, made 15 playoff appearances and won four Stanley Cups. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1996. Arbour also was a member of four Stanley Cup teams and was the last player to wear glasses during a game. It seems that Arbour could not get contact lens in his eyes, so he opted to wear glasses, which led to his nickname, “Radar.”
There is a question, though, surrounding Arbour’s return. Number 739, the number of wins in his Islanders career, is retired and hangs from the Nassau Coliseum rafters. Should the Islanders beat Pittsburgh Saturday night, will the team have to “unretire” the number 739 and replace it with 740?
Guess that question will have to be answered after Arbour Day is complete.
If Al wins on Saturday, he gets a new banner…it’s that simple. You can’t leave the 739 up there when the man has 740 wins.
The second article is by Dan Rosen and deals more with the current Al Arbour - what’s he been up to since leaving coaching and what it took to make Saturday night happen.
Al Arbour, who coached the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 1980s, will step behind the bench again this Saturday to coach his 1,500th NHL game.
Al Arbour’s routine has changed quite a bit in his golden years.
No longer does the Hall of Fame coach stay up late at night wondering about line combinations or defensive pairings. He isn’t concerned with starting Chico Resch or Billy Smith. He never has to worry about traffic on the Long Island Expressway.
These days, the former New York Islanders’ legendary coach watches a period, maybe a period and a half of hockey via Direct TV from his home in western Florida before his eyes close for the night.
“I haven’t coached a game in 15 years,” Arbour said. “I haven’t seen a game in person in three years.”
Come Saturday night, all of that changes.
So Arbour and his famous glasses will return Saturday night, but since he doesn’t watch all that much hockey anymore he’s spent the last week and a half getting himself acclimated with the Islanders and Penguins.
Nolan said they sent game notes and game films to Arbour at his home just outside of Sarasota, Fla. last week. Arbour is expected at Islanders practice Friday, and the morning skate on Saturday morning.
He’s still not sure what his duties will be on game night.
“If I’m in charge, they’re in trouble,” Arbour said.
Not so, according to Nolan, who plans to stand next to Arbour on the bench and utilize this incredible resource of hockey knowledge.
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.
No Ted Nolan hasn’t been fired, he’s just been staring at Al Arbour’s stats too long. Arbour retired after 1499 games and Coach Ted apparently likes nice, round numbers. He wants Arbour’s stats to read 1500 games. Arbour is going to rejoin the Islanders for one night only to get to the milestone. The NHL has approved the move, and the 75-year old Arbour has requested no additional fan-fare from the Islanders regarding the game. This game just became a “must get tickets” game for me.
Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour will return to Long Island to coach his 1,500th regular season game with the Islanders on Saturday, November 3 when the team hosts Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Nassau Coliseum at 7:00 pm. The legendary coach celebrates his 75th birthday on November 1.
Earlier this week Arbour accepted an invitation from Ted Nolan to run the team for one last game and reach the milestone of 1,500 games coached with the franchise he led to four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 - 1983. Arbour will sign a one-day contract on Friday, November 2 and lead the team the following night against the Penguins.
“This is an incredible gesture by Ted and the Islanders,” Arbour said this morning from his summer home in Ontario. “I am flattered that Ted thought of me and I wouldn’t miss this night for the world. I told the team that I do not want any pre-game fanfare. I’m there to coach the game and help Ted and my Islanders try to earn two points against a very tough team.”
Nolan explains why he extended the invitation to Arbour: “Every day last season I would walk by that big board outside our locker room at the Coliseum that lists the franchise’s award winners and milestones,” said Nolan. “And every day it would kill me when I’d see Coach Arbour made it to 1,499 games.
“I asked (GM) Garth Snow if we could bring Coach back for one more game and to ask the NHL office to recognize it. They did, Coach Arbour emphatically said he was on board and now I can’t wait. It’s going to be an amazing night, I can guarantee you that. To me, Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman are the two greatest coaches in NHL history.”
[UPDATE] The press release has been posted on NewYorkIslanders.com.
