What about Bob?

I don't think I've ever seen this before. In any event, Islanders fans across this great land of ours are grateful for what happened.

(UPDATE: Not only does the always reliable commenter SEF have a recollection of something like this happening before, but even Stapler offers up a similar play from 1987. It involved former Islanders defenseman Gerald Diduck, who might have been the most talented, yet immature and ultimately disappointing pucksters ever to grace the Islanders' roster. Stapler throws a haymaker our way in his post, which is to be expected. To which we say - two words, my friend: Clark Gillies.)

One of the Final Score's dozen or so bloggers came up with a really good idea for a list today. Only one problem with Artie Stapler's list of the 10 best hockey brawlers in Islanders and Rangers history.

As you know, we love the sport of hockey around here. Always have, always will. And we agree with Stapler that fighting should be allowed.

But to not have Clark Gillies No. 1 on the list is a miscarriage of justice ... or something like that.

C'mon, Stapes. Did Gillies EVER lose a fight? Not that I can recall. And I covered a bunch of games in which the man destroyed his opponent with his fists. The Terry O'Reilly fights were as much a part of the 1980 run to the Islanders' first of four Stanley Cup championships as Mike Bossy's goals and Bryan Trottier's assists. Gillies was the heart and soul of that team.

Gary Howatt, who is No. 1 on Stapler's list, is just not the best fighter in New York hockey history. He was a gutsy little fellow, but he was only a fighter. Gillies was not only a great fighter, he was a great player. The guy is in the Hall of Fame.

Pound for pound, easily No. 1.

And that's my thought, from two time zones away.

(PS: You'll call me an old coot for this, but Reggie Fleming deserves mention, too. Just ask your man Fischler.)

Doesn't seem all that long ago when the leggy model and the Rangers' defenseman were the talk of the town.

Now Alt is suing Greshner, claiming he owes her $1 million over an investment they made back in the day.

Sigh.

It still seems like yesterday that Bill "The Big Whistle" Chadwick would refer to the former Ranger as "young Greschner" when he was Rangers' color man alongside classy Jim Gordon.

I did see Ms. Alt leaving the Garden after a Rangers' game I attended in February along with my buddy Dougie Fresh. She was still very tall, very thin and very attractive. She was with a young gentleman I did not recognize. I can assure you it was not Neil Best.

... btw, the blogs have been glacier-like today, probably due to the fact that the political blogs on the Tribune system we're still using have gummed up the works. Sorry for any inconvenience.

The former Rangers' forward, easily the biggest agitator in the NHL, is also one of the nuttiest athletes on the planet.

Rachel Nichols of ESPN did an exceptional piece on him on this week's E-60. We learned that Avery played with dolls as a kid, has a not-so-secret obsession with fashion, has been questioned about his sexual preference, and called NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the carpet for failing to adequately market his sport.

We agree wholeheartedly on his criticism of Bettman, who has driven the league into virtual oblivion over the years.

About the only people who talk about hockey outside the sport's inner circle are me, Best, Islander505 and Black N Gold.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the second most exciting opening to a season in New York sports, surpassed only by opening weekend of the NFL schedule for your Giants and Jets.

The puck drops tonight for the Islanders, Devils and Rangers (who actually dropped the puck in Prague a few days ago, which was admittedly weird). Isles at Devils as the Scott Gordon era begins for the Islanders and the Brent Sutter era continues for the Devils. And the Rangers host the Blackhawks after their Prague two-step over the Lightning.

I grew up with dreams of becoming a New York Ranger, with Rod Gilbert my idol - thus, my preference to wear No. 7 as a lad playing at the Ebersol Ice Rink in White Plains, N.Y.

I decided that the pursuit of a degree in English was more important than pursuing the NHL (partly because I loved reading and writing, but mostly because I sucked as a hockey player), but I did have the pleasure of mixing both areas when I covered the Islanders during their Stanley Cup years. Brent Sutter was a player back then, and Al Arbour was the coach, easily the most gentlemanly coach I'd ever have the pleasure of covering.

(I went from Arbour to Bill Parcells in 1985, so that was somewhat of a culture shock, to say the least.)

Nowadays, I find it difficult to remember the names of all these Islander coaches who seem to come and go with the speed of a Mike Bossy slapshot.

Enjoy the pucks.

Wings-Pens, Game 6 in the 'Burgh.

NBC.

8 p.m.

Can't wait.

The obvious hope here is that the Penguins win at home and create a dramatic Game 7. Kinda think Black N Gold feels the same way, but I could be wrong.

Feel free to use this as your impromptu message board.

Heading to Jets' mini-camp tomorrow. Expect to be bleary-eyed, especially if Game 6 is anything like Game 5.

What a game.

What a friggin' game.

Triple overtime in the Stanley Cup Final. Edge-of-your-seat hockey the whole way. And the Penguins make a series of it with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Red Wings in Game 5. Peter Sykora scores the game winner shortly before 1 a.m. eastern.

Staple, I'm still alive.

As all of you know from my constant whining, I've missed most of these playoffs because the NHL took my sport to Versus. But with a nationwide audience tuning in to a real television network (NBC), the Pens and Wings gave us hockey's finest.

Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you.

Look forward to more tomorrow night.

It might be only a matter of hours before B N G's beloved Penguins shake hands with the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Sorry, dude.

I thought your boys were ready.

I was wrong. Staple was right.

The good news is this: Sidney Crosby is a really, really, really good hockey player. And seeing as he can't drink legally in most states, it would seem he'll be around for a while and will soon win more Cups for the Steel City.

Got a chance to see a hockey game last night, because it was actually on a television network (NBC) that lots of people get.

In case you didn't know, I don't get Versus ... oh, never mind.

It was great to see Sydney Crosby and the Pens make a series of it last night. Let's hope for more of the same now that the country can actually see the goings-on.

Note to Sandy, Islander505, Black N Gold and anyone else who needs a makeshift chatroom to discuss hockey, feel free to comment below. Enjoy the banter.

I'm too lazy to find out whether Stapler put in writing that he thought the Red Wings would beat the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals, but I can attest to his verbal prediction, because that's what he told me before the series started.

I, of course, went with the Penguins, who are down 2-0 in the series that no one has really seen so far because Games 1 and 2 have been on Versus. In case you didn't know it, I don't have Versus, just like millions of other hockey fans in this great land of ours.

Thankfully, the nation will get to watch this series, because NBC is carrying the remaining games.

There's still a chance for the Pens, who now get two games at home. But Stapler's Wings are now the heavy favorites with a commanding lead.

Incidentally, Black N Gold tried to bury this in a comment, but the man who professes to be a huge Penguins fan actually BET AGAINST HIS TEAM in Game 1. B N G also claims to be a huge Steelers fans, but he BET AGAINST HIS TEAM in last year's playoffs, too.

Just thought you'd want to know.

:)