I have a great job that I love 364 days of the year. But I hate being away from home on New Year’s Eve. When I got married in 1983, I promised my wife I never would be away on New Year’s Eve or Christmas. I broke that promise the very first year to my everlasting regret.
Thank goodness I’ve always been home for Christmas even though the Knicks played in Indianapolis one year when I was covering them. But this will be the fourth time that I’ve been away from my beautiful bride Lorraine on New Year’s Eve. The first time, I had to cover the Rose Bowl and some NFL playoff games on the West Coast. The past three times, the NHL schedule has taken me away.
I was in Buffalo on Dec. 31, 1992 when the Rangers gave up 10 goals to the Sabres, a terrible loss that led to the firing of Roger Nielsen after one more loss in Pittsburgh. Islanders TV announcer Howie Rose, who was the Rangers’ radio announcer at that time, recently reminisced with me about that shared memory. On Dec. 31, 2000, I was in Dallas to see the Rangers lose to the Stars in an uneventful game.
Now I have to be in Raleigh on Dec. 31, 2007. It’s a bummer, and it always seems terribly unfair to the visiting team. But the Islanders, who spent last New Year’s Eve in a Buffalo hotel waiting to play the next afternoon, are taking a professional attitude about it.
“It would be worse if we were like the NBA and played on Christmas,” defenseman Brendan Witt said. “We’re so busy with our schedules that this is just like another day.”
When Witt was with Washington, the Capitals usually played on New Year’s Day at home. “I didn’t have a huge party on New Year’s,” Witt said. “You just stayed up and watched the ball drop. That’s about it.”
Captain Bill Guerin echoed Witt’s sentiments about the importance of being home on Christmas. As it turns out, one of Guerin’s cherished memories came in the “Pucks and Tux” game in the old Memorial Auditorium at Buffalo. “Yeah, I had a hat trick in Buffalo on New Year’s Eve,” Guerin said. “That was my first NHL hat trick. I was a Devil.”
Of course, on New Year’s Eve, it’s incumbent upon the media to ask players and coaches if they are planning to make any New Year’s resolutions. FSNY’s Deb Kaufman asked Guerin if he had any vices he needs to correct. “Not that I want to correct,” Guerin said. “Can’t say I don’t have them, but I don’t know if I want to correct them that much.”
My sentiments exactly.
Happy New Year to all who have helped to make Islanders Beat blog such an enjoyable exercise for me with your contributions and your loyal readership. Let’s hope the Islanders provide as many great story lines in 2008 as they did last year.
ISLES FILES: Andy Hilbert moves up to third line center tonight in place of Mike Sillinger, who is nursing some aches and pains…Ben Walter is up from Bridgeport to center the fourth line with wingers Blake Comeau and Tim Jackman…Goaltender Rick DiPietro (sprained left knee) is expected to return against Florida Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum.
Comments (78)
I'll keep saying it. LET THE KIDS PLAY. I don't want to Hilbert on the 3rd line leave him on the 4th and let Walter play his minutes.
Where Tams? Why not bring him up, let him play night in and night out see if he can play in this league. He has all the tools to be a 1st or 2nd line wing in the NHL now he just needs the playing time. Lets go Isles
One other thing Tamby named AHL play of the week. http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=348258
Nuff said.
To Greg, and all of the regular and irregular posters...
Thanks for a great year's worth of Islander blogging. Let's hope the run to the playoffs is just as exciting and fun as it was last spring.
Best wishes everybody.
I wasn't so surprised to see Hilbert centering the third line. He's obviously on Nolan's good side and has even couple goals this month.
That being said, I expect the "fourth" line to receive more and more playing time if they are given a chance to shine. Walter showed some nice things in his last game and Comeau and Jackman have been flying.
Happy New Year everyone!
Holy smokes this power play is on fire.
Happy New Year to all you locals... Time to head out and celebrate!
Great game tonight! Nice present for a New Year if they will be able to finish it. Go Isles! Happy and Healthy New Year evrybody.
Hey waz up everybody!! Greetings from Sweden,and I´m not sober!
All this talk about playing the youngsters,they are gonna get the time they deserve.It´s the Nolan system that rules on the Island and that´s what´s gonna stick if you ask me.I´m behind him in every weather,and that´s what you all guys would be too.
Ok we all need to be critical to the system but this is what the owner has his hand on.
My name is Fredrik and I´m an Islander
Oh yeah have I wait for that!
Seems to be a nice win tonight by the way!
Who would have thought that at about the half way point of the season, on New Year's that this team would be 3 points out of the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference??? Ted Nolan is an excellent coach, what he has done with this team is incredible. I hope the Isles trade some of these older vets with expiring or close to expiring contracts for propects and draft picks. This franchise cant afford another Ryan Smyth debacle. Happy New Year to the Isles, thats for sure.
First off, I want to say that I live in LA now, but get back to Long Island for the holidays every year. I managed to get to the Leafs and Devils games, and all I can say is, wow... if I lived back here, I'd get season tix. What a great atmosphere - reminded me of the old days. When they renovate the barn, they better keep the feel of having the crowd right on top of the players - it's a HUGE advantage for us, and nobody else in the NHL has it anymore.
Second, everybody should go on the tsn.ca website and send those clowns an e-mail letting them know what imbeciles they are for dropping the Isles to TWENTY-EIGHTH in the power rankings released earlier today. 'nuff said.
I'm convinced that those power rankings are devised from how good the teams are on paper. Look at the NYR. 2pts ahead of us, 1-3 head to head, and look at the difference in those rankings. The Isles don't need those rankings... All we need are the rankings that determine the standings. Just keep playing like we have. What a turn around since simon has been gone. look at the record with and without him this year. I'm gonna freak if Teddy puts him back on the roster later this year.
Happy new year to all...especially after a huge win!!!! F Laviolette
Happy New Year Greg!!!
Happy New Year Greg & as well as everyone on this blog.
I am sure glad I have a DVR; got to catch the game after the ball dropped. It was worth staying up late for. I really am impressed with the way the defenseman have been involved in the offense, they are picking there spots well much the way they did earlier in the year. The puck movement on the powerplay was also very good and carried over from the Devils game. The Isles showed good discipline in the first two periods and never really relenquished the momentum they built up.
As a coach you can' teach confidence you can only hope your team achieves it. When the team plays with confidence they are so much more fluid and decisive with the puck. Bergeron for the first time this year built on the progress he made from the prior game. All year if he had a good game the following game he would BOMB out. Hopefully he can continue to solidify his role on the PP.
Good to hear DP will be back in the nets on Friday, I was happy with Dubies play the past two but he can't come close to the way DP handles the puck.
I'm looking forward to the Pens outdoor game today in Buffalo. I am curious to see how NBC covers the broadcast?
Happy New Year Greg & as well as everyone on this blog.
I am sure glad I have a DVR; got to catch the game after the ball dropped. It was worth staying up late for. I really am impressed with the way the defenseman have been involved in the offense, they are picking there spots well much the way they did earlier in the year. The puck movement on the powerplay was also very good and carried over from the Devils game. The Isles showed good discipline in the first two periods and never really relenquished the momentum they built up.
As a coach you can' teach confidence you can only hope your team achieves it. When the team plays with confidence they are so much more fluid and decisive with the puck. Bergeron for the first time this year built on the progress he made from the prior game. All year if he had a good game the following game he would BOMB out. Hopefully he can continue to solidify his role on the PP.
Good to hear DP will be back in the nets on Friday, I was happy with Dubies play the past two but he can't come close to the way DP handles the puck.
I'm looking forward to the Pens outdoor game today in Buffalo. I am curious to see how NBC covers the broadcast?
Happy New Year, one and all. Nice to see the speed back in MAB's shot, no hesitation or waving his stick in the air like a flag "here I am, block THIS!"
One other thing, I loved watching Guerin's Happy Gillmore slapshot from the slot.
Let's see how long these good times can roll!
The time to trade MAB is now. He's playing as well as can be expected, he has a few goals and his value is as high as it will get. If Garth can combine him along with one of our grinders, a mid range pick and perhaps a Satan I feel we'd get a first rate scorer from a Tampa.
Happy New Year Greg. Thank you for your great coverage....
Greg--and everyone else, Happy New Year.
Well, that was nice. How many of you were expecting us to blow that one or at least make it close? I guess MAB gets a special reward for staying at Doolan's after the Devils game and signing more autographs than anyone whoever attended the post-game show.
Has anyone noticed how much better our lineup is with Simon out? I hope Coach Ted can see that.
If we package up MAB, along with a grinder, Sillinger and Miro; we should be able to pry a young natural goal scorer from a troubled team like Tampa. Surely we realize a rebuilding is in progress and going full bore ahead with KO, Comeau, Tambellini and what we receive in return would make us younger and watching easier to digest.
sent to tsn regarding rankings
i think its comical how you have the rangers 5th in the power rankings but you have the islanders 28th. meanwhile the islanders are 2 points behind the rangers and the islanders have a game in hand. philly is currently ranked 6th with the same amount of points as isles. your rankings are now an official joke. how do you base the ranking by preseason predictions. your rankings are obviously not by current standings as the isles flyers and rangers are all very close. it also must not be how hot the team is because the isles have won 5 of last 6 meanwhile the rangers and flyers have gone 3-3 in their last 6 games. please explain to me as a sports journalist how you have come up with these rankings. either it was an error on your part or your team i dont know who it is (probably rangers or flyers) was smacked around by the islanders in the 80s. if thats the case get over it and start being a sports writer not a fan blogger.
Happy New Years Everyone....
Very impressive win last night. I think the team is playing with the same passion they did to start the season. They are crashing the net, sticking up for each other, and skating. I just do not understand the Jekle and hyde routine.
I 100% agree with Miggsey. If you ever wanted to trade MAB, do it NOW !!!
I love the passion the kids have brought to the team. They have pushed the regs to play harder also. I still want to keep balance though. Not time to fold tents.
The snow game today was AWESOME....Syd the Kid with the game winner in a shoot out. Some people are simply made for the big stage!
Lets all have a happy safe 08. and for Gods sake let's put an end to New England dominance in sports. I deserve better! :)
Happy New Year All!!!
Great article Greg ... and thanks for the times you interupted your comp time when news affecting the Isles was breaking.
I can semi-relate to your away for the holidays moments. I used to be a freelancer for CBS Sports and Fox Sports in the 90s. My first season was working in Dallas for an NFL game on Thanksgiving ... I got to have Thanksgiving with some good friends in broadcasting and Pat Summerall .. John Madden high tailed it after the game. That eventually changed to Fox Sports which gave me the opportunity to work on my first love .. Hockey!! I worked with the B crew my first season ... Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti (before he did Isles) ... I learned then ... that Sam really did believe everything that came out of his mouth. He used to talk down to Joe Micheletti. I wished Joe would pummel him sometimes. LOL!!
Thank god I got punched up to the A team with Doc Emrick and JD the next season. You could actually kick back with JD and have a beer with him... I recall one time a bunch of us were at the hotel bar watching an ESPN hockey game (Wings and Avs) on a Saturday night before our broadcast ... and JD joined us ... he is very different from the persona he displays as a politically correct color man with slants towards the Rangers. He was hoping for blood ... when Darren McCarty and Claude Lemieux came together a few times in the game. He was just like a regular hockey fan. Maybe he was trying to fit in with us since the crew was from all over the map? Who knows?
I miss working the games, getting to skate at various arenas the Saturday before games, sitting in the penalty box during all star game to hand fox's frozen glow puck to the refs, or kicking field goals on an NFL field, or sitting in the Yankee dugout as a "red hat" (the person who lets the umps know commercial break is over), or using the radar gun behind home plate so that the pitch can be clocked for TV, the crew meals at the press corps section, and of course the people I worked with ...
However, I don't miss the trips ... the connecting flights and the low pay, the runs to the store in strange neighborhoods for odd requests, the odd ball demands from some producers (inventing stats), red eye flights to get back to the NY area in time for my real TV job the next morning.
So Greg ... I know you have had to deal with that stuff over your career about 10,000 times more than I did. I was never allowed to do any Islander games though because of my obvious loyalty ... which to me is BS ... because half our crew ... including on air talent (JD on A-team, Sam Rosen B-team) were Ranger fans.... maybe that is why?
I still work on the holidays ... because TV doesn't take a timeout .. but at least I get to go home after work ... like today.
Happy New Year Greg ... hope you got home today to at least salvage some time with the fam.
Congratulations all Islanders with a very important win on New Year Eve. Congratulations Dubie!
I'm going to Calgary - Islanders game on January 11.
Happy New Year everyone from Western Canada!
GO ISLES GO!
Trying this again.
Happy New Years All!!!
I finished watching the 3rd period of last night's game on Tivo earlier.... MAB is looking really sharp. If you guys remember the success the Islanders had on the PP in the begining of the season was also due to the defense being an effective part of the Isles attack. That translated into wins.
I do think MAB is at his peak or approching his peak marketability. If we are going to move him ... it is probably now. I'm not waving throwing in the towel yet. We are only a few points from the division lead, but I'm not under any delusions that the Isles have a cup contender.
I'd like to see Tamby up to play with the first and second lines for a few games. He's tearing it up in the AHL. I know that doesn't always translate to NHL success ... but he needs sufficient ice time with the big club to be effective.
I agree with other posters ... Isles record without Simon is better. The Isles this season are 8W 4 L with Simon, and with Simon they are 12W 12L 2 OTL .. he had 1G 2A with 18 SOG in 26 games. I think it's time to put him on waivers when his suspension is over. If (when) he clears waivers ... have him go to the Bridge to work with the young Isles.
On today's Winter Classic in Buffalo ... Classic isn't the word ... I think the snow actually affected the speed of the game we are used to seeing. I think having that game in the snow with the interuptions and stoppages intrupted the flow. It was kinda cool to see them play in the snow storm though ... it brought back some memories.
Another 3 point game within the conference .... that annoys me.
My take on the NHL's / NHL broadcaster's (NBC and previous networks) lame attempts to market the NHL to potential hockey fans in my next post.
I really don't understand why when a guy.... like MAB is playing well... and contributing, playing solid two way hockey... and the team is winning, why would YOU (Miggsy et. al.) want to trade that guy.... ???? It makes no sense. Please don't tell me how another team will want him "because his marketability is at it's highest"... as if another team is suddenly going to forget that he was benched at least 10 games this year.... they aren't going to think that he is the second coming of Paul Coffey all of a sudden... and give up say Brad Richards or St. Louis or a "young" stud scorer.... for MAB, Satan and a "grinder".... PLEASE! Stop with the silly stuff and be realistic.
MAB, Freddy the IV, Witt, Comeau, Hilbert, Comrie, Guerin, Gervais, Campoli amongst all the others.... are the reason the Islanders are winning right now. Good team hockey, solid 60 minutes of effort, good defensive responsibility and timely scoring and goalie play. Leave it alone... let it play out. During probably the toughest part of the schedule so far this season... they have won without DiPietro, Martinek, Sillinger and Berard in the line-up.
Happy New Year!
DOC
Oh yeah.... and I especially don't want to forget Park and Bergenheim.... these guys have been excellent even if they don't score that often... they are one of the main reasons for the winning recently.... they just wear the other team down with their effort, checking, tenacity etc.
DOC
I agree with Doc...to a point. The team is playing well right now. The suspension of Simon was a blessing. For me, this is when the season really starts. If, around the deadline, we are in a position for no/low playoff spot, then I have no problem with becoming sellers. Especially Satan, Comrie, and others FA with any value should be dealt. Its business. If they like it so much with the Isles they can re-sign in the off season. I do agree with those that dont want the same thing that happened with Blake to happen again. But at this point I believe we need to see how the next few weeks develop.
I agree that there is no way to win the cup for this team. But it would be good for the fan base to make the playoffs and maybe win some games/series. I don't mean fan base like individuals who post here, but the ones who dont always go to games unless things are on the up and up. Their $$$ counts too...and after all...it is a business.
Well said Doc and Mass, I'm with you. (But keep the kids coming!!!).
I say another game with Dubie against the Pussycats.
Run your hot goalie.
Long read ... going to rant about NHL marketing.
NHL / American national broadcaster's futile attempts at marketing the NHL.
I myself ... belief most of the fault for the poor publicity / promotion of the NHL comes from within. I've seen gimicks and attempts to sell players to the masses.
Fox's Fox Trax puck? The dumbest and most insulting gimmicks a network tried. It was disrtacting from the play away from the puck, and treated new fans as if they couldn't follow a puck. ... I thought if anything the fox traxx puck would of been good for replays.... That said I thought them bringing their NFL "Fox Box" innovation to hockey was great ... (keeping the score / power play status on the screen for most of the game).
ABC ... plain and simple ... they skimped on the NHL. They brought nothing to the table.
NBC ... well ... they only have to split ad revenue with the NHL ... I have no idea what that is ... but them cutting away to a horse racing preview show from an OT game shows their commitment to the sport.
... and the NHL as a culprit themself. You have to assume that since they are the entity that communicates with the broadcasters that it's their responsibility that the broadcasters paint them in the light that they wish to be shown in.
One thing that I have noticed that really is the major disconnect with the American public is not just the sport itself ... with it's icey northern regional mystique ... but the players themself. Most players are Canadian ... yet the NHL attempts to sell itself to the American market which is dominated by having 24 NHL teams vs. only 6 in Canada.
The problem: Player marketing strategy.
Example: Sidney Crosby.
The NHL puts ALL it's eggs in the Sidney Crosby basket. What American kid or potential NEW adult fan can relate to him? He's a Canadian son playing a Canadian sport in a small market American town, that is dominated by the NFL's Steelers. So with hockey being #4 on the food chain of major league sports in cities with hockey teams ... what does that mean to the average sports fan? Nothing ... so that is what the NHL gets in return... nothing.
I'm not saying that the NHL shouldn't promote Sidney Crosby .. they should ... he's a great talent. However they should promote the other great talents in the league of each market. Can you imagine if all that the NFL promoted was Tom Brady? Sorry to bring up that name Steady ... or the NBA only focus on Allen Iverson? I never saw him play .. don't even know what team .. but I heard of him ... or MLB only A-Rod?
In it's recent history ... the NHL has attempted to build itself around the promotion of one single league representative... It used to be Gretzky ... and then Lemieux .... then Messier ... then Jagr ... now Crosby.
Gretzky ... was the last great ambassador to the game. He was press assessable and a nice guy. His trade to LA in 1988 really lofted the NHL to the bigger stage of major sports leagues ... However the NHL didn't take advantage of that fleeting attention ... the NHL didn't use that opportunity to promote its other stars.... Brett Hull was tearing it up ... hockey fans knew it ... casual fans = "Who is Brett Hull?" ... there were lots of great hockey players of that era .... Pat LaFontaine emerging at that time as one of the best American hockey players ever ... you had Lemieux chasing Gretzky's records already ... One of the problems ... Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal were powerful teams in the late 80s / early 90s ... snuffing out any excitement garnered by American fans.
Brian Leetch was emerging as a great American defenseman too ... but he was a NY star ... getting 2nd rate coverage in NY media ... the Knicks were the darlings before the Rangers won the cup in 94 ... and that was a short lived love affair for NY causual fans and the Rangers .... the Devils quickly snuffed out that excitement the next season.
How come the NHL doesn't work with teams to promote it's stars? Everyone should know who Rick DiPietro is ... he's an American Olympian and star goaltender of the NY Islanders ... he brings the fans to their feet many times a game.
Nationality alone doesn't help hype a player to fan connection. Look at us Islander fans ... we worship star players like Bossy, Trottier, Smith, Potvin, Nystrom and Gillies ... all Canadian .. but we adopted them.
No potential fan outside of the Pittsburgh metro area really cares about Crosby ... they want to know what star player is in their neighborhood that they can watch play ...
If a kid lives in the DC area .. he might look towards the Nationals for baseball ... the Wizards for basketball or the Redskins for football ... hockey is barely a thought ... however with a star like Ovechkin on the Caps ... the Caps should be able to grab some fan base in its market.... The NHL can't just build it's future fan base on a franchise player in Pittsburgh that barely came out of bankruptsy .... Crosby helped save that club.. he can't support the NHL by himself... Eurostars need to help step up and inject themself in the community the same way Latin American baseball players do in their baseball cities.
19 Isle in NJ
Nice rant, but it was only a rant.
Solutions, solutions, solutions.
Cuz if you don't have a solution, you're part of the problem.
Do I have a solution?
No. So I too, am part of the problem. Cuz it kills me that hockey does not have the "American" national popularity that it deserves.
I was once a huge NBA fan, my love died in the 80's when traveling violations and 3 second violations fell out of the rule book and zone defenses became vogue.
Nevertheless. the NBA became huge, TOO HUGE now. The beauty of a well played game became extinct thanks to the swarm of media based whitewashed attention reaped upon it. Since the 80's it's been my mantra that you can watch the last 5 minutes of any NBA game and get the whole story. Cuz nothing matters til then.
Yet hockey has had it's own mantra, started by Henny Youngman and perpetuated by the media, as well as the NHL.
"I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out".
And that mantra, or better yet PERCEPTION, has been a detriment to hockey. Granted the NHL has cleaned up it's GAME, substantially in that regard compared to recent decades but the perception continues to exist among many nono-hockey fans.
(Especially when visuals of Chris Simon are shown on national TV every 6 months or so). .
The NHL needs more "gimmicks" like today. That was a GREAT hockey game to watch today.
And there was absolutely NO BOXING.
More importantly than the game however, were the aerial views of SEVENTY THREE THOUSAND idiots in 19 degree weather sitting through an abnormally long 3+ hour game, and staying and screaming til the very end.
Games and especially SCENES like that, done again and again, week after week, will eventually catch the eye of the Nascar race fan in backwater Alabama and turn him/her into a hockey fan.
Which is what the NHL needs.
There is a survey right now on NHL.com asking which of 5 cities you would like to see another outdoor game played in next time. The survey was lacking in my opinion.
There was no selection F....i.e. ALL OF THE ABOVE.
My suggestion (partial solution or attempt at STARTING A WAVE). is next year starting on January 1 and running 7 consecutive Sundays is have a game like today played every Sunday.
The game is SO MUCH BETTER now, better than it has ever been, the NHL needs to find a way to show that to the rest of America. USE A GD GIMMICK and run with it!!!
And God Bless the fans in of Buffalo for doing what they did today and showing up like they did.
It was beautiful to see.
Just my opinion.
I was watching the Toronto-TB game on TSN and between periods Bobby Clarke of all people made a good point that the NHL should play it's All-Star game outdoors because the players could just go out there and have fun and you would have less of a chance of someone getting hurt because those games are usually no hitters anyway. I hope they got a decent TV rating for the game today.
505 ... Great Post ... yeah .. I did have some solutions in my "rant" LOL!!! I deleted most of them because I tried to shorten if if you can believe that... LOL!! I post some of my "firm solutions" ....
Also .. since the Michigan "Cold War" game I've been wanting an Islanders / Rangers outdoor game. In NY that will be "The Event"
The perception of hockey and regional limitations of availabilty at the grassroots level really limits the pentration of the hockey market. That is something hockey has been fighting forever.
I'd love an outdoor game for every team once a year ... Allstar game would be awesome ... I thought of that when the Canadiens and Oilers old timers did that prior to the Oiler / Canadien matchup. So Bobby Clarke nailed that one on the head.
HA!!!! This is ironic ... as I'm writing this .... at work ... Fox News Channel is doing a piece on yesterdays Sabre / Pen game .... Brian Kilmeade of Fox N Friends ... he's their sports guy ... He wraps up the pretty nice piece with this ... "the game was won in OT by Sidney Crosby ... for the uhh .. Buffalo team" ... ACK!!!!! That proves my point right there .... Brian is a sports guy ... he actually wrote a great book about participating in sports "Its how you play the game" He's a Long Islander too ... ACK!!!
If a sports guy can't get which team Sidney Crosby plays for right ... hockey is toast.
Later when I'm home ... I'll add my solutions 505 .... till then .. have an awesome day!!!
Go Isles. The team looks good and are back on track for that 8th playoff slot. Play Dubie until he gets cold and give DP a rest. He'll be needed on this road trip.
Happy New Year.
NHL Solutions:
1. Fire Bettman
2. Profit sharing
3. Fire Bettman
4. Make the game more entertaining... I went through my rule changes before.
5. Fire Bettman
6. 3 point games.
7. Fire Bettman
8. Get hockey back to Winnepeg and Quebec and out of the south. Put AHL teams there, and maybe play a few nuetral site games all over the country... but don't force hockey on the grits set.
9. Fire Bettman.
10. Market the damn sport better. Losing ESPN was huge... but spend money trying to sell the NHL Network. Grow some nuts and spend time and money promoting the sport. It's sad that NASCAR and Poker are watched more than hockey now.
... oh yeah... FIRE BETTMAN!!!!
man, that power play looked STRONG. Those crisp, forceful passes were a thing of BEAUTY.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Here are my suggestions for improving the NHL:
1. Market League Stars Not Named Crosby - Sidney Crosby, despite being a bit whiny, is far and away the most talented player in the league right now. However, he is the entire focal point of the league's marketing campaign. Even in the Versus commericals, every spot shows him, Eric Staal, Ovechkin, and RYAN MILLER (I have the most beef with MIller - I can off the top of my head list 7 goaltenders I'd rather have than Miller and I can't for the life of me figure out how he became the guy). The league needs to use ambassadors and use them well - I was livid at how the NHL Store opening was handled. I would've arranged for Guerin, DP, Jagr, Lundqvist, Elias, and Brodeur to ring the opening bell at the NYSE, and I would have COVERED the city with the NHL Street Team. I went to 3 different locations the web site claimed they'd be and they weren't at any of them. Regardless of non-traditional markets, which I think is a load of BS anyway, everyone in Miami should know who Olli Jokinen is, and Vinny Lecavalier should be so ubiquitous around the Tampa area that he gets recognized at 7-11.
2. Use These Individuals to Sell the Game - Hockey is the most team-oriented of the 3 major sports. Roberto Luongo would not make the playoffs backstopping a minor league team the way a superstar quarterback, scorer, pitcher, or hitter could carry teams in other leagues. This in and of itself makes it harder to market league stars, both mentality-wise and visibility-wise. That needs to stop. I love the We're All Islanders campaign, but they need to promote Rick DiPietro the way they haven't in the past. Ryan Smyth (let's not get into a debate on that) should have been heralded as a hero upon his arrival rather than playing in front of 12,000 at his opening because people don't understand. It's every team and player's responsibility to sell the game.
3. Use Outdoor Games Sparingly - They're an amazing experience, but overdoing the concept will render its effect meaningless. I like the idea of two outdoor games a year - one between marketable teams (maybe close Shea Stadium with Rangers/Islanders, since there's no way the Yankees would allow Yankee Stadium's last event to be a hockey game) and another in a very traditional setting like Buffalo or Canada. Sadly, the outdoor All-Star Game is a non-starter because it prevents the warm-weather teams from hosting the event. It would never pass the Board of Governors.
4. Smart Expansion and, if necessary, Relocation - Jim Balsille is dying to put another team in Canada, and he has immense financial resources. Jerry Bruckheimer wants to use his incredible resources to put a team in Vegas. Study the effects of these decisions and find a way to involve wealthy people who are passionate hockey fans.
5. A More Effective Lobbying Effort - This could be a chicken-vs-egg argument with fan interest, but the NHL needs to involve itself in local politics when a team needs assistance. Right now the NHL should be working with Nassau County to speed approval of the Coliseum renovations and the overall Lighthouse Project to secure the viability of the Islanders franchise. When Katz closes on the Oilers the league should work to speed the new arena process there, as well.
6. Promote Youth Hockey More Extensively - Hockey is cost-prohibitive to most people due to the extensive equipment requirements. As an ex-goaltender I can personally attest to that. The league should do more to partner with youth hockey organizations both in the US and Canada and overseas in poorer European nations. You never know where the next NHL star will be born.
7. CHARITY INVOLVEMENT - I'm amazed the NHL doesn't more extensively promote initiatives like Hockey Fights Cancer and other things. This should be a far more visible initiative to get the NHL name out there while also contributing to a good cause.
8. Board of Directors to Assist the Commissioner - I realize this is another layer of bureaucracy, but doesn't it amaze anyone else that there's such a disconnect between the league and rank-and-file "hockey people" about the future direction of our beautiful game? Get a "Competition Committee" together made up of a broad spectrum of people, rather than the current makeup, and give the group more power to select rule changes. In addition, mandate any new rules must be piloted in either the AHL or ECHL.
9. Invest Heavily in New Technologies - The NHL is almost a blank slate in many ways for technology. They already pioneered the internet TV services per team, and moving Center Ice online makes a world of sense. This isn't enough. All arenas should be fit with a series of state-of-the-art HD cameras to give people the full hockey experience HD provides. In addition, they should use the suggestion I had after the "optical illusion" game. There are so many disputed goals due to obstructions and weird bounces. RFID tags ringing the puck and the goal line solve this issue because the tag can activate a signal once it crosses the plane of the goal line. This could trigger the red light, thus eliminating the need for goal judges and reducing disputed calls to simple questions of when the whistle was blown. Might I suggest my consulting firm to head the project? Gary, call me!
I'm sure I have others but I've already written War and Peace here. Any thoughts on this?
Oh please don't say 8th seed. Finishing 8th in the east is a death sentence. Finish 7th and you have a chance against a two seed. Ottawa as of right now is clearly a cut above the rest of the east but after that things really even out.
Trade Bergeron when he finally starts doing what you expect of him?? Can't figure out that logic? Then who do you put in his place? A weakness on this team is the defensman on the powerplay, now that you have Bergeron doing what he is capable of doing you keep him. What would you do after you trade him? Don't say pop Berard in there and hope he suddenly can produce. Maybe he will end up doing so like Bergeron has...maybe. Also, like Doc said; do you really think another GM is suddenly going to forget that MAB was scratched for 20 something games.
Bob Costas, what a joke; I thought he would actually legitimize the NHL effort to market the game instead all he did was play Siskel & Ebert with Milbury of all people talking about the movie slapshot. How about talking about the game at hand or maybe talk about the strides (or lack of) the NHL has taken since the lockout?
When you have an established starting goaltender who is your best player you always put him back in when he is healthy and ready to go I don't care how hot a hand Dubie has. DP is the man and gives us the best shot at winning.
I like the speed Freddy Myer has shown and he moves the puck out of his zone real well. He needs to tighten things upa bit in his own end, but overall he has been a pleasant surprise. I would like to see Johnson get a shot at the point position when he returns from injury (if there is a spot).
This team is so much better when they score first.
Saint Nick: I agree with most of your points. I do have to say that from what I have read and heard the league is making strides in promoting youth hockey. I also think they are doing there part in terms of charity (not that you could ever do enough).
I agree 100% with you on marketing other players besides Crosby. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Another thing, figure out already what is the brand of the NHL? Everyone in the league is so uptight about the fighting, keep the game clean but let them fight. Eveything on TV now is loaded with violence. The UCF has become huge, that is way more brutal than an NHL fight, it's what people want to see. Hey if you can slice a dice a human being on CSI or anyone of the other dramas on TV, then nobody should be so outraged about two guys having a 30 second fistacuff in the NHL. Wasn't that a great game between the Isles & Devils the other night? That is the kind of hockey that I think most people like (only my opinion). I would'ny be surprised if the league made a point of saying to each team to keep it clean at all cost's (no fighting or cheap shots) during the Winter Classic game yesterday. But then again they made a point to air Mike Milbury going into the stands a beating a guy with his shoe.
On #9 - it does no good for anyone to have HD cmaeras in their arenas if the feed is not sent in HD. I get Center Ice, and nearly every game I watch is being broadcast and promoted in HD in the local market. And the feed I get is so bad, sometimes I don't even understand how I make it through the game (but I do). And Center Ice is an NHL product!!!!!!! If they can't even step up and make sure that all games available in HD are broadcast in HD, why would they take the route of putting the equipment in each arena?
From what I understand (and someone please correct me if I am wrong) this issue should be eliminated by 2010 as all TV will have to broadcast in HD at that point. But, the NHL is only shooting themselves in the foot because hockey in HD is by far the best way to capture the attention of anyone channel surfing, as well as the regular hockey fans.
CSI,
Meyer has been better this year than last, but he has to be at least number 7 on the depth chart at this point. I'm a little surprised, though, that he is playing in front of a guy like Spiller.
There was an opportunity to have 3 crease clearers (Witt, Sutton, Spiller) and three movers (Gervais, Campoli, MAB).
If Spiller showed any legit third pairing ability it might have even made Gervais expendable. He also replaces Simon as an enforcer when you play division games.
But the more moble defense has made the team more offensive without giving up too much on defense.
I don't think Meyer is the answer long term, but he has been good as a fill in. That's the same way I feel about Dubie. Hopefully with DP and Marty back the team doesn't stall.
Another plus, as I've noted in Talk Back, is that Sillinger and Simon are vying for the Wally Pipp award. Hilbert has filled in nicely, and Comeau is making the best of his opportunity. Silly obviously has intangible value to the team, but they are faster and more balanced without either of those guys.
THAT... is a very inconvenient truth!... not so much for Simon, but I'd hate to lose Silly after all he's done to help turn this team around.
I do not want to hear ONE WORD from you people when MAB goes back to playing like a^^ on the PP, giving up odd man rushes, bumbling the puck on the blue line, being out of position, and yelling at coaches.
The guy stinks ! He has one hell of a blast and it has been finding the net lately. Keep watching !!! He is going to kill us when we need him most.
Doc ~ Tough to take you seriously when you say keep MAB and Hilbert. Still think Dilbert will score 30 goals? Come on....
The Second Martinek is healthy he will again be our best player on Def. Please no one try and knock him. The team is winning right now b/c their style of play and energy. Don't be fooled folks. A few good games does not make a player change his stripes!
I will be rooting for every player to play well. I love the way we have been playing. I just know the worm will turn. We need DP and Martinek back in a HURRY !!!!
Also... about the 8th seed. I don't think they will have to worry about it. they are on the cusp of turnover. If it is a smooth transaction and things are clicking by the end of this month they will do absolutely NOTHING at the deadline except maybe pick up some depth. If the upward trend continues they should be in the thick of the division race and finish no lower than 6th. Heck they are 7-1 against the rangers and devils.
If things are not clicking you are going to see at least 3 "key" players (Satan, Comrie, Sillinger, Vasicek and/or Berard) GONE for draft picks and prospects... and no playoffs.
I want to see them make a surprising IMPROVEMENT over last year's finish... but I'll be okay if the other happens and they make strides to make the team better
Oh, sorry for the cameo but this is huge for me:
10. CONTINUITY OF RULES - I was an NHL fan long before I attended a hockey college, and the differences in the rules amazed me (no fighting, no-touch icings, stupid penalties like, I swear to God, "Intentionally Spraying the Goaltender (with snow)"). The NHL needs to partner with other professional and collegiate leagues to standardize the rules and ease transition into the big game. I realize this is not possible in many European leagues, but they should at worst look to standardize the North American game.
11. Table European Expansion (for now) - Local elite leagues are dominant in those markets and it could limit the amount of European stars who want to come to North America. A failed attempt at going global would kill the NHL and they need to be extremely careful about this.
D-Money, to your point, I agree. I don't own an HDTV right now, though I hope to buy one this year. My point is that as it becomes more standard the NHL should be on the cutting edge, since it benefits the most from the new technology.
Scary thing about our recent upward trend in play is what others have done at the same time.
Rags, Pitt, Caps, Philly, Jersey, FLA, Wash.....ALL PLAYING WELL !!!!
Let's hope we continue and they fade!
Steady,
You have to agree that if you look at all the pros and cons MAB has earned a spot over Berard and Meyer. Berard has been just as ineffective defensively and has not helped the PP.
Yes, MAB is still a liabilty, but he has TWICE revitalized the PP when playing well. Neither of the other two can say that.
So, unless you can put together a better defenseman in your Betty Crocker Easy Bake... he's the best we got.... right now.
The same goes for Hilbert. Thanks to Park and Hilbert you are looking at one of the better PK units in the league. Now that they are contributing offensively you want to put up a BEWARE OF DOG sign... well... even when we slapped "first base" on Hilbert, I never wanted to give up on the kid because you need those guys to keep the flow going. If he nets 10 this year... great.
If he winds up replacing Sillinger you just might see him have a break out year next year... Maybe he's just needed to be at center all this time. You just never know.
On another note, I totally agree that we need to let MAB work this out...if he can play consistently the way he has the last two games, the decisions on D get a little dicey night-in and night-out when Martinek and Johnson come back, but he provides the offense we need from the blueline on the PP, and has to stay in. Quite honestly, I am really bummed that Johnson got hurt, because it would be nice to see if he is steady enough to play night in and night out on the point.
I am totally struggling to get back into the grove at work after being off the last week and a half, so here’s a run down of the Isles plethora of D men – probably their best asset when it comes to trade possibilities - and my take on whether or not they can even be traded this year (starting from most to least likely):
Campoli: In my opinion, holds the most trade value. I’d hate to see him dealt but he may be one of the more coveted Isles d-men at/before the deadline, esp. given the cap-friendly contract extension he received this year. If the right offer comes around though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets shipped off (you’ve got to give to get right).
Gervais: Seems to be having some ups and downs, but I could see him going in a package deal for scoring help, especially if MAB/Johnson work out.
Meyer: Playing pretty well in his latest stint, could be a serviceable 4-6 dman if he continues to develop, or provides insurance from the press box if someone steps up and takes his spot (I see him going back their once Marti comes back). Could also be part of a package deal (although getting waived, claimed, and dumped again probably doesn’t make him terribly marketable).
Martinek: In my opinion, holds the 2nd most trade value, especially given his recently extended, cap-friendly contract. Only hold up: injuries and he is a very good d-man for the Isles.
MAB: Like I said before, let him play and see if he improves/stays the same/gets worse. Probably at the peak of his tradeability, but would hate to see it happen if he can contribute offensively, and actually continue to make some smart plays on D. If that happens, he skyrockets up my list in terms of tradeability, but trading him would mean losing one of our only true threats for the bomb from the blueline.
Berard: Likely expendable if MAB continues to play well, but probably not much in the way of a tradeable asset, given he couldn’t get a team to sign him, and barely made the Isles. Would probably be part of a deadline deal as a throw-in.
Johnson: Can’t say anything about his play contributing to his ability to be traded, but given he was signed in the offseason to help bolster the D, I don’t think he’d be moved before next season when the Isles have had a chance to evaluate him better.
Sutton: Not likely going anywhere given his improved play, physical presence, and recent signing
Witt: Not going anywhere.
Since Comeau's coming out party on the 21st against Pitt the Isles are 5-1, and have scored at least 3 in all the wins. they'll need to maintain a similar pace (.700) to fight for the divisinal lead,. but I think they can. Moving Park and adding Comeau has created better balance offensively. Maybe the best thing that could have happened to this team was Simon's self destruction.
How ironic is it that the team's tailspin last year started with the holleweg incident, and their revival may have started with the Rutuu incident.
This trip will be big for them. There are a lot of tough games ahead. But if they come out of january 5-7 games over .500 they will be right there at the end. If not... start looking at the TRANSACTIONS sections
MAB has hurt this team more than he has ever helped it. For every PP goal you can point out to me, I can show you a short handed goal he has given up! I can show you an odd man rush that was formed b/c he was out of position. I can show you him losing the puck at the blueline.
YES the PP has looked better. That is also b/c guys are in front of the net. B/c guys like Comrie are not giving away the puck. B/c guys are playing smarter!
Hilbert I like. I was just pointing out the guy has as much chance to score thirty goals in three combined years (let alone one) that Avery does of winning the Lady Bing.
He has a roll on this team. With Silly out, that role looks better b/c we do not have 4 of the same player now. My knock on Hilbert has always been we have guys like him already (Park, Sillinger, Bates.) With most of them out his roll is needed and he looks good.
D-Money, nice take on the D-Men.
I agree with JP on the MAB issue here. You noticed that, while I was decrying his play, I always focused more intensely on his inexplicable reluctance to hit one-timers and the apparent destruction of his confidence at the hands of Nolan. I can deal with his occasional, ahem, adventures at the blue line if he's giving us an offensive spark and adding another weapon to the PP. One thing I really loved about the Carolina game was Guerin's goal. He didn't suffer from Poti disease and completely stop shooting just because MAB had a hot hand. If we can help MAB become more defensively responsible and not rely on him too much on the PP he can be a very valuable weapon. Let's hope his confidence is back and we can keep this going. Otherwise, something has to give.
D,
Campoli is not going anywhere. He's cheap and he's defintiely the most improved Islander this year. If he played the other side he'd be on the first pair with Witt.
Gervais, may be in that value/replaceable category, if Johnson can go on the 3rd pair. But they'd need more size opposite him. Gervais may be pretty safe as well.
Berard's days are done when Johnson is healthy. Meyer and MAB have proven servicable and he knows he can still play. He might be a 3rd rounder if they find a taker.
Meyer is too cheap and is a soldier in the NE mafia... he'll keep getting opps when they are available. He's staying.
Martinek is the best bargain in the NHL. Yes, he is fragile, but when he plays, he's an important cog out there... He's not going anywhere.
As pointed out during training camp, I like the idea of carrying extra d-men, but if we are in a playoff position come the deadline and still need some scoring depth, I think the defense is our biggest asset considering what is available in the press box and at the Bridge on any given night.
So, you are telling me that if someone comes calling looking for Campoli in a deal for a proven scorer, he is untouchable? Like I said, I am not looking to ship Campoli, but I think he is our biggest asset trade-wise, and the Isles would be silly to squash any deal that involves his name.
Happy New Year to all, thanks Greg for an excellent year of reporting and blogging, and thanks to fellow posters on this blog for all the edifying and often hilarious conversation here.
Without responding to any of the very interesting posts above (which I have had time only to skim on a busy first day back to reality), I just want to mention something that will cause some heads to explode on this board. A number of us have expressed concern with the Islanders' seeming indifference to the difficulty that many fans have in getting to NVMC, especially for weeknight games (as reflected in atrocious weeknight attendance). (Note by contrast the outstanding attendance numbers over the holiday period when people did not have to get to work, e.g., 15,301 for the Wed., Dec. 26 game against the Leafs).
So today, I popped over to the Sound Tigers website to check a stat, and found this open letter to Bridge season ticket holders from the President of the Islanders:
Dear Sound Tigers Season Subscriber,
For the holidays, the New York Islanders would like to salute our most valued Sound Tigers fans.
What better way than to host a day at an Islanders game for our Sound Tigers subscribers?
And when we the Islanders say host, we mean it.
Not only will the Islanders provide complimentary game tickets for our Monday matinee when we host the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 18 at 2:00 pm, we will also arrange for a caravan of buses to take Sound Tigers fans from the Arena at Harbor Yard to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island.
Buses will depart Harbor Yard on Feb. 18 at 11:30 am and return from the Nassau Coliseum 30 minutes after the Islanders game.
To be a part of this fantastic event, please reserve your tickets by calling the Sound Tigers office at 203-334-GOAL by Monday, January 28. Please note each season subscriber will be issued the same number of Islanders tickets as in their Sound Tigers account.
The Islanders and Sound Tigers look forward to seeing you on Long Island on February 18.
Happy Holidays!
Howard Saffan
President
Can someone please explain to me why the Islanders can accommodate the fans of Bridgeport, Connecticut with a "caravan of buses," but not their own fans on Long Island and in New York City with buses from the Mineola and Merrick LIRR stations on weeknights?
D-$$$,
NO. I wouldn't g