On the Islanders Beat

there is a report that mark gandler, sean bergenheim's agent, is threatening to move him to russia if he doesn't win his arbitration case. is there any truth to this and could you see the isles cutting ties with bergenheim if this is true? thanks.

Why do we have to talk about the Islanders on a live chat, when what we need is deeper coverage with more details from Newsday! This is the Idland.s team. I don't expect you to cover my sport as they do in Montreal, where I am from.But I am an Islander fan now 4 seasons a year! I want to hear Islander news every week. S'il vous plait!?

Do you think they Islanders will mKE THE PLAYOFFS with the current players?

"[Comment From Dan]
Greg how can you place Fredy Myer above Bruno on the depth chart?"

I am happy to see that Greg responded by referencing the Jason Spezza hit last year. That was the highlight of the season for me.
It effectively ended the season for the "greatest team ever assembled" (according to the Ottawa TV announcers).

As far as I am concerned....if Freddy Meyer spends the whole summer at Dubie's "Tim Horton's training camp" and shows up 60 pounds overweight.. He still makes the squad cuz of that hit last year.

19 ISLES I agree with some of your points but not all. If the GM is looking to showcase a player for a trade doesn't he have a right to tell the Coach to play him more?

If the GM is looking to judge what player he keeps on his NHL roster does he not have the right to tell the Coach that he wants to see player X on the PP. Or on the PK? or on the 1 st line?

It is the GM's job to judge what players he wants on his team, therefore he should have ample opportunity to see how they play in certain situations.

There is a big difference between a Cashman telling his manager when to make moves during a game and telling him to play player X because I may have a deal going for him.

Or the Giants GM telling Coughlin that a player will be activated Sunday because he wants to take a look at him in game situations.

19 Isles I am sure you understand the difference between this and "micro managing" even if some others cannot....Sir William

Oh I love it.....the back tracking...Too funny.

Guess I hit a nerve when I proved a certain "someone" wrong again. Next time maybe everyone will not give me a standing ovation and tell me "great post." I guess he gets jealous.

Then again my post was not meant to slap you around and make you look silly, it was intended to show just how off this mgmt of bobbleheads actually are....Amazing to me that people who call themselves fans take the side of the UNPROVEN GM instead of the coach that has the resume.

The one selling point Snow actaully has is Mr. Ted Nolan.....If Snow was smart he would use him in telling players they can come play for a very good coach.

If the Isles do not intend to keep Nolan, than Teddy can sense that....What that will translate to is more gossip around the fraternity of the NHL, and more bad vibes about coming to Long Island to play......If the Isles do not want Nolan long term than get rid of him TODAY !!!

No matter what sport, a mgr. with only one year left does not pan out....Give him an extension and show that Long Island has a plan and a strong commitment to it's people, or move along....All this uncertainty is ruining the franchise even more!

**If they are serious about the Bridgeport coach like Logan mentioned.....I will laugh my a^^ off....Just another person with zippo experience that WANGER can turn into his puppet! **

p.s Cashman would NEVER tell a mgr. to play someone if they have a deal pending...Sit him so he does not get hurt maybe. Or play Joba less to not over use him maybe....GM's and scouts are paid a lot of money and do a lot of homework to know a kids talent. Kids are "show cased" at the AAA level....Or when teams are eliminated.

As for the NFL....Come on....16 games a year....You think a GM is going to tell a head coach to play a player off the practice squad to see what he has ??? An NFL coach would LAUGH HIS A^^ OFF and hang up the phone....This is sports 101....

Now when the season is lost in pro sports....When games mean nothing anymore....Then by all means play the kids...That is what Nolan did....Until then the GM is to do HIS JOB !!!

No one here is backtracking. The GM is the boss. Period.

"A coach that has the resume." Yes, Bowman and Arbour are worried sick about a guy who coached one year and then not again for ten years. In his last two seasons he came in eigth and bowed right out of the playoffs and last year came in 13 th place.

Yes, that is some resume. Hall of Fame material, no doubt.

I see that no one answered my question whether a coach would refuse Lou Lamierillo's order to play a certain player.

Detroit and NJ have been the most successful franchises over the last decade. What do they have in common? A strong GM. Coaches came and went and still the team managed to win the Cup.

Snow is building his team based on his vision. I love what he did in the draft. I like the two signings he made so far. He is absolutely growing into the job and he needs time to see how his vision unfolds.

"No matter what sport, a mgr. with only one year left does not pan out...."

Didn't Mike Babcock coach the entire season in Detroit on the last year of his contract. How did that work out?......Sir William

'GM's and scouts are paid a lot of money and do a lot of homework to know a kids talent. Kids are "show cased" at the AAA level....Or when teams are eliminated."

Sure, that's why you see never NHL scouts and GM's at NHL games. In fact, bloggers and reporters never indicate how many scouts or GM's were in attendence at NHL games. That's why there are never any rumors about player movements. Let's say if Kevin Lowe attended a couple of Toronto games in a row, none of the Toronto papers would even mention it. ...Sir William

Showcasing a player is different than a pending deal. By showcasing you are attempting to attract interest in that player by putting him on stage for the world to see what he can do. In effect showing off his talent.

Having a player you are attempting to draw interest in sitiing on the bench is not fruitful. Unless of course, the scouts are there to see how far he can spit sunflower seeds, how big a bubble he can blow or how far he can spit tobacco juice......Sir William

NHL scouts and GM's are at games to see their product and of course to evaluate palyers....They are not their to COACH !! They are their for possible trades and what not, but that is also what scouts are for.......

You think Tambelini and company was there to "show case their talents for the world to see?" MY God did you drink that much Kool-aide ??? GM's and Scouts go to Bridgeport to see that....Those kids were brought up to see if they can make the ISLES and that is it. They were brought up to get experience....They were used at the right time....After the injuries and Isles record were TOAST !!!

The fact you compared or even used SNOWS name with the like of the Devils and Detroits GM is comical.

No one ever said Nolan was H.O.F material but he has won rings at the lower level and has won coach of theyear honors....Your boy Snow was a crappy NHL back up goalie and in his first order of business has his own salary as a goalie go against his salary cap...Bwahahah

Notice how you still have not brought up the NFL analogy you gave...That one was your crown jewel......"Hey Mr. Mangini"...."Yes" "It's Billy your GM" "Yes Billy?" "Ummmmm ....I want to try and trade a kid off your practice squad...Can you pelase play him on Sunday against the Pats and throw him a few dwn and outs to show what he has?" "hello ???" "Hello?" "Uhhh Mr. Mangini are you there" .......DIAL TONE !!!

As for the last year of a mgr. contract....Funny how everyone in the sports world has a name for that LAME DUCK MANAGER.

The post at 17:35 was not me Einstein!

Enough with the English language blah blah blah comments...You and your obnoxious posts are just that....YOU LOST this arguement...I made you look silly....You are mad and jealous b/c 505 and 19Isles applauded my post....Rather than simply saying you had a different opinon and moving on, you pouted like you always do. You are a baby.

It must kill you I am the one who gave you the nickname SIR WILLIAM....Without me you are simply billy that everyone ignored!

Not only is steady right on this one, but if he was going to tell someone to "bite me," I am pretty sure he would just write BITE ME and use highlights/capital letters/sirens/flashing letters. lol

The trolls are back...Good thing....I am done anyway...The ignore button and blah blah blah button has been refreshed.

17:57 was not me..

ORIFICE, What 19 Isles and 505 think are their business. They certainly don't need you to defend them. They are big boys and can have their own opinions. And I respect theirs.

So let me call you out here, ORIFICE.
You do nothing but complain and whine.
Let's hear your plan.
And not just generalizations, be specific. Name names. List players that you think would come here and improve the club.
Let's hear the ORIFICE plan for the Cup. Name your new GM.
Who's your new owner?

I think Snow has done a very good job this off season. He has restocked and added two players who filled a void.

You always shooting off your mouth, so now back it up. Name your solution. Let's hear something constructive and realistic from
you. No trades like Malkin for Hilbert and the rights to Steve Webb. This is your chance to put up or shut up.

Yes, you gave me the name Sir William. I returned the favor and dubbed you the ORIFICE.

ORIFICE def. A hole from whence hot air blows.

Your bluff has been called .........Sir William

Wow...Name calling ... I really did strike a nerve....So great!

I will not resort to name calling like you. Funny how you always preach to not name call huh ?? What's a matter Billy Jealous ? Mad that no one took your side ? Wahhhhhhh wahhhhhhhh

You are not worth my time. You fight with EVERYONE!!

I proved you WRONG....I won ! You lose !

Enjoy your evening billy! Consider yourself ignored the same way before I named you !!

p.s Oracle was given to me by all the people you write to 50 times a day. Because I HAVE given names, predictions, trades, and other respectable input....You are simply ignored...bill ! Orifice is a negative word given to me by an obnoxious jealous fool that use to be a meter maid...It will nto stick and I will not use...Why don't you go back to bill ???

p.s.s You have given names that have been completely WRONG. Predictions that have been completely WRONG!

I on the other hand started the idea of McCabe LAST year....I have said we need a PP QB other than MAB ... LAST YEAR....I said we should get younger and not have done the Smyth trade TWO YEARS AGO....I have said get names like Cooke, Laraque, McCabe, etc. etc....... As for GM's, I could name a few but they are above your head....Owners, I can name some people in my circles , but they are above your head!

Stick to being obnoxious and proof reading your posts....You lose!

GM: Neil Smith. Oh wait cannot get him.

Advisor to Wang: Pat LaFontaine. Oh wait cannot get him.

Not that anyone asked... but the pissing match between Steady and Sir William is an easy one to decide.

Sir William by TKO!

His arguments are well thought out and give valid examples. ie Babcock in Detroit as a "lame duck coach"... listing Nolans obvious HOF credentials... i mean his lack of HOF credentials...

In addition, Snow was not a "crappy" back up goalie as Steady suggests. He was not Billy Smith or Grant Fuhr either... but he was a respected, hard nosed, controversial competitor that played his tail off despite not being a #1 goalie.

And No... Sir W. was not mentioning Snow in the same sentence with Bowman and Lamoriello so as to compare and insunuate that they are somehow on equal grounds as GM's... but more to illustrate that when you have a GM that has control of his vision/plan for the team, he then can carry out that plan despite having to maybe make a coaching change or two or three along the way in order to best fit the coach with his assembled talent.

I have spoken.

DOC

Thanks for your input Doc. I will send you a check and bring the KY Jelly soon !

Come on now doc. you never agree with steady and you always side with sir william. No matter which of them you agree with, steady won easy. He caused sir william to get off his game and use insults. Steady took the high road and stayed himself. Steady was very funny with his Mangini skit, and proved him completely wrong about his gm scenerios.

How can you rip nolan for not having HOF credentials, yet praise snow for being a better than decent goalie. Doc you make no sense and are showing your hatred.

Personally I couldn't give two poops who is right and who is wrong. Keep up the banter, but for pete's sake there's no need for such puerile insults... unless they're trolls.

When Nolan has the Isles in second in the East after the trade deadline and Tamby's notched 34 goals, DP hasn't missed a start -what with the stellar play of Danis (up due to Joey Mac's injury), then Snow is going to look like a wise young sage, and Teddy locks up the 15 year contract extension.

Of course, if DP goes down with another injury after trying to throw a hip check on Asham after being caught out past the blue line, Weight, Guerin and Comrie are all diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Snow's caught in bed with Ted's wife then I guess the team's headed down the crapper. Either way, I can't wait. LET'S GO ISLES!

How is that hatred....?

I agreed that Nolan doesn't have HOF credentials and stated that i thought that Snow was better than a crappy back up goalie. There's no hatred....

I like them both

DOC

PS: Can Steady please stop referring to the management as "BOBBLEHEADS"

What are we.... 12? Great so you came up with a witty name/insult for the front office. You're calling out a self made billionaire and a pro athlete that has a masters degree and is running a pro franchise before his 40th birthday.

It's like the comedian that tells the same joke everynight on TV, like Jay Leno does... it's just not funny anymore.

Brilliantly done Bri....

Especially the use of "puerile".
That goes in my book with Nick's 'diaspora".
(Which simply means I reserve the right to use the word in a future comment....Hmm...."puerile" and "diaspora" in the same sentence?...that will take some effort).

I love this blog.

All I will say is Comrie is more likely to come down mono before he gets Alzheimers.

Sir William and Steady.
A battle of the heavyweights.....
Who says the offseason is boring in the NHL?

Again, Doc showing his hatred toward steady. proving my point. Your opinion is not needed here Doc. You are a follower not a leader. The bobblehead line is hysterical and is his trade mark. Kind of like you signing your name Doc even though you write like a twelve year old.

Damn... I ask on the last thread why the GM would tell a coach who to play....and we end up with this? Wow... gotta take it easy bro.... there's not too many of us hard core isles fans... gotta stick together. How many out of towners have heard "I've never met an Islanders fan before" all the time... And I'm just in Pa... I could imagine what goes on down south up north and 2 time zones away ;-)

Damn its still July... whats next with the isles.. the schedule coming out? damn... in the words of a great band "wake me up when september ends"

ORIFICE, Just as I suspected. You have nothing to offer. The Smyth trade was two years ago. McCabe would be a welcome addition, but Snow is holding his cards close to the vest as he should, certainly not because of you. You offer Laraque and Cooke after both have signed with other teams. A bit late, I think.

So like any dime a dozen critic, you can only disparage what Snow has done and have nothing to add about improving the team.

Snow is growing into the job. I applaud what he has tried to accomplish. Finally we have a GM with a plan to build through a mixture of youth and a sprinkle of vets.

You, ORIFICE had you bluff called and had zippo.

Are you still dancing around you computer screaming that I WON!I WON! I WON! I WON! I WON! like a spoiled child?

As they say in Texas, you ORIFICE are all hat and no cattle.....Sir William

Bear? is your other identity really named Steady?

I'm just offering an opinion. Not hating anyone... I just don't think that calling the front office of accomplished men and women BOBBLEHEADS is that funny. (ok, maybe the first time I read it, it was funny) But really... is it still funny a thousand times later?

Besides, my opinions are just that. An opinion based on my expectations and wishes for my team. Rational, well thought out opinions. Not name calling and bashing of those in charge.

My opinions may be wrong in your eyes... or in many other peoples eyes. I don't think that I hold the answer to things that I don't have all the information to. Just like draft day. Who knows what information they have on some of these guys. Who isn't mentally tough and wouldn't be a good fit in a big city? Who has an agreement/contract to finish in Russia before being eligible to come to the USA? Who has told insiders that they won't play for the Islanders if they are drafted by them.... ?

You're allowed to disagree with management... but obviously there are people that agree with the current management and their decisions. Who's right and who's wrong? Do you really think that Snow wants to lose? That Wang (NOT WANGER as steady likes to call him) wants to lose...? That's crazy!

Last year in pre-season I thought that Hilbert would score 25 goals... figuring that there was no way he could possibly average 2 cross bars, 1 post and 3 empty net misses per game just like he did 2 years ago. But I was wrong. Doesn't mean I am any less a fan or have less knowledge. In fact, i've been watching the Islanders and listening on the radio since 1975. I haven't missed more than 2 or 3 games a season since then. So think what you want. This is an opinion blog... not an insult opportunity despite what you and others might think.

And one last thing... so Steadys' trademark is that he's known as the guy that calls the Islanders front office BOBBLEHEADS. WOW! FANTASTIC. And you're the guy that thinks that he's great because he's the guy that calls the Islanders front office BOBBLEHEADS. Even better. And doc just happens to be my initials. I thought that's what people do when they write a letter or a note... they sign off on it so that people know who it came from.

DOC

BEAR " The bobblehead line is hysterical."

Simple things for simple minds.

THEMASS Your question was a sound one. The GM has every right to tell the coach who to play. I am quite sure the GM doesn't pick names out of a hat. If he tells the coach to play a certain player it is because he has a reason for doing so. There are people here who feel that the GM has no right to do that. That's their opinion and they are welcome to it.

The coach is an employee. The GM is his employer.
Defy your employer and see what happens.
Just because a coach is hired to run the bench doesn't make him
sacrosanct (like that one, 505?).

Queery me this, if Nolan tells Gallant to play Gervais on the PP does Gallant get to say no? Does he instead put Witt out there and get away with it?

There is a chain of command for good reason.....Sir William

LOL....You guys are killing me....Let Doc have his opinion...I like the "bobblehead" line and think it is pretty funny. No one said you have to read my posts nor agree with them. I certainly rarely read your posts. So I guess we are even. Life is short it is just a silly blog amongst strangers sharing opinions....Relax!

We will see how things turn out. But since I am ususally correct and have the vision, I can tell you with complete certainty that Nolan will be fired by Snow and Wanger. :):)

As for Snows "plan" and "vision" ...... Ummmm doesn't every GM have a plan and a vision. I hope so. I mean in the interview process he must of presented that plan and vision, as every single GM in sports does before they get hired. My problem with Snow is he keeps changing his plan and vision from year to year.

I am a Nolan guy and will not apologize for that. Snow has proved nothing except me right in what he does. I said he would trade the pick ..He did.....I said he would not get a big name in F.A ....He didn't.....I say he will fire Nolan and make him a scapegoat....HE WILL !!!

And we will be worse off for it !

p.s Bobbleheads has nothing to do with degrees or how fat someone's wallet is....It is in referance to a boardroom where they all just bobble their heads in agreement to a man that does not know the location of the blueline....OR a blogger that just bobbles his head in agreement to get back at me !! :) :) Rock ON !!

Time to move on Sir Willy....Enough with the name calling, you are embarassing yourself. I said McCabe long before any of you mentioned it last pre-season. I mentioned LaRaque and Cooke long before they were signed....GO BACK AND LOOK ! I think 505 and others can back me up on that.

As for GM's well why not Dubie or Melanson or Chico or Dunham or anyone with the same credntials as Snow.....As for owner, how about Steve Jobs or any other computer geek with the same credentials as Wanger ????

Please just ignore me. I will do the same. It shall be easy. You and Doc and Hilberts 30 goals b/c no one else hits the post can talk to each other. As you say...Great minds thinks a like !!

Queery me this:

If the GM is the "boss" than why did Wang hire the coach before the GM?

I mean shouldn't a GM and all his power hire his guy?

Omar Minaya hired and fired his guy? Why can't Snow? Is it b/c he is a puppet or is it b/c Wang is lost? Please advise?

COD Snow is not the first GM to inherit a coach. All through sports history there have been GM's who were brought in when there was already a coach in place.

Did it occur to you that perhaps Snow doesn't want to fire Nolan?
Maybe he want to see how he does with this roster.
And maybe it would occur to you that Wang is Snow's boss.
And the boss has the final say.

How did that guy Steinbrenner do all those years with the Yankees. Did he fire and hire coaches? Did he often tell the GM or manager what to do? And how many championships did they win?

It's amazing how these people can't seem to realize that the man who signs the check ultimately calls the shots.

As for you, ORIFICE. How many former players are now GM's?

What's Brett Hull's experience in Dallas?

Does Chico, Dunham or Melanson hold a business degree?

Would it have been better if Snow had interned under a more experienced GM for a coule of years? Of course it would, but it didn't shake out that way. Snow is learing and appears to be a quick study.
He got burned by the Smyth trade, but notice he didn't trade assets when he could not lock up Huselieus long term. He learned from his mistake.

And people were killing him here on draft Friday. The next day they were signing his praises.
Some hated the Weight signing. And then predicted that Weight would score more points than Comrie did last year. Go figure.

So ORIFICE, when you have something constructive to add or have facts to back up your claims then do so. If you just want to tear down the organization and pretend that you know more than they do, save your hot air. With the price of heating oil, your going to need it in Boston.............Sir William

The bottom line to Nolan is this:

He's in his final year of his contract. He needs to make himself look good to the rest of the NHL by doing what he needs to do with the Islanders, and that's coach the heck out of this team to their fullest potential.

If he does that, and the Islanders management feels that they should move in another direction, then at least he made an effort, and should be considered for other coaching positions.

If he does not coach to his fullest because of disagreements with Snow, and he's fired as Steady already has predicted during this season, he'll have trouble getting another job coaching in this league again.

This is all up to Nolan. If he coaches his heart out, he'll be a consideration to coach again if not with the Islanders.

Don't coach......he's finished

Who missed me? I've missed all of you.

Regarding Nolan and his coaching prowess, I think Nolan deserves to be in this lame duck saga. He plays favorites and is reluctant to adapt when things aren't going well for the Isles. Blame what you will on injuries, Nolan will get this season to prove whether he can actually coach or whether he's very opportune.

Regarding the Streit signing, it was nice to see someone look beyond the luxuriousness of the arena when choosing a team.

Regarding Weight, this signing needed to be made in order to keep this team competitive.

I think the D should be one of the top groups in the Eastern Conference. Again, the issue will be goal scoring. Can Comeau, Okposo, and Tambellini each chip in 20+ goals? Add that to 20 each from Guerin and Comrie and we're looking better up front already.

There's no one left for the Isles to sign, so it looks like this team will be given a chance to prove itself as is. Do we really want McCabe? Witt/Martinek/Campoli/Streit/Sutton/Meyer/Gervais make up our top-7, so I don't see where McCabe would fit in here. And I was a huge proponent of acquiring McCabe all of last season. But with the addition of Streit (a 60 pt scorer last season), there's just no need for McCabe anymore.

Holy Bar Room Brawl Batman!!!!

I've read all the posts since yesterday moring ... and although I know exactly what sparked the verbal "pissing match" ... I'm not even going to throw myself into that myself because a wise man once said .. "He who throws himself in the middle of a pissing match gets wet"

I will say this ...

Wanger = term of endearment .. There's a guy on my hockey team whose last name is Lang .. we call him Langer. We have a guy whoese last name is Roth ... we call him Rothy ... nothing wrong with that ... it's just a time long tradition of coming up with nicknames.

Bobbleheads?? Still funny .. because I can actually visualize it and it's probably true.

As far as our disagreements at times go ... Look!! We all think our ideas are panacea for the path to our reunion with Lorde Stanley's Silver Bowl.... but come on ... we are mere novices in the GM and coaching departments ... I think we have to cut both Snow and Nolan some slack without comprimising our own values and beliefs.

Snow ... I like him ... I think one day he may be a great GM .. he's growing.

Nolan .... I like him ... I think right now he could be the best guy to coach the this team ... as long as he can follow the program... because as good as a coach that I think he is ... if GM and coach are not in lock step it hurts the team ... and guess who is the low man in the food chain?

Wow...More name calling by the retired meter maid. I guess he just cannot ignore me or have a mature conversation

Don't worry about gas price and oil prices, the supreme Oracle will be fine.....Heck I may even buy your SEASON TICKETS that you QUIT on ...As a matter of fact what section did you sit in? Can you give me your ticket rep's name ?? It will be a tax right off anyway....I want YOUR TICKETS quitter........ You see, The Oracle is paid quite handsomely to predict Option strategies as well. :) :) I know ...IT hurts , it hurts !!

In my business and line of work my GM cannot fire me...As a matter of fact he kisses my a^^ on a daily basis, b/c the revenue I bring into the firm.....He asks me what I need to better my business. He has daily meetings with me on the markets and upcoming dates. He confers with me on the type of people he is going to offer jobs, to see if they will help or hurt my current assistants.......He knows his role and does it perfectly.

By the way. Since you obviously know nothing about football (Gm telling a coach to play a guy on sunday ...LMAO) and you obviously know nothing about Baseball ( Yanks won their past 4 titles b/c genral George was banished from baseball and Stick Michael drafted and kept Jeter, Bernie, Mo, Pettite, Posada) ..... why not just shut your obnoxious mouth and listen to others.

Brett Hull is an assistant GM. Maybe just has a tad more experince around the league than Snowy? Maybe just a tad more connections with his two rings and all? Might just have a daddy that knew a few more people than Snowys daddy? Migth of grew up around the game a little more? Also didn't Mr. Hull act as an ADVISOR for a year or two before being given half the role as GM....So he had time to even more further his education into the role?

Ohhhhh and does MR. Hull have a masters degree ???? Another winner comment that you need a masters....LOL

Listen...I asked you to stop the name calling and ignore me...It is boring to everyone....I can slap you around constantly b/c you are sooooooooo easy.....Just STOP the nonsensical banter and move along!

It has been two days now, you're due to write another piece to someone else with an obnoxious underlying tone in the last sentence and cause another fight....Go to it Princess Billy!

As far as I know Hull only has two yrs. of college where I am sure he studied really hard. Bwahahahahahha

Ah, Round 2 is well underway.

Who needs ESPN Classic to show an Ali/Frazier rematch when we've got Steady and Sir William right here live and in person?

I tap out 505...I am embarassed to be honest with you. I am sitting at my desk in my suit and tie....It is 900 degrees outside, the stock market is in disarray, and I am fighting verbally with a man I have never met, about a GM and coach that could care less if I live or die.

Bottom line I love this team. I have been DEAD ON with the way things would unfold. I have offered up my opinions and spoke my mind. I have spoken of the guys that I feel would be better at the job. I think our owner is a wolf in sheeps clothing. I think our GM is in over his head and is a puppet. Many will have their own opinions. Just while giving them, they do not have to be smug and undermining to others. They do not have to name call and think they are above people b/c the words they choose.

I write like a hockey fan. I write like a guy talking in a bar b/c that's what sports are all about. No secret I am a math/economics guy. Never was known to be a wizard with a pen. Probably b/c the generation of spell check I grew up in!

Many here have been written to in a very obnoxious tone by Bill. It has ticked all of you off. I am just the one that was sick of it! I am done! When I first started posting I said words like idiot, jerk, blah blah blah...I learned from it and STOPPED !! Can he say the same ???

Let's just talk hockey! Go Islanders !

p.s Fire Snow and Sell the team.... :) :) kididng! Well kind of....

Wow, we really need the season to start, although I am enjoying summer in CO way too much, so don't want September/October to arrive too quickly.

In any case, themass asked if Snow would put himself behind the bench, and I wondered the same thing should there be no one that would accept the job if Nolan is fired.

But, and this came up last year when there were talks of Nolan going, I do think Brian Trottier will coach this team someday, and that day could be sooner than later. I think regardless of what Ted does this year - i.e., even if they make the playoffs - he gets no more than a 2-yr extension offered to him, and my guess is he says 'no thanks.'

In slides Trotts, who may just be the only guy for the job, and possibly the right guy...

Let's quit the pissing and get back to what matters and that's discussing where are we going to get our goon....Sim already says he's not a fighter and I don't want a goon coming up from Bridgeport when needed because the team needs continuity.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON THIS!

Steady is stupid.

Sir William

Having a coach behind the bench who knows he's out in a year and who is at serious odds with a G.M. is a bad situation from all angles and in all respects. Maybe the only thing worse for any pro sports team is having players that have lost faith in or are in rebellion against the coach or management.
For ownership to KNOWINGLY begin a new season with this status quo is hideous leadership. Given the current precarious state of this franchise in particular, it also is self-destructive.

To Steady and Sir William: For christ's sake guys grow up. You are acting like little children. Actually worse, you are not arguing over whose team is better, you both root for the same team. You are actually arguing over whose opinion is better. Everyone's opinion is valid because they are just that.....opinions. You guys are having a pissing contest about a team you both follow, what a waste of time and energy. Just agree to disagree and leave it at that. If someone doesn't agree with you're point of view....who cares? This basic waste of typed words comes down to one person favoring the coach and one the GM. Fine, there's room to criticize and support both points of view. But you both appear so insecure that you can't take another person disagreeing with you that you both make it very personal. You guys are really mirror images of one another. What bothers you about the other are the same things that piss the other person off. You guys are so much more alike than either of you would like to admit. Look in the mirror and see the enemy. Plus nobody cares about how much money each of you make or how important your jobs are. You are both passionate loyal fans. Let's go Islanders

f5

Right on Spinner9!!!!! Two children who are EXACTLY alike arguing over the fact that they don't like each other, therefore themselves. Then jobs and money are brought up to make themselves feel better. Freud would spend all his time on this board to research his thesis.

Comical. By the way, I like the BOBBLEHEADS line as much as I like the ORIFICE line. Too funny.

I think that Teddy needs to be quiet and coach this team like he has a long term contract. His little comments aren't doing any good and it shows how he got himself into trouble in Buffalo. SHUT UP AND COACH! If you coach you'll get your contract, if you want it.

Garth, you still have a lot to prove. You should have done a little more homework before the Smyth deal. Let's hold off on the grades for this draft you tow to three years when we see what we really have. And, manage the personnel, DON'T TRY AND COACH IT, that's not your job.

Jd you are a rags fan and noe one cares about your opinion.

Worry about your own putrid team that just spent like drunken sailors in 07 and now let Jagr and Avery walk. Now that is comical!

Guys, does it really matter who coaches this team?? This team is terrible. We still don't have a first line. Who is going to score the goals???? They are counting on Tamby, Bergy,Comeau and Okposo to produce like first and second line players. I don't think that the four of them combined scored 30 goals last year!!!! And Sillinger,Weight and Guerin are getting OLD. When you get old, you start to break down. What happens when Silly, Guerin and Weight are all out with injuries and Tamby, Bergy and Comeau have 5 goals each half way through the year?? This team has no depth,i.e Joey McDonald is the backup goalie. They need Jesus Christ to coach this team cause in my humble opinion, we need a miracle!! No enforcer,no goal scores, no depth, no trades to bring in young NHL ready players like Ednonton and Philly have done. Garth keeps talking about going with youth but half the team is 38 years old.HELP!!

This is for ALL the people who think if the Islanders drafted (1) Home Run ... "Franchise" level 18 year old like Filatov this past June ... that the Isles would be well on their way .....

I'll just post this paragraph from the Isles' website ... and then you can judge for yourself.

" The 1996-97 season for the Islanders was a disappointing stretch. The team struggled mightily to find its groove, and ended up in last place in the Atlantic Division. However, a bright-spot for the team was found in the play of Zigmund Palffy. The fourth year right wing finished in the top ten in the league in scoring, setting career highs in goals (48) and points (90). Palffy's 48 goals placed him fifth in the league. Amazingly, Palffy posted a +21, despite the team's poor performance."

To Anonymous, great byline, odd choice of name by your parents though. I'm not sure what you are talking about, I've been an Isles fan since '78. Here's a weird thought, MAYBE there are two people with the initials "JD". Wow, that would be odd. Give some time to think about the chances and perhaps the possibility will dawn on you. I'm counting on you to get it so my "opinion counts". By the way, excellent English, toolbox!

19 ISLE, I get your point and I agree with you that Filatov wouldn't have made a huge difference this year or for several years to come. But drafting him MAY have given us one of those once a decade type of players that becomes a superstar, like his countryman Bure. I'm not saying he is going to be one of those guys but I'm pretty certain that Bailey won't be and I can't say that for certain about Filatov. Don't get me wrong, after SW talked us all back off the cliff and I took a breath, I was pretty happy with what Snow did at the draft. At least the prospects cabinet isn't completely bare. However, to paint the drafting of Filatov as a move that wouldn't have helped us is a bit unfair. Think of what we could have done had we continued to build around Ziggy rather than sending him to La-La land.

19Isles, I love reading your posts but you don't want someone who can score 48 goals and is +21 because we will come in last anyway???? That makes NO sense to me. The last time we won the cup ( and I know that it was so long ago that alot of posters on this blog weren't even alive) we had Mike Bossy on the team who scored 40plus goals every year!! It's true that we can stink with a 48 goal scorer but we'll NEVER win the cup without one. And isn't that the goal???

Greetings and salutations. My disagreements with the ORIFICE
are based on his methods rather than his content. People that pretend to know more about running a business that they are not actually involved in are blowhards. Whatever business the ORIFICE is involved in I am sure he know more about it than I do.

Only one person here knows what my former occupation was and I leave it at that. It's nobody else's business and it has nothing to do with hockey.

I don't pretend to know more than Snow or Nolan. I don't. They are professionals who spend their work week planning on how to improve the team.
Wang is obviously an astute businessman and he is no less an involved owner than several other sports franchise owners.

George Steinbrenner was banned one year from baseball. Yet his team won several championships since that year. The arguement that he was not involved is absolutely false.
In Football Jerry Jones and Al Davis come to mind as owners who are involved in the teams day to day affairs. The Raiders and Cowboys have both been very sucessful franchises.

I am not really a big fan of Wang's, but I don't think calling him or his employees silly names accomplishes anything.

If you wish to disagree, present facts not hysterical rantings about who won. Nobody wins. It's just a disagreement over the direction the team is heading in. If you have a constructive move to bring up then do so.

But to keep crying about how much more you know than the GM is boring and tedious and contributes nothing....Sir William

I see that the ORIFICE has his secret identities working......Sir William

I just read that Snow has signed Witt to a contract extension. No details were available. Now that is a great move by Snow.
Best news of the summer..........Sir William

Yes, excellent move. Witt is a warrior, a true pro, and he seems to genuinely like it here. Those kind of players are few and far between, and you need to hold on when you find them.

Sir William give it arest already. Now the trolls got you thinking they are steady? Are you really that obsessed? How old are you? You call Steady immature, yet he is the one that has stopped and you keep going with the silly orifice comments. grow up! We are all tire of it. Remind me of a psycho ex girlfriend.

sir dummy. why did u quit on the isles tickets, but now stick up for them? are u bi-polar?

Still no news on the details of the Witt extension. Only a TSN Tracker blurb that says Witt has signed an extension.

Another two secret identities heard from.............Sir William

You would think that by now Newsday would be able to do IP or email address verification in order to cut down on the impersonation nonsense. Of course the basic nonsense-nonsense would still remain.
Quick point: Neil Smith is still UNEMPLOYED.
point 2: Ted Nolan was out of the NHL for NINE (count 'em NINE) years and was coaching juniors in Moncton.
point 3: Garth is learning quickly and never ceases to surprise.

Face it. In order to get this team where they need to be, they are going to be painful to watch for the next two years. That's the way to rebuild the franchise.

By then... none of us knows who will be behind the bench or in the front office. NONE of us.

Once again, Sir William has shown himself to be a well thought out, realistic blogger. Not just silly rants, ramblings and egotistical behavior.

As he stated.., you can disagree with management... but to pretend to know more than they do is just not realistic.

To me it's just plain silly and egomaniacal.

Steady, my opinion is that calling them BOBBLEHEADS is borderline psychotic. If you have been in on their board meetings and actually witnessed them being BOBBLEHEADS then god bless you and forgive me for accusing you of being un-informed.

Bear... you do exactly what you accuse Sir William of doing. I think it's time you "grew up" and stopped following the bandwagon mentality and behavior that has people booing the efforts of A-Rod when he doesn't hit a home run or Mariano Rivera for blowing the occasional save because you hear other people at the stadium booing and jeering.

Where does it end? Do you really think it's productive to be whinny children when trying to communicate your feelings, desires and constructive criticism to a self made billionaire and HIS chosen staff of general managers that he entrusts to run his franchise.

Obviously bear and steady want the Islanders to be winners. I do also. But we're not entitled to them being winners. Even misguided and bone-headed efforts are sometimes rewarded with championship teams... ie Pittsburg with Mario Lemieux and San Antonio with Tim Duncan. That is not necessarilly the plan... but maybe good things are right around the corner. Let's applaud what appears to be a solid effort to stick to a plan. Yes, that plan has changed with each new year... but I think they are actually on the right track with this one.

DOC

Doc -

I have not posted since 9:58 this morning. I have been on flights all day and just got home. Missed the whole Met game and now at home trying to wind down. You keep saying I rant and rave, yet your boy is the one doing the name calling and will not let it go. I am over it, and from reading a lot of posts I agree....It is childish and silly. Just give it a rest....If trolls come here and pile on than so be it...I was called a moron today, stupid, blah blah blah....I find it funny and obviously struck a nerve to the name caller!

Nick - Witt is my man....Would love to see him on the island for a long time !!!

AZS/NICK/MERRICK: Who is your ticket rep....Got the okay to get a 20 game pack.....If any of you deal with someone you like and I can help them out, I will go through them....Please Advise !!

**Also ... Did any of you ever send your kids to the Isles hockey camp?????....Next year my 5 yr. old wants to go...From all I have read it sounds great, but none of my friends kids are into hockey that still live on the island....MY lil guy is pretty much addicted! Made the Mite team up here at age 4....Looks like blake surrounded by Chara on the ice...Really funny! Kid can skate though!!! There are hundreds of camps up here in hockey country, but he wants to be on that ice in LI next year!!! Proud poppa !! Please advise !