Sorry guys, I don’t have time for a full-fledged post today, so I figured I’d share this interview I did, at the beginning of last season, with you guys. I think you’ll find it quite interesting.

Hockey fans in the New York area would never believe that John Kenneth “Jiggs” McDonald, the former play-by-play voice of the Isles from 1980-1995 and one of the most respected broadcasters in the history of the sport, would ever have a reason to doubt his own ability.

However, after a few years removed from full-time broadcasting duty, McDonald, who has called over 3,000 games for the Islanders, Kings, Maple Leafs and Panthers during a career that has spanned over 40 years, was asked to cover the first seven games of the Islanders 2006-07 season; a request that conjured up a myriad of emotions. Despite covering a few games last season for the Panthers, McDonald was initially unsure as to whether or not he could perform the way he used to.

“I had mixed emotions,” said McDonald, regarding his return to the Island after an 11-year absence. “[I was] nervous and frightened. I didn’t want to embarrass anybody, especially myself. I haven’t done that many games over the past three years; I hadn’t done any games since last January. It’s almost like the mentality of a player; not knowing if you can get back up to speed or if you’re in game shape.

“I didn’t know if I could get up to speed with the Islanders and what was going on with them or be able to reach the standard that I set for myself over the years. I didn’t know if I’d be able to achieve that immediately. There’s something in our makeup or in the back of the mind that drives us to be our best. Some people think it’s a sign of professionalism, [trying to maintain that level], but I just didn’t know if I could or not.”

During the seven games, however, McDonald did a remarkable job filling in for Islanders play-by-play man Howie Rose and introduced himself to millions of younger hockey fans who may have never had the opportunity to hear the Hall of Famer call a game. He also reconnected with millions more that missed the sound of his voice and the keenness and candor he brought to every telecast.

“Getting back into the coliseum was really special,” he said. “I really appreciate the way people went out of their way to show their feelings towards me. It was a great trip down memory lane.”

Despite his love for the game as a child, McDonald never thought of becoming a play by play announcer, rather he pictured himself doing something in the radio industry until a once in a lifetime opportunity came his way and started him on his eventual hall of fame career.

“I had a fasination with radio from the time I was seven or eight years old, never thinking of doing play by play until I started working at a radio station,” said McDonald, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a broadcaster in 1990, a full 14 years before he retired from full-time broadcasting duty.

“I guess I pictured myself more as a disc jockey or a radio personality. However, the first station I was with, I had the opportunity to get into sports and a play by play opportunity came along. I just felt that you could be yourself and be more creative [doing play by play than being being a disc jockey], this was during a time when radio formats were so structured, you only had so many seconds before each record, you really couldn’t have a personality.

“That first job opened so many doors for me and I found out that I really liked doing it and I came to excel at it. I was fortunate enough to get that first job with the NHL and just went from there. The feeling there was that if I couldn’t do it at the NHL level, atleast I would have tried it and would have had to accept the fact that I wasn’t good enough, but if I had stayed back and never applied for an NHL job, I would have always been wondering in the back of my mind if I could have done it. I had to take a chance at it. Thankfully, it worked out really well.”

For many Islander fans, McDonald’s voice holds a warm place in their hearts for many reasons. The last Isles play-by-play announcer to call a winning playoff series, McDonald’s voice reminds fans of players like Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and the 1993 team that beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in a thrilling 7-game series without their leading scorer, Pierre Turgeon.

To this day, McDonald remembers a lot about that ‘93 team and was especially candid when describing some of the things that happened during that very special year on Long Island.

“The memory of Dale Hunter coming across the ice and nailing Pierre [Turgeon] after he scored that goal and going to Pittsburgh without him comes to mind,” he said. “I remember asking Al Arbour, ‘If the league said you could replace Pierre with one player from the team you just eliminated, who would it be?’ He just looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Dale Hunter.’ Hunter had the heart of a lion, he wanted to win at all costs, and Al recognized that.

“It just seemed that the Islanders had Washington’s number in that series, no matter what circumstance they found themselves in, they were always able to bounce back. The Capitals had a very good team that year as well, but Pierre was a tremendously talented player and [Glenn] Healy kept the Islanders alive and charged. I can’t say that there was one particular guy that stuck out on that team, instead, there were several very special personalities.”

Despite the great memories he had while in Long Island and all over the world, covering hockey for over four decades, McDonald believes that his relationship with his wife, Marilyn, to whom he has been married to for over 40 years, was the biggest factor in why he was able to have any success in broadcasting.

“You have to have a very special relationship with home to be successful in this business,” said McDonald. “In any guy’s case, the wife becomes the person responsible for raising the family. It doesn’t weigh in as much when you’re in the New York market, but teams like Dallas travel more than anybody. In New York, we were home when we played the Rangers, the Devils, Philadelphia and even Hartford when they were in the league; we were home after the game. But when you’re living in Atlanta or Los Angeles, as we were when I started doing this after just moving from Ontario with two small children, you need to have a very special partnership and I did.”

In addition to having a loving relationship at home, McDonald was also flanked with very talented color commentators during his career, like Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion during his tenure with the Atlanta Flames and Eddie Westfall, whom he was paired with for his entire 15-year stay on Long Island, that he had special relationships with.

“Bernie Geoffrion as a coach was a motivator, not so much an x’s and o’s kind of guy and on the air, it was similar. He was the opitamy of color because some of the things he said would leave you in shock in some cases, but laughing too. On occasion, he even fractured the english language, but he had a personality that was just great for TV. The fans related to him,” said McDonald. “He wouldn’t over anaylze the action on the ice, he had a way of enhancing what you’ve seen.”

“Eddie and I used to kid that we had been together longer than some marriages,” said McDonald. He was different [from Geoffrion] because he understood the mistakes on the ice that led to goals or penalties and was great at telling the viewers at home why a team was being dominated or why certain players had problems during the course of the game. He did a great job describing things for the fans at home.”

Now, at the age of 68, McDonald has taken a step back from broadcasting and is ready to settle down, living in Florida with his wife, where he enjoys fishing, bocce and spending time with his grand children and friends. This may not be as exciting as the life of an NHL broadcaster, but you won’t hear him complaining any time soon.

“It’s different, it’s been an adjustment for both of us, but it’s been relaxing,” said McDonald, who boasted when mentioning a 3-week trip to Europe he recently took with his wife; something that would have been harder to do if he was still broadcasting full-time. “I know eventually though, I’ll need to find a hobby or get a job at Wal-Mart or something like that.”

Posted under Blast From the Past, Interviews

If you haven’t heard the news already, Rick DiPietro is out for the season. After going 7-12 with a 3.38 GAA after he injured his hip in the All-Star Game Skills Competition, Wade Dubielewicz will now be asked to assume more responsibility over the last eight games of the season.

Here’s Garth Snow’s take on the situation:

“Rick wanted badly to be with his team until the end of the season, but this decision was made with his best long-term interests in mind,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “Rick took his game to even greater heights this season, deservedly being named a National Hockey League All-Star for the first time in his career.

“He gave everything he had to the Islanders and our fans this season and was a warrior all the way through. By having the surgery immediately, Rick will have plenty of time to be at 100 percent long before the start of Islanders training camp in September.”

Yeah, he was a warrior. He was also selfish. If the injury was so bad that it required surgery, he should have done what was best for the team and get something done about it ASAP. Instead, he played like garbage down the stretch, helping the team break down and fall out of playoff contention. There was a stretch of games where Dubie was playing great hockey as well and Ted Nolan decided to go back with DP, who was probably complaining about not getting ice-time, even though he was hurt.
I said it a thousand times last year when Mike Dunham was the backup for most of the season and I’ll say it again. In order to win in this league, you need two capable goalies.

Guys like Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Evgeni Nabokov and a few others are freaks of nature and its crazy how they haven’t gotten seriously injured yet. In a perfect world, DP gets 55-60 starts a season for my team. The rest go to Dubie. The teams that the Isles should be able to beat that perennially miss the playoffs and Western Conference teams I’d give Dubie the start against. All the teams that the Isles have to bite and scratch against for a playoff spot, then DP gets the nod. However, if one of them is playing strong hockey, that could all go out the window.

As of right now, I’d focus the rest of this season on getting Dubielewicz and his awesome new mask as much ice time as possible. Nothing against Joey MacDonald, but he can just sit back and relax.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

It wasn’t exactly a story book start to a career, but Kyle Okposo is now an NHLer.

Above all else, in a little over 13 minutes of ice-time, Okposo proved that he can skate with the big boys and that he’s going to work as hard as anyone over the next eight games. Again two shots on goal is nothing to jump for joy about, but it’s a start.

Nevertheless, his line with Blake Comeau and Richard Park was easily the Islanders most passionate trio out there, drawing penalties and getting a cycle going on numerous occasions. Okposo was also skating very well and made a few nice passes into the slot. His hockey sense isn’t bad either, as after a mediocre first two or three shifts, he started getting to the front of the net and using his legs more. If that line is given an opportunity to gel, they can be a very fun group to watch.

I’d also like to see KO get a chance on the powerplay as well. Let’s me honest here, with players like Miroslav Satan and Josef Vasicek effectively playing their way off of this team, what can the Isles lose by letting Okposo play with Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie with the man advantage? Absolutely nothin’ if you ask me. Getting him some extra space could also start to build his confidence as well.

More Isles thoughts…

DiPietro has MRI- Looks like the hip that DP tweaked during the skills competition has been much more bothersome then originally indicated. His play during the second half has been one of the reasons why this team has fallen out of contention and it makes you wonder where this team could have been if he had taken the time to heal. I mean seriously, Dubielewicz played a great game last night and has proven he can hold down the fort when he has to. However, instead, DP tried to play through it and that combined with the Islanders miserable offense has sealed their fate this season.

Bergenheim and Hunter have to finish-How many golden opportunities did they have last night? What about Satan? The guy can’t even get off the ice properly anymore. Simply put, this team has no more excuses on offense. They’re just so shook up right now that it feels like they’ll never get it together. Like I said yesterday, it’s time to break this Jefferson Airplane up and start a Starship.

No offense to Rob Davison who plays his tail off every night, but when a guy with three career goals scores the way he did last night and is the only player on your team to light the lamp, you have some serious problems.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Well, today is the day. Kyle Okposo will make his NHL debut tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to the team’s official website, Okposo will be playing with Blake Comeau and Richard Park. Talk about a high energy line in the making. As long as he doesn’t get seriously hurt, this call-up will only be a positive experience for the 19-year old and will be one of the only positive things fans can take from this season.

However, Okposo’s arrival can also help the Islanders in other ways. Hopefully, it will start to change Ted Nolan’s philosophy on playing veterans over inexperienced youngsters. While Blake Comeau and Sean Bergenheim have been getting more and more playing time as the season has gone on, primarily in part to injuries, Jeff Tambellini, who many would say is the most talented of the three, hasn’t been given a real opportunity to showcase his talent. If Okposo is effective in the nine games he plays with the Isles, maybe Nolan will be more inclined to give the rest of the youngsters more playing time.

Nonetheless, as an Islander fan, you have to be excited to see the future on the ice tomorrow. This has the possibility of changing the team for the better and getting them on the right track for the future. This season may be lost, but fans now have the opportunity to see what the future can hold for the team. And unlike what many people think, I don’t feel that this is an attempt on the organization’s part to make a last ditch effort to sell tickets. Okposo was nearly a point a game player in college and the AHL. Regardless of what anyone thinks, he’s ready to play in the NHL. Sure, having more seasoning in the AHL would be beneficial for him, but when was the last time the Islanders gave a youngster a real shot this early? How long were players like Robert Nilsson, Ryan O’Marra, Bruno Gervais and Bergenheim in the minors before they were given a chance? How many recent Islander picks were even given chances?

My thoughts exactly. This team needs to attempt to start developing their young talent now the same way the Blackhawks and Penguins are right now. This is the way you build a successful team now. It’s time the Islanders admitted they’ve made mistakes overpaying players with name recognition to come here and focus on playing their youngsters.

Giving Okposo, their most promising prospect, an honest shot at showing what he is capable of is a great push in the right direction.

Posted under Pregame Musings

Well, it seems I got my wish. Kyle Okposo will be joining the Isles for the last nine games of the season.

“Insert breath of fresh air here.”

Like I’ve said numerous times over the past week and a half, this has been the one thing I’ve been waiting for since the Isles decline. Losing Jon Sim after two games, losing Chris Campoli, Mike Sillinger and Andy Sutton, the Simon suspension, the relative ineffectiveness of Miroslav Satan and Mike Comrie’s insistence to use the toe-drag every game more times than Eric Cartman calls Kyle Brovlovski a Jew in an episode of “South Park” have made this season a bumpy one. Nonetheless, a strong nine games from KO and some of the other youngsters can put me and some of the other restless fans in a good mood come offseason.

Some people feel that this team is just a good defenseman and another scorer away from making the playoffs next season, but they have a lot more work than that to do. Next season should be used just to get guys like Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen and KO the opportunity to crack the lineup and get their bumps and bruises they need. For too long has this team tried to tweak and just be good enough to make the playoffs, rather than totally rebuild. Now that decision it seems is an inevitable one.

Getting KO some playing time and I mean real playing time 10-15 minutes a game, in all situations and really assessing what he’s capable of will not only be fun for the fans, but will also help the Isles see where they are at as a franchise. From watching him in Bridgeport a few times, I think he has that killer instinct needed to be successful at the NHL level. He can pass the puck when he doesn’t have a shot and even though he’s classified as a power forward, he’s equally as fast and can draw penalties with his tenacity and grit.

The Isles have also decided to play Okposo with Richard Park, which may benefit both of them more than anyone else thinks. Park has had a solid campaign again this season, but hasn’t been the same offensive player he was earlier in the year. With all the chances he’s had this season, he could easily have twice as many goals as he has now. Nevertheless, the guy is a workhorse on the ice and has a habit of making the players he plays with follow suit. Having Okposo on the ice with Park is a great move by the organization and should make his first cup of NHL coffee an interesting one.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

Sorry for the late post today guys, I been swamped at school and work and needed to relax a little bit with my girlfriend. I didn’t forget about any of you though, so lets get started.

Rick DiPietro played well enough to come out with a win last night. However, it just so happened that Jaroslav Halak played better. It sickens me to write the same thing after almost every Islander loss this season, how the powerplay wasn’t clicking and despite plenty of shots and pressure, they didn’t have enough firepower to throw a few in the net.

The Isles also had two powerplay opportunities late in the game and if they could have gotten DP one goal before the third, it could have changed the game entirely. Sean Bergenheim, Trent Hunter and Mike Comrie had a few good chances last night, but they couldn’t finish, prompting the defense to try and make the big pass to set something up, which of course didn’t happen. What occurred instead was a bevy of turnovers that gave plethora of quality chances.

The Islanders defense wasn’t as sharp as they could have been and with the offense as horrendous as it has been, it was a recipe for disaster. Like I said DP wasn’t horrible. He gave up a rebound goal that the defense should have helped him out with and a two on one goal that was caused by sloppy play in the neutral zone. On a good day, he would have came out with a win and on any team with a decent offense or any sort of confidence, he probably would have won too. This team is just so snake-bitten right now and the only way I can see things changing is if wholesale changes are made. A few weeks ago, it seemed like this team had finally turned the corner and I understood why Garth Snow decided to not make any real moves. However, the players that could have been traded [or asked to wave their no-trade clauses] have not performed at all.

What have Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek done for this team since the trading deadline? I know it’s kind of screwed up to place the blame solely on the three of them because everyone has underperformed, but those were the players we could have gotten rid of and at least brought new players in that could have kept the team going in the right direction. Or even better, they could have gotten draft picks for what looks to be a very deep draft and just pulled the curtain down early, instead of dragging the fans and media through what has been a horrible two-week stretch.

As of right now, the only thing that is keeping me from wanting to stick my head out the window and scream like a madman is the possibility of seeing Kyle Okposo for a few games.

Because as of right now, this team hasn’t shown any type of passion and lacks the desperation of a team battling for a [in this case, impossible] playoff spot.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Eight points behind the last playoff spot with ten games to go, the Islanders had seven Bridgeport Sound Tigers in their lineup for their last game and will probably feature something similar tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Not good. When injuries decimate your team like this, you really need a miracle to get things done and find a way to win.

Great teams with great leaders find those ways to win, but I don’t think the Isles have that one guy that can say “Let’s do this guys; Let’s win every game we have left and shove the last playoff spot up everyone’s ass!” [That marks the first time I’ve ever used that word on this site. What word? Do I really have to say it again? I’m trying to be somewhat professional here!] Instead they have a bunch of grinders that would make great supporting characters on a great team.

Bill Guerin isn’t Brad Pitt, he’s more like Vince Vaughn, great in small doses, but intolerable as a star. The same thing can be said for Mike Comrie, who plays with the finesse and flair of Patrick Stewart, but ends up looking more like George Takai. And that’s no offense to these guys, they’ve played hard for this team, they just haven’t gotten the results they should have.

For all the chances both of them have had, Comrie and Guerin should have 30 goals each and Comrie should have about 15 more points [especially considering that guys like Guerin and Richard Park have hit more goal posts than Andy Hilbert does in his worst nightmares]. But I’ve done enough bitching about these guys this season. It’s old, it’s boring, and it’s almost to the point of being cliché now.

So what can we do as Islander fans now to make sure they don’t go crazy? Focus on watching the youngsters. Watch Steve Regier, Jeff Tambellini, Ben Walter, Blake Comeau and Matt Spiller tonight. Watch them take to the ice and show this team what they have. Walter scored a nifty little deflection goal the other night off a howlitzer of a shot by Comeau, that was the other thing that made me smile a little bit during that Tampa Bay game. Hopefully these kids turn themselves into players that can star for this team for years to come, so they don’t have to rely on trying to revive someone else’s career here.

It’s time to start writing a new script people and the Islanders are sending out an open casting call.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008, Pregame Musings

With this season basically done for the Islanders, I figured I’d take the time to talk about an Islander that hasn’t gotten a ton of credit this season, but has nonetheless played solid when called upon.

Bryan Berard.

19 points in 44 games may not sound like much, but in a little over a half season, Berard is the leading scorer amongst Islanders defensemen. Over that time, his skating has gotten better and his physical game has improved. Is he the same player that played solid defense for the Rangers a few years back or the same offensive wunderkind the Isles had a decade ago? No. But he has done enough o make the most out of a horrible situation and I think should be brought back next season as the team’s seventh defenseman. With Radek Martinek, Freddy Meyer, Brendan Witt, Bruno Gervais, Andy Sutton and Chris Campoli all coming back next season however, the chances of that happening are very slim. Nonetheless, Berard’s play has been far from terrible overall and if he does leave the Island he should be able to catch on somewhere else.

The reason why I think the Isles should keep him around is because he’s a talented offensive player and in the new NHL, you need depth and options. Aside from Chris Campoli, who else could possibly man the powerplay effectively? I know Rob Davison was brought in this season to provide more toughness and could get a long look at camp next season for the seventh d-man spot, but I think the Isles already have the toughness angle on defense covered. Unless Andrew MacDonald or another young defenseman is ready to make the jump, Berard’s presence will be needed with the man advantage.

While there are many problems with this team right now, I don’t think Berard is one of them. I also think that he’s done enough this season to prove that he can still be an effective NHL defenseman. For the Isles to get as many points out of him, throwing him into the lineup every other game or so, they’re lucky he’s scored as much as he has. Imagine [I hate using this word] how many points he could have had if the Isles would have given up on Marc-Andre CoughUpthePuckeron earlier in the season?

Another reason why I think the Isles should keep him is because they could sign him rather inexpensively. If he’s rather and gets playing time, he could still score 35-40 points. That’s not Sergei Gonchar, but its good enough. With a decent enough powerplay quarterback, the Isles could focus on other matters this offseason and surround the youngsters on this team with better veteran talent.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

Well, if you didn’t see it before, the writing is on the wall. The Islanders season is finished. Nothing short of a 10-game-winning streak and the crash and burn of the five teams ahead of them can secure them a playoff spot. And that my friends, isn’t happening.

Nevertheless, I love reading quotes like this from the youngsters on the Isles:

“To be how close we were a few weeks ago and to be where we are now is frustrating,” Comeau told the AP. “Until we’re mathematically out, the guys in this room are going to keep pushing hard. Nobody is ready to lay down and die yet. We’ve got a great attitude in this room.”

Thanks Blake, but I think you’re being a little melodramatic here. You guys are finished worse than Eliot Spitzer’s political career [Yeah, I went there.], you’re just not quite on John street yet.

Looking at the line combinations last night, it was obvious that Ted Nolan was trying anything he could to get the offense going. The only problem is, with all the injuries, the Isles look like a makeshift AHL squad right now. Nothing against guys like Ben Walter, Tim Jackman and the other youngsters, but this team needs to score and they need their bumps and bruises. If this team was in the playoff mix, I can guarantee a bunch of these players wouldn’t be in the lineup. Nonetheless, while watching all of this yesterday, I got to thinking that this team seriously needs to rebuild; and not Mike Milbury’s idea of rebuilding either.

The first thing they should do is give Okposo a cup of coffee this season, of course making sure that he doesn’t jumpstart the first year of his contract. Then they should give guys like Jeremy Colliton, Jeff Tambellini, Jesse Joensuu, Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau real looks and even let them play themselves off the ice during camp next season. That means, Ruslan Fedotenko, Josef Vasicek, Miroslav Satan and Andy Hilbert would all be sent out to pasture. I mean, C’mon, we know what all these three players are capable of and until we know what these youngsters are capable of, they have to earn their food sort to speak.

The same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim. The kid needs first line minutes. He’s a great skater, he just needs to finish more. Add in his physical game and his tenacity and the Islanders have an opportunity to have someone in the Brendan Morrow mold on the team for years to come [That is if he’s resigned this offseason]. With Mike Comrie, Richard Park, Trent Hunter, Brendan Witt, Mike Sillinger and Bill Guerin still around and locked up for next season, the Isles will have a solid veteran presence on the club, but they have to let these youngsters develop. Teams like the Penguins and the Blackhawks proved that teams don’t have to make huge free agent pickups to be successful, the Isles need to prove it as well.

If that means that I have to watch a few years of bad to mediocre hockey over the next three or four years, that’s fine, that’s exactly what I’ve been watching my whole life.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Eight goals on 44 shots.

That pretty much sums it up for me.

For a guy that made the All Star team and looked like he’d finally matured, Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro has been reduced to a child once again. He’s wandering out of the net, giving up soft goals and doesn’t have the same poise and resolve he had earlier in the season. The way he skated off the ice after the game showed me that he is a defeated man. Once flooding with confidence and charisma, DP looked like some took a crap in his cereal. Even though the Isles defense was far from perfect, this team hasn’t played phenomenal in their own end all season. For most of the season, DP was the X-factor. Now, it looks like he’s self-destructing and taking the team that depends on him along for the ride.

Ted Nolan said before the game that the Isles were taking it one game at a time, but knew they had to win 10 out of the next 12 games. Guess what? Now, they have to theoretically win 10 out of their next 11 games and have to hope the Flyers and Sabres play less than mediocre to even hope to make the playoffs.

With a goaltender that looks erratic, an inconsistent defense and a deplorable offense, this team is finished if they don’t get hot right now. Even for a guy that tries to find the positive as much as possible like myself, it’s almost impossible right now to see this team overcoming these odds and making the playoffs. If they do, I don’t even see them winning a game. Like I said, they have way too many weaknesses and no players that can get them out of this. They have no confidence and can’t even get a lucky bounce at this point. With a bunch of unrestricted free agents on the team, you can expect major changes next season.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d just like to see some of the youngsters get some more ice time before the season is over. Ben Walter looked solid for a guy that got to the arena at 7:23 and guys like Blake Comeau, Jeff Tambellini and Jeremy Colliton have upside. If the Islanders put the right pieces around them, they can play with much more energy on the ice and not look like an AHL team on steroids.

Sorry guys, looks like we’re going to have to wait until next year…again.

Posted under Post Game Rants