On my way to school today, I decided to take my Islanders media guide with me and after skimming through it on the bus, I can honestly say that there were a few lines in there that really touched me and made me think about the state of this great sport more than I have in years.

One quote in particular, by Mike Lupica, after the Islanders lost to the Rangers in the playoffs in 1979 [four years before I was born] really made me think about how far this sport has deviated from what made it so great and thrust me to the keyboard faster than Rosie O’Donnell to a nearby White Castle at lunchtime.

After that series in ‘79, Lupica wrote, “New York has been spoiled. They will never forget these hockey teams.”

Sadly almost 30 years later, Lupica was wrong, but I’d almost do anything in my power to make him right on this one.

After the Rangers won the Cup in ’94 and after two strikes in 95 and 2004, this sport has paled in comparison to what it used to be. When I first started watching hockey, it didn’t matter who was playing. The passion, grit and energy that was hockey in the early 90’s and before was absolutely astonishing to me and glued my young Rickey Schroeder- looking self to the television . As I’ve mentioned before in previous columns, I would watch Rangers, Devils and Islanders games as a youngster because I loved the game so much and just wanted to see guys out there competing. That’s how amazing the sport was to me then.

Nowadays, despite seeing all three local teams make the playoffs for the first time since ’94, I feel that the game has changed drastically and the things that made it so great may be gone forever. Gone forever are the personalities like Clark Gillies and Bob Probert, tough guys who could put the puck in the net as often as they dropped the gloves, to only be replaced by uber-talented youngsters like Sidney Crosby, Dany Heatley and Evgeni Malkin. It’s not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just not the same.

I know I’m deviating from my point here, but 30 years after that amazing playoff series that Lupica spoke about, are there any remnants of that kind of play left in the game today? Sadly, I’d have to say there aren’t nearly enough.

However, I’d be out of my mind to say that I still don’t love the game, it’s just in a different way.

Like a long, loving relationship, over a long period of time, things change and the reason why you originally fell in love with someone may not be present anymore; despite that however, the person can name a myriad of other reasons why they stay connected with that person and still harbor feelings for them, making the relationship stand the test of time and provide memories that make life itself worth living.

While hockey doesn’t feature the same type of hitting, grit and toughness that made me a lifelong fan 15 years ago, the speed added to the game over the past few years are exciting and great to watch in their own way and have continued to spark my interest and keep me watching.

But that’s just me. Like the thousands of marriage that end up in divorce every year, hockey fans will continue to watch something else if their needs aren’t met and they aren’t satisfied. Let’s face it, not everyone is a hardcore fan or capable of being in a loving, long-lasting relationship and it’s those people that have the ability to change the way the world looks at things.

Right now, the NHL needs to find a way to keep the hardcore fan involved with the game and bring in the casual one, without altering the game to the point where it’s barely recognizable anymore.

Otherwise, the rich and nostalgic history this sport has will be gone forever.

It’s already started.

Now it’s time to stop it.

Failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs the last four times they reached the postseason, the New York Islanders have some serious questions to answer this offseason. While the general outlook on the team isn’t nearly as bad as it was in the beginning of the season, the Islanders have some very important decisions to make that could eventually wind up costing the team another run at the playoffs if they’re not careful.

However, the biggest question of all is what to do with team captain Alexei Yashin.

Failing to meet the expectations of the organization after a solid first season on the island, Yashin should not be wearing the “C” on his sweater anymore for a bevy of reasons. While who eventually wears the “C” next season is anyone’s guess right now, it’s obvious that Yashin does not fit what Islanders head coach Ted Nolan is trying to do with this team and is incapable of being the type of captain the team and fan base desperately needs right now.

Let’s face it; while Yashin is still capable of being a top 10 player in this league, it’s extremely doubtful that he ever will be again. For one, the guy has got to have the worst luck in the world, as ever since he’s been on the Islanders, he’s either gotten injured at the worst possible time or he’s found himself in the chateau de bow wow [that’s dog house for you non-French speakers] of every single coach that’s been there because of his uninspired play. On top of all of that, the Islanders have consistently played well when Yashin was out of the lineup, proving that he’s not and never was as instrumental as Mike Milbury and Charles Wang thought he was going to be, making the deal that got him here for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and eventually Jason Spezza look like one of the worst in the history of the team and all of hockey.

While the trade that got him here is questionable, having Yashin, who’s made it obvious that he’ll never meet expectations, at the top of the team food chain, makes the Islanders look even more dim-witted. After a season of slick-moves by Garth Snow to optimize the teams chances at making the offseason and great coaching by Nolan and his staff, the days of contemplating signing a sumo wrestler to play net for the team and hirings and firings within the organization seem to be over; however, the Isles need to take it even further.

Simply put, someone that totally embodies what Nolan and the rest of the organization wants to do with this team should be the Islanders captain; someone like Mike Sillinger, Trent Hunter and Brendan Witt, who would have skated through a wall during the season if their head coach would have asked. Those are the types of players that you build a successful team around, not underachieving goal-scorers that are all out of excuses.

Sure, it’s obvious that Yashin is still the most talented player on the team, but talent can only get you so far in the NHL. Just ask Alexander Daigle, Brad Dalgarno, Jamie Lundmark and the myriad of other high draft picks with all the talent in the world that never really panned out in this league and they’ll tell you the same thing.

Heart and soul is what any great hockey team needs in order to dominate and it all starts from the top. While Yashin can and most likely will continue to be a more than adequate, nearly point per game player the rest of his career, he is not the person that should be leading the Islanders out of the badland of NHL mediocrity.

Anyone else hear this crazy Alexei Yashin for Bryan McCabe rumor that’s been all over the internet?

I don’t know about you guys, but I nearly jumped out of my seat when I read about it the other day. While I think it sounds crazy at first, I think that after some dissection, it does make some sense for the Islanders. However, why the Maple Leafs would even consider doing something like this is beyond me.

First off, looking at their numbers over the past three seasons, McCabe and Yashin are extremely similar. Both have huge shots, but don’t score as much as some would like. Both have had problems playing smart hockey on both ends of the ice [McCabe has proven to be quite dirty at times as well]. Both have had problems maintaining some kind of consistency in their careers and both look like they may be in the need of a change of scenery.

I think the latter falls more into the category of Yashin, who despite a solid first season with the Islanders, has never really proven to be the point per game center the Isles thought they were getting when they gave up Bill Muckalt, Zdeno Chara and what eventually became Jason Spezza [what any Islander fan would do to have either Chara or Spezza on the Island is a story within itself].

Secondly, Yashin has been benched at one point or another during every season he’s been on the team, including during the team’s recent playoff series against the Sabres. Again, I don’t know how you guys feel, but I think the captain of your team has to be at the forefront of your game plan and Yashin really hasn’t done that. As well, with the Islanders looking to find a way to keep both Jason Blake and Ryan Smyth this offseason, the question really becomes, can they really afford to keep the underperforming Yashin around [and I’m not talking about on the ice either, what about the locker room?]? And is there anyway that they can unload the guy without getting totally ripped off?

That’s where this all gets tricky.

From what I’ve heard and read online, McCabe’s wife is a native-Long Islander [if this is true or not I have no idea] and the reason why McCabe’s play suffered down the stretch was because she wants her husband to return to where his career started and it took some type of toll on him. Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all the musings of one poor soul online, but if it’s true it could be pretty interesting.

With Sean Hill not an option for next season and Tom Poti a free agent, the Isles defense may look very different. Will it include McCabe? In my opinion, as much as I’d love to see him on the power play and cork-screwing every thing within a five-mile radius, I don’t see why Toronto management would want to trade one handful for an underachieving and overpaid one. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Unless the Isles are willing to throw in a prospect or two and are still willing to pay a portion of Yashin’s contract, I don’t see anyway this could get done. While critics all over the NHL don’t think McCabe is as solid as his numbers indicate, it’s pretty hard to argue with those numbers and the fact that McCabe can provide the type of physical presence the team needs with Hill gone and the need for another defenseman who can eat up minutes.

If that isn’t enough for you, you have to admit, having both Marc-Andre Bergeron and McCabe on the power play would be sweeter than a kiss on the cheek from Christy Brinkley.

Thank you.

Well, it’s over, but it sure was interesting, huh?

While the Isles did maintain a better offensive presence in this game, they weren’t as strong defensively or physical and in the end, that’s what cost them the most.
This may not be the best comparison, but I think that this team has a lot in common with the Islanders team that lost to the Maple Leafs in 2002. Sure, the Leafs that year were a completely different monster than the Sabres, but by the end of that series and the end of this one against Buffalo, I said the same thing to myself, “This team needs to be more physical.”

After the team lost to the Leafs that year, the Islanders parted ways with finesse winger Mariusz Czerkawski and went out and got Arron Asham and Jason Wiemer. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team tried their hardest to pick up someone else with some “marbles” for next season. Someone like Taylor Pyatt immediately comes to mind.
As well, with Sean Hill no longer an option for next season, the Islanders are going to either give Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais [who both played very well last night and seem ready to accept more responsibility] a bigger role or count on Radek Martinek to make a solid comeback after another injury-plagued season. With Tom Poti now a free agent as well, the Isles are going to have some serious questions to answer about their defense during the offseason.

Regardless of that however, I still think this team is headed in the right direction and if they can manage to add a few more pieces, they’ll have better luck next year.
Throughout this entire season, the Islanders have been through more emotionally than the teenagers on Dawson Creek, but have always managed to put it together when it counted, thanks in part to some great coaching by Ted Nolan and a career years from Jason Blake and DiPietro. However, against Buffalo, the team just ran out of steam and couldn’t keep up with the uber-talented Sabres.

While being extremely disappointed right now that the team couldn’t keep the Sabres [who played far from a perfect series] on their toes a little bit longer, I’d have to be out of my mind to not be proud of this team. All season long, through injuries to key players such as Rick DiPietro, Alexei Yashin, Shawn Bates, Radek Martinek and the Chris Simon suspension, this team found a way to stay in the thick of things. For a team that was predicted by a myriad of media outlets to finish in last place or extremely close to it, just making the playoffs alone is a huge accomplishment.

Nevertheless, you can’t help but get the feeling that things could have been much different if the team could have stayed healthy and found away to stay away from some of the other drama that managed to engulf them.

Maybe next year will be different.

Well, that closes the book on the 2006-2007 New York Islanders season. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. I know there were plenty of times that had all of our stomach’s in knots, but I also know that there were a ton more that put a smile on all of our faces. I’ve said it numerous times this season, but I feel the urge to say it one last time: this season had more energy than the past five put together and despite being eliminated in the first round, I think that Islander fans and the organization itself have gotten a taste of what Ted Nolan can do when given an opportunity.

That in itself is probably one of the biggest things to happen to this team in a very long time and hopefully next season Nolan doesn’t have to deal with as much adversity and drama and can continue to take this team to the next level.

Let’s go Islanders.

This could be the last 60 minutes of Islanders hockey we get to watch all season.

I don’t know about you guys, but if this is the last Isles game I get to see until October, I want to see some hard-hitting and tough play in the corners for the entire 60 minutes. As well, I want to see the Islanders maintain a consistent offensive presence and take more than five shots in the last period.

If the Islanders can do that, I really won’t be upset if they fall to the Sabres. Let’s be honest here guys, the Islanders were never supposed to have a chance in this series and the fact that they’ve been in every game played says something to me. With a little more toughness up front and another puck moving defenseman, I think this team can surprise a few people.

However, this series isn’t over yet and a win against the Sabres today could give the Isles a chance to take the series to game seven win a win at the coliseum.

Can it happen?

Stranger things have happened before.

I mean c’mon, we’re living in a world were Michael Jackson is the father of multiple children. I’m sure that if the Isles manage to come back and win this series that the world will still continue to function as we know it.

Despite that however, I hold firm on the belief that this team could have faired a lot better against the Sabres if they had both Radek Martinek and Chris Simon in the lineup. All series, they’ve lacked the ability to break through Buffalo’s blue line and haven’t been in the Sabres faces nearly enough for my taste.

But then again, I do come from the Rich Pilon, Mick Vukota and Steve Webb school of playoff hockey. In all honesty, I don’t think I’d ever be able to hide my love of great checks and tough hockey. Sadly, this series, sans a few hits from Sean Hill, Brendan Witt and Trent Hunter, has been completely void of that.

After Jaroslav Spacek’s elbow throwing at the end of game one, I thought Arron Asham was going to have his name faster than an old lady at a bingo hall; it never happened. After Jason Blake got boarded by Teppo Numminen in game four, I expected to see Brendan Witt drop the gloves with someone; that didn’t happen either. What I’m trying to say here is that the Isles haven’t played as desperate as they needed to during this series and despite getting more than adequate goaltending from both Dubielewicz and DiPietro during the course of the series, they still find themselves on the brink of elimination.

Why you ask?

They haven’t been nearly as physical enough.

If the Isles can go out on a mission and take Buffalo out of the corners and force them to make perfect passes out of their zone, they’ll have plenty of opportunities on offense. However, that alone won’t induce a victory for them. In addition to playing a hard-nosed game, the Isles have to actually hit the net when they shoot, something they failed to do in game four.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not ready to let this season go down the tubes yet and hopefully the Isles can stick around for at least one more game. I’m at the point where I’m actually contemplating selling my soul to the Robot Devil [Futurama reference, get with it] just to see this season go on for a few more days.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

The first time you guys threw stuff on the ice, I was a little pissed off. This time, while I still disagree with what you guys did, I can understand why.

This team didn’t play their best hockey last night, but there are huge questions still surrounding the game as we speak.

I know what most of you are thinking; “Why did Mike Leggo blow the whistle?”

Well, Rule 69.3 in the 2006-07 NHL rule book states:

“If an attacking player initiates contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the goalkeeper is in his crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

“If a goalkeeper, in the act of establishing his position within his goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.”

Now the question is this, does the goal the Isles almost scored last night fall into one of those categories? Well, I guess you guys are going to going to have to be the judge on that.

At this point, it has to be either that or in an even more unfortunate situation for Leggo and Islander fans, he just lost sight of the puck.

If you guys want even more information on what happened, hear it straight from the horse’s mouth: http://www.newyorkislanders.com/pressbox/archive.asp?id=1576. By the way, it only gets more provocative from there, so be warned.

All I know is if that goal stands, then the Islanders have a totally different game on our hands. Instead, what happens is that the Isles find themselves down a goal and had no more momentum. It was like someone stepped on the garden hose when the water was on full boar. The energy was there, but after that goal wasn’t allowed, there was no way the Islanders were going to come out victorious against a team like the Sabres.

It almost felt like the deck was totally stacked against them. It was bad enough that for the past three games the team hasn’t gotten enough shots on goal, but to have a goal not counted like that had to be absolutely devastating.

As well, what was the deal with the Teppo Numminen boarding call? The guy went out of his way to take Jason Blake into the boards head first, so why not give him a double minor? The way these referees are calling this series, you’d have to think that the NHL is going to have to seriously reevaluate the way they call the game this offseason.

Let’s face it, this sport changes drastically when a team gets the opportunity on the power play and when there are really no clear cut penalties anymore and a variety of things are left up to the referees, things get really dangerous.

In addition, why didn’t the Islanders respond physically after their leading goal scorer was hit like that in the corner? Where was Arron Asham or Brendan Witt on that play? Why wasn’t Numminen taught a lesson? I don’t know about you guys, but I think Chris Simon could have been an extremely important factor in this series if he wasn’t suspended.

This whole series the Islanders have lacked the type of physical play that could have stifled the Buffalo attack. Rather than take the body on guys like Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and the myriad of other offensive threats on the Sabres, the Isles have given them room to skate and have allowed them to get in front of the net without paying the price.
Over the offseason, I’d really like this team to try and get some more power guys, more people in the mold of Trent Hunter and Ryan Smyth.

All that aside, the bottom line is that the Islanders still didn’t get enough shots on Miller. Sure, the power play looked much better, but they still shanked way too shots and missed the net more times than I can count. While the Isles have been in every game in this series, they missed a golden opportunity to keep the Sabres in check and live to fight another day. Instead, now they find themselves on the brink of oblivion with no room for error.

With the next game on Friday, the Isles will have to empty out their tanks and give everything they got. Otherwise, they’ll have to watch the rest of the playoffs at home with their families. My heart wants to say that this team still has a shot at taking this series, but my brain says that Friday will be the season finale for this team. I can’t say that I’m disappointed in this team however, because in all honesty, they kept me on the edge of my seat all season long.

Despite being on the brink of elimination, I’m not ready to give up on them yet; there’s still 60 minutes of hockey left to play at the very least and you guys can rest assured that I’ll be watching. I’ve refused to give up on them all season and I’m not about to start now.

Because in the end, no one loves a Cinderella story more than I do.

However, can the Islanders miraculously turn this series around and beat the Sabres?

There’s only one way to find out.

Guess we’ll have to wait until Friday.

With the Isles now down 2-1 in Conference Quarterfinals against the Sabres, it’s obvious to say that things are only going to get tougher from here on out. As a matter of fact, if the Islanders have any chance in keeping their playoff hopes alive tonight, they have to get traffic in front of the net and take the body.

And do it all night long.

Despite the fact that the Islanders still aren’t out of this series, make no mistakes about it, they’re on some extremely thin ice. Failing to amount any serious kind of offense throughout the series, the Islanders have kept themselves out of two games that they could have came out victorious in if they scored a few more goals.

Let’s be honest here, while the Islanders haven’t played their best hockey in this series and have failed to put forth a solid effort for a full 60-minutes, the Buffalo Sabres have totally underestimated them and haven’t played their best hockey either. With that being said, if the Isles can get back on track as soon as possible and reclaim some of the passion they had in game 2, they could still shock the rest of the league and take the Sabres down.

In order for that to happen though, they Islanders need to get the powerplay going.

Unable to break the wall the Sabres have set up along their blue line during the power play, the Isles have been forced to basically play dump and chase with the man advantage and haven’t been able to get the cycle going. As well, when they finally get the cycle going in Buffalo’s zone, they’ve been passing the puck way too much, instead of taking shots and peppering Ryan Miller, who’s looked far from invincible in the series.

If the Isles can get more than 22 shots against Miller and get some bodies in front of him, they can and will be able to score some goals. However, in order to maintain the puck long enough to get it into the Sabres zone, the Islanders need to play physical and have to attack Buffalo’s defensemen, who have been playing a huge role in the team’s offense during the course of this series.

If the Sabres defenseman can’t make the first pass out of their zone, the Islanders are going to have a ton of chances on offense. As well, they’ll limit the load on DiPietro, who’s been forced to make over 30 saves a night all season. Despite the fact that it’s obvious that DP can handle the workload, giving the opposition the opportunity to take that many shots seriously limits the Islanders puck possession time and time in the attack zone, therefore eliminating any chance the team has at amounting any type of serious offense.

In the end, tonight’s game will come down to how desperate the Islanders are willing to play. Do they want to fight in the corners and skate as hard as they possibly can and hang on Buffalo all night long, or do they want to sit back and kill penalties and watch the Sabres skate again?

I guess we’re going to have to wait and find out.