When I think of the trading deadline, I usually think of the 80s band Crowded House. Not because they kick arse and I’ll use any excuse to talk about them, but because two of their best songs epitomize the feelings felt by fans during the trading deadline.

“Don’t Dream, It’s Over.”

As Islander fans, this is what we’ve usually come to see the trading deadline as, regardless of how many times the team has made the playoffs over the past six seasons. It’s the time of the year, to stop dreaming and realize that the season is over. A time to give up on young players because they’ll want too much money in a few years or a fan favorite who could nab the team a pick in an attempt to rebuild. Things were so bad at one point with this team that long time fans still kind of have this hatred or fear of the deadline. That kind of ‘Ah crap, here it comes again approach,’ where regardless of what you do, you can’t stop the inevitable feces storm that is headed your way.

“Know We’re Getting Somewhere.”

This has been a feeling that the fans that were around during the Dynasty understand better than anyone. Bill Torrey made numerous little upgrades before, during and after the run that fortified the team down the stretch and quite possibly put the team over the top. Guys like Butch Goring immediately come to mind when you think of trades that lifted this team up to the next level, but the acquisition of Ryan Smyth last season did as well. If Radek Martinek and Rick DiPietro don’t get hurt down the stretch and Chris Simon doesn’t go bananas, that trade might have been one of the most important in the team’s recent history. But as fate would have it, it was just another rental in a league that was full of them last season.

This season is kind of in between these two sentiments though. It’s obvious the team is depleted on both offense and defense, but they’re so close to making the playoffs that you don’t want to mess with what you have. At the same time, guys like Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan and Josef Vasicek have been playing great hockey as of late and while you don’t want to trade them when they’re playing like this, it’s better to trade them while their value is high, rather than get nothing for them at the end of the season.

Snow will be the conductor once again this trading deadline though and only he knows how the song will end. All we can do is wait and see what he presses on the jukebox.

Posted under Random Rant

In my 15 plus years of watching the Islanders, I’ve usually found myself on the short end of the stick during the trading deadline. Seeing guys like Pierre Turgeon, Bryan McCabe, Todd Bertuzzi, Derek King, Marty McInnis and at least a half dozen more useful and talented players traded away for picks or players way past their prime has put a whole in my hockey loving heart and has been partly responsible for consistently getting my posterior partially stuck in the seats in Nassau Coliseum. It didn’t matter who the GM was, things just never went to see to go the Islanders way at the trading deadline.

Last season was different though. I know what I’m about to say may piss some people off, but let’s me honest, Robert Nilsson has seven goals and only 18 assists this season [Anyone else think the Isles should have drafted Zach Parise, Patrice Bergeron or Ryan Getzlaf instead?] and Ryan O’Marra can’t even average a point a game in the ECHL. For a while last season, the Isles rose above the mediocrity they’ve got themselves stick in and garnered more positive headlines than they had in years. Sure, they got into the playoffs on the last day of the season and didn’t exactly wow anyone once they got there, but I had the feeling that this team was building towards something besides another first place ouster.

That all changed this offseason though as guys like Tom Poti, Jason Blake, blah blah blah, you guys know this story already. So now, despite a month or two of thinking with the glass half-full, I have reverted to my glass-half empty approach. Nonetheless, I know that Snowie is doing what is best for the franchise and isn’t trying to make a huge splash like Milbury used to try to do, he’s trying to make this team better. It’s kind of like Milbury had the Isiah Thomas thing going on way before Zeke got the opportunity to become a GM in the NBA. Rather than develop talent, he would make a quick trade and before it was able to develop into something either disastrous or wonderful, he’d trade those guys for someone else.

Now with Snow, you at least get the feeling that he’s willing to wait until the pieces fall where they should. I think the way guys like Blake, Poti, Kozlov, Zednik, Asham, Hill, Robitaille and even Smyth have played this season [under expectations at inflated costs] has proven that Snow has made the best moves he could for the franchise. Despite still not having a first line and a legitimate number one defenseman, the Islanders are still in the mix. Again, are they gearing for a Stanley Cup run? No. However, that hasn’t stopped them from being competitive and playing hard. As a fan, that’s the most important thing to me. Winning would be great, but watching a team that doesn’t give up despite what ever obstacles stand in the way [the Isles have had plenty this season] has been a fun experience.

So what is the point of this whole diatribe? I think Snow is going to get rid of the players that he think he can’t keep in the offseason to avoid what happened to him last year. Then he’s going to tweak the defense. After that, he may make a small move to get another dependable forward. That’s a far cry from getting Ryan Smyth, but it’s going to be even farther from anything Milbury did before him. I really think Islander fans don’t have to be worried about this team being run like utter crap anymore and while they may be very far away from challenging for a Cup, they’re not dying a slow death. This may come to bite me in the arse later, but I’ll take the risk.

In Garth I trust.

Posted under Random Rant

Here are just a few quotes from the Islanders last game that I found quite interesting:

“We’re definitely not happy with the result, but the game itself: I don’t know how much better we could play. Our guys gave what they have.”

Those words are from Islanders coach Ted Nolan. While they originally seem like the generic quotes you’d expect from a coach in the situation Nolan is in right now, I think there’s something more there. “Our guys gave what they have” means to me that Nolan is beginning to understand that this team is done. Sure, the Wild are a far superior team than the Isles, but if they could have played better defense and converted on a few golden opportunities [Jeff Tambellini’s immediately comes to mind] they could have come out on top.

“It’s a good point, but it should’ve been two. We played well tonight. I thought we played hard, but we’ve got to finish the job.”

Very well said by the Islanders captain. They needed a point worse than Glen Quagmire needs a monogamous relationship. In addition, Guerin also said that the Isles need to start finishing more, something that I’ve been saying for a month now. Also considering how many one-goal games this team has been involved in this season, where would they be if they had a few more goals under their belt. On second thought, let’s not think that way, it’s only going to make digesting this season even more difficult.

While the Islanders offensive problems have been well documented this year, I just thought I’d put things into perspective a little more by showing you some projected offensive numbers of a few Islanders players, according to ESPN.com.

Mike Comrie- 23-goals, 37 assists, 60 points

Bill Guerin- 28 goals, 18 assists, 45 points

Miroslav Satan- 16 goals, 28 assists, 44 points

Trent Hunter- 10 goals, 29 assists-39 points

Mike Sillinger- 21 goals, 17 assists, 38 points

Ruslan Fedotenko- 13 goals, 22 assists, 35 points

Richard Park- 13 goals, 19 assists, 32 points

Josef Vasicek- 16 goals, 11 assists, 27 points

Marc-Andre Bergeron- 12 goals, 13 assists, 25 points

Andy Hilbert- nine goals, nine assists, 18 points

Sean Bergenheim- seven goals, 10 assists- 17 points

Now I’m not a rocket scientist, but with more playing time, Comrie should be looking at least a 70 point season. Guerin’s goals are fine, but he should be looking at a 60 point season. Satan should have twice as many goals and about 10 more assists. Hunter’s assist totals are higher than expected this season, but he has to put the puck in the net more. Sillinger has been playing hurt all season and despite that has turned in a decent season. Nonetheless, he’s expected to have about 50 points. Fedotenko, like Comrie, has been getting more ice-time this season and should have gotten about 20 goals and 25 assists this season. Vasicek is having his usual season, but also should have more assists, considering how many opportunities Satan has had this season.

As far as Hilbert and Bergenheim go, they’ve worked hard in both ends this season, but you’d still like to see more offensive production from them. Bergeron has solid offensive numbers considering all the games he was scratched for, but there’s so much else to talk about when it comes to his game like his horrendous defense.

The only person on this team that is having anywhere near a more than solid offensive season is Park. When a role player is the only one exceeding a team’s expectations, it’s no wonder this team is playing so badly.

Make no mistake about it, right now is go time. This season is still worth saving, this team just needs to start playing with some desperation.

The only question is, do they want to?

Posted under Random Rant

Over the last few games, the Islanders play on defense has gotten consistently sloppy. Nonetheless, I stick to my guns when I say that Rick DiPietro’s play has not been the reason why this team is stuck in a rut.

However more than a few fans have expressed their opinions to me over the past few weeks, to the point where I have been getting e-mails [from more than a few people] who are complaining that I’m “drinking the orange and blue kool-aid.,” among a few other choice remarks that put a smirk on my face. However, anyone that’s been reading this blog since I started it last season knows that I am the farthest thing from a huge DP supporter. As a matter of fact, I dedicated several posts last season [which aren’t back on the site because it crashed in June, but will be back once I repost everything over the summer] to bashing his idiotic puck chasing and selfish play.

The reason why it was so easy to do that last season was because after about 25 games, Tom Poti, Sean Hill and Brendan Witt were playing some extremely solid hockey. Bruno Gervais and Chris Campoli were also working hard and playing tough in their own end, making me extremely teed off that this team was hovering around the .500 mark all season. If DP would have played the way he’s played this season, last year, this team could have been in the fifth or sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, not the eighth.

But enough of the wishful thinking. The reason why the Islanders are under .500 right now has nothing to do with DP. The defense is no where near as solid as last year’s and the offense is anemic. Does anyone remember that the Isles had a 40-goal scorer on this team last season and four 20-goal scorers [and five players with over 50 points], to go along with two defensemen with over 40 points and Ryan Smyth? I’d be surprised if the Isles had more than one player with over 50 points this season. Now ask yourself, does it even matter what type of goaltending you get when your team scores this much. The answer is no.

Right now, DP could go out there and make 35 saves, give up two goals and his chances at victory would be extremely slim, so don’t get on his case when the Isles lose 4-3 against a team that is far superior in every facet of the game as they are. Until the Isles step it up on both ends of the ice, things like this are going to be happening a lot more than the annoying e-mails I’ve been getting lately [which I welcome regardless of their “matter of factness” and annoying self-righteous bravado]. And like I said, this has nothing to do with how I feel about DiPietro. The Isles could clone Tony Esposito and Ken Dryden and put them in net and this team would still be in the same situation. Throw all the stats on DP that you want at me that you got, but they don’t mean anything in the end.

As far as I’m concerned, the only stat that does mean anything is the Islanders league-low 132 goals.

Posted under Random Rant

Imagine how I felt this morning on NHL.com seeing the Islanders only six points out of a playoff spot, despite playing their worst hockey since the year after the lockout. Despite injuries and ineffectiveness, this team still has a chance to turn things around. However, it’s all in their hands. If they can find a way to start scoring and limit their mistakes on defense, this season might still be worth saving.

You want to know what that paragraph was? It was the hopelessly devoted Islander fan in me speaking. He still has fond memories of Pierre Turgeon scoring his 50^th goal against the Rangers and crushing hits by Rich Pilon. He stayed positive when this team traded players like Turgeon, Todd Bertuzzi, Ziggy Palffy, Bryan McCabe and Eric Brewer away for nobodies like Kirk Muller, Trevor Linden and cough…draft picks…cough. He didn’t mind the combination fisherman/Isles jersey and actually thought Niklas Andersson could be a consistent offensive threat.

This part of me is currently embroiled in a fist fight of sorts with another part of me, the realist. The one that knew the Jets were finished after week four this season and the one that was pissed when the Isles got rid of Bryan Smolinski and Robert Reichel. The same way that could never understand how the Isles couldn’t get another high profile player to compliment Mike Peca and Alexei Yashin to make a serious run at a Stanley Cup and not a half-assed one.

As of right now, the realist in me is beating the living crap out of the passionate and faithful Isles fan. With every give away by Marc-Andre Bergeron, every filed toe drag by Mike Comrie, every nixed opportunity on the powerplay and bad penalty, the punches come flying in faster than a Mike Tyson spelling bee appearance.

I implore you New York Islanders, give the fans out there a reason to keep watching. Give the youngsters more time on the ice and give Rick DiPietro the support in net that he needs to get some wins. They’ve waited way too long over the past 15 years for this team to give them a smile that lasts longer than a few weeks. On the message boards and mailing lists, some of the more pretentious and pseudo hockey intellectuals have actually discussed the team moving and how it would be more convenient for them. That’s how bad things are right now. The only thing that can silence thoughts like this is your play on the ice. Make it happen.

Posted under Random Rant

Ok, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I think the Isles need to do something to save their season. Only one-game over .500, this team is fading extremely fast. I know that the message boards are flooded with dozens of people that say that they should trade everyone on this team and start all over and I’m not even going to get started on all the ridiculous trades these people come up with, but something does need to be done.

I hate writing about things like this as I would rather analyze the way the team is playing and comment on that, but I’ve simply had enough of this team underachieving.

Here’s what I think. When the trading deadline comes, Ruslan Fedotenko, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Miroslav Satan go bye bye. I don’t care who they get for them. As a matter of fact, if the Isles could get some high picks and maybe a player or two that can help, just fine, if not, the picks will suffice.

Now Bryan Berard would take Bergeron’s spot, while Aaron Johnson would be the seventh d-man. To take Satan’s and Fedotenko’s spot, call up Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen. While I’d rather call up someone more explosive like Kyle Okposo, rushing this kid could be catastrophic. Plus, they’ve been playing their tails off all season and deserve a shot. If that means that the Isles don’t make the playoffs this season, I can deal with that. As it stands right now, the Isles seem like a rag-tag assortment of misfits and talented grinders and youngsters. Getting rid of Fedotenko and Satan would allow the youngsters to finally crack the lineup. I’d love to see Comeau play with Tambellini and Nielsen, they’d be like a “Kid Line” version 2.0. Sure, they’d make mistakes, but they’d be fun to watch and would bust their humps on every shift.

That also means that Ted Nolan is going to have to start having more faith in his younger players. Tambellini is having a monster season in the AHL and can contribute if he’s allowed to get some bumps and bruises. The same goes for Nielsen. All season long, I’ve watched this team play strong and then go on week stretches of mediocrity. Now over the past dozen games, they’ve shown a total lack of focus, grit and passion. Something needs to be done. Satan and Fedotenko have looked like ghosts of their former selves and Bergeron [as I’ve mentioned numerous times before] has been a complete disaster on defense. If this team had a legitimate first line and could score, it wouldn’t be so bad, but we know that that’s not the case.

On that note, I’ll turn the question over to you guys. What do you think should be done with the Isles?

Posted under Random Rant

With the Isles next game on Thursday and not having anything in particular to talk about today, I decided to talk about something else that I felt that had to be addressed.

Okay, after watching the game on NBC yesterday and hearing everyone constantly hype this guy up, I have to speak my mind. No, I am not talking about Sydney Crosby. For as much as I think that he’s spoiled by the referees and is being coddled by the Penguins, the guy is a remarkable player and if he was on a team that I owned or worked for, you could bet your bottom dollar I’d do the same exact thing.

The player I am talking about is former Islander Tim Connolly, who is not the kind of game-altering player that everyone makes him out to be. Yes, he has plenty of talent, but he is not a top line center in this league and has never been. I even dare say that he may never develop into one. Today on NBC was like the kiss Tim Connolly’s rear show. Both commentators were talking about how he’s picked up the slack for the losses of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. Ahem? The guy has 27 points in 30 games, doesn’t have the goal scoring ability of Briere and is far from being the leader Drury was when he was in Buffalo. Even when the Isles were playing the Sabres a few weeks ago, Billy Jaffe said that they were going to get big time numbers from him this year. What are all of these people thinking?

It’s really interesting considering the fact that Connolly has never put up big numbers in the NHL. As a matter of fact, he’s never topped 20 goals or 40 assists in a season. I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy, but my idea of big numbers is a point per game with 30 plus goals and 50 plus assists, something Connolly needs a season and a half to get to. No knock against the guy, but he’s not the cat’s meow like every makes him out to be. He’s a solid second line center with the heart of a lion. He’s battled injury after injury and has a knack for playing well in the clutch as well. However, that doesn’t make him a replacement for anyone on a top line. If I was building a team from scratch, he’s probably be one of the people I’d look at to center my second or third line.

When he was with the Islanders, he had a ton of potential and worked his tail off in both ends of the ice, but the Isles were so horrible that EVEN if he scored a point a game, the team would still be stuck in the cellar. He was just too young and had way too much pressure on him to develop as quickly as possible.

Eventually, he was sacrificed along with Taylor Pyatt to get the Isles Mike Peca. Unlike how many people feel about that trade, I think that considering how Connolly and Pyatt have turned out [talented and serviceable NHLers, but not superstars] that getting Peca was the right move. Who knows what could have happened if Alexei Yashin and Peca could have gotten along and Peca could have avoided the injury bug.

Nonetheless, my point is this, everyone needs to stop drinking the Connolly Kool-Aid.

So many fans of this team focus on all the bad moves people like Don Maloney and Mike Milbury made over the years and the fact of the matter is this. The trade that sent Connolly and Pyatt for Peca was not one of them. If anything, it got the Islanders to playoffs a few years ahead of schedule if they would have kept them.

Posted under Random Rant

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.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Random Rant