For anyone who's consumed a pint of ice cream in a bout of postseason depression, Ben & Jerry's is...

Posted under NHL

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Posted under NHL

I promise, my last video game review this season!

http://reviewfix.com/2009/09/2ks-final-hockey-hurrah-on-the-ps2-misses-the-net/

Posted under 2009-10

We knew it was all coming when Sillinger played in only seven games last season. Nevertheless the guy was uber solid when with the team and set a great example. A former first round pick, ending your career with 240 goals is pretty damn solid if you ask me. A shame he didn’t really develop until his last few seasons in the league too. At one time, I wished the entire Islanders team could consist of clones of Silly, Richard Park and Jason Blake. A tad under-sized sure, but feisty nonetheless.

Good luck in your future endeavors Silly.

Aside from that, there hasn’t been much Isles news, so my video game exploits have continued.

Check out my NHL 10 demo thoughts here. Goddamn this game is so much fun. Even if you don’t play games, click the link anyway. I’m sure the screenshot alone will scare the crap out of you. It’s hard to believe video games have come this far. I still remember loving NHLPA 93 despite how ugly it was and now sometimes it’s more fun to play this than actually watch the real thing.

http://reviewfix.com/2009/08/nhl-10-demo-rocks-like-a-hurricane/

Posted under Offseason 2009

Check out my NHL 09 Review here:

http://reviewfix.com/2009/08/the-best-hockey-game-ever/

Posted under Uncategorized

Kurtis McLean- Had a solid season in Bridgeport, notching 52 points in 62 games and showed some spunk with the Isles, scoring a goal and playing solid two-way hockey in four games. His age, 29, make him less of a prospect and more of a depth signing, so if the Islanders do decide to hold on to him, it’ll be for insurance, just in case someone gets injured.

Stay or go?- Stay. The guy produced last season in Bridgeport and if Jeff Tambellini or the host of other youngsters drops the ball, a balanced player like McLean may be able to step in.

Mitchell Fritz- Not much use for a guy like this in the NHL anymore. Sure, he’s tough as nails, but he doesn’t offer much of anything else. Good for games against the Rangers and Flyers, but little else.

Stay or go?- Go. The Islanders have a player in Joel Rechlicz that should be able to do a solid job of scrapping and he’s much younger and a better skater.

Mike Iggulden- Love this kid’s passing ability and instinct. A shame that he never got a shot with San Jose. Deserves a good 40 games to see what he’s capable of, but the jury is still out if the Islanders will give it to him.

Stay or go- Stay. As of right now, I’d much rather have him in the lineup than Tambellini. At least he doesn’t have a “passion switch” that no one knows how it gets turned on or off. At the very least, he’ll be another Hilbert or Tambellini or Jeff Hamilton, but in a great situation, he could be a good third liner with special teams capabilities.

Chris Lee- He’s put up solid offensive numbers at every level hes been at, but at 28, he needs a shot and soon. At Bridgeport, he may be a good teacher to the young players, but he needs an opportunity to show the Islanders brass what he is capable of. The only way that looks like it’s going to happen is if someone gets injured. And even with that considered, with all the injuries the defense had last season, he didn’t get a smidgen of NHL ice-time.

Stay or go- I’d keep him just for the fact that he can produce at the AHL level and you want to have someone there who can help guide the kids. However, if you have no intention of calling him up, which it seems the Isles do not, why waste your time?

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Posted under Offseason 2009

In the beginning, Jeff Tambellini needed time. It was a situation that is beginning to feel all to similar to Islanders fans over the past few years. The team deals a few veterans after they feel they don’t have what it takes to make the playoffs and youth comes in. He was still green after putting the finishing touches on his college career and finishing up his first year in the AHL, but he still had a ton of promise.

No one expected that it would take almost four years, but it seems that finally, Jeff Tambellini is becoming something that Islanders fans and he himself can get used to.

Very similar to Andy Hilbert, Tambellini is a beast in the AHL, a sniper and offensive force that would even scare Jeff Hamilton. In the NHL however, Tambellini is a guy that has to do a bunch of things in order to be successful.

Once he realized, his job was on the line and even veterans the likes of Jon Sim where being targeted by the organization for various reasons, that’s when I think Tambellini realized he had nothing to lose and began to take the body and shoot with more confidence.

So no more excuses about Ted Nolan not playing him, no more excuses about what line he’s on.

It’s all up to him now and he knows it.

“For the playoffs, (the games are) meaningless, but for each guy in this room, we’re playing for respect, we’re playing for jobs next year, we’re playing for ice time,” winger Jeff Tambellini told Newsday. “These are big games for us. No one is taking this lightly because this is a young group and we’re all trying to prove ourselves and put our personal mark on this team.”

Speaking of taking the body, Tambellini has has had no problem hitting players much bigger than him, which in turn has made him a much better player in corners, in the defensive end and on the powerplay. As a result, the guy has five goals in his last 16 games and has been on of the Islanders best players during that span, a far cry when he was barely noticeable at all.

Some would say that’s too little too late for the former first round pick, but with another year left on his contract and the team to get even younger next season, Tambellini, at least early in the year will get more ice-time due to his second half prowess.

My guess is he’ll be another Hilbert-clone, scoring about 10-15 goals a season that can play in all game situations, which may upset some Isles fans, but he will be a full-time NHLer next season and won’t ride the bench.

For him at the very least, it’s a step in the right direction.

We’ll see how much it helps the Islanders next season as well.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Talk about a see-saw-esque battle, eh?

It’s simply amazing to me that the Islanders continue to fight despite their place in the standings and their situation with injuries right now.

With Mark Streit out of the lineup last night as well, the rest of the NHL probably saw this game as an afterthought.

However, the Islanders came out hard and outworked the Capitals on several occasions, as the trio of Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen continue to get better every game. As I’ve mentioned before, Bailey has become a much more complete player, while Okposo isn’t scared to shoot anymore. Nielsen has developed into an excellent little playmaker, complimenting his already excellent ability in the face-off circle and in his own end.

During the telecast, Howie Rose and Billy Jaffe made mention of Bailey’s willingness to get in front of net and that when he’s on the ice an in front of the goalie and a goal is scored, it means just as much to him as a goal itself. To hear a 19-year-old talk that unselfishly about his game is great news for this team.

Nonetheless, Mike Green was aided by some sloppy play in their own end and spotty goaltending by Joey MacDonald, inducing an Isles loss that ended up much worse than it really was.

Overall, I think the fact that the Islanders were able to stick this out and keep the game tight was a testament to how far they’ve come this season, despite the fact that some may think that Washington just took the team lightly through the first 40 minutes.

Regardless, I feel like we are seeing a significant progression in the talent level of this team right now.

However, it goes to show just how much work this team still has ahead of them this offseason. It also proves just how important Streit is to this team, as several of the mistakes made by the young defensemen, mistakes, Streit, at +9 for the year, probably wouldn’t have made.

OMG moment of the night- Oh man, did you guys see when Okposo got stretched out in the third? Scary stuff. No word as of yet what the case is, but you hope the guy can play out the rest of the season and continue to show the rest of the league that he’s capable of leading a team on offense. I know he came back and played the rest of the game, but who knows what the case is at this point.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Despite the Islanders record this season, they’ve had a few players that have never given up this season. Guys that regardless of the score, have fought hard in corners, taken quality shots on net and taken the body.

When thinking of players that fit into this category, Tim Jackman is one of the first players that comes to mind.

Signing a one-year contract extension with the Islanders yesterday, Jackman was rewarded for his hard work, making his return to the team next season an imminent one.

While Jackman coming back may not be a huge signing, it does assure the team of some fourth line grit and toughness.

You can never have enough of that, can you?

“Tim earned this extension by showing his willingness to do whatever is necessary to help the Islanders succeed,” New York general manager Garth Snow told the Associated Press. “We know Tim is excited about being an Islander next season, and we’re just as excited to have him back.”

The thing I like the most about Jackman is that he can fit adequately into a variety of roles. If someone is picking on Kyle Okposo or one of the other youngsters, Jackman has no problem dropping the gloves with them. If the Islanders need someone to go out there and change the momentum of a game and provide some energy, he can do that too. If someone on the top lines is slacking and needs a reality check, Jackman can play with the top line and get himself in front of the net and at least be an option. He’s even shown an ability an ability this season to kill penalties and block shots if he has to.

Because of that, he’s proven himself at this level and absolutely deserves an opportunity to strut his stuff in the NHL for at least one more season.

Simply put, Jackman doesn’t hurt the team when he’s on the ice. He’s a decent skater with good enough speed to be productive in pretty much any role the team needs him to be in. I actually think that he has better hands than most scouts give him credit for. Like Andy Hilbert in the fact that he’s produced more offensively in the AHL than the NHL, I think if Jackman plays 80 games and gets his 12 minutes a night, he could net 10 goals and add as many helpers.

For the time being though, I, like many Isles fans, are just happy to have him back.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Despite the fact that Trent Hunter is the longest tenured member on the roster aside from Rick DiPietro and Radek Martinek and would make a more than solid NHL captain and Brendan Witt has the leadership ability, I’m beginning to feel that Mark Streit should be the Islanders next captain.

We all know it’s a decision that won’t be made until next season, but just look at the guy’s numbers. 52 points and a +7 on the worst team in the league, from the blue line. I don’t know if there are many players in the league that could put up points like that if they were in his situation. Add in the fact that he missed and handful of games and it’s possible he could have even broken his career high in points that he set last season.

However, as many of you dudes and dudettes know, being a captain of any team in any league has more to do with the total package than just numbers alone. That is a category where I think Streit is totally underrated. Making amazing strides in his defensive game this season, I dare say that Streit is the best defenseman this team has had since Adrian Aucoin. And Unlike Aucoin, he doesn’t have to take 200 shots a season to be productive offensively. A great passer with an excellent shot and skating ability, Streit is one of the few defensemen in the league that can attract attention in all situations on offense and make the players around him better.

To me, that’s exactly what a captain should be able to do.

And to think, the Montreal Canadiens thought they used the guy up and that he’d never be able to reproduce the numbers he put up last season. I’m not a betting man by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m sure the Habs would gladly take Streit over Mathieu Schneider any day of the week. And let’s be fair here, Schneider is one of the most talented offensive defensemen of this generation. He’s a guy that many teams would kill to have.

But he’s not Mark Streit.

Again, that’s another reason why he should be Islanders captain. He’s one of a kind and he’s getting better every day because the organization has had faith in him from the start. The same way the youngsters are growing, Streit too has become a much better player this season and is a representation of what this team could be if they worked as hard as he did.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009