ISLANDERS NOTEBOOK: Second Edition
Martinek setback…Comrie’s rehab…Blake Kessel
UPDATED, 2:50 pm - As Greg Logan notes in his blog this afternoon, Radek Martinek collided with Andy Sutton at practice today and appeared to suffer shoulder damage. But keep in mind that Martinek was listed “day-to-day” yesterday when he missed practice and was thought to only be a possibility for Thursday’s game in Washington. Consider today’s incident another setback for Martinek, but the initial damage was done to his shoulder at some point in the Islanders’ win over Ottawa on Saturday.
A source tells Point Blank that Mike Comrie is now rehabbing his hip in Minnesota utilizing a different technique and that he is skating at the MN Made Ice Center in Edina. Although it’s safe to assume the Islanders gave the green-light to Comrie’s trip to Minnesota, there is no official word from the team yet.
Blake Kessel, an Islanders sixth round pick in 2006, has made Team USA for the upcoming World Junior Championships in Ottawa later this month. The 19-year old Kessel is a freshman at the University of New Hampshire. Kessel was chosen for the Team USA blueline along with several first round NHL picks. In their decision to go with experience, Team USA left Islanders 2008 second round pick Aaron Ness off the roster.
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12:15 pm - In a one-on-one conversation with PB, a confident Jeff Tambellini acknowledged his failure to score at the NHL level vs. the AHL is “the million-dollar question” but said he was determined to continue to do “the little things” to help the Islanders.
“Just because I’m not scoring it doesn’t mean I can’t contribute,” said Tambellini, who has 2 assists while averaging 12:46 of ice over 22 games this season. “My goal is to look at this game-by-game, work within the system and hopefully get that first goal and go from there. The moment you start thinking about not scoring goals, then it affects your entire game. I’m not going to let that happen to me.”
I asked Scott Gordon today about Tambellini not playing in the third period of the 4-2 win over Ottawa on Saturday. The coach mentioned how power play time, Jon Sim’s misconduct penalty and his preference to match certain players against Jason Spezza’s line led to his decision. I then asked if he was “generally okay” with Jeff’s game.
“Look, we all want him to score,” said Gordon. “At a certain point, it’s natural that a lack of confidence builds up. At some point, Jeff has to find the answers within himself. We’ve met a few times lately, but you can only talk so much.”
We maintain our stance that a two-week, waiver-free stint in Bridgeport – with the understanding Tambellini’s job on the Islanders is there for him when it’s over – gives Jeff the best chance to find those answers.
Same lineup from yesterday at today’s 75-minute practice, including some focus on the power play. Mike Sillinger confirmed to start with Mitch Fritz to the left and Tim Jackman to the right. Make no mistake: the veteran center is not pain-free, but he’s determined to not go quietly.
Gordon said Sillinger was the definition of a hockey player. No argument here.
Ken Morrow can now appeal for full-time pay as an assistant coach. The Islanders Director of Pro Scouting has been around the team again for the last week, by our count at minimum his third long stretch as an on-ice defensive tutor this season.
(Spurgeon)
Islanders prospects Travis Hamonic and Jared Spurgeon have been invited to the tryout camp for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. The selection of Hamonic (2nd round, 2008) is not a surprise, but the invitation to Spurgeon is quite a feather in the cap for the kid and the Islanders’ scouting staff. A 5-8, 180-pound defenseman with Spokane (WHL), Spurgeon was drafted in the sixth round in June. He is an excellent skater, reliable at both ends of the ice.
If you missed our feature on the inside story of the drafting of Hamonic, you can check it out here.
(Coaching: there is no dopier career)
Former Islanders coach Peter Laviolette was fired as coach of the Hurricanes this morning and replaced – naturally – by Paul Maurice, a former Carolina coach and a finalist for the Islanders job that went to Scott Gordon. (Surprised the Canes didn’t hire Ted Nolan).
The writing was on the wall for Peter in the offseason when the Cup-winning coach was “assigned” an assistant coach by ownership/management, proving yet again dysfunction is more rampant throughout the NHL than you’d think.
There’s also the story of the NHL broadcaster who was surprised and disappointed when Laviolette turned down his last few interview requests, only to learn the requests never made it to the coach. Hmm…
Laviolette, under contract for the next two-plus years, should take a deserved break the rest of this season and will most likely have another NHL head coaching job by next summer.
Produced by my old friends at ITV at a private Friday dinner during the 25th anniversary celebration, “Dinner and a Dynasty” is a 70-minute DVD moderated by the recently-freed Jiggs McDonald with most of the Islanders’ Cup winners, including Bossy and Trottier. What makes the DVD an especially nice treat is hearing from many of the dynasty members not around all the time, like Stefan Persson and Dave Langevin. It’s now on sale for $20 via the web and at the Team Store in the Broadway Mall in Hicksville. PB recommends it as a holiday gift for the hockey fans in your life.
Thank you to Point Blank readers for your cooperation in our new-look Comments space. Just about all of you understood the spirit of our new guidelines and it led to fantastic, non-monopolized commentary over the last 24 hours. The guidelines are now gospel. Thanks again.
Later in the day, Point Blank will have some exclusive details on how the Islanders are looking to step up their rebuilding program. And no, it does not involve anything near the level of Marian Gaborik.
Comments.
61 Responses to ISLANDERS NOTEBOOK: Second Edition
Martinek setback…Comrie’s rehab…Blake Kessel
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kingbet123 says:
Tamby needs to get his confidence back…..2 weeks of scoring goals @ the Bridge might very well do that.
Peter is a good coach – he’ll definitely find another job. I’ve never been a fan of the ownership/management in Carolina. Still bitter about the Whaler days I guess.
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rob section 315 says:
peter will be back by may mark my words.
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andy says:
Tambs is frustrating to watch. This crap of “doesn’t mean I can’t contribute” is a sign of denial. How is a -9 (!!!) a contribution? He might score a few goals this season but that’s all the Isles are going to get out of him (a “few” is being generous on my part).
Good news on Hamonic and Spurgeon. Hope they make it!
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And:
Laviolette deserves a break. You’re right, CB. But this guy won’t have a hard time looking for a job in the NHL…and no, i’d rather not see him come back to the Isles. -
John says:
The amount of time and ink spent on Jeff Tambellini just because he is a nice guy or his dad was an Islander (please do not call him royalty, he was a wasted first round draft pick, name ONE big goal he contributed to Islander history) is ridiculous. There are plenty other of our own former 1st round picks that have never or barely ever scored in the NHL. I don’t need to list them for this audience. Move on. Maybe I think its Ben Walter’s turn.
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Here’s a reality check, five of our D have outscored Jeff. Of course you know that includes varying amounts of games. Move on.
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JKP in Halifax says:
CB, you’re such a tease with that last paragraph!
As for Tambs, I really hope he gets a couple of goals to get the monkey off his back. Still hoping he can make it all work and prove the investment by the Isles is a wise one.
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Moose says:
the isles needs tambellini to score but they also need Okposo to score, 2 goals in 18 games may be more alarming than tamby not scoring in 41 games…for all the 1st round picks that dont blossom there are plenty that need more than 2 seasons to find their game….this team has been playing well as a whole and is entertaining, everyone needs to relax and be patient
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Willis says:
Chris – Same line up from yesterday tells me Okposo wasn’t there again. Can you confirm? Also, did you ask Gordon (or anyone) for a comment on it?
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Also, what a shame about Laviolette. Best of luck to him in the future. (But not as much as Go-Go hehe).
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Tony says:
It didn’t take the firing of Laviolette to realize the NHL is an unorganized joke.
I hate Avery, but he didn’t deserve to get suspended for saying the words “sloppy seconds”. GMAB!
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bCarey says:
I could see Laviolette in a number of places. Tampa, Chicago, Toronto? He is a proven coach and will get a job this summer.
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Healy says:
Hard to tell through printed word but Tamby’s “I can still contribute…” line seems to a bit too nonchalant about his situation. I would hope to hear a bit more fire and drive (and maybe even some desperation). That being said, I still think he has a full season to prove himself. He’s shown he has a scoring touch and I think he should get the benefit of the doubt until the season ends (or at the very least the trade deadline). If he can’t put anything together by then it might be time to cut our losses. How to go about doing that though if he proves himself a dud?
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Jimmy Sparx says:
How can you score so many goals in the AHL and not have at least a few goals in the NHL. What gives with this kid?
Lavy will be coaching next season. Isles should never have let him go…..
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Laviolette will not be back next season. That would make the Islanders look terrible, plus Gordon has a great system established here on Long Island! We will be with Gordon for a long time, and I like that.
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Rich says:
Even when Tamby doesn’t score which he doesn’t can he try and set up a play in the offensive zone. I see nothing to warrant him with any NHL time. What a debacle he has become.
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Tom says:
Any chance of Lavy coming back to the isles? It was an obvious mistake to get rid of Lavy & keep Yashin. Another great decision by our fearless leader…The Wanger.
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JC Frank says:
Nice job by the coach on Francesa. Actually a good conversation on overspeed.
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Gina 319 says:
The dinner and a Dynasty DVD is not professionally done. It looks like it was burned on a home computer. My copy freezes at the end and it does not play well. I was very disappointed that I paid so much for an inferior product.
Any chance the 10 greatest games or whatever dvd is going to be professionally produced?
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Strummer's Army says:
I think we have our coach. My only problem was he hasn’t used toughness properly and he seems to be learning.
I wonder if Botta’s exclusive info on the rebuild means he knows something about a deal for a young player or picks? I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE CHRIS BOTTA TALK!
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JPinVA says:
Wow.. Lavy has a cup (should be good for 5 years), and is in second place to a team that cornered the market on high draft picks. There’s gotta be something fishy going on there. I wonder if the GM asked the players if they liked the coach.
Sillinger is another one of those guys that has flowed through this organization that exemplifies class. I wish him all the best.
Tambellini… grab a wig and a squeegy! -
I’m open to anything with Tamby at this point. But I do fear sending him back to B-port and his AHL habits will set him back (or maybe not since he’ll be in the Go-Go system?).
Seems like he just needs to focus on being an NHL player right now — whatever that means for his abilities. If he needs to be a Hilbert with touch, might as well get started on that evolution.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
Sounds like Tamby doesn’t have any desperation. He doesn’t take his role on the team serious enough. Let me compare him to Bergie, who has speed and some skill as well as Tamby. But the main difference is that Bergie drives to the net, jumps on loose pucks, standing his ground, fights for puck possession in corners WITHOUT any FEAR. And this is how you add more numbers to your personal statistics and “contribute” to the team. Tamby need to drive this fear out of his head. Then, and only then, people will consider to call him THE MAN.
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Pat says:
Re: Jeff Tambellini – I still don’t want to give up. The two week assignment would be what I would tell him to do if I were his agent. I would suggest to Gordon that he uses Tambellini on the shootouts. His problem is playing in traffic – or lack of doing that. He might thrive on a team that can afford to use him as a 4th liner – rather than the second line slot we need him to be.
Lavvy – CB – can you explain
what you believe the issue to be why the Canes dismissed him? I don’t get it.Pat
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jax says:
Grab a wig and a squeegy!
Awesome!!!!!!!
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Jeff says:
Just read Logans blog and he said Martinek is hurt again…. i feel bad for the guy and when he is healthy he is solid as a rock but how long can we go with putting him in the lineup and then having him out the next game again? i think we should see what value martinek is worth and bring up a prospect…. please dont just let pock play
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James says:
Got a good laugh out of the Gaborik rumor. Let’s see, if I was the Isles GM, would I be interested in taking on a currently/always injured brooding, moody unrestricted free agent-to-be who will likely cost me Okposo, the 2009 1st round pick, and another young player?
Pass.
Of course, that other website doesn’t deal in logic, just pure fantasy.
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rb says:
agree w/ comment 27…if Martinek is healthy at the deadline, deal him to a contender that needs a d-man…doesn’t matter how steady he is, he’s never in the line-up…when are Isles going to come out with a DVD-box set of glory years/games?
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Joe says:
Tamby has gotta go, almost a third of the season gone and no goals.
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CB,
Bad idea saying Comrie is in Minnesota working out. That is going to be around the internet within hours saying that the Wild are keeping an eye on his health before the Isles make a deal for Gaborik! God, I hate rumors!
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Wow, Justin, I didn’t even notice that part of the article. I was too busy wondering why a HAND injury would prevent someone from skating.
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Comrie for Gaborik? sure, i’d go for that…but that sounds way too good to be true.
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drouin says:
I disagree with a two week stint in the A for Tambs. He’s done so much down there that even if he excels it would be somewhat meaningless. He needs to find his mojo at the nhl level. If he finds it at all.
Too bad about Lavy. I’m sure he’ll get another shot soon. -
Minnesota is THE place to rehab from so many things… just saying.
No talk of the great Sean Avery today. It used to make me cringe when Howie and Billy would say, “every team needs a guy like Avery”.
I’m going to start calling Komiserik captain Kirk… because he’s BOLDLY gone where NO MAN has ever gone before.
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I think that was a little over 100 words. Sorry. -
forgot I deleted the part about blake kessel/ness and Justin Dibenedetto
..so much less than 100 words -
DINO says:
MARTINEK….MY GOD
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Strongly disagree with Lavy coming back for the same reason I do not want Snow fired in spite of the mistakes. This organization needs consistency and it needs for that consistency to create an identity. Currently it seems like “overspeed”, “hard forecheck”, and “effort” are the characteristics Gordon espouses, lets give him a few years to turn that into a winning strategy. Changing coach or GM would just set us back again.
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Also JP the other part of the new guidelines is monopolizing the blog. Chris said 4 posts should be the max, I count you have 3. You got one more. You can also keep the word count down by not being a wise ass.
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Jethro09 says:
Radek Martinek is useless. He’s a piece of glass on skates. I’m done with this guy. All the skill in the world is useless if you can’t get on and stay on the ice.
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G. Howatt says:
All I want for CHRISTMAS is Coach LAVIOLETTE
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Chris TMC says:
Lol- WHAT??? Holy crap, G.Howatt you HAVE to be kidding.
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Dmarie says:
holy smokes! Martinek, I can not believe he’s hurt yet again! He’s an accident just waiting to happen, he’s so frail to play hockey..lol! poor guy..take up golf!
As for Tamby, I know the guys had his chances, I still feel bad for him, I’m glad Gordons meeting with him, hopefully they do something with him.
That DVD sounded great til I got to Gina’s post and read what her’s was like, to bad..I love stuff like that too. -
Dan from Westchester says:
In 5 full seasons with Isles, Martinek is averaging 59 games per season – only 70% of games. And this season he’s played in less than half. Solid D-man but I agree – trade him at the deadline if you can get something back.
Maybe Hillen will be ready by then?
And as for Tambellini – what else can be said? He’s gotta go – Comeau averaging a point a game (4-13-17 in 17 gms) at Bridgeport – bring him up!
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Stanley Cups: LAVIOLETTE = 1
GORDON = 0 -
Marc says:
Seasons as NHL head coach:
Laviolette = 6+
Gordon < 1
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D-Money says:
G.Howatt, Gordon has 20-something games under his belt – how can you expect him to have won a cup? Your standards are a bit high, no? And don’t forget – they are products of the same organization (BOS). In fact, I would love someone who knows hockey systems to compare Lavi’s and Go-Go’s, because if I remember correctly, Lavi’s system was touted as pretty up-tempo and demanding when he came to LI.
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I’m surprised it’s as much as 70% for Radek. So happy for kessel. Gives me a bigger reason to watch.
Sad for Peter, but we have OUR coach. -
Funny. I stopped at Whole Foods Market in Jericho near Iceworks, and there’s Martinek! Pushing a shopping cart around. This was around 1:30, wasnt aware of the injury today but was aware he got hurt in Ottawa. Said hello, said I was a big fan, shook his right hand and it was like grabbing a dead fish.
So.. in conclusion, he’s definitely handling the arm/shoulder gingerly, but he DID go food shopping right after hurting it again so.. I dont know. Based on the handshake, I give him a couple of weeks. -
Not that most folks need one, but I could see a word counter being helpful on this site in light of the new rules!
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IslesHockey21 says:
Congrats Blake!
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OK bring back Ted Nolan for some old school hockey not Ice girly hockey
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Howatt, We didnt have an enforcer with Nolan either, Simon was washed up, he stunk in the toughness department.
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Lavi actually dressed the toughest team of the past decade if I remember correctly.
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I’ll say it again, wheter injures, lack of physical crease clearing play or poor positional play and his apparent bad luck/lack of confidence it is past time to move on from Martinek.
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Islander505 says:
Can we put a stop to the Lavy for Coach talk? (just like my comment on the previous thread put an end to the “tank the season” talk…..yeah right!!).
Ain’t gonna happen.
We’ve got Gordon for at least a full season, and so far, despite some minor hiccups, I like what I see.I swear, if someone posted that they saw Potvin working out in Sunrise with the Panthers, somebody else would be signing him up for our power play.
On the other hand….Hmmm…… -
Martini[k] “Glass” is a bit of conundrum (that might count as 2 words for the monosyllabic) in that he is ALMOST EXACTLY what this team needs. He is a solid puck mover, is smart in the flow, has shown excellent positioning and he can skate. Where he lacks may be crease clearing muscle, and that’s why he plays with Witt in a top 4 role… and HE’S DIRT CHEAP for the value he brings back.
Sure, the guy has a bit of a reliability issue… but pleae don’t talk about “getting rid” of him. Jeez… I don’t want to invoke Moses here, but this board wants to stone everybody every time they stop to tie their sandals. Let’s just hope that one of the “prospects” turns out to be as good as marty.
Does anybody rememeber the march of the paper defensemen that played major minutes the last THREE years… we might be a little THIN at “D”.
…and according to Tom, that’s my final post on this thread. Good night everybody… I’m here all week. Try the veal and be sure to tip your waitress. -
Spinner9 says:
Dumping Martinek makes no sense, if he’s hurt you won’t get value for him and if he’s healthy he’s our best all-around defenseman. Of course it’d be great if he were more durable but so far it hasn’t happened. We don’t have a reliable replacement for him either, Hillen’s more of a offensive d-man. He’s very solid when he plays and costs relatively little.
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Jim says:
Actually, Ness’ play this season doesn’t warrant a spot on Team USA. Why are you making excuses, Chris?
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MikeyMitts says:
Is this Minn rehab for Comrie a look for the wild? Comrie for Gaborik.
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I really wish people would calm down about Radek Martinek. the guy has yet to miss one game, the organization specifically stated that they are NOT saying theres anyting serious with him, but there are fans that suddenly have him crippled for the remainder of the season. Jeez… Isles fans complain and get mad that players are rushed back on the ice when they are hurt, but then when the organization exhibits caution and lets a player rest and feel better after a hefty collision in practice (and a hefty collision in Ottawa) the Isles fans complain and get mad, too! What can they possibly do to make some Isles fans happy???
Um yeah..wrong Jeff!
The team needs you to put the puck in the net. That will really help the team immensely!