JOEY MAC NAMED THIRD STAR FOR NOVEMBER
1. Ovechkin 2. Malkin 3. MacDonald
2:50 pm - Alex Ovechkin. Evgeni Malkin. Joey MacDonald.
Those are your “Three Stars” for the National Hockey League in November, as just announced by the league.
MacDonald, named Third Star, was honored for “excelling in relief of Rick DiPietro.” He made 14 consecutive starts from Nov. 3-29, posting an 8-5-1 record, 2.64 GAA and .916 save percentage.
MacDonald led all goaltenders in games (14), minutes (842) and shots faced (439), and shared the lead in victories. He was also cited for outdueling Roberto Luongo and Carey Price in shootout victories.
ETC: Mike Fornabaio reports on his Sound Tigers blog that Tim Jackman and Jeremy Colliton are in Bridgeport today. This does not necessarily mean they are there for good or that at least one of them won’t be back with the Islanders by Thursday. We await an official announcement from the team, because we’re (cough) not the kind to jump to conclusions!
Comments.
37 Responses to JOEY MAC NAMED THIRD STAR FOR NOVEMBER
1. Ovechkin 2. Malkin 3. MacDonald
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KP says:
Ovechkin… Malkin… MacDonald…
I feel like I’m watching Sesame Street. One of these things is not like the other…
Congrats JMac on a job well done. He certainly earned it.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
Recognition by the League? Wow!
Way to go JMac! You deserve this. More wins to come. -
JLaMonica16 says:
Talk about a confidence booster.
Watch out Rick
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UIF says:
Congrats JMac!
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Isles fan in CA says:
well deserved!
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joey mac proving everyone wrong. what a welcomed surprise he’s turned out to be this year.
ok, so now what? does this actually mean that Snow knew what he was talking about when he offered Dubie the 2 way?
so far Snow has looked pretty good with the signing of weight, streit, and joey. not to even mention bailey and all the other draft picks. color me impressed.
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Neil says:
After video review, Colin Campbell has taken away Joe MacDonald’s third star and awarded it to someone, you know, who sells more jerseys…
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G. Howatt says:
DP who ??
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Matt says:
That is great!!! Congratulations Jmac!!! Make DP earn the #1 when he gets back!!! Guy has played great for us!!!!
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kevin says:
lookput DP. hopefully they split or give DP 3/5 starts so he is on his heels. also, i bet its fritz and obviously silli filling the spots. they saw the last two games and we need toughness. ( not that the jack-o-lantern isn’t a tough guy)its jut sad to see him go because he earned a spot. well brashear may finally get payback for what he did to witt after he scored that rare goal
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Kevin Fitz says:
Congrats to Joey! I am very happy we have him as a backup. But let’s stop all this talk about how DP has to earn his way back once he is healthy. He is still far better than JMac. I am not taking anything away from him either, he has be outstanding, but DP is the number one goalie of this team. With JMac playing so good, it means the DP can take his time coming back this year (if at all this year) and not get re-injured so easily this time. Remember, before he got hurt last year he was an all star and a candidate for MVP of the league for keeping the Isles in the hunt when they had absolutely ZERO on that team.
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Chris H says:
DP definitely needs to prove himself…he has done nothing for this team yet. Yeah, he has 12 years left and no one would pick up that albatross, but that doesn’t mean he gets a free pass and doesn’t have to perform. I say ride whoever is going to keep us close to playoff contention and isn’t going to get us ousted in the first round. My vote goes to JMac in that respect. DP needs to be grounded and realize he’s not as great as he thinks he is…maybe then that fat head of his will fit in his helmet!
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yeah i think ppl forget that other kevin. but still, he needs to get back to the shape he was when 32-19.
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its sad because i still want us to come in last……
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tom says:
Chris H: dp has done nothing for us yet? and Jmac has? wow… it’s amazing how short term memories are.
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Steven CC says:
This is doubly impressive because Big Mac has been an NHL goalie for all of a few months. He’s still refining his game and, with good coaching, should get better and smarter.
I don’t know if Mac has replaced DP, but at least he looks like he’s capable of starting 35 games a season. That’s great news since DP needs to start playing less given his injury problems. Having two fresh goalies will be huge, especially as we get good enough to move deeper in the playoffs in the years to come.
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Willis says:
Niiiice! Good for Joey, Congrats! And thanks for all your hard work so far!
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Travelchic59 says:
Congratulations to Joey Mac. Very well deserved. I am glad the league recognized his hard work.
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doc says:
Short term memories indeed!
So when DiPietro does come back… and returns to All-star status – lest us forget that he was the starting All Star goalie last year – do you really think that he will sit in favor of MacDonald?
MacDonald has been much more than advertised or expected, but please, he isn’t as good or accomplished as DiPietro is.
And if we are going to sit here and say that MacDonald will only get better with good coaching and experience… then we should be fair and say the same about DiPietro… After all, DiPietro is YOUNGER than MacDonald!
DOC
PS: Congratulations to MacDonald for proving all of your naysayers wrong. Keep up the good work!
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And to continue… Don’t you think that if MacDonald is offered a FA contract by another team to be their starter, that he will jump at that opportunity? Knowing that DiPietro will be here for 12 more years as the #1 guy?
Just a thought.
DOC
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Gina 319 says:
If Jackman is sent down and Tambellini remains up with the Islanders AND isn’t a healthy scratch when Sillinger gets back, this organization has some serious problems.
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Gina, Tamby is on a one-way deal, so the only thing that could keep him here is the desire to not lose him on waivers. It’s a contract issue, plain and simple, the same way Comeau’s 2-way deal is a big reason why they’re letting him cool his heels at the Bridge right now.
I also agree with everything doc said. I’m thrilled for Joey Mac since he’s exceeded all of our expectations. However, that doesn’t justify all the DP-bashing. DP, when healthy, is still much better than Joey Mac, and to me this simply means we now have a dependable backup who could spell DP for 25 games a year without anybody having to hold their breath.
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Honestly, I don’t what all the praise is for DP. He hasn’t gotten us past a first round in the playoffs and hasn’t played a full season without getting injured. He also doesn’t take criticism well from his coaches or teammates because he thinks he is so much better than he actually is. Yes, he made the All Star team but I’ve seen plenty of people make the team that didn’t necessarily deserve it. All I’m saying is that Joey MacDonald, while not a superstar yet, has progessed leaps and bounds since his first start. Take a look at footage of those first games if you don’t believe me. And if you still don’t re-read the articles in which Sudsie and Dunham have nothing but praise for this kid’s devotion, persistance, and work ethic. Then show me similar write ups from any of the coaches on DP…I’m not saying he shouldn’t be playing in the NHL but he also shouldn’t be put on a pedestal by anyone in the organization until he plays a solid season and gets us deeper than the first round.
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rb says:
if the rest of your team is real good, you can win a Cup with a steady, unspectacular goaltender…like Chris Osgood…that’s why taking Ricky #1 overall to begin with was asinine…but hey, Milbury’s still a genius, right NBC?
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Eric says:
Chris H.- That’s riiiiiight it’s DP who is holding us back from succeeding in the playoffs and not the fact we haven’t had a real first or second line offense in the last ten years…(NOTE SARCASM)
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Islander505 says:
This just in from Toronto……
Upon further review, Joey McDonald’s 3rd star of the month has been disallowed and Mr. McDonald has been suspended for 5 games for unsportsmanlike conduct as his play in November was a clear shot to the head of Colin Campbell. -
Chris H:
I do believe that if you talk to anyone associated with the Islanders that you will find that they all admire DiPietro’s dedication, hard work, attention to detail and persistence and sometimes hard headed mentality to play through pain – sometimes to his detriment as we all know.
He has played large numbers of games in several seasons, and has won 30, 32, 26 and 23 games in a season on what were supposed to be bad teams.
There have been numerous write-ups regarding his toughness, hard work, team first mentality and desire to win ON LONG ISLAND.
However, I have yet to see anyone EVER say (other than fan hearsay) that DiPietro is difficult to coach or doesn’t take criticism. I realise that this will be difficult to prove… but please!
The result might not always be what we as fans like… but lets not criticise things that we are not privy to.
DOC
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Rick Rocks says:
OMFG.
I love DiPietro and his ability is there but even with that said, he has yet to be called out in the media because THOSE ARTICLES DON’T GET PUBLISHED.
I remember the Scatchard incident, the Aucoin incident, the team dinner, the event when Doobie played, the eye expressions, the moaning and whining, etc.
He’s grown up a lot, but he’s not immune from any criticism. I have full hope he’ll grow further and mature but as a realist, he’s uncoachable given all evidence, he’s undisciplined, has issues with technique and training (my GOD he lifts too much weights and he’s probably hurt now due to the monstrous bulk up from a few seasons ago) and no matter what, while I can defend him so much, some here will defend him regardless of how insane it is.
I wish DP had Joey Mac’s work ethic and Doobie’s agility…..and some technique so he wouldn’t hurt himself with his sizzling bacon failed experiment. Hope he can come back and emulate Brodeur more.
As for proof, Nolan and Milbury have made quite public comments about DP’s coachability and we have had how many goalie coaches for DP thus far?
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Spinner9 says:
MacDonald has been a pleasant suprise thus far and makes Snow’s decision lood real good. MacDonald has kept the Isles in some games they shouldn’t have been, however, DiPietro is the type of goalie that sometimes will not only keep them in games but also can steal a few wins.
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Chuck DiMaggio says:
Very well deserved recognition for Joey MacDonald. I hope Coach Gordon employs a goaltending platoon when Rick DiPietro returns. I think Joey has earned that opportunity. Keeping both goalies sharp and fresh may be the better bet than always going with number one.
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Chris TMC says:
I find it unbelievably dumb that we as a fan base cant be happy for Joey Mac for what he has accomplished without turning it into some stupid Joey v. Ricky thing. Where in the world did some of you get the idea that a team should have one and ONLY one player that they trust in the net???
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DP's Hip says:
When the other player in net rushes through rehab and puts his team behind the eight ball so often, why do you ask?
Happy as hades for Joey.
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We are all happy for Joey- this is great. But its just silly to make this a Vs, rivalry type of thing when it isnt.
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The 800 lb gorilla is what we discuss: Where does Joey go next season if he becomes too popular?
Get to like a goalie and be prepared to see 39itis strike another victim.
This is the matter we discuss. We’re hoping this WILL become a rivalry and Joey can earn as many starts as he can rather than be mandated to 1 in 6 starts if he’s lucky, which has done wonders for all.
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Oh come on with the “another victim” stuff. Ricks gotten along fine with every fellow goalie he has ever worked with except, it would seem, Dubie. Why does the exception becomes the rule?
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Every goalie who didn’t have anything left in the tank. A goalie who took starts away or got cheered? Let’s just wait til the MacDonald DiPietro icetime debate.
Rick has an attitude problem. Sorry.
But you can rest assured if Mac stinks it up playing once every other week if that, the debate won’t happen.
Well deserved. . Jo – ey!! Jo – ey!!
Beat Luongo. . won in Montreal. . Stole a game at MSG we probably had no business winning. And has given us a chance to win every night – can’t ask for more from a “backup”