Comments on: PERSPECTIVEWe know gong shows. This is not one.

By: super cheap flights

super cheap flights — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:00:07 +0000

I really love your blog!!

Can anybody tell me what

By: Chuck DiMaggio

Chuck DiMaggio — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:22:40 +0000

Another “Gong Show” you may care to elaborate about, is the late summer day when Steven Gluckstern and Howard Milstein tried to strong arm Nassau County and SMG, by moving the Islanders out of Nassau Coliseum due to un-safe conditions. Please tell us about that debacle. Thanks.

By: Ryan Tendrup

Ryan Tendrup — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:57:19 +0000

Good read, CB.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:45:54 +0000

Chris…ANOTHER great blog!

But many of the Gong Shows of past certainly weren’t called Gong Shows at the time they were happening…June 24th, 2000 was called anything but a Gong Show…BY the org. I distinctly remember the Isles franchise defending that day to the death. I also remember the franchise going out of their way & defending to the death the Milstein era…& you guessed it by talking about the $$$ they lost & the poor lease and ‘woe is me’ garbage. Life is about overcoming challenges. Wang has been a FAIL on hockey.

Get wins. Get respect. Stop being punch lines to jokes. That’s it. Their is no other formula. No other formula exists. This is PRO sports. This is New York. THIS is reality. Reality is NOT a crap Islander team getting a pat on the back for being crap. The insults may not always be accurate, but they are indeed deserved. 30th place teams don’t get worshiped, they get insulted. That’s reality. Fantasy is “support us because THIS time we got it right.” That’s fantasy.

By: Ari Haanpaa

Ari Haanpaa — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:43:13 +0000

Full Steam Ahead with the rebuild. Real Isles fans know this is not a “we are close to competing for the cup so let’s get Ryan Smyth” phase. That was so delusional, it’s almost unbelievable! But that was the Gong Show phase, where management were lying to themselves and the fanbase. As much as Wang doesn’t know about hockey, he does know business. He needs to keep his attention on the Lighthouse project in order to build a stable, state of the art home for the Isles, which will ensure them staying here for a long time while boosting the local economy, and making it an attractive place to play and live. In the meantime, let Garth do his thing,(for it Is his thing now), and trade off the older spare parts for picks/almost NHL ready prospects, and continue the suckage. After another successful draft next year, maybe you are looking @ a team with Bailey,Okie,Frans,Comeau,& Tavares. Now maybe you add to the mix a UFA Komiserak and/or Hossa, or poach a RFA with an offer sheet(Krejci), and now you have the start of something. Be patient. The Dynasty team was terrible for years, but they got that right,huh? Stay the course and stick to the plan and in time we will be hoisting a cup instead of crying into one. SPEED!

By: DINO

DINO — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:36:35 +0000

Chris Botta Is My Idol LOL

By: 7th Woman

7th Woman — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:36:32 +0000

of course you do. that’s what you’re here for.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:36:20 +0000

Nightfly – spot on

Fauxrumors – couldn’t agree more. Seems like every publication that covers hockey has an instance where they say something along the lines of: “We need to fill space. Send so-and-so to write a hit piece on the Islanders.”

CB – Exciting, something to tide me over as it snows.

By: admin

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:21:29 +0000

I will have a story on Witt and Gordon up in the next half-hour. I’ve got some good stuff, is all I’ll say…CB

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:11:11 +0000

CB! What about Witts comments today about Gordons System. Their might be trouble from within! Dejavu!

By: fauxrumors

fauxrumors — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:04:37 +0000

1) Jouranlists these days take the path of least resistance. Going by the old tried story line is easier than trying to find the truth.
2) Its those kinds of stories that has led to the explosion of hockey blog popularity. Fans can go to a blog and get better hockey covereage than to the traditional media outlets!

By: nightfly

nightfly — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:58:02 +0000

It finally happened…. CB drunk himself blind to the sounds of ol’ T Rex.

Agreed with the folks who are talking positive about the rebuilding. You need guys like Guerin and Weight and Witt for something like this. The Isles aren’t going to sell off every last vet because nobody will be left to show a strong on-ice example. Guerin, Weight, and Sillinger will probably retire in a couple of years, and the kids the Isles have (or will draft) will inherit their positions. Then Trent Hunter and RDP will be the elder statesmen, Neilsen Bailey Okposo etc. will be young veterans coming into their primes, and Hedman/Tavares (PLEASE) and the other draftees from 2008-2010 will be learning from them. That’s how you build a sound foundation for a good team.

It helps to have Crosby/Malkin or Ovie/Semin/Green to speed things up, but if not, what can the Isles do? Fold? Go to Hamilton or KC – and still have the same problems? It’s silly to complain that they haven’t been able to grab a franchise talent; it’s certainly no excuse for the team NOT to develop the talent they do have, the way they’ve done for most of the past fifteen years. Guys like Okposo, Bailey, Neilsen, and Comeau are enthusiastic about building something here; Sillinger and the older guys are eager to teach them. With that attitude the rest of the league will notice (such as Malkin saying that the Isles were the toughest team to play against), their reputation will improve, and it will be easier to attract/keep free agents when the time comes.