JOSH BAILEY FINDS A HOME
Development program has a first-round advocate
The Islanders’ plan to draft and develop young players and make them feel at home on Long Island may have its first official adoptee in Josh Bailey.
In the wake of his best NHL game last night, it’s important to note that the 19-year old’s transition to New York and the NHL did not begin in training camp, did not begin when he was told he made the NHL roster. It began the moment the Islanders drafted him 9th overall in June.
The Ontario native had no idea what to expect from Long Island. What did he know about the place? “Nothing,” he said the other day after practice. That’s where the Islanders’ development program and prospect camps kick in.
“I fell in love with Long Island,” said Bailey.
Much of the credit goes to GM assistant Kerry Gwydir, a Long Island native charged with giving Islanders prospects a few weeks to remember. Although the youngsters say that Gwydir’s Paintball etiquette leaves a lot to be desired - “I never saw a guy get shot so many times and keep on playing,” 2008 draft pick Matt Martin told me the other day - it is the hockey ops staffer who shows the prospects what could be if they establish their careers as New York Islanders.
“The beaches, the boardwalks, the restaurants, the East End, the Yankee games, the access to New York City,” Bailey lists. But as much as they love the grand tour, what often sticks with the kids are the smaller jaunts.
“You go over to a town like Long Beach for some dinner,” said Bailey, “and it’s just a phenomenal place. The people are friendly. The hockey fans that recognize us treat us like gold. The weather, the beach…I mean, it’s just the greatest place to be.”
To be sure, the Islanders have run these camps for a while. The long-departed Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt could share some wonderful memories about their summer in the Hamptons. But if the Islanders are truly dedicated to this rebuild, the development program works. In short time, Bailey decided he doesn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I remember the day after the draft,” he said. “I fly in to Laguardia and I’m camped out at the Marriott across from the Coliseum. Those first few minutes, I’m thinking, What’s all this about? I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know anything about the Island.
“Now, I’m telling you, I love this place. I hope to make it my home.”
Comments.
55 Responses to “JOSH BAILEY FINDS A HOME
Development program has a first-round advocate”
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Nice! Let’s hope Josh can make a home here. There is no beach in KC!!
This is nice hear. But after a few years of losing & seeing lesser players make the playoffs every year, will he change his tune?
Someone always has to dwell on something negative. Great to hear Josh loves the community and it is incredible to see a kid of his age be so unselfish with the puck. He has great instincts and great leadership qualities built in. A guy like that doesn’t start hating his team or town because he’s not making the playoffs. A guy like that works his bag off trying to get better and help the team improve. Way to go Josh, we love ya!
not if the rebuild is successful tom. good to hear. maybe some good free agents will hear this and come. you know after the lighthouse is done and the team does a 180 after the rebuild
It may seem like baby steps but this is the foundation for a rebuild. I like what I hear
haha nice beatlebailey . i hope tavares or hedman feel the same way. great comment david. hey cb when are you doing the trade value for the vets? cant wait for that. maybe we should ask kyle okposo and the other kids what they think of long island
Fantastic to hear Josh talking the talk. Honestly, Long Island is a phenomenal place to live although it is expensive. But for a professional athelete who make plenty of dough what’s not to like? I’m looking forward to seeing Josh in Blue and orange for years to come.
Cheers Josh! It’s a wonderful place to live. I hope you get to see what your fans are like come playoff time. I think we all hope you get a taste of Fort Neverlose real soon… and while you’re out you might want to make a list of chicken parm spots for one of your future teammates.
I just read Logan’s article about Gordon making some changes. Their defense has been better of late, and it shows that he CAN grow. Another sign that maybe this marriage can work.
One thing I’d like to point out is that Brendan Witt hasn’t been seen behind the opposing team’s goal line in a few weeks.
It may not be much… but two wins in a row is a start.
I’d also like ot point out how hard CB has worked over the break and on days like today when one post might have sufficed.
Let’s have a nice round of applause for our host!!!!
AHHH CB, its stories like these that really make me smile. Lets hope the Islanders will make Long Island their permanent home
JPinVA is absolutely right. CB definately deserves something for this.
This article is exactly the information die-hards like us like to read and CB has done a fantastic job. Now to the article itself. It’s great to hear Josh is liking it here, honestly who wouldn’t. Put yourself into his shoes. You’re 19 Years old, make over $800K and play professional Hockey. This kid is living the dream life. Hopefully he continues to get better and prove that Garth knows what he’s doing. (Which I think he does)
CB,
Maybe Josh can give John Taveras a call and tell him how great playing for the Islanders will be with him in orange and blue.
After so many friends and family members have fled LI, it’s nice to see someone understands why I’m still here. Now if I could just get someone to recognize my fame when I’m out on the town…
Graduates of the Islanders development program should become members of the “Islanders Free Agent Recruitment Program”
Great read as always CB.
Back in the glory days most of the Islanders had their year round homes here. That is what made the NYI so special. Go to the deli in Cold Spring Harbor and run into Al Arbour or Mr. T. You would sometimes happen to see Trotts Tonelli Gillies Nystrom on occasion. I said in an earlier post what better place for a pro athlete to live then the north shore of LI. Even some of the newer guys Benoit Hogue still lives here and can be found playing open hockey on local rinks. McCabe still lives here too. I would hope to see this return and get to see some of the newer guys like Bailey embrace what LI is.
Love to read this about one of our top picks!
For what it’s worth - a lot of this team seems to be buying in to what the organization is selling. (rebuild / system, etc)
Our kids are definitely buzzing now. Eliminate those who don’t fit / buy in either at the deadline or in the offseason. . draft a stud this year and I don’t think it’s crazy to believe that this team is building a very solid foundation!
After seeing the game finally … the Isles looked kinda gassed in the 3rd period …. even at 2X Tivo Speed
… The goal by Reasoner totally made Marty look bad … Marty seemed off balance and reaching forward with his stick instead of positioning himself … Witter did his job on the play … force the other Thrasher to pass the puck behind the net and take him out … Yan probably should of also been positioned better.
Overall … the Isles looked OK … I think that Lehtonen should of had 2 of those goals in the first period … Hunter faking out a goalie from 20 feet?? You gotta be kidding me … and Jackman’s goal … I could of sworn I thought Lehtonen saw the puck land next to him but look the other way.
The game was pretty much even .. Isles dominate the 1st …. even up in 2nd … and Thrashers controlled the 3rd … The difference of course is that Isles cashed in on their chances better.
Love the Comeau, Bailey and Okposo combo!!
That’s great that Josh Bailey loves the Island. Too bad the big time free agents don’t feel the same way.
“Knock…knock”
“Yes?”
“Hi, Supervisor Murray. I am Josh Bailey of the Islanders. Can I have a word with you?”
P.S. The Islanders need to “develop” more players like Bailey. They’ve had a stinkaroo draft every year since drafting Ricky D number 1 overall in 2000. You can count the picks that played in the NHL on one hand
Bailey … you are gonna love Long Island even more when the re-build advances more … that is both with the team and the Light House.
You can see what attracted the Isles scouting staff to Bailey … he sees the ice so well and knows how to thread the needle to where his teammates are going to be … I’d also love to point out on KO’s first goal … he actually made an excellent pass to Bailey through the defender’s legs before receiving the pass back from Josh … excellent play all around.
Someone please take the next round of prospects out east as well. There are two counties. But I don’t think any of them have seen fire island or the vineyards.
Josh is a keeper. Garth knew what he was doing.
They probably shy away from taking 19 yr old kids to wineries. Just a thought. Take em on a striper fishing trip out of Montauk though.
What’s interesting is the positive statement about Long Beach.
From what I know of Long Beach, it’s turned into the sort of high density residential development that attracts a lot of young people.
Just like the Lighthouse.
You’re not going to hear Josh Bailey saying (and I’m not picking on any particular area, so give me some slack): “Yes, I drove down Tulip Lane in Merrick and the Colonial houses were just so beautiful!”
There’s nothing wrong with the Tulip Lanes of Long Island. But when you have people who think that’s essentially the only type of development we should have on Long Island, you’re not going to get young people like Josh Bailey raving about life here. It’s the places with lots of people — like Long Beach — that they find attractive.
But we have few of them, and that’s why our young people are fleeing in droves.
Comparing LB with the lighthouse development is comparing apples and oranges. If you want to see a PUD(Planned Urban Development) that has been successful take a 5 hour drive down to Reston Virginia.
Commercial and residential development that grew into a thriving community with fortune 500 companies to support an ever growing residential community.
I really only know what I see from the website. What is proposed in the lighthouse seems to be packing that into a place that, like it or not, may have been over developed already… and really just needs a “community center” to compliment the existing infrastructure.
I really don’t know much about all of that, but I lived in reston and it was quite comfortable for an ex-nyer who worked a brisk walk from his home. I also worked and played in LB through it’s development. Also a success, but for totally different reasons.
Maybe, just maybe, we should wait to see what the issues are that are really holding up this project… and maybe Sir William is one of a very quiet majority that are the main factor.. that’s why there is debate.
But I do feel that what SW has brought to light is bigger than most of the conjecture that usually appears here. The straight to the shredder idea should be greatly disheartening for both sides.
We hope you play here your entire career Josh and may it be a long and successful one!
Very impressed with the kids last night.
Radek Martinek please take the body sometime. The Reasoner goal was totally your fault. I just hope Martinek is gone at the deadline. His poor positioning and lack of physical play (not to mention his injuries) is just hard to watch. Not the kind of d-man the team needs.
Hopefully John Tavares will feel exactly the same!
Doug, thank you for posting the Gilroy story, it was very touching. You have to think someone so devoted to their family as Matt would welcome the chance to come home and play in front of and live around them. I am sure his brother is watching over him.
I think he’ll also look at the Isles depth chart and think he can get good minutes.
Could be fun to watch #97 (Gilroy) set up #91’s (Tavares)goal next year.
JP in NVA: I don’t know that we can say that area is overdeveloped.
To the east is a protected area of the Hempstead Plain which isn’t being touched by this. Then there’s a parkway. Then there’s a road. Then there’s Nassau’s biggest park, so it’s not like that’s overdeveloped.
To the north is Nassau Community College, which isn’t getting touched by this. To NCC’s south are the remnants of a military base, with a few houses on it.
To the east is Hofstra University, which isn’t getting touched by this. Beyond that is Hempstead, which desperately needs development and hopefully someday can benefit from the side-by-side critical mass created by the Lighthouse right next to Hofstra.
To the south is a residential area in Uniondale. But there’s also a pair of office towers that already exist and would be part of the project.
The Coliseum is surrounded by acres of a parking lot that sits empty 95% of an average workweek.
So where is the overdevelopment there? It’s an ugly empty suburban landscape. There isn’t a damn thing attractive about it or worth preserving (except for the Hempstead Plain part).
And I don’t agree there is no comparison with LB. Both are high density. That’s what matters, even if the details are different.
I look forward to seeing Josh in an Islanders uniform for many years to come. Actually I’m going to rephrase that. I am looking forward to seeing the Islanders for many years to come. I really hope that everything gets sorted out quickly and they can start building the Lighthouse by the end of this season.
Also, that line of Comeau, Bailey, Okposo was great last night. They are the only line I am happy to see performing. I wouldn’t want out chances of getting John Tavares to be ruined.
If Bailey is being sincere and not giving an edited answer, that is great to hear. Hopefully, this will encourage other youngsters to come to LI. However, as CB pointed out in earlier posts, no veterans are coming to this Sh-t hole they call NVMC.
One last post for me in defense of the defensive personnel.
I’ll give you the point of his being fragile, but Marty was +20 under Lavy, -18 under Sterling/shaw and +10 under Nolan.
See a pattern there. He’s signed through 2010-11. One of the biggest problems I’ve had with this team is its lack of continuity for the past 15 years. Sure they can do better, but their first responsibility should be to IMPROVE the product with the ingredients they have signed. That would be the prudent path. I don’t think Hillen or Kohn are ready for 24 minutes in the NHL. He is also one of the two RH defensemen they have. That fact may be one of the reasons that Bruno (the other RHer) was getting first pair minutes with Streit.
I liked what I saw from the kids last night. They will struggle a bit next next in their second year. But the future looks bright. Sophmore jinx will take a harder toll on Bailey than Okposo i would think. Hopeful there will be another nice forward prospect to start bringing along next year…..Tavares maybe….Hedman will take longer to take flight as defense always do.
I grew up in Cold Spring Harbor and went to grade school with Al’s daughter Julie. I could tell you how to get to his old house (don’t remember the street address though). Yay for local heroes. Is he the reason that I’m a big Islanders fan? Perhaps… perhaps it is.
“I remember the day after the draft,” he said. “I fly in to Laguardia and I’m camped out at the Marriott across from the Coliseum.”
GEEZUS….I was checking out of the Marriott that day….Hope he wasn’t the kid I told to carry my bag out to the car!!!
The defensive gaps in general by the “veteran” Defenders are not very good. Maybe it has something to do with playing too many minutes and losing focus out there. Or maybe it is just a lack of effort, but Martinek, Campoli and especially Witt need to tighten up their D games quite a bit.
And we do need more right handed D. Usually it is hard to find the lefties, but we have an abundance.
JayK,
It’s been a while. read my posts, they are rife with “maybe”, “might” and “possibly”. What i rememeber from that area is waiting for the light to change three times on hempstead tpk or OCR to move 100 yards. Over development sometimes has more to do with the support infrastructure than the “empty suburban landscape”. You have a valid point, of course. I also worked on Chuck Lindburg blvd(sp?), and across from the original CA building. That area definitely needed (may still) a facelift.
My point in LB vs LH is this. With LB most of the PROBLEM was there were low rent housing sitting on property that had SKYROCKETED in value after the 1970’s. Once the handcuffs were taken off the development the resident demographic ROSE dramatically. But it took time, and it was done within responsible parameters of the infrastructure…. but it can still be a nightmare, and if there was ever a need to evacuate LB in 24 hours I beleive there would be mass chaos.
I’m just trying to see both sides of this.
Sorry for the 5 posts.
Too bad only young people with lots of money like Mr. Bailey can afford to live here. If approved, the Lighthouse project could begin to change all that.
imagine my suprise to see Claude Lapointe living in Hicksville!? that was pretty cool.
DALLY MAC:
Why does there have to be a sophmore jinx? That’s not a rule!
Sometimes players take a step back before going forward… but most players develope and take a big leap forward in their second year. Geez… it’s like everyone’s brainwashed by Mike and the Mad Dog and their idiocy sometimes!!!
DOC
Sophmore jinx? I like the kid too but he aint exactly lighting up the lamp and yeah I know he got two points last night. He is a keeper though but I don’t know if he can have a sophmore jinx next year? I hope there is an Islanders for Josh to play for in five years, I’m beginning to have my doubts and starting to lose a little faith in our owner. The guy had me fooled when he grabbed Peca and Yashin and stated there will always be a New York Islanders and a championship was coming. Now he’s brining “his” team to Kansas City for a “showcase” or a threat. Either way it stinks to me.
I thought Josh played well last night.
The Islanders “won a MUST LOSE” game last night. :0
How I wish we could trade that win for a win against the RAG$ !!!
Pat
JP - I think you make a pretty interesting point in post #25 about the idea of a “community center” versus the current Light House project as it stands. By “community center,” I assume you mean something more focused on just retail/restaurants, with maybe some loft/office space on upper levels. Now, I grew up in Huntington, have not been a regular resident of LI for almost 15 years, and have been to 1 Isles game every other year for the last 5-10 years -and some have been in Colorado - so I am curious to know what folks closer to the area think about that idea.
Also, just food for thought as I am trying to waste the rest of my Friday:
Lakewood, Colorado did something similar to the Light House in the last 10 years, transforming their closed mall into a mixed use development that they billed as “Lakewood’s Downtown.” They have lots of retail/restaurant space, limited commercial space, but also lots of high-density residential development.
Unfortunately I think that model is failing Bel Mar for a couple of main reasons, which may or may not apply to the Coliseum site (again pardon my ignorance of the area): 1) there is not a lot of business around Bel Mar, and because they provided very little commercial space, people from the area spend the majority of their days (and their money) elsewhere, leaving the retail ops a few hours each night to turn a profit; and 2) there is no population base right now to fill the residential development, furhter minimizing the potential for the retail ops to make money.
Although I don’t think there is a population base issue on Long Island, I kinda think what Wang/Rechler are trying to avoid similar pitfalls. Hence the need to make it a destination not just for shopping and gathering, but for living, working, visiting/tourism, and - most important to Isles fans - taking in a sporting event. Essentially, they are creating a (hopefully) economically self-sustaining environment that does not rely on evening or weekend visitors alone.
So, as people start to say that the Light House needs to be scaled back, you have to look at the project holistically and ask what do put there and will it be economically self-sustaining?
It’s a great start really…
Bailey has verbally said he likes it on Long Island
DP must have seen something(maybe $) when he signed on for 15 years
I would be interested to see what KO and Comeau think, as well as some of the young defensive err talent? we have in the lineup i.e. Campoli and uh…
Hopefully Travheduch will like it here too as well as Komiserak having some good memories and you’ve got the beginnings of a solid core
Now that we are back on the Light House … I have a Question… Is there going to be a large venue theater / movie theater at the LH?
The question was asked to me last night at the rink by a Ranger fan actually. He thinks the Light House Project would be a brilliant idea … he said as an entertainment center it should have a theater where live shows and small concerts could be performed .. and on other days have it convert to a large screen movie theater as in the classic days of film. He said it would be great for Blockbuster releases … not a bad idea for a Ranger fan … I’m wondering if something like that is part of the plan myself now.
What are your thoughts about Komiserek and Nystrom playing in an islanders uniform soon if ever?
CGS #34 I actually know Julie Arbour too. As far as the house goes I cant post the address here but the house number was 12 and the street name started with D if that helps you. I saw Julie last year at the 1980 reunion she is married with a family and living in New Jersey. As for Al and Claire who by the way is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. They sold the house and retired to Long Boat Key Florida.
What the hell is a Mike and a Mad Dog?….I live in Nova Scotia. I hope they don’t slip back a bit, but the probably will, look at Sam Gagner in Edmonton this year. On the other hand Kane in Chicago is playing well, but he was a #1 pick. Again what’s with the Mad Dog thing, is it a TV show or something?
Oh come on. He didnt have access to a COMPUTER?! How could this young RICH kid know NOTHING about Long Island??? Sounds a bit goofy to me.
I’m with JayK on this one - the area is not nearly as built up as some people would like to believe. Complaining about traffic is a major cop-out because, first of all, it’s a fact of life for most areas around Long Island. Second of all, the traffic is not really that bad past 6PM on most nights (I went to school right down the road from grades 6-12 in the recent past, and I go through there on a regular basis now, so I have extensive first-hand experience). Now, in addition, a project like this would give us access to federal transportation dollars in order to actually provide a reliable mass transit option. Simply saying there’s a need for a “community center” ignores the real need in the community for the services the Lighthouse will provide, and it also, once again, ignores the fact that Nassau County looked at all the facts and approved this project as the best one for the area.
Josh of the Blue and Orange uni is a Yankees fan? Jeez—front runner. Next thing you know he’ll be wearing a Dallas Cowboys cap. Well, no one’s perfect…
Mike Francessa and the Chris “Mad Dog” Russo were a sports radio duo on WFAN (the Mets flagship radio station that produces sports-talk migraines) and on YES TV (the Yankees propaganda network). Mad Dog (Chris Russo) left the duo last year to solo on satellite radio. They ran a very aggressive show and tended to avoid hockey.
Bailey really sees the ice well. I thought on the first assist he had last night that he was shooting all the way. It’s good to see that.
I’m really starting to like Bailey. He’s still probably not 100% ready for this league, but he has been making excellent strides all year long.
Maybe we should give Snow & Jankowski some more credit, as their moves at last years draft are looking phenomenal all the way around.