Monthly Archives: January 2009
The Islanders have declined to grab No. 3 Edmonton goalie Dany Sabourin off the waiver wire. With Joey MacDonald on course to return the first week in February, and the Islanders off a complete week over the All-Star break, it appears the team will ride it out with Scott Gordon favorite Yann Danis.
(Love Joey’s Wings mask/Bruins uniform combo from ’06-07).
When MacDonald returns, Danis goes to the backup role and that may likely be it unless there is an injury. Stefan Ridderwall is a prospect, but he’s in the Swedish Elite League and isn’t coming over mid-season. (More on Ridderwall in a future post).
When JMac returns, his audition to be the Islanders’ co- No. 1 will continue. MacDonald is an unrestricted free agent after this season and the Islanders are going to be in the market for at least one NHL goaltender. As Mark Herrmann wrote today, the Islanders need a goalie they have the confidence in to play 30, 40, 60 games. They need their version of Chico Resch, Roland Melanson, Mark Fitzpatrick, Garth Snow.
And be assured the Islanders agree.
For his solid, at times heroic efforts this season, MacDonald has earned first crack at the job. Whether it’s with the current bunch, or an even younger, more inexperienced lineup after veterans are dealt between now and March 4, Joey Mac gets to play for a bigger and better contract with the Islanders.
*
As for tonight’s monumental tilt against the Anaheim Ducks, figure on the same lineup if not the same lines and D pairings. Trent Hunter is still out, Kurtis McLean (pretty good on Monday) still here. Jack Hillen still here for Chris Campoli. Peter Mannino backing up Danis.
Can’t help but think the fans will feel a lot better about this team when Scott Gordon is dressing as many kids as possible (that didn’t come out right). I mean, like the worthy Trevor Smith and Andrew MacDonald. All that may be a disaster for the playoff pursuits of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but Coach Cappy can handle it. Right, Jack?
*
Oh, brother. We have a full week without games (not that I’ve been covering them much, anyway) and probably four days without practices. What to write, what to write…
This is where you come in. Post your Questions in Comments and I’ll do my best to answer those I can starting from the Coliseum press box tonight and over the next week from the home office. Beyond the Q & A, I still plan on having a few posts a day. Thanks for everything this season.
Anyone want to bet me a steak that Coach Gordon starts talking nice about Danis?
Comments.
As the Islanders started to sink after 10-12-2, readers made some definitive proclamations:
- The trading of Roberto Luongo (and subsequent draft day shenanigans) set back the Islanders organization so far, they still have not recovered almost 9 years later.
- To this day, the Islanders are still feeling the aftershock of previous ownership dumping salary and trading Ziggy Palffy to Los Angeles a decade ago.
- It actually goes further back. The organization has never been the same since the day in 1995 when Kirk Muller was acquired for Pierre Turgeon, and then told the world he had no interest in being part of the team.
To all of the above, your feelings are so understandable, there’s no reason to go over all the gory details again.
But to all of the above, I also respectfully call BS.
The series of very unfortunate events cited above only serve to give the Islanders the easy way out. No sports franchise – no business – should ever be provided such excuses.
Let’s say the Islanders made the worst deal in the history of professional sports just a year ago. There is still no reason for that to set them back more than a year, let alone a decade, let alone a generation.
On Dec. 1, 2005 the Boston Bruins traded Joe Thornton to San Jose for second-line center Marco Sturm, fourth-line center Wayne Primeau and No. 5 defenseman Brad Stuart. (They didn’t even get a prospect or high draft pick back). Thornton, at the time a three-time NHL all-star, finished the season with 92 points in 58 games with the Sharks and won the Hart Trophy. On the day of the trade, Thornton was 26 years old.
Two seasons later, the Bruins were in the playoffs. Today, they are 33-8-5, best in the Eastern Conference, tied with San Jose for best in the league. Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard were signed as free agents. Young players like Krejci, Kessel, Wheeler and Lucic were added and developed. All of those moves – some made by ex-GM Mike O’Connell, fired in large part for the Thornton trade - still could have happened with their franchise center around. I don’t buy the theory that the Thornton deal paved the way, just that the Bruins rebounded magnificently.
No one is saying the Muller, Palffy, Luongo moves (and any others you want to add to the list) were not earth-shakers, reverse-difference-makers. But this idea that any transaction – however disastrously it may be viewed – can devastate a sports franchise for years, is tough to buy into.
I always felt there were some parallels between the Islanders trade of Luongo and the Mets dealing of Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano four years ago. (That’s a column about desperation for another day, but think about it). I’m not even a Mets fan, but I still remember Eddie Coleman on WFAN breaking the news, and me banging my head against the steering wheel. (I can hear you, dear readers/fans: Now you know how we feel). Two years later, the Mets were a game from the World Series.
The Islanders are hurting right now. They are in the first year of a pre-meditated rebuild that some fans – waiting 16 years for a measly playoff series victory – are having difficulty digesting. But enough about major fumbles made (in some cases) five ownership groups, three GMs and more than a decade ago. Whether you’re on board with this rebuild or not, hold the Islanders accountable for every move they make in the present and future.
Comments.
5:20 pm – Conference call ended. Updated with notes and DiPietro statement
5:10 pm - The Islanders have announced that Rick DiPietro will be out for the remainder of the season.
Making an exception from team policy, the Islanders made team orthopedist Dr. Elliott Hershman available on a conference call with reporters. Also on the call was general manager Garth Snow.
Dr. Hershman provided an extensive review of DiPietro’s hip and knee surgeries and said that the goaltender’s problems this season have been with his left knee. “He has progessed slowly,” said Hershman. “He has had swelling in the knee.”
Hershman revealed that DiPietro recently consulted with the noted Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama, along with Dr. William Clancy in Birmingham. After that consultation, it was decided to shut down DiPietro for the season.
“At this time, we are not anticipating any further surgery,” said Hershman. “Right now he will have a period of rest and rehabilitation, and our hope is that he will be ready for training camp.”
Additional notes:
- Hershman defined that period of “rest and rehabilitation” as 6-8 weeks before they may be able to make a determination if additional surgery is required.
- Hershman said DiPietro is a “diligent and dedicated player” but would not blame the goaltender’s insistence on getting back in the lineup for any setbacks. The doctor said that even if the Islanders were in the playoff hunt, he would have shut down DiPietro for the season.
- On the call, there was some questioning over the issue of DiPietro being “medically cleared to play” at points during the season. (Greg Logan is all over it). Dr. Hershman defended team staff, saying the staff was not second-guessing itself and was “cautious” throughout.
- Snow said “I don’t have any concerns at all” about DiPietro’s long-term prognosis and his ability to fulfill his 15-year contract.
- In a statement released by the team, DiPietro said, “This has been one of the most frustrating situations I have ever had to deal with, but this is the right decision for me and the team. I am confident this will allow me to make a complete recovery, be ready in time for next season and compete to my highest ability for many years to come. I’d like to thank Islanders fans for their patience and I look forward to playing in front of them next season.”
*
On a related note, the Edmonton Oilers have waived goaltender Dany Sabourin. The 28-year old Sabourin has some NHL experience with Vancouver and Pittsburgh. Like Wade Dubielewicz, he is regarded as a solid No. 2-3 depth goalie. If the Islanders want him, all they have to do is put in a claim. As the team with the worst record in the NHL, the Islanders have preference on the waiver wire.
Reaction.
4:43 pm - The Islanders have arranged for a 5:00 pm conference call with reporters to announce that Rick DiPietro will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Stay tuned to Point Blank for details.
Amazing how the 2007 election for Town of Hempstead Supervisor seems to mean so much more today to Islanders fans and the supporters of the Lighthouse Project.
Republican Kate Murray won the election over Democratic nominee Kevin Gorman, 66,000 votes to 30,000 (a landslide, but a negligible margain if enough residents are fired up about an issue). For so many, the election of 2007 did not seem like a big deal at the time. Now it does.
Big enough that Kevin Gorman was not completely shocked when I contacted him by phone over the weekend. Gorman, out of MacArthur High School and Fordham University, has moved on to greater works. He was one of the leaders of a program to bring handicapped-accesible voting machines to Nassau County.
Consistent with a life of service in volunteer programs from CYO sports to the Knights of Columbus and Long Island Blood Sevices, Gorman took the high road.
During the campaign, what was your position on the Lighthouse Project?
(Laughing) Well, I wasn’t really prepared to get back to politican mode, but I guess this should give you an indication of where I stood – I have tickets for a few Islanders games at the Coliseum over the next couple of weeks.
Was the Coliseum project a major part of the election battle with Kate Murray?
To be honest with you, at the time, not really. It should have been. There were plenty of issues, and the Lighthouse was part of it, but it would be wrong to charcaterize it as the defining cause of the election.
Where do you stand on the project now?
We need it. I thought then, and believe even more so now, that the project is key for Long Island’s future, for Nassau County and for the Town of Hempstead. My position during the election was that the project’s plans needed to be examined carefully but expeditiously. It is too vital a development to drag our feet. The additional tax revenue to the County and the Town is so important. The property taxes, once the development was completed, are also key.
What’s your take on Kate Murray’s handling of the project so far?
I disagree with Supervisor Murray’s position that the development should be separated between the arena and the rest of the development. That’s not the deal that was agreed upon between Charles Wang’s group and Nassau County. We need the total development.
Any advice for Islanders fans?
It may be an old saying, but it’s so true in issues like this – the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Keep the pressure on the Town to move in an expeditious manner.
What would you say to Charles Wang?
Keep on rebuilding the Islanders, and continue the push for the Lighthouse Project. Both are very important to Long Island.
Comments.
The Islanders are going to Saskatoon for training camp in September for a few reasons:
- Like many NHL teams, the Islanders favor getting away and bonding for the opening of camp.
- The Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce has no doubt made it financially equitable (free travel, facilities, perhaps even an appearance fee plus take-home from games against Edmonton and Calgary).
- It’s another opportunity to spread the NYI brand in a hockey-mad region.
All good reasons, no question. But know this: if their number comes up in the lottery, the Islanders will lose big on their training camp deal.
They will lose out on 10 invaluable days of selling tickets and the brand of John Tavares in New York and on Long Island at the opening of his National Hockey League career.
The Islanders will lose 10 prime days with Tavares before the exhibition game schedule really kicks in. Ten days they will never get back.
WASHINGTON 2, ISLANDERS 1 (OT)
You know the main talking points: 0-3-1 on homestand. Two wins since Dec. 1 (a noted statistician told me post-game it’s now the worst stretch since 1972). Winless in 2009. With that out of the way, here are some notes from Sections 221 and 118.
(First off, my apologies to those of you who came by Section 221 and I wasn’t there. My group was escorted to some seats by the glass later on (note to MC: one row in front of Hilary!). My kids had never been that close before so we stayed there so they could stare at Ovechkin. Again, I’m real sorry).
Islanders fans continue to be the only local heroes these days. Four-game homestand during horrendous season: two sellouts (Rangers and Devils) and two 95% capacity games (Boston and today). Take a bow. Think Kansas City could pull that off when their team is 12-29-5 after 15 years without a playoff series victory?
My kids came to see Alexander Ovechkin and they weren’t disappointed. His highlights were not his two goals, but just about everything else he did. In the third, my son Cole said, “The Islanders need Ovechkin to make a penalty.” Just like that, AO flung the puck over the glass to set up the 5-on-3 power play.
Two penalty calls on the Islanders were outrageous. The ticky-tack slash on Brendan Witt in overtime – the kind of calls Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky got and now the league gives to Crosby and Ovechkin. Earlier, there was a call on Blake Comeau that was a complete mystery. Both were in the neutral zone.
Scouts I could spot in the press box: Atlanta, Minnesota, Dallas, Phoenix, Anaheim GM Bob Murray (the Ducks are at MSG Tuesday, the Coli on Wednesday).
Josh Bailey: 1 win, 8 losses on faceoffs.
The McDonough Sisters – with their Indigo Girls vibe - dueted on the best rendition of the National Anthem that I’ve heard at the Coliseum in a while.
When Washington was awful in the early days of Ovechkin, coach Glen Hanlon developed some rugged third-liners along the way like Brooks Laich (originally a 6th round pick by Ottawa) and Matt Bradley (a former Sharks and Penguins plumber). The Islanders need to find players like this. When we moved down to seats at the glass, the two Islanders I spotted giving that kind of effort were Tim Jackman and Nate Thompson.
For all the solid things the Islanders did today, a signature moment of the game was Laich and Tomas Fleischmann totally outworking the Islanders’ band of 5 when the home team was on a power play mid-first period.
An example of – to use the coach’s words – “grabbing your stick too tight”: Kyle Okposo showing patience, doing everything right, stepping up to the net and firing a shot wide on a glorious chance mid-third. Then shaking his head on the bench for a minute after. That 5-on-3 goal after was big for Okposo.
Scott Gordon goes into Mike Keenan tough-on-the-goalie mode whenever he is asked about Yann Danis. When asked by Logie about his third-string goalie’s decent play in a pair of 2-1 losses last week, Gordon said, “It’s just been two games.” This has been going on for a while and is somewhat surprising when you recall the coach’s praise all season for Joey MacDonald and even Rick DiPietro. Since Scott is a very kind and decent man, I can only assume he wants to keep the bar high for Danis. Other than that, I’m out of explanations.
David Backes – who has an aunt who works in the Coliseum’s luxury suites – scored for St. Louis with one second left in Boston to send the game to overtime. The Blues won in a shootout and are now 11 points up on the Islanders in the Tavheduch Watch.
*
As I’ve mentioned before, there will be times when I want to make sure the dialogue remains open, honest and frank. I have no interest in running a blog where we all just agree with each other. So what better way to end another day with a loss than with a little push-back?
Direct message to our regulars who go in Comments with various aliases, write the Islanders suck and invented that I’ve written Bailey and Comeau are gods, the Islanders know exactly what they’re doing by sucking and the plan all along was to suck on their way to a top pick: at 12-29-5, you can’t go wrong, boys. As long as you keep it within the guidelines, keep beatin’ that drum. You’re going to continue to sound brilliant for at least the rest of this season and probably longer.
Comments. Bring it.
Trent Hunter out with lacerated hand. Kurtis McLean (!) should make his NHL debut today as the NYI host Ovie and the Caps. McLean is 11-29-40 in 41 games with Bridgeport this season.
The schedule for today: Point Blank will appear on the MSG Plus Pre-Game Show with C.J. Papa. The show starts at 1:30.
I’m going for a different perspective for today’s game, sitting in the stands with my kids. I’ll be in Section 221 Row H if you want to say hello. If you want to yell at me, keep it clean around my sons.
No typical recap today. Instead I’ll write something after we get home. No idea what that will be right now.
Talk about the game, within the guidelines, in Comments.
← Older postsNewer posts →
