Monthly Archives: February 2009
Yesterday’s positive step for the Lighthouse was not even the best news Charles Wang had received this week. At the Academy Awards on Sunday, the winner of Best Documentary Short was Smile Pinki. The film, directed by Megan Mylan, follows the story of an 8-year old girl from India who was born with a cleft lip and palate. Her life is transformed thanks to Smile Train, the world’s largest charitable organization that provides cleft surgeries.
Wang is the Co-founder and Chairman of Smile Train. To watch the movie trailer and learn more about the charity, visit the Smile Train website. Yesterday at Hempstead Town Hall, Wang told reporters when asked about the success of Smile Pinki, “Nothing is better than that, because it helps our children.”
Comments. Up Next is the pre-game.
For the first time since buying the team in April of 2000, Charles Wang publicly declares that he has to keep his options open on where the Islanders will play. In this article from Newsday, he also says the Islanders belong on Long Island and “We can talk and talk, but we’ve got to get off our butts. Let’s get this done.” And if that weren’t enough, the owner mentions a clause that gets him out of the lease if there’s too much sitting on butts.
Comment on the article and the Lighthouse here. Talk hockey in following threads.
[Please note: Like the You Play GM segment on Brendan Witt, this is a one Comment per reader thread]
Chris Higgins is a left wing/center for the Montreal Canadiens, a struggling team that’s in a dogfight to make the playoffs in its Centennial season (no pressure there!). The Canadiens are a franchise with a lot of needs and some salary cap problems.
Higgins is 6-0, 205 pounds. He can skate, he can hit and he has pretty good hands. In his previous three NHL seasons, he had 27, 23 and 22 goals. In this setback and injury-plagued year he has just 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points in 35 games.
If Higgins was having a great season, he would not be available. For the right deal, he is available.
Chris Higgins, all of 25 years old, was raised in Smithtown, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. Okay, so he supposedly grew up a Canadiens fans. Big whoop. He also hangs out on the Island in the summer with DiPietro.
Brendan Witt for Higgins is not a do-able deal. Neither is Witt plus a draft pick. This would likely have to be a lot more complicated, with more salary coming back to the Islanders, some ability going back to the Canadiens. But Higgins to the Islanders, with a little creativity, is not out of the question.
As we mentioned, Higgins – a restricted free agent this summer - has scored more than 20 goals each of the last three seasons. That may not put him in the All-Star Game, but let’s be real: that would have made him a legend, a local hero around these parts. However, a glimpse just to the right of the goal column finds his assist totals: 25 (last season), 16 and 15.
So last season Higgins had 52 points. This year is a down year. His first two years in the league he had 38 points each. Not bad.
But is Chris Higgins, at 25, a developing player who will continue to get better? (After all, this is just his 4th NHL season after two years at Yale and one in the American League). Or is it possible he is merely a solid, 40-50 point player? And if that’s the case, can you trade for him and put him on the board on your second line? His width is okay, but don’t you wish your next Islanders acquisition was closer to 6-3?
The last thing the Islanders need is another third-line player they try to masquerade as a lot more. The last thing the Islanders need to do is – like my Yankees of the early ’90s – sign a .500 pitcher and wonder why he’s not winning 20 games for them. But that’s just the cynical side. That’s why in our second segment of You Play GM, you have to make the call.
Here’s ours. Seems to us 25-year old Christopher Higgins of Smithtown would be both a bold and effective stroke for the rebuild. Seems to us he’d look good in an Islanders uniform alongside Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen, Trent Hunter and the team’s first pick in the 2009 draft.
Please make your decision in Comments. One post per reader. Thanks.
Okay, back to hockey (mostly)…
While the Lighthouse meeting was going on, the Islanders took part in an up-tempo 60-minute practice at Iceworks before boarding their chartered aircraft from Farmingdale to Pittsburgh. The lines have remained the same: Comeau-Bailey-Okposo, Bergenheim-Nielsen-Hunter, Sim-McAmmond-Guerin, Tambellini-Hilbert-Jackman. Scott Gordon was back with the team today after missing yesterday for what the Islanders termed “personal reasons.” There is nothing to read into that.
I’m told that Richard Park (ribs) has every intention of returning to the Islanders’ lineup sooner than the four weeks the team projected for him. Would not surprise me.
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We received several emails and Comments from readers looking for us to weigh in on the Rangers’ hiring of John Tortorella, presumably so they can too(!). I didn’t have much interest because the Rangers are not my beat. I wrote a few paragraphs about Tom Renney last week because it was relevant to my background as a longtime PR director and relevant to how the NHL teams and personnel handle media relations.
Since many of you were not readers during Point Blank’s first incarnation, I’ve dug up a story I wrote about Tortorella when he was part of the Islanders’ interview process. Unlike what I’ve seen written, Tortorella did not tell the Islanders he was taking a year off. He was not offered the position and the two sides ended their discussions amicably. Joel Quenneville did tell the Islanders he was taking a year off and took the Chicago position a week into the season. To coach Kane and company on the rise, no one can blame him for taking that job. Coach Q should have just given the Islanders a more honest excuse.
Here’s my story on Tortorella. As you can tell, I think he’ll do a fine job over time for the Blueshirts. And contrary to a lot of opinions, he will get along spectacularly with Larry Brooks.
Point Blank 1.0:
August 2, 2008
A John Tortorella story: It’s the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Lightning fire a shot before their first round series with the Islanders even begins. Lightning management has boxed the Islanders out of their chosen hotel in Tampa Bay for Games 1 and 2. Sniping on both sides in the media begins, and when the Islanders – a big underdog – earn a split in the two games it looks like the series is going to be a nasty one.
When the Lightning arrive on Long Island, they learn that payback is a bitch. Among other things, it’s about 110 degrees in the visiting team locker room at the Coliseum. They also find their room not stocked with many of the usual amenities, like soap.
I’m in the Coliseum hallway talking to my PR colleague with the Lightning. A very sweaty John Tortorella approaches. “This (crap) has to stop,” the Tampa Bay head coach says. “Any chance Mike Milbury is around? Can you see if he’ll talk to me so we can settle this like gentlemen”?
I go to Mike’s office and tell him Tortorella comes in peace and wants a truce. The Islanders GM is impressed. “Walk him down here.”
Tortorella pleads, “This is getting stupid, Mike. You’re a coach at heart, like me. C’mon, for everyone’s sake let’s put this behind us and act like pros.” Tortorella apologizes for any nonsense that went down in Tampa Bay.
Milbury apologizes as well, the two shake hands and within minutes the Lightning room is cooled. When I see Mike later he says, “That was impressive. He’s going to be a great coach in this league.”
It would be a stretch to call Tortorella’s move genius, just because his Lightning won the next three games to clinch the series and went on to win the Stanley Cup. But I was blown away by the coach’s take-charge attitude. Most coaches in this game would never march into the office of an opposing GM. Time will tell if he and the Islanders are a fit. What I do know is the next team that gets him will be very fortunate.
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More than 170 readers have spoken so far, and verdict is split between keeping Brendan Witt an Islander past March 4 and trading him in a package that would include at least a first round pick. Read the story to see the trade scenarios offered and all of the fan reaction.
With the one-comment-only rule in the poll, it was nice hearing from so many different people who weren’t shy to join in. May have to do that more often.
There is no news on Brendan’s status. Conversations continue, and this could go all the way up to the deadline. I find the poll a fascinating study. I really believe if I posted the Witt poll after the Islanders dropped a few in a row – as opposed to the temporary feel-good vibes of the post-Campoli/Comrie 4-0 win over New Jersey – the results would probably be different. (Okay, I also quoted Brendan earlier yesterday about how much he loves the fans and the Island…that might have had an impact on voting). All you have to do is look at the Comments a few weeks ago to see what I mean. Thanks to everyone who has participated so far.
Comments. If you missed it, Lighthouse update and reaction below.
1:10 pm - At the conclusion of today’s hearing, the D.G.E.I.S. (Draft Generic Environmental Impact Study) was delivered by the Lighthouse developers. I’m told the document is 1,800 pages.
Traditionally, after a scope is accepted – as it was today by the TOH board – developers take months before delivering a D.G.E.I.S. Charles Wang and Scott Rechler’s group produced it immediately.
Today’s hearing was a positive step, a good day for the developers and the Town. Plenty of bouquets were passed back and forth.
Will it lead to groundbreaking this summer? No way to know right now. But the immediate delivery of the D.G.E.I.S. means this: it’s back to you, Town of Hempstead leaders.
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12:20 pm - So far, citizen speakers, including impassioned blogger/PB comment-ator Nick Classic, have addressed the Town Board. All have been pro-Lighthouse Project.
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12:00 pm – Charles Wang just completed a brief but energetic stint at the mic. He thanked Kate Murray for fast-tracking the environmental studies.
He did add that if the Lighthouse Project had been approved when he first pushed for it years ago, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of much-needed tax revenue would already be in place.
Wang said, “This is not adversarial” and that his staff will do everything in their power to work with the Town in a timely and cooperative manner.
Scott Rechler urged the Town board to act “with a sense of urgency” in these economic times. He cited Congress trying to push through “in two months what would normally take 20 years.”
The Town’s response has been that they agree with the need for urgency “but we need to make sure this is done the right way.”
Rechler: “When you see our studies, I think you’ll be pleased with the level of detail and attention we put into them.” Rechler said his development group has spent more than 10 million dollars on those studies.”
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11:15 am - The Town of Hempstead meeting started 30 minutes ago, but they have not addressed the Lighthouse yet. I’m in the crowded Hall and on Blackberry. Here’s all you need to know so far:
Charles Wang is here. Scott Rechler is here. Kate Murray, Hempstead Town Supervisor, is not. I’m told she is on vacation.
Comments on the Lighthouse in this thread.
If Brendan Witt is traded between now and March 4, it could be done in one of two ways:
A. The simple version: straight up for a draft pick (likely second round) and a prospect. Or…
B. A more complicated version. The $3 million that the rugged defenseman is owed each of the next two seasons presents a problem for some teams lusting after him. However, Islanders GM Garth Snow and his counterparts can get creative.
In one scenario, the Islanders would have to take a contract back – a player making in the $1-2 million range – to give relief to a team in salary cap trouble. The motivation for the Islanders? The proposed second round pick would have to be upgraded to a first, the proposed B prospect would have to be upgraded to at least a B-plus. Maybe the veteran the Islanders are “forced” to take is a good try for the system, or maybe not.
Still a tough call to see which way this could go, but know that interest in the 34-year old defenseman has increased considerably over the last week and conversations will intensify over the next 9 days.
As much as the Islanders like Witt, another reason the club is listening to trade offers might be that additional dollars would be freed up for an unrestrictive free agent signing. Although the Islanders may not find another Witt – a unique, old-school defenseman with unparalleled guts – NHL free agency beginning at age 26 changes the landscape. The Islanders could throw crazy dollars at a much younger defenseman who could be a better fit in Scott Gordon’s lineup and for year 2 and beyond of Snow’s rebuild. Could there be room for both Witt and a free agent? We’re not so sure.
But there is this Original Six kid from Long Island, all of 27, who could be one of just many players available. If you’re rebuilding and want to get younger, these are the kind of difficult decisions you’re faced with.
You play GM. Pick option A, B or C (no deal). Each reader gets only one Comment in this thread. We’ll tally the results at the end of the day.
The Town of Hempstead will vote to adopt the scope of the environmental studies for the Lighthouse Project in a meeting on Tuesday at 10:30 am at Hempstead Town Hall. The studies have been completed and will be submitted to the Town soon after the adoption of the final scope.
Point Blank will be there and, much more importantly, so will Kate Murray. Visitors are permitted to speak. Town Hall is located at 100 Washington Street in Hempstead.
RSVP and Comments on Lighthouse here, Brendan Witt and Islanders hockey in next thread.
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