Comments on: ISLANDERS POINT BLANK NEEDS A HOME: They can’t call it the “team-sponsored blog” anymore

By: DUFFY

DUFFY — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:44:32 +0000

This blog has been the only saving hope for Islander fans that want to get information on the Islanders. I looked at this site on a daily basis to get latest game info, trades, FA signings, etc. No other site, even the islanders.com offers as much information as you do. Thank You for all the hardwork you put into our favorite hockey team!

By: Dooks94

Dooks94 — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:24:48 +0000

CB- You have no idea the amount of support you have helped this franchise generate. In a way I understand the reason this is happening-the truth hurts as we all know on certain matters. This blog has for the past year offered better, more concise, better written, up-to-the-minute coverage of the New York Islanders. Newsday simply CANNOT compete. The Post/Daily News offer MAYBE a small paragraph on the Islanders-in season. All they care about is the stinky Rangers. New Jersey (where I’m from) doesn’t even acknowledge the Islanders existence. Thank you CB, from the bottom of my heart. You have brought out the Islander fan in all of us, and the fanatic in me!

By: DennisPotvin

DennisPotvin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:15:20 +0000

don’t go man

By: DC Isles Fan

DC Isles Fan — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:33:53 +0000

Anyone else going into withdrawal? What I’ve enjoyed the most is the feeling of being connected to the club even when nothing else is going on. During the summer, CB always provided us a little nugget here and there and kept us all interested. The papers don’t do that and the Islanders own website doesn’t either. This is especially important to those of us who live well outside the Nassau County area. Add my vote to the many that hope this invaluable piece of the Islander community stays in tact.

By: walter

walter — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:56:21 +0000

don’t know what to say been visting this blog daily, best place to come for Islander
info, your writing and reporting have been A+, thanks for all the hard work you have put in Chris. form a die hard isle & hockey fan thank you.

By: Isles fan Ken

Isles fan Ken — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:16:26 +0000

This is horrible, I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face. Normally I’m checking the site by 10am, but it was a busy day and I was looking forward (as usual) to catching up on some Isles news, then I see this. Say it ain’t so. Chris, thank you! Your insightful, thought-provoking reporting and writing got me excited about the team again and if PB really is gone, it will be missed. I’m sure that if this site was to go on, it would do wonders for growing the fanbase and re-engerizing the core. Would I really have this much knowledge and be supporting the Lighthouse as much as I am had it not been for PointBlank? I think this was a great asset to the organization and this decision to stop PB should be reconsidered. Thank you again Chris, its been great following this blog (multipule times a day) for the past 10 months. I hope its not the end. -Ken

By: Shawn R.

Shawn R. — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:46:53 +0000

This can’t happen. This blog needs to stay!

By: Irish Isle

Irish Isle — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:07:43 +0000

I too would like to take this moment and thank yoy Chris for all of your hard work. I am still 1/2 expect this to be a August Fool’s Day Joke.
I discoverd your site back in April and since then I have been hooked. I come here multiple times a day, and keep hitting refresh. The coverage you provided for my beloved team was unbelievable. It truely energized me as an Islander Fan. I know I am not the only one, as when I was at the Isles Draft Party, everyone said the samething. And again at Isles Prospect Scrimmage, everyone was relating similiar reading habits as mine.
The Isles boasted of having over 10,000 fans at their draft party. Well without your efforts Mr. Botta, Tavares or not, there would not be close to the amount of people there.
Like everyone else, I would like to wish you well with your future endeavors, though I truely hope there is a chance that your requests are met, and IPB can be kept going at your high standars.

Sincerely,
Chrstopher P. Hynes

By: Alex G

Alex G — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:36:35 +0000

CB, can you keep us updated on the status of Pointblank as time goes on?

By: UNH Steve

UNH Steve — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:27:29 +0000

I’m a little late to the party but I had to say thank you one last time for all your hard work here. As a reader from day 1 i’ve followed all of the tremendous progress this blog has achieved and am extremely grateful to have experienced it. I’ve signed the petition and joined the 445 other members of the facebook group in hopes that it will keep this blog alive. Thanks again CB

By: Helene

Helene — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:35:10 +0000

This is horrendous!!!!!!

By: Spinner9

Spinner9 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:34:00 +0000

Earlier this monrning I sent an email to Chris Dey. Here it is:

Mr. Dey:

First, I’d like to thank you and the Islanders for hosting the Islanders Point Blank for the past year. Visiting this blog daily (multiple times daily) has thoroughly enhanced my experience as an Islander fan. I have been a fan since the team’s inception. I remember going to my first professional hockey game that year while in seventh grade and I actually got to witness one of their twelve wins that season. I am saddened by the prospect of the discontinuation of Point Blank. Even though the team has struggled to put a winning product on the ice recently I was able to witness, and join in on, the passion that still exists for this team and this franchise. Chris Botta’s writing and reporting was always excellent and thought-provoking. Fans of the site really connected to his style and his personality. Most important, this site allowed for a deeper level of commitment and support of the Islanders. I think it’s fair to say much of the populaces support and understanding of the
Lighthouse project was nurtured and galvanized by Mr. Botta’s blog and the on-going conversations of the folks posting on the site. Point Blank has become a place to vent, praise, suffer and exault. In other words, a place to grow life-long Islander supporters. Point Blank is the first thing I check in the morning when I turn on my computer and the last thing I look at before retiring for the night. From a personal point of view I love the site and what I get from Mr. Botta’s, musings but more importantly I love my Islanders. This site has done more to promote this franchise than any 100 player appearances. Because the content has not been controlled by Islander brass the discussions take a deeper and more passionate tone. Fans appreciate to opportunity to share their views on the franchise they love without responses being engineered or scripted. I hope you see this site as I do, a great marketing tool for this franchise. To me the more passion that develops, the more
commitment we see from the fans and community will hopefully result in this franchise will remaining on Long Island forever.

Thank you