Monthly Archives: September 2009
Please check out my story and Comment at NHL Fanhouse.
As Tweeted by Katie Strang, Frans Nielsen is returning to New York to have his knee examined. No word on when he injured it. This cannot be written off as routine because a team doctors are usually with the Islanders in camp. UPDATED at 2:00 pm - The NYI confirm to PB it is Nielsen’s right knee.
Trent Hunter may have been the least appreciated veteran Islander before last season. Then he went through hell year and the respect in some parts dropped even more. Time to shoot some holes into a trio of myths.
Hunter is injury-prone. The 6-3 right wing endured a nightmarish 2008-09. Just when he would return from one injury, he’d suffer another one. In all, he missed 27 games. Prior to last season, his game totals were 82, 77, 82 and 77.
“I don’t know what I did to tick anyone off,” he said the other day with a laugh, “but 2009 – or at least the first half of the calendar year – was just bad. It started off when I took a stick from a teammate in practice. Then there was the open door at the Garden. Just brutal, freak injuries. My hope is I put them all behind me last season.”
Hunter is over-paid. If you don’t like Hunter, even you would have to concede he is, at worst, an average player. The seventh-year Islander is entering the second season of a five-year deal that pays him $2 million annually. The average NHL salary is – you guessed it – around $2 million.
During the 2007-08 season, Hunter could have waited for unrestricted free agency. Maybe he would have received only three-year offers from his suitors. Look up what everyone else got that summer. He easily would have eclipsed $2 mill per. Instead, Hunter and the Islanders worked out a fair deal for both sides. He is a good bridge between the statesmen and the developing kids.
“My wife and I wanted to stay here,” said the Alberta native. “We love the combination of what the Island and New York bring. I think our daughter has seen every Broadway show for children. Long Island has been a perfect place to raise a family. The main thing I hoped for with the contract was longevity because I wanted to stay in this organization.”
Hunter cannot keep up. Okay, Hunter is not the fastest wing. When Scott Gordon took over the club and started talking about an all-out attack emphasizing skating, it looked like the five-year investment in Hunter may have been a premature miscalculation.
With Hunter ending the season on the injured list, it’s easy to forget Gordon was praising his forward weekly for his effectiveness on the forecheck. While Hunter isn’t going to push for the Art Ross Trophy, he had 14 goals in 55 games last season. On last year’s squad, those numbers are Ovechkinian. With good health, Hunter could match his career-high of 25 set during his Calder-nominated rookie season.
As for the skating, he deals with the lack of a hockey god-given stride, and with the reputation.
“My first two steps are not what I wish they could be, believe me,” Hunter said. “So, like with any shortcoming, you work hard to make up for it. I think my ability to read a play is strong. I was taught early on about anticipation. I’ve developed it as a skill. The lack of blazing first steps has not stopped me from being an NHL player.
“The slowness thing is a label I understand will stick with me for my entire career. That’s what happens in pro sports. I get that. It isn’t exactly what I’d like to be known for. Hopefully, people see me as a good, honest hockey player.”
All around the NHL, they do.
Comments.
When it comes to the captaincy, what do the Islanders require?
A cornerstone player who’ll be here for a while?
Or the best leader available to get them through this season?
If Garth Snow and Scott Gordon want a mainstay, Mark Streit should be the captain. He is 31 years old, the team’s best player, a strong leader…and signed for four more seasons. After the “C” has been passed around over the last 15 years, it would be a joy to have someone like Streit bring stability to the position. Four months ago, I nominated Streit for the position.
Since then, after watching another offseason of players changing teams across the league, I realized the notion of a long-term captain might be old-fashioned and unrealistic. Steve Yzermans are certainly more the exception than the norm over the last decade, and with free agency at 26 his kind could be an endangered species – franchise future icons like Sidney Crosby notwithstanding.
The Islanders of 2010-11 will be a different crew with loftier expectations than this year’s model. When deciding on a captain, you can make the case the Islanders should only think about one year at a time.
If the Islanders just want a captain for this season, then Doug Weight is the top candidate – edging out Streit and Brendan Witt.
I approached Weight the other day on this subject. Part of what makes him a good captain – and top broadcasting prospect, if he wants it someday - is his ability to break down a situation. Our ground rules were simple: Weight was not campaigning for the Islanders captaincy and I was not giving him his job interview.
Doug spoke and I took notes:
“For starters, the captaincy is an important responsibility. That should be clear. Some people in the game minimize the role. I do not. I know the C is not anything the players take lightly.
“A strong room is a strong room. It’s not all on the captain, but of course he’s a key component. In Edmonton, I was proud to be the captain. I enjoyed overseeing the team events and working to bring everyone closer. It’s a challenge sometimes, but I loved it.
“I don’t know what Scott and Garth have in mind. If they ask me to be captain, I’ll be very proud of the honor and I’ll take the responsibility seriously. I’ve told you this before: I’m not here to float into my late 30s. Captain or not, I’m going to contribute on the ice and lead. Who knows? Maybe I’m here for just this season, but I feel I have plenty of good play left. No matter what Garth and Scott decide to do with the letters, there are plenty of leaders on this team.”
No matter who they pick, it is premature – and completely unnecessary – to rush letters on youngsters that haven’t even enjoyed breakout seasons yet. There will be plenty of time for Kyle Okposo and the others, if they earn it on the ice first. The Islanders would be kidding themselves if they give a letter to a young player in a PR nod to their rebuilding program.
No one knows the personalities inside the Islanders’ locker room better than the players themselves. Since they will most likely not preside over a team vote, Snow and Gordon will make the choice. If the GM and coach have the slightest bit concern whether Streit should be captain this year, they should give the C to Weight and As to Streit and Witt or a younger veteran such as Trent Hunter. In a year, they can decide again on Streit or if someone else is better equipped to assume the mantle.
If the brass believes Streit is the most qualified, he should be Islanders captain for the next few years. In Weight, he’ll have the perfect sounding board. “If I’m not the captain,” Weight said, “it’s not like I’m going to change. I’ll do whatever I can to assist my teammate who gets it.”
Discuss the captaincy here, and enjoy the game.
News bulletin: Rick DiPietro skated with pads, but did not face shots. John Tavares, recovered from the flu, practiced.
I spoke yesterday with Richard Park, a player I respect as much as anyone on the Islanders. When he says his team will compete - and specifically outlines the reasons why – the opinion has credibility. Here are some excerpts from our conversation…
What’s your reaction to having most of last year’s team back?
Keeping everyone is huge. Having stability, having a system, is crucial. We have a coach coming into his second season in the league and with us, and essentially the same group is with him. That steadiness is so important when you’re building a team. There won’t be a transition for Scott and the team like there was last year. Scott will be even more confident in his teaching and his leadership because of the challenges we faced last season.
As someone who’s now been in the league a long time, how do you address the low expectations most of the forecasters have for the team?
(Laughs) You don’t read them! Look, all that stuff is fine. The media has a job. They dissect and analyze, and many of them do it well. But they are not psychics. I really believe in our group. No matter what’s said about us outside our room, our expectations are rising.
Besides the stability factor, what gives you reason for optimism?
Our goalies alone will give us a chance to win on almost any given night. That’s not a slight to Joey (McDonald) and Yann (Danis), but they were players at different stages of their careers than the veterans we have now. I played with Dwayne (Roloson) in Minnesota and he is outstanding. He’ll also be a top leader for us. I didn’t know Marty (Biron) until this week, but I’ve faced him enough to know he’s a top-quality NHL goaltender. Having both of them is a huge plus for us.
I’m also counting on being a healthier team. That was crazy last season. If our D can stay healthy, they’ll show everyone how solid they are in all areas.
You’re in the last year of your contract. Would you like to stay with the Islanders and be part of the process?
This is where my loyalty is. For my family, Long Island has been terrific. We love it here. Loyalty grows, which is why it’s exciting I’ve been able to stay here and why I believe it’s the right thing keeping this group together. It makes you want to be a part of it and see the job through to the end.
Can this team be successful this year and beyond?
I know I mentioned last year’s injuries because that was off-the-charts, but there really are no excuses for not winning. There are many different formulas to be successful, but I know we can do it our way. The number one thing for us is stability, adding a piece here and there and growing together. I’m very optimistic.
Are you convinced the Islanders will be competitive this year?
I don’t think you can ever say how a season might end, but I’ll give you this: when April comes around, I expect us to be in position to compete in the playoffs.
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Mears to Pittsburgh: From change comes opportunity. Steve Mears, out when the Islanders dumped their radio team to simulcast the TV broadcasts, has landed on his feet spectacularly. He’ll be the lead voice on a HD radio network created by his hometown Pittsburgh Penguins. Among his many roles, Steve will host a daily radio show on the Pens. Amazing team, new arena next season, working with one idol (Mike Lange) and for another (Mario Lemieux). Fair to say life worked out just fine for Steve, who deserved it.
Deb Returns Home: Point Blank has learned that the reason Rob Carlin is the sideline reporter only for Islanders road games is because Deb Placey is returning to the Coliseum to take over the home games. Welcome back, Deb.
Camp Windfall: The Penguins are having their training camp at the Igloo. The first four days are open and free to their fans. The Flyers’ camp is at their nearby South Jersey training facility (I’ll be there Monday and Tuesday for Fanhouse). Check out the week-long lineup of Flyers fan-friendly events. Washington’s camp is at home, free for all fans. The Wild are practicing in front of large crowds in Minnesota. The Devils are in New Jersey, the Rangers are in New York. The Bruins are in Boston, serving breakfast to fans at camp. After hosting an 8-team prospects tournament in Traverse City, the Red Wings open camp this weekend . Tix for fans - including a Red & White game on Tuesday – are $5.
By now you get the point. Without question, the Islanders are making some good money this week with camp in Saskatoon and some games in the West. The revenue might even cover the price of a seventh defenseman. However, you have to wonder what the Islanders are losing. If good marketing isn’t important, how come so many teams with ticket sales at 99% capacity continue to do it?
Cue the chorus: “When the Islanders get the Lighthouse Project…” C’mon. (Talk about serving up artificially-flavored fruit drinks!). I’m as pro-Lighthouse as the next person, but you can’t explain everything away on the lack of a new arena. Only the Islanders and Florida Panthers are far, far away from home. If it wasn’t for Newsday spending the money and Katie Strang blogging and Tweeting her brains out in Saskatchewan, no one would know Islanders training camp existed.
Maybe the Islanders can give their die-hards a good show when they return from the Canadian Prairies. In the mean time, it’s quite remarkable how all these teams win Stanley Cups without traveling thousands of miles from their fan bases for training camp.
A Note to Readers: While my trip to Flyers camp will prevent me from hosting live interactive Comment-ary with readers during the Hockeyville game on Monday, I still will be posting stories throughout the week. To talk about the games and enjoy day-long conversation with fellow fans, if you don’t know by now, Islandermania is one of the best places to be. For up-to-date news, Katie will have it all from Saskatoon and elsewhere.
Comments.
My column on Heatley for Fanhouse. Up next, later today on Point Blank: an Islander says they’re playoff-bound, broadcast news and…uh, tell me again – why are the New York Islanders in Saskatchewan?
Dany Heatley has been dealt, but here’s some Fanhouse fun regarding Blake Kessel’s brother.
