PLAYERS PRAISE GORDON AND HIS METHODS
Laud his teaching, say system is all over the NHL
Yesterday we learned that general manager Garth Snow believes “in the players in that room.” Today, the players in that room – prospects and veterans, everyone to a man – tell Point Blank they believe in Scott Gordon and his style of play.
Here are just a few of their opinions on the head coach, what he preaches and how he teaches.
Kyle Okposo: “Scott has been the biggest reason for my development at the NHL level. He has put in a lot of time with me, making suggestions on how I could be more effective and use my talents. He has put me in every position to succeed and has given me so much guidance.
“As a team, we’re all looking forward to growing with Scott and his staff. We need some time, but we’re going to be all right in the end.”
Doug Weight: “Our problems are definitely not about Scott and his system. It should always be about the players performing, not the coach. All that talk about our system (in the media and on the web) has gotten ridiculous at times. Plenty of teams are winning with either variations of what we play or basically the same exact style. This is a players’ league.
“The difference between us and other teams playing aggressively is, we’ve had to play the perfect game and so far we haven’t. Pittsburgh plays a similar style but can get away with it if they have a bad period, maybe even two. We played an incredible game in Boston for 50 minutes and lost. That’s how crazy our start has been. We have to stick to it. We definitely have to cut down on our turnovers. We all have to play better, and that starts with me.
“I see Scott communicating even better than he did in his first year. He makes a point of sitting down with everyone and explaining his moves and giving us the chance to give feedback. Our team is as prepared as any team I’ve been with. Let’s be honest – we just need a damn win and then we’ll be okay. Scott believes in his system and we believe in him and everything he’s trying to preach.”
Matt Moulson: “If anyone’s looking for someone to say anything other than praise for Scott Gordon, I’m the last person to go to. He’s the reason I’m here and I’m going to do everything I can for that guy.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but he gives you confidence without even saying much. He demands your best while not breathing down your neck.
“After our last exhibition game, he told me I was going to be staying with the Islanders. Scott said something I’m never going to forget. He said, ‘I want to be honest with you and tell you you’re going to be here, but you should treat every game like it’s your last.’ That’s what I’ve done and that’s what I’ll do as long as I’m here. By putting me on a top line and with players like John (Tavares), Scott is giving me every chance. I’m going to take what he gives me and run with it.”
Jack Hillen: “Scott’s been great with me, and this is coming from someone who has sat out some games. I have no compliants. I think I’m playing a lot better this year and it’s because of Scott and Dean Chynoweth and Scott Allen. They’ve helped me so much with video before and after games.
“We’re far from the only team playing an aggressive style. We just have to get out of this – get the first win, eventually string a few together. I know we will. I’m telling you, the reason we’re not winning is not Scott Gordon.”
Martin Biron: “Every system is designed to give your team an edge. This is the style Scott believes in and he’s right for doing so. When our young players develop, when the top guys like John Tavares and Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey really take off, and we put it all together as a team, it will be worth all the time and effort put into excelling at this aggressive style.
“Scott has implemented a high-tempo, intense system that demands a high level of concentration and recognition of what’s happening on the ice at all times. In the end, it will make our forwards and D better players and will make us a better team. It’s wrong when I hear people say this style cannot work. There are probably at least a dozen teams playing something similar.
“I understand – we’re all Monday morning quarterbacks. I watch the NFL games and say stuff like, ‘Maybe they should play a 3-4.’ That’s part of the fun. In hockey, everyone talks about a 1-2-2 and all that stuff. I get that. We just need to execute. We don’t have the luxury yet of having a bad period and then watching Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley take over.
“Scott is giving us the tools to be successful. The staff does a great job going over the game plan and making adjustments between periods. It’s the turnovers that are killing us. That’s up to us as players to correct.”
John Tavares: “Scott has been really good for me since the first day. He has given me so much confidence and had me ready to be at my best with these first games of my career.
“The communication has been open and positive. We spend a lot of time on the ice at practice and after with video going over ways for me to improve. He’s given me a lot of constructive criticism but also the freedom to be creative offensively. Scott wants us to be a good skating team and be aggressive. In the long run, that’s going to make us a better team. It’s a very good style of play for me. I love it.”
*
Point Blank Take: The above is a fair representation of all the conversations I had with Islanders players over the last 24 hours. With the option - off the record - to decline to publicly support the coach, no one did. Here’s my opinion.
Over the last decade, I’ve seen a lot of smart hockey coaches suddenly get dumb in the eyes of fans and media when they came to the Islanders. Plenty others were written off as non-entities. The obvious examples are Peter Laviolette and Dan Bylsma, now the owners of Stanley Cup rings. Then there are quiet examples like Jeff Jackson and Greg Cronin, who came and went as assistants and now run powerhouse NCAA programs at Notre Dame and Northeastern.
Brian Burke was on TV last week, explaining Gordon’s addition to the staff of the U.S. Olympic team. He expressed total awe over Gordon’s teams in Providence and hailed his performance so far with Ron Wilson in the Olympic program. Burke didn’t mention the Islanders. He knows the body of work is too young, knows almost nothing was done to improve the 30th place team besides adding the gift of Tavares. Burke also knows it might not be fair to judge Gordon on his Islanders work. What coach since Al Arbour has left the Islanders with his reputation intact?
This is the vicious cycle of coaching the Islanders and the reason why an experienced coach like Joel Quenneville made a lame excuse to not even come in for an interview. The Islanders’ lineup currently falls short of the required 20 players by anywhere from 4-7 legitimate NHLers. Don’t know what I mean? Identify the Islanders forwards and defensemen you believe are at the bottom of the NHL depth chart. Now ask yourself if they would crack the lineup of any of the teams in the Islanders’ division. Ask yourself if it’s even close.
Or how about last year, when Gordon walked into his first NHL coaching job and was given Ted Nolan’s friends as his assistants? That worked out so well, Gerard Gallant “stepped down to become a consultant to the general manager” before camp started. (This being the Islanders, with their unique spins on the truth because few are paying attention, Gallant was never seen again.) That worked out so well, neither John Chabot or Dan Lacroix were brought back after their contracts expired in the summer. Just as it’s the coach’s responsibility to put his players in position to succeed, the Islanders should do the same for their coaches.
No one is saying Scott Gordon is the next great NHL head coach. Hopefully he’ll get the chance to prove what he is under the right circumstances here, instead of with his next organization.
I just want to be on record saying I’m not interested in being part of the chorus leading the latest formerly-smart and successful coach out of Islanders Country. I’m not going to take the bait and make him the next convenient fall guy for a franchise that hasn’t gotten much right for a very long time.
Let’s see if, as he did for his players, Garth Snow stands up for his coach in 3…2…1…
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178 Responses to “PLAYERS PRAISE GORDON AND HIS METHODS
Laud his teaching, say system is all over the NHL”
Please Wait
great post CB. I was sick of hearing all the Gordon bashing in the comments, hopefully this will give everyone some insight.
Great post CB.
Everthing Doug Weight said was spot on. The Islanders don’t have enough talent to take even one shift off. When they do, the puck ends up in the net.
the problem is not scott gordon. the problem is a lack of talent on this team. we really need to be bigger players in free agency this summer. hopefully wang lets snow make that happen.
I’m with you Jim. Alot of people are trashing him here and its not fair. Give the guy a chance. It’s 6 games into the season. If this happens in the middle of the season, 0-3-3, not too many people notice. But because it happens in the beginning everyone is up in arms.
Take a look at this defense. ugly!
Can we trade for Hedman? We’ll give TB Witt, Sutton, Gervais, and Martinek. lol
Awesome stuff CB. The same way we’ve needed to be patient with the list of young talent we’ve given up on in the last 15 years (and haven’t), we need to be patient with a coach, whom the players believe in, who’s working with minor league talent.
Thank you, CB.
Timely and well put together.
Right on CB! Our lack of talent is the real problem here. Gordon’s system has us dominating good teams like the Sharks and Bruins at times, its having the players catch up in terms of talent and experience which is the issue. Gordon deserves to be judged with a full NHL team to see what he can do.
The only criticism I have with his system is that the Isles appear out of gas in the third period (last year and this year). If we are ahead it may be time to incorporate a more defensive approach in the third.
Wait a second, you mean that the people who watch hockey on TV aren’t accurate judges of talent and expertise, and they’re prone to completely misinformed snap judgments?
I refuse to believe it.
And i forgot…1940 forever!!!!
Great read CB. I like Flash and agree he needs a few more quality players in his lineup to work with. Patience is much needed here and I believe it will be alright in the end. Lets go Islanders!
Chris, I’ve noticed since you’re not funded by the Isles that your blog has become WAY more critical of the Isles. Glad to see it - they need someone to keep an eye on ball (er, puck). I absolutely agree with you that not much has gone right with this team in a very long time - and that they have hired and let go some excellent coaches. If Gordon were to be the latest fired Isles “prospect” coach, I hope they rehire their previous prospect/find: Peter Laviolette. He should never have been let go.
Nice article Chris. After that article, how could anyone accuse you of being negative?
Thank you for this.
There’s too much wrong with the Islanders to pin it all on Flash. Fish rot from the head down. Start at the top, that’s where you’ll find the biggest void in the organeyezation.
Indeed. Gordon’s version of Overspeed, or whatever it’s called league wide, can be really impressive. I think Gordon’s problem is that he needs to grow a little bit with the team. His decision making isn’t always there. Hopefully there’s progress with that by the end of the season.
On a side note, the way Marty Biron talks bout the game makes me think that he’d be a pretty decent coach after he retires…
Your absolutely right CB. How wonder how good Gordon’s methods would be if we didn’t have a bunch of plumbers on this team. When you have talent, you can see the results(see first line players stats) playing the system. Hopefully we can snipe a free agent or two over the summer, or make a trade this year to speed up this process. It’s not fun watching every game fade out into a loss. Then again, Taylor Hall might be a nice addition to the team. Is it too early to be talking about Taylor Hall?
Great post, and great timing too. Without a win, it’s easy to use Gordon as a scapegoat. The points CB makes about the Islanders not giving their coaches the best chance to succeed rings so true my ears are hurting. It’s far too early for people to expect so much out of this team - Gordon might be doing the best he can with this group of guys. We need more quality on the ice, not just a strong system (understatement of the season).
Interesting post, CB. I’m not leading the “fire Gordon” charge, but I wouldn’t throw myself in front of that charge to try to save Gordon either. I’m not very impressed with what I’ve seen (can anyone say they are with a straight face?) and I’m sure it’s not all his fault…although some of his quotes in the media have been downright puzzling.
Still, it’s the lack of accountability in general that’s frustrating for fans. The players just basically told you…and you said yourself…it’s essentially a lack of NHL-level talent on this club. normally, that would be the GM’s fault, but here on the Island, it’s not that simple with the whole LHP and the “rebuild” and the low payroll, etc.
Basically, who should fans hold accountable? Not the players, who are clearly overmatched, not the coach, not the GM, not the owner. Well then, I guess it’s all sunshine and rainbows for our fine hockey club and everyone’s doing a great job all around?
the only problem I have with Gordon is how he seems to favor certain players like Sim, Thompson & Park. all 3 of those players are 4th liners/PKers. They should never be getting PP time, never be on the 2nd line, never be one of the 3 to start the shootout etc.
I also feel that in the 3rd period where they hold a lead they should change up their 2-1-2 system to a 1-2-2. there have been TONS of odd man rushes against in the 3rd period which has led to quite a few goals. One way to bite this nasty habit of gagging in the 3rd is to play a more defensive oriented system.
His system maybe fine and work but I question some of his decisions. Park in a shootout and breaking up the only productive line of KO-JT-MM.
I guess it really doesnt matter b/c this year is a experimental year anyway.
This is real good to hear and very encouraging. What else are the boys going to say…? but at least it sounds sincere.
I am one fan that has recently been straddling the fence regarding Gordon… Questioning his “system” and decision making on players, so this puts me back firmly on the “PRO” Gordon side.
Fickle… I know.
DOC
Wonderful post Chris, and perfect timing as well. I am sick of seeing talented coaches run out of town because the owner/GM have not assembled the proper cast. We need to stop scapegoating our coaches. The reality is that our owner does not have the money right now to make investments in NHL defenseman and 2nd line forwards. He does not have the money to pay guys like Sutton, Sim, and Witt to play in the minors (all surely would clear waivers.) This team is in a holding pattern until some of these bad contracts expire and Garth is given the green light to bring in a few established players. Let’s be patient and hope our young players develop during that time, which will put us in the proper position to succeed. I am hopeful that Garth will be able to add a 25-30 goal scorer and top 3 man when Weight, Sutton, Sim, and Witt come off the books.
I can’t believe all the Scott Gordon bashing going on here. I’m not saying he is the second coming of Scotty Bowman or Al Arbour but other than the first line and Mark Striet, there is no talent on this team. NONE!!!!!!!!!!!! I am fine with being the worst team again this season. You want to see the futre of this team (Tavares, Okposo, Bailey, Bergenhiem, Moulson) develop. That is the goal for this season. This roster needs more talent to win. The best way to do that is through the draft. Why not have a shot at Taylor Hall, the most talented player in the draft. Then open up the wallets in free agency and bring Ilya Kovalchuk and a defenseman here and some size up front. Scott Gordon is not the problem here fans!!!!! Have some patience.
Well written as always CB.
With all due respect, I’m not 100% sold on Flash being the right coach for this group of players. In my opinion, he lacks the skill of adaptability. A good coach can teach a system and yet alter it enough if something isn’t working.
Three years ago we watched Ted Nolan extract so much more from not the most gifted players. He adapted to the new rule changes and the players he was given after being out of the game for a decade.
I can only hope that Gordon will be able to adapt his system so the team will be able to play full 60-65 minutes and have a chance of winning.
Other than his reaction last year to the Nielsen incident(do nothing), i have been happy with his performance thus far. It isnt as if he has much to work with.
Yes, as of right now, Gordon is not the problem.
Lack of depth and talent.
And, even though it is only 6 games in, Biron looks like what he has been throughout his career-a mediocre goalie.
And Roloson looks his age a little more than last year. Sometimes you hit the wall quick.
Only 6 games in, Isles will not be good, but there’s time that they will look a little better.
Agreed. Nothing more needs to be said.
~End of message~
Scott Gordon is not the problem and I am glad his players are standing by him. I really like Gordon and hope he continues to help this team develop. Garth Snow on the other hand, I think he could be doing a better job. The product Snow puts on the ice is simply pathetic. Half of our roster doesn’t even belong in the NHL.
I believe that Scott Gordon is not the problem, the players are. they play the same system that Pittsburgh plays but the difference is they have the players to play the system. Sidney Crosby’s first season they were a last place team. Don’t put too much stock in how they start the season because the sample season is too small. they could win the next 3 ans be 3-3-3.
The one thing that has driven me nuts about Gordon is him breaking up the one line that generates ALL their offense, Mouslon-Tavares-Okposo. There are two goals all season that Tavares and/or Okposo have scored or assissted on.
Maybe he should have a game of dodgeball at practice like the Maple Leafs do.
Also, I think it’s important to realize this team is young & most of the players are thrilled to be paid. They are still in awe that they are even IN the NHL. As losses begin to mount, opinions & thoughts begin change. I think it’s great the player support the head coach, but that support has a shelf life. Over time losing erordes loyalty. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
It’s year 2 of the “re-build” - Yes! Year 2. It’s easy to say let’s re-build but it’s tough to watch the process as it happens. Rome was not built in a day and, anyone who has watched successful re-builds knows that the short term pain is worth the long term gain. Gordon is not the flashiest, quotable guy, but he’s a hockey coach. And, he’s OUR hockey coach. We all know the talent level on this team is not cup ready, so let the re-build continue to evolve and the youth develope. As re-builds take generally 3 years, let’s be patient.
I do not see Gordon or his philosophy as a problem or “the” problem. I recognize that this team will in all likelyhood finish 30th or close to, and that will be of no fault to Gordon.
I am sad at the realization that the Isles have a legitimate shot at being o-fer the month of October…
Your comentary at the end really put the icing on the cake. Jackets took 8 years to look respectable. Penguins went for last to champs in 4. Mabe we get Hall next year. Either way this is the beginning stage of the rebuild.
I like the article CB, it was needed, but I am still not sure how much this proves. Athletes today don’t bash coaches even after they have left, either because they were fired or whatever, so why should I believe they are going to speak their minds with the coach still here. I believe the players respect the system, but some of his lineup decisions clearly contradict the system he is installing here. Why Rechlicz has played in the first 5 of 6 games is beyond me, and how he can get a pass on that is inexcusable.
The system isn’t the problem I agree, I think his coaching is not at the NHL level yet though, and that will get better in time.
I do have to say though…even a casual observer of hockey would have started Biron over Roloson in Buffalo. Without even knowing what Roloson’s record was vs Buffalo (which, it turns out, is abyssmal), it’s just a fact that Biron is at his best versus the Sabres. I watched him post a 40-save shutout against them last year. That’s something that should’ve been glaringly noticeable when preparing for the game, no? CB was able to pull up the respective records while hosting a live chat. Little things like that lead me to believe maybe Gordon’s sometimes too much in a bubble and not paying mind to external circumstances…like the opponent, the score, time left, etc.
Very refreshing to hear. Agree with the post up top as Doug weight said it best. This team does not have the luxury of playing a bad period or even a bad 10 minutes 4 that matter like pitt can. Ive stated b4that if the system can work for 50 min it can work for another 10. Can’t wait for all the ppl calling for gordons head in the previous posts to jump on the botta bandwagon and praise Gordon now.
Well Chris, just to add one element to what you’ve said, we desperately also need stability; in the time for example since Barry Trotz was hired as Nashville’s head coach, we’ve been through 9 head coaches, including Gordon.
We can’t have the coach taking the fall for this start when we’re icing such a young squad. If the team appears to have quit, then fine but I haven’t seen that (yet)
Its waaaay to early in the season to point any fingers just yet. I would say as on now its everyone’s fault. We have been getting killed in the 3rd period of each game, if that continues that yes you need to start looking at the coach to figure out just what is breaking down. No player is going to come out and say bad things about thier coach, they all say the same thing, how its a work in progress and when they begin to get used to each other and the system things will be just fine. What a player says on record and what they actually fell could be completely opposite, which is why I dont totally believe all the players buy in to gordon system. Gordon is making his players use his 1 system, when in fact each player probably plays better using the system that they grew up using to become the pro’s they are now. That being said, since snow has accepting Gordon system, he need to get the right players that can play it, simply getting top players will not work (ala the rangers the past couple of years)
Why is everyone upset with gordon breaking up the first line? Every time I watch a game I am just rooting for the other team not to score until the first line gets back on the ice. Maybe now with the imminent return of Neilson, we can get scoring from two lines and not have to rely on the 15-20 minutes that one line is on the ice. Gordon will grow as a coach as the rest of the team grows also
Im not saying Scotts system wont work, and I think our forwards, besides putting a few more goals in the net, have played pretty well to start the system. My gripe is that with this D, with old, slow vets, at this point we cant afford to play this style and expect to win. When we have forwards forechecking and crashing the boards our D is too slow and vulnerable to breakaways and 2 on 1’s. If we had some speed on the blueline, I guarantee you this team would be better and the system would totally work.
I’ve been a fan of this team since the 70’s and I’ve learned more about the inner working’s of the team than I did from 30 years of Newsday coverage.
We should all understand that really most of the Isles trouble can be traced back to two people, Maloney & Milbury, Maloney brought the team to the cliff & Made Mike pushed it off…
I’m starting to think that the reason no FA’s come here is not the Rink, or field of Pavement. it is the presence if Snow & Gordon.
Oh and as for breaking up the first line, its funny bc I was talking to my dad while the Isles were at practice saying they need to move Okposo down to the 2nd line to generate another productive scoring line. Sure enough Gordo saw it the same way and I think we’ll immediately see the difference tomorrow night.
I wouldn’t expect ANY players to say anything other than those quotes.
Let’s hear candid from Witt. Let’s hear candid comments from Guerin last year. We won’t get them. This is lacking talent, that is something we all agree on. But when you’re lacking talent, it’s imperative that you have an experienced NHL coach at the helm, not a learning on the job nice guy that players like and respect. The effort (forget results) shows, particularly if you watch the mistakes made by guys without the puck. CB, I like and respect you but completely disagree here.
CB -
I can’t pin all of this on Gordon because of what he has to work with. But, to be fair, this team has to praise the guy. It’s a combination of rookies who don’t know anything else, and guys who probably wouldn’t be in the league if they didn’t play for us, so they owe a debt to Snow/Gordon for giving them a NHL paycheck.
Again, we don’t know what Gordon is yet. And we can’t know with this level of talent. However, we can blame Snow for his piss-poor drafting. That’s for certain. You want to build through the draft, you need to draft. And Snow has been horrid in that area. And that can be said today, not 5 years from now.
one of the things I think about when watching the Isles rebuilding phase is, what do we want this franchise to become, and what can we compare it to at this stage to see how we’re progressing?
for me, what I’d like to see is consistantly finishing near the top of the league and contending every year. So which team would I like this to compare to? The Devils have been a top team for a long time, but play a very boring system and are not a lot of fun to watch, but their consistancy is enviable. I’d honestly love to see the Isles turn their franchise into a clone of the Detroit RedWings.
Can we do this? Based on past history I’d say no, but we’re in year two of our rebuild and so far we’ve got a few gems and a lot of unknowns. I do remember just how bad Detroit was, and how long they were bad, and this keeps me going. I’ve got serious doubts over whether or not we’ll ever see the team become that good, but I will set those aside and just watch this team as it grows.
If we have patience, and the team is built correctly, we could all look back at this years and remember just how low we had to go to start building. It’s easy to be critical and easy to be impatient. It’s not going to be an instant fix and it’s not going to show steady progression all the time. We’ve got some bumps in the road ahead folks.
For future reference all of my posts which refer to our GM will use the term “monkey” To date our monkey whether being hamstrung by ownership $$$ or not has not drafted/traded this team to better than 30th in the league in talent. How many more years does the monkey get???…ugh
Gordon’s system is not the problem. In fact, its probably the only thing that makes this team watchable. The problem is the talent sucks. The team has few talented players. No system can make up for deficiencies in the talent department, especially when the talent is lacking to the extent that it is on the Islanders.
CB, you said it. 7 legitimate NHLers on the Isles’ roster. Two are goaltenders. No system can make a team like that successful. Fans need to stop blaming the “system” and Gordon for the fact that the team has no talent outside of seven players and can’t execute a game plan.
Gordon is a more than adequate coach for this team. He’s got a good reputation for teaching young players. But you can’t expect a chef to make a delicious feast with ingredients picked from the garbage.
I cast my first stone at Gordon the other day, mainly out of anger of the outcome of the games so far, partially from the 6 pack of Sierra Nevada’s. Glad to hear the Players spoke passionately about their coach and they believe in their system. Just been frustrated for so long wondering how could you dominate a team for 20 minutes and fall asleep for the remainder of the game.
I’m shocked that guy’s who barely can shave and have acquired very little in sweat stains on their new NHL jerseys would support their only NHL coach. MY God! If JT said something negative after 6 NHL games you would have some story!! Weight, Biron are happy to be anywhere! Listen, I know the major problem is not Gordon, but it is reasonable to question what his style has accomplished and why their is no gas in the tank for the third periods. If it is a problem of not good enough players, a good coach will adapt to get the best out of what he has. I don’t know if we are seeing any adjustments. The problem is in the building of this team. Please show me a team that was built entirely through the draft with no FA’s or vet leadership! Snow has to evaluate and replace and he has not done it!!
Nice one CB. While I do have issues with Gordon not always using his toughness properly overall I like the system and it is exciting to watch.
I think the addition of a guy with a resume of Dean Chynoweth (former Isle or not) is exactly what the coaching staff needed to improve.
I see many draft picks developing nicely and some becoming stars before our eyes on the Isles roster.
CB is dead on that GM Garth Snow has not given Gordon or Nolan a full roster of NHL players. Many regulars the past few seasons would not be in the NHL if they weren’t part of the Isles. They’d be enjoying good steady AHL careers or in Europe. This isn’t all on Snow either, it’s not like Milbury ice’d a real NHL roster either.
The thing I am still confused about Botta is this, why did Snow go to camp with this roster (AGAIN)? Does he think these guys will all of a sudden turn into something they are not (the not real NHL guys)? Does he want to have several years of drafting high? Does he believe he’s going to get some windfall of high end talent teams have to dump to get under a lower cap? or is he still misjudging the players on his own roster?
I mean the Isles are the only team in the NHL that would try brainwashing their fans with the catch phrase “Radek Martinek is one of the most underrated d-men in the NHL”.
If Snow feels it is critical to draft high again this year then I guess he’ll do nothing. I do see other teams improving their rosters. Isn’t it time to clean out the cupboards of the players and prospects not part of the longterm plans and bring back as much value as possible?
We are all Islanders but some of these guys are Sound Tigers.
Gordondefinitely needs to be given some time. He has many players left over from the prior regime that do not fit his style of play, Witt being one of the more glaring examples. We also have a lot of fourth liners, who on the right team, with limited ice time even strength, could be valuable on the penalty kill, and even pop in a goal every now and then. Unfortunately, when you have 5 or 6 of them on one team, that usually doesn’t amount to a lot of goal production. To me, the only forwards we have that must be here long term are Tavares, Okposo and possibly Bailey. I also like Bergy, but unfortunately, he has not shown enough to fall in that “must keep” category. Sure others may end up staying around if and when this team becomes successful, but you could mix and match there and not lose too much. Moulson might end up being a keeper as well, but his body of work is too small to know at this point.
What else would the players say. If they say they dont believe in his system it sounds like excuses for their bad play. His system maybe good for teams that can skate well and have nhl talent. design a system for the talent level you have.
Good points on both sides. I read the entry and say, “Maybe it ain’t Gordo,” then I remember the Nielsen hit response, all the third period collapses last year that’ve carried over to this year with still no explanation, the “Wrecker” fiasco, comments from players last year, the weak explanations, etc., and I’m back on the fence again. To carry Jethro’s analogy a bit too far, maybe if you don’t have the ingredients, you shouldn’t be trying to make a delicious feast, and should settle for putting together a serviceable stew instead.
great post CB….
it comes down to players and hopefully if we get certainty for the LH we can add 2 or 3 “NHLers”…
26-50-12. In the words of one of the best coaches in NY Sports History, Bill Parcells, “You are what your record is”.
No, there’s no way that Scott Gordon is to blame for this whole mess. The blame starts at the top, and works it’s way down.
But as third period leads are squandered, and players are bashed because they just can’t play a 200 foot press, and “a system of recognition” for 60 minutes, nothing is being done to improve them.
Is anybody going to admit that Tambellini and Bailey shouldn’t be in the NHL? tambellini… ever!
Our leading scorer is a castaway.
No… i don’t blame Scott gordon for this whole mess. But he has screwed the pooch enough to be part of the cast that isn’t making it any better. Last year he let the team take beating after physical beating while he sat next to Mitch Fritz and watched… LIKE A GOALTENDER.
Against Boston he must have forgotten that NHL coaches get Timeouts… and what about Richard Park in the shootout… good God almighty…
Was he part of the vast New England Goaltending conspiracy that accumulated SEVEN GOALTENDERS, wasting a third round pick on one…. and letting Tanguay, Prospel, Gilroy, Gaborik and god knows who else go untendered.
26-50-12… and no… i don’t think Scotty Bowman could make a winner out of this heap of crap… but I’d have the confidence that after a season with Scotty, or Tortorella, Queneville, Hartley, Nolan or even Laviolette we’d have a team that could at least cycle the puck in the offensive zone without falling all over themselves. Or maybe be able to space themselves in the defensive zone so they could clear the puck without having to stand 90 to 120 second onslaughts.
Sorry Scott, maybe you are a genius, but this is the evidence of your skill…
26-50-12.
If you fired Gordon because Hartley was available and were able to make a deal for Kovolchuk you’d not only improve the team, but every quote from that interview would be forgotten faster than a root beer burp in a hurricane.
But forget about it, Snow has his stamp on the team this way. It’s a USDA Prime hockey team… An Undeniably Snow Disaster Area.
It’s not quite as bad as trading Luongo so you could draft DiPietro with Heatley and Gaborik available… but this off season was close… especially when you consider that Snow is buidling a defensive corp based on SNOW White.. and the SEVEN DWARVES… And to think all of that trading down for Bailey got us a shot at Kril Petrov… who someday may aspire to be the next Oleg Kvasha.
And while all the lemmings chant, in unison, “this is year two of the rebuild”, remember this… this is the SALARY CAP ERA, and players can be DEVELOPED at the AHL level while teams are BUILT in the NHL. Wang should be embarrassed at what he calls an NHL team, and that starts with the GM, and works its way down as well.
Wang… please sell the team… put us out of our misery. This team should have died like James Dean (young, with a good looking corpse) in 1995. 15 years of BULLSH*T… culminating in possibly TWO CONSECUTIVE last place finishes. Way to go boy genius.
the funniest part of all this is… if Scott gordon was to take this team to the playoffs he’d be fired (just look at the history)… but if he takes it to the basement, he is lauded as the next coming.
Bizzaro hockey… I wish I had your glasses, because my eyes tell me that the coach is buck naked.
I have no idea if this coach is good or not….we have so few NHL players, how do you get a read? As long as we don’t make draft picks or sign FA’s to 7 year contracts based on the system its fine. Geez….the guy delivered the last place finish most of us were looking for last year….how can he be faulted?
Amazing how one post can change so many minds.
All season long, I’m hearing from well over half the fans on this site about what a lousy coach Gordon is. Now, after one puff piece on the guy, everyone is shifting blame away from him to the players, the GM, the owner…
Gotta blame somebody, right?
Patience, Islanders fans. It’s a virtue we want the guy in our rear view mirror to have, but that we have none of for the guy in front of us.
Here’s what I’m left to hope for this season: The Islanders end up with the second worst record in the league, with only Toronto finishing behind (ahead?) of us. But, the Islanders win the lottery and get to pick Taylor Hall.
This would be great on a few levels. First, it would really stick it to the Maple Leafs and their obnoxious fans. Second, it would reverse the Kovalchuk draft curse (where we finished with the worst record in the league but lost the lottery.) Third, it would really stick it to the Maple Leafs and their obnoxious fans.
Oh, did I say that already?
i like gordon, but i do have some problems with him. joel rechlecz for one only playing a few minutes per game. either give him normal time or send him down and let tambellini back in. second, i like richard park, but he has never been and never will be a pp or shootout guy.
Can we have a thread to discuss Garth Snow; specifically the past 2 drats (besides the JT pick). Don/t hold back CB!
This is all well and good and all, but let’s be honest. We’re three weeks into the season, and not only do we not have a win, but the team, with the exception of the first line, plays like they’ve mailed it in already. Once again, this team doesn’t hit with any consistency, there’s no urgency, no passion, and Gordon is talking about Weight showcasing himself as a LW for 29 teams when we just named him captain. The team’s given up way too early in the season and that starts with the minor league coach, not the minor league players. The coach should be lighting a fire under these lazy asses, not giving them two off days in a week. He also apparently does not understand the concept of a 4th line; as in using them to waking up his crappy team when they’re down 3-0 in the second, not 4-1 at the end of the game. I’m all for the right change. Butch Goring would be nice.
The team had the same issue last year, they tend to fall apart during the second 30 minutes of the game. Perhaps the system is too tiring, arent the you players supposed to have more energy at the end of games? I like the systems, but do teams in other sports blitz every play? Perhaps there are times during the game when Isles should be playing more conservatively. I am not even sure if they are an above average forechecking team. Isnt that the cornerstone of the system?
….granted he doesnt have the horses, however this team so far seems worse than last year. But in the end I have to agree with CB on this one. Gordon doesnt really have a chance.
Great article - still amazes me that we can’t get reporting like this out of the only “official” news outlet.
Its nice to hear all that support from the players on their coach and the system - but they sure aren’t going to be the ones to admit “Yeah, but we aren’t good enough to play it”
Who knows whats behind the Wrecker nonsense. Who knows whats being communicated to the guys on the bench without the need to spend a timeout to do so. Certainly many of the things being pinned directly on Gordo may not entirely belong on his shoulders.
BUT - Id still certainly like to see more passion from the guy publicly when it comes to being upset about losing. I’d like to see and hear less excuses and bouncestheotherways and could-have-hads. And I’d like to see some more signs of adaptability - both short term reacting to whats happening in a game, and long term with regard to the talent he has and their ability to fit what he is trying to do.
Gordon is the perfect coach FOR NOW. I believe that he was brought in specifically to be a developmental coach for the younger players. Once, if, this team gets a quality lineup then they will probably need a different type of coach, but by that time they will probably both be ready to part ways.
I love how some are already comparing to last year after only 6 games. The players will develop and fans will then see what they have in this team. Problem is the developing may take longer than what most people want. Far too early to even criticize a coach who was just given his staff this year. Make the players accountable now, let them learn, and win together, and when they string a few together, maybe then some fans can be a little more patient.
Well Botta, I respectfully disagree. Time will only tell!
The main issue I have with Gordon is the one game against Boston and not using a timeout. Besides that, it’s his lack of having the balls to bench a player for a couple of games when he misses his assignment. Wins are too hard to come by!
@54, I hear what you’re saying, but what is the solution? We complain as fans that we don’t sign free agents, when we offer more money and they CHOOSE not to come here, we complain about the players on the ice and ask for them to be traded when we acknowledge that they have NO trade value. Our prospects aren’t ready and are developing in the AHL, our team IS made up of the best of what we have available, despite a few of them not being ready and more of them not being capable.
So what would you do?
1> sign free agents - apparently we’ve offered equal or better money to several players who chose to go somewhere else. The players we have signed, took the money and either turned into a great deal (streit) or a bust (sim), or simply had no other options for as much playing time (weight) It’s easy to say we sign free agents, but you have to have people WANTING to come here first. If you were looking at trying to play for good money and having a chance to be competitive as your career is winding down, do you want to go to the worst team in the league?
2>trade players. I think many of us overestimate the trade value of the players we would be willing to see Snow move. Other than Streit, what could we possibly move on the back end and get something of value back for? I don’t see ANYTHING another team would covet. Up front…other than JT, KO and Bailey, I don’t believe anyone else has any kind of trade value. We’d get back picks and prospects..who we’d have to replace with our prospects in the AHL, who SHOULD be there and developing rather than being pushed into the NHL too soon, as it seems Bailey has.
Okay, so we’ve identified we are looking at fringe players who would sign here, and players we can’t move unless we take back picks or prospects…so who plays on the NHL team? Look at our roster…does this make sense now?
The reason we’re rebuilding is because we DO NOT have a capable NHL roster and we don’t have enough value in prospects to build an NHL team, therefore, we’re stuck watching what we have and trying to develop talent to fill those roster spots so in the next couple of years we have a better team, can attract free agents, and have something of value to trade.
Just for argument’s sake, suggest a trade with what we have on our roster and what you think we’d get back that would be an improvement to our current NHL roster. Let’s say we’re trying to get a solid #2 or #3 defenseman or a top 6 forward. What do you give up that would actually get us back something like that, without creating even more holes on the current roster?
You can quote me as a lemming saying that this is year two of the rebuild, but you need to take a cold, hard look at our roster and the steps needed to improve it, then realize the roadblocks Snow is dealing with. In order to get something of value, you need to be able to trade something of value. If you trade our young players for a quick fix, then we’d be best just throwing Milbury back in charge and letting him gut us for the future again. Why do you think we’re in such a bad spot to begin with?
For anyone reading this and not agreeing with me, pose the trade offer you think would get us one of those players, I guarantee you it’ll be unrealistic or leave us with more holes than we have now.
JP #54, great post! I’m surprised the moderation department let it get on, as you probably fractured “the length” rule.
The more I read, the more I just shake my head and roll my eyes to the heavens. What are the players, who are under contract and making 6 and 7 figure salaries, supposed to say??
Simply amazing, just amazing how this organization continues to bask in the glory of Snow/Gordon! They will be gone, but it will not be any time soon, as the spiral will continue, and when the NVMC looks like the mid-late 90’s AGAIN, maybe then our owner/realtor will decide to do something about it, or NOT.
#62- THAT’S the situation in a nutshell. The team will improve when Charles B. Wang gets what he wants OR he sells to someone looking for a brand new arena in Queens or God forbid, a place much further away. This can’t go on forever.
CB is right Gordon has 1/2 an NHL team and 1/2 a team that doesn’t belong here
Anyone see a trend here?
Tavares E, Moulson +2, Okposo E, Streit -1, Martinek -1
Witt-9, Gervais -6, Bergenheim -5, Sim -5, Bailey -4,
I will never blame Gordon for all the faults of this organization. I like how he individually works with players. However, that being said, I still do not like many of the decisions Gordon has made. I still don’t like Gordon as a head coach at this level. He obviously has a better knowledge of the game than I do, but I still scratch my head and wonder the logic behind many of his decisions.
It should be noted that the players are paid by the organization and coached by the man they are questioned about, so we need to take that into account with their opinions. Saying that, I don’t get the feeling that these opinions are dishonest.
Interesting read Chris and some good points made by you and the players, but I can’t say I’m sold on Gordon yet. And it’s not just his ’system’, it’s his use of players, his in-game decisions, etc. that have to be factored in as well. Maybe when Snow and Wang decide to infuse more talent into the line-up, Gordon will (hopefully) make me eat crow. I honestly hope I am wrong about him and he turns out to be a good coach for this team and leads them to better play and more wins. I just hope he is isn’t the NHL’s version of Mangini. After watching the coaching carousel of the Jets and Knicks, I think it’s understandable if I’m a bit skeptical. LOL
Is this Gordon’s fault?
1. When was the last time you saw an Islander finish a check… except three doghouse members (Bergy, Comeau, Witt)
2. How many odd man rushes do they allow per game? Could this be directly attributed to the “pinch”… so not only do you have constant 3 on 2’s, but usually one of the two is a forward.
3. Thank goodness the goalies have reduced rebounds. I mean 40+ shots a game is bad enough.
4. Martinek has scored from the low slot, Sutton has scored in the low slot, Streit has scored in the low slot… Bailey doesn’t even have a shot from the slot.
5. If you can’t win with the talent you have in the system you play you have to change one or the other… or at least try. Well, Snow has made it clear there won’t be a talent upgrade… so…
6. Didn’t you say that Gordon said he didn’t have the right mix of left handed and right handed players last year…. I didn’t really understand that until you announced his new first line of Moulson(L), Tavares(L) and Weight(L). It’s all so much clearer now.
7. Why would it be so horrible to play a one forward forecheck while jamming up the center ice for 5-10 minutes of each period. You know we used to have a goaltender who’s only distinguishable quality was his ability to handle the puck… that might happen again someday.
8. I’d really like to see a video about the “system of recognition”. As Witt explained it last year it seemed to be, you not only address the formation, but you have to recognize who is the most likely to shoot the puck… WTF?? This sounds like something a goalie would come up with. Are other teams really playing this system… really?
Is it too damned much for islanders fans to ask for a coach who has been “smart and successful” (your words, CB) IN THE NHL? Your article cautions us that if we let him go, he will move on to win cups or run powerhouses elsewhere. I don’t think it’s out of the question to give a young team an EXPERIENCED NHL COACH. Why must Uniondale always be OJT for the next coming?
I never understood why Nolan was let go. All he did here was win with questionable teams until his best player went down for the count. That is where this mistake started. I am personally not convinced that Gordon should be fired, or that he is the real problem. I simply do not think, if this pattern of gassing out in the 2nd and 3rd periods continues and the losses mount, that it is unreasonable to consider bringing someone with some experience at getting the job done.
Chris…It’s a great article..I can’t say I completely agree, but I will give you my point of view.
To me it looks like we play one system early and we are behind, and a completely different one when we take the lead (Hence ALL the blown leads the last 2 years)..I find it very hard to believe it’s the players naturally doing this, but rather it’s being coached.
His line decisions in my opinion are awful, we are the only team in the league who continously starts the 4th line at home..I’m all for matching lines, but enough with Nate Thompson and Jackman starting..
Ice Time - Last year this guy was playing Andy Hilbert 6-8 min more a game than Bergenheim, Neilsen and several others including not seeing what ANYONE in our system can do..that’s absurd..so far this year he has been better at giving the TOP line more ice time..but I still think he plays his “role” players far too much..and I love Richard Park but having him out during the extra attacker phase and him being a shootout choice over Tavares is ridiculous.
The PK we are back to being completely non aggressive and it’s very obvious when you are against talented teams they will score if your passive..we RARELY get to set up on the PP because everyone knows the box is outdated and doesn’t work, you need to constantly press the puck and make the other team make a mistake..once again this is coaching.
I hate the way we cover the point guys during 5 on 5, the forwards are way too deep and cant stop anything around the boards or point to point and it results in the puck staying in our end way more than it should be…to me another coaching flaw.
Now regardless do I think firing him at this point of time makes any sense? No because the team isn’t making the playoffs regardless of who coaches..but I can’t say I am a big fan of his decision making and choices at this point.
You know that last year was a farce of a “coaching” job. You can’t really coach a guy when he is riding the bench with an injury. Then when they get back and aren’t 100% you have to coach them with limitations. The fact is that this is his first time coaching a team that is relatively healthy as compared to last year. His system works just fine when you see the players actually forchecking and pressuring in the offensive zone. However, once you see them get into the defensive zone you see them all collapse and go into a box where they play chase rather than sticking to a man.
the timing of the post could not be any better. thank you CB. i almost wanted to stop posting on this bored. Its sickening how shortsighted people are and so quick to point fingers.
Isles are only going to get better. Gordon is good coach.
Man, i wonder what would happen if Tavares doesnt score for a few games. We will start seeing the I KNEW HE was a bust Post and we should of taken hedman.
Relax. Its 6 games in. Lets start with win tomorrow night.
Thanks for this post, CB. Makes me feel a lot better about one part of things, anyway.
CB,
good article…you need to start with Wang and work your way down the food chain.
Thank you Chris for another great blog. The stuff that you write is GOLD for any Islander fan, and if I can’t see my team win, at least I’ve got this!!!
1) Amen!
Stop the lunacy with the change the coach talk. Its nonsense. The only way Gordon doesn’t complete the season is if the players don’t show improvement over time/and/or he loses ‘The Room’.
2) Also agree with the assessment that only Arbour left the Isles with the reputation intact. Thats a very telling comment!
My problem with Gordon is that he doesn’t have the horses to play his style for 60 minutes. They are not that fast or talented. In addition their general small size leads to being worn down as the game progresses. In the end a mediocre defensive and over rated and paid goalies lead to defeat. I don’t blame the coach but I do blame Snow for investing his little allowance in 7 goalies, instead of maybe one decent good sized forward and D.
I’ll keep it short…
Garth has a budget.
Wang will not give him more money until the LightHouse is approved.
Gordon system will work… but he needs more skilled players.
It is a vicious cycle…
We will get a top 3 pick this year.
Hopefully the LightHouse is approved.
Then next year we can add a highly skilled player or two.
We need 2 top tier defencemen and another top 6 forward.
We hopefully draft one of the following…
Hall, Seguin, Fowler, or Kabanov.
We will make the playoffs in 2 years.
Then the 5th Cup in 4 years.
I mistakenly checked out Isles Files today first and was greeted with a preview of the Sharks game line-up. Pathetic work from a full time beat writer. Thank the hockey gods for Point Blank.
Agree with Tom #13. The biggest void is at the top of the franchise. I can’t even pin this one on Snow, since his hands are tied and reports to Wang. I eagerly await the IPB post that describes some filthy rich guy looking to buy the Isles and restore the winning tradition.
The first four games of the season were lost by one goal each. In three of these games, Gordon’s team finished regulation with the game tied. Two contests were lost via the lame event known as the “shootout”. Now and then, you need goaltending to steal you one and, so far, that hasn’t happened.
Cb great job. I like gordon. Isles will be fine.we just need to be patient….. And for everyone who wants to blame snow do it all you want for not making free agent signings but don’t claim his last two drafts were horrible. How can we judge that right now? Someone please give me the proof that snow has failed in his drafts.we need to see 2-3 years from now. Again be patient.
Nice read CB, but why call out Snow to defend his coach? It would sound like the old vote of confidence. Saying nothing is frankly more supportive. Also, #54, your view of what could have been done is colored with 20/20 hindsight… You mention Gilroy, but leave out Komisarik, who has been a bust. Mention Tanguay (not that he’s done anything special) but leave out a slew of others that were clamored for by the fan base (most of whom, as with most FA signings) are doing nothing. You complain over and over about Bailey, but choose to not mention the performance (or lack thereof) of Schenn, Filatov, Wilson and Boedkker…. All potential picks for us in 09. Your desire to present a particular picture is filled with selective memory and information.
Nice article, but why do I have the feeling that everyone blamed Ted Nolan during hid tenure as coach? The Islander spin was that he couldn’t comunicate with the younger players and pointed to his “mishandling” of Jeff Tambellini and starting Dubie over a hurting DiP. WTF?!! wasn’t this the same guy who coach his Juniors team to three straight Memorial Cup finals? Wasn’t this the guy who “blooded” some of the younger Islanders talent (Comeau, Nielsen and Okposo)? The biggest plus for Nolan was willingness to welcome the Islander Legends back home! As for his assistants, I thought they were named to the staff because they had been coaching within the ten years that Nolan was out of the NHL. Name an Al Arbour assistant coach who is/was successful; Brian Kilrea was legend before he came to the Island. By the way, Tambellini is my favorite top 14th or 15th forward!!
Richard Park is an upgrade over the so-called “fan favorite” Shawn Bates!! I thought it was Park who helped Okposo when he broke into the league. Proved in the last few seasons that hard work will give you opportunties to score some goals (are you reading this Mr Tambellini?) Good positional player who can benefit in Gordan’s system. Not going to score twenty, but you will be happy with ten and sound two-way play!
hey guys we r all so frustrated at being the laughing stock of the NHL for a whole bunch of years that were letting our patience run out the door
baby steps people , baby steps
i know losing sucks but
we all knew we werent getting to the playoffs or to the finals this year
we should be just wanting these guys to
improve collectively as a young group to
to oneday do to other teams what they do to us now ( a beat down )
bailey , KO , tavares , moulson , comeau , neilsen and the other youngsters will only get better game after game
you guys are on baileys case and this is his second year -enough already
dont have too many expectations of this season and maybe next season but hope that these kids will get in sync between now and then to torture the rest of the NHL - which i believe they will do
SO as isles fan, we got thru the milbury years and the crap he left us in
we just gotta be more supportive of our guys , our team , our isles
just remember yankee fans lamented for 15 years before they won in 1996,1998,2000 etc and they had to start with a core of young players , right coach and patience from their fans
good day isles fans
go isles !!! win or lose
you can’t ask an owner losing tens of millions to commit more millions, with a prospect of negative return. money down the toilet. no established coach wants this job. old arena, uncertain location, early rebuild, short payroll. you have to overpay free agents to come here. bad, long term contracts. trades, they have to want what you got to trade. or, would you trade two #1’s and a #2 for blake kessel. also known as taylor hall and 2011 #1/#2 for kessel.
with the execption of 19 year old JB(with nearly a whole 82 nhl games under his belt), i’d say the rest of the young guys are developing well. i think shoot outs are the coaches choice. there are players with insane shoot out success, who do not have big scoring numbers.
What a surprise to see that the players publicly support the coach. After all, he is the one who decides their ice time. The coach can make the players’ lives unbearable.
Great coaches may not want to work here under Garth Snow, but that would probably be different if we had a real GM like Neil Smith.
I’m getting really sick and tired of excuse after excuse. How many winless games do we have to have before it’s time to look at the coach?
Ha…just like a herd of Buffalo! When one jumps over the edge, the rest just follow!The power of persuasion.
C’mon, Last week everybody had there torches and pitchforks ready for Gordon, now there is a Big Lovefest for him.
I for one still think his system tires the heck out of the the players and is a bit predictable but more than that I just feel he is to laid back with any response to this team. The players may think he is wonderful and he may be doing a great job in their eyes, but in the eyes of many, including myself he is too soft and not doing enough as a coach….and unfortunately perception is everything in this world.
Nice guy or not, at some point it comes down to your record. Regarding systems, there are few on this blog who know anything about pro hockey systems, including myself. What we do know is that we have sucked for some time, and it’s getting hard to take. Mr Wang, would you go to see dozens of bad movies, plays etc., year after year, and pay big money to watch? Your too smart for that.
CB, to be honest, this is the worse piece of journalism so far.. asking a player how he likes his coach to the media (yes, to them you are still the media).. that is like asking madoff if he was guilty when he got arrested.. you should know better. Your stuff is usually insightful and clear, but this is just stupid.. i expect more out of you CB,,
Neil Smith, really? Look how many teams jumped at the chance to sign him after we let him go. What is he doing these days?
The problem is more the GM than coach. He should have signed a good enforcer this summer. He should have signed at least 1 good player this summer. How can you expect to win with this team. We have Okoposo, Streit and Tavares. The rest of the team is 3/4th liners and #5,6,7 dmen..
Good article. Gordon cannot be judged until he has a real team. System is fine, if we trapped we wouldn’t score goals, nor do we have the d to trap effectively. Overspeed isn’t to blame; no secondary scoring is.
#65, “Netminder”, I would be curious to know who you think (besides JT and KO) which of the Isles so called young/upcoming talent will develop. From my chair, this is worse than any of us were led to believe.
Way to step up Gary P #97!
I feel the same, not only about THIS post, but recently there have been a few off the wall. CB, you have changed since the summer, must be the NEW gig, just one’s humble opinion.
I think some excellent points have been made in this segment. Most of the best are negative but realistic. ssSo where do we go from here? Wang had two choices this spring- Keep the budjet low so that if he had to sell the team the annual loss could be kept under 20 million to make it more attractive to a buyer. The other way to go would have spent up to the cap limit and put big names on the ice along with alot more wins. That approach might have helped with positive buzz, and better attendance and even an easier potential sale for a bigger number.We all know which direction he chose- after all its his bat and ball. The approval of the LH is the only way out.
This is excellent, CB- thank you!
It doesn’t matter if Gordon is great or terrible now. The fact is he works cheap and makes minimum wage and fits perfectly in Wang’s low budget. Thus, he’s going nowhere because it’s all about paying as little as they can in Wang’s world.
This was what I needed. I was on the fence with Gordon, but I do like the style of play. If the players support in this way then I am adamantly in favor of keeping here and giving him more to work with.
But with that said the thing I like least about Gordon is the bottom 4 players he dresses every night. Maybe this isn’t his choice? I just see no benefit to having them in the lineup.
Let’s face it, Gordon just doesn’t have the horses right now to be successful no matter what system he plays. Milbury stripped this franchise of all the young talent that was in the organization and were still paying for all his mistakes. We now have some young talent here and in Bridgeport but it’s going to take some time to develop. I’m tired of watching lousy hockey but we have to be patient. In 2 years there will be no more excuses so will wait and see what happens.
phenomenal post…I love Gordans style…Its so much more fun to watch than Nolans, for darn sure, but we don’t have the talent to actually make them a winner…I thought Nolan was a great coach but he would rather play with NHL left overs in a trap style and cross your fingers hope they get lucky and score 2 goals and let up 1…
Nolan made the playoffs while Gordon coaches the worst team in the league. Snow screwed up getting rid of Nolan.
Bring back Laviolette or Nolan and a new owner that would pay a real coach.
regardless of how good (or not good)anyone feels this group is, it’s pretty unusual to hear players voice support for a coach like that, even one with a winning record. it says a lot, and it’s a good sign for the future.
You cant win the Kentucky Derby with $10,000 claimers.
I agree CB, Gordon’s not the problem. CB…Im surprised you didnt write about this topic this summer. Nice piece….
The problem isn’t Gordon. The problem isn’t Snow. The problem isn’t Wang. The problem isn’t even the current players.
The problem IS the instability of the foundation of this franchise because of the Lighthouse situation. IF that resolves, then the rest will start to come together. Unfortunately our only option is to be patient while this current mess continues.
why wouldn’t we want gordon?
he wants to play an agressive attack-style offense.
i can’t speak for anyone else but thats the type of hockey i want to watch
Nolan left because he wasn’t willing to to take a few steps back in order to develop young talent which is the way this team needs to do it….Keep in mind I’m a huge Nolan supporter…The problem is we were never gonna win it all unless we rebuild…I think I speak for most Isles fans when I say “I’m tired of making the playoffs by the skin of our teeth only to get our @sses beat in the 1st round”…
Its not Gordons fault hes coaching teenagers…
Great read CB
Gordon is doing good with what he has to dress each night. When a team is in a slump peeps start bashing coach. Players have to produce. You can’t start a fire with having just wood and water. We need that spark plug of a player to get the team scoring and hopefully someone steps up in that slot.
I think it’s hard to tell just from watching a team whether they’re well coached or not. Last year, I felt pretty uncomfortable watching Gordon field questions and so forth, and he still strikes me as a little shaky. My gut tells me he’s not going to be the guy to take this team deep into the playoffs. It could be that he’s the right guy to shepherd the kids right now.
To the idea that we’re still paying the price for Milbury…we’re not. By now, the stars he gave away for nothing have all signed their UFA deals. Zach Parise is the one player we should still have but don’t because of Milbury. Chara, Luongo, and on and on…those guys would’ve been long gone as free agents by now. Besides, the 2007 team made the playoffs despite years of Milbury. We’re out of contention now because management made the decision to rebuild through the draft, and until our young players develop, we’re not really putting out an NHL lineup.
Lets’ face it, this is an AHL team. If we overachieve, we may finish 26 or 27th in the league, which is good for last place in our division & maybe conference, that is it.
I forgot to add, Gordon IS the right man for the job here & should not get any grief, just my two cents.
THANK YOU CB!! I’ve been preaching patience with Scott because of the circumstances ever since he signed on. This guy is known for being an up and coming coach and most of the pros agree that he is a good coach. I can’t believe there are fans blaming the Isles woes on the coach when he has been handed an AHL team. We have ONE good offensive line and ONE defensmen! What in the hell is he supposed to do? This is what happens in the first few years of a rebuild but unfortunately a lot of fans don’t understand the big picture. It sucks that we’ve had to wait this long and even longer now for a contender but blaming any of this on Gordo is very ignorant.
#1 if the isles are expected to come in last place because gordan has nothing to work with….what about expansion teams that go out and win 2 rounds of playoff hockey like the wild?
#2 everyone now agrees n expects the isles to finish in last. Then snow needs to be fired. Surely snow n Gordon can’t both be doing a great job if the team just continues to be the worst team in the Nhl.
#3 why spend money on boron when they couldv signed a good player?
#4 I sense even if Wang gets his city he won’t be running a succescful hockey team. All evidence indicates otherwise.
I’m pretty sure one of Al Arbour’s famous quotes was, “Its easy to coach great players.” When I become an NHL coach I’ll start second guessing the other coaches.
Gordon is the least of the Islanders problems. But, the media has given the impression that he is the type of coach who has his system and is going to use it whether he has the right players to run it effectively or not. I was always in favor of a coach that takes the players he has set up a system that will put his players in the best position to succeed. Maybe Gordon’s system is that system. I don’t know.
How many periods in the 6 games we played this year has this team buzzed around the ice causing havoc for the other team due to Gordo’s system? Not many! It does not take talent to skate hard every shift and play with tenacity. If your stars play that way, its a huge bonus. This team is not playing to their potential and I even had Ranger fans tell me this. Need I say more.
Say what you will, but from this fans perspective it looks like this team quit on Coach Gordo. Maybe not the whole team but possibly the vets. I’d expect the young players and the Captain to back up the coach. Tavares, Moulson, Okposo, Hillen, Weight, and Biron are expected to be supportive
CB, want to impress us, get a quote like the one’s above from Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton. I firmly believe their is a rift between Gordon and some vets. If so, deal them away and lets move. How about 2 d-men that know how to skate. That would be a start. Send Bruno away with them while your at it. Our defense has been awful. Our goaltending is fine. Our forwards would be a lot better with a stable blueline.
I think Francesa needs to get Garth on the FAN and grill him about lack talent on this team. How do you bring a superstar to a team that needs a new arena and dwindling fanbase yet you don’t bring a couple proven vets to make the team at least competitive? Well, what to you expect from a goalie! Wonder what Neil Smith would have done? Thanks, Chuck!
This sounds like a coach and Gm that do not work together. If the system looks terrible with the players we have, then the organization has two options. 1) get the right players to make the system work or 2) Fire Gordon. You don’t put cooking oil in your gas tank and hope to get to work….if the car requires gas…you give it gas. Get the drift.
#123, I think Neil Smith was way too smart when he saw the type of personality that CW shown when he dictated his style of leading & running the team. This system has him now firmly in position of absolute ruler of the operations of the team. Putting a green,has been,journeyman, G. Snow at the helm cemented his place as the man in charge here; this is what we get, until Charles gets what HE WANTS, aka, the Lighthouse.
CB - I wouldn’t expect any of the players to criticize Gordon’s system. That is OK … actually. That is a good thing. You don’t want the players undermining a coach.
I think what Weight said pretty much sums up why I don’t like Gordon’s system for “this” team. It’s not a critique of Gordon’s system per se. It’s the fact that he’s using it for this team in this league. To me it’s like challenging a Porshe to a drag race with a pickup truck. Both a good for what they are intended for.
Weight said the Isles have to use the system perfectly to be successful and that they can’t affor to make mistakes. The thing is … hockey is a game of mistakes … and the Isles being a young team make more than the “average bear” … so I guess the players and the coach don’t expect to succeed much … ala using their system against the Penguins (Porshe) with their Ford F-150.
CB - always enjoy the reads however I don’t need to here from players like the guys quoted in the article I need to hear from guys like witter and sutton and vets who aren’t great fits in the system and here them say it’s not the system. Everyone can’t be doing a good job we are awful>
I just hate the fact that Garth has to be such a “rebel without a cause” in all of his drafts so far…He took Bailey over Filitov and took DeHaan instaed of the next best player in the draft…These moves are questionable to say the least…What good is it if we suck another season and we get a high draft pick only for Garth to get cute and not take the best player again and roll the dice on another Bailey???I cant take the nonsense anymore!!!!!
Man CB it’s amazing. When this was a team sponsered blog we never agreed and I think I was even banned from posting. Now we agree on anything. What do you guys want from Gordon?? Look at the players he is playing with. Buck stops with Wang. Also as CB said, do you really thing anyone else was going to take this job? As fans its time we demanded more from Wang.
It’s good to hear the players back the coach. It’s way to early to get rid of Gordon or Snow. Both do not have the resources. Once the LH is resolved and the Isles can compete with other NHL teams, The excuses are out the window and Wang, Gordon, and Snow can be judged fairly.
Hey, at this point, I think even Sparky needs to step up…
It is not about Gordon. It is not anbout Gordon’s system.
What could Al Arbor do with this Islander team? How about Scotty Bowman?
The Islanders remind me of Tampa Bay. The Bolts were as poor as the Islanders back in the 1998-1999 season. Eventually they drafted a highly skilled player named Lacavallier and quietly built a team around him through the draft, waivers and trades. Very very quietly, they got better and better and won it all in ‘04. I think there mistake was over paying players and not keeping Bulin. But they did keep one constant. One clear and consistent force on the team was Torterella. The same can be said for the Preds but without the cup.
Those teams had an I.D. built in large part around a common work ethic, and common system that was expected season in, and season out. And whats more—no player was going to muscle the GM to fire the coach—as has been the case on Long Island.
To me—Gordon has done a good job thus far with very little. He is garnering confidence in the players, and those players are growing with him—much like Trots, Boss, Potvin and the like grew with Al Arbor. We must remain patient and see Gordon through this season, and next at a bare minimum. I would even suggest he needs 3 more full seasons before any real judgement can be made. 5 seasons from a team with almost 0 talent to a team with skill will better determine if the man can lead us to a championship.
Well said 112. The problem is the LH. If the LH was passed a couple of years ago the Isles would have been much further ahead and possible could have brought in a top player or two. The team is stuck in limbo until the Town of stallers wake up.
I think that if the players have bought into “THE SYSTEM”, then why hasn’t managememt? If Garth thought that what Coach is doing is right for the Isles, then why not at least try to get him a D-man or 2 that can skate in “THE SYSTEM”? If pressuring all over the ice, then last man back has to have at least the skill to do that…GET BACK. Filling a team to play this style needs d-men that can skate, Witt and Sutton can not keep up… period. I love their heart, determination and grit, but playing in a 1-2-2. If this is what they truly want to do, then fill roster spots with those capable of playing it, remember…Speed Kills!!!
“I never understood why Nolan was let go.”
Nolan doesn’t play rookies. This is a rebuild. End of story.
“I never understood why Nolan was let go.”
I don’t think Nolan had a problem playing rookies that had the talent to be there. I think he didn’t agree with a total rebuild. Having a fair balance of veteran and developing youngsters is the way to go, and I believe Nolan saw it that way too.
Now with this blame it on the coach thing…probably not fair. Butch Goring was ousted as a coach years back and he had a talentless team (He came out and said it himself). Honestly, I’d like to see him back to coach the team. He was ferocious in his day, he knows a style that wins, and he has a great understanding of the game as an NHL player, not an AHL goalie.
But anyway, my problem is not with Scott Gordon being a good coach or teacher, but the style of play he brings to the game with the group he has.
Tavares can score, very good. Well most of the other guys aside from Moulson’s hot hands can’t. It is much like a New Jersey group, no super big names that score tons of goals; just a way different style. I think the Isles should emulate the Devils play, because our defensive game is atrocious with the “Gordo system” and we don’t score a lot of goals. Trap as it may be called, boring too, but it can win games with a talentless bunch.
CB, you’re 100% right. If we combined our team with Detroit or Pittsburgh, we maybe put 4 or 5 guys on those teams… I hate what they’re doing to Bailey (they’re Chyzowski-ing him) You don’t rush an 18 year old play-making center to the NHL and put him on a 3rd line with two 10-goal scorers flanking him on his wings… Aside from Tavares, Okposo, Hunter and Streit, no bona-fide NHLers here… DON’T blame the coach. Maybe one day they’ll be good with DeHann, Ness, Petrov, Martin an “improved” Bailey, but now…
Let the count-down to young Mr. Hall begin…
To everyone here that says that Gordon is doing a good job:
The Isles came in 30th place in a thirty team league last year. This year they are WINLESS in 6 games.
What exactly would constitute a bad job?
The Islanders are not winning because they are not a NHL Quality hockey team, the greatest coach in the world can not turn a Tambellini or Witt into a Gretsky or Pronger.
138 Jeff…
You could have had any of the 29 coaches from other teams, and this team would have still been in 30th spot.
When you rip a team down to nothing and start from scratch… your going to lose games.
Another point if I may…
If we are going be playing a high pace fast skating game… maybe we can get someone to work on the ice issue.
Every game they play @ home the puck is bouncing all over.
It’s like they are skating in sand.
the penguins were a draft lottery team 5 years in a row until recently..including being a draft lottery team after crosbys rookie season, why in the world would you put any blame on this coach, why would you criticize bailey?, give them a chance. Yes we know brendan witt and sutton are done. they are not part of the plan anyway…would like to see the isles sign a willie mitchell or anton volchenkov though in the offseason, nothing crazy just keep building, its gonna be rough for a couple years more at least.
If the players support their coach that’s good enough for me. This season isn’t about wins and losses in my eyes but the continued improvement of our core young players. I think some players that aren’t working out should be moved by February.
I think Snow wants to add 1 more top 5 pick to this team. This draft class is top heavy with potential stars like Cabanov, Fowler, Seguin, Hall, etc…
A number of contracts age out this year which means Snow will have $$ to spend in UFA. That’s when the turnaround will begin. Hopefully he will bring us someone like “the A train” Volchenkov to bring fans out of their seats like Webb and Kasperitis. Isles could use that kind of excitement.
Glad Snow has stabilized what became a revolving door with players. Don’t worry Garth, we get it.
We just want to see some progress under Gordon’s system, can you blame us? Not too many teams have folded in the third period like the isles the last two years, that recent Boston debacle game was pretty painful. Nolan was able to hold leads when he was here, I know he had a different set of players but we just want to see progress..
Gordon is perfect for this team just let everyone grow together. Tough rocks if you don’t like being bad for a couple more years.
I guess my feeling is this..when we blame the coach, people say he does not have NHL players. Blame the GM,and people say free agents won’t come here and the owner won’t let him spend. Blame the owner, and people say, without Wang the team would have moved. Arena problems? kate Murray’s fault. Question where the goalie is, well at least he likes Long Island and he;s working hard to return.
I am not saying the above is not true, but my point is, there is no pressure to win, since the entre organization seems to have decided to ride out the season with the 10,000 diehards that show up win, lose or somewhat lose with one point….but they are losing the casual fan in droves. At the rate people are losing interest in the hockey team, the Lighthouse will just fade away.
I think what it comes down to when you look at this article is that it doesn’t break ground on what us fans have been disappointed with thus far. Some people will back the coach, some will call for his head. The players say they are behind him, say he’s a standup guy, no crap, they need to.
I look back at the days of Al Arbour or Herb Brooks, two legendary coaches who got the most out of their players. It’s been well documented that these coaches were “hated” by their players. They pushed players to the limits and then pushed some more.
Now I look at Gordon, 30th place team last year, countless 3rd period debacles. No wins yet this year, many times lazy play and still some 3rd period debacles. A terrible effort Saturday followed by… a day of rest??!?!?! That doesn’t build character, or teach players that their efforts aren’t acceptable. Yet in every post-game interview it’s Gordon looking at reporters saying it’s not acceptable. Do Something About It!!!
Just to add… I’m not calling for Gordon to be fired. It’s still early. But his AHL ways are not, and will continue not to work. It’s time for him to look in the mirror and change his style. Send the message to his team that he isn’t Snow’s little puppet (which he is) and start taking order of his team.
The Isles were the most injured team in the league last year, and we were always rotating AHL players, of course we finished last. It’s like the Mets this year.
Great article CB, I thought the ‘fire Gordon’ ideas are too soon to throw around. I think Gordon/Snow will be in it for the long haul. I think Gordon knows what he’s talking about, and he seems like a maniac with video and different computer programs. When the kids fully develop I think we’ll be in for a pleasant surprise
And just to follow up what I said in #137, I’m not critcizing Bailey at all - the Isles are the blame for his lack of development thus far.
And although I don’t blame Gordon, he to must bend and “learn” how to become an NHL coach. The high-pressure attacking system works on lower levels, like my son’s Atlantic League AAA travel team, but “professional” teams constantly figure out a way to erase 2 and 3 goal 3rd period defificits for the past two years on a regular basis…
In MLB in the 9th inning, you put defensive replacemnets in the field and a closer on the mound to close out your game…
In the NFL, you don’t rush 8 defenders into the backfield when you’re holding a 31-7 lead in the 4th quarter…
Believe me, Chris Pronger, Mike Green, Chara, Gonchar etc. must laugh when they see Nate Thompson, John Sim, Jackman, Comeau, Tambi and the rest of our gang-busters trying to force the issue sending two guys deep every shift regardless of the score. It just doesn’t work against seasoned professionals - not with this group at least…
What coach since Al Arbour has left the Islanders with his reputation intact?
I still miss Ricky Bowness,he was a hell of a coach who was dealt crap and run out of town. Good call on that CB.
I do think Bailey needs to get sent down.
Very interesting article - thank you.
give Gordie a roster to work with and he would be alot more successful.
As long as we are penny-pinching for player talent, the Islanders will NOT get into the playoffs and will NEVER win a cup.
It is a tough situation for Snow to talk fluff and for Gordon to try to put out a line-up to win games. Until Wang decides to release more money to buy some talent, we will flounder.
AND, when some big contracts are due will he pay? When talent is out there thru the UFA route will he buy? I think not. If Wang spent just a little less money on the lighthouse project and put that towards a higher budget for players we would have a better team - plain and simple.
Chris you are of exceeding importance to this organization. Please, continue the great work you are doing for all of us! What you are doing in posts like this is crucial to the health and future of the Islanders.
My problem with this article is why was it written Chris? Was it to dispel fairy tales and rumors of Gordon’s demise with Laviolette waiting in the wings?
Reading this article made me wonder why more have not been more critical. You provide a terrific outlet for Islander fans Chris, but this one was a MAJOR softball or should I say wiffle ball. I’m not ready to praise the coach for being winless up to this point and either should you.
Silliness. Gordon has yet to prove he is an NHL-caliber coach.
He finished 30th out of 30 teams in his first season. He is currently winless to start his 2nd season. When he coaches a win this year, then maybe we can talk about his future potential.
I can name two dozen coaches, off the top of my head, that would do more with this current team than Gordon. Many of whom were Islander coaches (e.g., Arbour, Lavy, Nolan).
It’s ok to preach patience, given that we are stuck with Gordon for at least a couple of more years. But don’t tell astute, long-time hockey fans that Gordon is a top-level NHL-caliber coach. Prove it.
#75, JPinVA hits it right on the head.
I know this is a tough start to this year and it’s hard to watch the team struggle. However having another bad year in the standings will only help us in the future. There is no point in coming in 9th place. I hope they start winning but if they don’t, it’s certainly not Gordon’s fault and it will help them.
It comes down to this wang needs to make the investment in a good team, with it comes suicess notiriety and the lhp if u have a horrible team whoes gunna care anymore. They created a buzz with john tavares and then did nuthing else in the offseason. So what if we barely make the playoffs by signing a few solid vets its all worth it in the end by keeping fan interest showing the islanders, the fans are there and showing there is a need for the lhp to go foward. You might say wang already made an adjustment and it didnt work. Bottom line this team cant be good for develpoing youngsters when they have to develop themselves with players like park nd weight the only players to show them the ropes. They need super stars to show them the ropes not mediocre talent 4th liners and an old washed up player (no offense dougies great)but honestly we cant blame the coach it starts at the top like many of u said. Id take the 2001 season with peca yashin aucoin osgood anyday over wat we have now granted we barely made the playoffs but had a heck of a series with toronto. On the other hand we do have some young up in comming talent (KO JT JB?) get some veterans like b4 pony up the cash nd i guarantee you we would get past the first round of playoffs. just my .2 cents
I understand that this team does not have the talent to do well…I get that..the thing that gets me, is that so far I have seen no improvment from last season…i dont expect this team to start scoring tons of goals, but i’d like to see some improvement from last year, just to show that this team is going somewhere in the future, and so far that has not happend.
It’s not as much Gordons system (although i’m really not liking it) that annoys me about him, but just the way he deals with situations. The whole Wrecker thing i will never understand..You say you dont wanna play a 1 way player that only plays a few minutes, yet you constinatly are playing him for a minute, maybe 2 if he’s lucky. He takes a stupid penatly during a game that leads to a goal, so you play him the next day? for a minute i might add..its just pointless. Putting Park in the SO over tavaers everyone is still talking about. Heck putting Okposo in the shootout…Okposos a great player, but he’s not that great in the shootout. Whenever a player gets hit bad, or injured what does Gordon do? Nothing, doesnt send a player out to stand for the team.
So i’ll say it again, it’s not as much his system that leads me to not like him, just how he handles situations.
Point taken CB. If the players feel that strongly about the coach and his system, then who am I to second guess. It’s just so frustrating to see one step forward and two or three steps back with this team all the time. Just as you ask us to be patient with the team, please be patient with us the fans. and thanks again for the forum to do it in, and thanks to AOL Fanhouse too!
how much more loosing can good players take we all know professional athletes hate loosing imagine how tavares feels wen all the weight is on his shoulders basically or even kyle i just hope they dont form some sort of resentment to the organization b4 it so called turns around
What’s with all this Neil Smith garbage?
Where is he now? Nowhere! Wang doesn’t want to spend money right now because of the LH. Once that is settled we’ll sign a few players and we can all party like its 1980,81,82,83!
Dump Witt!
1940 forever!
With the record as it is now, many a fan are ready to see a head role and since there are certain line-up decisions that have kept us wondering, it’s easy to feel Gordon should be the first guy goin’ out.
This said, the fans don’t work with the coach, the players do.
I had the fortune to meet George McPhee (GM for the Caps) about a month ago. I asked him about Garth. He told me that Garth is absolutely on the right path and patience is needed. Does anyone remember PITT 4 years ago or the CAPS 5 years ago? They were the worst teams in the NHL. Look at them today. If we want a consistent winner and not just a playoff team we need to build it. Free Agents come as the final piece. Patience my friends and “Lets go Islanders!!”
No talent? C’mon what a joke of a statement. This may not be a Stanley Cup contender we have but I think there is enough talent on this team to string a few wins together.
Nolan didn’t have any “talent” or goal scorers on his 2006-2007 team either and he took that team to a playoff berth. I
PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..
Gordon is growing and learning as much as KO and the bunch are.
I agree with all here that the level of talent on the NHL roster is sub-par. You’d have to be a blind-deaf-mute drunk not to know that. However, our youth has alot of potential and talent. We have scoring ability in the minors and the NHL roster is built to add a 1st liner in this years draft (Snow is not so stupid). Can anyone say Taylor Hall or Kiril Kabanov or John McFarland or Stansilav Galiev or Brett Connolly???
D will be built via UFA and we have cap room to accomdate some over payments.
Say what you want, UFA’s are finding it harder and harder to earn big paychecks. Someone of valus will smell the money and sign on.
This coming off-season season the Isles will have a core of Okposo, Tavares, Streit, Bailey, Top 5 Pick, DiPietro (yes he will be back) and Biron. Add DeHaan, Joensuu, Neilson, Bergenheim, DiBenedetto, (kid from Russia forget his name), Smith (this list has to equal at least 2 bonified NHL’ers plus something as trade bait).
PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..PATIENCE..
JP in VA you are spot on! A lot of the fans have been brainwashed like an NHL Cult! Snow has done ZIP! Gordon is not ready to be a Coach! The scenario that I fear the most is that both Okposo and Tavares bolt for the door when their entry level contracts come due. This will very well happen considering the team has made zero strides to even be remotely better… We are heading for 9-70-3!
for everyone saying gordon’s done nothing… 30th out of 30… no wins yet this season… the team played pretty well over the last 35 games or so last season, near .500 or at for a small stretch… considering the talent and injuries on that team (and the rebound machines we had in net) well can we give the team a little time to gel?
we have a budding superstar in tavares, and a growing perennial all-star in KO as well, can you not be happy to just watch them develop for another year or 2 and wait for the rest of the team to catch up?
also, when they talk about this “system” it runs deeper than just at the nhl level, this has been implemented into their affiliates (something that wasn’t always consistent with our previous regimes)
when snow has been given the freedom, he went out and made a ballzy trade for smyth to try to make a run, other than that, he reigned it in and turned to the slow build, and as such, CW is keeping payroll at MIN levels (actually minus because of DP and AY i think–still)
Wholly Crap Batman! I believe I asked this question earlier, at the time, I only heard Gordon’s system this, Gordon’s system that…I really enjoyed Nolan’s system, Not partial to Gordon’s because maybe I don’t know enough about it. Could someone send me a link or something that explains Gordon’s system and what makes it his and not the Penguin’s system. That would be great, then I could fairly judge what it is that Gordon is doing.
On another note, If the lighthouse moves forward, will we abandon the strict adherence of our rebuilding program and hire some savy vets that will show these youths (utes) how to play in the NHL AND WIN!
Interesting, no?
We can all see what Gordo’s system can do in both a positive and negative way….When we are playing the system at 110% every shift, we seem to be unstoppable defensively..We have proved that against EVERY team we played thus far….The negative; the second we let up, its over and we cant seem to get back to where we started…I think what needs to be implemented in this system is a when and when NOT to use the system, and who and who NOT to use in the system…In NO WAY should Witt or SUTTON be involved in the system..Let them play there defensive game, they are stay at home defensmen, let them do what they do..Allowing Witt to play the system, led him to an all time worst +/-…..The system should be used consistantly during the first two periods, without question…ONce the 3rd period is reached, if we are up 1 goal, we should continue to play the system for the fist half of the period..if we cont. to hold the one goal lead after 10mins, we step back and play a very defensive game…If we are up 2 or more goals, We should play more of a mix of “GO-GO” AND “TRAP”, depending on the lines…More skilled, play the GO GO, lesser skilled play more defensively…I believe in Gordons system, its proven to be effective, but Gordon needs to make the few adjustments I have just mentioned, and I believe we will do just fine….
Zero chance Okiposo and Tavares will sign new contracts. Both will probably ask for a trade once the current contracts run out..otherwise hope another team signs them and pays the draft picks. Players are on the phone with agents daily.
You know Okiposo’s agent is saying this to him about his next contract “We can get you good money from the Isles but don’t expect the owner to start hiring experinced coaches or spending more then the cap minimum on players”
Travis Hamonic is currentlly 8th in scoring in the WHL. That’s not just among defensemen–we’re talking 8th overall in scoring. Not bad for someone with size whom we drafted as a stay at home defenseman. Betcha both he and de Haan make the team next year.
people are placing a barrier between witt/sutton and the coach/& his system. i love witt, always have. even milbury wanted him for years before he actually got here. witt was never fleet afoot, but now … and sutton COULD terrorize with his size and strength but doesn’t, and now that he’s older and slowed by injuries, where does that leave him here? that those guys don’t (or can’t any longer)keep up with what the coach wants to do isn’t their fault, it’s just what happens. it doesn’t mean there’s a rift, or that anyone is at fault. it means we can’t know how effective the coach and his system can be until he gets the pieces he needs to work with.
If the Islanders dont add 3 elements to this team 2 things will happen…well 3 things. They will need to add another solid defensive defenseman. Another goal scorring vet to help the kids. And a proven heavyweight for protection.
If not this club will be tired out by the allstar break and injuries will set in. Besides the reality of being at the bottom of the league and losses will have a negitive effect.
Look you can push this team and young players to the brink to get wins, however in the end you have to realize that they are not a playoff team and were not built for it. They either have to add those elements or some sort of change if they want to be competitive.
What you see is what you get!
System or No System!
Jazz144, what good would it be if we get a top 5 pick in the draft if Garth acts like a “rebel” and decides to do roll the dice and goes against all conventional wisdom by picking the next best player? So far Garth has really been baffeling and he’s playing games with this franchise. He picked Tavares because the fans wouldve had his head but after that he had all scratching our heads. I hope Garth will stop using the Isles drafts so recklessly.
3…2…1…Looks like Garth Snow did exactly what you asked, CB. Read 7th womans writeup of the Islanders Business Club meeting: Snow also praised his head coach Scott Gordon for his teaching technique. “He’s the one coach who goes to the player and draws out what they need to do to get better.”
Not every failure can be explained with the word ‘Rebuild’. Rebuild is NOT a bonfide answer to every single question & challenge facing Islander hockey. It’s the easy way out– say Rebuild & lose every night. That’s easy. The hard part is making improvements. One thing I do know, I can GM the Islanders tomorrow. AND I’d be adored. Lose every night, pick-up the Hockey News 10 minutes before the Draft & pick THN’s #1 rated player. Adoration all around by Islander fans. Bill Torrey & Al Arbour had to win 4 Cups for their adoration– not these guys runnin’ the show– they get it for being able to enunciate a 2-syllable word. Wow. Talk about dumbing things down.
The Leafs are screwed no matter where they finish because the Bruins have their first round pick. They got it in the Kessel trade.