TORONTO at ISLANDERS, 7:05 pm – Donovan on USA
DP…Lineups…Gift for Mears…Sens slash prices
Roloson and the Era of the 40-year-old goalies
2:05 pm – Matt Donovan makes Team USA for the World Junior Championships. Quite a feather in the cap for Ryan Jankowski and the scouts who picked the kid from Oklahoma in the fourth round in 2008.
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11:40 am - The Islanders did not have a morning skate today. Only injured players (Doug Weight, Tim Jackman) and scratches (Freddy Meyer, Jeff Tambellini) skated. Sean Bergenheim skated before the group on his own. Martin Biron and Rick DiPietro stopped pucks.
Dwayne Roloson starts tonight against the Maple Leafs. I have a story on NHL FanHouse today on Roloson and the many 40-year-old goalies since the lcokout. Prior to the work stoppage, the last 40-year-old goalie was Tony Esposito in 1983.
The Islanders will play the same lineup as Monday. Jackman will have to wait until after Christmas for his return.
While the media waited for his pearls of wisdom and news, Scott Gordon hosted a few player meetings. One was with Matt Moulson. The head coach took Moulson – one goal in his last 9 games but still playing well – through his scoring chances.
Two from Gordon: “There’s probably a little bit of a lack of confidence right now, but that will turn around.” And “If we keep generating chances, they’ll start dropping in.”
The likely Maple Leafs lineup tonight:
Ponikarovsky – Stajan – Kessel
Blake – Grabovski – Hagman
Stempniak – Primeau – Kulemin
Wallin - Meyers – Orr
Komisarek – Kaberle
Beauchemin – White
Schenn – Finger (Exelby)
Gustavsson
Toskala
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A Very Mearsy Christmas: Wonderful gesture by Penguins radio play-by-play man Mike Lange, who gave up the second period of Pittsburgh-New Jersey on Monday so Steve Mears could take over. Mears, who idolized Lange growing up in Pittsburgh before his first NHL job with the Islanders, got to call 20 minutes of Martin Brodeur’s record-setting shutout. Good stuff.
(Almost) a Year Ago: Last Dec. 26, Rick DiPietro made a surprise start for the Islanders against Toronto at the Coliseum. (I remember being in West Virginia visiting my in-laws for Christmas, getting the text message and thinking, “You gotta be kidding me.”) DiPietro stopped 28 of 29 shots and had an assist in the 4-1 win. He was No. 2 star, behind Bill Guerin – who scored two goals, including the 400th of his NHL career.
The game on Dec. 26 was DiPietro’s last NHL win. He lost a week later in Phoenix, allowing five goals on 29 shots, and has not played a minute in the league since.
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Ottawa Reduces Ticket Prices: Congratulations to the Ottawa Senators for recognizing their mistakes and having the guts to fix them for the sake of their business and their fanbase.
Yesterday, the Senators eliminated all “gold” and “silver” tiered pricing for games beginning Jan. 1. The correction will reduce prices for several home games between 20-30%. They have also added Family Pack games, where fans receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $99. A week earlier, the Senators announced inititaives to grow their season ticket base.
“The NHL is more competitive than ever. Every game counts towards playoff contention,” said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “I want our players to benefit fully from the home game advantage. The support, energy and atmosphere that our fans create at Scotiabank Place is vital to our team’s success.”
Fans who had already purchased tickets for the games where prices have been reduced will receive a refund for the difference in price. (h/t to James Mirtle)
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60 Responses to TORONTO at ISLANDERS, 7:05 pm – Donovan on USA
DP…Lineups…Gift for Mears…Sens slash prices
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Outstanding gesture by Lange…one of the best in the biz. Good stuff by Melnyk and the Sens.
Unfortunately, in my lifetime there have been far too few times i’ve complimented the Islanders on being a classy organization.
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Bryan says:
4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 drinks for $99 bucks that is a great deal. Especially in Canada.
I know for that price it would be no problem getting myself and 3 friends together for a game.
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Figgy says:
That move that the Sen’s made is WAYYYYYY too logical to happen in Islander Country… after all we’re all islanders – so we should be able to afford high ticket prices for a team with issues just like we can afford high property taxes!
By the time the islanders make a move with ticket prices… the isles will be out of contention and it will be too late to really draw in new fans… do it when they are still in the mix and we could actually pack the house out!!!
But then it wouldn’t be the Islanders would it…
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Joe in Massapequa says:
Good call by the Sens to do something like that, but I am not sure how much it would actually help the Isles attendance woes. The negative news about the LHP also doesn’t help, but any positive news on it doesn’t seem to help either.
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Jake says:
There attendence woes are due to a no cup contending team. AND the fact that I am 5’5 140lbs and feel crammed in that crappy arena..
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JT says:
Thanks Chris. I sure wish the Isles would follow Ottawa’s lead. It must be depressing for the team to play in front of sparse crowds at home. The old barn can be loud and intimidating when it’s full and the crowd is fired up. Unfortunately, the last time I saw that was the playoff series against Toronto.
C’mon Isles, do the right thing.
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Lorne says:
Post # 2, that is very funny. I see no need for the Isles to have tiered pricing. Outside of possibly upping the price for the Ranger games and opening night, every prices should be the same.
Pick a price and charge that price. I don’t look at it as “wow it’s only $40 to see the Hurricanes”, I look at it like “wow they are really screwing us today” on the other days. -
CB, sorry to make this a Q&A but do you think if the Isles made the Rangers games only avialable in some sort of mini-plan they would have a better subscription rate? I know the Mets started doing that with Yankees games several years ago and I have a few friends who buy plans only for that one game and then sell the rest. I know that there is no guarantee that the Isles/Rangers tickets would stay in the hands of the Isles fans, but it was just something that popped into my mind…
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Hockey1919 says:
Tiered pricing is just league sanctioned scalping.
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mmm22 says:
I considered buying my father some tickets for Christmas but then I saw the prices and gave up on that idea, i mean it would be one thing if I knew it would be a fun game to watch but you never really know with this team…
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its time says:
nice article CB
think DP will play a full game at 40? -
Eric Cup says:
So, once again, the same line-up we’ve been watching through this current losing stretch. I understand the need to continue to play the kids to a point. There has to be some accountability with a PK unit that can’t get out of their own way and a PP unit that can not put the puck in the ocean. Gordo talks about accountability but there is virtually no evidence he practices what he preaches. I like Richard Park but I do not care he wears an “A” – no production plus lousy penalty killing should lead to a seat upstairs – same for Nate Thompson and Brendan Witt. They are stale right now and line-up changes seem to me to be one way to go.
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Irish Isle says:
Nice classy move by the Senators for their fans. Wonder if the Isles would do that (Ha). And if they cant lower the price of tix, how about lowering the cost for a beer, you have to be kidding me @ $8.75.
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Brian G says:
the Islanders should do the same thing and reduce ticket prices from January till the end of the season – the prices they have are terrible this year.
PS: anyone going to the game tonight vs Toronto –
Bring 3 electronic items to be recycled on December 23rd and receive one (1) voucher for one (1) ticket to the January 21st Islanders game against the Panthers.
Presented by Benjamin Moore and LIPA. -
TM says:
Sens games also are heard on radio, they don’t have the lowest team payroll, lowest paid GM & coach and they weren’t the worst team in the league last season and possibly this one.
Scrooge Wang and his son in law need to buy a clue as to how to run a team except they won’t spend for that either.
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Dan from Westchester says:
Wow – cheers to the Senators organization for “getting it” regarding ticket prices in this economy and era of high unemployment.
Tiered pricing plans, $140 loge level seats. .With the current pricing, the Isles make it VERY difficult for the average fan / family to come out and support.
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mtl #1isles-fan says:
Did somebody note that? The isles realy sucks in December for the last 10 years so be patient January is just next corner.
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Bill says:
#10 great post. I couldn’t agree more.
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admin says:
Post updated with the good news of Matt Donovan making Team USA for the WJC…CB
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FYI- The Brooklyn project closed today. It’s official. Done deal. Nets to Brooklyn.
Botta, remember a year ago when you said the LH project would get done before Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn?
Just busting ‘em. Happy Holidays all as I’m gone for a while……..
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shinkdew says:
Good for Matt, hopefully he has a great tournament.
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That is correct, TM. I was wrong. Although we should probably wait until the thing is actually built. So I can have a good Christmas, feel free to list what I called correctly in the last 16 months. Thanks…CB
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Mark P says:
Can we now call our Prospect Pool for Defensemen a strength?
So when Garth steps up to the Podium at #2 and Taylor Hall (our perfect fit) is off the Board….do we pick Seguin or Fowler?
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felix says:
3 defensemen in the WJC that is quite impressive. does heaps for pur defensive talent in the prospect pool. too bad all of those guys are 3-4 years away. I hope witt and sutton can play until they are 45
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bergie20 says:
great news about donovan and that the brooklyn arena is a done deal!
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Well, netsdaily.com says groundbreaking is likely on the Bklyn arena a month or so around February. Ya got Tavares and a lot of other things right. Santa knows the list. It’s why I still come here. Have a good one……..:)
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Spartiarti-RVC says:
Good news for another isles Dman Prospect. DeHaan, Hamonic and Donovan.
Maybe isles Defensive corp future looking up. I always felt that as our weakest.
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Good for Mearsy, I always liked him. Even better news that a team with a lack of defensive talent has 3 D men in the tournament. Big minus for the TSN guys for questioning having Hamonic on the “shutdown” line and never mentioning he was the last player cut last year. Travis is having a monster year and deserves this. Only 3 more days til Boxing Day!
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They actually have 4 defenseman in the WJC, Jyri Niemi made Team Finland.
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ny711ot says:
Cb
If we lose tonite can we begin the TaySegCam watch immediately? -
If we lose tonite can we begin the TaySegCam watch immediately?
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It should actually be the TaySegCamKab Watch 2010
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kabbage says:
How about the HalSegFowKab watch 2010?
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5 d men and petrov not a bad staple for 3-4 years
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Ethan K says:
CB did say the Islanders would get Tavares waaaaay back when, even when stories said they wanted Duchene.
And wow, I’m impressed with the Senators organization. They’ve got a good hockey team this year, and that’s just genuine respect for the fans. We get to pay full price to watch a bad hockey team, who can’t even fill the Coliseum against their cross town rivals.
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steve says:
kudos to those involved in drafting players. its a results based business, and those are impressive results. even more so, when you consider where our prospect pool was rated 5 years ago.
tix, i think colored pricing is wrong. i think tix distribution is flawed, and i think scalping should be LEGAL.
the Newsday article states LHP owes $88k as per the consulants, yet TOH wants $150k. i think that sums it up perfectly. destination brooklyn reads fine by me.( was having breakfast at a diner, haven’t bought Newsday in 10 years, or cablevision in 5 years).
the GM and crew, the coach and crew, and the owner, know what they are doing. isles to brooklym stuff should be starting soon. management is playing a deeper game then the daily events we obsess over. -
Brian says:
Things CB has gotten right:
JT number 1 pick.
Lighthouse not being approved by Oct. 3 deadline.
DP not being back for a while.
Getting very little back for a Guerin trade.All I can think of off the top of my head CB…but I know there was at least a half dozen more…Merry Christmas!
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Ryan Jankowski is a hero…HalSegFowKab watch is hilarious. De Haan and Hamonic were unimpressive last night but it is still pre-tournament. Niemi got crushed a few times but looked ok, good raw skill but needs some serious polishing. Can’t wait to see Donovan. GO USA!
If we don’t get Hall I like Kabanov, mostly because he has the size that we are really lacking, but still a long time till summer. -
Ron says:
Tiered pricing for this team is a joke. Last weeks game against Montreal in the snow was a Gold game??? Come on. Was it because it was Saturday night??? Hey Wang, fill the old barn create some excitment then look to push the Light house. The team that is out there is a $10 ticket at most.
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Davie says:
Merry Christmas CB, too bad the team isn’t as good as this website.
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CJCB says:
Just think with all the toughness in the lineup 4 Toronto the Isles will find a way to make this game as boring and predictable as possible.
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BR says:
I live in Ottawa and go to several games a year. They lowered prices because the Sens have had a hard time selling-out games this year, which is unheard of. The family four pack is not new, they’ve been running it all season. Even with the lowered prices, I suspect that Isles tickets are still a bargain by comparison. If I go to the Sens/Bruins in January and sit at centre ice in the 100s, I’ll still be paying $270 for two tickets. If I go to the Canadiens game at the end of January, I’ll be paying $270 for ONE seat.
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Mike for Philly says:
Brooklyn…here we come. Good riddance Uniondale!
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Centerport says:
CB thanks for your website and Merry Christmas and Best Wishes. I can’t help to say that it is impossible to follow this team with so much distraction, uncertainties, and just horrible entertainment. I don’t think the Owners realize they are in the entertainment business. The fact they stink, coupled with the fact that the news is they may move. Well how do they expect anyone to invest emotions (and money) in an emotional product?! Well hopefully someday soon they will know what their plan is and you will have put yourself in a great position. I say, if we ever have clarity on their future, I will invest again in them, as well as your website if that is what is needed for information (Certainly I would never give a dime to Dolan)
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jim says:
TM #22. CB was actually correct. The LI house deal will be done before the west side yards. The LI Lighthouse was killed before the other deal.
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RobC says:
I hope Wang starts showing some class and ends the media black out to support the fans who supported him and his multi gazillion dollar project…
The negativity surrounding this team is really getting annoying…I wish just once, Islander fans, could just enjoy our favorite hockey team, instead of worrying about WTF Charles Wang is up to…I support the SOB but my loyalty only goes so far!
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Jay says:
How come we are wearing the white Uniforms tonight at home?
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islandersfan4ever says:
I second that last question. Why the white at home? I blinked and questioned my sight! What’s up?It feels like the good old days!
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JJ says:
Whoa! Great pace to this game. It’s fun to watch the Isles when they play a team on their (low) level.
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Blizzard says: ……holy crap I didn’t even notice!!! Home whites!!! Its like a remembrence of the good ole days!
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Streit needs to watch Hillen skate with the puck on the PP. Hillen basically dumps the puck in to himself. It’s usually very effective.
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Staten Islander says:
2 zip, maybe this is a breakout game
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Barney S. says:
2-0!! They should wear the whites at home more often.
Is there any reason they’re wearing the whites at home tonight?
Happy Festivus! Hope you enjoy the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strenght!
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Of man! I’m so sorry, fellow, Isles fans…I voted for this annoying, goal song…AT 1st I thought it sounded like a war cry, up tempo but its annoying, to be frank…
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JT9187 says:
really loving comeau
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oh and Sutton Rulez
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Kevin fitz says:
Actually looks like a decent crowd tonight
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ANY goal song is good as long as we get to hear it alot, if you take my meaning
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Islander says:
Way to go Isles! Let us do it again with Rangers.
It takes a humble man to admit a mistake. Classy move by Ottowa’s managment team. You know, the kind of thing the clowns running our organization would never do. Chris Dey, are you paying attention?