Monthly Archives: February 2010
Nick from Let There Be Lighthouse with a good read on the latest between Wang and Hempstead
12:35 pm - Losers of seven straight in regulation, the Islanders did what they had to do: call up young and big bodies. They need to make something of this week – win a game or three, lift themselves out of the woe-is-us before the Olympic break, give the fanbase a reason to show up in March.
It’s highly doubtful anyone in Islanders hockey operations is under any illusions about what Jesse Joensuu and Matt Martin are. Joensuu is on pace for 20 goals in the minor leagues this season, just his second as a pro in North America. Martin, who gets to the net, hits and fights – holy crap! – is not being rushed into the lineup so much as being handed a harmless tryout before he returns to Bridgeport during the Olympics. If he plays well enough, he’ll be back.
Garth Snow is not being kept up nights deciding if he should be a buyer or a seller before the March 3 deadline. (The deadline, in the eyes of many general managers, is really this week).
Truth is, Snow was never going to be a buyer, and he doesn’t have much to sell. If the Islanders lose a little more ground in the East this week, Andy Sutton becomes even more available. Point Blank has learned that several contending teams over the last week have inquired about Sutton’s availability in a trade. The big defenseman could be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
With the exception of Sutton and Dwayne Roloson, there isn’t a player over 28 on this roster that a team would give up a high draft pick or decent prospect for. You could combine two or three of them and it wouldn’t matter.
So the Islanders forge on, with home games this week against Nashville (Tuesday), Tampa Bay (Saturday at 2) and Ottawa (Sunday at 5) before the break. There’s also a matchup in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The size and young legs of Martin and Joensuu could help, and certainly won’t hurt.
Snow made the right call. He has several more to make. If bleh, almost 35-year-old defenseman Niclas Wallin and a fifth round pick fetched Carolina a second round pick, Sutton has to be worth more.
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Your line and color combinations for today’s 75-minute practice at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum:
Blue: Bergenheim – Nielsen – Okposo
White: Moulson – Tavares – Comeau
Gray: Schemp, Hunter, Sim, Joensuu, Martin
Orange: Park, Weight, Tambellini, Jackman (in cage)
Six defensemen, three goalies. As I tweeted (the obvious) yesterday, since the Islanders went to three goaltenders, none of them have played smashingly. This has hardly ever worked out in the history of hockey, so it’s a wonder anyone thought it would this time. Dwayne Roloson’s comment early this season – the more he plays, the better he plays – continues to ring in the ears.
After practice, Scott Gordon showed Doug Weight the respect of deflecting a question about the on-ice ineffectiveness of the captain since he returned from injury. “He’s playing between 12-16 minutes a night. That is not going to change,” said Gordon. “He is playing banged up. If anything it should be an inspiration to the team.” The coach said that if he was ever going to give Weight a night off, he’d discuss it with his captain before the media.
On the team, Gordon’s most telling line: “We’re not making the opposition pay for their mistakes.”
Perhaps to lighten the atmosphere, a ping-pong table was moved into the middle of the Islanders’ lcoker room.
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Matt Martin said he “wasn’t really expecting” a call-up by the Islanders, pointing out that he hadn’t scored in 14 straight games. But he continued to work at his game, including “hitting everything.”
Martin agreed with Scott Gordon’s assessment of his improved skating. “I don’t take criticsim of my game lightly,” said the big forward. “I worked hard on my skating.”
Asked which players have served as his mentor in Bridgeport, Martin cited Trevor Gillies. “Trevor has been the biggest influence on me,” said Martin, who added that the 30-year-old enforcer has helped in in every aspect of the game, including fighting. “I hope someday to be as good a fighter as he is,” said Martin.
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During the holidays of 2008, the Lighthouse Development Corp. celebrated a year of honest transparency by inviting several reporters and bloggers to Rexcorp Plaza for a little lunch and some Christmas cookies. Have no fear, no inappropriate bribery here – no Pinot Noir and fliet mignon with a side of cash and Springsteen tickets. Just first-class professionalism.
During the final quarter of 2009, most couldn’t even get a courtesy return phone call from the LDC. And this was on the heels of fans giving up work days to show up in large numbers to support the Lighthouse Project at Town meetings and zoning hearings.
Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead said what they had to say today, and nobody can blame them. They have given Charles Wang an answer. He can decide to live with it, negotiate, take his team to Brooklyn or Queens, or try and sell the Islanders to someone – anyone – and whatever happens, happens.
Wang had a misstep with his awkward and disingenuous TV appearance on MSG Plus 147 on Saturday night, but it’s not too late. History has proven that if you help let fans, mainstream journalists and bloggers understand why you feel strongly about something, they can be a forgiving lot. I would not expect it to be in this space, but Wang and Rechler should start telling their side of the story soon.
Nick from Let There Be Lighthouse with a good read on the latest between Wang and Hempstead
Comments on any of the above.
As we forecasted on Sunday morning, the Town of Hempstead is ready to push back. Kate Murray explains it all to the LI Herald. She wants the Lighthouse Project scaled down and she’s keeping her consultants. The supervisor tells the paper that the LDC has “shut down their operations and gone silent.” I’m not sure it was a good idea by Charles Wang to tell his staff to share no information with his team’s fans and the project’s supporters for the last four months. Any positive momentum is long gone. Wang wanted an answer, and now he has it. Hempstead is saying, “No.” Time to move on. Comments on the Lighthouse.
Still searching for ways to put together a complete team, the Islanders have reached out for size and toughness. “The new boys,” Jesse Joensuu (size) and Matt Martin (toughness), arrive on Monday and will play Tuesday when the Islanders host Nashville. Jeff Tambellini (benched Saturday) is a leading candidate to sit, as are a host of others. Comments related to these callups are welcomed.
Chris Botta on Twitter
Charles Wang’s on-the-fly TV appearance on Saturday was not without an agenda. Point Blank has learned from political operatives and media insiders that the Town of Hempstead is preparing to release unflattering details about Lighthouse negotiations to some of its media favorites.
Wang may have acted surprised and faux-annoyed when Howie Rose asked him about the Lighthouse Project, but something must be understood. A major league sports team owner does not hastily request an interview on his team’s broadcast, and then go on live TV without knowing what will be asked. (Worth noting: Wang did not speak with any other reporters in the press box – those he does not have some control over – just his friendly broadcast rightsholder).
Wang knew the interview would be about the state of his team’s rebuilding project and the Lighthouse Project. For anyone to pretend otherwise – even as Wang told Rose, “I thought we weren’t talking about this” and “You shouldn’t be asking me this” – is foolish.
(Another mistake: the Islanders’ telecast was not shown on MSG, MSG Plus or even MSG Plus 2. Buried on a channel so deep that even a former team PR director took a half-hour to find it, the broadcast featuring Wang was probably seen by the team’s smallest television audience of the season).
In the interview, the Islanders owner said there have been no discussions with the Town of Hempstead since a public hearing in September. He also said he did not know if Ed Mangano supports the project because there haven’t been any talks with the new Nassau County Executive.
As documented by reporters and bloggers since September, the Lighthouse has not paid Town consultant FP Clark and communication has been primarily non-existent between the developers and the Town.
Since I’m not on the Christmas card list of Hempstead honchos Kate Murray, Joe Ra or Mike Deery, I will not get their talking points and will gladly sit out the Hempstead affair.
I spoke with a high-ranking County official late Saturday night who argued that Wang is misleading Islanders fans by saying he hasn’t heard from Nassau. “The County Executive has reached out to Wang and has not had his calls returned,” said the source. Following Wang’s edict for a media blackout on the future of the Islanders in Nassau or anywhere else, Lighthouse officials did not return my calls seeking comment.
If the Town of Hempstead was looking for a wise PR time to fire back, it has arrived now that the Islanders’ recent positive momentum has been derailed by a depressing seven-game losing streak. The life of an Islanders fan is never easy.
If there’s any good news in all of this, the darts expected to be thrown by Hempstead – and possibly returned by the LDC – sure beat the silence. Although the pacifist Islanders have engaged in as many on-ice fights in the last two months as Brandon Prust did last night (two), the gloves are coming off in the battle for the Lighthouse Project.
Even to the most casual observer it has been apparent for a long time that the developers are not going to get close to 100% of their massive project. They have their options – Queens, Brooklyn – but have been curiously hesitant to pursue them. To be sure, and with no pun intended, the next move is Wang’s.
Comments on Charles Wang, arena politics, the Lighthouse Project and the future of the Islanders here. Talk about the hockey team continues below.
A short Plus/Minus tonight, with Charles Wang’s non-interview on MSG Network sharing the stage with the hockey game. Interview recap below, more coming above.
Minus: In their seven-game losing streak, the Islanders have scored nine goals.
Minus: With so much to play for, playing before their home crowd and against a team that went from Edmonton to Calgary and then Buffalo 24 hours earlier, the Islanders came up small.
Minus: Whatever the reasons for doing the interview – and we’re learning more tonight – this was not a good time for Charles Wang to declare that the rebuild is ahead of schedule.
Minus: The Islanders’ defensive zone coverage and Rick DiPietro’s touch pass on Jussi Jokinen’s goal to make it 1-0.
Minus: Jeff Tambellini feels the wrath again, gets just 5:44 of ice. Dustin Kohn, the talented young man the team waived Brendan Witt for, plays under 11 minutes. Andrew MacDonald is now over 28 minutes, which is too much no matter how solid he has been.
Minus: In addition to everything else they need, the Islanders could use another young player who combines moderate skill and maximum sandpaper like Brandon Sutter.
Minus: After his assist to give Carolina a 2-1 lead, Sutter – the son of former Islanders captain and Cup-winner Brent Sutter – hears his name pronounced over the Coliseum PA as “Suter.”
Plus: An excellent, reality-based television broadcast, with Howie Rose and Billy Jaffe frankly discussing the Islanders’ scoring slump and losing slide throughout.
Minus: The image on Channel 79 on Cablevision was worse than when my folks first got cable TV in the early 1970s.
Plus: At the last moment, I opted to make it a Centre Ice and Bass Ale night.
Minus: Sean Bergenheim with no points in his last ten games. Trent Hunter with one goal in his last 15 games. Richard Park and Doug Weight (just 11:54 of ice) among the veterans playing ineffectively.
Minus: Defense prospect Mark Katic out tonight for Bridgeport with a shoulder injury suffered Friday night during the overtime loss in Springfield. The team says Katic is day-to-day.
Minus: If Rick DiPietro is going to come out 20 feet to play the puck and then turn his back to box out an opponent chasing the puck, he’s going to get hit.
Minus: Despite talk from the coach and his players, the Islanders have not stepped up their physical play.
?: The Islanders are not out of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Carolina and Toronto tonight pulled to just five points behind the Islanders for 27th place in the NHL.
Comments on the game.
8:00 pm - Charles Wang said tonight what this blog and many others have reported for months: there has been no communication between the Lighthouse Development Corp. and Hempstead officials since the last public hearing in September. There also have been no discussions with Nassau County since the election.
“October 3rd, I said that was the date,” Wang told Howie Rose on MSG Network during the first intermission. “There has been communication with Town, County or anyone else. We’ll look at all our options. Our hope and our love is Nassau County, Long Island.”
Wang added for the umpteenth time, “I have an application to the Town. Tell me yes or tell me know.” Asked if there has been any change with new County Executive Ed Mangano in charge, Wang said, “How would I know? We haven’t spoken with anyone.”
While he refused to discuss the arena or potential for re-location any further, the Islanders owner was bullish on the state of his hockey team’s rebuilding program.
“I think it’s been wonderful,” he said, naming the club’s recent top draft picks and pickups Rob Schremp and Matt Moulson. “The kids have added a new kind of energy to the team. I think we’re a little bit ahead. There’s a great chemistry there.”
Asked if the Islanders could add salary to improve the current team and get them into the playoffs, Wang said, “Yes. That’s a decision Garth will make. We’re very supportive of Garth.” Then he said he wouldn’t want to see the Islanders make a trade that negatively affects the building of the team. “It takes time,” Wang said.
Discuss Charles Wang’s comments in this thread.
Chris Botta on Twitter
Another night of NHL action, another night when Eastern teams ahead of the Islanders lose. Last night, it was Atlanta dropping one to Washington, and the Panthers - who never make it easy on themselves – losing to Calgary at home.
Tonight it’s Rick DiPietro vs. Justin Peters for the Hurricanes. Cam Ward has an injury related to his back. Carolina had an impressive come-from-behind win last night in Buffalo.
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Expect a strong game tonight from John Tavares, who looked more confident and created more in the loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday than he had in a while. Scott Gordon said of the 19-year-old this morning, “As much I’d like to see the goals and assists, I’m not going to beat him up about it because it’s the little things that will lead to the opportunities.”
On the team, the coach said, “There’s a false sense of where we are,” referring to the Islanders’ relative youth compared to teams like the Lecavalier and St. Louis-led Lightning.
I understand where Scott is coming from, but no one around the team was talking about any false senses when the Islanders were on a tear before this six-game losing streak. There was plenty of confidence, playoff talk and even some thoughts about how the team could be even better.
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Andy Sutton on the challenges of facing Hurricanes captain Eric Staal: “He’s big, fast and he sees the play. He’s so dynamic and can hurt you in so many ways. There’s a reason he’s deservedly one of the top paid players in the game. Stopping Staal is a six-man effort. You have to clog the areas because he sees everything.”
The Islanders had their morning skate at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with 19 players. Doug Weight had the workout off. Expect the line combinations to continue to be juggled, as they were on the back end of the road trip. Maybe leading goal scorer Matt Moulson will see a little more time on the power play.
Islanders goaltending consultant Sudarshan “Sudsie” Maharaj is back in town to work with Dwayne Roloson and No. 1 client Rick DiPietro. Although he’s not ready to return to game action, Tim Jackman (broken orbital bone from New Year’s Eve) skated this morning.
Martin Biron made 38 saves last night in Bridgeport’s 3-2 overtime loss to Springfield, a game which also featured the Sound Tigers’ debut of Brendan Witt. Ryan O’Marra scored the overtime goal for Edmonton’s AHL squad.
Happy 47th birthday to Scott Gordon, who may be about 57 in Islanders-coach-years, but doesn’t show it.
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My pal Seth Everett of 1050 ESPN Radio is a local hockey media hero. How nice it was to hear him passionately talk hockey on the drive in this morning, comparing his Devils’ acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk to the Blue Jays’ trade for David Cone. Everett pointed out how John Tavares could benefit from the break and had a funny line about how the Rangers will benefit from some time away from John Tortorella.
Seth also said, “I’m not even going to try and pretend that the NBA season is more compelling than the NHL.” That kind of talk could get a broadcaster in trouble, so good luck, Seth. And thanks.
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Rest in peace, Brendan Burke. Our condolences to Brian Burke and his family at this very sorrowful time. When Brian was GM in Hartford, he used to bring young Brendan with him to the Coliseum for Whalers games and on scouting trips. Such a sweet boy who became a courageous young man.
Comments on tonight’s game.
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