Category Archives: SNY Point Blank TV
Chris Botta of IslandersPointBlank.com talks to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger about the current trade market in the NHL.
Chris connects with one of the writers he respects most, Dominik of Lighthouse Hockey, for a discussion on the state of the Islanders.
“There’s a lot of good there, but they could use some tweakage.” “They don’t have an identity.” “It wouldn’t hurt to make a call-up or two.” “Let’s get them a little more physical.” “They have to figure this goaltending thing out.” “Part of the downfall of hype is that (other teams) are reading about them.” This and a lot more from The Jaff. Watch and let us know if you agree.
READ: Chris at The New York Times solves the mystery of the Islanders’ 1993 Patrick Division playoff title banner.
WATCH: His one-on-one interview with TSN’s Ray Ferraro on the spring of ’93 and the current edition of the Islanders.
The SNY Season Preview concludes with 30 minutes of Islanders talk.
We begin with Billy Jaffe of the NHL Network on Rolston, Reasoner, Okposo, Grabner and what the Islanders need to focus on when training camp opens this weekend.
Justin Bourne, formerly of USA Today and Puck Daddy and now with SCORE Media, talks about his excitement for this season, the rebuild’s next steps and danger of talking “prospects, prospects, prospects.”
Jim “Boomer” Gordon, the life-long Islanders fan and show host on NHL Home Ice, revisits the Strome-Hamilton debate and says what he expects of his Islanders this season.
Mike Brophy of Sportsnet ends the series with his views on Rick DiPietro and the Islanders’ goalie-go-round.
Islanders 7 Boston 2
The Islanders rookie squad came out fighting, received strong goaltending and blew out the Bruins’ kids, 7-2, tonight at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Ryan Strome and Nino Niederreiter put on the kind of performances that have the Islanders very bullish about their future. Tyler McNeely also impressed on their line. Kirill Kabanov and Casey Cizikas had eye-opening shifts as well. Anders Nilsson was excellent in net in his North American debut as an Islander.
The bad news: Mark Katic, a diligent young pro on the cusp of becoming a solid NHL depth defenseman and quite possibly more, suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Otherwise, it was a grand night for the faithful at the old barn on Hempstead Turnpike.
And Finally, On a Personal Note…
After three seasons of Islanders coverage, my participation as a full-time writer at Point Blank ends today.
Recognizing the devoted readership of this blog and the demand for more Islanders coverage, my partners at SNY will take a little time to pursue the idea of continuing Point Blank with new writers. I’m supportive of their efforts and hope you will please stay tuned to this space for further details. In the interim, SNY plans to update Point Blank with news during training camp.
I want to thank Islanders fans near and far for giving me three of the most fun and rewarding years of my adult life. I loved every day that I had the opportunity to write about your hockey team and will really miss doing this. It’s just time for me to turn the page and focus on other things.
As I tell everyone in the business, the success of Point Blank has little to do with the writer and just about everything to do with one of the most passionate and underrated fan bases in pro sports. That’s why I hope SNY, incredible partners and friends of mine at every level, continues its Islanders coverage.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope we provided some insight into the Islanders’ rebuilding program and that you’ll be able to see the team take those exciting next steps very soon. If there is any small way I can contribute to helping the Islanders stay in Nassau or in a nearby New York community in which they can thrive, count me in.
On behalf of my family, our thanks and best wishes are extended to the New York Islanders organization and to all of the residents of Islanders Country. It was an honor to talk about your team with you.
Chris
cb@islanderspointblank.com
Which team will finish higher: your Islanders or Greg’s New Jersey Devils? Is this the season John Tavares makes his NHL All-Star Game debut? Do NYI fans stand up for their team on his blog? These questions and more are addressed by the editor and writer of Puck Daddy.
The former NHL all-star talks about Garth Snow, Michael Grabner, Brian Rolston and Doug Weight, shares his perspective as a recently retired player on the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, gives his take on the Islanders’ injury epidemic and reveals his expectations for the Islanders in 2011-12.
