Happy New Year

Well, the Islanders were able to capitalize on what was a fine effort Monday night, parlaying the strides they made against the Rangers into an impressive 4-2 win against Florida. Here's what stood out to me.

- Mike Comrie is on fire. Over the past three games, he has four goals, two of which were scored in the final minute of regulation in close battles. He had a Gordie Howe hat trick in a losing effort on Monday night. And today, he contributed two goals and was on the ice for a third. It's taken Comrie a bit of time to get back into game shape, but he's been the best player by far over the past three games. Maybe all this talk of being "pain-free" actually has some merit.

- Disappointing crowd of 12,211 on an afternoon day when every kid on Long Island is off from school. You can blame the weather for some of that, but still. You'd like to see a better turnout for an afternoon matinee, especially since nobody does anything on New Year's until later on at night. Anyone who attended the game would have to be impressed with what they saw today.

- I missed the first 15 or so minutes of the first period, so I was surprised to turn on the TV and find Jiggs McDonald doing the game. After a while, I remembered that Howie Rose traditionally takes off when the Isles go out to the West Coast. And who can blame him? With no time off at all between baseball and hockey season, Howie's got to take whatever time he can. Anyway, it was great to hear Jiggs again.

And that's when it hit me. About a month ago, Jiggs McDonald and his wife were being detained in Thailand with a group of tourists. Nobody was sure what would happen, nobody knew when (or if) Jiggs would make it home. Now, not only is he home, but he's calling Islanders games and sounding like he's with the team as often as Howie or Jaffe. What a tremendous broadcaster and man. Those of us who grew up hearing Jiggs call Islanders games are lucky to have heard him for so many years.

- It was nice to see the Islanders put forth a great third period for once. Even though they were only playing Florida (a team Jaffe suggested wasn't giving their best effort), we got to see what might happen if the Islanders could string together 6o successive minutes of quality play. The Islanders got multiple odd-man rushes as the third period progressed; that none of them resulted in goals is no matter. This is the kind of third period the Islanders can build on; the problem is, they're traveling out to the West Coast and might be fatigued before long.

And thus, the Islanders end 2009 having played four good games in a row. Five out of eight points isn't a lot, but it's sure better than the first 20 or so days of December. It's a nice little run that hopefully can be improved upon as January unfolds.

We're obviously going to be watching the Winter Classic tomorrow, as should all of you. January 1 is traditionally a college football day, but hockey is starting to make New Year's Day all its own. Even ESPN.com has the Winter Classic as its headline story right now. Even people who usually hate hockey are sort of intrigued by this thing, so let's hope the Blackhawks and Red Wings give us a good show. I have no doubt that they will. For a lot of people, this is the first time they're seeing this Blackhawks team; I'll be pulling for them. Hockey's comeback in Chicago is one of the biggest stories of 2008, and I hope they can build on that with a big win to kick off 2009.

The Rivalry: Game 3

In response to Zach's post yesterday, I opined that last night's game would be beneficial for both teams. The Islanders would get to put their absolute best face forward against their most hated rival, while the Rangers would learn to push themselves against an opponent that would be playing them extremely tough. It would also represent a chance for both teams to take their frustrations out on each other.

And that's exactly what happened.

Within the first ten minutes of the game, Mitch Fritz took on Colton Orr and Mike Comrie sparred with Nigel Dawes. Both the heavyweight and middleweight bouts were spirited and impressive. They set the tone for a hard-hitting, tightly-played game. But it was the third period when the flood gates finally opened, and unfortunately for the Islanders, the Rangers were just a little better.

Still, if you're an Islanders fan, you have to be pleased with the way your team played, even with the latest Rick DiPietro distractions. And if you're a Rangers fan, you're happy with the win. Maybe you feel like your team could have played better and maybe they should have won by more, but these Islanders give teams fits. In a recent interview, Evgeni Malkin claimed the Islanders were the team that played him the toughest. And make no mistake about it, the Islanders were up for these Rangers, and vice versa.

What's really bad for the Rangers is that they now have a week off. They have no opportunity to build off this win. The Islanders, meanwhile, play Florida tomorrow in a New Year's Eve matinee game. If the Islanders play the way they played last night, they should easily dispose of the Panthers and head into 2009 on a relatively high note. It's just unfortunate that we won't get to see the after effects of these two rivals bringing out the best in each other yet again.

Islanders DVD Game Listing

Sorry to usurp Zach, but I've stumbled across the list of games that will be included on the upcoming Islanders DVD, to be released on March 3, 2009. We've been all over this from the start, and Amazon has posted a picture of the DVD box, which includes the list of games that will be included. Here are the games that will be included:

5/24/80: Game 6, Islanders vs. Flyers (First Cup win)

5/21/81: Game 5, Islanders vs. North Stars (Second Cup win)

4/13/82: Game 5, Islanders vs. Penguins (Tonelli's OT winner)

5/16/82: Game 4, Islanders vs. Canucks (Third Cup win)

5/17/83: Game 4, Islanders vs. Oilers (Fourth Cup win)

4/10/84: Game 5, Islanders vs. Rangers (Morrow's OT winner)

4/18/87: Game 7, Islanders vs. Capitals (Easter Epic)

5/14/93: Game 7, Islanders vs. Penguins (Volek's OT winner)

4/24/02: Game 4, Islanders vs. Maple Leafs (Bates' penalty shot)

11/3/07: Islanders vs. Penguins (Arbour's 1500th game)

Here's the games I would have picked. There are some similarities, but I have to say I like my list better. For example, the Isles-North Stars game shown is an Islanders 5-1 blowout win. Is this really a great stand-alone game? Same for Isles-Oilers in '83, when the Islanders pretty much won the game in the first period. I also have a bit of an issue with the Al Arbour game; I understand it's a big moment, but it's not exactly the kind of thing I'm going to show my kids when I try to teach them about Islanders history. It reeks of the way WWE loads their DVDs with recent matches just to make them seem more relevant.

Either way, I'll be buying this set. For the price Amazon is showing ($36.99), you do get quite a bit of content. The back of the box doesn't show anything about bonus features, and it also doesn't state how they plan on fitting a six-hour game (the Easter Epic) onto one disc. But this does look like quite the buy. And from the looks of things, this is as close as we're going to get to watching Islanders hockey this spring.

Regulation Wins...

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, the Rangers beat the Coyotes 4-1. Since then, they have had one regulation win, and that was against Anaheim on December 16.

Since Thanksgiving, there have been 3 shootout wins, 3 overtime wins, 6 losses, and 1 overtime loss (Capitals game last week where they blew the 4-0 lead to Alexandre Ovechkin).

And their power play has fallen to 25-11. That's 25 goals while on the PP, and 11 shorthanded goals against.

Yes, they are in first place. That 5-0 start was fantastic and it's the reason they are still kind of in first place (they are first in points but have played 2 more games than Philadelphia and 4 more than New Jersey, both of whom are nipping at their heels). Besides that fast start, the two reasons that they are in a decent position are Henrik Lundqvist and the fact that Gary Bettman hates games that end in a tie. Don't worry, Mr. Bettman, I do too. I enjoy the shootouts and what they've done to my team.

Let's hope a game against the Islanders breaks them out of their stupor, although the Islanders always, always play the Rangers tight, even with nothing on the line. 

* * * 

Don't forget to vote for us at The NHL Arena.

Battle Of The Blogosphere, Round 2

Some of you may remember we were part of a contest at The NHL Arena called The Battle Of The Blogosphere a while back. We took on a formidable blog called Ranger Pundit. At the time, we were just happy to be there, but much to our surprise, we ended up taking it to the Pundit. Which was awesome, because that's a pretty good blog. The final score: The Rivalry 15, Ranger Pundit 7. If this were a seven-game series, we'd have won in six games.

As we skate down the handshake line with the Pundit, we are presented with our second-round challenge. This is Scarlett Ice, an Ottawa Senators blog. Like this fine blog, it's a blog written by two writers; unlike this fine blog, both of them are Senators fans. One of them, Dany Heatley Speedwagon, frequents the comments section of Deadspin, which is always a good thing. They do a pretty good job over there - hey, if they can support the Senators in this awful season they're having, they deserve a look.

You can make your opinion known at The NHL Arena, a quality forum for hockey talk. I haven't gotten to post on the Islanders forum in a while, but it's a great place; I cannot recommend it enough. Feel free to check out Scarlett Ice as well as The NHL Arena. Thanks.

A Silver Lining

I haven't posted in a while. These are the things that happen when your team has earned four points out of a possible 24 in the month of December. It's hard to get behind your team when it's a lost cause.

Or is it?

Let's look at the other teams around here. Traditionally, the breakdown has always been Islanders, Jets, and Mets, with everyone else siding with the Rangers, Giants, and Yankees. It's not always the way it goes, but it's the stereotype. You could view it as new vs. old, second-rate vs. first-rate, any way you want to. But I do root for the Islanders, the Jets, and the Mets. I'm not sure which order I'd rank the teams, except that I'd rank the Islanders ahead of any of them.

If you're a Jets fan, you saw the end of yet another disappointing season today. And if you're a Jets fan, you aren't remotely surprised that they ended up blowing this opportunity to make the playoffs. If you're a Mets fan, you're excited about the moves they made this off-season, but you're still extremely skeptical of your team. You still feel like they haven't proven a thing until they get into the playoffs and make a run at the World Series.

Let's look at these two teams a little deeper. If you're a Jets and Mets fan, the last two years have brought you one utter collapse (2007 Mets), one slightly less appalling collapse (2008 Mets), one unfathomable collapse (2008 Jets), and one horrendous 4-12 season (2007 Jets). These teams promise you the moon each year, only to let you down each and every time. Can you really blame people for saying the only reason the Jets got Brett Favre was to help sell personal seat licenses? Can you really blame people (I'm one of them) who refuse to spend a dime on Mets merchandise until they prove they're not going to choke again? It's a contentious team-fan relationship, one that's growing to extreme degrees as both teams jack up their prices without, aside from their new buildings, any justification for doing so.

So what does this have to do with the Islanders? Everything. The Islanders haven't teased us with catchphrases like "Your Season Has Come", nor have they jumped out to an 8-3 start just to go 1-4 down the stretch. And they sure as hell haven't been up by seven games with 17 left to play. And for you Yankees fans out there, they don't have a $200 million team that can't even make the playoffs. In short, the Islanders have promised us nothing aside from a potentially brighter future. If anything, they've gone above and beyond to deepen its relationship with fans, as opposed to just about every other local team which takes their fans for granted.

Look at what the Islanders have done since the lockout. They've introduced the Blog Box, a truly innovative development that gets the team tons of free publicity in exchange for a little access. They've created a variety of affordable ticket plans and promotions. They've made their players very available in the community, and they've even tried to swing for the fences with the Ryan Smyth trade. And even then, they made no guarantees. Hedging their bets? Maybe. But at least the Islanders were being honest, something the Mets were undeniably not when they claimed that only full season ticket holders would be able to get into CitiField.

Sure, the Islanders rank 30th out of 30 teams in the NHL. I'm sure we could all live with the team being a little better. But at least we can watch this team grow and develop and not feel like we're being let down. And if you watched the Jets choke away yet another golden opportunity today, or if you've still got a bitter taste in your mouth from the past few years of Mets baseball, you owe it to yourself to give the Islanders a fair shake. They're not a Cup contender or a playoff team; they don't pretend to be. But they're competitive most nights and will occasionally make us fans proud. That's all we can really ask. I, for one, am glad I can watch the Islanders and not be stressed out about them blowing their season anytime soon. It's a refreshing departure from the teams that never fail to let me down.

Glen Sather Should Read This Blog...

Here's what I wrote about Wade Redden in June 2008, when he technically was still under contract to the Ottawa Senators...

June 27 - "Don't be duped by him."

June 30 - "Wade Redden was bad at 31. How bad is he going to be at 35?"

And in July...

July 1 - "A history of injury? A poor work ethic? Oh but don't worry, he had one point in the playoffs last year. This is disgusting. It's an insult to the fans. You know ticket prices are going up again this year. This is why. So a player who doesn't want to work can make his guaranteed money."

"I declare this the worst day to be a Ranger fan since Brian Leetch was traded."

Before and during the free agent period, me and my Islanders-counterpart Bryan spoke about how bad Redden was. Yes, I also lamented the Michal Rozsival signing as well, but 1) he isn't making as much money as Redden and 2) we all knew Rozsival was bad, but some fans (and apparently Sather) thought Redden was good based on past performances.

When bloggers and beat reporters are begging for a 24-year-old rookie (Corey Potter) to stay in the lineup so that Redden can take a seat, I think it's fair to say he is a bust, and he will never be a good player in New York. People can tell me that it's only half-of-a-season, but really, do you want to see how bad he can become in the next 5 and a half seasons?

Of course, that would mean Sather would have to admit to making a mistake. However, as past examples Jamie Lundmark and Hugh Jessiman taught us, it takes him a minimum of four years for Sather to admit he erred.

Some Christmas-Related Hockey Literature...

Merry Christmas from our blog to yours.

Feel free to take a look at this video of a bunch of Santa Clauses at an Islanders game and what happens when a Ranger appears!

Now see the opposite in this NHL.com commercial of a Ranger Family and their Flyer fan son, now airing on the NHL Network.

Just a Thought...

This is just what I've been thinking for the past 24 hours. It's not something I read on a fake-rumor site or something I heard elsewhere, just me coming to a conclusion myself that I think would be interesting.

This week, Derrick Brassard, a rookie on Columbus who was having a great season, got injured in a fight and is out for the entire season. Now, I did hear that Columbus is going to be looking for a forward to replace him, because they think this might be the year that they actually make the playoffs.

My belief is that this forward might be a Ranger. Rangers GM Glen Sather doesn't vary his trading partners around a lot. Remember last season's trade deadline, when he made two moves? He traded with former Assistant GM Don Maloney, and former announcer John Davidson.

This year, he already traded with Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson. Maybe Sather has already put a call in to Howson letting him know which extra forwards are available.

The oft-scratched but entirely capable Petr Prucha would thrive in the midwest on a team that doesn't have a ton of veteran forwards to steal his ice time. Maybe Coach Ken Hitchcock would trust him enough to put him on the power play.

Or maybe it would be Dan Fritsche, a native Ohioan (first time I've ever used that word!), and former Blue Jacket himself who would love to get back in the lineup.

Just guessing here, but it would definitely make sense for Columbus to send a draft pick or two to New York to bolster their offense after the holiday roster freeze ends.

I Love Late Night Games...

:: I said it the other day, I'll say it again. I love these West Coast Ranger games that start at 10 or 10:30 p.m. because I can do whatever I need/want to during the nighttime and still watch the games. Now I know what it feels like to be a baseball fan when the Yankees are playing 3 in Oakland or the Mets are blowing a series in San Diego.

:: Telling commentary on Dmitri "With Some Help, He Could Be as Good as Marek Malik" Kalinin. I was driving home from work, listening to the beginning of the Kings game Wednesday night, and Dave Maloney was doing color commentary. Listen to his stunning endorsement of Kalinin: "This is the first time in a while I can remember Kalinin having two mistake-free opening shifts." That's $1.05M for every mistake-free shift, I guess.

:: Imagine what would happen if the Rangers played every game like they played the last 8 minutes of the San Jose game?

:: For all you - for lack of a better word - "haters" who "hated" on Blair Betts in the offseason (calling for him to not even make the team), witness the first period of the Sharks game and see what happens to the penalty kill when he is in the box. Incase you deleted your Rangers in 60 from your TiVo already, let me recap: Betts is in the box, giving the Sharks a 5-on-3 advantage. Two goals are scored.

That's it for me. It's already late and I have a game or two of NHL 09 to play still before I rake in 6 hours of sleep. Hey, busy shopping day tomorrow.

OK Then

When Zach pontificated this afternoon about what the Rangers should do to accomodate Mats Sundin, I don't think any of us expected to have the point become moot within ten hours. And yet, that's exactly what happened. The headlines are stating that Sundin "snubbed" New York, sort of in the same vein that every free agent "snubs" the Yankees by going to a different team. Did he snub the Rangers? Not as much as he snubbed the NHL in general; however, the NHL gets what it deserves for letting Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer pull this same stunt last year.

When I first heard Sundin was headed to Vancouver, I was shocked. It seemed like the Rangers were a much better fit for Sundin, and all indications were that he'd be willing to wait for the Rangers to clear out cap room. But it's all for naught, and it'll be interesting to see how the Rangers respond. Do they take this subtle message from Glen Sather, the message saying he thinks they're fine the way they are, as a positive sign? Or do they let this become a distraction to the point that Sather is stuck overpaying for a Sundin-type impact player who happens to have an expiring contract? Only time can tell the answer to these questions.

The big thing is, in my eyes, Sundin showed that he isn't overly concerned with winning the Stanley Cup. Should he be? I mean, he didn't grow up in Canada salivating over the chance to hoist the Cup one day. Instead, he grew up in Sweden, with the NHL a pipe dream until Europeans like Jari Kurri paved the way, showing that the European game translates well to North America and, more importantly, that the NHL is the top place in the world to play. So forgive Sundin if he isn't exactly committed to winning now. This is something we all learned when he refused to waive his no-trade clause while with the sinking ship that was Toronto last year. Obviously, Sundin would have a much better chance reaching the Cup Final with the Rangers than with Vancouver. The West is loaded with great teams; San Jose, Detroit, and Anaheim are just three of the legit Cup contenders out West. Not that the Rangers are a much better team than the Canucks (they're probably not better at all), but the Rangers would only have to go through Pittsburgh and Boston - and the jury is still out on how long the Bruins can keep up their current pace.

In the end, Vancouver is the perfect place for Sundin. He gets to continue to be a high-profile idol in Canada, something that's apparently very important to him. He gets to play in a place where winning a Stanley Cup isn't the be-all and end-all; remember, a second-round finish is progress in Vancouver, while with the Rangers it'd be considered a failure. And hey, if it doesn't work out with the Canucks, he can resume jerking teams around next fall when he pulls his Brett Favre routine yet again.

Having said all of that, the Rangers' outcome this season will always be tied back to the decision Mats Sundin made to spurn the Rangers in favor of Vancouver. If the Rangers manage to stay atop the Atlantic and make a deep playoff run, it'll be because the team bonded in the wake of Sundin's decision and realized their potential. And if they fall apart, it'll be because Sather couldn't get the job done. It's rare that a team's turning point occurs before Christmas, but it appears as though that's exactly what's happened to this Rangers team. Their response will be very, very telling.

Will He, Won't He, Will They, Won't They...

In a month - or hell, even two days from now - this all could be seen as stupid speculation, but it's worth bringing up.

Questions:

1) Is it worth trading a player valuable to the Rangers for the next 5 seasons today to acquire Mats Sundin for (at most) a year and a half?

2) Is it worth trading a few interchangeable parts to get Sundin for this year and maybe next year?

 

Answers:

1) Absolutely not.

2) Absolutely.

Let's start with the second question. Right now, Petr Prucha and Dan Fritsche are in limbo. They aren't playing, when they do it's 10 minutes or less a night, and they don't get valuable shifts. Getting rid of them (although I do have a man-love with Prucha) is a simple solution and we would hope they find success elsewhere.

Waiving Dmitri Kalinin also wouldn't hurt the team. Corey Potter could step in, and honestly, I don't think there's any way he could be worse than Kalinin has been unless Potter breaks his leg (and then he would still only be slightly worse than a healthy Kalinin).

But say Sundin wants more than that could free up. Should Scott Gomez or Chris Drury be traded? (Let's be honest here, there will be no takers for Wade Redden or Michal Rozsival - even after Rozy's incredible penalty shot goal.) Absolutely not.

The Rangers of the past would mortgage their future for a jaded shot at a Stanley Cup. It worked in 1994 when Tony Amonte, Todd Marchant, and Doug Weight were traded away. It failed every single year since. Remember when Marc Savard was traded for Jan Freakin' Hlavac?

Gomez and Drury make up the core of this team, like it or not. They might not always produce incredible numbers on this low-scoring team, but they are the leaders. Gomez is the playmaker and one of the only players who can move the puck up ice and not give it away. Chris Drury is there for the playoffs. Okay, maybe last year wasn't a great example, but still.

Plus, when you take one of them away, this team is not a real Cup contender if they even are with them on it. Why would Sundin be brought in to REPLACE one of them (unless it's to remove them from the salary cap - highly unlikely though). He is there to COMPLIMENT them, to relieve pressure on their lines so they can score more easily. 

Getting rid of bit players makes sense, especially ones who aren't playing now (or Nigel Dawes) but Sundin is not a replacement for a major player.

But hey, he might choose Vancouver, or Toronto, or Montreal, and this post could get deleted.

A Bit Disillusioned

Our buddy Jason from 3rd String Safety left us this comment last night regarding the Islanders-Capitals game...

Excuse this comment for being totally irrelevant to the post but I went to a hockey game for the first time in a while tonight and I had several observations.

- The Nassau Colosseum is a dump. A total dump. Sitting in my row I felt like a prisoner, I couldn't lift my hands to clap because my arms were wedged in between my body as my friends had jacked the arm rest space.

- Our friend Anthony didn't know the "Don't leave or go back to your seat" until there's a whistle etiquette rule. It was amusing to watch him get yelled at for walking up the stairs as he's holding his $18 nachos.

- I would describe the atmosphere as dead. Bryan I am truly sorry you're an Islander fan. The crowd cheered more for the Ice Girls (who I would compare to the WCW Nitro Girls) than anything else. When the game went into OT it just seemed everyone was waiting for inevitable gut wrenching loss.

These are points I'm not prepared to argue right now. Why? Because he's right.

OK, the $18 nachos is a bit inaccurate. (Though they are really good.) But he has every right to take these shots at the Islanders. Sure, it's annoying that everybody dumps on the Islanders. Then again, they're a bit of an easy target these days.

I'll be completely honest and state that I didn't even watch the final two periods of last night's game. The first period was everything I thought it would be. I assumed the Coliseum would be half-empty, and I was right. I assumed Scott Gordon would stubbornly stick with Joey MacDonald, even though he has a 4.67 goals against average in December, and I was right. I assumed the Islanders would fall behind early, and I was right. Does assuming the worst make me a bad Islanders fan? Probably.

In my defense, it was my first night off in a while, and I wanted to spend time doing rather than watching. So I fired up the 360 and played some NHL 09. Is that so wrong? I don't know. But I wasn't too keen on clearing out an entire night to watch a loss. Turns out I missed quite a game. I guess I got what I deserved.

Now, having said all of that, I'm not about to take all the blame here. I, for one, am absolutely sick and tired of hearing the same old crap about the Islanders. For starters, how they're only losing because of injuries. I call BS. The same people who were thrilled that Mike Comrie got hurt are now complaining because half the team is hurt. Oh, and for the record, the whole team was hurt last year, too. You can only blame bad luck for so long before you have to look at what's really going on with this team. (Before you take the easy way out and call the Islanders a team full of graybeards, realize there are only seven players on the active roster older than thirty.)

The other thing I'm sick of hearing about is Scott Gordon's system. I swear, the next time I hear the phrases "overspeed", "Scott Gordon's system", or "the new system", I'm putting a brick through my TV. Never in my life have I ever heard a coach's philosophies get so much press. This isn't football, where coaches call all the plays. Gordon can only do so much; ultimately, it's the players who have to win the games. Do you realize the Islanders have only one player, Andy Sutton, with a positive plus-minus rating? That's awful.

And awful is what the Islanders were supposed to be this year. This has turned into the season we all expected - lots of competitive games that end in losses. Now that the bottom is really starting to fall out on this team, it's easy to get discouraged. It's times like these when we're supposed to remind ourselves that the Islanders are rebuilding, that there are better times ahead for this team. However, it's not that easy. The question we're asking ourselves - and if we aren't, we should be - is, "When this team gets better, will they still be on Long Island?"

I've said before that I believe the Islanders will be moved off the Island within five years. And why shouldn't they be? The Lighthouse is not happening. Nobody really has $400 million lying around to get this thing going. Furthermore, now that it's become a political issue, you know nothing is ever going to get done. Look at the Jets' proposed West Side stadium for proof of what happens when politicians get involved in something started with good intentions. The team is losing money left and right. Nobody is going to the games because the team's not very good and nobody has money. It's a losing situation all around. At this point, the question really isn't if the Isles will be shipped off to Winnipeg, Hartford, or some other hockey-starved city, but when the move will take place.

If you're as cynical as I am, you're convinced this will happen just before all the young players turn the corner and start to become great players. This way, the new city gets all the glory we've earned.

You know, I was totally on board with rebuilding the Islanders the right way before I realized just how dire this whole situation was. Now, I'm not sure what to think. I want to see a successful Islanders team before they're eventually moved out. Will it happen? I sure hope so. Those of us who are still left certainly deserve it.

If you've followed me this far, I do appreciate it. I'm not even sure if I'm following myself at this point. I know this holiday season is supposed to bring about hope and all that, but it's hard to be so positive when evidence suggests things will get even worse. Here's hoping for a holiday miracle that not only keeps the Islanders on Long Island, but puts them on the path to their former glory.

What is This, October?...

A full 60-minute effort; clean line changes; a low-scoring game; backchecking and forechecking.

The only thing thing that would lead me to believe that I wasn't watching a tape from early October is the fact that Chris Drury scored a goal.

The first period was a little boring, but the next two were exciting, and watching Henrik Lundqvist shut the door was fantastic. Nigel Dawes had a good game even before making the violent criminal Chris Pronger look stupid. No, the Rangers weren't perfect against Jonas Hiller and the Anaheim Ducks tonight, but it's a far cry from letting in 8 against New Jersey or leaving it all up to Henke against Carolina. 

My personal highlight of the night was seeing Nik Zherdev score on one of my favorite rules in hockey: if you are taken down from behind on a breakaway to an empty net, you automatically are awarded a goal, making it a goal where technically a shot is never taken.

Not much to say as it's 2:36 in the morning here in the Eastern Conference, and I have less than 5 minutes left on my laptop battery. I will say, however, that I love these late starting games. I go out and do stuff during the evening and then I get to still watch the game. Today I went shopping for Christmas presents and tomorrow I'll work then get home to watch the game or watch it at my Wednesday night bar. Very exciting stuff. This also would've made a good road trip: 3 games in 2 and a half California cities in 5 nights.

Anaheim was the easy game this week; the Rangers always play them well (who could forget Blair Betts' stunning end-to-end goal in Anaheim in 2006-07?). LA is tough just because they are an unpredictable team and the Rangers traditionally play poorly against poor teams. San Jose is the real test. Beat them - in San Jo, no less - and you are worthy.

Until then the real question is whether Mats Sundin will do what Markus Naslund did and forsake Vancouver for Broadway.

Is Tom Renney's Time Up?...

I was discussing Tom Renney with a native of the Czech Republic the other day (the one man from there I have ever met who was not on the Rangers in 2005-06).

He said that Renney's time is up and he should be replaced. I said that we should give him to the end of the season, partly based on past performances. 

I don't think you should replace a coach mid-season when they do happen to have a good record (thanks to an early hot streak, a great goalie, and the addition of the shootout to the NHL), and I also think that Renney is on a good level with the team. They respect him and trust him.

Plus, honestly, I don't think GM Glen Sather is going to pull the trigger this early. However, if Renney and the Rangers fizzle in the 2nd round of the playoffs again, I think an unceremonious firing might happen. What's the point of keeping a coach around if he cannot bring his squad past the 2nd round of the playoffs in 4 full seasons (not counting when he took over from Sather in 2004).

As for past performances, what he did with the team the past few seasons can't be disputed. He took a Jaromir Jagr who was seemingly past his prime, got him on board with a new system, and got 123 points out of him. He took a team of misfits (Steve Rucchin, Jay Ward, Blair Betts, Ville Nieminen, Jason Strudwick) and Czechs and made them part of a dream season in his first full year behind the bench at MSG. He has made the playoffs in every season he's had, and truthfully, they could've beaten both Pittsburgh last year and Buffalo two years ago. 

 

If it does happen, though, I can't entirely say I disagree with it. At some point, the coach has to accept responsibility for what is happening with this team. (And remember, they didn't beat the Penguins and Sabres.)

Now, as for this year, it is his fault that the power play isn't working. What's that, you say? He doesn't play on the PP or even really coach it? That's true, but doesn't he tap the players on their oversized shoulder pads to go out on the ice?

What justification does he have to keep sending Michal Rozsival out on the ice. The man doesn't shoot (probably for a reason, as when he does it goes wide) and has more shorthanded goals against than he has power play points this season. Renney puts too much trust in Wade Redden, also responsible for shorthanded goals, while not scoring a goal himself since very early in October. 

Is it stubbornness or does he think these broken parts will actually work if he uses them enough?

Petr Prucha is another example. Nigel Dawes gets Prucha's spot in the lineup after Prucha scored a goal in his three-game audition. Dawes has 6 points this year in 23 games, on par for a huge 21-point season spread out over 82 games. Yes, I know Prucha's numbers are even worse, but he is viciously under-utilized. No power play time, 4th line minutes. And did I spot Renney call Prucha a "Jack@$$" when Prucha stood up for himself and his teammates in Montreal?

There are probably more examples, but I'm tired now and I think I've typed enough. For the record, I'm in favor of sticking with him for the remainder of the season, but if Renney can't lead this team to the 3rd round or later, than it's time for a fresh face back there.

Avery Done In Dallas

I'm not sure what's harder to believe - that Sean Avery's career in Dallas (and perhaps the NHL) has ended because of a stupid remark to the press, or that SportsCenter considered this story breaking news and dropped everything to report it. Either way, the fact remains that Avery's finished in Dallas.

According to the Associated Press, just about everbody in Dallas - from coach Dave Tippett to veterans Mike Modano and Marty Turco - demanded that Avery not be allowed back into the locker room. Even co-GM Brett Hull, who played with Avery in Detroit and was instrumental in bringing Avery into the fold, agreed it was best that Avery plays somewhere else. That's rather telling.

Having said all that, it's hard to say Dallas didn't get what they asked for. Avery had ten points in 23 games, had a positive plus-minus rating on an awful team, and even chipped in three power play assists. He played 15 minutes a game and racked up 77 penalty minutes, agitating opponents all the while. His comments to the media should be no surprise to anybody who's even remotely followed his career over the years. That's part of Avery's package - you get a player whose offensive skills are criminally underrated, but you also get inappropriate comments to the media and more controversy than you've bargained four. And really, if Dallas had any questions about how this would turn out, they should have considered exactly why Avery has been shuffled around the league in such short order before giving him a four-year deal.

Is Sean Avery's career over? Probably not. He's rumored to be seeking help relating to anger management issues (and if the story on Chris Botta's blog is to be believed, that's a good idea). If Avery ever decides he wants to play hockey and not be a total pest, I have no doubt he can score 20-25 goals for a playoff team and be a valuable part of that team. Avery scored 15 goals in 57 games with a Rangers team last year that didn't exactly light up the scoreboard regularly. And we all know about the ridiculous win-loss totals the Rangers accrued when Avery played. Clearly, he's a solid player. If he can tone his act down, he can be a very good player. The problem is, after the ridiculous overreaction to this incident, which team is going to give him a second chance?

One last thing. Look at the turmoil in Dallas regarding Terrell Owens. Look at the Knicks with Stephon Marbury, when the team tried to vote him off the team last year and yet Isiah Thomas played him anyway. Only in hockey could a team effectively banish a teammate because he's not a team-first individual. While I don't agree with the media storm this story created, I think it's a great thing that the Stars were able to handle this the proper way - get the feedback of the team leaders and coach, then act appropriately.

Rangers Lose 8-5...

Devils leading 5-1, Rangers storm back, lose 8-5.

I didn't watch much of the game because of work, but, hey, at least the Rangers are capable of scoring 5 goals in a game.

A Case for Mats Sundin...

In years prior, the Rangers would sign big-name contracts to big-name deals and would get nothing in return. Eric Lindros, injured and slow, would play like Brett Lindros. Pavel Bure played like Pavel Bure for 51 games before his knees wouldn't let him skate. Alex Kovalev never played up to his potential on his return-trips to Broadway, Bruce Driver didn't do much as a Ranger, Bobby Holik got paid 1st-line money even though he was a checking-line player, and when he played the checking line role, he got dumped on. 

The list goes on and on of people who gladly accepted money from the Rangers and didn't produce. Kevin Stevens, Val Kamensky, Matt Schneider, etc., etc., etc.

Mats Sundin is a different breed. If he wanted the money, he would be in Vancouver and taking 20 million of their dollars until next season is over.

Yet, he wants the prize. He wants a Stanley Cup.

Many people - me included, and hopefully him as well - think the Rangers are a few parts short of contending. They have a Top 3 goalie and some good quick forwards. Their defense is questionable-at-best, but if they employ Tom Renney's system, they can mask their flaws and Henrik Lundqvist can do the rest, much like they did at the beginning of this season and most of last.

Now, is Sundin an aging superstar? Obviously, but isn't everyone? His stats have never wavered. The last time he didn't have 72 points or more in a season? 1994-95 when the strike shortened the season, and he had 47 points in 47 games.

Since the lockout, he has averaged over a point per game, which would make him easily the most proficient Ranger on a roster where someone gets hot for 5 games then cold for three weeks. See: Chris Drury, and his 5G, 1A week in November, and his 4 points since then. 

He is a leader in the Brendan Shanahan-mold, except he isn't so injured that he becomes useless like Shanahan was from January to May of 2008. He is big, he takes up room around the net, and two players flock to him, leaving another player open.

He is the equivalent of Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06, before hip and shoulder injuries bested him.

I'm not going to pontificate on who the Rangers should trade or waive to make more cap room (although if I were Dmitri Kalinin, I would certainly keep a suitcase on hand). But the point remains, Sundin for one year makes a whole lot of sense for the Rangers.

Barry Melrose

By now, everyone has heard Barry Melrose's infamous soundbites in which he went off on his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. A lot of people are saying he's bitter about being fired; I'm sure that's certainly part of it. But the other part is that he seems to be right about everything.

Imagine for a second you got fired from your job. How would you feel? Would you wish your company the best? Would you hope your successor does a better job? Of course not! You'd pray for that company to go into bankruptcy and curse the person that takes your old position. So why is it not okay for Barry Melrose to say he hopes the Lightning don't win another game all year?

On Hockey Night in Canada on Sirius yesterday, one of the hosts was talking about how people complain when players and coaches aren't honest, yet those same people are the first to rip someone who's candid. And they're exactly right. When the Islanders parted ways with Ted Nolan, I didn't want to hear all this lovey-dovey crap about how it was a "mutual decision" and how each wished the other luck. I wanted the truth. Here's a situation where the truth is being laid out right before us, and people would rather criticize Barry Melrose for speaking his mind than consider what he's saying. Because the evidence is mounting that he wasn't far off at all.

The Lightning, picked by many to be the annual worst-to-first team in the East, have lost eight games in overtime/shootout this season. This suggests that the Lightning aren't as bad as their record indicates. However, since Rick Tocchett replaced Melrose, the Lightning have won only one game. More than that, Tocchett is getting fed up himself, suggesting that any player who is not ready to play will find himself in the press box. Sure, every coach says that, but Tocchett is getting what could be his only chance as a head coach, and he's not going to let the players ruin it for him. So when Melrose made his comments to ESPN immediately after being fired that he didn't get the effort he expected from his team and followed that up by saying he only cared about a handful of players on his team, he might have sounded bitter. That is, until you realize that Tocchett is going through the same thing.

The moral of the story? Be thankful you're not a Lightning fan. Even us Islanders fans can feel secure that our team isn't as messed up as the team in Tampa Bay. Oh, and if the media is going to criticize the Islanders for giving Rick DiPietro a 15-year deal every time he pulls a muscle, maybe it's time to start calling out Tampa's own "lifetime contract" man, Vincent Lecavalier, for not doing something to stop the chaos on his team.

***

Some real quick self-promotional stuff. Yes Islanders is doing a Best Islanders Blog poll and we're one of the nominees. We don't expect to come close to winning this thing, but it's pretty cool to be considered. Feel free to go to the site and vote. They've also provided us with a neat little banner which can be found on the right side of the page. We'll also be part of the running when The NHL Arena starts Round 2 of its Battle of the Blogosphere sometime soon.

Lastly, I'll be guest blogging at Puck The Media on Friday in case anybody is interested in stopping by.

Saturday Night At The Coliseum

It's kind of late news now, but I wanted to share my thoughts about the Islanders-Thrashers "game" on Saturday. I put the word "game" in quotes because it was anything but; by the time the evening was over, the Islanders were getting blown out and found themselves resorting to taking cheap shots and instigating fights.

I'm a pretty big fan of what Scott Gordon has done so far in his tenure as Islanders head coach. But Saturday was one of those nights where I scratched my head, wondering if he was really as good as the press says he is. First, he went with Joey MacDonald. MacDonald, in case you haven't noticed, has started sixteen straight games for the Islanders. In the last five of those sixteen, he's allowed five, five, two, four, and five goals. Gee, you think he might be tired? You can't just take a career backup and throw him out there for a consecutive month of games. And yet, that's exactly what Gordon has done. Wasn't this the same franchise who swore they were going to rotate the goalies better this year? Or did that all go out the window when Rick DiPietro went down? Yann Danis has played exactly one game this year. It's hard to expect much from a backup when he never, ever plays.

Getting back to Saturday night, the Isles came out firing on all cylinders, playing much of the first period very well. We had ourselves a nice, physical hockey game. There weren't a ton of goals; there didn't need to be. It was a defensive-minded hockey game that had its share of big hits and good chances. However, once Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the second period, the Islanders stopped playing their game. Suddenly, they were trying to make the perfect play, which is something they don't do very well. Worse than that, though, they stopped hitting. Blake Comeau threw some nice checks, but that was about it. This was in stark comparison to the first period, when the Islanders hit everything that moved.

Then, in the third, everything devolved. The Islanders became completely unglued and started trying to hurt people. Or do you suppose it's a coincidence that Gordon threw Nate Thompson, Tim Jackman, Andy Sutton, and Brendan Witt out there as a four-man penalty kill unit? It seemed like Jackman was tapping an opposing player on the shins with his stick every other second. Witt was going after players with reckless abandon. Even Joey MacDonald came out to the f'ing blue line to play a puck down four goals in a game the Islanders had no chance of winning. All in all, it was an embarrassing display, one that has no place in hockey.

This isn't a seven-game series. This is a regular season game between two teams in the league's basement. What message are you trying to send? I'm sure the players were frustrated, which is fine, but it's no excuse to send your goons out there and try to start fights. But then again, discipline wasn't exactly the Islanders' strong suit on this night. At one point, Tim Jackman engaged Chris Thorburn in a fight while the Islanders were in the Thrashers' zone. Someone had actually just taken a shot on goal a second before the fight started.

What's more important - scoring goals or starting fights? Apparently, Gordon went with the latter; he himself got a bench minor for abuse of official. And even that didn't stop him from sending his goons out there to start something. This, despite barely playing Mitch Fritz when he was on the team, especially after the Frans Nielsen-Mike Mottau incident. You'd think Gordon, who came from the more physical AHL, would know the right time to start a fight. Apparently, you'd be wrong.

It's sad when you can't beat the Atlanta Thrashers at home on a Saturday night. But it's even more sad when you completely stop trying to win and just try to beat people up instead. And with four games coming up this week, now would be a good time for the Islanders to remember what worked for them in November. It wasn't passive play followed by thuggery. It was solid play and great goaltending. Maybe - just maybe - it's time to sit MacDonald and let Yann Danis have a chance to play. But that's probably too much to ask.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade

For those of you who are sick of NHL 09 already - and we really don't know how that's possible - consider yourselves relieved. EA announced today that it's working on a game called 3 on 3 NHL Arcade, to be released sometime in February. In essence, it's an NBA Jam-esque game in the vein of Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey, NHL Hitz, and NHL Open Ice. Three-on-three hockey with no rules to speak of. Sounds like fun!

Speaking of EA and NHL 09, just wanted to share this in case anybody hadn't heard. If you've played through a full Be A Pro season (or, if you're like me, simmed to the end of one), you might have seen a goalkeeper named Sabrina Ladha taking home some serious hardware. You also might have wondered exactly who the hell Sabrina Ladha is. Well, apparently, she's a sick young girl who's a member of the Make A Wish Foundation whose wish was to be a goalie in NHL 09. Judging by her 98 overall rating, I'd say that wish was a pretty good one. And after doing some more digging around, it turns out that EA has done this for a number of years now. I'd forgotten all about Zachary Priest from NHL 06 until tonight, when I discovered that he was the Make A Wish kid from that year's game. Say what you want about EA and their quest for global domination, but this is a pretty cool thing they're doing. I'll give them props for this one.

Avery Suspended for Violent Act...

Oh, wait, sorry. Sean Avery got a 6-game suspension today for a joke, however unfunny you might find it. That means Gary Bettman puts Avery calling Paris Hilton's co-star in House of Wax "sloppy seconds" (a true term in high schools all around the nation) up there with these violent acts...

:: Randy Jones gets 2 games for hitting Patrice Bergeron from behind in October 2007. Bergeron missed the rest of the season with a head injury. Avery's comments were three-times as bad as this career-threatening injury, apparently.

:: Mike Mottau gets 2 games for lunging himself across the ice at Frans Nielsen. Nielsen is out 3-4 months as a result of the hit. This was three-times less dangerous than Avery's childish wisecrack.

:: Ryan Hollweg gets suspended 1 game for boarding Sergei Kostitsyn in February because it was his second boarding game misconduct. He then does the same thing in pre-season, gets suspended 2 games, and does it again in his first game back this season, where he gets another 3-game suspension. That's 4 violent boarding penalties and a total of 6 games where he was forced to sit. Avery talking ill about Elisha Cuthbert is akin to Ryan Hollweg injuring 4 players with illegal hits.

:: Chris Pronger steps on Ryan Kesler's calf with his skate and receives an 8-game sentence, on his 8th suspension in the NHL. This (probably illegal by American law) act was slightly more damaging than Avery's comments.

There you have it. Avery's words hurt Cuthbert (and scumbag Dion Phaneuf) more than Bergeron's season-ending head injury. Frans Nielsen should just shake off his injury, as it is less important that a Hollywood actress's feelings. It was equal to 4 people being illegally hit from behind by Ryan Hollweg, and Chris Pronger's big skate blade being slammed onto Ryan Kesler's leg was only slightly more dangerous. How much time did Phaneuf miss from Avery's 15-second interview? None? Weird.

Bettman said he had "warned" Avery last season and that's why the punishment is so high. Were the Flyers not warned when 2 others on their team received suspensions in October of 2007 before Jones got his? Was Hollweg not warned during his previous suspensions? Were Pronger's previous 7 suspensions not warnings? 

Get real, Gary Bettman. You are a joke. You never liked hockey, so go back to the NBA and let a real fan take charge of the league. 

Disaster in Montreal...

Jeez, do they really miss Blair Betts that much?

I will be quick tonight. Since the Rangers didn't show up to play, I shouldn't show up to write much about it.

Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha were the only highlights today, although Henrik Lundqvist didn't play bad. He just had no support in front of him and had to overcompensate many times. Scott Gomez, although a -4, wasn't awful, either.

On one goal, Marc Staal did nothing near the right wing faceoff circle while Michal Rozsival stood in front of Lundqvist. Tic, tac, toe, goal. Rozsival barely moved his head, didn't move his feet. Was he tired? Do the Rangers need a 7th defenseman to come up if only for back-to-back games when Rozsival - a professional athlete, mind you - is too tired to skate? You would think $5M you don't deserve would be motivation enough, never mind the fact that you're playing in freakin' Montreal tonight.

On another goal, Paul Mara went after the puck carrier on Lundqvist's right. Dmitri "Not a Defenseman" Kalinin left his post on Lundqvist's left to attack the same guy Mara was going after. That player passed to the person Kalinin should've been guarding. Goal. Game over.

Dan Girardi, can you repay me for my jersey and the damage you caused my fantasy team today? I'm already getting crushed this week in +/-, I don't need your -2 hurting me. And what a -2 it was! Standing like a tree in a storm as Canadien players thrash by you and you don't move. Great! You're still one of my favorites on the team, but tonight you had a stinker indeed. 

The only reason Wade Redden wasn't horrible tonight is because he only played half a game before getting hurt.

I can deal with a bad game. They happen. You're tired, I understand. But bad effort? I can't stand for that. I wish my ticket money wasn't paying Rozsival and Redden to do nothing continuously.

* * * 

Seriously, though. I joke about it, but why did Kalinin ever decide to be a defender? Was he the only kid on his high school team in Chelyabinsk, Russia, who could skate backwards? He pinches on the rush, chases the puck behind the enemy's goal line, and today, I caught him leading the rush into the offensive zone.

At no point does he make smart defensive plays, check players hard, or use his body to block the shot. His positioning is even horrible, and at least 3 goals in the past 2 games are completely his fault.

We need a 7th d-man up from Hartford if only to have him sit for a game.

Ouch

Well, tonight was a rather forgettable night for New York hockey. Washington 5, Islanders 2. Montreal 6, Rangers 2. That's a total of 11-4. Meanwhile, the stupid Devils won in overtime. Ugh.

Let's start with the Rangers. I, for one, am not in favor of any back-to-back games in which a team would have to fly to the second city. As in, it's asking a lot for the Rangers to complete an emotional comeback win against Pittsburgh, which included five extra minutes of play and a shootout, fly to Montreal, get in late, get a crappy night of sleep, and be forced to play against the fastest team in the Eastern Conference the next day. So it's no surprise that the Rangers got killed tonight, letting up four goals in the game's first 15 minutes. I could be really tough on the Rangers and point out that both Scott Gomez and Markus Naslund were minus-4 tonight, but in a game in which only five Rangers escaped without minus ratings, it's a bit redundant. One positive for the Rangers was Petr Prucha, who dropped the gloves with Maxim Lapierre. It's nice to see a guy like Prucha try to do something outside of his skill set to spark the team; that it didn't work shouldn't diminish his efforts. Lapierre, by the way, ended up with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, so kudos to him as well.

As for the Islanders... well, the score didn't really tell the whole story. The game was 3-2 until there were four minutes left in the game, when Washington got an insurance goal; they would later add an empty-netter. This is the second time in the past couple of weeks when the Islanders have gotten blown out after a long period of rest. Say what you want about the Isles getting fatigued in third periods, but it seems like the regular work keeps them a bit more focused. They weren't quite as bad as they were in Jersey, which was the last time they really looked like crap, but they weren't close to the better team tonight. The Capitals were inspired by Alexander Ovechkin, who did it all tonight for the Capitals. From scoring goals to getting involved physically, Ovechkin was dominant. Still, it was the space he helped create for his teammates that was his biggest contribution. It's always a bit humbling to watch these games as an Islanders fan - after a game such as this one, it's so clear that the Islanders have a long way to go.

Around the league, it's been a pretty high-scoring night. Checking the goals-per-game stats just a moment ago, we're at 5.84 goals per game across the league. And in case you're wondering, San Jose is tops with a ridiculous 3.88 goals per game. Another fun fact you might not be aware of - the Islanders (2.68 GPG) and the Rangers (2.66 GPG) are nearly identical in goals per game, but the Islanders have allowed nearly a goal more per game (3.40 vs. 2.52). This is why the Rangers have nearly doubled the Islanders' point total. One last fun stat for tonight? Sure, why not? The Rangers and Bruins have the same point total, but the Bruins' goal differential (1.16) is a full goal higher than that of the Rangers (0.14). What to make of this? Not really sure. Except that Ottawa and their zero goal differential have 22 points, yet the Rangers and their 0.14 goal differential have 38 points. In other words, the Rangers had better start putting teams away and stop relying so much on Henrik Lundqvist to win games for them.

Brian Burke: Nice Guy?...

A few days ago, my counterpart, Islanders blogger Bryan, wrote about how he respects Brian Burke.

Well, yesterday, Burke went on NHL Live (XM 204/Sirius 208/NHL Network) and made some incredible comments about Sean Avery referring to the girl who slept with Luke Wilson in Old School as "sloppy seconds." Incredible in the sense that I'm amazed he actually believes what he said.

First off, he found Avery's comments "personally offensive." I was not aware that he was such good friends with Elisha Cuthbert to take personal offense at Avery saying that she has dated other hockey players besides #16.

He then, for some reason, threw Fedor Fedorov and Terrell Owens under the bus. Interesting.

He also doesn't "think it should be acceptable" that Avery should make comments like he did.

For the record, Avery's comments to a bunch of Canadian reporters have generated more press for the game in America than Burke going from Anaheim to Toronto. Most common Americans don't even know who Brian Burke is.

I'm not defending Avery in what he said, just his right to say it. He was being smug, he was being stupid, he did it for attention, and he did it to stir up the other team. He probably didn't think it through and shouldn't have even said it in front of the press. He should've just said something to Dion Phaneuf after a whistle and tried to draw a retaliation penalty.

However, it baffles me why this would personally offend Burke. After all, this is the same man who, as GM of the Vancouver Canucks, dismissed the severity of Steve Moore's broken neck when his goon Todd Bertuzzi (whom he later signed in Anaheim) jumped him from behind and punched his paralyzed and bloody body on the ice. He said Bertuzzi's punishment was too severe.

Bertuzzi wound up getting 13 games for ending Moore's career. Avery has already been suspended 2 games and will likely receive more (I'm guessing 5 total) for saying a non-NHL entity has had more than one boyfriend.

Right now, Avery's comments are apparently on par with Mike Mottau headhunting Frans Nielsen and injuring him for 3-4 months, as they both have received suspensions of two games.

This makes me so angry that I cannot properly express it. It's reasons like this that the NHL is considered a joke, and if Gary Bettman was serious about the league gaining popularity, he would suspend those who injury on purpose and not those who put the league's name on ESPN's SportsCenter.

It's crap like this that makes me want to give up on the NHL.

Notes From the Garden, 12/3/08...

A solid night overall at a packed Madison Square Garden. Lots of people there tonight, including most of the lower bowl where tickets are always sold but the businesses that own them rarely show up. Apparently all it takes to get people there is a Staal Family Rivalry.

- I don't see as much of the Western Conference as I would like to, but from what I see, one of the only people in the NHL better at handling the puck than Nikolai Zherdev is Evgeni Malkin. Zherdev was a true magician out there tonight, and on no less than 3 occasions wowed the audience, but Malkin is incredible as well, causing the guy next to me to say "Wow" to himself for 65 seconds.

- Dmitri Kalinin should, once again, never have become a defenseman. He pinches more than an Asian businessman at a strip club, and would make a better 4th line winger than a crummy 6th defender.

- Jaromir Jagr shooting from the right faceoff circle in 2005 is much, much more intimidating that Chris Drury shooting from the left faceoff circle in 2008.

- In a stunning show of solidarity with the NHL and Gary Bettman, the referees were strongly rooting for the Penguins today. With no double-minor penalties to avoid (like Game 5 last year when Drury had a blade-shaped cut on his face and the ice had to be cleaned of his blood while no penalty was called), one of the zebrae actually ran into a Ranger during what would've been a breakaway. I'm interested in listening to the replay of the game to hear how Sam and Joe play off the "A**hole" chants.

- The Rangers should have blasted Danny Sabourin. When they pressured him in the 3rd, good things happened, and they could've had more than 1 goal if they knew how to finish. Once it went to a shootout, you knew the Rangers would win because Sabourin wouldn't be able to stop Markus Naslund, Zherdev, and Freddy Sjostrom.

- That said, the Rangers managed 5 shots in the 1st period. They were credited with 6, but the 6th was a dump as they were leaving the zone on a line change. Five shots, 20 minutes. That's a shot every 4 minutes. What was happening the other 3:59?

- Petr Prucha's emotional goal was an incredible moment that goes down as one of my favorite in-person hockey memories. His goal in his first game back after being scratched for 10 (and refusing a conditioning assignment) ranks up there with these post-lockout goals...

    :: Jed Ortmeyer's shorthanded penalty shot against Boston, his first goal since returning to the lineup after being out for half a season with pulmonary embolism.

    :: In the 14th round of a shootout against the Capitals, the Rangers were down 3-2, and Jason Strudwick had a beautiful wrist shot to keep the shootout going, setting up Marek Malik's between-the-leg game winner.

    :: Brendan Shanahan's breakaway goal for his first goal in his first game as a Ranger, his second goal of the game that was his 600th career tally, and Jagr's goal :29 into the game during the 2006-07 season opener vs. the Capitals.

- If Wade Redden is known as a first pass defenseman, Michal Rozsival is a pass-first defenseman. 

- Prucha was buzzing all night and the crowd was rooting for him. He missed a nearly-open net in the 2nd period, but had a good game otherwise. Tom Renney must've liked what he say, because he was getting double-shifted too, being put on the 4th line with Blair Betts and Sjostrom at times. Brandon Dubinsky played well too, and Renney had a lot of confidence in the Voros-Dubi-Prucha line.

- When Scott Gomez stole the puck with 11 seconds left in the 3rd period and rushed up ice with Naslund and Zherdev, the whole Garden thought they were going to put it in the net. They almost did.

- I've never seen a standing ovation from a check before, but when Marc Staal rocked Sidney Crosby (who should've had a penalty against Colton Orr as well when Brooks Orpik took his 4 minute penalty) in the extra frame, the crowd spontaneously stood up and cheered. I assume nobody chanted because his name doesn't sound good in a chant. (Try it.)

- Sign me up as someone who loves the shootout, if only because I hated ties with a passion. Nothing was worse than sititng through a game and having it be a 2-2 tie. Here, atleast someone gets an extra point. If it's your team, great, if not, well, you still get a point. They only time I hate shootouts is in March and April when everyone clamps down and we see 3-point games everywhere when the Rangers are fighting for a playoff spot and Boston and Pittsburgh each get points.

I know people hate on the shootout, but for me, it could be a shootout, it could be a game of Three Post (where you take out the goalie and have to hit both posts and the crossbar to win), it could be an accuracy contest like in the Skills Competition, whatever, as long as there are no ties.

- Great resiliency today by the Rangers. They went down 2-0, and while they didn't play incredibly well, they did fight back. Prucha had a great game and deserves his spot back instead of Dan Fritsche. They had no goats today in the lineup on offense. Everyone contributed, from Betts and Orr to Lauri Korpikoski and Ryan Callahan.

Rangers-Pens 3rd Period Live Blog

Well, I always wanted to play around with Cover It Live, and I wanted to watch the Rangers tonight... so why not combine the two?

Sean Avery Suspended for Free Speech...

Last year, Chris Pronger stomped - yes, stomped - on Ryan Kesler's face. The dirty player, glorified by the NHL Network and nearly every hockey pundit out there, received 8 games as a punishment. 

It was his 8th time being suspended.

Today, Sean Avery referred to all-around nice guy (is my sarcasm evident online?) Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend as "my sloppy seconds." He was suspended "indefinitely" because of conduct "detrimental to the League or game of hockey." My guess is it will be a 5-game suspension and he will be fined.

Uh, it's true, isn't it? Kim Bauer went to Phaneuf right after she broke up with Avery. One Canadian hockey player to the next. Sounds like sloppy seconds to me. She went from Avery to Long Island native Mike Komisarek to Phaneuf with barely enough time for a shower.

Here's the full text, said in Canada, where apparently they don't have freedom of speech like the States do...

"I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."

Suspended indefinitely for speaking his mind and neither cursing nor threatening a player. Apparently, it would have been less dangerous for him to step on someone's face with a skate blade (8 games), or elbow Dean McAmmond's head (1 game) after he was suspended for elbowing Thomas Holmstrom's head from behind (1), or kick Ville Nieminen with his skate (also 1 game), or cross-check Brendan Morrow in the face (2), or swing a stick at Jeremy Roenick's helmet (4 games). Maybe he should have fractured Pat Peake's thyroid cartilige when he swung his stick at his neck (Pronger received 4 games).

Oh, but calling the star of The Girl Next Door sloppy seconds is a heinous act.

Maybe the NHL was too busy reviewing Mike Mottau's vicious hit on Frans Nielsen and the subsequent 2-game suspension to actually hear what Avery heard. 

A Couple Of Thoughts

 - It's sort of old news at this point, but I caught Brian Burke's introductory press conference with the Toronto media on NHL On The Fly on Sunday. At first, I was a bit put off by the whole Burke situation. I mean, the whole world knew he was going to Toronto once his contract was up, and yet he ended up in Toronto before December 1. I guess Anaheim didn't want to delay the inevitable, but it was a little strange how it all worked out. Besides, it's always a bit annoying to see Toronto get what they want.

In any event, Burke spoke to the media and completely blew me away. Just about everything he said was impressive, but there were two things that stood out. First, he made a point to say his players would be more involved in the community than ever before. Now, we're pretty lucky in that both the Islanders and Rangers are very active in charity and volunteer work, so we don't know how it works in cities where players barely do anything besides show up for games. It's nice to see a general manager recognize the importance of his players being active in the community. The second thing struck an even bigger chord. He mentioned how the NHL has a holiday trade freeze so that no players can be moved during Christmas. He then went on to say that he doesn't believe in trading players at all during the holiday season in general and that he wouldn't be making any transactions between December 7 and the start of 2009. This isn't because he needs to see what he has with the Maple Leafs, but because he doesn't think it's fair for a player to be uprooted and moved during the holiday season.

After hearing that second point, I remembered that Brian Burke is the same GM that released Ilya Bryzgalov last season rather than have Bryzgalov sit behind J.S. Giguere. Burke knew he could probably get a decent package of players or picks, but he also knew Bryzgalov wasn't going to be staying in Anaheim and he wanted to make sure Bryzgalov would end up in a decent situation. You could make the argument Burke is getting back the same generosity thanks to the precedent he set with the Ducks. And by all accounts, Burke made the move back East for the right reason, to be with his family. Hard to argue with that one.

Long story short, while the Toronto Maple Leafs are still a loathsome franchise, they became a little less so with the hire of Brian Burke. Now let's see how Burke gets rid of the Leafs' awful contracts and barren farm system.

 - Sean Avery made headlines today by making a comment about his, as he said, "sloppy seconds". The remark was made in reference to Dion Phaneuf, whose Calgary Flames are facing Avery's Dallas Stars as we speak. Phaneuf, of course, is dating Avery's ex-flame Elisha Cuthbert. Avery's punishment was not getting drilled by Phaneuf; instead, he's been suspended indefinitely.

This raises a couple of issues in my mind. First, Mike Mottau cheapshots Frans Nielsen and knocks him out for 2-3 months, yet only gets two games. Now, Avery is suspended indefinitely for making a crack to the media? OK, it's a really funny crack, but still. Second, it looks like Dallas is already regretting the Avery deal. Reports are that he's not very popular in the clubhouse; he also has a "limited no-trade clause". But the third is the thing that really gets me. We've barely heard a peep about hockey from the major sports media so far this year. Just about the only thing anybody talks about is the possibility of Barack Obama attending the Winter Classic. Of course, Avery opens his mouth, gets suspended, and it's the top story everywhere. You think it's possible for the NHL to get some positive attention ever? Of course not. That'd be too easy. But when something bad happens, it's the perfect opportunity for the major sports media to bash hockey and say things like, "This is why we don't pay more attention to the NHL." Meanwhile, Plaxico Burress shoots himself in the leg and nobody can stop talking about it. Go figure.

So there you have it. Maybe if the media didn't take the obvious story about Avery and dug a little deeper, they'd see some real good out there. Like the new Toronto GM a few paragraphs up. You think you're ever going to hear a story on ESPN about any GM in any other sport who won't make trades during the holidays out of fairness to his players? No way. Our game is a great one. It's a shame most people refuse to see it that way.

The Reason I Don't Hate the Islanders...

Last year, I'll admit it, I hated the Islanders. They also beat the Rangers in a few games I was at (including a stinker at the Coliseum in the beginning of the year and a shootout in the Rangers last home game of the season), while this year I haven't been to any Rivalry games yet. They also had Ted Nolan, Chris Simon, Sean Hill, and Rick DiPietro. 

This year, all 3 are gone. Their replacements are first-time NHL coach Scott "Flash" Gordon (anyone see that video of him from Boston College in 1985?), Rangers cast-off Mitch Fritz (I mean, I guess he's the enforcer of the team, right?), someone who actually belongs in the NHL as a defenseman, and Joey MacDonald.

You can't really hate any of those guys. And to be honest, I never hated Nolan, but he did annoy me a lot, and I do like Gordon a lot better.

MacDonald is the main reason I don't hate them this year. He comes out to play every game, except that Boston game where he just collapsed. He also never complained about playing time in Boston or Detroit and he never complained about being stuck in the AHL last year because of the waiver wire.

Kudos to the NHL for giving him 3rd star of November. Although he might not have deserved it with his stats alone - the NHL curiously only lists his games played, shots faced, and minutes played and not his save percentage or goals against average - he definitely has the heart and he's a hell of a team player.

However, while he might be the reason I don't hate the Islanders this year, that all might go down the drain if I see Andy Sutton take a run at Brandon Dubinsky or if Brandon Witt cheap shots Henrik Lundqvist or if DiPietro returns or if some stupid fan passes out photocopies of the hooker who someone said was bought by Sean Avery. If Avery can sleep with Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert) or Catherine Keener, he doesn't have to pay.

17-8-2?...

From the Looks Can Be Deceiving Department, the Rangers are simply the worst 17-8-2 I've ever seen in my life.

First of all, yes, they have 36 points, and that's very good at the 27 game mark, and right now they are "in" first place. However, they've played more games than the followers. Boston has the same 36 points and have played 3 less games. One shootout loss, and the Bruins have more points. The Penguins have 31 points in 23 games. Hell, is the Devils go on a 5-game winning streak again, they would have the same exact record as our Blueshirts (they're 12-8-2 right now).

What I'm saying there is that while it's impressive, the numbers being spouted by Tom Renney (he said something like "we're 14-7 so I'm not worried" earlier this week) and MSG (specifically Stan Fischler) are false. First in the Eastern Conference. I guess. Until Boston plays their next game.

I don't even want to talk about today's game against Florida, but I guess I have to a minute. Florida, perennial basement-dwellers who came in with a dismal post-lockout, shootout-heavy 19 points in 22 games. The Rangers should've been angry about being taken to a shootout in the first game of this home-and-home, come out strong on home ice, and attacked them.

However, this roster isn't built for attack. Scott Gomez is strong on the puck, so is Chris Drury. Yet, both can't finish. If it's not Drury's stick breaking in half (not his fault, I know), it's Ryan Callahan shooting way too high on a shot 4 feet from the net (on a shot that seemed like an 85 degree angle), or it's Brandon Dubinsky, Drury, or Dan Girardi shooting directly into the Panther logo on Craig Anderson's jersey. 

Dubinsky, by the way, had 12 points in 13 October games and has had 4 since then. I should never have dropped Simon Gagne for him on my fantasy team. (I thought Gagne would get hurt again!)

Defense? What defense? On Thanksgiving, when the Detroit Lions gave up 47 points in their game against the Tennessee Titans, I was pretty sure I saw the Titans' RB Chris Johnson burning past Michal Rozsival while Marc Staal fell down.

What I'm saying is that it's an awful defense. And it shouldn't be. Rozsival was good once for the Rangers (actually, he had 2 good years... the first season after the lockout he wasn't good and didn't deserve an extension). Staal was rushed into the NHL and while he plays well a lot, when he makes mistakes, they glow. Dmitri Kalinin was a filler because they needed a 6th defenseman and were too short-sighted to use Andrew Hutchinson (who led the Wolfpack last year and is now a Dallas Star). Kalinin should've been a 4th line winger instead of a 6th d-man. Wade Redden was bad last year. He is bad this year. How bad will he be when he turns 37 and is in the last year of his Ranger contract? Paul Mara and Girardi do what they can, and while they don't light up the ice, I have no problem with them. In fact, I will proudly wear my Girardi #5 jersey Wednesday night at the Garden.

I know there apparently weren't many good defensemen on the free agent market last year (although Mark Streit is working out for the Islanders pretty well), but Redden was the worst choice they could've possibly made. Yes, he can make that all-important first-pass out of the zone. And yes, he sometimes has good defensive plays. But for $6.5M, was Glen Sather looking for sometimes?

The thing with the Rangers this year is that they normally try hard. While teams past would go down 2 goals and then phone it in the rest of the game, these Rangers normally fight back, and have erased a handful of 2-goal deficits this year. I say normally, because every now-and-today, there is a stinker. Two goals in 12 seconds to Florida? Florida had scored 52 goals in 22 games! And I'm pretty sure that figure includes shootout wins.

There are other good things about the Rangers (mostly Gomez, Blair Betts, and Henrik Lundqvist), but after today's frustrating, emotionless, passionless, half-hearted, heavy-legged "performance" in front of thousands of little kids, I choose not to dwell on them.

The Rangers played well against Phoenix, and well against Tampa Bay this week. Yes, they gave up a last-minute goal to Tampa, but they played well all game until that moment. However, that last-minute goal is beginning to be a problem. When you play two games against Florida and give up a goal with 90 seconds left and then get blown out in the next game, something is wrong. 

They got 6 points in 4 games against mediocre-at-best teams. However, it took an incredible Lundqvist (uh, today notwithstanding) and 2 tiebreaking shootouts for those points.

What happens when they face Montreal, Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Calgary in December? Not to mention 2 games against the suddenly-streaking Devils, a game against the notoriously hard-to-beat Islanders, and a 3-game swing out in California against Anaheim, the Kings, and San Jose?

This ship, starting from different personnel on the power play and out, needs to be righted, or a 7-game losing streak isn't far away. 17-14-2? Not as impressive, is it??

Quote Of The Night

Our Quote of the Night comes from who else but that master of the Interwebs himself, Stan Fischler...

"I liked the honesty of the coach. He said something about, 'Mind over matter, you can't use tired as an excuse.' Now, I was tired coming in here, and I was gonna use it as an excuse. Then I got a hot chocolate and I wasn't tired anymore. See, you can't use tired as an excuse."

Well, when you put it that way... it still doesn't make any sense.

Islanders win tonight. Devils lose big to Pittsburgh. Rangers play Florida tomorrow at 1. Looks like it'll go in the books as a successful Thanksgiving weekend in the New York hockey world.

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to give an honorable mention to Howie Rose for his rather cryptic remark about seeing the third jerseys as the everyday jerseys "sooner rather than later". Could this be in the works? I guess time will tell.

Bailey Stays

It's not much of a surprise given how well he's done so far, but Josh Bailey will be an Islander for the duration of the season. The Islanders announced this morning that they're keeping Bailey on the big club. And I say, why not? He's certainly proven he can contribute on this level. His numbers (0-5-5) sort of belie the progress he's made. Don't let the lack of goals fool you - they'll come soon enough. And with the right scorers on his line, Bailey could soon become the team's top playmaker. I'm glad they're giving him the chance to learn on the job. It's a rebuilding year; let Bailey take his lumps now so that he'll be more seasoned once things pick up around here.

Speaking of young players, I just read in Logan's blog that Jeff Tambellini has now played in 100 NHL games. In those hundred games, he has four goals and nineteen points, with no goals in his last 40 games. A lot of people dump on Tambellini, and deservedly so, but he's been trying to add a physical aspect to his game lately. It make sense to try to do this. Sometimes, you need to focus on something else to regain that natural scoring touch, to get back to that place where you don't have to think about the play and just react instead. Having said all that, Tambellini is here to score, something he's not doing very well. It'll be interesting to see how the Islanders handle the Tambellini situation going forward if things don't improve.

Home game tonight against Ottawa (again). Here's hoping for a nice bounce-back effort and an Islanders win.