Sirius/XM

Zach sent me an interesting text today. He said that I should turn on Sirius channel 208 and check out NHL Home Ice. It's the NHL channel that people who have XM already know well, and it's the channel I hear every single time I'm in Zach's car. And, much to my surprise, it's now available on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Sort of.

If you have Sirius, you can get NHL Home Ice, along with the MLB package, Opie and Anthony, and the biggest draw of them all, Oprah Winfrey. And if you want these, all you have to do is call Sirius and upgrade your package to the top tier, which is $16.95 a month. Then, you'll get the NHL on the road.

Sort of.

When I tried to do this today, I was told my radio isn't compatible with the XM channels. I've had my radio for four years, which I guess is a good reason. Then again, the ads did say nobody would have to buy new equipment as a result of the merger. Obviously, that's not the case. I called them to see if there was anything I could do, and they pretty much told me to buy a new radio. In other words, no freebies for this scribe. That sucks.

Having said that, NHL Home Ice is a quality station, well worth the extra $4 a month if you're a Sirius subscriber. Between Home Ice, the NHL Network, and NHL Center Ice, it's a great time to be a hockey fan. Those of us who have complained about the coverage of the league really can't say that anymore; today, we have all the tools we need. Who needs ESPN?

Ship Jumper...

Since the beginning of this blog, there has not been a player to go from the Islanders to the Rangers, or vice versa (and no, minor league enforcer Mitch Fritz does not count). Until today.

New York Islander fans, please welcome aboard 7th defenseman Thomas Pock. I don't know how to get the ".." over the "o" in his last name, but I do know you pronounce it poke, as in "can't poke check to save his life"

While he did have some offensive upside, his defensive game always lacked. He scored a lot of points in college (UMass), scoring a point per game or better his junior and senior years. 

He was always on the outside as a Ranger. In fact, GM Glen Sather thought Jason Strudwick and Marek Malik were better choices than him. A lot of Ranger fans thought he should have gotten more chances, but last year he couldn't be called up presumably because a team would have grabbed him off of waivers, much like the Islanders did.

He probably will be with the NHL club this year, as he is a better choice than Jack Hillen and Brett Skinner. He will probably rotate in and out as a 6th and 7th d-man with once, former, and future Islander Freddy Meyer.

Remembering Former Greats

As you may have heard, Shea Stadium closed its vaunted doors for good today. Never again will professional baseball be played in the Mets' now-former home. Fittingly, the Mets summed up 45 years of mediocre baseball by getting four hits in a game that, had they won, would have forced a one-game playoff for the Wild Card. Collapsing in September? Surely, you jest.

Anyway, watching the Mets pay tribute to their former legends - and isn't it interesting how important people in Shea Stadium history like the Jets and the Beatles were barely mentioned - I couldn't help but think about my Islanders. As we all know, no local team honors tradition like the Islanders. The Yankees do a good job as well but it's different with the Islanders. So often the Islanders have had to rely on their past to sell the present. Obviously, the Yankees don't have that problem. Neither do the Mets. So theoretically, today should have been a nice day to remember the good times at a ballpark that, quite frankly, didn't have very many.

As a devoted Islander fan who has seen more than his fair share of celebrations, I have to say the Mets nailed this one, even down to the questionable decision to do the ceremony after the game ended. This ended up being a good thing; by the time it was all over, I'd almost forgotten that the Mets performed an egregious chokejob for the second straight year. And even though it only amounted to Howie Rose reading out a bunch of names and then those players walking out onto the field, it was nice to see.

It's always interesting to see who gets the biggest reactions. It tends to be some combination of the biggest stars and those people who don't come around very often. I barely remember Al Arbour Night - it was my birthday and I was extremely hammered - but the biggest pops came for the guys we don't see very often, like Pat LaFontaine and Benoit Hogue. The Dynasty guys are here all the time; hell, half of them work for the team. It doesn't diminish anything they've done or their value to the team today, but it's worth noting that when fans get one shot to show their appreciation, they make the most of it.

That's what happened today at Shea Stadium. If I had to venture a guess, the loudest cheers were for Dwight Gooden and Mike Piazza. Not coincidentally, neither of them had been back at Shea since they retired. Piazza was so beloved by Mets fans that he received a curtain call when he hit a home run at Shea in 2006... while playing for the Padres. And while the surprising retiring of #31 never happened, it was nice seeing him as part of one of these things. The same can be said for when LaFontaine showed up at Arbour Night. As great as it is to see our heroes, sometimes it's even better when they keep themselves a bit more scarce.

What's my point?

Maybe it'd be wise to keep these ceremonies to a minimum. I love seeing the Islanders honor their past, but sometimes they go a bit overboard with it. They said after Core Of The Four that they weren't going to be doing any more elaborate ceremonies, but only time will tell. Meanwhile, the Mets never do this sort of thing, and I think that's why today was so important. At the same time, though, you don't want to end up like the Rangers and have a forty-year gap of time where nobody has any idea who even played for the team or how they did. I'd rather try too hard like the Islanders do, and that's not because I'm an Islander fan.

NHL 09...

Much like Islander Blogger Bryan, I have been playing NHL 09 solidly everyday since I got it (about 10 days ago). I started on "Rookie," the lowest of the 4 modes, hoping to learn the game, then blow teams out so I can move on to harder modes and make it a good game.

However, I find scoring impossible in this game. Is anyone else having the same trouble? The only move I consistently do that scores is Brandon Dubinsky coming across the blue line, moving his stick all the way left, then firing a wrist shot to the top right corner of the net.

For every game that I score 5 goals, there is a shutout and a bunch of 1 and 2 goal games.

It's beginning to feel like the real Rangers. Or maybe everyone is playing the trap.

Islanders Win Preseason Opener

The Islanders started their preseason on a positive note, beating the Bruins 2-1 in overtime. While it doesn't really mean anything, it never hurts to see the young guys playing well and beating another team, even if both teams were about a 50/50 split between NHL and AHL players.

Of course, since the game wasn't on TV last night - we wouldn't want anything to get in the way of the 2007 boxing match MSG Plus showed instead - we didn't get to watch this one. However, The Rivalry has come through with the real scoop on what happened last night. And away we go!

- The Islanders are back to their old tricks again, putting 38 shots on goal but only scoring twice. You have to applaud the effort that yields 38 shots, though you'd like to see more goals scored, especially against the likes of Tuuka Rask and Kevin Regan.

- The Islanders' winning tally was scored by Trevor Smith, which is all well and good. However, the Islanders have given him #77 for training camp. With all due respect to Mr. Smith, that number will always belong to Pierre Turgeon. Fun Fact: The last Islander to wear #77 was Cliff Ronning in 2003-04. Yes, I'd forgotten all about him as well.

- Jon Sim, the Isles' big catch on the first day of the 2007 free agent signing period, scored a power play goal. Everyone's already forgotten about Sim, but he should be able to do some pretty neat things on the Island. Sim also wore an A last night, apparently because there was nobody else better to wear it.

- New coach Scott Gordon claims he was expecting a "laundry list" of problems, but was pleasantly surprised. On one hand, so am I; on the other, it's a preseason game against the Bruins. It's not going to hold much water when they play real teams. Still, a nice starting point to be sure.

- New signee Yann Danis - remember that name - posted a clean sheet (or, as they say in America, a shutout) for the half of the game he played. Something tells me Danis is going to be on the big club before long. He's absolutely sick in NHL 09; in my Be A Pro season, his GAA is less than 1.

So, a quality opener for the Islanders, who could use a solid preseason to show their fans that the season isn't over before it starts. The Isles play again tomorrow night against the Flyers in London, Ontario. Again, no TV for this one, as the NetJets Showdown between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer is simply a must-see.

So Are Both NY Teams Going to Have a Number 93 This Season?...

This may just be crazy talk, and in a few months we might be laughing at the mere fact that we were even thinking about it (much like when we wondered if Dave Scatchard would be a Ranger, or how we were going to fit Michael Peca in under the Cap last year), but can Petr Nedved really become a Ranger?

First off, if you have told me in June that in the second preseason game of the year, I'd see Nik Zherdev, Marcus Naslund, and Petr Nedved all in Ranger blue, I would have called you crazy.

But was Petr Nedved not one of the best Rangers on the ice? He was everywhere, skating well, he scored in the first, he clanked a post on a great shot in the second. Not bad for a man who hasn't played an NHL game since March 2007. For the record, it was his first goal in an NHL game since January 2007. (He was a Cy Young winner in the Czech league last year, with 20 goals and 5 assists).

His main problem during his second stint with the Rangers (mostly in 2003-04) was his overplaying of the puck and refusal to shoot. He was Jagr-Straka-Nylander before they were cool. He played well with Radek Dvorak and Jan Hlavac, but when not flanked by those Czechs, he was out of his element. He was the cause of frustration for many a Ranger fan, although some of that frustration was wrongly thrown towards him. If memory serves me correctly, he was the only Ranger with a hat trick in 2002-03. 

What would happen if he can get rid of that cycling mentality and play a North American game? It isn't crazy to think of. He isn't that old - turning 37 in December - and he still had his legs under him. If he can adapt to a new style, would it really be awful to have him back? 

But, who would sit? Down the middle, there already are three bonafide NHL centers - Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Brandon Dubinsky. In the wings are Blair Betts, Dan Fritsche, and Artem Anisimov. Scratch Anisimov until next year, too skinny with a few flaws that need to be worked out. Say what you want about Betts' lack of scoring, but he is a great defensive forward who kills penalties better than anyone on the team. He also can score, as we witnessed a few times in the past few seasons. Remember his great end-to-end rush against Anaheim in November of 2006? Put him with someone besides Ryan Hollweg or Colton Orr, and he can improve his stats. Maybe Drury can go to wing, and Betts can be a center as well, because I see Betts as having a safe spot on this team.

So, how now, Dan Fritsche? The throw-in in the Zherdev trade, he doesn't score often (although his stats were not awful). I don't know if he is on a two-way contract, or what, but this might very well be a battle between Nedved and Fritsche for the 3rd or 4th line center position.

The Rangers have so many forwards for only 13 or 14 spots that it boggles the mind.

There's Only One... October!

...and thank God for that.

October is approaching, which means a number of things. Most notably, October brings about the baseball post-season, though one can't help but wonder how much publicity it'll get without the precious Yankees. We also get basketball training camps, which will surely get more airtime than the start of the NHL season. We'll also have football, both pro and college, in full swing, and for those soccer fans among us, the MLS playoffs, World Cup qualifying, and a critical portion of the European schedule.

Of course, we all know the real signifcance of October. Finally, it's hockey time. So, as you bide your time until hockey begins, watch the other sports and notice the things that make our game different.

As you watch the baseball regular season wind down, watch the elaborate celebrations that ensue after a team clinches a Wild Card or a Division Series win. Watch managers play certain players solely so that they can hit certain statistical milestones. Watch managers bench certain players solely so that they won't set dubious records such as most strikeouts in a season. Watch entire post-season schedules be turned upside down - and games end well after midnight - just so Fox can show its most ratings-friendly game in prime time.

As you watch the NFL with a group of fans who only care about the games for their impact on their fantasy teams, watch coaches punt from the 40 yard line because they don't want the media to criticize their playcalling. Watch defenders celebrate after the most routine of tackles and watch receivers celebrate before even reaching the end zone. Watch the two teams gather at midfield, shake hands, and chat and laugh like old college buddies, even though one of the teams just lost a huge game.

As you watch college football, watch top-ranked teams beat creampuff after creampuff, being tested only a handful of times per year. Watch the administrators continually refuse a playoff system because there's too much money in the meaningless bowl games that advertisers ogle over each year. Watch amateur athletes risk their physical well-being for an association that doesn't pay these players a dime, yet allows coaches to walk out on multi-million dollar contracts anytime a better offer comes along.

And then there's hockey.

In hockey, there's no niceties between opposing players. Each game is a war. And the only acceptable time to celebrate is after an overtime win or a Stanley Cup victory. Hockey fans gag at the thought of a team having a champagne celebration after a first-round series win. And yet, this is what baseball values - a made-for-TV event so that local Fox affiliates have something to show after the national TV broadcast is done. Baseball isn't alone, though; just about every sport out there is mostly concerned with television and advertising. And maybe it's only because nobody watches hockey, but hockey is all about the game. Always has been, always will be. So while the big names dominate the sports world over the coming month, realize that while hockey isn't the most popular sport, it's the most pure out there. We are all lucky to have it in our lives.

One last thing: After the media is done fellating itself over Yankee Stadium, they're finally going to tear that dump down. I can't wait to be the first to piss on the ashes. The Mets aren't much better, though; between the time they close up Shea Stadium and demolish it, they're going to sell every last thing in that stadium to the highest bidder. If that doesn't accurately describe the state of baseball, I don't know what does. Could you imagine the Islanders selling Coliseum seats or sheets of plexiglass? The thought makes me nauseous

Preseason!...

I don't care that the Rangers lost today. It's only preseason, and as we all know (or maybe some don't), the Giants, Patriots, and Colts all went 1-3 in preseason before winning the Super Bowl that year.

But I've never been quite so excited to see a preseason game played as I was today. It's been a while since the Rangers played hockey, just over 4 months, and they have a lot of redemption to do this year. It was a welcomed sight to see a bunch of white jerseys on the television today. It almost makes me wish I didn't sell my tickets to Monday's game at the Garden against the Senators.

It's going to be a good year, regardless of where our New York Rangers end up.

* * * 

A hearty farewell goes out to the world's biggest Brian Leetch fan, John Dellapina, who covered the Rangers for the Daily News (and was, subsequently, the only good part of that newspaper) since the 1994-95 season.

We never like to link to other blogs much at this site, but I must say, his goodbye blog is worth reading from a sports perspective. While many journalists like to hide their allegiance, Dellapina never wavered in being a Rangers fan, even during their playoff-less years. He had his dream job when he got to travel with and cover the Rangers, and he never pretended he wasn't less than thrilled to do it.

A good article from a good fan.

How Good Are Predictions?...

We know the gig. Everyone from a famous magazine, to a beat writer, to a blogger, to a hack buying a sandwich at Hot & Crusty before a Rangers' game makes predictions on the season before the puck drops, based on trades, offseason signings, and personal biases. Yes, personal biases. How else do you explain me picking the Rangers to make the playoffs in 2005-06 when everyone had them as dead? How else do you explain me and Larry Brooks both proclaiming them Stanley Cup champions in 2006-07, or me sending them to the Finals again last year?

Well, ever wonder just how accurate these predictions are? Before last season, I wrote down predictions from 4 sources - me, Newsday's beat writer Steve Zipay, Eklund from that rumor website, and ESPN (don't know who wrote the article, though).

After the season, I wrote down the real finishing order of both conferences, compared, and contrasted. I gave 2 points if the team finished in the exact spot predicted, and 1 point if they finished in or out of the playoffs as predicted, but with a different finishing order. For Newsday, he just listed "playoff teams" without a specific order, so I gave him 2 points for every team that made the playoffs that he predicted. Okay, without further ado, the results...

Second Place (tie)

In last place was ESPN, who only predicted 2 out of 6 division winners correctly (San Jose and Detroit). They thought both Atlanta and the Southeast-winning Capitals would be worse than actual worst-in-the-league Tampa Bay. They did have a lot of playoff teams, especially in the West, where the only team they overlooked was Minnesota (giving the nod to the Canucks, instead). 

24 points

Second Place (tie)

The bronze medal goes to The Rivalry's own Zach, who homered like no other, picking the Rangers to win the Atlantic (2nd overall in the east behind Ottawa), then winning the Stanley Cup by beating Calgary. Wow. Both of my Finals teams were out by the 2nd round. I also only had two spots dead-on, as I correctly predicted the Red Wings-Predators first round match-up that was. I as well had Tampa Bay to win their division, but I also had Washington making the playoffs. Uh, I also had Toronto in the playoffs and conference-winning Montreal on the outside looking in. Predicting the Flyers and Bruins to miss the playoffs? My bad. Like ESPN, I had 7 of 8 playoff teams in, only choosing Vancouver over the Wild.

24 points

Second Place (tie)

Newsday's correspondent Steve Zipay decided to not list an order and just put in who he thought would skate in the playoffs. His East was not too good, picking the Leafs, Hurricanes, and Sabres over actual-playoff teams Boston, Montreal, and Washington. In the West, he redeemed himself, going the ever-popular 7 of 8. The only blemish on his record their was Vancouver's missing of the playoffs. The team he left out - Nashville.

24 points

First Place

As much as it pains me, that Guy from the Site that announced "rumors" came in first place last year. He predicted the Penguins to come in 2nd in the East, the Capitals to come in 3rd, the Red Wings to win the West (easiest and most popular pick there was, apparently). He also capitalized on being from Philadelphia by picking the Flyers to make the playoffs. His only two mistakes in the East were Buffalo and Toronto, as he left out the Bruins and the Devils. He actually predicted the Devils to finish in 14th, with only Atlanta below them. In the West, his one mistake was, yes, Vancouver. He left out Dallas, who ended up 5th and dispatched the defending champion Ducks. He had Dallas coming in 13th, behind lottery teams St. Louis and Los Angeles.

27 points

So, what did we learn here? It's pretty tough to accurately predict, which is why we can't take them too seriously. The time will come on this blog when me and Bryan will make predictions, and both will put our favorite team way too high on the list. Well, at least he will. I'll put the Rangers where they will be at season's end - 1st, and he'll put the Islanders where he hopes they'll be - 9th. 

And the moral of the story is not to pick the Vancouver Canucks to do anything except lose, a tidbit I should've remembered from the year after the lockout, when I predicted them and Ottawa to be in the Stanley Cup finals, only to have them not make the playoffs.

Poor Economy...

Yesterday, we officially (in America) went from "an economic downswing" to "a poor economy." Yes, it is always darkest before the dawn, but America will be in a bad spot for a long time before it gets better. And yes, the economy is cyclical, but this is the bad portion of it.

How is that hockey news? I mean, technically, it's not. And this whole post might not make sense. Just warning you...

But say a family of four wants to go to a Rangers game and they live on Long Island. That's $14 x 4 for the round-trip train tickets. Tickets are, conservatively, $50 each. Already, we're at $256, and that's just getting there. Everyone gets a hot dog outside of The Garden. Dad is a big fella, so he gets two. $10. Four Hawaiian Punches, $4. Inside, a flag ($15) to commemorate Little Steve's first game, and a picture of Henrik Lundqvist ($12) because Julia wants something too. A few slices of New York's biggest (not best) pizza at Penn Station, and we're reaching $320 for a night out. That's very conservative as well. 

And going to a Ranger or Islander game is the cheapest of the sporting events. What's parking at Shea and Yankee Stadiums, $30? That makes the $8 beers look better in comparison. If you want to go to a Jets or Giants game, be prepared to spend $50 in gas sitting in traffic into New Jersey, then get gouged on parking, hot dogs, replica jerseys, and cheese hats that have nothing to do with New York.

Put simply, the owners of these teams do not care about you, the slumping economy, or making an enjoyable evening affordable. The players don't care either, which kills me. Why should I root for Alex Rodriguez if I know that my seats near third base are so expensive because he demands $27M a year to hit a ball (into a double play). 

The NHL instituted a Salary Cap in 2005. That year, the Cap was around $44M. This year, the MINIMUM of the Cap is higher than the MAXIMUM was then. That's great news, the NHL is making more money, more people are watching the games on TV and going in person. The game is doing good and won't fold. 

The reason that they raise the floor is so the owners won't keep all of the revenue. They are forced to put it back into the team, in the way of players salaries, as negotiated by the NHLPA. 

Instead of raising the floor so the owners don't keep all the money (see: Milwaukee Brewers of the early 2000s and the current Pittsburgh Pirates), why not put the money back where it came from? The fans. Don't raise ticket prices after every 2nd round knockout. Don't charge $5 for a 16 ounce bottle of Jana water that cost 26 cents to get. Wouldn't it be something if a team lowered ticket prices? 

Attendance will suffer this year. I might be wrong if a lot of tickets are already purchased, whether they be through a package like me, or a corporation who bought up season tickets. However, if things don't improve, things will get bad next year. So bad, that the Islanders might not sell 10,000 tickets per game, and Nashville will not hit their self-imposed minimum of 14,000. Corporate sponsors with ticket commitments for this year might drop out before 2009-10, leaving the owners with a choice. Stay in Nashville and lose money, or move, rent-free, to a state-of-the-art arena in Kansas City. 

Seriously, would Free Food Night, 75 Cent Popcorn Night, or lower ticket prices all year be a bad thing for a lot of franchises? I know the Rangers would never make ticket prices lower. It's the nature of the beast. A huge city, a rabid fan base, and corporate sponsors who buy the lower bowl of tickets unite to sell out every single home game. However, they gave free food away for the last game of the Knicks season last year, and in 2004 they had Retro Price Night on popcorn and cotton candy for an Original Six matchup against the Bruins that I went to. Would it kill them to offer Dollar Hot Dogs or free soda for a few games early in the year? 

I'm a realist. I know that James "Daddy Made Me Rich" Dolan will probably not do this. However, what about Charles Wang? Personally, I've said for a few years that the Islanders should make tickets $5-$10 for unsold ones before games. The game will be played regardless of who is in the building. Why not get more people in there and spending money? If the ticket cost me ten bucks, I'd be more willing to shell out $5 for a pretzel twist or $25 for an Okposo t-shirt. 

I don't know where I'm going with this. When I was doing my pretend "I'm a GM and I'm giving away half-priced tickets all year" speech in the mirror as I was washing my hands after a post-Mexican dinner deuce, this sounded a lot better.

But do you see where I'm going? Most owners don't care about us. It's not really the players' faults, as they just get what they can. I would too if I was one. Get what you can, while you can, especially in this day and age. But that's what screws us, the middle-class fans who can now only afford 2 games a year because gas is $3.89 a gallon and Chris Drury gets paid $121,000 for every point he had last year.

* * * 

In an effort to boost the economy, I bought XBox 360 and NHL 09 yesterday. Solid game, although I don't love the Be a Pro mode like my counterpart Bryan does. I'm a Dynasty guy, myself.

The Islanders' Dilemma

Yesterday, individual game tickets for the New York Islanders went on sale.

Did you get any? Did you even know they were going on sale? Do you even care?

If you're at this blog, odds are at least 50-50 that you care. You might have gotten tickets yesterday, or you might have gotten a package. Or you might have heard and chosen not to go, instead opting for the bevy of freebies that are sure to fall into your lap as the season progresses.

If you did know about the ticket sale, odds are good that you found out about it from the Islanders' official website. Because the only other way you'd know is if you frequent Newsday.com or, of course, actually read the paper. Either way, the Islanders have advertised fairly extensively through Newsday, as they should; Newsday is the only paper that sends a beat writer on the road and generally gives the Islanders the time of day. Newsday does a pretty good job with the Islanders, and they do an even better job when the alternatives are considered.

However, Newsday didn't mention a word about yesterday's event at the Coliseum. It's not because they're not talking about the Islanders. There have been a couple of articles about Scott Gordon and his transition into his new role as head coach. But nothing about ticket sales. Why? Because it's not newsworthy.

That's right. Ticket sales for your New York Islanders don't qualify as news.

Surprised? Don't be. This is a team that finished in the lottery last year and has only regressed since then. Sure, there's a bright future ahead for the Islanders, one that we might even get glimpses of this year. But this team is a tough sell to people that actually like the Islanders, let alone casual sports fans who are ambivalent about the Islanders.

Some people would say not to be alarmed by this; after all, the Islanders are rebuilding, and part of that includes rebuilding the fanbase. But this is a source of concern. And if you don't believe me, here's proof.

On Tuesday morning, I contemplated calling in sick, as I do each and every day. And as I do each and every day, I reported to work. When I got to work, I received an e-mail advertising a company discount for Islanders Opening Night tickets of up to 50% off face value.

Re-read that last sentence.

It has been said that the only guaranteed sellouts for the Islanders in any given year are the Ranger games and Opening Night. And yet, I have the Islanders offering me 50% off tickets for Opening F'ing Night.

If you were Charles Wang, Chris Dey, or whoever's in charge of ticket sales, what would you rather do - discount tickets and look desperate, or charge full price and face the chance of an Opening Night crowd of 13,000? Tough call, indeed. Either way, you lose. And either way, Islander fans look like they don't care, which isn't necessarily true. But in cases like these, there's a trade-off. You either draw the big house with minor-league promotions, like last year, or you play in front of an empty house while pretending everything's okay, like the Islanders did so often during the late 90s.

Sad to say, but this is going to get worse before it gets better. Until the Islanders have a team that doesn't have to claw and scrape just for the 8th seed - and this at least two years away - fans aren't going to turn out in droves. And that has nothing to do with the crumbling state of the Coliseum, injuries, or any of the other excuses people conveniently bring up when defending this team.

Look, I'll be there as often as I can this year. A lot of other fans out there can say the same. And the Islanders will still sell out for holiday day games and Ranger games. But the key to consistently filling up any building is bringing in casual fans who aren't obsessed with hockey like we all are. That's where the Islanders are going to struggle. They're not the Rangers, who have loyalty from fans and corporations alike. The Islanders sell to blue-collar fans from Long Island, and as much as they've tried to make their seats affordable, people just aren't going to be motivated to turn out if the on-ice product is lacking.

I Love America...

We're still here. Well, atleast I am. I can't say for sure as I haven't heard from Bryan in about two weeks. That's not a surprise seeing as the Gay Porn Stars Convention is in town and Bryan has a binder full of nude photos to get signed.

I'm waiting to do a post because I don't know where a notebook is that I need for data. To be honest, I haven't even looked for it. When I do though, oh, there will be a post.

I'm going to Atlantic City this weekend to recoup my losses in Las Vegas, so be prepared for a doozy of a data-crunching, prediction-killing post Sunday night.

My Ranger tickets arrived today. When you get an 11-game package, you get rubber bands around a stack of purple, boring tickets. If you get a half-season plan like I did, then you get two bound ticket books, one holding all the tickets for Seat 6, the other will all the tickets from Seat 7. Every ticket has a different picture as well. It's actually very cool except that one has a fat guy (not me) showing his crappy Rangers tattoo (not mine).

And while it's a far cry from having Marc Staal or Petr Prucha deliver tickets, the FedEx guy was a welcomed sight.

NHL 09 Initial Thoughts

Zach and I don't agree on much here, but here's one thing we've both gone on record saying - NHL 08 is the greatest hockey game ever. Truly a superlative effort, one that I really didn't know how EA could possibly top. Well, seeing as how it's a new year, they have to try. Okay, they really don't; they could just release the same game each year like they do with Madden.

NHL 09 is one of those games where you worry that they might change too much. Last year's game was so perfect that any change could take away the subtleties that made the game great. At the same time, nobody wants to play the same game for two years straight.

What to do?

That's what we're here for. While NHL 09 isn't hitting stores until Tuesday, we have obtained a copy of the game's interactive demo. And by "obtained", I mean I downloaded it off X-Box Live, which anybody can do. Hooray for inside access!

(Note: Speaking of inside access, EA can shove it. Seriously. I can't really get into it here, but let's just say they majorly screwed over myself and my buddies over at GameFAN.)

The online demo only has two teams, the Red Wings and the Penguins. It doesn't matter. The demo does what it needs to do - show us what's different and leave us wanting more. The second one was a lot easier to accomplish than the first.

Real quick, the Play Now mode is almost identical to last year's, at least on the surface. But there's a lot more here. You can still do pretty much everything you loved doing last year, but things are a bit more refined now. The biggest change to the gameplay is the improved poke-checking and something called the "Defensive Skill Stick". This lets you lift the stick of opponents so that they can't control the puck. Aside from that, everything just works better. It's harder to gain the neutral zone because opponents don't simply back off like they used to. Slapshots from the point with no traffic in front, just like in real life, are essentially useless. Shots have a better chance of missing the net, but shots that are on target have a greater probability of being deflected. There's also supposed to be a new and improved fighting module, but it's hard to test; the demo starts your game in the third period, when it's all but impossible to start a fight.

These changes are all well and good, but the big addition this year is the Be A Pro Mode. Not unlike the Superstar Modes we've seen the past few years in Madden and FIFA, Be A Pro lets you take control of one player and one player only. So, in the demo, you can either control Sidney Crosby or Henrik Zetterberg. You can't switch guys, you don't change lines; you don't do anything but move that one player around the entire game. This is where your hockey acumen really gets tested. Anyone can pull off the same old cheap moves to score goals, but it takes a smart player to get a player into position when he doesn't have the puck. It's a whole new world of gameplay, one that looks like it's going to be a lot of fun, but we hope it doesn't render a traditional game obsolete as has happened in the Madden series. In the real game, you'll have the option to either play as an established NHL player or create your own guy and have him start out as a third-liner in the AHL. Either way, the mode is a lot of fun, but be careful - all the crazy camerawork will have you nauseous before long.

All in all, a quality demo. You might be underwhelmed at first, particularly if you've played NHL 08 religiously and don't see that many differences off the bat. But the demo shows you enough where you'd give the full version of NHL 09 a try, and that's all you can really ask for.

Maybe The Islanders Aren't So Bad

Note: What follows is a true story, with Islander and NHL figures replacing the guilty/innocent. Disregard time discrepancies, as this would be impossible to piece together without bending things a bit. Enjoy... if you dare.

Imagine Charles Wang buys the New York Islanders in early 2007. In his first act, he fires Brad Shaw and replaces him with Ted Nolan. Wang's big bucks and dedication to restoring the club's reputation with fans gave him high marks in the Islanders community, and everyone is assured he'll spend big bucks to restore the team to its former glory.

Imagine Ted Nolan doesn't work out and that the Islanders are in 12th place in the East at the All-Star Break of the 2007-08 season. Wang, not wanting to entirely waste a season, fires Nolan. Sensing that he needs to do something drastic to keep his fans interested, he brings back the biggest name in franchise history - Al Arbour. Arbour dramatically improves just about everything he touches. Not only are the fans invigorated, but the team itself goes on a tear to close out the season. They miss the playoffs, but there is plenty of optimism to go around.

Imagine July 1 rolls around and the Islanders are expected to be the biggest of spenders. Arbour, in his role as coach and general manager, promises the Islanders faithful that the club is going to be a major player in free agency. Wang even gets in on the act, proclaiming there's a "WOW Signing" in the works. The fans whip themselves into a frenzy, constantly speculating which elite players they'll be bringing in.

Imagine the free agency period is drawing to a close, and the only players the Islanders sign are Jason Blake and Jason Smith. Furthermore, the Islanders have traded Mike Comrie away for draft picks. Arbour proclaims he has some aces up his sleeve and that the Islanders are going to break camp with some new blood; also, the money the Isles won't be paying Comrie will be re-invested in the free agent market. Speculation is rampant as to who these new players will be.

Imagine training camp rolls around with no new signings. The fans are furious and Arbour starts dropping hints to the media that his hands are tied. The day before camp, Arbour swings a deal for Antoine Vermette, then announces the Islanders' roster is set heading into the pre-season.

Imagine Charles Wang and his board brings Al Arbour in for a series of meetings. The media immediately assumes the worst and reports that Arbour has resigned. They later change their tune a bit, stating that Arbour was fired. The next day, the Islanders issue a statement on their website, stating that Arbour is still their coach and the two parties are still in meetings. The day after that, the two parties are still talking, this time about something called "mutual consent". Before the day is done, Arbour announces his resignation - this time for real.

Imagine the fallout from this falling out. Islander fans immediately take Arbour's side and swarm the Nassau Coliseum to protest the decision. The fans take to the Internet and post death threats directed at Wang and his cronies. There's even talk of a player revolt led by Pavel Bure, the oft-injured sniper who's rediscovered his scoring touch under Arbour. Bure, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, is sure to leave for nothing, assuring the team will return to the doldrums which they've inhabited for the better part of the past decade.

Imagine this happened to your Islanders.

Imagine this could happen to any professional sports club.

Well, guess what. The above story is an entirely accurate depiction of the past eighteen months at the Newcastle United Football Club, currently ranked fourth in the Barclay's Premier League in England. Substitute Mike Ashley for Charles Wang, Kevin Keegan for Al Arbour, Michael Owen for Pavel Bure, and you've pretty much got the whole story. Crazy, right?

Figures that as soon as I fall for this team, they fall into a state of disarray. Maybe I'm just a giant jinx to all my teams. Then again, Newcastle hasn't won a major trophy since 1955 and last won the league title since 1927, a drought Ranger fans could certainly relate to.

The moral of the story? No matter how much people love to dump on the Islanders, no matter how many times the Islanders make themselves look like the laughingstock of the league, no matter how many times the Islanders place backup goalies into prominent roles in the organization... it could always be worse. And in the case of Newcastle United, much worse. That said, if the Islanders ever go through a three-day period where nobody can tell if their coach is still coaching them, shoot me.

EDIT: I forgot the best part! Imagine Charles Wang really emulated Mike Ashley. As in, instead of sitting in the press box like a stuffed shirt, he sat with the fans, wore a replica jersey to every game, and was caught on camera chugging a pint of beer. Wouldn't we all love our team just a little bit more?

Fantasy Hockey

Today's a football day, no question. With the first game of the season tonight, everyone's abuzz about football. Especially in New York, as the Giants prepare to raise their Super Bowl banner in just six hours. In preparation for this, everybody's taking the time to make sure everything is in order - that they have plans for tonight's game, that their fantasy lineups are set, that their survival pool picks are in, so on and so forth. If you hate football, it's not a very pleasant day.

However, here's something to brighten your day. Those of us who don't feel like it's really hockey season unless they have a fantasy hockey team to follow are in luck. Yahoo has, at long last, unveiled this year's game. Details are a bit iffy at the moment (read: fantasy sites are blocked at my job), but it should be the same greatness as we're accustomed to. It's funny how everyone defaults to Yahoo for fantasy sports, even though there are better sites out there.

Anyway, if you want to start working on your pre-season scouting for sleepers, busts, and clever team names, you are now able to do so. We'll probably have some kind of fantasy thing before the season begins, and it'll almost certainly include Zach talking about the importance of faceoffs. For now, though, take the Giants and the points tonight, the Eagles in your survival pool, and enjoy this night of football with the knowledge that hockey is just four weeks away.

P.S. I bet Madden mentions Brett Favre before they even sing the National Anthem.

Mats Sundin

With the regular season just a month away, one big name remains unsigned. That, of course, would be Mats Sundin, who just can't seem to decide what he wants to do. Many are comparing him with Brett Favre, who could stake a serious claim to being the biggest drama queen in the history of professional sports. However, there's a more apt comparison for Sundin's current state; it's just not a popular one.

Roger Clemens.

People forget that Clemens was the first player to do the whole "I'm going to wait till the season starts, then name my team and my price" thing that's so popular these days. Michael Strahan got to skip training camp last year for doing this. Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer got heroes' welcomes when they returned to Anaheim last winter. Hell, Clemens himself did it three years in a row, culminating in last year's $28 million debacle. But hey, he got his money, right?

And that's what Sundin is banking on. He knows that if he waits long enough, someone's going to get hurt and that team is going to need a big-time replacement. Sundin, then, would essentially have the team by the balls. He could command that widely-reported $10 million figure and end up on a Cup contender, and all he'd have to do is be patient.

It looks like he's already got that part down; he's already stated he's not going to decide anything before the start of the season. And why should he? He's so much better served taking his time and seeing how things develop. There are plenty of teams with plenty of cap room - and plenty of holes to fill. Those holes will only get bigger as the season progresses. Why commit now when you can commit later, get paid (and treated) like a king, and still have a shot at winning a Cup?

In other words, we can stop with the "Sundin to the Islanders" rumors; they were comical at best to begin with. But could Sundin end up with the Rangers if they feel they still miss Jaromir Jagr? Absolutely. And if it happens, I just hope he shows up in James Dolan's press box at MSG to announce his comeback. "Well, they came and got me out of Stockholm..."

Now that would be an unforgettable moment.

2 Things That Make Me Smile, 1 That Makes Me Mad...

Things That Make Me Happy

 by Zach

1) The Islanders must not have gotten the Rangers email about me getting a 22-game package for next season because they mailed my house (how did they get my address?) and told me that if I pay for my Islander package by October 1, I get an autographed Kyle Okposo stick. While I appreciate the offer, and it amuses me that Okposo hit on my friend at the beach, I politely declined their offer by ripping it up and tossing it in the trash.

2) The Islanders web site advertises "DP at NHL store." If there wasn't a picture of goalie Rick DiPietro, I would have been under the impression that EJ Hradek and Don LaGreca were double-teaming some poor female Washington Capitals fan at the corner of 6th and 47th in Times Square.

Thing That Makes Me Mad

 by Zach

1) I don't like to get political on this blog, even though I searched high and low for a picture of Sarah Palin in a Dayton Bombers (Columbus's ECHL team) jersey because I thought it was cool. 

But something made me very mad today. Did you know that Elliot Spitzer, former Governor of NY, passed a law a year ago decreeing it illegal in Nassau County for strippers to go topless on stage? Now, they have to wear pasties.

For the record, that was 6 months before he got de-credited -- for having unprotected sex with a high-end whore on multiple occasions.

In hockey terms, it's like Rick DiPietro enacting a law banning the curve of the blade of a forward's stick, while wearing oversized pads himself.

Or in real terms, it's like me passing a law saying strippers must wear pasties on stage.

Some people are such scumbags it amazes me. What a two-faced bastard. I didn't think he was such a douchebag when he was caught cheating on his wife (and breaking his own laws), but now I see him as an ego-maniacal hypocrite who only cares about getting his own nut off.

Five Ways I'd Change The NHL

Yeah, so after seeing Puck Daddy's series, every hockey blog on the entire Internet has done one of these. But honestly, what else is there to write about?

1) Reduce the size of goalie equipment. I know they've been working on this one, and I know we've seen worse. But the average hockey fan can't tell who the really good goalies are because so many guys can stop any shot just by getting square to the shooter. Pads are supposed to protect the goalie, not the net. Clearly, we could do a little better in this area. Smaller pads would not only increase scoring, which we all know the NHL desperately wants, but would also separate the elite goalies from the Garth Snows of the world.

2) Ban all non-wooden sticks. It's not fair that everyone dumps on the size of goalie pads when 90% of NHL players have enhanced shots thanks to composite sticks. It's not quite the difference between an aluminum baseball bat compared to a wooden one, but the shooters have an unfair advantage. And if we're going to be reducing the size of these goalies, the shooters have to make a bit of a concession as well. Besides, if I see one more slapshot from the point ruined because a composite stick decides to shatter upon impact, I'm going to scream.

3) Make replica jerseys more affordable. If you enjoy wearing your team's colors, it's going to cost you dearly. A RBK Edge jersey from NHL.com, currently "on sale", costs $114.99. A pre-customized jersey you'd buy at Dick's or Modell's costs $149.99. That's ridiculous. For that price, you could buy two NFL or MLB jerseys. Word-of-mouth advertising - or, in this case, word-of-clothing advertising - does more than anything else to elevate a league. The more someone sees of a league and their apparel, the less likely they are to tune the product out. The NHL could do worse than to see thousands more people wearing their stuff.

4) Get the NHL Network on basic cable. On Cablevision, NBA TV is a top-tier channel and the NFL Network isn't even available. The upcoming MLB Network will be available as a basic channel. The NHL would do well to join them. Not only would this be a bone thrown to the many fans who don't get Versus, but it'd do the league a world of good in terms of exposure. You'd take fans who are completely unable to watch hockey and are therefore unable to get into the game, and you'd be able to transform them into knowledgable, attentive fans. It'd cost money, sure, but the NHL Network has plenty - and I mean, plenty - of ad space to sell.

5) Copy baseball's scheduling format. We can pretty much all agree that the NHL could schedule its games better. They should look at how baseball does it. In baseball, the divisional games are pretty much all played in April, June, and September. The relatively meaningless interleague games are played in May and June, and the other games fill in the blanks. Why couldn't hockey do this? You could play all the divisional games in October, November, and March/April. Throw the inter-conference games in during January or so, when nobody's paying attention to hockey to begin with, and then play the rest of the games whenever it's convenient. This way, you only have teams making one cross-country trip each, and you have the rivalry games when they really matter - at the beginning of the season and the end of the season. Lastly, each team would be required to do one home-and-home series - on consecutive nights - with each significant geographical rival. So while the Islanders might only do one with the Rangers, the Rangers would do one with both the Islanders and the Devils.

We're Almost There

We've finally reached Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.

Thank God.

It can be said that hockey fans are more passionate about their favorite sport than anybody else. And as wonderful as baseball can be, everyone's probably a little sick of hearing about the third-place Yankees. Just the same, we've all heard a little too much about Brett Favre this month. Time to move on.

Thankfully, the NHL season isn't all that far away. Well, okay, maybe it is. But training camp isn't far off at all. The Rangers open up their training camp on September 16th, just over two weeks away. The Islanders... well, we don't know when they're going to start their training camp. Their website doesn't say. Because, you know, nobody would want to know when their team opens training camp or anything. Their first pre-season game is September 23rd, so take that as you will.

With every preseason game for both teams airing on TV this year, it'll be easier than ever to catch hockey fever early. It'll also be a good opportunity to see what each team has in store for us. Ranger fans are dreaming about a Cup run, and with good reason. Islander fans are thinking first overall draft pick, and with good reason. At this point, it doesn't really matter how our teams do. We just want our game back.

You can only watch so much NHL Network over the summer. How many first-round games from 2007 can one take? It's almost time for the real sports season to begin, and I could not be more excited.

The Islanders might be a seriously awful team this year. You know what? I don't care. I just want to see them play some games. I want to draft a fantasy hockey team and be utterly disgusted with it immediately afterward. I want to see who's going to get off to a hot start, who's going to get hurt early, and which coach is the first to be canned. And now that September is here, it all seems like it's so much closer than it was just days ago.

Which is a great thing. If I have to hear one more outlandish quote from Hank Steinbrenner, I might kill somebody. As Zach said, bring on the winter. Bring on the NHL.