Game 1: Devils 2, Islanders 1

A little late, but some thoughts on attending Opening Night:
 - Judging from the scene in the parking lot, it was as though hockey never left. I was in attendance at the last Opening Night, and even though it was much colder on this night, it was a similar scene. Lots of socialization and camaraderie among Islanders fans, which was great to see.
 - We intended to hit Champions for a pre-game dinner, but because of a long wait it didn't happen. Instead, we ended up joining some friends for a tailgate. We were quickly recruited for a game of flip cup, which was a lot of fun. Even though I barely knew anybody, I felt I was among friends.
 - Not sure how it came across on TV, but after the first stoppage everybody sort of stood up and applauded. Indeed, being at the game helped to sate the negative feelings of the lockout. It's like if your girlfriend does something to get you upset - you're much better off confronting the issue than staying at home and letting it fester. Being among fans really helped me to move on, and I'm sure many fans in attendance felt the same way.
 - The roar after the Hamonic goal was deafening. I hadn't heard the Coliseum so loud since the 2002 playoffs. Say what you want about the Coliseum, but I assure you that you won't hear that kind of roar in Brooklyn in two years.
 - Even though the Islanders lost, I still had a great time. I'm truly glad I got to attend and spend Opening Night with so many other diehard fans. I'll let other pundits critique the Isles' play - I'm just glad they're back.

Point Blank Night

Chris Botta held his annual Point Blank Night at Social tonight, and The Rivalry was in attendance. Here are some notes from a quality evening...

 - Social is a pretty nice place. I'm a graduate student at Hofstra, so I always pass by it and dismiss it as an average Hofstra bar. Turns out it's not a bad place at all. I'd go back there again. However, I did not notice the requisite touch-screen machine with Photo Hunt that's present in every bar everywhere.

 - I arrived at Social around 7:50 or so. I had to take a midterm right before (it was harder than I thought, but I still did well) and so it was nice to head out and blow off some steam afterward. What was also nice was that the Islanders were already winning 1-0 when I got there. Sadly, I missed out on the complimentary shot after that goal.

 - The food was catered by Danny Gagnon, who was on a show called Top Chef that I've never heard of. I never got the appeal of these cooking shows. But this food was all kinds of awesome. Truly impressive stuff. And it was free!

 - I didn't even get a beer before Tampa Bay tied the game at 1-1. Bergenheim, of course. Where were those moves last year?!?!?

 - Social was pretty packed, and it was clear that the focus of the night was the Islanders game. A small TV showed the NLCS game, which was nice for those who are stuck with Cablevision and can't watch the series. Every other TV was on the Islanders game, and virtually every person in there was dressed in Islanders gear. Except for me, that is; I forgot to bring a change of clothes, so I was the d-bag in his shirt and tie from work earlier in the day.

 - I couldn't stay for the whole game because I'm married with kids and so I don't get to have any fun anymore. But before I left, Botta took the mic to thank everyone for coming. He also announced that Billy Jaffe was in attendance, which brought a large cheer from the crowd.

 - On my way out, I wanted to see if I could find Botta, but I couldn't do it. But then, I turned around and noticed two guys with bald spots watching the game. It was Botta and Jaffe at the same table, watching the game! My brother encouraged me to say hello, which I usually never do, but I wanted to say thanks to both of them for their contributions to my enjoyment of Islanders hockey. So I ran over there at a stoppage, apologized for interrupting, said my piece, shook both their hands, and got out of there. Both men were extremely gracious - Jaffe even got up out of his seat - and I came away liking both of them even more than I did before.

 - I wanted to share this story with Botta, but I didn't want to keep him. My mom used to work with his mom at North Shore-LIJ. When my mom bought me "Pride and Passion", the "official" Islanders coffee table book that Chris co-wrote, my copy ended up getting in Chris' hands so that it could get autographed by some Islanders. It came back to me some time later with Al Arbour's signature. I still have that book today, and much of it holds up pretty well. However, the full-page picture of Dan Plante, future Islanders scrub who was hailed as a cornerstone of the future, does not hold up very well.

 - I got home in time to see the end of the third period and the overtime, in which the Islanders scored a much-debated goal to win the game. Watching the game on MSG Plus 2 in standard definition was a rude awakening as to how life will change when I switch to Verizon FiOS next month and say goodbye to Islanders HD games forever. On a night like tonight, it was very inconvenient, especially when it came to judging the merits of the game-winning goal. Butch Goring claimed it "clearly" went in, which I guess is why he was calling the game and Billy Jaffe was drinking beers at Social. Either way, it's an Islanders win, and I'll definitely take it.

 - One last note on tonight. As Jaffe himself might say about himself, here's a guy who was canned by the Islanders just months ago. And yet, he came out to watch his former team play. He came to an event hosted by Chris Botta, who was let go as an Islanders-sanctioned blogger more than a year ago, but continues to blog about the team. On color commentary was Butch Goring, a former player who was unceremoniously dumped by the Islanders as coach in 2001, yet still sticks around on Islanders telecasts. Three men who have every right to be bitter towards the Islanders organization, but who have willingly stuck around. Does this happen elsewhere, in other cities for other teams? I don't think so.

I guess you could say the same about Islanders fans. For all of the crap we fans give the Islanders, we've all stuck around. Things might finally be starting to turn the corner with this team, and we all deserve to take pride in that. On this night, seeing the scene at Social, and even seeing some spurned people show their loyalties, it made me very proud to be an Islanders fan.

My Favorite Islanders Games Of The Decade

I'm going to the Islanders game tomorrow night. Not only is it my first game of the year, but it's the last home game the Islanders will play in this decade. It hasn't been the best decade in terms of wins and on-ice success, but I've had a ball attending games over the past ten years. Here are the games I've attended that stand out in my mind. It's crazy... the first of these games took place during my freshman year of college. Ten years later, I'm out of school, I've gotten a "real job", I've gotten married and have fathered two kids. And through it all, the Islanders have been solidly mediocre. (Zing!)

Without further adieu, here's the list, broken down by season.

1999-00

- 2.12.00 - Islanders 5, Penguins 1. This was the unquestioned highlight of yet another craptastic year by the Islanders. It drew an unusually large crowd because the game was the host of a protest against SMG, but I didn't really care about that back then. Instead, I cared because it was a game and it was part of my Valentine's Day date with my then-girlfriend Leslie. This was before I realized that you're not supposed to take a girl to a hockey game for Valentine's Day. Either way, it worked; she now has season tickets and her own Islanders blog. Anyway, this game came at a point in time where I was starting to get very interested in hockey again after a few years where the losing drove me away a little bit. That they blew out the dominant Penguins was huge and quite unexpected.

2000-01

- 1.2.01 - Canadiens 3, Islanders 0. There are three things I remember about this game. First, we went with some sort of church youth group and got really good seats. Second, the people we went with thought Zdeno Chara was hilarious and awful and mocked him constantly. Of course, he was hilarious and awful back then. Third, and most importantly, Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore sealed this one by shooting a puck into the empty net that was on our side of the ice. At the time, I was pretty distraught. Then, I realized that only like five goalies have ever scored goals, and I came to realize the significance of the achievement.

Honorable Mention: 11.24.00, Rangers 4, Islanders 3 (first Isles-Rangers game)

2001-02

- 10.13.01 - Red Wings 5, Islanders 4. The score sheet will show that the Islanders blew a lead with under ten seconds left, then lost the game in overtime. But this was the night when the culture at Nassau Coliseum really began to change. Charles Wang came out for the home opener ceremonies and referred to the "first-place Islanders" to a huge ovation. It was also the home debut for both Alexei Yashin and Chris Osgood (Michael Peca was injured). Yes, the Islanders lost the game, but it was a huge sign of things to come.

- 10.20.01 - Islanders 2, Sharks 2. I was named after Bryan Trottier, so when tickets went on sale for the retirement of #19, I was all over it. Not only was Trottier my namesake, but #19 was my number in soccer and hockey. I asked my dad to go, but he turned me down, so I took my (then-girlfriend, but future) wife. The Wednesday before this game, my dad died suddenly, and the funeral was scheduled for the morning of this game, which had a 1 PM start time. I wasn't sure what was the norm for this situation, so I went straight from the funeral to the game. Within two or three hours of each other, I saw my dad laid to rest and then saw the name and number he gave me raised to the Coliseum rafters. It was only years later that I saw the symbolism in all this, and even now I don't totally know what it's supposed to represent, but it's quite eerie.

- 4.28.02 - Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 3. It's impossible to convey the emotion of this game, and this series in general, to someone who didn't experience it. But I'll put it this way. Zach, your Rangers blogger who HATES the Islanders, was at this game... and CHEERED for the Islanders. That's how intense it got. It was the game after Gary Roberts and Darcy Tucker injured Kenny Jonsson and Michael Peca respectively, so the crowd was at a fever pitch. And everyone remembers the fights at the end of the game, but that wasn't even the loudest moment of the night. Before the game, they played a highlight package to "Going the Distance" from the Rocky soundtrack. After the montage, the screen went black and displayed the following... "Let's win this one... for Michael and Kenny." The place went ballistic. I was at Shea Stadium for Endy Chavez's catch in the 2006 playoffs, and the raucous scene after that catch didn't even compare to the Coliseum at that moment. Sure, it's a bit sad that the sporting highlight of my lifetime so far was a non-deciding game of a first-round series the Islanders didn't even win. But there was something so special about that series. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

Honorable Mention: 10.28.02 - Islanders 3, Stars 2 (Peca scores on a breakaway in OT to win the game)

2002-03

No games

2003-04

Honorable Mention: 4.12.04 - Lightning 3, Islanders 0 (First Coliseum tailgate)

2004-05

No games :-(

2005-06

- 2.2.06 - Rangers 5, Islanders 2. This was the first game I attended after the lockout; it was also the first game I attended with Zach. More importantly than these events, though, it was the night I had my first ever pretzel twist. Clearly, it would not be the last. The other thing I remember about this night was being harassed and cursed at for wearing an Islanders jersey, even though the Islanders were the home team.

2006-07

Honorable Mention: 3.8.07 - Rangers 2, Islanders 1 (Simon-Hollweg incident, controversial no-goal call in final minute)

2007-08

- 10.6.07 - Islanders 3, Rangers 2. This game was our first experience with parking lot hockey. Unfortunately, we didn't know enough to bring tennis ball instead of the hard plastic Mylec balls, so we dented a few cars. Sorry. Adding to the pre-game fun was Zach showing up with at least twenty 24-ounce beers for pre-game festivities. The game itself was great, as I attended the game with three Rangers fans and I was able to talk trash to them all night long. Lastly, after the game ended, we went back to our friend Lou's house and played some midnight hockey. Despite being extremely hammered, I managed to score five goals, then threw up immediately after the fifth goal. Good times.

- 11.6.07 - Islanders 3, Rangers 2. The third period of this game was probably the best period of hockey I've ever seen live. The Isles were down 2-1 in the third, but tied it up and later scored to win the game. I still recall Miroslav Satan playing the point late in the third and just having a great feeling about what was coming next. Sure enough, it played out exactly the way my mind had scripted it. I yelled "NOW!", and at that exact second, Satan pinched in from the point, got a pass in the slot and fired it past Henrik Lundqvist for the game-winning goal. This game was on Versus and I was furious that my DVR ran out of space before the amazing third period. I would have saved it forever.

- 12.13.07 - Islanders 3, Coyotes 2. I'd gone to games before with Zach, but this was the first (and, so far, only) time we've gone to a game by ourselves. As cheesy as it sounds, it was a great night of in-depth hockey talk between two people who are a little too into the game - as it turned out, we started this blog two months later. The Coliseum was empty that night due to a bad ice storm, so we had our run of the place and moved all over the arena. We both wore our Gretzky jerseys in the hopes of meeting The Great One after the game. The Coyotes bus didn't stop for us, but he did give us a smile and a wave. That's more than I can say for Jon Sim, who got out of his car to sign autographs... only nobody actually wanted him to sign anything. Ouch.

- 3.21.08 - Islanders 3, Devils 1. This was my first time seeing the Islanders on the road. Rooting for your team at a road game is a totally unique experience. It was a blast. It helped that there were tons of Islanders fans there that night, even though the Isles were nowhere near playoff contention. The trip was also a tremendous eye-opening opportunity to see what a state-of-the-art arena could be like. I couldn't believe how gorgeous the Prudential Center was, and I couldn't help but think about how great the Lighthouse would look. In the end, it was Kyle Okposo's first career goal - the game winner on that night - that would be my best memory of this evening.

2008-09

- 11.26.08 - Penguins 5, Islanders 3. The Islanders blew this game in true 2008-09 fashion by choking away a three-goal lead, just like I knew they would. But this game is memorable because I got to watch it from the lofty perch of the Blog Box. As a result, not only did I get free admission and free parking, but I also got to rub noses with guys like Stan Fischler and Chris Botta. Best of all, I got to enter the Islanders locker room. For a kid who always dreamed of playing for the Islanders, this was beyond cool. I'm not sure if it could get any better than that.

A Few Notes on an Off Day...

First off, I would like to thank longtime loyal NY Hockey Rivalry reader Lou for the seat upgrade at Monday's game against the Sharks. Thanks to Lou, who had two extra tickets, me and my friend moved up to Section 94 - the purple seats in the lower bowl, 10 rows from the ice. Lou deftly knocked off a 22 ounce Heineken, a footlong hot dog with kraut, and a pretzel with mustard. Yours truly had his own 22 ounce Amstel Light, a pretzel, and popcorn. Pretzel was tasty (though not Nassau Coliseum-esque). Popcorn was not very good. Actually, of the 4 words on the box of popcorn, only one was true: Fresh Popcorn, Delicious! Crisp!

Second, I want to mention that Cory Murphy was placed on waivers by the New Jersey Devils. A few times in the past, I'd mentioned that I wanted to see Murphy in a Rangers sweater. While it's not a pressing manner, I still think he'd be worth a shot as a 7th defenseman. He is 31, played college in New York (Colgate) and pro in Finland before coming to America in his late 20s. He can lead the power play pretty well but was never given the chance in Florida or Tampa Bay, and the Devils apparently gave up on him after being a -1 in 3 games.

Third, I am making my glorious return to Montreal in early 2010. In February of 2008, right before this website started, I went to a Rangers game at the Bell Centre. It was actually Super Bowl Sunday, the day the Giants beat the Patriots, and it was the only NHL game on the docket. The Rangers were down 3-0 but wound up winning 5-3 in an incredible game.

So this year, I return. January 23. Anyone else going to be there?

Your 2009-10 New York Islanders Drinking Game, Version 1.0

When we first started this blog, one of our first posts was an Islanders drinking game. At the time we posted the game, the Islanders were a below-average team, but they were a far cry from the 30th overall team we saw last year. When your team is really bad, sometimes it can get tough watching the team play.

That's where we come in.

The 2009-10 New York Islanders should be a significant improvement over last year's team, but it doesn't necessarily mean they'll get better results. With this in mind, here's something to keep you interested. If nothing else, we hope it'll keep you laughing (and drinking), something much easier said than done with this team. We'll update this as it becomes necessary.

And away we go!

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ANNOUNCERS

Drink every time...

- Billy Jaffe stares into the camera with a creepy half-smile while Howie is talking

- Howie Rose or Billy Jaffe reference their listeners on the radio. Chug if they use the phrase "Out In Radio Land".

- A sponsored segment is introduced. Chug if it's a Panasonic Digital Replay.

- Howie or Billy makes a bad pun

- Howie states that coincidental minors "will not affect on-ice manpower"

- Howie dismisses a late-game penalty as "just bookkeeping"

- Billy says something that could be construed as homer-ish. Chug if Billy precedes it with something like "Not to sound like a homer, but..."

- Stan Fischler appears on the intermission report. Chug if he's the best-dressed member of the crew. Take an additional drink every time he says something that would best be described as "crotchety". Kill a beer if he goes out of his way to bash Sidney Crosby.

- Howie praises the Islanders' third uniforms

- Howie complains about the difficulty of the night's trivia question

- Howie or Billy mention crew members (i.e. statistician Eric Hornick, producer Larry Roth, etc.) during the middle of a game

- Billy begins a point by saying "Here's a guy..."

- Billy gives orders to the production truck during a replay (i.e. "Hold it right there", "OK, roll it")

- Billy or Howie compliments the camera crew for getting a particularly good shot

- Butch Goring wears a hideous suit

- Howie or Billy mentions Egg Levine

COMMERCIALS

Drink every time the following commercials air...

- Emblem Health

- Anything owned by Cablevision

- That damn Panasonic commercial with Ryan Sheckler

- Two Brothers Scrap Metal (PLEASE add this to your rotation, MSG Plus!)

- Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay

IN-GAME

Drink every time...

- Scott Gordon is wearing a tie that incorporates the Islanders' color scheme. Chug if his entire wardrobe is blue, white and orange.

- The crowd does a two-syllable chant in honor of a goalie (i.e. "D-P", "Roll-E", "Bee-Ron")

- Kyle Okposo takes a shot with one of his knees on the ice

- Jeff Tambellini does something that makes you curse aloud

- An opposing player dishes out a borderline hit. Chug if the Islanders don't bother to respond.

- An Islanders player is injured

- A Bridgeport Sound Tigers regular is called into duty to replace an injured player. Jeff Tambellini does NOT count as a Sound Tigers regular.

- The Islanders let up a goal while leading in the third period

- The camera gets a shot of a player taking a sip of water

- An Islanders goalie leaves the net to play the puck. Chug if it leaves him horribly out of position.

- A former Islander scores a goal against the Islanders

- The Islanders have more shots on goal than their opponents, but lose the game anyway

- The game goes to a shootout. Kill a beer if Brendan Witt is one of the Islanders' shooters.

Road Trip: New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils

On Friday night, my friend Leslie and I left the cozy cofines of Long Island and headed to Newark to watch our beloved Islanders on the road. We took this trip last year and were rewarded by a solid victory, highlighted by Kyle Okposo's first NHL goal. We had high hopes for a similar result this year.

However, I had a few doubts. As I walked to the train station, I thought about the Islanders' play of late and I realized one thing - they hadn't had a game where they played like crap in a while. That sort of scared me. Still, I was salivating at the prospect of facing Kevin Weekes and a decimated Devils team, so I was excited.

The train ride was as much fun as could be expected. We did some quality pre-gaming and did the Islanders Illustrated trivia quiz (I dominated). All in all, it wasn't bad. We grabbed McDonald's at Penn Station, headed for the PATH Train, and we were on our way to Jersey. Sadly, the PATH Train killed my buzz, as you're not allowed to drink, eat, or pretty much do anything on the PATH Train. That's because the trains and their stations are immaculate. I'd eat off their floors, that's how clean they are.

Anyway, for those of you who are looking to make the trip, here's what you do: Take the LIRR to Penn Station, then walk to the PATH station. It's on Sixth Avenue between 32nd and 33rd street. Hop on the PATH, get off at Journal Station, then just walk right across the platform and hop on the train that takes you to Newark. It's that simple.

Somehow, we ended up finding a shortcut inside the train station itself and found ourselves right across the street from the Prudential Center. Which was a very welcome discovery, since it was freezing that night. It also prevented us from getting mugged as Barry Melrose ominously predicted a year or so ago. We probably got to the door of The Rock at about 6:50, 15 minutes before gametime. There was a considerable crowd getting in, probably because there were like four people scanning tickets at the arena's only entrance. I guess they're not used to people going to their games. (Zing!)

(Note: I took a ton of pictures, but they're all on my cell phone. I'll find a way to get them up here somehow.)

The Prudential Center concourse was pretty much as I remembered it from last year - huge, full of shops, and very bright. It didn't take long for people to start heckling us, but we didn't care. We were too in awe of our surroundings. All around the arena, the uniforms of various youth teams hang, which was a very nice touch. What wasn't a nice touch, though, is the one escalator available for the upper two levels. This caused a considerable delay until they finally decided to open up a second escalator.

We eventually got to our seats and literally didn't even have time to sit down before the National Anthem started. We were very surprised to find our seats were in the stadium's very top row. Even more surprising, we weren't able to touch the ceiling like at the Coliseum. More surprising than that, there was considerable open room behind us, including a stairway that led to the upper-level concourse. Not all that surprisingly, we weren't at all threatened by Devils fans. That's not a knock on Devils fans, by the way; it's just that most of them were really cool where we sat.

As the game was getting started, the game ops staff turned on Triple H's theme music - "Time to play the game!". That was a nice touch. It immediately gave me more faith in their sound guy than the sound guy at the Coliseum, who apparently owns the world's largest emo collection. The Islanders really need to hire the guy at Mellon Arena who plays bands like Slayer and Megadeth. Anyway, the first period was fairly uneventful. We spent a lot of time talking to the guy sitting in front of us. He was one of those cynical Islander fans who is determined to find the negatives of a three-game winning streak. Unfortunately, his prophecy of doom was fulfilled as the Devils got two goals off deflections in the period's final two minutes. Suddenly, a decent period of hockey turned into a considerable deficit. But here's the surprising thing about the Devils' two goals. After the goals, the Devils fans did the "Hey! You suck!" thing. You know, the thing during the "Rock & Roll, Part 2" song that got the Islanders to change their goal song this year? Well, that's now a Devils thing, along with the "Potvin Sucks" chant. Only instead of chanting about Denis Potvin, they say "Rangers Suck". How original.

Heading back into the concourse, I heard the phrase "douchebag Islander fans" and immediately looked over to see some guy making fun of me. That was nice. Thankfully, he was the exception to the rule. Most people there were pretty good and kept their remarks limited to good-natured ribbing. Personally, I was in awe of The Rock's menu choices. Walking out of the arena part, I was greeted with multiple bathrooms and beer stands in every direction. Clearly, this arena was growing on me. We got some brews and were happy to learn every concession stand in the Prudential Center takes credit and debit cards. That's a good thing, because I never carry cash. We made our way to a different stand that served all kinds of food - and I do mean all kinds. Leslie got a knish, while I got a stuffed cupcake. The cupcake was only stuffed with chocolate frosting and cost $4.50, but where else can you get a cupcake at a hockey game? That was very impressive.

During the second period, we talked to our buddy in the next row again. He asked me the question I'd been dreading all night: "If the Islanders move, who are you going to root for?" After a good minute of stammering, the Islanders scored a goal to break up the conversation. Thank God. The Devils, of course, responded with yet another deflection goal. The two teams ended up trading goals once more before the period ended, leaving us with a 4-2 deficit. The period didn't end before a rather oddly-timed fight between Tim Jackman and Bryce Salvador which didn't do much to raise our spirits.

The second intermission brought more beers... at a cost. You know how I said all the concession stands take cards? Well, if you ever go to the soda/beer/deli stand across from Section 226, be careful, because apparently cards crash that particular register. It took an entire intermission for the register to reboot so we could give the guy cash for our two humongous cans of Foster's (Austrailian For Beer), which were $10 each. Best part - they let you bring the big can to your seat instead of dumping it into a stupid plastic cup.

Sadly, that would be the final highlight of the evening. We all know what happened next. Mike Mottau decked Frans Nielsen, who was by far the Isles' best player of the night. It was hard to judge the hit from way up at the top of the Prudential Center, but all I could see was that Mottau got his arms up. Turns out he practically swung at Nielsen's head. In fact, if Mottau was one foot to his right, that'd have looked a lot like the Chris Simon hit on Ryan Hollweg. Of course, Colin Campbell didn't see things that way and gave Mottau a slap on the wrist. It was also funny to see Brent Sutter pretend Mottau didn't do anything wrong, yet when Doug Weight took Brandon Sutter out with a clean hit, it was the most heinous act ever performed in an NHL arena.

In any event, the Foster's at least got my buzz back, just in time to leave The Rock and face a freezing cold New Jersey evening. On the way out, we were given Devils pucks; apparently, we attended a promotional game. Whoo-hoo. The puck's in my desk drawer at work if anybody wants it. But the hockey-related portion of our evening was not done just yet.

We stopped off at the Christopher Street PATH Station, as Leslie said she knew of some quality bars in the area. By this time, my buzz was gone yet again, done in by frigid temperatures and a lot of walking. We finally happened upon a place called the Peculier Pub, which she said had just about every beer in the whole world. She wasn't kidding. They had just about anything you could ever ask for, including this monstrosity...

That would be a beer called "Faxe". It's a Danish beer served in a 33.8 can (that's one liter) and costs $7.50. Needless to say, after this beer, my buzz was back in full effect and then some. It's not every day you get hammered three times in one night, so that was nice. What was also nice was walking into this place and immediately hearing random comments like "1983!" and "Islanders suck!". Not exactly what I was expecting.

But nothing compared to what happened after the beers really started flowing. Suddenly, about half the bar joined in a rousing chorus of "Beat Your Wife, Potvin, Beat Your Wife!". This was followed by about twenty different "Potvin Sucks!" chants and a few other random anti-Islander chants. Maybe it was the booze, but I didn't mind this at all. If anything, I enjoyed it. I actually liked it better than being booed for standing and cheering after the Islanders scored their goals at the Prudential Center. Why? Because it showed me that people really do care about hockey. If we could just walk into a New York City bar wearing Islanders gear and immediately be reviled for doing so, then it says a lot about the state of hockey and the Islanders-Rangers rivalry. Sometimes, you walk around town, not seeing a single hockey jersey, and think people are losing interest in the game. Not so. Maybe it takes a large number of obscure, well-priced beers, but hockey is alive and well in New York. And it wasn't just at the Peculier Pub, either. At least ten people that night asked us about the score or if we were going to the game. It was nice to see. Something tells me the Knicks don't get these kind of inquiries and aren't subject to raucous chants at local bars.

After we left Peculier Pub, we took a town car back to Penn Station, which proved to be an expensive cab ride. Not just because it cost a ridiculous $20, but because Leslie lost her cell phone in the car. Whoops. We got on a 1:16 train, were back in Hicksville around 2, and I was in bed by 3. Which was a good thing, because I had work at 8 the next morning. And yes, I'm aware that the next day was a Saturday. I've had many, many better work days than that Saturday morning on four hours sleep and with a mild hangover.

All in all, it was an excellent night. I could have done without the Islanders loss, but seeing them on the road is always an awesome thing. Our next road trip aims to be to Arena at Harbor Yard for a Sound Tigers game. But this trip to The Rock was enough excitement for while. It's also worth noting that of the Islanders' last six games, the only game they didn't win was the one in which we trekked to another state to watch the game. Now, if that doesn't explain the plight of a devoted Islanders fan, I don't know what does.

Preparing For Tomorrow Night

I'm headed to The Rock tomorrow night for the Islanders-Devils game. Should be a good one. Both teams are playing well of late, both are relying on quality work from backup goalies... we've got two evenly-matched teams here. The Devils have the edge in terms of talent, but the Isles have beaten better teams. Who will take this one? We'll find out in 24 hours.

Anyway. If you're headed to the game, feel free to drop me a line at captconjunction@yahoo.com. Maybe we can meet up for some humongous $10 Coronas.

The point of this post? Pretty much just to gush over how nice the Prudential Center is. Both Zach and myself visited The Rock last year. When I texted Zach to ask for some pointers, his reply was a bit ominous: "Don't carry a wallet, don't talk to anybody, and make sure you're in a large group." Turns out we didn't have much to worry about. In fact, the biggest annoyance was some homeless guy who kept asking me for a dollar at the PATH Train Station. For some reason, this was a like ten-minute negotiation. Guess I had too much Olde English on the train ride out to Jersey.

But the walk over from the PATH Station was quite nice. As was just about everything else in there. Walking around The Rock, I felt the same way I felt walking through Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies' new stadium. This is what going to a game should be like. At The Rock, I was afraid to do pretty much anything, because it's just too nice in there. I didn't want to spill anything or mess anything up.

I'm looking forward to seeing this place once more tomorrow night. No word on who's starting for the Devils, but the smart money says Scott Clemmensen could get the nod again. Either way, it's a game worth checking out. You should check it out as well; as always, good seats are still available. If you've ever wanted to see what the Lighthouse might be like, come out to the Prudential Center and see a sneak preview. Of course, there'd be one big difference - Islander fans might actually come to the games if they were played in such a wonderful building.