NYI Top Post-Lockout Moments #20-16

When you're a fan of a team that has won one playoff game since the lockout ended five years ago, there usually aren't a lot of positives. However, much to my surprise, there are a fair amount of good things that have happened to our Islanders since the lockout. Not many good things on the ice, mind you, but still, it hasn't been all doom and gloom in Islanders Country. Here are the first five of my top 20 post-lockout moments.

20) Sound Tigers Invade Nassau Coliseum

Nassau Coliseum - February 18, 2005

We start off this list with a moment that occurred as the lockout was taking place. As the lockout dragged on, many Islanders fans were resigned to their fate - no hockey at the Coliseum for all of 2004-05. However, when it was decided that the Bridgeport Sound Tigers would play an AHL game at the home of their NHL affiliates, fans pounced on the opportunity to see hockey - any hockey - at the Coliseum. For an AHL game on a Friday night, the Coliseum was sold out.

Things only got better after the game, though. It was only then that fans received word that Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were headed to New York City to make one last attempt at restoring labor peace. High off the vibes that the Coliseum provided, Islanders fans were certain that they'd be seeing a lot more hockey at the Coliseum that winter. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. However, the Sound Tigers did host one more game at the Coliseum that year, a game that drew about 12,000 people. One of them was yours truly, who was only too thrilled to sit in the third row of the Coliseum for just $25.

19) The Fans Respond To Kansas City

Nassau Coliseum - January 15-19, 2009

When the Islanders announced that they were going to play an exhibition game in Kansas City, many fans immediately feared the worst. After all, how could they not? They had seen the Lighthouse Project transform from the team's saving grace into a political issue covered in red tape. Seeing the writing on the wall, Islanders fans responded with some of the best attendance figures the team has seen since 2001-02.

For three games between January 15 (the date the game was announced) and January 19, the Islanders drew 15,000 or more, with two of those games being sellouts. Granted, it doesn't sound like much, and yes, those games did include a Devils game and a holiday matinee, but the 2008-09 Islanders were a truly horrible team. In fact, they lost all three games and scored only one goal in each game. But the fans kept coming out to make sure everyone knew people cared about hockey on Long Island, even if they don't always show it - as evidenced by the 11,000 who saw the Islanders' next home game on January 21.

18) Islanders Showcase The "New NHL"

Nassau Coliseum - October 19, 2005

Heading into the 2005-06 season, we all knew the landscape of the NHL would be dramatically different. Speed and scoring would be up, and fighting could perhaps become obsolete. The early games of the post-lockout NHL were exciting and received rave reviews. But an early-season clash between the Rangers and the Islanders was immediately hailed as a prime example of what the "new NHL" could be.

The Islanders were one of many teams to overhaul their rosters in an effort to thrive under the new rules. It didn't work over the course of the 2005-06 season, but on this night, they were perfect. They played the Rangers tough in a hard-hitting game that did not feature a single fight, an action-packed game that went to overtime tied 2-2 thanks to the efforts of Rick DiPietro and a then-unknown Henrik Lundqvist. The game went to a shootout - the first-ever shootout for both teams - and thanks largely to the broken stick of Jaromir Jagr, the Islanders won, their first victory over the Rangers since the 2002-03 season.

17) Rick DiPietro, All-Star

Philips Arena - January 27, 2008

When the Islanders traded Roberto Luongo on Draft Day 2000 and selected Rick DiPietro, the Islanders made a statement that they believed more in DiPietro's future than that of Luongo. As we have all seen over the years, that was not exactly the wisest choice. Nevertheless, the Islanders faithful waited patiently for DiPietro to emerge into a star goaltender. That finally happened during the first half of the 2007-08 season, and DiPietro's progress was rewarded with the first All-Star nomination of his career - a nomination, Islanders fans like to note, that came at the expense of Henrik Lundqvist.

The notion of DiPietro as an All-Star only got better when Martin Brodeur bowed out of the game, leaving the starting job to DiPietro. DP took advantage of this opportunity to not only showcase his goaltending skills, but also his personality. He was frequently miked up by Versus during the Skills Competition and the game itself, and while he displayed his charisma very well, he also nearly stole the show on the ice as well. DiPietro let up just one goal all weekend long - while Versus was talking his ear off, of course - and nearly won himself MVP honors in the process. For an Islanders fanbase that had very little to cheer about, DiPietro's performance in the 2008 All-Star Game was considered a huge win for Islanders Country.

16) Islanders Acquire Ryan Smyth

February 27, 2007

Even though the Islanders were in the East's top eight in late February 2007, Islanders fans still weren't overly confident in their new GM, Garth Snow. The team had performed well thanks to some impressive performances from veterans on one-year contracts, but the credit for those signings went to Neil Smith. Snow, on the other hand, was facing his first trade deadline and, as a buyer, many were worried that Snow would find himself receiving ridiculous trade offers and getting fleeced on deals.

That all changed when the news of the Ryan Smyth trade broke. In a move made just before the deadline, Snow acquired Smyth for 2003 1st rounder Robert Nilsson, 2005 1st rounder Ryan O'Marra and the Isles' 2007 1st round pick. Islanders fans were stunned - after all, the Islanders had been devoid of superstar talent for years, yet they had just picked up the big prize of Deadline Day.

The bounty for Smyth, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, seemed like a lot at the time. I recall being certain that Smyth would bolt after the season and that the trade wouldn't actually help the Islanders get past the first round of the playoffs. I even went as far as to text Zach, telling him that the Islanders had just traded their entire future for two home playoff games. As it turns out, they did only play two playoff games that year. But Nilsson has yet to crack ten goals in a season on the NHL level, while O'Marra has only played three games in the NHL. It's also worth noting that the Oilers have not made the playoffs since dealing Smyth, while the Islanders got in that year thanks largely to Smyth's contributions.

Ryan Smyth

If this blog existed on July 1, 2007, I'd have written a post about the mass exodus from Long Island. On that day, all of the one-year contracts Garth Snow signed prior to the season expired, and just about every free agent bolted from the Island. Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti went to Washington. Jason Blake went to Toronto. Richard Zednik went to Florida. Arron Asham went to New Jersey. In essence, the Islanders were gutted, and the only player they acquired that day was Jon Sim - the same Jon Sim who would suffer a season-ending injury in the Islanders' home opener.

As all of the other players left, the Islanders sort of shrugged and looked at the real task at hand. That, of course, was signing Ryan Smyth to a long-term contract, giving him the "C", and making him the focal point of the Islanders. In the weeks leading up to free agency, the Isles attempted to sell Smyth on Long Island and the future of the franchise. It was a future that wasn't overly compromised by the trade to acquire Smyth, as history shows that both Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra have been busts. The Islanders ended up offering Smyth more years and more money than anybody else... but Smyth decided to go back out West and sign with Colorado.

Though Smyth handled the situation really well, praising the Islanders organization on his way out, Islanders fans were devastated. This was their one serious chance to land a marquee free agent, and yet this player took less money to go elsewhere. To put it mildly, that Snow lost maybe his five best players on July 1, 2007 and only walked out with Jon Sim did not make Islanders fans very happy.

Fast-forward to present day. Garth Snow is no longer in the position of handing out one-year contracts to veterans with something to prove just to make a run at the eighth seed. Snow has a team full of young players and quality veterans, all of whom are on manageable contracts. Now, imagine if Ryan Smyth were among those players.

If Smyth were an Islander, the Islanders would be committing upwards of $6 million annually to an injury-prone player who hasn't exactly lit the lamp on a regular basis. Smyth's 40 goals over the past two years would have cost the Islanders around $12 million. For a team that loses money even with a payroll at the salary floor, Smyth's deal would have been crippling. Not to mention that he couldn't have gotten the Islanders teams of the past two years by himself. The Islanders would essentially be replacing Alexei Yashin's inflated contract with another huge deal that couldn't possibly come close to paying dividends. And perhaps, like the Colorado Avalanche have just done, the Islanders would have been forced to trade Smyth for pennies on the dollar in order to start rebuilding.

This isn't intended to trash Ryan Smyth. This is just the reality of the situation. Garth Snow, the Islanders organization, and Islanders fans everywhere should be very thankful that Ryan Smyth spurned the Islanders two years ago. Smyth's decision was a big part of the Islanders' realization that they had to rebuild, and perhaps if Smyth stayed with the Islanders, they'd keep signing crappy veterans in an attempt to win now. By moving on, Smyth saved the Islanders a lot of money and a lot of heartache.