NYI Top Post-Lockout Moments #5-1

The conclusion to the Islanders' portion of the best post-lockout moments. Here's what we've done so far, followed by the top five.

20) Sound Tigers games at Nassau Coliseum

19) Fan response to the Kansas City exhibition game

18) First Islanders-Rangers game after the lockout

17) Rick DiPietro starts All-Star Game

16) Ryan Smyth trade

15) Road wins in Chicago and Detroit

14) Preseason brawl between Islanders and rangers

13) Opening Night 2009

12) Veteran purge of 2009

11) Hiring of Neil Smith and Ted Nolan

10) Hiring of Garth Snow

9) Signing of Mark Streit

8) Hiring of Scott Gordon

7) Al Arbour Night

6) Islanders win draft lottery

5) Meet Me At The Lighthouse

September 28, 2004

While Nassau Coliseum has always had a certain charm in the eyes of Islanders fans, nobody can deny that the Islanders have been in dire need of a new arena for some time. The Coliseum was literally falling apart as the 1990s concluded; a leaky roof and a falling scoreboard signified the need to replace the building that was derisively known as the "Mausoleum".

When Charles Wang purchased the Islanders in 2000-01, he spent significant money to upgrade the Coliseum. The leaky roofs stopped, new scoreboards were unveiled, and the fan exerience was significantly upgraded from "horrible" to "decent". However, as Wang knows, there is only so much polish you can put on a decaying building.

Wang's introduction of the Lighthouse in 2004 blew Islanders fans away. The massive Coliseum parking lot would give way to a ton of urban development. No longer would Islanders fans be stuck leaving the Coliseum with nothing to do after a game. Best of all, the actual Coliseum, the building that has seen countless great moments and could still on occasion be one of the NHL's loudest, wasn't going to be replaced. Instead, heavy renovation over the course of a few summers would bring the Coliseum into the 21st century.

As we all know, it wasn't quite as easy as Wang predicted. Before long, the initial Lighthouse proposal - which included physically lowering Hempstead Turnpike - was scaled down somewhat, and then the entire Lighthouse Project became the subject of intense political debate on Long Island. Today, it's highly unlikely that the Lighthouse will ever be built.

So, then, why is the unveiling of the Lighthouse a significant moment in Islanders history? Simply put, it was the moment when the Islanders refused to stand pat in a second-rate building. Either the Town of Hempstead was going to embrace its team, or the Islanders would go someplace where they would be welcome. The conjecture that has accompanied the Lighthouse is truly unfortunate. But at least Charles Wang has attempted to move this team into the state-of-the-art facility they deserve; it certainly is not his fault that politics have destroyed his vision and, potentially, the future of the Islanders on Long Island.

4) Islanders Buy Out Alexei Yashin

June 6, 2007

The Alexei Yashin era on Long Island began with a great deal of promise. While some were skeptical of the ten-year, $90 million contract Yashin signed in September 2001, nobody said a word when Yashin recorded 32 goals and 75 points (outstanding totals in the Dead Puck Era) and led the Islanders to the playoffs for the first time in four years. Yashin won fans over through his stellar play and star power, and he went even further to endear himself to the Islanders faithful by breaking Tomas Kloucek's nose in a fight at MSG in 2002. Though the Islanders would lose to the Maple Leafs in the 2002 playoffs, Yashin's seven points in seven games silenced the critics who claimed that Yashin was not a playoff performer.

Sadly, the 2001-02 season was the pinnacle of Yashin's tenure with the Islanders. 2002-03 saw Yashin get off to an inexplicably horrible start that saw him booed at the Coliseum routinely. He recovered in time to have a decent second half and playoff, but the Islanders could only muster the eight seed and a loss to Ottawa. The next year, Yashin, who had only missed five non-holdout NHL games since 1997, suffered an arm laceration and missed half the season.

After the lockout, Yashin was named captain of the Islanders and finally received the scoring winger fans wished for in Miroslav Satan. However, Yashin had difficulty adjusting to the new NHL, as his 66 points and 68 penalty minutes would attest. The 2006 offseason saw much speculation about Yashin's future with the Islanders. Reports stated that Yashin would have to make a difference in 2006-07 or risk being bought out. Yashin began 2006-07 on fire, but would soon suffer a knee injury, one from which coach Ted Nolan was in absolutely no rush to bring Yashin back. The combination of the knee injury, rust, and Yashin being thrown into a playoff race just after coming back from the injury meant that Yashin was ineffective down the stretch. He went pointless in five playof games, and the writing was on the wall.

Even after the 24 percent rollback on salaries, Yashin was making far too much money for far too little production. The Islanders had very little difficulty buying him out in the summer of 2007, bringing in Bill Guerin to replace Yashin as captain. Sadly, the lesson about big contracts had not been learned by Charles Wang, as Rick DiPietro had signed at 15-year contract with the club just one year before Yashin's buyout. However, the fallout from Yashin's huge contract has prevented the Islanders from ever giving a free agent a big contract. Yashin's contract has become a textbook example of how putting all a team's eggs in one basket and not accounting for the future - namely, the revised CBA - can destroy a team's future. Eliminating Yashin was the only way the Islanders could ever truly rebuild, and his excision meant a new era was about to begin on Long Island.

3) Mike Milbury Resigns

January 12, 2006

Believe it or not, there was once a time when Islanders fans didn't hate Mike Milbury. Of course, that time was about fifteen years ago, but it still existed. At that point, Milbury had just been named the Islanders' general manager, and he was sitting on a goldmine of talent. Bryan McCabe, Zigmund Palffy and Todd Bertuzzi started 1995-96 with the Islanders, a season in which Milbury was able to turn Wendel Clark and Kirk Muller into Kenny Jonsson. Yeah, Eric Fichaud didn't exactly pan out, but that wasn't Milbury's fault.

You could even argue that Milbury wasn't to blame for the Islanders' late 90s purge. In fact, in the eyes of this writer, Milbury's reign doesn't even begin to compare to that of former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas in terms of incompetence. At least Milbury had a reason to sell off the young talent that came through the Islanders organization. Small consolation, of course. But Milbury had to do what he had to do in order to save his job.

However, the deal that ultimately killed Milbury was the Roberto Luongo trade. Luongo, as you may recall, was drafted by Milbury in 1997; in fact, Milbury made Luongo the highest-picked goalie ever at that point in time. Luongo was a certain star in the team's future; however, Milbury saw it appropriate to trade Luongo (and then-bust Olli Jokinen, who was acquired for Palffy) for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. Milbury then took Rick DiPietro with the first pick, passing up the opportunity to select Marian Gaborik and Dany Heatley. History has not looked kindly on this trade, and with good reason. Luongo has become arguably the game's best goaltender, while DiPietro, for all of his charisma and natural likeability, has only made it through one full season as starter injury-free. For better or worse, Milbury's tenure will always be judged by DiPietro's career, particularly in relation to that of Luongo.

Milbury finally got the Islanders into the playoffs in 2001-02, thanks to his trades for Michael Peca and Alexei Yashin. (It's interesting to wonder what would have happened if Milbury landed his initial target, Jason Allison, instead of Yashin. For all of Yashin's faults, at least he wasn't made of glass like Allison proved to be.) However, once Milbury got his playoff team, he seemed to get trigger-shy, not doing a whole lot to improve his team. If anything, Milbury hurt the Islanders after the '02 playoffs through a series of blunders, such as waiving Jason Wiemer, trading Chris Osgood for uber-bust Justin Papineau and unceremoniously dumping fan favorites Steve Webb and Claude Lapointe. Let's not even discuss his decision to draft Robert Nilsson over Zach Parise.

Milbury attempted to bring the Islanders into the "new NHL" after the lockout by, among other things. trading Peca for Mike York. Milbury was correct in that Peca wouldn't cut it with the new rules, but unfortunately, neither would York. Signings like Brent Sopel and Alexei Zhitnik were hardly effective, and it was decided that the Islanders needed a new start. That start had to come without Mike Milbury.

There's still some debate over whether Milbury actually resigned on his own or if he was fired by Charles Wang. In any event, Milbury was the ultimate sign of the Islanders' failures in the late 1990s. In order for the Islanders to reinvent themselves in the new NHL, they would have to sever ties with the man many credit with making the team a laughingstock. Unfortunately, their handling of their next GM would only enhance that image, but the Islanders did get their fresh start by parting ways with Milbury.

2) Easter Epic, Part II

Continental Airlines Arena - April 8, 2007

As April 2007 began, the Islanders were on the outside looking in. The playoffs seemed a remote possibility at best. After all, they were behind both Montreal and Toronto and Rick DiPietro was hurt, leaving the Islanders with the craptastic Mike Dunham and little-known Wade Dubielewicz. Dunham, not surprisingly, wasn't up to carrying the team on his shoulders, leaving Dubielewicz with a seemingly impossible task.

On April 3, Dubielewicz stole the show in a 3-2 shootout win against the Rangers. Dubielewicz stopped Brendan Shanahan, Michael Nylander and Jaromir Jagr in the shootout; however, the win didn't do all that much for the Islanders in the standings. With three games left, they were four points behind Montreal and three points behind Toronto, who were the Islanders' next opponents two nights later. The Isles were able to prevail in that matchup, steamrolling the Leafs 5-2 in a game that saw Jason Blake score his 40th goal of the season. That set the stage for an unforgettable weekend.

That Saturday, April 7, the Islanders faced the Flyers at the same time as the Canadiens faced the Maple Leafs. If the Islanders lost, they'd be out. If Montreal beat Toronto, the Islanders would be out. If the Islanders and Leafs won, the Islanders would set themselves up for a win-and-in game the next day in New Jersey. Remarkably, that's exactly what happened. In the Isles' game against the then-hapless Flyers, Dubielewicz was once again the game's first star; meanwhile, Toronto beat Montreal in a wild 6-5 affair, knowing that they'd qualify for the playoffs if the Islanders lost to the Devils.

The Islanders played one Easter Epic in 1987. Twenty years later, they were about to play in another.

The Islanders caught a huge break when the Devils elected to start Scott Clemmensen over Martin Brodeur, a decision that would cause much consternation in Toronto. Since the game meant very little to the Devils and so much to the Islanders, many Islanders fans made the trip to New Jersey and made the Isles feel at home. It worked. In front of a pro-Islanders crowd, the Islanders led 2-0 in the third period thanks to a pair of Richard Park goals. However, as is customary for the Islanders, it wouldn't be this easy. John Madden scored with about four minutes left to set up the game's frantic finale.

The Devils pulled Clemmensen to get an extra skater and were unleashing heavy artillery on Dubielewicz. With seconds left, a scramble in front of the net resulted in Madden finding a loose puck. Madden fired the puck over a sprawled out Dubielewicz with just 0.7 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime. Billy Jaffe's screams of "No!!!" as the Devils celebrated perfectly summed up the feelings of Islanders fans. To be so close, only to literally lose it in the final second... this team of scrappers and grinders deserved better.

Ultimately, the game ended the way we all knew a season would eventually end - in a shootout. The segment of the game which was derisively called by some as a "skills competition" would determine whether the Islanders would be playing playoff hockey or golf that week. That the game reached a shootout would only serve to further infuriate Leafs fans, who already thought the Islanders had a huge advantage in not having to face Brodeur.

The first three shots in the shootout were all goals. Miroslav Satan and Viktor Kozlov for the Islanders, Zach Parise for the Devils. After Brian Gionta missed for the Devils, deadline acquisition Ryan Smyth had the opportunity to send his new team into the playoffs with a goal. Of course, Smyth couldn't convert. It was only fitting that it came down to Wade Dubielewicz, the breakout star of the Islanders' past week. If Dubielewicz could stop Sergei Brylin, the Islanders would be in the playoffs. And when Dubielewicz unleashed the poke check that stopped Brylin, it was total euphoria.

As the Islanders celebrated another Easter miracle, it was hard not to think about the events of the prior summer. The hiring of Neil Smith, the firing of Neil Smith, the hiring of Ted Nolan, the hiring of Garth Snow, the much-maligned Rick DiPietro contract, the widespread predictions of a 30th place finish for the Islanders... it all came to a head at that moment. The 2006-07 Islanders were comprised largely of veteran players on one-year contracts, virtually all of them with something to prove. They were a blood-and-guts group, one that would only win by outworking their opponents. For the final week of the season, that's exactly what they did, and it resulted in an unlikely - and unforgettable - playoff berth.

1) Islanders Draft John Tavares

Bell Center/Nassau Coliseum - June 26, 2009

It would be a gross understatement to say that the Islanders have had trouble attracting star talent over the past 20 years. Since Pat LaFontaine was traded in 1991, there hasn't been a true superstar on the Islanders. Pierre Turgeon, the player the Islanders received for LaFontaine, was a great player, but he didn't capture the heart of Long Island the way LaFontaine did. Furthermore, he was only here for a few years, and to be quite honest, he was never the same after the Dale Hunter hit. Zigmund Palffy was another great scorer, but playing on some horrifically awful Islanders teams in the late 1990s, he never reached true superstar status. Alexei Yashin was paid like a superstar, but didn't always produce like one. Add the built-in strikes against the Islanders - crummy, half-filled arena, no money, historically bad team - and it's easy to see why the Islanders have only had three players to even approach LaFontaine's status.

When the Islanders had the opportunity to select from John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, fans naturally gravitated to Tavares. First, and foremost, he was the biggest name of the 2009 class. He was the best scorer, he had the most hype, and he definitely had that "superstar" aura about him. In short, he was the type of player that the Islanders, even if they threw their entire salary cap at him, would never be able to sign. More than any of that, though, Tavares went out of his way to endear himself to Islanders fans. While the Toronto media was trying to convince the world that Tavares would refuse to play for the Islanders, Tavares took the initiative and told Chris Botta that he hoped the Islanders would pick him because he wanted to play for the Islanders. Tavares would repeat this message to anyone who would listen and would display not only a genuine desire to help turn the Islanders around, but also a true appreciation and knowledge of Islanders history. It didn't take long for Islanders fans to go from enamored by Tavares to being absolutely smitten by him.

As the draft approached, Garth Snow refused to give even the slightest inclination as to who he might select with the first overall pick. In doing so, Snow proved he belonged in the general manager role. He also managed to infuriate the Islanders' entire fanbase, virtually all of which was salivating over Tavares. Most fans wouldn't have been too upset if the pick was Hedman or Duchene; after all, both were considered franchise players in their own right. But the guy the fans really wanted was Tavares, as was evidenced by fans wearing his jersey before the Islanders even drafted him.

When June 26 finally rolled around, Islanders fans could be best described as basketcases. The reports in the media that the Islanders were taking Matt Duchene didn't exactly help things. Trivial items such as which nameplates were in stock at the Islanders draft party became headline news in Islander Country. Many were calling this the biggest draft pick in franchise history, and it would be hard to disagree. Nowhere was this sentiment more true than at the Coliseum itself on draft night.

On a Friday night in late June, the Coliseum was packed. There were more people at the Coliseum to watch a crappy feed of TSN on the Jumbotron than there were for most games in the 2008-09 season. The Coliseum floor was abuzz with rumors and anticipation for what was to come. And if there was any doubt as to who the people's choice was, TSN's open to the draft clarified the fans' position. Every mention and camera shot of either Duchene or Hedman was met with loud boos, while all things Tavares were cheered wildly.

As Garth Snow approached the podium in Montreal, all of Long Island held its collective breath. And when he said John Tavares' name, it's hard to tell what the prevalent emotion was at the Coliseum. It was a mixture of exhilaration, relief and excitement all at once. To think that Islanders fans could be so impacted by this decision about a player most fans had never even seen play showed how much people truly cared about the Islanders. For better or worse, they had labeled Tavares as their savior, the one player who could bring credibility to the Islanders... and finally, they had him.

On a night when the Coliseum rocked like it hadn't rocked since the Isles-Leafs series of 2002, there was so much to celebrate. Yes, it was nice to know that the Islanders didn't screw up a perfect situation. But with Tavares and the promise of the Lighthouse at some point in the future, it felt like the Islanders were reborn. As it turns out, the Lighthouse Project has taken a turn for the worse, but Tavares has been as good as advertised. And when you consider that the Islanders never would have signed Matt Moulson if not for Tavares, Snow's decision effectively added about 50 goals to the Islanders' 2009-10 total, with many more to come in the future from both players.

NYR Top Post-Lockout Moments #5-1...

And here we are, my personal Top 5 Post-Lockout Moments for the New York Rangers. To recap, this is how we got here...

20) Rangers score 3 goals in 90 seconds, beat Devils.
19) Comebacks against Ottawa and Montreal.
18) Dom Moore scores from behind the net on Roberto Luongo.
17) Sean Avery's 4 point night against Dallas.
16) Scott Gomez traded; Marian Gaborik signed.
15) Mark Messier Night; Jaromir Jagr scores in overtime.
14) Brian Leetch announces Adam Graves Night.
13) Jagr scores 29 seconds into the '06-'07 season.
12) Henrik Lundqvist robs Marc Savard.
11) Michael Nylander's hat trick in the playoffs.
10) Rangers win their first game after the Lockout.
9) Brendan Shanahan fights Donald Brashear.
8) Marek Malik's shootout goal; Jason Strudwick also scores.
7) Jed Ortmeyer's penalty shot.
6) Brian Leetch's only game at MSG as an opponent.

5) Game 3 vs. Buffalo / Game 4 vs. Buffalo
MSG - April 29, 2007 & May 1, 2007
With the Rangers down 2-0 in a series against the NHL’s best team (53 wins, 113 points), did the Rangers need a miracle to get back into it?

No, they just needed some defense. They were up, if you remember, 2-1 in Game 2, but lost it in the 3rd period.

In Game 3, Jagr gave them a 1-0 lead but Danny Briere tied it late in the 3rd. The Rangers and Sabres then played into double overtime before Jagr passed to Michal Nylander who passed it to Michal Rozsival, who actually shot the puck. He rocketed one off the post and past Ryan Miller to give the Rangers a thrilling win - and another chance.

Earlier in Game 3, Karel Rachunek had a goal waved off for using a “distinct kicking motion” which, replays showed, was complete garbage. He was stopping and the puck hit his skate and went in - a completely legal move seeing as there was no “pendulum motion.”

Which leads to Game 4, one of the best games the Rangers have had since 1994.

Jagr and Brendan Shanahan scored to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead and Ales Kotalik cut it to 2-1 with 11 minutes left in the 3rd.

With 17 seconds left, Danny Briere put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist - or did he? A 5-minute video review followed, and it was ruled “inconclusive evidence” - they couldn’t overturn the ruling on the ice, and it was a no-goal. Was it a make-up call for the blown-call on Rachunek last game? Was the puck in the net? I still don’t know, but the refs said it wasn’t, Toronto couldn’t make up their mind, and the Rangers tied the series at 2.

I still have the newspaper cover hanging on my wall in my room: “Replay Says Rangers, Sabres, Even At 2.”



4) Prucha’s Power Play Goal
Nassau Coliseum - March 8, 2007
Three nights before, on a Monday, Rick DiPietro saved 56 shots but lost in a shootout on a Matt Cullen goal at MSG.

On a Thursday, tensions were on fire in Uniondale. The fans were going crazy. Islander fans were buying Ryan Smyth t-shirts and jerseys in the lobby; Ranger fans countered by chanting Henrik Lundqvist’s name.

By the time the 3rd period rolled around, it was 1-1. Chris Simon, yes, Chris Simon, scored early in the 2nd and Paul Mara tied it on a power play midway through the period.

Of course, that’s when one of the most controversial plays in NHL history happened. Ryan Hollweg, in the midst of a decent season after a very good rookie year, boarded (or did he?) Simon. Simon, not known for his good judgement and virtuous patience, swung his stick at Hollweg, knocking him out and earning himself a 25-game suspension.

On the ensuing 5-minute power play, Petr Prucha scored to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead with just over 5 minutes left.

Then, things started getting interesting.

With 20 seconds left, Marc-Andre Bergeron’s shot was stopped by Lundqvist and Trent Hunter slid the puck in the net (or did he?). The ref called “No Goal” on the ice, so sufficient evidence to overturn it would be needed.

After what seemed like an episode of “Friends,” the ref came back and waved his arms - No Goal. And he said what we would yell in the parking lot, and for weeks to come: Inconclusive Evidence.

The two games together were some of the most tremendous hockey I’ve ever seen. And I’ve never seen the Coliseum rock harder for Ranger fans then when Prucha stuffed that shot in on the power play. I hugged the 8-year old next to me, and I’m pretty sure his father got very mad and I then moved my seat. It was such an emotional goal after such a horrific event.

It was, in fact, the essence of The Rivalry.

It wound up being a huge game for the Rangers. While the Islanders stayed at 76 points, the Rangers gained 2 points and ended the night with 73. However, at season’s end, the Rangers had 2 more points and ran through Atlanta in the playoffs, while the Islanders fell to Buffalo, who eventually beat the Rangers, too.



3) Emergence of Henrik Lundqvist
Atlanta - November 24, 2005
His first win was against New Jersey. We were that we had a capable backup for Kevin Weekes. His second win was against New Jersey. We thought it was great that we found someone who could beat Martin Brodeur.

In the following games, we found out what we all know now - that Henrik Lundqvist is one of the elite goaltenders in the league. He was young, he was unknown, he was flexible, he was quick, and he loved New York. However, during the lockout, the one move the Rangers did was sign Weekes, who never had a winning NHL season but was experienced and had had a great postseason in Carolina (3-2, 1.62 GAA).

Tom Renney, never one for change (See: Wade Redden on the Power Play), alternated the two goalies but claimed Weekes was the starter. In fact, in November, Weekes had 8 starts to Lundqvist’s 4, including a Thanksgiving Day night game in Atlanta.

Weekes hurt his leg in a freak incident where the net fell on him. It turned out to be something Ranger fans were thankful for.

Lundqvist took over, not only in the game, but in the season. He started the next 6 games, going 4-1-1, giving up 12 goals. For the rest of the year, Weekes only started 2 games in a row twice, and one of those sets was right after the Olympic break where Lundqvist won the Gold Medal.

If not for Lundqvist, where would the Rangers have ended that season? Jagr was incredible as well, you can’t deny that, but we’ve seen what can happen to teams with just scoring and no goaltending. In fact, when Lundqvist was injured in the playoffs, the Rangers were swept by the Devils (Jagr was hurt as well).

Weekes never was mad, either. In one interview, he said he couldn’t possibly be mad. He knew how good Lundqvist was, and he knew he would lose his starting job as soon as the rest of the league found out.

Where would the Rangers be any season without Lundqvist? For the past 4 seasons, when the scoring faltered, Lundqvist kept the Rangers in nearly every game. And if I was starting a team today, he would be the first goaltender I pick.

2) Avery vs. Brodeur
New Jersey - February 20, 2007
I remember being at the Monday night game when it was announced that the Rangers acquired Sean Avery for Jason Ward and March-Andre Cliche (who people were mad about trading, but, uh, where is he now?). It was a game against Detroit that the Rangers lost 4-3 to fall to 25-24-4, with the playoffs fading out of reach.

The next day was a Tuesday, and Avery’s debut. I remember watching on TV (it was in New Jersey) and being impressed at the fact that Avery actually had skill, unlike all the bitter fans of other teams were saying. He had a great play to win the puck and pass it to Michael Nylander, who passed to Karel Rachunek, who scored a goal. And he got in Brodeur’s face. Interesting, I thought. The Rangers lost that game in a shootout.

Fast forward two weeks later. The Rangers had gone 4-1-1 with Avery (including the shootout in Jersey). Another Tuesday night, another trip to New Jersey. Another Devils victory.

With 1:16 left in the 2nd period, Avery got by Colin White, gets a shot off, doesn’t stop, and knocks into Brodeur, knocking his helmet off. Brodeur shoves Avery, Avery shoves back, and Brodeur jumps down as if he’d been shot.

What was so big about this was that it has started one of the biggest storylines for the Rangers since the Lockout ended. There have been fights, dives (by Brodeur), refused handshakes, a few incredible goals that led into huge celebrations, a war of words, a great playoff victory by the Rangers, cheap shots by both players, and even an entire set of rules dedicated to goaltender interference based on how Avery screened him during the 2008 playoffs.



1) Clinching the Playoffs
MSG - April 4, 2006
Remember how I earlier said that Lundqvist took a break after the Olympics and Weekes started 2 straight games? Well, the first of them was one that actually made me, a cold-hearted male, shed a few tears.

In a home game against the Flyers, the Rangers needed 1 solitary point to clinch the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Rangers scored early in the 1st, but Philadelphia scored twice in the 2nd to take a lead. However, Martin Straka scored early in the 3rd to tie it at 2, and it eventually went to overtime, and then a shootout.

It didn’t matter. All they needed was to take it to overtime, and with 7 games left in the 2005-06 season, the New York Rangers clinched the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Those tears washed away years of bad memories - Mark Messier leaving; the disappointment of Eric Lindros; the promise of Pavel Bure only to be seen as the tragedy when he got injured; trading away 1st round draft picks in 2000 and 2002; trading away Brian Leetch; drafting Jamie Lundmark and Pavel Brendl; drafting Hugh Jessiman over Zach Parise and Ryan Getzlaf; the Mike Richter career-ending injury; the Dan Blackburn career-ending injury; years of free agent busts; a last place prediction by most “experts” in the preseason; Marty McSorley; seven seasons without a playoffs; and a Lockout that caused us fans to lose an entire year.


But then again, maybe that’s what the Lockout brought us. New hope. New players, new blood on the team. If it wasn’t for the Lockout, who knows what this team would look like now?

And, just like that, all of that was washed away with a 21-save performance by starter-turned-backup Kevin Weekes.

It was just icing on the cake that the Rangers won in the shootout. The real battle was won when regulation ended.

NYI Top Post-Lockout Moments #10-6

Back with moments 10 through 6 of the Isles' post-lockout countdown. Isn't it funny how Zach's Rangers list is full of games, whereas the Islanders list is all stuff that happened off the ice? This is what happens when your team has won one playoff game in the past six years.

10) Snow Job

July 18, 2006

That the hiring of Garth Snow even qualifies for this list is a testament to the job Snow has done as Islanders' GM. For a very long time, July 18, 2006 was a very dark day in Islanders history.

I can still remember the day like it was yesterday. I remember seeing the headline on TSN... my head hitting my desk shortly after... thinking it was an April Fool's joke in the middle of July... none of my friends believing me when I told them... Mike and the Mad Dog tearing Charles Wang apart during an interview... being teased incessantly by pretty much everyone. It wasn't fun. I even wrote this blog on my MySpace page from back in the day.

Thankfully, things have improved since then. The way the Islanders handled the move still doesn't make sense four years later, but time has proved that Snow was the right hire. At a time when general managers were still trying to figure out the "new NHL", the Islanders brought in someone who actually played under the revised rules. They hired someone who was completely reared on the new CBA and therefore had no preconceived notions about what he was "supposed" to do.

The results have been pretty spectacular. Snow managed to get into the playoffs in his first year, but saw that he couldn't rely on giving veterans one-year contracts forever. His ability to blow up the Islanders and rebuild them in his likeness shows that he has the support of Charles Wang and will be here for the foreseeable future. Of all the moves Snow has made, the only move that would be classified as bad is the Rick DiPietro contract, and that was Wang's call. So, while the move initially drew ire from the Islanders faithful, it's hard to argue that the move didn't pay dividends.

9) Islanders Sign Mark Streit

July 1, 2008

As the Islanders entered the start of free agency in 2008, nobody was quite sure what they'd do. They had made mention of their desire to rebuild and go with young players, but they didn't actually have any young assets outside of Kyle Okposo to build around. They had plenty of cap room to make any number of signings, but we all knew better than that. Most Islanders fans assumed that Snow wouldn't do anything on July 1; I joked on this site that Snow didn't even bother to show up for work that day.

Turns out he did.

As is customary, the big names flew off the board in exchange for big-money contracts. One of the biggest names, Brian Campbell, took seven years and $56 million to sign with Chicago. Wade Redden, as we all know, received $39 million over six years from the Rangers. At the time of these two deals, Mark Streit was still available. He was the one guy I thought the Islanders should throw big money at and, much to my surprise, they did.

Five years and $20 million later, Streit was a New York Islander. Zach, our Rangers writer, was furious that the Rangers had dumped so much money into an aging Redden while the Islanders got Streit - who had only played three NHL seasons - for far less. When asked why he signed with the Islanders, Streit replied that he wanted to be a true #1 defenseman, something that was never going to happen in Montreal. Streit did not disappoint in his first season on the Island, netting 56 points and earning some legitimate Norris Trophy consideration. His numbers have dipped a bit this year, but Streit remains one of the team's leaders and a potential future captain of the Islanders.

8) Islanders Hire Scott Gordon

August 12, 2008

After the shock firing/resignation of Ted Nolan, the future of the Islanders in terms of their next coach was unclear. It was a very important hire - the Islanders would be rebuilding and needed someone who would stay over the long haul. The big-name veterans like Joel Quenneville and John Tortorella weren't interested and passed on the Islanders' overtures, which came as no surprise to any real Islanders fan. As is the Islanders' custom, they went the road less traveled and brought in an unknown coach.

Scott Gordon, much like Peter Laviolette seven years earlier, came to the Islanders from the AHL's Providence Bruins. Like Laviolette, Gordon had turned the fortunes of the Bruins completely, taking a losing team and turning them into one of the league's best. Gordon had youth on his side, not to mention a reputation for mentoring young players, and his "overspeed" philosophy won over fans right away.

More than anything else, though, the Gordon hire was further proof that the Islanders were serious about rebuilding. Garth Snow easily could have brought in a big-name retread coach, but that would have been the safe maneuver. By bringing in Gordon, the Islanders effectively told their fanbase that the team wouldn't be good for a while, but they could get used to this core group because it'd be there for years to come. Fans have criticized Gordon's system, particularly when it has helped contribute to blown third-period leads, but when they're firing at all cylinders, the Islanders are one of the NHL's most exciting teams. This is one call Garth Snow knocked out of the park.

7) Al Arbour Night

Nassau Coliseum - November 3, 2007

I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical when Al Arbour Night was first announced. Did Ted Nolan really want to round off Al Arbour's career total, or did Islanders brass coerce Nolan into stepping aside for one night? Was this just another gimmick to bring Islanders alumni back and get a cheap sellout? Given the history of the Islanders, I was right to have my doubts. But on this night, they didn't really matter.

Prior to November 3, 2007, Al Arbour hadn't coached a NHL game since 1994. However, whatever he had lost in terms of X's and O's was more than compensated for by the desire of the Islanders to win the game for Arbour, the only coach of the Islanders that has won a playoff series. In many ways, the game itself was typical of the Islanders at that point in time insofar as the Islanders came from behind to win, Miroslav Satan scored the tying and game-winning goals, and Wade Dubielewicz came up huge in relief of the injured Rick DiPietro.

As good as the game was, it was almost secondary to the postgame celebration, which saw many Islanders legends paying their respects to their former coach. And it wasn't just the usual guys, either. The Islanders brought back some real fan favorites, including Benoit Hogue, Pat LaFontaine, and Steve Webb. I have to say, I was bawling while watching a replay of the ceremony. (Full disclosure - I was pretty hammered.) It was a great night and a great sendoff for Arbour, who doesn't get nearly enough credit for his work with the Islanders.

There's only one thing that bothered me about Al Arbour Night. The original Arbour banner read "739", referring to his number of career wins. When they replaced it with a new banner that night, it wasn't a "740" banner. Instead, it simply read "1500". As in, the Islanders had such little faith in Arbour's ability to produce a victory that they only had a banner made to commemorate his number of games, not his number of wins. The Islanders said they'd get a new banner made; nearly two and a half years later, "1500", not "740", hangs from the Coliseum rafters.

6) Islanders Win 2009 Draft Lottery

April 14, 2009

As the Islanders sucked their way through the 2008-09 season, we all hoped it'd be for a reason. In fact, the only way the 2008-09 season would have been successful would have been if they landed the first overall draft pick. After all, while there was a chance Tampa Bay or Colorado would have passed on John Tavares, there were no guarantees.

The Islanders clinched the league's worst record in late March, a distinction that brought with it a 48 percent chance that the Islanders would win the draft lottery. As the date of the draft lottery neared, Islanders fans feared the worst. Everyone figured that they'd get screwed out of the chance to draft a generational talent like John Tavares or Victor Hedman. Why should the Islanders get the chance to be successful, right? Besides, since the lockout, the team with the worst record had lost the draft lottery more often than not.

Thankfully, this was not one of those times. The Islanders won the draft lottery, and Islander Country breathed the world's largest sigh of relief. For the Islanders faithful, as sad as it is to admit, it was almost like winning the Stanley Cup. Finally, the focus was going to be on our team, even if only for the week between the Stanley Cup Final and the NHL Draft, and we were going to make the most of this extra attention.

Unfortunately, Garth Snow felt the same way. When asked who he was leaning towards on the draft lottery show, he admitted nothing, something that would become a trend over the next two months. While we were ecstatic about winning the draft lottery, little did we know that these two months would become some of the most stressful times Islanders fans have had in recent memory.

NYR Top Post-Lockout Moments #10-6...

First off, how about that USA-Canada game last night! It was great seeing Chris Drury score a clutch goal again. If there's a God in Heaven, it will be a USA-Sweden Gold Medal Game.

And now, on with the countdown...

10) Rangers Win First Game After the Lockout
Philadelphia - October 5, 2005
I remember how excited I was the first time I was in MSG for a while. It was a Dane Cook comedy show in September of 2005, and even though it wasn’t technically at the Garden (it was at the Theatre at the Garden), it still smelled like hockey in those hallways. (I have since stopped listening to Dane Cook.)

Imagine how excited I was for the first Rangers game since Bobby Holik scored an overtime winner in Washington in April 2004 (Jamie McLennan was the winning goalie; yes, he was a Ranger, for 4 games).

And can you even fathom how great it felt when the Rangers took a lead on a goal by Jason Strudwick?! Who? It didn’t even matter!

Of course, then the rails came off, and the Flyers scored 3 unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead (A fellow named Jamie Lundmark - remember him? - scored to make it 3-2 before the 2nd intermission). I remember getting incredibly angry and screaming about how this was the “same old Rangers” and how Jaromir Jagr was “just another washed up player.”

Okay, I never said that about Jagr (I did say the first part, though), and it’s a good thing I didn’t, because he took over in the 3rd, scoring two power play goals to go with his assist on the Strudwick goal. Marcel Hossa sealed the deal for the Rangers 33 seconds after Jagr’s 2nd goal.

I was on Cloud Nine after this game. Hossa scored, Strudwick scored, Ryan Hollweg had an assist. All of these people came out of nowhere, and I knew, just knew, that Hossa and Hollweg would be offensive dynamos for the rest of the year.

Sure, they weren’t, but Hollweg played good for his rookie year, Jed Ortmeyer worked his heart off, Dominic Moore had a great rookie campaign while playing in every game, Henrik Lundqvist was a phenomenal discovery, Jaromir Jagr broke the Rangers points and goals record, and Martin Straka was great. It was a dream season for the Rangers.


And it all started here, on a chilly October night in Philadelphia.

9) Shanahan Fights Brashear
MSG - December 30, 2006
The Rangers had lost 7 in a row, starting with a 9-2 beating in Toronto and a 6-1 loss at home to the Devils and culminating in being shutout twice in a row against the Islanders and Ottawa. They went from 18-10-4 to 18-17-4 and were in a pretty bad jam. When they could score goals, they let in too many. When Henrik Lundqvist was hot, the offense couldn’t put one in.

Leave it to Brendan Shanahan to be the sparkplug. In his first season with the Rangers, he took exception to Donald Brashear making runs at Jagr all night long. He challenged him to a fight at center ice, dropped his gloves, and put some fists on his big bald head.

Maybe he didn’t win the fight - because Brashear pulled his jersey over his head and brought him down - but Shanahan, “a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” as Joe Micheletti said, revved up his team and the crowd, and the Rangers won 4-1, the first win of 4 straight.

What did Brashear do in response to getting called out by a player with actual skill? Skated by Aaron Ward and sucker-punched him in the mouth and the helmet.

What did the Rangers do in response? Waited for Brashear to injure unsung hero Blair Betts, then signed him to a huge contract, realized he was awful, and sent him to the minors.



8) Shootout Against Washington
MSG - November 26, 2005
What do Michael Nylander, Ville Nieminen, Jason Strudwick, and Marek Malik have in common? Besides short careers with the Rangers, they all scored goals in a 15-round shootout.

The Rangers shot last, meaning that all three times the Capitals scored, the Rangers happened to score also, which is a pretty crazy feat in itself. Olaf Kolzig was particularly good on this night, both in the game and the tiebreaker, as he always played great against the Rangers.

My personal favorite goal from this was Strudwick’s wicked wrister. The Rangers had to think their chances were slim when Bryan Muir put one past Lundqvist, and then Tom Renney puts Strudwick out. He skated down with speed and ripped one right by Kolzig, who wasn’t expecting such a hard shot. I always loved Jason Strudwick and seeing him save the day was incredible. He started pounding the glass and then throwing his arms up to rile the crowd.

Of course, when Malik put the puck in, his reaction was the extreme opposite of Strudwick’s. He acted like a 50-goal scorer instead of a 6’6” defenseman who scored 8 goals in 3 years as a Ranger (6 regular season, 1 shootout, 1 playoff).

You know what happened. Matt Bradley missed his shot for Washington. Malik - goalless the whole year so far - took the puck at center ice, goes left, cuts right, puts the stick and puck between his legs, waits for Kolzig to drop, and put it home - from between his legs.

I can watch this goal over and over and never get sick of it. I still don’t entirely know how Malik did this. Marek Malik!

Said John Davidson, “I’ve seen it all.”



7) Jed Ortmeyer's Penalty Shot
MSG - January 13, 2007
Jed Ortmeyer was lucky to be alive - much less still playing in the NHL - after suffering a pulmonary embolism in the summer of 2006. In fact, he missed 40 games to start the season, and in his 5th game (a 6-4 loss to Ottawa on January 11) he notched 2 assists and got a standing ovation on both of them.

The next game, his 6th game back, was a game against Boston. The Rangers were up 2-1 late in the 3rd period when Tomas Pock took a high-sticking penalty. Ortmeyer, one of the best penalty-killers on a great penalty-killing team, broke free and had a short-handed breakaway until he was dragged down by Patrice Bergeron.

The ref pointed to center ice and Ortmeyer skated to the bench. Jaromir Jagr wondered if they could decline the penalty shot and play 4-on-4. Ryan Hollweg (who had 0 points so far in the season) told him to shoot high on Tim Thomas. Ortmeyer said in the post-game interviews that Hollweg probably saw that on SportsCenter.

With the Garden on their feet, Ortmeyer went straight down the ice, faked a shot by kicking his left leg out, waited for Thomas to go down, went to the right and put the puck into the net.

If anyone ever deserved a highlight-reel goal like that, it was Jed Ortmeyer, who played his heart and soul out every single game.

6) Leetch Returns to MSG
MSG - March 20, 2006
Brian Leetch's last game at Madison Square Garden was March 2, 2004, in a loss to Atlanta. Since then, he was traded to Toronto and signed by Boston.

The Boston Bruins' first visit to the Garden was 4 months earlier, on November 20, 2005, but Leetch didn't play because of a strained knee that kept him out for a while.

The inevitable day finally came in late March, and the Garden greeted him with a video celebrating his time as a Ranger - a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Award, a 102 point season, 1,129 games in blue, 82 playoff games, franchise records for goals, assists, and points by a defenseman, and a goal in Game 7.

Leetch was "in a fog," according to him the entire night. At random points in the game, fans would chant "Bri-an Leetch, Bri-an Leetch" (including me). He was visibly affected by the reaction to him in what was his only game at MSG not in a Rangers jersey (besides the 1994 All-Star Game...).

Besides Leetch's return, it was a great game, with the Rangers jumping out to a 3-0 2nd period lead that caused Boston to use their timeout. The fans even cheered the fact that Boston was forced to use its timeout early. The Bruins wound up scoring 2 goals, but the Rangers won 5-2.

The only bad part of the night was realizing that Leetch would never again be part of a good Rangers team. As it was, the Rangers improved to 39-19-10 that night while the Bruins fell to 4 games under .500.


(The last 26 seconds of the game.)

On Hiatus!...

We will be taking the weekend off from our Top Post-Lockout Moments List. To be honest, we didn't want anyone to have to choose between us and the Canada/USA hockey game on Sunday night.

On Monday, it's Rangers 10-6. Tuesday, Islanders 10-6. Wednesday, Rangers 5-1 and Thursday, Islanders 5-1.

I'll give you a hint...

NYI Top Post-Lockout Moments #15-11

More of the top post-lockout moments in Islanders history. Monday, we'll have #10-#6 of the Rangers' moments.

15) Road Warriors

Chicago/Detroit - March 15/March 27, 2009

The 2008-09 season was largely forgettable for the Islanders. They had a decent start, but injuries - and the fact that they weren't very good - had the Islanders in their customary spot of last place by Christmas. The injury bug that ravaged the Islanders was absolutely insane, with the Islanders resorting to playing as many as a dozen Bridgeport Sound Tigers on the big club, then sending them down to play in Bridgeport.

It was under these conditions that the Islanders pulled off their two biggest wins of the season. The first came during a Sunday matinee in Chicago, a game in which goalie Peter Mannino earned his first NHL win. Two weeks later, the Isles played the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings on a Friday night, and to say Islanders fans weren't expecting much would be an understatement. However, these Islanders were up to the task, in particularly Joey MacDonald, who stole the show with 42 saves. In fact, it was MacDonald's save on Tomas Holmstrom that was named by NHL fans as the best save of the season.

These two games meant very little in the standings to either team, but they did a world of good for Islanders fans. Those who stayed loyal to the last-place Islanders were treated to two tremendous efforts against the eventual Western Conference finalists. They also got a glimpse of the team's future, as well as a reminder that the New York Islanders do not quit against any team.

14) Fight Night At Nassau Coliseum

Nassau Coliseum - September 24, 2007

Preseason games are often filled with fights. Islanders-Rangers games are often filled with fights. Put the two together, and there is serious potential for disarray.

There were a number of fights on this night, but there are two that stand out. The first involved Chris Simon and Ryan Hollweg. This game actually occurred during Simon's suspension for mauling Hollweg during a March 2007 game, but since it was a preseason game, Simon was able to play. Given the history these two players had with one another, it was no surprise that they went at it on this night.

The fight nobody expected to see, though, was between the goalies. As Rick DiPietro became involved in a scrum in front of the Islanders' net, Rangers goalie Al Montoya came down to defend his teammates. The tussle between DiPietro and Montoya wasn't all that special, but that they squared off at all was a pretty awesome moment. It was a great cap to yet another brutal moment in the Islanders-Rangers rivalry.

13) Opening Night

Nassau Coliseum - October 3, 2009

For months prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, Islanders fans saw October 3 as something more than Opening Night. Instead, it was Charles Wang's well-publicized date of "certainty". Wang stated numerous times that, if the Lighthouse Project had not been approved, the Islanders would listen to offers from potential suitors of the Islanders in other cities. As the date neared, the political games intensified, leaving fans worried about their team's future.

As it turned out, there was no deal by Wang's "certainty" deadline. However, that didn't stop the fans from filling the Coliseum, forgetting all the political nonsense, and simply enjoying the great game of hockey. They got to see a great game, highlighted by the NHL debut of John Tavares. Tavares didn't disappoint, recording an assist and a goal on the Islanders' first two goals. Tavares also made an appearance in the shootout later that night. While the Islanders couldn't knock off the defending Cup champs, they gave Islanders fans a tremendous memory - as well as a reminder that while it's easy to get swept up in the politics of the Lighthouse, hockey is what makes Islander Country a special place.

12) The Purge of 2009

February 20/March 4, 2009

As the Islanders made their bid for the first overall draft pick towards the end of the 2008-09 season, most people suspected that the Islanders would sell off at least some of their significant surplus of players at the end of their contracts. The Islanders did end up trading three veteran players around the deadline, but it wasn't merely to save payroll.

On February 20, the Islanders shipped Chris Campoli and Mike Comrie to Ottawa in exchange for Dean McAmmond and a first-round pick. Campoli wasn't going to be a free agent, but had something in common with Comrie - neither were happy with Scott Gordon's system. Nor was Guerin, who was pulled from the Islanders lineup on February 28 in anticipation of a trade, which did not materialize until just before the deadline on March 4. Guerin's haul was less than anticipated, but he did end up yielding a third-round pick when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

The message in these trades were clear. Veterans who didn't want to mentor the young guys and play within Scott Gordon's system were expendable and would be moved out in favor of younger players. The trades were proof that the Islanders were committed to rebuilding with Gordon and that fans could finally embrace a coach without worrying about him getting fired anytime soon.

11) Islanders Hire Ted Nolan And Neil Smith

June 8, 2006

After the Islanders fired Steve Stirling in January 2006, fans were waiting to see who would be named the next Islanders coach. Interim coach Brad Shaw did a decent job to close out 2005-06, but most people were looking for the Isles to name a coach from outside the organization. Fans were also waiting for the team to name Mike Milbury's successor as general manager. On June 8, 2006, they would be pleasantly surprised to find that both the coach and general manager vacancies were filled.

For the general manager position, the Islanders brought in Neil Smith. While some Islanders fans weren't thrilled about the prospect of a former Rangers GM running their team, Smith also had a background with the Islanders, serving as a scout on their 80s Cup teams. In addition, it was hard to ignore Smith's work in bringing the Rangers the 1994 Stanley Cup. For coach, the Islanders hired Ted Nolan, the former Sabres coach who hadn't coached in the NHL since being fired by the Sabres and subsuquently blackballed from the league as a whole.

The additions of these two respected leaders with proven track records of success helped give the Islanders a sense of credibility they hadn't had for years. The additions of Pat LaFontaine and Bryan Trottier as executives only helped to enhance the good vibes of the day. Then, unfortunately, Charles Wang announced his "management model" whereby everyone would have an equal say and all would report directly to Wang. Smith was unable to exist within this "model" and was fired just 40 days later, with LaFontaine resigning his post on the same day.

Ultimately, Wang's "model" was quietly dropped two years later, but by then, the damage was done. Smith was out and Garth Snow was in; a decision, as we will see later in the countdown, that was not exactly warmly embraced at first. However, Smith's tenure did have some long-lasting impact, as his first draft pick as Islanders GM was Kyle Okposo. As for Nolan, he brought the Islanders to the playoffs in his first season, but was fired after the next season, his "GM-killer" reputation still intact.

NYR Top Post-Lockout Moments #15-11

Part 3 of an 8-part series. Up tomorrow: Top Islanders' Moments #15-11.

15) Messier Night / Jagr Scores in OT
MSG - January 12, 2006
Can you imagine how angry the fans would have been after spending $500 on one ticket to Mark Messier Night only to see a loss? Granted, the ceremony itself was great - albeit very long. But during the last retirement ceremony (Mike Richter’s), the Rangers blew a 3-2 lead and lost 4-3 to Minnesota.

Steve Rucchin started the scoring, but then Edmonton scored 3 straight to take a 3-1 lead. The Rangers jumped ahead 4-3 on an early 3rd period goal by Petr Prucha, but Mike Peca’s shorthanded goal was his second of the night scored his 2nd goal of the night and tied it at 4 (his first goal tied it at 1 and it was a power play goal with Martin Straka off the ice for an illegal stick penalty!).

Maybe predictably for a fast-paced, back and forth game, overtime didn’t last very long. Just fourteen seconds in, Jaromir Jagr whipped one past former Ranger Jussi Markkanen, capping off a great night for Rangers fans.

How fitting of an ending for a 75-minute ceremony than an extra session of hockey?

Oh, but my overall favorite moment? Christopher Reeve’s widow (now deceased herself) Dana singing Carole King’s “Now and Forever.”



14) Leetch Announcing Adam Graves’ Night
MSG - January 24, 2008
For how good the game was during Mark Messier Night, Brian Leetch Night’s game was a rolling disaster.

Sure, the Rangers won in dramatic fashion, but it was more a matter of desperation than anything. They needed the points badly (they were merely 2 games over .500 at the time) and they had played a lackluster, downright boring game so far. Michal Rozsival potted one with 11 minutes left in the 3rd period to finally give the Rangers something to cheer about since the ceremony ended.

(Brendan Shanahan wound up scoring the only shootout goal to give the Rangers 2 points, but the game, overall, was still very boring.)

The ceremony, of course, was excellent, and definitely shorter than Messier’s marathon. The highlight was definitely when Leetch took the time out of his own night to announce that Adam Graves Night would be held the following season.

They played great together on the ice, and it was a great touch for Leetch to do this. He was never completely comfortable with the spotlight on him, and even on his special night, he shone the light on someone else. That’s a good teammate.

13) Jagr Scores :29 Into Season
MSG - October 5, 2006
Five months ago, Jaromir Jagr couldn’t even lift his shoulder after hurting it throwing a weak, awkward punch at then-Devil Scott Gomez. He had surgery to repair it, but there were doubts surrounding the team coming into the start of the 2006-07 season. The three main questions concerning the team were about Jagr’s shoulder, how Henrik Lundqvist would be after his problems in the ’06 playoffs after the Olympics (he played awful, if you remember, after coming back from Italy grinding his teeth while he slept and with migraines), and if Brendan Shanahan was a good signing.

Well, 29 seconds into the season, newly-introducted Captain Jagr stormed up the ice, cut across center, and fired one past notorious Ranger-killer Olaf Kolzig on the first shot of the season. The crowd chanted “MVP! MVP!” to Jagr, as he should have been crowned it the season before, but Joe Thornton won it when he overtook him in the points race at the end of the season.

Shanahan wound up scoring 2 goals in his Ranger debut, goals 599 and 600, Lundqvist stood tall, and for a night, all was perfect in Rangerland.

Who knew that the deciding factor of the season wouldn’t be Jagr’s shoulder, Shanahan’s ability, or Lundqvist’s migraines, but a last-minute icing in May in Buffalo.

12) Lundqvist Robs Savard
Boston - October 20, 2007
The Rangers and Boston have played some very close games since the Lockout, but none of them could top the 1-0 shootout won by Boston in October of 2007. Lundqvist had 19 saves, Manny Fernandez had 26, and the game was won in a shootout by Phil Kessel after the first 5 shooters didn’t score.

It almost didn’t get to that shootout, however, if not for an excellent save by Lundqvist on Marc Savard.

If you remember, this was also the game where Marty Straka blocked TWO Zdeno Chara slappers from the point and broke the same finger in two separate spots on both shots. If we had this website during this game, I would have called Straka a Warrior.

On the same power play, a rebound came to Savard and he absolutely rocketed a shot to an open net, except Lundqvist whipped out his left arm and caught the puck. A shocked Savard fell to the ice (partly due to the force he took the shot with) and looked to the heavens.

Between Straka being immortal and Lundqvist making one of the Saves of the Decade, the winner of the game didn’t even matter.



11) Nylander’s Playoff Hat Trick
MSG - April 17, 2007
The last time the Rangers had won a playoff game at MSG, well, I don’t know, but I assume it was in 1997, a full 10 years before they beat the Thrashers 7-0.

The previous year, against New Jersey, they got outscored 7-2 in their two home playoff games, and even though they got a standing ovation after being eliminated, it stung.

This was the complete opposite.

Kari Lehtonen was reinstated as starting goaltender after being replaced by Johan Hedberg for Game 2. The Rangers made quick work of him, though he was never pulled in the game. Michael Nylander scored his first goal 32 seconds into the game and his second 9 minutes later. His 3rd goal was the team’s 7th, completing what he started.

Ryan Callahan also scored twice on this night, 11 minutes apart in the 2nd period, and even Marek Malik scored on a great shot from the left circle. Shanahan scored the other goal for the Rangers, and Jagr had 4 assists.

It was a great night to be a fan from start to finish, and the sweep of Atlanta the next night made for a flawless first round victory.

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.

NYR Top Post-Lockout Moments #20-16

This is my personal favorite moments from Ranger games starting in the 2005-06 season. It only includes NHL moments (for example, it doesn’t have Henrik Lundqvist winning the Gold Medal in the ’06 Olympics) and it doesn’t include bad memories (for example, Game 5 vs. Buffalo, or Jaromir Jagr and Lundqvist coming back hurt from the Olympics, or Jagr throwing a punch at Scott Gomez).

20) Three Goals in Ninety Seconds
Madison Square Garden - November 14, 2006
As a rule of thumb, I never like to go to Ranger-Devil games at MSG. I don't know if it's the Devils' fans or the fact that I've seen some real stinkers, but they just don't appeal to me. So, on this day, I sold my friend my tickets to an early season game between the Hudson River Rivals.

This seemed like a great decision after 2 lifeless periods, and that's when everything got great. Jaromir Jagr scored just over two minutes into the 3rd period, and then, 26 seconds later, Jagr's puck went high and somehow floated over Martin Brodeur's head and into the net. A minute and 4 seconds later, Brendan Shanahan wristed one in the net to make it a 3-2 game, in a game the Rangers trailed 2-0 90 seconds earlier.

The icing on the cake? Marcel Hossa's two assists.

On the way home from work that night, I was listening to talk radio, and a called said it was "the single greatest regular season game I have ever witnessed in person." I texted my friend, and all he replied was, "I concur."

19) Strong Comebacks Against Canadian Teams
MSG - January 11, 2007
Kevin Weekes gave up 4 goals in 32 minutes and Lundqvist gave up an early 3rd period goal as Ottawa built a 5-0 lead on the Rangers. Half of the Garden left at this point, but the Rangers mounted a big comeback. Petr Prucha, Jay Ward, and Marcel Hossa scored within 3 minutes of each other and Blair Betts scored 4 minutes after that to bring the Rangers to within a goal. Jed Ortmeyer’s two assists were his first points since coming back from a pulmonary embolism, and he got a standing ovation both times his name was announced.

The Rangers kept pressing, and might have tied the game if not for a bad call by Mike Hasenfratz. The Senators flipped the puck over the glass in their own end, which should have been a penalty, but the referees didn’t call it, even though replays on the big screen proved that it went out while still in the zone. Brendan Shanahan refused to leave the zone, arguing that it should be a penalty, nearly getting a penalty of his own. The Rangers were then forced to pull Lundqvist, ending in a Dany Heatley empty-netter which sealed a 6-4 win for the Senators.

This was also Weekes’ last game in a Ranger uniform, as he hurt his leg in practice the next day and Steve Valiquette replaced him.

Montreal - February 3, 2008
The only game on Super Bowl Sunday (when the Giants beat the Patriots), the Canadiens jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a Sergei Kostitsyn penalty shot, but then the Rangers roared back. They scored 3 goals in 7 minutes in the second to tie it at 3, then Chris Drury and Martin Straka scored in the 3rd to complete a great comeback in front of a stunned La Centre Bell crowd. It was the 3rd straight win for the middling Rangers, who would soon go on a 10-0-3 run to make the playoffs.

18) Dom Moore Scores Against Roberto Luongo
Sunrise, Florida - November 9, 2005
The Rangers were losing to the Panthers 3-2 with three seconds left in the 3rd period. Dominic Moore was behind the net and saw an opening between Roberto Luongo’s pad and the post, so he aimed for it, hoping it would bank off of his leg and into the net - and it did. In the postgame interviews, he said that he knew time was winding down and had no other choices, so he whipped it towards the net and hoped for what eventually happened.

Petr Prucha wound up scoring the only shootout goal for the Rangers, and they won, 4-3.

17) Sean Avery Night
MSG - January 6, 2010
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, nothing makes me happier than when Sean Avery scores. This year, there haven’t been too many of those moments - in fact, until this game, he had only scored 4 goals and they came in 2 games.

He was like a man-possessed on this Wednesday night in New York City, playing his former teammates. He scored to tie the game at 1-1, then had the primary assist on the next 3 goals as the Rangers jumped to a 4-2 lead and eventually won 5-2 on an empty netter.

He was hitting, shooting, getting under the skin of the team, and even undressing a defenseman with spin-o-ramas.

In short, this was Sean Avery’s night, and it was the way he should play every game.



16) Gomez Traded for Gaborik
June 30 - July 1, 2007
If I had asked any Ranger fan if they would have traded Scott Gomez straight-up for Marian Gaborik, do you think they would have said, “No, I’m happy with Gomez.” Well, in essence, that’s what the Rangers did. They traded nearly identical contracts (5 years, $7M+) and came up on the winning end of the deal.

Of course, it wasn’t an actual trade, but on the eve of the start of free agency, the Rangers traded Scott Gomez to Montreal for Chris Higgins and prospect Ryan McDonagh. With the cap-space now free, the Rangers didn’t trade for Dany Heatley and instead signed Gaborik to a five-year deal.

Another reason this trade was great was that Montreal was interested in Gaborik, but with Gomez’s contract now on their hands, they couldn’t even make a run at him.

It was risky for the Rangers: What if Gaborik signed elsewhere, who would the Rangers go for? What if they signed him and he got hurt?

But so far, it has worked out. He’s young, he’s fast, he’s immensely talented, and he isn’t afraid to stick up for himself. And he’s a great player to build around.

No Olympic Break Here...

While the NHL takes a relaxing vacation to the Bahamas, or Las Vegas, or Tahiti, or wherever it is that millionaire Europeans and Canadians take their families when they have two weeks off, The Rivalry stays here.

And no, we won't be covering the Olympics in great detail. If you want that, go somewhere else. To be honest, I'm only interested in how Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan, and Chris Drury do. And while I want Lundqvist to win the gold again (if the Americans don't), it pains me to know he's going to play in so many extra games when other goalies get to rest.

Instead, we will welcome back Bryan. Remember him? He writes for this website about the Islanders, and he's also the only one who ever updates our Twitter, since I hate that site. He hasn't written since January 19 by my count, and the Islanders have gone 2-8 since. Coincidence? Purely, but it is suspect timing by my counterpart.

Our main purpose though, the part that I wanted to write in the first paragraph but I'm a little long-winded, is that we have an 8-part series planned for you.

We each came up with our Top 20 Post-Lockout Moments for the Rangers and Islanders. Obviously, I'll be doing the Rangers' list and Bryan, the Islanders' moments.

I don't know about Bryan, but I'm only putting positives. Game 5 vs. Buffalo, for instance, will not be brought up, though it probably was the biggest post-lockout moment for the Rangers.

Here's the schedule...

Tuesday, February 16 - Rangers #20 - 16
Wednesday, February 17 - Islanders #20 - 16
Thursday, February 18 - Rangers #15 - 11
Friday, February 19 - Islanders # 15 - 11
Saturday, February 20 - Rangers # 10 - 6
Sunday, February 21 - Islanders # 10 - 6
Monday, February 22 - Rangers # 5 - 1
Tuesday, February 23 - Islanders # 5 - 1

Hope you enjoy it.

Brashear Asks for Trade...

Excuse me, because it's 4:55 a.m. and I just got home from work/bar and I am just reading up on the hockey news of the day, but did Donald Brashear ask for a trade?

To who? Hartford? Charlotte? Oh, no, wait, the Charlotte Checkers won't be the Rangers ECHL affiliate next year.

Looks like Hartford it is. I hear the Rangers will trade Brashear and his $1.4M contract this season and the next for $1.4M in cap space.

Bringing up the question, why was he signed in the first place?

And why was Colton Orr let go?


Now, I know it's probably tough to be an NHL General Manager, and I'm not saying I'm qualified. Hell, I'm just a lowly restaurant manager.

But I watch the games. I have known for years that Brashear has offered nothing to any team he's been on - Philadelphia, Washington, now the Rangers - and that Orr has graduated into one of the best fighters in the league.

Odd choices, Mr. Sather. Odd choices.

I'm Not Scared of Kovalchuk...

No, I'm not scared of having Ilya Kovalchuk on the Devils for the rest of the season, for a few reasons.

1) The Devils aren't the Rangers' competition this year. If he was traded to a team close to the Rangers in the conference standings, then yes, I wouldn't like it much.

2) Sean Avery is a Ranger.

Scouts?...

Being an NHL scout has to be one of the easier jobs in the world. I admit, a minor league hockey scout probably has a tough job - traveling to obscure cities in Oklahoma, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Texas; low pay; lots of hours; writing reports on people that no one knows.

But a pro scout? Isn't that why there are TVs? That's why the NHL has highlights of every game on its website. We are all basically pro scouts. We watch TV, we see replays, we decide if a player is good or bad.

So what exactly is it that the scouts for the Calgary Flames do?

I can understand the executives in Calgary wanting to trade Dion Phaneuf. He was a disease in the locker room, and even with him in the lineup they had only 1 win in the past 9 games. It was time for a change for him, so they traded him for a bunch of players. Matt Stajan is pretty good, Nik Hagman is skilled, Jamal Mayers is tough, and Ian White is a decently high-scoring D-man (though he's no Phaneuf).

Still, they lost out big time on that trade. A top-6 forward, to bottom-6 forwards, and a 2nd- or 3rd-pair defenseman does not make up for losing a huge talent like Phaneuf (like him or not, and I don't, he's good) and a great penalty killer in Freddy Sjostrom.

So how does Calgary follow up? By trading for Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins. Really? Olli Jokinen and Chris Higgins are both going to be unrestricted free agents after this season, so it wasn't a salary dump (Higgins' + Kotalik's salary = Jokinen's). Wouldn't you rather have Jokinen then Higgins? I would, because I watch the games, though I don't get paid.

And how could they have possibly wanted Kotalik? Don't get me wrong, I liked Kotalik as a Ranger and think he could've been good here, but he's sat out 8 of 9 games. The one game he played? Against Carolina where the Rangers lost 5-1 and he was a rusty screwdriver out there.

How could a paid individual go, "That guy who hasn't played for 7 games, played horrible in his 1 game, then got benched again. We want him. What, he has a no-trade clause to Calgary? That's fine. We want to pay him for the next 2 years also." This has buy-out written all over it.

(I can see a team wanting Higgins. He's a tough guy who has scored in the past but was awful in NY. Maybe they see him as a reclamation project who they can dump in the offseason if it fails.)

The only way it makes sense for Calgary is if it's the first of a few moves (well, second of a few moves, I guess) to land a big fish.

It reminds me of when the Canadiens took Scott Gomez off of our hands, as I'm sure it reminds you as well. Remember how they then couldn't afford to make a run at Marian Gaborik?

Thank you, Canadian teams.

Hey, is Vancouver looking to trade the Sedin twins for Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival?

Good Players...

You know who was good? Olli Jokinen from 2005 through 2007.

You know who isn't that good anymore? Olli Jokinen.

Of course, if the rumors are true, and Olli Jokinen is about to be a Ranger (along with Brandon Prust for Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik), then he becomes the 3rd highest-scoring Ranger, behind Marian Gaborik and Vaclav Prospal.

And yes, he is a 1st-line center who can play with Prospal at left wing and Gaborik at right wing.

But the big thing is that Kotalik is making $3M for not only this year but the next 2 seasons as well. Jokinen's cap hit is $5.25M, and he is an unrestricted free agent this summer. So the Rangers effectively clear $3M off the books for the next two seasons.

(Higgins is making $2.25M this year, but that's unrelated because he'd be a UFA after this season, and the Rangers probably weren't inviting him back for another campaign. The only thing that his salary has to do with this is that it's an even exchange, just over $5M for just over $5M. Prust is making $500,000 only.)

Maybe Jokinen isn't as good as his two seasons when he averaged over a point per game, but to add more offense this year while clearing $3M for the next two years is a good move.

Keep in mind that this doesn't address the real problems of the Rangers cap issues - that would involve moving any combination of Wade Redden, Chris Drury, and Michal Rozsival. But the moves are going to have to be made before the Olympic break because there is only 1 game before the March 3 trade deadline.