One of my favorite things about being an Islanders fan is that I've never really been let down by the team. Sure, the team has done plenty to embarrass me and my fellow fans. But the truth is, I've never expected anything from the Islanders. I was born into Islanders fandom, and someday I'll die an Islanders fan. The team has been pretty terrible for virtually my entire life, and that's fine by me. Quite frankly, I'm just happy that the Islanders are still playing on Long Island at this point.
While I'm a devoted fan, I welcome the fact that I generally know what I'm getting with the Islanders, even if it's not the best of results. It's a hell of a lot better than watching the Mets spend a gazillion dollars each off-season, jack ticket prices up in anticipation of a big season, only to have the season end in heartbreak or, in the past two seasons, apathy. And it's a lot better than watching my beloved Jets, lovably pitiful for much of my life, become the league's most hated team and one that leads the league in arrests and penalties. The Islanders don't expose me to these potential pratfalls. As loyal Islanders fans, we know we're going to watch some good games, we know we're going to see some young players develop... and we also know that, come April, we can go ahead and make other plans.
Or can we?
The Islanders released their single-game ticket prices recently, and... well, so much for my plans to take my daughter to her first Islanders game. A decent seat in the 300s will run you anywhere from $65 to $75, and if you want to go down the to the lower bowl, you're looking at upwards of $95. Those seats at the top of the Coliseum, with the aluminum floor that's fun to bang on, but prevents you from seeing the scoreboard? $35 per ticket. That's a lot of money. In fact, the Islanders' prices are quite similar to what the New Jersey Devils charge for their individual game tickets; in the case of premium games, the Islanders actually charge more.
Therein lies the dilemma. The Devils have a right to charge a hefty price for their tickets. They play in a state-of-the-art palace, and they've been to the playoffs in all but one of the past 20 seasons. Yes, they've won just two playoff series since winning the Cup in 2003, but they've also, you know, been consistently very good, to the tune of 95 or more points every year since 1996-97.
To say the Islanders haven't been as successful would be quite the understatement. This is a team that...
- Has been in the lottery for each of the past three years
- Has won two playoff series in the past 23 years
- Has won three playoff games since 2002
- Has only had one player break the 25-goal plateau in the past three years
- Has never even come close to signing a big-name free agent
I could go on forever, but you get the idea. The point is, the Devils have proven that they're worth paying money to see (not that Devils fans would ever show up at games or anything). The Islanders, on the other hand, continue to sell us on the "future", something we've been hearing for fifteen years now. So you'll have to forgive me and many others for our skepticism. You can't substantially raise ticket prices based on what may happen. At some point, there has to be tangible proof that the team has turned the corner.
This is the quandary the Islanders face in 2010-11. For the past three years, Garth Snow has preached patience to the Islanders fanbase. For three years, fans have complied. But now that ticket prices have reached a level comparable with those of perennial Cup contenders, there's a certain expectation that goes with those prices. The draft lottery is not going to get it done this year, not when fans are paying an average of $75 a ticket. The absolute minimum expectation for the New York Islanders has to be the playoffs.
Are the playoffs within the realm of possibility? Absolutely. The Islanders have spent a long time maturing and preparing to make a move, and this very well could be the year it all comes together. But if it's not, the Islanders will have some explaining to do. The fans this year will expect a winner, not yet another rebuilding year - and at the prices the Islanders are charging, the fans are entitled to a significant return on their investment.
It's been nearly five months since I've written a piece for this blog. You can blame burnout, school, kids or anything else for that, but you make time for the things that are important to you. To be perfectly honest, a huge part of the reason why I've been absent is that I grew very sick of the negativity that's rampant on the Internet, in the blogosphere, and in Islanders Country.
Look, I get it. This team has pretty much sucked for the past 25 years. We've had the Easter Epic, the playoff run in 1993, the resurgence in 2002, and that's about it. People are frustrated, and that's fine. But if you're a fan, you support the team unconditionally. So when the Islanders made some moves this summer, it was interesting to gauge the reaction - and, predictably, it wasn't very positive.
What's happened this summer? Let's go back in time.
- At the draft, the Islanders passed on some consensus top guys to draft Nino Niederreiter. Everyone flipped out about how the Islanders should have drafted Cam Fowler. The same Cam Fowler that eleven other teams passed on. So it's possible that the Islanders knew something that one-third of the league also knew. More importantly, approximately 99.9 percent of Islanders fans had never seen Niederreiter or Fowler play. You'd think Islanders fans, who have plenty of experience with prospects, would take a wait-and-see approach. But I guess not.
- The Islanders entered July 1 with some money to spend, but predictably didn't do anything drastic. That is, unless you consider paying Mark Eaton $2.5 million a year to be a third-pair defenseman to be a drastic measure. In any event, Islanders fans flipped out about how the team can never sign anyone, how the team will never be anything but a laughingstock, and how Snow is a terrible GM. And yet, when the possibility of giving Ilya Kovalchuk a $100 million contract arose, those same fans claimed that they didn't want "another Yashin". You can't have it both ways, people.
- This summer, the Islanders released two people that worked behind the scenes - Ryan Jankowski and Bryan Trottier. Both moves were met with considerable scorn from an Islanders fanbase that, quite frankly, has no idea what either of these two men actually did. It's one thing to get mad when the team parts way with a legendary figure, even if , as Gallof says, Trottier's role was largely ceremonial after Charles Wang's much-maligned "business model" was disbanded. The bigger story was Jankowski's departure, which was treated as though Bill Torrey was assassinated during the Cup years. None of us would even be able to spot Jankowski on the street, let alone identify one kid that he personally scouted and drafted. And yet, Islanders Country was apoplectic when Jankowski was let go. Just because Chris Botta says that Ryan Jankowski was an important person doesn't mean fans should cancel their season tickets if he's fired. Again, just another reason for Islanders fans to whine, even if there's no proof that the decision will affect the Islanders in any way.
That brings us to the news of the day - namely, Billy Jaffe's departure from the Islanders and MSG.
Billy Jaffe came to the Islanders in time for the 2006-07 season, after MSG reassigned Joe Micheletti to Rangers broadcasts. Jaffe's first game was a 6-3 drubbing at the hands of Phoenix, a harbinger of things to come. However, despite calling games for a crummy team, Jaffe's enthusiasm never waned. While he was accused of being a little too rah-rah at first, Jaffe's positivity was a welcome voice to a fanbase that was beaten down by constant criticism from other members of the media. In recent years, Jaffe's corny banter with Howie Rose became a reason to watch games, especially when the team wasn't doing much to get fans to tune in.
Jaffe would go on to become something of a rising star in the hockey media world, regularly making appearances on NHL Live and Versus telecasts. When I had the chance to guest edit the incomparable Puck The Media a while back, I spoke of Jaffe's enormous potential, something he's well on his way to fulfilling. Through it all, he remained loyal to the Islanders, always presenting them in a positive light whenever possible. However, the Islanders and MSG did not return that loyalty. But not because of money. Instead, the Islanders thought he wasn't positive enough.
Are you KIDDING? Have the Islanders ever heard Jaffe speak? I've never, EVER heard him say anything that could be considered even remotely negative. And the Islanders said he wasn't positive enough? Please.
Let me tell you something. If you work in a hopeless environment, when you're involved with a subpar product, a minuscule audience and virtually no chance of things improving, it can be very easy to become unhappy. And yet, Billy Jaffe came to work every day for the Islanders full of optimism. He truly believed that the Islanders would become good again one day, and he wanted to be here for it. Unfortunately, the Islanders didn't see it that way.
Now, Jaffe is hardly the first individual to be forced out by MSG for not singing the company line from the mountaintops. In fact, in 2004, MSG dumped Marv Albert from Knicks broadcasts for being too negative. Never mind that those Knicks were absolutely terrible and that Albert had been calling Knicks and Rangers games for MSG for, oh, about 35 years. This isn't to suggest that Jaffe is in the same league as the legendary Albert. Just that when MSG wants someone out, they make sure to eliminate that person.
October will be here soon enough, and life will go on. It's pretty obvious MSG has a hard-on for Butch Goring, and he will be the next announcer for the Islanders. Goring, while an Islanders legend and a nice enough guy, isn't half the announcer Jaffe was. But you know Goring will do whatever it takes to please Islanders management, and that's the guy the Islanders want. The world doesn't want free thinkers with potential, they want yes-men who can be easily manipulated.
And what does this say to the Islanders faithful? It says that they're not important. Fans have acted irrationally for much of the summer and pretty much all of the past few years, but this is one area where they are right to be upset. Quite frankly, after bottom-five finishes in the past three years, the Islanders should be happy that ANYONE is watching games anymore. Why not appease these loyal fans by keeping Billy Jaffe? Anyone who watches knows how much the team sucks, yet they are watching anyway. No need to kiss the asses of these fans, nor is there any need to patronize them. Furthermore, how can we ever trust anything MSG says to us in the future? We now know that Islanders broadcasts will only contain fluff and praise. The Islanders should know that doesn't work in New York.
Long story short, it's been a crazy summer so far, and everyone's to blame for it. Islanders fans have plenty of reason to be upset about the ouster of Billy Jaffe, but they would do well to lighten up about things they don't truly understand. The Islanders need to learn how to handle criticism and be happy that people even give a crap about them. Here's hoping that by the time the next crisis hits Islanders Country, cooler heads will prevail.
I showed up at the Garden today for the Rangers/Canadiens game. So did Henrik Lundqvist. It would've been nice if the rest of Rangers could say the same.
Ah, the NHL Trade Deadline, the time of year Ranger fans hold their breath, hoping for a big upgrade that will send them over the edge.
Please, Mr. Sather, not this year. Save the players. Save the draft pics. History is not on your side
In 2005-06, the Rangers got Sandis Ozolinsh for Ville Nieminen. Technically, Nieminen was moved for a draft pick, and that pick was then traded to Anaheim for Ozolinsh. Sather saw Ozolinsh as a puck-moving defenseman with playoff experience (Finals 3 times, Stanley Cup once). What actually happened was that he was a disaster and cost the Ranger 2 games in the playoffs that year. He was also a drain on the team the next year until they got rid of him.
In 2006-07, they traded Aaron Ward for Paul Mara. Great move. They also traded away Pascal Dupuis, who eventually landed on the Penguins and won the Cup with them.
In 2007-08, needing help on the blueline (once again), they traded a 4th-round pick for Christian Backman. Backman was atrocious offensively as well as defensively, leading many to question why he even started playing hockey in the first place, let alone why someone would draft him or trade for him. The 4th-round pick would have been better being wasted on a player who would never make the NHL.
So far, nothing horrible. However, I see them doing this year what they did last year.
Last year, they traded a 2nd-round pick to Toronto for Nik Antropov, an impending free agent who played decently for them but in reality didn't add much to the team. The team squeaked into the playoffs where he had a goal and 2 assists in 7 games, they got eliminated, and he signed a big deal in Atlanta in the offseason.
They also acquired Derek Morris for fan-favorite Petr Prucha, workhorse Nigel Dawes, and utter disappointment Dmitri Kalinin. Trading Kalinin was great, he was awful and cost more games than he contributed in. However, giving up Prucha and Dawes, both homegrown talent who played hard every game (or for Prucha, every 4th game, when he would dress), was awful to receive a defenseman who was let go after the season.
To be sure, Morris played good and had a great shot from the point, but the Rangers never had intentions of signing him.
Last year, they gave up a 2nd-round pick and two good roster players for rentals that gave them nothing. A 7th place finish in the Eastern Conference, a 3-1 lead on Washington, and losing the last 3 games of the playoffs were the reward.
This year, the Rangers already did a good move. By somehow traded Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins for Brandon Prust and Olli Jokinen, they freed up cap space and improved on offense and in toughness.
Please, stop there.
If Glen Sather must make a move, and we all know he must, please just make an even swap, like Mara-for-Ward. I'm not reacting to rumors, but a good even swap would be Sheldon Souray for Michal Rozsival. An even trade of money and an upgrade of talent. Of course, it's not this easy and would require a sweetened deal, either a pick or a play. Then don't.
It wouldn't even hurt to be a seller at the deadline.
What's going to happen, the same as last year? Trade picks for a rental like Dennis Seidenberg, who isn't going to put the team over the edge? Not good enough.
I'm not saying the Rangers should miss the playoffs. Hell, I want them to make the playoffs. But they're probably going to fizzle out in the first round if they make it. More realistically, they'll end up in 9th or 10th place, miss the playoffs, and get another mid-level pick.
How many draft picks in the 12-18 range can one team accumulate? Even when they were bad, they weren't that bad that they got Top 5 picks, like Washington and Pittsburgh. They were just bad enough to miss the playoffs and get to draft in the middle of the first round. You can't build a team like that, especially when most of your picks get traded at the deadline.
Today and tomorrow, it would be much better to accumulate draft picks and cap space than mid-level players who won't help this team.
In all my years of watching hockey, I've never seen as polarizing a figure as Sidney Crosby. To casual sports fans, Crosby is the most recognizable name in the NHL. But to hardcore NHL fans, hating on Crosby is a badge of pride. If you're a hockey fan who dares to actually like Crosby, it's tantamount to being a diehard metalhead who happens to also like Nickelback.
Well, screw that, and screw the haters. Because this writer is an unabashed Crosby fan and, in fact, is thrilled that Crosby was the one to score the golden goal. And I'm sick of people constantly ripping on Crosby for stupid reasons. So, then, let's go through the usual arguments against Crosby and point out their fallacies.
He's Good
Yes, Sidney Crosby is a very talented player. He's the biggest star in the league and the captain of the defending Stanley Cup champions. But I don't think people really appreciate just how good Sidney Crosby is. Based on what he's accomplished so far in his young career, he's the best player to come along since Wayne Gretzky.
Let's go over Crosby's impressive resume...
- Crosby came to a team that finished 30th out of 30 teams before the lockout. Despite playing on a horrible 2005-06 Penguins team that saw Mario Lemieux retire after 26 games, Crosby finished sixth in the league in scoring. His 102 points were 44 more than the 58 points recorded by Sergei Gonchar, who finished second on the team, and Crosby's 110 penalty minutes showed he wasn't afraid to get his nose dirty.
- In 2006-07, Crosby took both the Hart and Art Ross trophies and led the Penguins to a 47-point improvement, which saw Pittsburgh make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
- The 2007-08 season saw Crosby engage in his first career fight, score the winning goal in the first Winter Classic and make a Cup Final appearance.
- In 2008-09, 21-year-old Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.
- Last night, Crosby scored the goal that gave Canada an Olympic gold medal.
Sidney Crosby turns 23 in August. So far, in his four-plus years as a professional, he has won a Stanley Cup, a Hart Trophy, an Art Ross Trophy, and an Olympic gold medal. That's pretty good. What's crazy is, he's getting better. Crosby's ceiling is absolutely limitless, especially if Ray Shero can keep the Penguins' nucleus together.
He's A Whiner
Fun fact about players who wear the C. Along with alternate captains, they're technically the only players who are allowed to talk to referees. It's Crosby's job to call refs out on missed calls, to let the refs know what's going on behind the play, and to generally represent his team. This is what captains do. Yet, Crosby is pegged as a complainer. So was Gretzky in his day.
What's the difference? Gretzky played in an era where anytime he was getting the business from opponents, he could count on Dave Semenko or Marty McSorley to take someone out. In today's NHL, enforcers don't really exist. It's up to Crosby to defend himself; to Crosby's credit, he has shown a willingness to drop the gloves on occasion, something Gretzky never did. In any event, Crosby can't rely on enforcers to do his dirty work, so he has to work with the refs to draw power plays for his team. Again, right in line with the duties of a captain.
Yes, there is a bit of petulance associated with Crosby's game. Islanders fans may recall a recent game in which Crosby took a shot well after the whistle with the pure intent of drawing the ire of his opponents. But is this the worst thing in the world? At least he's showing emotion - doesn't everyone love Ovechkin for showing emotion? The same people who bash Crosby for jawing at opponents are the same people who praise the ability of players like Chris Pronger to "get under their opponents' skin", even when their methods are deplorable at best.
He Gets Way Too Much Play With The Media
Okay, this is a legitimate gripe. From the moment Gretzky proclaimed Crosby as the player who could one day break his records, the media has been hyping Crosby as the next Gretzky. In fact, a legion of NHL fans - this writer included - thought the NHL would fix the 2005 draft lottery so that the Rangers would get the first overall pick, thereby ensuring Crosby would land in a major media market. Alas, it never happened, but that hasn't stopped NBC and Versus from showcasing Crosby and his Penguins at every opportunity. Understandably, this has resulted in some resentment on the part of diehard hockey fans.
However, there are some flaws in this argument. First, Alexander Ovechkin gets just as much praise from the media as Crosby, if not more so. Yes, there's more of a sense that the media defends Crosby more than they do Ovechkin, but the fact remains that they're the NHL's two biggest stars and dwarf all other players in terms of exposure and recognition from the mainstream. If people are sick of hearing about Crosby, shouldn't they also be sick of hearing about Ovechkin? Theoretically, yes, but it's not the case. It's true that Ovechkin is more naturally charismatic than Crosby and has done more to embrace the spotlight than the relatively bland Crosby. Does that make it okay to love Ovechkin and hate Crosby? I don't think so.
Also, there's this - Crosby has earned all of his accolades by being a tremendous player and, more than that, a winner. The praise heaped upon Crosby is deserved. He literally turned the Penguins from the worst team in the league - and a team that was certain to move out of Pittsburgh - into Stanley Cup champions in just four seasons. Compare the media's treatment of Crosby to that of Brett Favre, and you see how much worse it could be.
He Scored The Game-Winner Against The United States
To hear American fans talk, Crosby personally offended every single American by beating Ryan Miller in overtime. People are talking like hockey made big strides in America over the past two weeks, but it's not really true. For most Americans, the Winter Olympics were something to do between football and baseball seasons, and since hockey is the biggest sport of the Winter Olympics, it was easy to get interested. Now that the Olympics are over, ESPN will go back to pretending hockey doesn't exist and everyone else will follow suit. The gold medal game might have been on the front cover of the New York papers today, but the second Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter occupy the same room in Spring Training, the New York media will forget all about hockey.
The gold medal game was watched by 33 percent of the United States. I'll admit, this is a huge number, especially in today's modern era of hundreds of cable channels. Unfortunately, 33 percent does not compare to the scene in Canada, where 80 percent of the country watched the game. Yesterday's game was the most-watched telecast in the history of Canadian television. While the United States wanted their team to win yesterday, Canada needed to win.
Put it this way. If a US player had scored in overtime yesterday, he would have been remembered by most Americans in a light similar to Michael Phelps or Apolo Anton Ohno - someone to be celebrated today and forgotten tomorrow. Crosby, on the other hand, will be up there with Paul Henderson in the '72 Summit Series and Mario Lemieux in the '87 Canada Cup. In short, Crosby will always be a hero in Canada, much to the consternation of his American detractors. Is it Crosby's fault his country is so fanatical about the game they invented? Absolutely not. So why hold it against him?
In the end, the point is this. Sidney Crosby is, at a very age, putting together one of the most impressive careers in NHL history. He's already secured hero status in both Pittsburgh and Canada. He's set the league on fire at an age where most players are just starting to put it together. Unfortunately, his accomplishments are constantly being undermined by a petulant group of hockey fans who, quite frankly, are too jealous of Crosby to appreciate him.
Personally, I think the Internet has a lot to do with the general attitude towards Crosby. I never thought much of people who say that the blogosphere is a cauldron of negativity, but when it comes to Crosby, I see their point. Here's this great player, perhaps the best of a very exciting generation of NHL stars, and yet everyone would rather point out his flaws than celebrate his ability. I understand that the NHL needs villains, but the hatred of Crosby is completely irrational. Maybe fans hate Crosby because he's the mainstream face of the NHL, while Ovechkin is the preferred face of hardcore, counter-culture NHL fans. Even so, do NBA fans constantly hate on LeBron James? Of course not.
It's odd when you feel as though you have to defend yourself for being a fan of one of hockey's biggest stars. But for myself and other Sidney Crosby fans, that's the boat we find ourselves in. We don't want to feel like we're supporting the likes of Nickelback. We just wish the hockey world would stop being so critical of the game's elite players. If people don't like him, fine, but sometimes it seems like Crosby doesn't even have the respect of hockey fans. For everything he's accomplished so far in his career, that's just wrong.
Ah, the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, arguably the deepest since 1990, when the top 5 were Owen Nolan, Petr Nedved, Keith Primeau, Mike Ricci, and Jaromir Jagr (also in the 1st round: Darryl Sydor at 7, Derian Hatcher at 8, Brad May at 14, Keith Tkachuk at 19, Martin Brodeur at 20, Bryan Smolinksi at 21).
And of course, we know what the Rangers and Islanders did. Hugh Jessiman at 12th overall, the only player in the ’03 Draft to never play an NHL game. Robert Nilsson at 15th overall, who wasn’t even a great player before he was drafted, and certainly isn’t now in Edmonton.
Let’s take a look back at that draft and see the spots players should have gone in hindsight, and who was actually taken there.
I pretended that Draft Day trades never happened. For instance, Pittsburgh actually traded up to #1 (from #3) because they wanted to draft the same goalie that Carolina wanted to draft. In my world, Florida still picked 1st, and the Penguins went 3rd overall.
Consider this a Mock Draft, 6 and a half years later...
#1, Florida, Dion Phaneuf (Went 9th to Calgary) Actual Selection: Marc-Andre Fleury, by Pittsburgh The Penguins and Hurricanes both wanted Fleury, so Pittsburgh traded with Florida, who was set in the goalie position with Roberto Luongo. They took Fleury, and won their Stanley Cup 6 seasons later, so you can’t fault them, but Phaneuf is the biggest difference-maker in the whole 2003 NHL Draft.
#2, Carolina, Zach Parise (17, New Jersey) Actual Selection: Eric Staal Carolina also won a Stanley Cup during Staal’s incredible rookie year, and he is going to be good for a decade, but Parise is more of a game-breaker, just a notch under Phaneuf in terms of being able to decide a game.
#3, Pittsburgh, Ryan Getzlaf (19, Anaheim) Actual Selection: Nathan Horton by Florida Florida saw huge things in Horton, who had good numbers in the OHL along with a mean streak. Getzlaf’s numbers were slightly less than Horton’s, but he has proven to be a solid NHL player while Horton is constantly rumored to be traded.
#4, Columbus, Eric Staal (2, Carolina) Actual Selection: Nikolai Zherdev You can’t blame Columbus for picking Zherdev. He had - and still has - incredible talent, but no one in North America has been able to tap into it, and he’s now home in Russia. #5, Buffalo, Marc-Andre Fleury (1, Pittsburgh) Actual Selection: Thomas Vanek Vanek is a very good player who has been wildly inconsistent, but if he can play every year like he did in 2006-07 (43-41-84) he can live up to his 5th overall selection.
#6, San Jose, Thomas Vanek (5, Buffalo) Actual Selection: Milan Michalek It’s hard to see what the Sharks saw in Michalek, a player who scored a total of 9 goals in two seasons before being drafted ahead of Parise and Getzlaf. In a perfect world, they would have gotten Vanek instead.
#7, Nashville, Corey Perry (28, Anaheim) Actual Selection: Ryan Suter Suter is good, for sure. At the time, Nashville needed defensive help, but to be honest, they needed all the help they could’ve gotten. Perry satisfies a lot of needs - great offensive skill and a lot of grit, both of which make him invaluable on the power play.
#8, Atlanta, Shea Weber (49, Nashville) Actual Selection: Bradyon Coburn Coburn is good and has great potential - not that Atlanta would know, seeing as he was traded straight up for aging Alexei Zhitnik in 2007. Fact is though, after Phaneuf, Weber was the best defenseman in this draft. Nashville did great in selecting both him and Suter, though they drafted Suter first.
#9, Calgary, Nikolai Zherdev (4, Columbus) Actual Selection: Phaneuf The Flames stole Phaneuf here. Think Columbus would have liked that pick back? Zherdev, though, is still an immense talent, like I said 5 spots earlier. He has incredible skill, and it’s a shame it never got put to use in the NHL.
#10, Montreal, Mike Richards (24, Philadelphia) Actual Selection: Andrei Kostitsyn Kostitsyn will never warrant being a Top 10 pick, while Richards quickly went from unknown player to captain of the Flyers. As with Nashville and Shea Weber, Richards wasn’t even Philadelphia’s first pick of the Draft.
#11, Philadelphia, Brent Seabrook (14, Chicago) Actual Selection: Jeff Carter Philadelphia had previously received Phoenix’s 1st round pick during the season, and took Carter. Can you imagine how dangerous the Flyers would be on the blueline if they had Seabrook back there? Carter is a good player, no doubt, and he scored 46 goals last year and might hit 40 this year, but Seabrook is still improving while it seems Carter might have already hit his peak.
#12, New York Rangers, Braydon Coburn (8, Atlanta) Actual Selection: Hugh Jessiman A note to future GMs: Don’t pick a player because he’s from nearby and grew up a fan of your team. Hugh Freakin’ Jessiman? This guy is the laughingstock of this draft, while Coburn is quickly becoming a great defenseman. Plus, with Coburn, the Rangers wouldn’t have needed to sign Wade Redden, right?
In actuality, the Rangers over-drafted Jessiman. He was supposed to be a power forward in the John LeClair mold who was predicted to go in the late 1st round. The Rangers drafted him this high because they wanted a local guy, but it just never panned out.
#13, Brent Burns, LA (20, Minnesota) Actual Selection: Dustin Brown I can’t possibly blame LA for drafting Brown, a hard-hitting, American-born RW who is one of my favorite non-Ranger players in the league. And people might tell me that Burns is overrated, but I’m very high on him and I think given the right team (a.k.a., not Minnesota), Burns can light this league up.
#14, Chicago, Jaroslav Halak (271, Montreal) Actual Selection: Seabrook Chicago lucked out by still having Seabrook on board. In fact, they had a very good draft. But who let Halak slip to the 9th round?
#15, New York Islanders, Patrice Bergeron (45, Boston) Actual Selection: Robert Nilsson Nilsson had a half-decent year the year he was drafted, yet stunk the next year, and the next, and the next. His biggest contribution to the Islanders was being traded away as part of the Ryan Smyth deal in ’07. Bergeron’s biggest contribution to Boston: 73 points in ‘05-’06 and 70 the next year before almost breaking his neck the next season. He would look good centering the 2nd line for the Islanders, no?
#16, Boston, Dustin Brown (13, LA) Actual Selection: Steve Bernier, San Jose San Jose traded up to take Bernier, who had lit up the junior leagues. His transition to the NHL hasn’t been smooth though, and he is now on the 3rd line on his 3rd team, nowhere near a first-round pick.
#17, Edmonton, Joe Pavelski (205, San Jose) Actual Selection: Zach Parise, New Jersey The Devils jumped at the opportunity to draft Parise after the Rangers, Islanders, and everyone else skipped by him. Funny thing is, Pavelski actually had better numbers in the season prior to being drafted than Parise did, yet he was in the obscure USHL (Parise played in the NCAA) and fell to #205. Looking back, both Pavelski and Parise were great steals.
#18, Washington, Dustin Byfuglien (245, Chicago) Actual Selection: Eric Fehr Byfuglien was an offensive-defenseman in juniors who transitioned very nicely to the NHL game and now plays both D and RW. Fehr was a low-scoring playing in juniors who actually had 2 great years after he was drafted, 50 and 59 goals. He’s been on the back burner in Washington though, and it’s clear he won’t ever be a Top 6 forward on a team that features Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Nick Backstrom.
#19, Anaheim, Nathan Horton (3, Florida) Actual Selection: Ryan Getzlaf A great late pick by Anaheim, getting someone who was Top 5 in this draft. Horton played in Oshawa in the OHL and scored 68 points in his draft year, 3rd on the team (oddly enough, #1 was never drafted and #2 went in the 4th round). Makes you wonder what stood out about Horton, who has turned into a good player but nowhere close to a 3rd overall selection.
#20, Minnesota, David Backes (62, St. Louis Actual Selection: Brent Burns A good selection by Burns, though he is probably not fit for the way the Wild play. The Blues saw something in Backes and traded up to 62 to get him, and he’s worked out well. He’s a talented player who can hit, score, and fight. What more can you want?
#21, San Jose, Tobias Enstrom (239, Atlanta) Actual Selection: Mark Stuart, Boston San Jose traded up with Boston to take Steve Bernier while Boston took Stuart here, who wasn’t extremely talented in the USHL or NCAA, and still isn’t in the NHL. He has played 2 full seasons as a Bruin, scoring a total of 25 points in those games. He’ll never be worthy of a 1st round pick, especially when Sweden’s Enstrom was available, though Enstrom didn’t blossom until a few years later.
#22, New Jersey, Jeff Carter (11, Philadelphia) Actual Selection: Marc-Antoine Pouliot Carter went 11th and has had a few good seasons and can definitely score. The Oilers traded down (New Jersey leapt up to take Parise) and took Pouliot, who had a great couple of years in the QMJHL, but has never done it on a professional level. He lights up the AHL when he is down there, but can’t keep up in the NHL.
#23, Vancouver, Ryan Suter (7, Nashville) Actual Selection: Ryan Kesler Kesler is a hard-working player but he probably will never play top-line minutes or score top-line points. Suter is a very good defenseman for Nashville, but he could have been drafted lower than 7th.
#24, Philadelphia, Loui Eriksson (33, Dallas) Actual Selection: Mike Richards The Flyers stole Richards here. He quickly became a force for them - and their captain. Eriksson fell to the 2nd round, though he had better numbers than Horton, Jessiman, and Nilsson.
#25, Tampa Bay, Bernier (16, San Jose) Actual Selection: Anthony Stewart, Florida Florida traded two 2nd round picks and a 6th to Tampa to take Stewart before anyone else did. After all, he was a hard-hitting RW with good offensive skill who was highly-touted. It just hasn’t worked for him in the NHL, as he has 12 points in 105 games and seems destined for a career in the minors.
#26, Maxim Lapierre, LA (61, Montreal) Actual Selection: Brian Boyle LA had 3 picks in the 1st round here, and Boyle was their 2nd. A Ranger now, he was a great high school player when he was drafted. Lapierre was drafted by his hometown Canadiens and adds grit as a 4th liner with great potential should he ever be moved to the 2nd line. He is a Sean Avery type player, and while Boyle is a decent player who is a good penalty killer, Lapierre is a better choice here.
#27, Kyle Quincey, LA (132, Detroit) Actual Selection: Jeff Tambellini Funny enough, the Kings had Quincey for 1 season, he played great, and was traded in part of the Ryan Smyth deal. He’s a solid defenseman with good upside, while Tambellini, well, Islander fans know. He’s a good player who can’t connect in the NHL but puts up great numbers in the AHL.
#28, Dallas, Brian Elliot (291, Ottawa) Actual Selection: Corey Perry, Anaheim Seeing Perry still on the board, the Ducks jumped up and took him, and he rewarded them handsomely. Elliot was the 2nd to last pick in the draft, and while it has taken him a while to find himself, he has a good future as a starter in the NHL.
#29, Nigel Dawes, Ottawa (149, Rangers) Actual Selection: Patrick Eaves Dawes is a speedy forward with a good shot, who, if given the chance, can be a Top 6 forward. He never got that chance in New York. Eaves was offensive at Boston College, but has found a spot on NHL rosters as a 3rd/4th liner. He’ll chip in 5-10 goals a year but you can never say that he was worth going 29th overall.
#30, St. Louis, Patrick O’Sullivan (56, Minnesota) Actual Selection: Shawn Belle Belle was a curious selection - he was a stay-at-home defenseman who could have been picked later in the draft. He has played 11 career games in the NHL and now is in Montreal’s farm system. O’Sullivan could have been a Top 10 pick but his well-documented family troubles (a very abusive father who he filed a restraining order against) steered teams away from him. The Wild took him 56th overall, a value selection at that point. He had one good year with LA and now is in Edmonton, where he is struggling, but so is the team. Given the right situation, O’Sullivan can still do damage in this league.
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.
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.
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.
