Describing his goal as new coach of the Islanders at Wednesday’s practice, Ted Nolan recalled what now seems like the ancient era of 1980-83 when an expansion franchise grew up to win four straight Stanley Cups. “It’s a proud franchise,” Nolan said.
Gesturing toward the newspaper pictures from that time displayed on the walls at Iceworks, the practice facility in Syosset, Nolan added, “You look at the pictures here. They’re black and white of the glory days. We want to make sure there are colored pictures, and we want to make our own stamp and get these guys back to being proud to wear an Islanders jersey and proud to live here on Long Island. The only way to do that is one step at a time, one day at a time to reconnect and try to get these guys proud of who they are.”
Was it really so long ago? I got another vivid reminder of the passage of time recently when the Isles welcomed Mike Bossy back to the organization. Although new on the Islanders beat, I’m no stranger to the Islanders. I feel fans are entitled to know the reporter covering the team has a sense of where the franchise once was and where it is now by comparison, so, I’ll indulge in my personal recollections one time as I begin this blog.
Talking to Bossy brought back memories of all the Islanders games I covered before joining Newsday as the Jets beat writer in 1982. As the Trenton Times’ writer covering the Flyers from 1977-79, I used to look forward to seeing Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, John Tonelli, Billy Smith, Chico Resch and all their teammates come into the Spectrum for what usually were the most exciting games of the season.
Bossy was by far the most thrilling player to watch in the NHL, and I recall being upset with Roger Nielson because of his tactics as Toronto’s coach in the 1978 playoffs I covered when he used Tiger Williams to knock Bossy all over the ice (When I got to know Nielson while covering the Rangers in the 1992-93 season, I learned what a wonderful person he was, but that still didn’t excuse his treatment of Bossy). My tryout story for The Bergen (N.J.) Record the following spring was written at the Isles’ 1-0 overtime playoff win against Chicago. I remember The Record’s night editor complimenting me on a story that captured the nature of the game and how the goal finally was scored. “Just one thing,” he said. “You forgot to put in the final score.” Yeah, silly things like that happen on deadline sometimes still.
But The Record hired me and sent me to Boston Garden the next year, where I witnessed Gillies beat the tar out of Terry O’Reilly in the first two games of the quarterfinals when the Islanders showed they were ready to get over the hump. A month later, Bobby Nystrom scored his Cup-winning goal at my end of the press box in Nassau Coliseum to start the dynasty.
We all were much younger then, and we looked much fitter as we congregated after games at Dr. Generosity’s in East Meadow. One night after an Islanders game in 1982, I passed on Dr. G’s and went to an East Side watering hole in Manhattan, where I lived at the time, and met my future wife. So, covering the Islanders has been lucky for me. But now my oldest daughter is a junior in college, and she was born three years after their last Cup win. So, that tells you how long it’s been.
Looking forward, maybe Ted Nolan is the guy who can resurrect the glory days. I don’t know, and judging by all the empty seats at Nassau Coliseum, a lot of Long Islanders have lost faith. Of course, it’s not just on the Island that NHL seats are going unused. There were tons of empty seats in Los Angeles and Anaheim during the Islanders’ opening road trip, and if it hadn’t been opening night in Phoenix, there would have been vacancies there, too.
Still, it’s sad to see the atmosphere at the Coliseum now compared to what it once was. But Nolan’s team is playing hard, and he’s starting to get a feel for what his players can do. Alexei Yashin has been productive, and sooner or later, Miro Satan will find his “on” switch. Trent Hunter is hitting everything in sight except the net, and he’s bound to get going, too. Maybe even tonight against undefeated Buffalo. A win of that magnitude might give the franchise the jump-start it needs to take the first big step on the long road back to prominence.
Comments (31)
Greg - Glad to see you have some sense of the history of the team. Many fans feel it is important that the beat writer understands the past, and why we get so frustrated with the team at times.
Let's hope that Ted has finally found the way to light Yashin's fire, and that of the rest of the team. Tonight is a good test. Hopefully, they are up to it.
all i know is i need the islanders to beat the sabres tonight! I am an islander fan who is living in sabre country and i want to tell my husband (who is a sabre) fan, that he cant count out the islanders just yet and they are the ones to stop them from breaking that record.
I have loved the Islanders since I was a little kid and still remember the bus rides to school that featured all the back and forth taunting between Islander and Ranger fans. Those were the days, when we had sweet Mike Bossy and Trots, Denis Potvin and Clark Gillies, Bobby Nystrom,
Billy Smith and Chico in goal (what a platoon!). The Islanders have made it so hard to remain a fan but I have survived and still hold out hope that this will work out. Mr. Wang seems kind of kooky to me, but I like the hiring of Ted Nolan, I think he will get the most out of this team. If he succeeds I am going to break out my long faded Butch Goring jersey (circa 1982) and wear it proudly once again..Go ISLES!! I haven't lived on LI for almost 25 years (job is in Virginia) but I saw a guy w/ an Islanders bumper sticker on his car the other day and I realized how nice it would be to have them winning again.
Mr. Logan
With all due respect. It's been sad for several years including the ones where we made the playoffs. This organization has never gotten any respect out of the media in this area even during the Cup years. Does it matter to die hard Islander fans like me who've been hooked on this team since 1972? No. It's old. Give us something new besides clichés (DP, Yashin contracts and Wang's follies). Give us some insider information that we cannot look up anywhere else on the internet and then you'll gain our respect. Do you now get it that the "A" on players jersey's stands for "alternate" and not "assistant"? I have caught numerous mistakes within Newsday's coverage of the Islanders that I renew my subscription. Please excuse the tone of my post, but the majority of Islander fans I know are sick and tired of reading the same nonsensical quotations over and over. We want substance. How about giving us info on what players are doing in the community. You know, Long Island. You write for "Long Island's Newspaper"? Where are the inside scoops on cap space for our Islanders? How about information on our prospects at Bridgeport. The journalistic trend that I and many Islander fans have seen this season is one of repeating the same regurgitated clichés about this team. Please prove us wrong.
Alright finally an Isles blog! Of all the stupid moves the Islanders have made the past year I think the hiring of Nolan can negate it all....
Excellent post, looking forward to more!
Glad to see Newsday taking the Isles seriously. I know I will be checking daily for adding insights and details. Thanks!
Thank you, Greg! It bothered me for a while that Long Island's paper would dedicate blog space to the Rangers but not the Islanders, but it's good to see the ball rolling, or the puck in this case. I'm sure this is going to be a team that surprises a lot of people, but I think we're still a long way from getting the league wide respect we had so long ago. LET'S GO ISLANDERS!
Ron Baker
Lynbrook, NY
Mr. Logan.
Well done. My father is a journalist for the Salt Lake Tribune. He worked sports for AP for a number of years before settling into varying beats for the Tribune.
I've been an Islanders fan since they were the parent club to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles - ages ago. I watched the Islanders "future" become the "past" and have remained faithful, diligent and loyal throughout.
I encourage you, if your editor will let you, to use the same voice you have in this blog in your stories covering the Islanders. You have vivid memories of the past and hints at the future - I know there are a number of players who have stories just like yours that Islanders fans would love to read.
I promise, you will endure yourself to your readers and beat through using your access and sword to tell the stories we cannot hear.
Until then.
rm
1) Great start to the blog. Also we enjoy your coverage of the team. Its first rate.
2) The only thing we would find fault in the first entry is your mention that a win against Buffalo would somehow be a step back towards prominence
3) While we applaud positive outlooks, we can't ignore the recent past. As such we feel the only REAL 'First step' would be a new owner. A team is only as good as it is from the top on down. Right now the Isles are in trouble with Wang
4) Even an owner who knows hockey should not be involved in personnel decisions, let alone an owner who admits he knows little about the game. We thought the end of poor hockey was coming to an end with the Wang Purchase. Little did we realize that things went from bad to worse!
Nice piece Greg...welcome to the Islander Beat...
2 comments and a question...
Most importantly...will Charles Wang give Ted Nolan the time and tools to build something here?
I am a fan of Ted Nolan's and believe if he is given the right tools, and some autonomy with the players, he can build something special here. The question will be if Charles Wang will interfere.
On your "empty seats" point...
Wang is the owner and is entitled to his management style. It is his money.
But his decision to play GM (which is essentially what he is at this point) has a cost--which is many empty seats.
If nothing else, Islander fans proved that they will fill the arena to the rafters if the on ice product performs well. This was evidenced in 2001-02 when they went to game 7 of the first round with the Leafs. The building was selling out before the playoffs. fans will come to games to see a competitive team.
But many, myself included, are staying away because the teams off season termoil and the great unknowns of what this season will bring has many fans not wanting to "waste" the money on a bad night. In other words, "I can watch 'em lose at home" is the prevailing theory.
Can Wang offset the tag of "laughingstock" of the sports world? Can this team overcome the label or is it too early to tell what we have?
Thanks for setting up the blog!
great to have an isles blog set up. i know that attendance is terrible, but i still care about the isles and can't get enough coverage. good move by newsday to set this up. lets go isles!
Hi Greg..
Great to have a blog on the Isles. I am looking forward to serious reporting and analysis by you...not the puff pieces we got from Alan Hahn.
I've been an Islander fan since 1975 and although I follow the team on a regular basis, I will not be going to games as long as Charles Wang owns the team.
The man is a bad joke. Sumo wrestlers in goal? Sending players who fight to anger management counseling? He hires a former player as a puppet GM and signs an unproven goalie to a 15 year contact. This is beyond ridiculous. He will not see a penny of my money.
Expect to see more empty seats next year when the people he duped into season tickets with the Smith hiring will not renew.
I read articles like this and It reminds me why I love being an Islander fan. Unfortunately, things have not been easy for us of late (especially this off season). A great coach can go a long way - lets hope Nolan is that man.
HEY we finally got a blog!
We Islander fans have suffered a lot over the years: dismantling of our great '93 team at the hands of Maloney, bad owners, AWFUL jerseys and the list goes on. The fact that the Islanders don't wear the Stanley Cup era jerseys anymore is enough to keep any fan out of the Coliseum. Talk about sacrilege!!!
However, most of us have stuck with our Long Island team and we want to see a competitive team on the ice. It's going to take some time, but Wang needs to get out of the way and stay out of the way in order for that to happen. We also need a tough hard-hitting defenseman like Kasparaitis in our old days. We need Yashin to be the star that he should be. I for one, pull hard for him and want him to be our hero, but it needs to happen soon.
I think the future's better than it might seem right now. Heck, I even got NHL Center Ice so I can watch the games here in TN, since this is where the Army's got me for now. Let's go Islanders!
I really enjoyed your article. I have often thought that the players of today needed to be connected to the glory days of old. I know that Notre Dame has a sign that reads, " Play like a champion today," that they tap going out of the locker room. It's really great to be in touch with the glory day's and win one for the gipper and all that jazz, but at some point you have to win for yourself. With time hopefully this team will develope some chemistry and make a good run.
Excellent start. I agree with Jim A.'s post that some new inside info would be great. I'm sure it's hard finding the balance between gaining the confidence of players/insiders you're with every day against breaking news they may not enjoy--but I guess that's your profession. For example, one thing I want to know as an Islander fan is how much influence Milbury still has in hockey decisions. The fans are told that he's out, but if he's a confidante of Wang--who clearly calls the shots, it's hard to believe he's still not having a major influence on hockey decisions. Let's not forget that Milbury was ready to sign DiPi to a 15-year deal before league honchos quashed it.
I do hear you on the sadness of the empty building. I took an associate last night to his first ever Islander game--and lamented the lack of energy in the building and on the ice.
Hoping you have great success and peace!
I am so disappointed. A Shut Out...
My husband, a sabres fan...I will say is very happy. :(
nice job last night fellas.
no hustle, no grit, no determination, no intensity...
attending that game was a waste of my time and money.
the sabres weren't even skating as hard as they normally do and the isles still made them look good.
trent hunter seemed to be the only guy that cared to hustle... and why the hell would you have jason blake in front of the net during a power play. let's use the smallest, skinnest guy we have????????
i'm no coach but that is really dumb.
First off good luck to Greg Logan and thanks for brining us this blog. With Evan Grossman leaving the Post it is imparative this clubs fans get as much information as possible.
Second is it possible to eliminate Ranger coverage in this paper and double-up on the Isles being that the Daily News and Times no longer covers the games with a beatwriter.
Good to finally see an Islanders Blog on Long Island's Newspaper's website..That was a tough loss to the Sabres and it'll be interesting to see how the team responds against the Panthers...Need to get back to .500 and build from there...
not totally true, looks like the news is back covering the Isles now that baseball is over, just like every year
Do Isles fans think it is an issue that Dipietro comes out of the net too often to "take control" of the puck? As an Isles fan, I think it is a situation that the coaches and management need to scrutinize heavily. In watching the games, I think Ive noticed that when Dipietro comes out of his net to handle the puck, he essentially freezes his teammates...it seems they never know what he will do with the puck. Once he does get the puck, his "outlet pass" usually goes awry and ends up in the oppositions control. It never helps, EVER. Hockey is a game of speed and momentum, when Rico comes out to play the puck he stops his team in its tracks, like a deer in the headlights. I think its a problem.
Lets Go ISLANDERS!
Greg,
Your analysis is very positive; that we will get back to the glory days.
Sadly, with the awful decisions made over the summer - read: 15 year contract for Rick DiPietro - could we, should we really be so hopeful?
I agree with you, Mike. DiPietro needs to stay in his goal.
DiPietro is definitley very talented with the puck, but he searches for the opportunities. A goalie should just take them as they come.
Like the rest have said, I'm glad to see that there is an Islanders Blog giving us fans a way to express ourselves and discuss the games. So, I'd like to vent.....
Like most of the posts that I've read, I have disagreed with most of the moves made by this organization over the past decade. The trade of McCabe and Bertuzzi, the trade of Brewer, the trade of Luongo, the trade of Chara and a number 1 pick (Spezza). This team could have been stacked. I don't like the contract given to DiPietro (has yet to prove he is a top goaltender) or the way the situation with Neil Smith was handled. Simply put, this organization is a laughingstock around the NHL. I wish the team would bring up the young players like Comeau, Nilsson, Nokelainen and Tambllini.
That said, I do think Yashin has played well this year on a line with Kozlov and Blake. I like the leadership and faceoff prowess of Sillinger and Dunham was fantastic when he got the chance to play. I would like to see him in the rotation.
I look forward to discussing the Islanders with the rest of the fans. See you at the Colisuem.
I posted a blog ealier today and now it's off.
Was it purposely deleted?
If so I apologize for whatever I said that was found to be offensive. Just airing my feelings along with other frustrated Isles fans.
Excellent article today in Newsday on the sad state of the Islander fan base. I'm a season ticket holder for past 10 years and go back to 1972 as a fan. The DiPetro deal is the straw that broke my back, which by the way was done after Season Tix commitments were due. Someone please ask Mr. Wang if he would ever have given a top manager at Computer Associates a guaranteed 15 year deal - especially to a guy who has never proven his worth. This owner just doesn't get it. He's more interested in having a few guys indebted to him (Yashin, Milbury, DiPietro)than he is in building a team that is a cohesive unit. The majority of the players on the Isles have 1-2 year deals. Think how they must view Yashin and DP. It's just a badly run organization and Long Islanders are savvy people who see between the lines and aren't putting their hard earned money towards it. This is my last season ticket investment, because for me it's less about winning and losing, and more about management that goes in the right direction.
Huge Islanders fan...and personally the empty seats don't bother me in the least for 2 reasons:
1) Hockey season on LI doesn't begin til Thanksgiving, no matter what anyone says. Accept it and move on.
and 2) The fans base is in desperate need of a 'weeding out' b/c Islanders have slowly become the most overrated in the country. If the people who don't show up are the ones who:
a) constantly yell "SHOOOT" and indirectly kill the powerplay
b) boo Rick Dipietro for playing the puck (even though for every 1 bad thing he does, he does about 15 good things a game)
c) think Jason Blake is awesome
d) chanted "Steve Webb" for an overrated midget
e) season ticket holder who sell their tickets to Rangers fans and ensure the Colessium becomes "the Garden East"
f) ALLOW little punk kids to chant "Let's Go Rangers" when it's not a Rags-Isles game
g) want the Islanders to lose every game this year to prove...um, something...
...well, i say 'good riddance and don't come back.' I'd rather be there with 8000 intelligent fans than 14k posers who are bitter all the time...
There's been too much praise for Ted Nolan and the job he's done. Thw whole Islander management should be focused on building a young team around the new NHL rules. Instead were subjected to old war horses who have seen their better days. All we're getting is false hopes while the new younger teams actually rebuild and learn. We end up with some early season points and the same old season ending disappontments. Let's really go with the youth; the fans will understand and eventually reap real rewards. Ted, do the right thing and stop trying to protect your own place in the NHL with your recycled antiques on defence.
Ted Nolan COACHES the talent he's given. He did NOT assemble this bunch.