Can’t wait to see what the walk-up is tonight for a weeknight game against the Blues that figured to look like one of those depressingly small early-season crowds. Last I heard yesterday, the Islanders had sold 600 of the nine-game playoff push ticket packages since acquiring Ryan Smyth, and I would imagine that number has grown since then.
As great as the Coliseum can be when it’s rocking, as it has been in several recent games (Pittsburgh, Toronto, the Jason Blake chant at the end of the Philadelphia game the other night), we all know there’s a big difference between the hockey culture in American cities compared to what it is in the Canadian venues Smyth is used to.
I thought it was interesting, as I alluded to in my story for tomorrow’s Newsday on Smyth’s introductory press conference, that he and his wife visited New York City earlier this season when he was rehabbing an injury. It’s not surprising that he got choked up about leaving Edmonton, where he always will have a sentimental attachment. But maybe he and his wife will treat his trade to the Islanders as an opportunity to have a New York/Long Island adventure at this point in their lives. He always can spend the summers in Canada and make his home there when his career ends.
Naturally, Smyth once again declined to answer questions about signing long-term with the Islanders this morning. “I just want to take one step at a time here,” he said. “It’s been a whole new transition for the last 48 hours. We’ve got a game tonight, and obviously, I’m looking forward to that. I know some of the players, and I’ve played with some of them. I don’t want to look too much farther than that right now. I’m putting it all aside and just getting everything situated now.”
The Islanders are smart enough not to put on the fullcourt press right away and just make the transition as comfortable as possible. Smyth said he hadn’t even met owner Charles Wang yet because his plane got in late and he didn’t arrive at his luxury hotel until about 1:30 a.m. this morning.
When he got to the rink and spoke to Ted Nolan, the Islanders coach reminded him that they met once about 13 years ago. Nolan was in his only season as an NHL assistant coach with Hartford in 1994-95, and Kevin Smyth, Ryan’s older brother, was on that team. Ryan visited practice once when he was 18 and got on the ice with the Whalers and met Ted.
Asked what his brother told him about playing for Nolan, Smyth laughed as if he knew an inside joke and then said, “Everybody I talked to, right from my brother to my coaching staff back at home, said, ‘Make sure you say hi to Teddy. He’s a great guy. The guys love him, and he’s easy to get along with. The communication lines are open is what I’ve heard, and I’m looking forward to him coaching us.”
Of course, Nolan has made no secret of his admiration for Smyth’s leadership qualities and toughness. “If there was one perfect guy or perfect fit, that would get us to where we want to get to and demonstrate what it takes to get there,” Nolan said this morning, “we couldn’t have hand-picked it better.”
Told of Nolan’s compliment, Smyth pledged his allegiance for the playoff drive. “He can play me wherever he wants,” said Smyth, who is scheduled to play with Blake and Randy Robitaille. “I’ll do whatever it takes for the team to win. If it’s putting my teeth in front of a puck, I’ll do that, too.”
Nolan was uncertain whether he would start Smyth’s line instead of the usual Mike Sillinger-Trent Hunter-Andy Hilbert combination, thinking it might be asking too much too soon. I guess we’ll all be surprised in a few minutes.
But the coach is one of those hoping Islanders fans are as excited as the team and the organization about, not only Smyth, but the other additions of Richard Zednik and Marc-Andre Bergeron that have been made with the clear intention of going deep into the playoffs.
“We’ve had some real entertaining games in this building this year, and the fans love it,” Nolan said. “They love hard-working guys and guys who will go in the corners and bang and crash. That’s the type of team we’re trying to build here. Ryan definitely adds that. So, when you see him play, we’re pretty sure it’s going to thrill them like it’s thrilling us.”
Here we go.
Comments (70)
He looks good so far Greg--but, we need a new pair of 3rd team D to compete--Meyer just sucks.!!!
Not only does he get a point on a great assist, but the guy actually puts the net back on its moorings mid-play just before the puck crosses the line. i'm loving it.
Ricky fails again--what a freaking shocker. Overated. Overpaid...oh yea, thats the isles moto. LOL.
Disgusting loss.
time to sit ricky down vs washington. awful penalty late in the 3rd and then he was too busy trying to clear a forward instead of getting from one side to another to stop the shot. blame ricky for losing 1 point tonight.
You guys always try to find a way to blame ricky for the losses. he still had a solid game with 35+ saves. shouldnt it be the D's fault that they cnt keep the crease clear with only minutes left in the game
You can't blame DP for that one. He stopped all shots, and then the D decides to disappear in front of him for the last five minutes. I got up to take a leak before OT and I came back to the stands emptying out... How was the last goal? Not that I really want to know...
But Smyth, MAN what a player! Watching the replay of him putting the net back on its mooring, fantastic!
looks like our d-men have lost a few steps the last few games...
witt has been skating in mud the last 4 games...
meyer is KILLING us - can't stay upright on his skates, can't take anyone off the puck
hill plays a smart game, but seems gassed at this point in the season...
campoli - out of position most of the time, can't clear the puck
only poti (believe it or not) & MAB look good..
when will BRUNO be back?!
give hill and witt a day off...
Sorry about the loss Smytty!!! Eventually Flynn will stop playing the Witt/Hill combo way too much. Surely he must see how burned out they are by the end of two periods, never mind the third and OT.
Ans finally, the Meyer experiment MUST end. I can't find a word to describe how brutal he is game after game. Campoli should sue Freddy for non support because Denis Potvin couldn't make Meyer look even average.
To the blind DiPietro supporters, do we blame the defense for DiPietro taking the painfully obvious holding-the-stick penalty, which led to the overtime winner too? Stop sticking up for this egomaniac. Yeah he played well up until then, but as we've seen again and again and again and again ... and again and again, his ego costs the team precious points/wins. He thinks he can do what he wants, when he wants, how he wants. So he grabs an opponents stick, holds onto it, takes a penalty and blows the game. Stop making excuses for the egomaniac. he cost the team a win dammit!
Just back from the game ...
I sure hope this lost point doesn't come back to haunt. I also can't understand why people are blamming Ricky on this one ...the "D" was awful ...the Blues owned the front of the net. Have to bounce back on Sat and get the 2 points.
Smyth looked really good and it was exciting to have him on the team. That 1st assist was nice and sent the crowd into a frenzy. The fact he was smart enough to put the net back on shows just what kind of player he is ...sadly the Isles stopped skating and let the Blues back into it ...Meyer is awful ...
so let me understand this...the isles defence has to play a perfect game, every game in order for DP to win?? what ever happened to the concept of a goalie stealing a win by standing on his head?, like roy, brodeur, hasek,richter,,,etc. DP NEVER steals a game for us,,,oh one time against Toronto, i'm sorry ricky! nolan should alternate goalies until one of them earns the full time role
hey islesfan68-
ya he took a bad call but the isles shouldnt of been tied 2-2 at that point in the 1st place. and if the D did there job the isles would of had an easy win
o ya and DP must suck being the 2nd star of febuary in the NHL beating out Brodeur and others
wow people always need a scape goat dnt they
ya DP never stands on his head to win the game
now ne true islander or even ne true hockey fan knows thats not the truth
stop whining about DP hes not our weak spot our Defense is by far
ricky can only stop one shot at a time.....i truly wish that he was a star but he is only average at this point of his career. every time someone scores a goal against us the announcers call it a breakdown in defence. that line loses credibility when they never blame ricky...never
That's what kills me about the Islanders broadcasters. As gerry just mentioned, they never say anything negative about the Islanders. I understand these guys are being paid by the teams, but you've got to be objective. The Jaffe guy is just horrible. I've never heard him say a negative thing. Don't believe me? The most obvious is anything having to do with Ricky. Also, listen to him when there's a penalty called. If it's against the Islanders, it's not a good call or a call that should be let go. If it's against the opposition, he's all over guilty player. I'd much rather a former Islander at the very least in there as a color guy. Bring up Jean Potvin, or better yet bring in Denis Potvin from Florida. Jaffe would be better suited as a sideline guy. I can't imagine what this guy would have been like during the late 90s when this organization was in shambles.
Greg made a good point in his article ...the crowd numbers were dissapointing ...I mean how do you not sell out that game? The Isles are in a playoff race and make a major trade and the place was only 75% full?
I don't make a lot of money by any means so I understand how the ticket prices can make people not able to go all of the time, but I baught seats for $16! There were plenty more $16 seats available ...I hate to say this, but I've been saying it for a really long time - as passionate as some Islander fans are generally Islander fans are the worst in sports and the attendance figures show it ....so many fans b!tch about the past and the team not playing hard and would use that as the excuse, well ...the teams is playing hard and winning games - and the place has only sold out 4 times? It's actually really pathetic ...sorry ...just had to get that out
AZS- there are many factors for poor attendence and blaming the fans is futile. 1) cost 2) the "new" nhl which has stripped the rivalry and hatred from the game 3) mediocrity--man, our "claim to fame" is going to the playofs 5 years ago and LOSING in the 1st round. So, the fans wait for the Isles to prove them wrong--as they should. Blaming the fans is dead wrong--the history and trade acumen of this team is suspect at best.These guys are paid millions--who gives a rats ass if its 75% full. Show us a genuine, long term product worth watching, and they will come. Renting a guy who is likely not to re-sign is dumb. Purely dumb.
Yes, you do blame the D for the holding the stick penalty, because it would've been a goal had DP not done that. The defense should keep the crease clear.
That overtime lost last night definitely did hurt, but we did gain a point in the standings and Smyth looked good. He's only going to get better with some practices under his belt. I think we have to stop being pessimistic as fans and start to appreciate the fact that the team is playing well. Maybe they had a slip up the last two games, but overall they've gotten points in something like 15 of the last 17 games. You really can't get on DiPietro, he's been fantastic this year and like an earlier post said the guy was the second star of the month last month. He's doing a nice job and keeping us in the race.
I disagree with you gdog. The team is trying to win now and because the team was on a roll the organiztion decided to roll the dice and make a big statement to the league with the trade. Maybe they'll win a round or two, gain some momentum and go further, and maybe Nolan and the rest of the team can convince Smyth to stay and play on the Island, but sometimes you just have to take a chance rather than remain status quo. I think you have to move on from the franchise's history and embrace the fact that Snow and Nolan are trying to change the culture around the team and the organization. I think they're doing a good job so far.
Everyone relax... They had a horrible meltdown last night. Can't explain why that happened, but it did.
I would start worrying if we lose the next two games.
I agree, Dunham should play Saturday and Witt/Hill pairing needs to be broken up. These guys are going to be so burnt out byt the end of the year. The same thing happened in 2002 with KJ, Aucoin, and Hamrlik... Split those two up. Meyer is horrible.
$16 for a seat? Ho-lee hell I don't ever remember buying tickets for that cheap!!!
Here in Vancouver all the canuck games are sold out so good luck on getting ANY seat let alone for $16!!
I went to the last Oilers game here and the tickets, cheap seats, through a ticket broker were $55 and you could barely see Ryan Smyth's mullet!
In Edmonton, cheapest seats I could find during the regular season were $115!
I'd love to go to a game where the tickets are $16. Why isn't that place sold out every night?
Before you complain about check out how much it costs to see a game in any Canadian arena. It's insane. The Leafs suck but it's a hard ticket to find.
And isn't Smytty great?!
Yes isnt it pathetic how no one goes to these games at only 16 dollars a seat. I guess I blame it on the Long Island norm which is most people working till 5 or 6 and dont get home till probably 7 with all the traffic.
But wait a second....everyone always makes it to those meaningless yankee games?!?!?!
IMHO:
1. they ran into a hot team that kept pressure on them all night.
2. They had to be dead after 50 minutes of that, killing off 5 penalties, and not getting any calls.
3. The defensive pairings are horrible, though Meyer and Larry Robinson would be a nightmare. Poti and Bergeron seem to work. Can't we see what happens if you put campoli and Hill together and Witt with Claude Raines. If not, it might be time to sit a fourth liner and go with 7 "D".
4. all the distractions finally got to them.
5. A little road trip will do them a world of good.
6. Lot's of empty seats last night. surprising. disappointing. But I can't talk about that because I can't contribute to a solution. Isn't that correct 4cups?
7. I don't agree about the Islanders' TV crew. As a long time center ice subscriber I've seen them all. The Islander team, admittedly was better with Michealetti, but it is in the top half of the league with Jaffe. I would, however, love to see a promotion of Jean Potvin. Not to the booth, but to Meyer's spot on the roster. Jean may have played second fiddle to his brother all his life, but he was a first rate "D".
Bring on dem caps!!!
SECOND STAR -- RICK DiPIETRO, G, NEW YORK ISLANDERS
DiPietro made a career-high 12 consecutive starts and posted an 8-2-2 record, 2.19 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and one shutout as the Islanders (32-23-8, 72 points) moved up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. DiPietro allowed two goals or fewer in nine games, including a 27-save shutout in a 2-0 victory over Philadelphia Feb. 7. He matched a season high with 39 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory at Toronto Feb. 13 and stopped 27 of 29 shots and all three shootout attempts in a 3-2 home win over the Maple Leafs Feb. 22. Playing in his fifth NHL season, all with the Islanders, DiPietro has posted a 28-18-5 record with a 2.66 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and five shutouts in 52 games.
All you DP bashers are idiots...stupid play on his part to grab the stick no question, nobody is perfect but he's been damn close to it over the past month and well above average the entire year. According to the people who actually know about hockey, the NHL, not morons such as yoursleves, he was the 2nd best player in all of the NHl last month...ahead of marty brodeur. You believe in teddy Nolan, well Teddy Nolay is the first to say Ricky is the reason for the Isles success this year. Nearly every NHl analyst agrees. The guy gets over-zealous on occassion, but hes giving the team a chance to win every night. Why would the players and coach consistently go out of their way to credit Ricky after wins if he wasnt the main reason for them. Stop whining, its one loss.
SECOND STAR -- RICK DiPIETRO, G, NEW YORK ISLANDERS
DiPietro made a career-high 12 consecutive starts and posted an 8-2-2 record, 2.19 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and one shutout as the Islanders (32-23-8, 72 points) moved up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. DiPietro allowed two goals or fewer in nine games, including a 27-save shutout in a 2-0 victory over Philadelphia Feb. 7. He matched a season high with 39 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory at Toronto Feb. 13 and stopped 27 of 29 shots and all three shootout attempts in a 3-2 home win over the Maple Leafs Feb. 22. Playing in his fifth NHL season, all with the Islanders, DiPietro has posted a 28-18-5 record with a 2.66 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and five shutouts in 52 games.
All you DP bashers are idiots...stupid play on his part to grab the stick no question, nobody is perfect but he's been damn close to it over the past month and well above average the entire year. According to the people who actually know about hockey, the NHL, not morons such as yoursleves, he was the 2nd best player in all of the NHl last month...ahead of marty brodeur. You believe in teddy Nolan, well Teddy Nolay is the first to say Ricky is the reason for the Isles success this year. Nearly every NHl analyst agrees. The guy gets over-zealous on occassion, but hes giving the team a chance to win every night. Why would the players and coach consistently go out of their way to credit Ricky after wins if he wasnt the main reason for them. Stop whining, its one loss.
One thing I dislike about Nolan: THE NONUSE OF THE TIMEOUT.
Two straight games the Isles were backskating in their own end. Verses both Philly ay 5-4 and StLooie when it became 2-1--WHY NOT A TIMEOUT TO SETTLE THE DEFENSE?
Is there something "unmacho" about about a timeout in hockey? Seems popular to me in the NFL, MLB, and NBA...
AGREED
dw - thanks for the post on DP. The kid is far from perfect, but he's really still young in terms of typical years of experience for top tier goalies. And although a bit blunt, you're right. Anyone who really thinks that DP was the reson for last night's loss is an idiot.
JP - your analysis of last nights game was correct I think. St. Louis is the 2nd hottest team in the NHL over the past 20-25 games. They had great scoring chances all game and really should've had at least 2 other goals. The defense broke down across the board - backchecking thru the neautral zone was weak and virtually no one was taking the body instead of the puck in the box. It was the same pattern as the Flyers game Tuesday. With all the distraction of this week I hope it serves as a wake up call for the team to get it's collective defensive act together.
I'm also a center ice viewer and have had to sit thru just about every pathetic announcing team. Jaffee and Rose do ramble on too much about stupid stuff sometimes, but they generally call a good game and are certainly no more biased than any other NHL announcer. And JP is definately correct about the local Caps color announcer. Craig Mc-whatever is absolutely the worst. You don't like Jaffee? Listen to this guy and you'll quickly change your mind.
Living in Edmonton and seeing what the Smyth trade has done to the Oilers fan base is something we havent seen since they sold Gretzky! Altho I am a Canucks fan, I was sad to see Smytty leave Edmonton. I am glad to see that he is fitting in, and up to his usual great play. Putting the net back on its moorings was classic Smytty. The guy spends enough time in front of the net, he can feel it when the net is off. Good game Smytty!
I also have center ice and our broadcasters are better than most teams... I like jaffe... michaletti is a big time malaka (ask your greek friends what that means). Every time I hear his voice I want to kick him in the head... repeatedly. Also because I have center ice, I watch games not involving the isles. We are lucky to have dp.. Seriously, watch some of these other starts... like thomas, raycroft, ninemaki. Sure he's not the best, but in my opinion he's one of the best. And, besides turko and brodeur, no one is better at playing the puck. Lets all take a step back and breath... deeply... smyth and zednick are new... if they develop chemestry with their line mates its over this year... lets get dirty
How long has it been since the Isles won a playoff series? That's why the attendance is going to be down. The casual fans are not going to come back until there is period of success that lasts more than a few months. Particulary in NY when there are thousands of other entertainment options. That's why Snow and Wang did the right thing by taking a chance and bringing in Smyth and making a run at this thing. Anyway, let's stop bashing the Isles fans for not showing up, because it's really the casual "fairweather" fan you are bashing who are only going to show up when the team is in the papers and on TV.
One thing I left out, which Cincy pointed out, was the hitting. This is becoming a trend, and I hope it ends soon. Otherwise they will be caught reading their own press clippings and playing golf with the rangers in April.
The Islanders were one of the best third period teams in hockey. It wasn't because they were saving all of their skills for the third stanza. They put their bodies on their checks every opportunity they had. That wears the opposing team down. Philly and STL definitely reversed that, and you could tell the Isles were rubber-legged in the third both nights.
Of course, it's not easy for a team to play that way for 82 games... let's just hope they are not out of gas NOW... just after pulling off the biggest deal of THEIR 21st century.
I doubt that is the case. It will probably get better when they're on the road. As important as running around with your 6 and 7 year olds is, it takes it's toll over a 7 game home stretch (don't get me wrong, that's what is really is important in life). As a professional athlete sometiems there's less stress and/or distraction on the road.
this philosophy doesn't work in the NBA, where most guys have a family(?) in each city they visit...
BUT THEY DO HAVE A REAL NETWORK CONTRACT.
Bettman has got to go!
i don't care what stats you show me, all i know is that when the isles have a bad game defensively, we lose 100% of them. ricky rarely or never wins a game where the isles are outshot, in other words he doesn't steal games for us (see richter 1994)
JP-about the Isles TV contract
It constantly boggles my mind that I can see 95% of Islanders games on cable television, and I live in New Jersey! I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop and only being able to watch the Rags and Devils like the bad old days. I remember having to drive up to my old high school, the highest point in the county, to listen to the games on the radio since I had a tough time pulling in 1050 AM at home.
As to the usual back-and-forth about the flagging attendance at NVMC --the Islanders haven't recently been relevant to the hockey landscape or anyone else except their diehard fans who stuck with them through the debacles of the late 1990s. So you are really still just seeing the true Isles fans in the seats. When the team is going good that arena will be SOLD OUT.
Imagine being a fan of this team and living in New Jersey--there's no way I can ever get to weeknight games and to get out to Uniondale on a weekend costs me at least 2 hours.
Also, regarding Rose and Jaffe--they're not bad. Rose is a real pro although I can't listen to him without remembering the "Matteau! Matteau! Climb Mount Vancouver!" garbage from '94. He ain't no Jiggs, for sure. I always thought John Weideman was the gold standard for play-by-play even though he was on the radio.
Bad loss last night--really bad, although it was closer all game than the scoreboard indicated. The Blues had great chances through the first two periods that were stopped by a hot DP and the Isles had great chances in the third and they got ROBBED repeatedly by Curtis Sanfird. Second game in a row, though, the Islanders visibly ran out of steam at the end and this time it cost them. They desperately need Bates and Martinek back, OK, Yashin too. Freddy Meyer is the worst player to don the orange and blue since Oleg Kvasha. He brings absolutely nothing back there and takes horrible penalties. Drew Fata surely can't do any worse.
So much to talk about!
1) It;s A Long Season: As observed, there are 82 games in a season and it's simply hard to have it going every night.
2) We're Winning: The Isles have only two regulation losses in roughly the last six weeks--so it's not time to go crazy. Just think, almost everyone here noticed a lack of "umph" in their games against Philly and St. Louis, but they still managed three points in those games.
3) DP has played extremely well. Like most of you, I get palpatations watching him leave the net and I think he is one of the slower goalies in getting back up when flopping on the ice--but you can't deny the numbers and the bottom line that he is been a reliable and steadfast number one.
4) Fatigue: As one of the older teams in the league, the Isles gas reserve for March/April has been a concern from day one. I think this is worth watching more than any other factor. What I sensed most this week was the Isles losing more battles getting to and fighting for the puck in the corners and sideboards. Cincy noticed problems in the neutral zone. Is it the new guys, off-ice distractions, or fatigue?
5) The Blue-Line: My biggest disappointment at the trade deadline is that we couldn't get a journeyman D-Man to fill a 5-6 slot for added depth. The value of a Ryan Smyth is greatly diminished if our defensemen wither--and the fatigue/lack of depth factor is greatest in this area.
6) Empty Seats: What made last night's attendance even more disappointing was that when I arrived just before 7, the parking lot was as crowded as it had been all year and my hopes were up. Evidently, most of the regulars just showed up early to see Smyth's pre-game skate. At least with three more home games against the Rangers, the palce will be filled.
Hey, the Islanders aren't going to win every game just because they made a pair of "good" trades and got 2 quality players. They had a bad/off night last night against a good team. It happens.
Recently, both DP and the D have made some poor choices on how to play the puck (for instance, DP not holding on to the puck for a faceoff or the D passing to each other across the goal mouth area while under pressure from the opponents). When that happens against a good team (or just a quick winger who is fresh off the bench), the Islanders get burned by their own stupidity. That HAS to stop!
RE: attendance - the Islanders have had a LONG homestand recently, so perhaps that's a factor... people have come out and seen a game or two in the last month, and it's not a priority anymore. Here are my excuses for not attending more games: weekday games are difficult to get to for us 'working stiffs' who just want to go home and veg out after a day in the office; the game is always on cable TV, so I won't miss it; the traffic at rush hour on Long Island is terrible; those of us with young children can't find babysitters. Perhaps I'm just a typical Long Island fan who only follows the Islanders peripherally, not a die-hard fan who HAS to attend every game and see it live. That's how much of Long Island is, unfortunately. I can tell you one thing, though... if the ticket prices weren't so high, I'd buy more.
Merrick-a response:
4) Fatigue - although I totally agree that some Islanders are having a tough time keeping their stamina level up I don't see it in the corners and along the boards, especially in the offensive zone. In the Flyers game they really had the cycle working well and it led to some great chances. When the Islanders commit turnovers or lose battles for the puck I find it's because Isles players are generally undersized when compared to the rest of the league--Campoli is generously listed as 6' 190 lbs which is a crock.
5) Blue line: Once Martinek comes back we should have seen the last of Freddy Meyer. Poti, Bergeron and Martinek--those are three quality D-men. Witt and Hill are older and a bit slower but they do real well clearing space in front of the net. Those five guys plus Campoli, I would be pretty comfortable going into the postseason with them.
6) Empty seats--once the playoffs start the Coliseum will be full. End of story.
I also thought you're right to mention the importance gaining a point last night. We should have had two, but looking at the standings and tonight's schedule there is going to be a TON of attrition among the six teams of ATL-PIT-NYI-CAR-MTL-TOR for the last four spots. (This is also why Rangers fans think their sorry team still has a shot.)
And regarding DP, he played well for two and a half periods last night, saw the puck real well, and basically continued his solid play. Not flashy, but solid. If he plays like this for the rest of his career he will have been worth the ridiculous contract. Maturity will only help him. Last night he played the puck way too much, with three or four lazy head-man passes, plus that botched pass to Witt in the first that DP had to flail at with the back of his glove to keep from bouncing in. Woof.
We all know, though, that two points in Washington will make last night seem like a distant memory, and I think Ted Nolan's a guy twho can make that happen.
Gerry,
You must not have noticed but the Islanders are consistently outshot in games by the opponent. It has been a problem that has plagued them all year. Ricky has faced 1628 shots which is the 5th most overall in the league, yet he still has 28 wins, good for 9th in the league. We're all aware of the fact that you dont like Ricky, but the statistics show he has been consistently winning games while facing more shots than nearly every other goalie in the league
diamond dave says its one game. relax and smoke a spliff
Ricky has played great this year. A 100% improvement from last year. He was won us a couple of games this year, not many. He will only get better.
No reason to blame DP for the recent losses...however I think Dunham needs to get the nod tomorrow night. Dunham is a great backup, and we'll need DP as fresh as possible down the home stretch.
As for the attendance, I agree that ticket prices need to be dropped and some more promotions need to be run to either encourage families to attend or make it easier for family people to attend...still, this could be a special team, and they need our support
Yeah Meyer is a wreck. Looks lost out there. What is going on with Gervais? He gone for the season?
Gervais will make a huge difference when he gets back. Meyer looks like he's trying real hard but he doesn't have the size to play the game he tries to play.
Anyone else hope that the Isles rid themselves of Yashin and replace him with Smyth and Blake's contracts? Along with the money we've saved already this year going into next and hopefully getting out of paying Bates 2 million (plus snow's cap hit) we should have room.
There was a comment by an Oiler fan saying Shrempf and Nilsson hit it off in Wilkes Barre. Good luck. They're the same type of player. One dimensional, no defense, no accountability. If they're on a team that's down 4-1 in the second period these guys might as well go play golf somewhere cause that's teh kind of effort they'll put in. O'Marra is nice but no more than a good 3rd liner.
LETS GO ISLES!!!
DP:
The happy wanderer has grown up a little this year. He has made a lot of bad decisions, but he is also a key reason why our ancient defense doesn't have to move the puck that first 40 feet... in many cases. That is a pretty big PLUS in the new NHL.
When DP stops taking on more than he can chew, and that is a by product of growth, he is going to be an ELITE "G" in the NHL... he's not far from that status right now.
Meyer:
When a defenseman inspires comments like, "we'll be a lot better when Gervais returns"... or "Drew Fata couldn't be much worse" or "how much will a bionic prosthetic cost for Martinek"
Okay Garth... that might be one MA Mafia move that didn't quite pan out. When the best part of the deal is the clearing of cap space... well.. at least the plumbing in the locker room hasn't overflowed in a while...
Do we need to start a BRING UP DREW FATA PETITION... there are other guys in bridgeport that might warrant an opportunity.
Whatever the solution, I am sure campoli and Meyer is not working. Campoli has looked great all year, so I can't really throw him under the bus...
I'm glad I'm not Freddy Meyer's wee-ner... cause bridgeport's where I really oughtta be-ee-ee!!!!
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!!
Biggie, I've been wanting to get rid of Yashin since 2002-2003 when it was clear that he peaked his last year in Ottawa. He's 33 years old, constantly injured and little to no help when he's on the ice. He CAN score, which at least draws defenders, but rarely does so. Arguably, Garth Snow's first off-season priority is to work out a buy-out deal with Yashin. I'm not sure how that would work with freeing up cap space for Smyth or Blake; in other words, would the full value of a buyout count against the cap? If so, obviously, that's a bad thing. Maybe it's only a percentage. Bates has become sort of a Yashin Lite, $1.2M a year for this kind of miserable production is a waste, but I don't think he'd accept a buyout or a trade as readily as Yashin might.
Good call with the timeouts. Nolan should have called one after the first goal last night. The Blues were really pressing, beating the Islanders to the puck, so it was no surprise when they finally scored. A timeout would have taken away some of their momentum. It's not like Nolan was saving it for anything.
matt, im pretty sure buying yash out would end up only costing us 2 mil against the cap for the next 5 years, as oppossed to the 7 mil he gets now. thus saving us 5 mil and putting us 10 under the cap...not positive but im pretty sure
Bates is the Carson Daly of hockey. Why is this guy playing in the NHL?
DW - in that case it would make a ton of sense. That's a nice discount and Snowy HAS to consider a buyout. Yashin has clearly worn out his welcome on the Island. More to the point, I don't think his missing the Isles' hot month of February is endearing him to his team.
MW - I might say the same thing about Bates that I said above about Yashin. I think Bates had a hand injury, causing him to miss February. I think Bates is only around for sentimental reasons, anyway. His penalty shot against Toronto was the most exciting moment since the Pittsburgh series in '93 and Milbury felt he needed a suitable reward for it. There's no more upside to him. 31 years old and going nowhere fast.
Yashin is a tough call for those of us not in the "know". If he can perform like he did in November on a consistant basis, then he is a mathmatical (cap-wise) necessity.
If not, then it is a bargain to buy him out and search for $4M worth of players to replace him... at least use that money to keep as much of the new booty as possible.
I'm pretty sure his return is NOT needed for Nolan and snow to make that decision. Snow has been his teammate for enough time, and I have a feeling that Nolan is a pretty good judge of character.
I'd be cool with whatever they decide. I still stand beside my theory of Nolan's "99.9%" comment as the last nail in Yashin's coffin... but we'll see.
I personally hope that I am wrong and he comes back, scores 10 goals in 15 games, and continues to be the MVP of the playoffs.
But you have a better chance of seeing Rosie O'Donnell in a Summer's Eve commercial.
Bates is a totally differnt story. Him and Blake were two of the better MM moves. They were bargain penalty killers, highly motivated, good skaters with some scoring potential.
Blake has not taken a shift off since he joined the team and has blossomed as a consistent scoresheet contributor. Over the last three seasons(not counting the lock-out) Bates disappears for weeks at a time. Once in a while he must get fresh underwear from home and he goes on a scoring tear... then consistently gets hurt when the fruit of the looms run out.
He's part of the New England Mafia, and probably a positive locker room contributer so he was rewarded last year.
I can only go by a few pics and his early performance... but I think he's taken that extra scratch directly to the late night drive thru at Wendy's...
I really figured he'd have been a CONDITIONAL 3rd rounder during the deadline crunch... but that "injury" hurt any chances of him being exiled. I did have a tasteless comment inserted here linking him to Bryan Berard, but I'll save the offensive stuff for when he does something to warrant it. Even though his performance has been inconsistent, he has been a pretty good guy. I also would assume his performance and his injuries are linked to something deeper than what is listed in the papers. I do hope the kid is alright.
When we lose, we blame DiPietro. When we win, we praise him. That is why he alone is responible for the Islanders playoff push and future. Yes, Jason Smyth and the rest of the Islanders will have to do their part, but in the end, the puck must go through DiPietro in the net for the other teams to win. DiPietro must grow up after this "loss" to St. Louis. Give credit where it's due, the Blues worked for their two points, but when your goalie holds a stick and thinks he wont get caught, is not acceptable this time of the year. DiPietro must remain focused and discliplined if he wants any success this year. Should he be blamed for losing the game? No, this is a team sport, and his fellow teamates also did not perform well those last three minutes of the game and deserve the same treatment. Should DiPietro be blamed for that last goal? Most definitly. Most Islander fans will almost surley have his head if he attempts to do that in the playoffs. Note to Rick: Play smart, and learn from your mistakes, and don't repeat what happened last night.
Now that I've had a few days for the big trade to sink in, I realize now it was a no-brainer. To get a guy like Ryan Smyth in the prime of his career for prospects who may never even pan out was a move worthy of a seasoned GM, not a rookie, so Snow deserves a lot of credit. I've been an Islanders fan since the mid-80s right when the dynasty was crumbling and have seen a lot of bad hockey over the years, not to mention asinine front-office decisions, most notably trading Pat LaFontaine in his prime because they were too cheap to pay him what he was worth. Long Island is unique compared to just about every other NHL city in that it's more of a community than a "city." Long Islanders are proud of their team and its history. Just like bringing in Yashin and Peca revived the franchise and brought back instant credibility, this move is designed to take the team to the next level. Now, I can definitely see them buying Yashin out and handing the "C" directly to Smyth if they can convince him to stay, which I really think they can. I really buy into what Nolan says about not only building a winning hockey team, but also a culture that players want to be a part of. Also, God bless Charles Wang. Islander fans are fortunate to have an owner not afraid to fly in the face of the establishment by making bold moves and taking chances. He's a shrewd businessman, but also mindful of being a part of the community and realizing the integral part the team plays in it. I was happy enough Blake wasn't traded, getting a player of Smyth's caliber, but more importantly, character, was the icing on the cake.
Are Meyer's bags packed yet? He IS awful.
12 thousand and change was a disappointing crowd indeed, especially with all the hype since getting smyth.
They must have been looking at us in stunned disbelief in Edmonton. But, unfortunately without a big season ticket base it's tough to draw large crowds on just walk up day of game sales.
After all the momentum the Isles built a few short years ago and those great playoff series (albeit losing ones) against the leafs, the lockout, a lackluster 05-06 and all the unprecidented bad off season press regarding the Neil Smith fiasco, then hiring their back up goalie as GM, and a coach that had been out of the NHL for years, the Isles sadly (and as we now see un-justly) were soley on the hockey / NY sports radar as a joke this past September. Not to mention the hockey press wrote the Isles off as a non-entity before the season started. Take all this into consideration and presto, you have virtually no season ticket base. Without a base of 10 -12 thousand or more (and the Isles are nowhere near that), it's hard to draw big gates on walk up sales alone and get respectable crowds (especially for a suburban based team). Without all the Smyth coming to LI hype, last nights crowd against St. Louis would have sadly been around 9,500 (and that's with a red hot team), so that means there was about 3,000 person day of the game walk up just for Smyth (which is a tremendous walk up gate). Still, the bottom line is that the crowd was disappointing for a team making a serious run for the first time in many years.
Now, for all you who complain about the traffic, the Isles moved games back to 7:35 just for that reason, and it takes me about an hour to get there all the way from Brooklyn, and only a half hour to get home.
Ticket prices? I haven't paid more than $20 for a game this year. The Havoc deal is great. The Colosium is tiny compared to other NHL venues and even the "worst" seats on LI would be considered pretty good just about anywhere else. Ever go to a game and sit upstairs in DC, Boston, Montreal or Philly? It's like sitting in the upper deck at Shea, and that puck looks pretty damn small up there (and believe me you're not paying $19 either).
As far as getting a baby sitter, I can't help you there.
Still, you don't need to go to every game to support the team, I go about 6 or 7 times a year, it's a good time and we've got ourselves a pretty solid, fun team, with a management that seems to actually get it and has some balls. So, there's no reason not to get some fannies in the seats from here on out.
Anyone know what happened to Blake Comeau? I know he had an ankle injury, but I didn't realize how serious it was ...he's been out for a few games now ...and the Bridgeport web site gives zero info on that...
the $19 seats are a little tough for us non-students. The cheapest seats that I could get saturday were $70. Anything cheaper than that was in the last five rows or obstructed. It's a little ridiculous the prices they charge for some of the games. Honestly not many people are going to show up for a bad Philly team or the St. Louis Blues unless tiks are a real good deal.
the aquisition of Smyth clearly signals the end of Yashin...
Yashin will be bought out this summer, freeing up $5 milion for the signings of Smyth and Blake...
Smyth will be given a long-term deal and a "C" for his sweater...
if Blake has a hot hand in the playoffs,
he should be resigned
Chris S: Martinek is done for the season...
we need BRUNO back...but when?
and- it is NOT just one game at this point in the season...it is a missed opportunity for a team that is barely in playoff position and should be playing with more desperation...don't be fooled by the wins against PIT (Fleury was terrible) and Philly (OT penalty)- most players have been flat and tired all week...
Sneaky pete, I think you're a little too high on this team if you're counting on Smyth re-signing. He might, but at this point, I think there's probably less than a 10% chance. A playoff run or any number of other factors could certainly sway him, of course, but it would be foolish to count on it. That said, if Smyth does walk, there will be other UFAs to pursue.
I'm not sure how likely I'd consider a Yashin buyout. Although I initially questioned it, the re-injury is obviously legit. He was playing really well before he went down, and it must be a hard pill to swallow for Wang to pay Yashin a few million dollars to play somewhere else. As for whether I think it's th