It’s too late now for Wade Dubielewicz to author a miracle finish comparable to the one last year when the 5-10 goaltender carried the Islanders into the playoffs with four straight victories ending with his shootout poke check against the Devils’ Sergei Brylin. As improbable as that might have been, the task “Dubie” faces now might be even tougher.
With Rick DiPietro recuperating from his second hip surgery in two seasons and the injury-riddled Isles caught in the throes of a six-game losing streak, it’s up to Dubielewicz to keep them competitive and try to salvage some respectability while fighting to hold onto his own job. His challenge starts against the Devils tonight and continues for the final eight games with help from backup Joey McDonald in a spot start or two.
“Without Ricky’s injury, you don’t get that kind of opportunity,” Dubielewicz said. “You don’t really want it to come in this situation, but a guy my stature and my status, you’ve got to take what you get. I just want to show the brass and the guys on the team that I can play at this level, not only in a backup role, but a more prominent role.”
His performance last season was good enough to earn a one-year deal worth $500,000. Although he won a couple of games in relief of DiPietro early this season, Dubie was hung out to dry in his first three starts as the Isles were outscored 17-3. But he has fought back since then to go 4-4 and hasn’t allowed more than three goals in his past eight games while bringing his goals-against average down to 2.91 and improving his save percentage to .906.
He’ll be a free agent on July 1, but he’s hoping to negotiate a new deal with general manager Garth Snow as soon as the season ends. “I’m an Islander at heart,” Dubielewicz said. “If I was given the opportunity to continue to be an Islander, I think I’d probably jump on it.
“I think my value goes up over time. They can see I’m consistent and that my size isn’t a big factor. If I went to another team, I’d probably have to spend a lot of time knocking down those hurdles again.”
The next step with the Islanders is to convince everyone, perhaps including DiPietro, that’s it’s in their best interests to allow him to play more often. DiPietro eats up minutes at a voracious pace, but after two hip surgeries, it seems logical to rest him on a regular basis to keep him fresh rather than allowing him to play 33 of the first 35 games, as he did this season.
“If I play well down the stretch here, maybe Ricky doesn’t have to play 70 games next year,” Dubielewicz said. “The kid’s a machine. I think it’s one of his biggest strengths, but at times, it can be a weakness for him. He’s in peak physical condition. He’s in better shape than any player, let alone goalie, that I’ve ever met. He plays the game at a high pace, and you’ve got to take into consideration he’s out playing the puck and he has more touches than most players in a game.
“So, you look at him compared to maybe [Vancouver’s Roberto] Luongo, who plays a lot of minutes. Well, Ricky is putting much more energy into each and every game, and I think that might have something to do with him getting worn down a little bit. His role is much larger than other guys who play the same amount of games because he’s got so many touches and he brings so much more to the table.”
DiPietro often has been described as a “third defenseman,” but while his puckhandling ability saves wear and tear on the defense in front of him, it actually exposes him to more contact and places greater demands on his body. As DiPietro’s backup, Dubielewicz was tuned in to the physical condition of the Islanders’ franchise player. He recognized signs of DiPietro’s physical problems in the second half.
“I don’t think we ever talked about it, but I knew that he was battling through something,” Dubielewicz said. “I can tell just by watching him and seeing that he wasn’t fully comfortable in the net. It was little subtle things. In Montreal, he made a save on [Chris] Higgins coming down on a two-on-one. He kicked out his blocker-side pad, caught it with the toe and he was wincing with his hip the rest of the game. I’m looking for that because I’m waiting to see whether I’m going in the game. It’s been an ongoing thing. It’s too bad his season had to end this way.”
Reflecting on the first half of the season, Dubielewicz can understand why coach Ted Nolan rode DiPietro so heavily. And given DiPietro’s desire to play as many games as possible, there’s no guarantee Nolan and Snow will rein him in next season.
“Here’s the funny thing,” Dubielewicz said. “If we stay healthier as a team, I don’t think Ricky’s going to be put through a 12-round boxing match every game. There were a lot of times pre-All-Star break where, if it wasn’t for Ricky, we’d have lost a game 10-0, but we’re winning 2-1. So, I think he expended a lot of energy in the first half of the season because, at times, we were struggling defensively and he was our backbone. Depending on the team he has in front of him, it’s going to be interesting to see what they decide to do.”
ISLANDERS INSIDER: The rest of the Islanders Insider, including segments on Kyle Okposo's friendly rivalry with the Devils' Zach Parise and Ted Nolan's role in the Chris Simon trade, has been posted. Please click here to read it.
Comments (68)
I know a lot of people here think we need a better back up, but I'm on the fence. Better judgement is telling me yes, we need to replace Dubie, but there's something about this guy I like. Despite his stature, he's very confident in his abilities as a goalie, which is huge. Earlier in the year when he was let out to dry in never blemished his confidence. I'm pretty sure that the Isles will replace him, but I hope there is some way he can maybe resign with BP.... if his pride isn't affected by the offer. I'd hate to see a competitive guy that steps up when needed leave the team. But what do I know... I'm just themass.
Ps- 505- I was not sarcastic yesterday. I really want the team to put forth a better effort and win. I know we all want a great pick, but not at the expence of less than maximum effort
Themass, I'll admit to being on the fence as well, but I'm trying to take the simple approach here. If the Islanders feel Dubie can carry the load for 20 games next year so DP doesn't burn out, re-sign him. If they don't, sign someone who inspires that confidence.
I'm becoming more of a Dubie fan by the day, but I'm trying hard to keep emotion out of this and concentrate on what's best for the team....I'd especially like to see what Joey MacDonald has because he could be a great addition to the team in terms of depth.
As I watch the Islanders play, I find myself unable to root for a loss. As an offensive play develops my instinct takes over and I'm always hoping for a goal. And same thing holds on the defensive side. Instinct wins.
But when the game ends, and the team is (most often lately) on the losing end of the score, I'm happy they lost. I'm actually satisfied - knowing that the loss accomplishes tons more for the team than any meaningless win during the 'lost' part of the season.
Welcome to the twilight zone... where every Islander game is a win-win situation. If they win, I'm happy 'cause my team has won and rookies are padding their confidence. If they lose, I'm also happy knowing that we're that much closer to Stamkos or any one of the best defensive prospects in this year's draft.
No conflict, no ambivalence, no psychological tup-of-war happening in this man's mind. It's all good. "Serenity Now!!!"
Let's go Thrashers!!!
Let's go Blues!!!
Let's go Lightning!!!
Let's go Kings!!!
themass, & Nick
I'm pretty sure Dubie can play the 20 games for DP to get some rest. I don't think that can be disputed. But Dubie said that DP had to stand on his head for us to win 2-1 instead of losing 10-0 in the first half of the season.
That tells me that our defense is not as good as it should be. If we don't improve the defense, that means Dubie will also need to stand on his head just for this team to have a chance to win.
I am a Dubie fan, and most of the crowd loves to see him play in net, and i do believe he's capable of 20 games. However, if the Islanders don't improve or stay healthy on defense, The Islanders may look else where.
I'm more concerned with DP than who our backup is gonna be next year. Will we have DP or Lee Majors next fall?
Cincy, you've kinda succinctly (as opposed to 19Islesly) summed up how most of us (well me, anyway) feel. It's kinda hard to watch a game right now.
Looks like there's a For Sale sign outside of Newsday HQ.
Damn, if I could just find the coupla hundred million I left lying around somewhere. A worthy investment if only to send a certain reporter and "his book" packing.
GO FOR IT CHARLES WANG......BUY THE NEWSPAPER.
themass.....I understand.
All of you guys kinda summed up how I feel. I guess it's a mixed bag of emotions. Cincy ... I know exactly how you feel. That has been how I felt for a few games before I officially changed my tune to hope the Isles can get the highest pick possible.
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As far as Dubie and the goaltending situation is concerned. I have to say SPOT ON Dubester.... reading Dubie's quotes kinda sums up what I was feeling most of the season. That the Isles defensive looked a lot better because of DP. Not just the shots on goal ... but the little intangable things DP did to setup break outs .. the contact with opposing players around the net .. etc. He really plays a high octane brand of hockey.
I made a post in Oct or early Nov about the Isles' 100% effort style of hockey .... and how that was going to grind the team down. It's been said many times on this blog in different ways by different people .... "They aren't good enough to win on talent alone" .... "They aren't tough enough to win it on grit alone" ... I could go on.
As far as the defense is concerned .... we all got on them as much as we go on the lack of offense. The difference was the Isles never really got their offense into gear aside from a few anomolous 4 and 5 goal games. They did however string together some good defensive gems. The key to those games? They sustained some offensive pressure and forced the opposition into taking some penalties.
I come from the school that the best defense is a good offense. The more puck control the Isles have in the offensive zone the less opportunty the opposition has to attack.
The more entertaining the Isles will be also if they can mount more sustained attacks and have a mobile enough defense to help support the attack. This will also keep the wear and tear down against DP.
The workload of the goalie isn't just measured in shots against. The goaltender does a lot of moving, bumping opponents and fighting for position when the puck is in the defensive zone.
19Isles....
"I come from the school that the best defense is a good offense."
That IMMEDIATELY brought a smile to my face as I thought of "The Coach" on the NHL Network commercials.
Those ads are, IMHO, THE BEST AND FUNNIEST set of sports ads I have seen in a long, long time.
I wish the NHL would SPEND THE MONEY and start using them on other networks. They are TOO GOOD to not be shared.
Is there an ascending scale for place and the % chance you have at the #1 pick? if so, does anyone know what it is?
Under the lottery system, only the five teams with the fewest points had the chance to win the first overall selection; no team could move up more than four spots and no team could move backward more than one.
Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, were placed in a lottery machine. The machine expelled four balls, forming a series of numbers. The four-digit series resulting from the expulsion of the balls was matched against a probability chart that divided the possible combinations among the 14 participating clubs.
The Draft Drawing is a weighted system to give the teams that finished with the fewest points during the regular season the greatest chance of having their combination selected. For now the Kings, who may finish the regular season with the fewest points, are assigned the greatest number of combinations, representing a 25% likelihood that their combination would emerge. The Lightning are assigned 18.8% of the combinations, followed by the Thrashers (14.2%) and the Blues (10.7%). The remaining teams had the following chances: (Islanders) 8.1%, (Leafs) 6.2%, (Columbus)4.7%, (Chicago) 3.6%, (Coyotes) 2.7%, (Panthers) 2.1%, (Oilers) 1.5%, (Capitals) 1.1%, (Preds) 0.8% and ( Sabres) 0.5%.
Just so I have this straight, Ted Nolan favored trading Simon because of the way he was so mercilessly booed by Islander fans on February 21st, because in his estimation Simon "doesn't deserve that type of treatment".
Seriously, Ted? Honestly? You don't think that expression was justified by the two disgusting acts of Neanderthal barbarism that Simon committed in slightly more than half a season? You don't think it had anything to do with the fact that Simon had become an utter and complete liability on the ice, nearly devoid of any real skill? He "didn't deserve" that reception?
You know what, Ted? You fail at your job. Unless, of course, your job is running an encounter group for those challenged by otherwise unacceptable levels of anger-management skills. You think whatever this clown went through in his life is justification for any gruesome behavior he decides to display on the ice? Sorry, but I don't agree. I don't think that's how it works. I think a man is defined by his actions, the things he does, and not by how sorry you decide to feel for him because he didn't grow up Brady Bunch. That's a pathetic cop-out, and a gross disservice to the intelligent, hard-working hockey fans that live on Long Island. You want to be an anger-management counselor? Be my guest. Just don't do it under the guise of leading an NHL team, and especially not the team I root for.
The more I see and hear form Ted, the more I'm convinced that his "reputation" is a facade and his one really successful season was a result of great players like Hasek and Peca and not a refection of how good a coach he is. Why? Because he has failed to deliver on his promises.
Legend has it that players are willing to "Run Through Walls" for the Great Ted Nolan... But I didn't see that this season. I saw a lot of mediocre, even inexcusable efforts, and even less results on the ice.
It was supposed to be that when you give Ted Nolan these things called "NTP"s (players with lots of GRIT), you get what is known as the "Nolan Effect" where you get more from less, and maximize the potential of each and every player on the team, so that the end result is a balance of mathematical precision, a whole that is so much greater than the sum of its parts... But I didn't see that this season.
It was supposed to be that this HARD-WORKING, WHITE-COLLAR, GRITTY, LUNCHBUCKET TEAM would take the ice every night, and would come prepared to play anyone at any time, and that GRIT and HEART win hockey games. But, that doesn't seem to have worked out, either. It just led to a losing hockey team that couldn't score any goals.
It was supposed to be that Ted Nolan, NHL coach, would be intelligent enough to understand that Martin Brodeur is a freak of nature, and no man should ever attempt to do the things he does in the NHL, because on the inside, he's not a man, he's a machine. Instead he allowed his 26-year-old hotshot goaltender to dictate his own playing schedule, to the point where he was ridden so hard he finally broke down, and puts in jeopardy the very future of the franchise in the form of the single star player the team has. Nice job, Teddy.
It was supposed to be that Ted Nolan would understand that this team is very nearly devoid of talent, and would have learned last year that you can't even overpay free agents to come here, they will avoid the Island at any price. What this means is that you have one, single, solitary way of improving this team, and that is through the draft.
And, knowing that, all of a sudden the "Losing Mentality" is unacceptable? During the one part of the meaningless season where you could make a substantial upgrade to the team by drafting a highly skilled offensive player? Now you come up with this BS manifesto, even declaring you would rather win the last 8 games of the season and draft 18th instead of 2nd or 3rd? Why now? Where was the disdain for all the losing during the season? Aren't these the players you wanted, Ted? Players with GRIT and HEART? A LUNCHBUCKET crew that will come to compete every night? Yes, Ted, I do believe they are. So best he comes up with is signing Trent Hunter to a 5-year deal. Trent Hunter, who on the greatest day of his NHL career might be a third-line roleplayer. Well, here's you gritty, lunchbucket team, Ted. Nice job you did there, it really worked out for everyone.
I'm really having doubts that the great Ted Nolan is even half as good a coach as everyone would like to think he is. He got his type of players, and made his promises about competing, but the team didn't compete, nobody "went through walls" for him, and he managed to wreck the franchise goalie in the process.
I'd call that a pretty successful season, wouldn't you?
Wow Frei......
Didja get it all off your chest??
How long were you in Portugal?
A joyous Easter y'all (u 2 KH).
Ditto on 505 re Frei! Wow!
As for the draft, since a team cannot move up more than four spots, the actual chances for the team finsihing last to get the first pick is roughly 48%. All other precentages remain the same.
Frei -
I am not touching the Simon issue because I basically agree.
But, and I know you are going to rip my blind faith here, none of the UFAs that were signed were Snowlan's first choice. If you honestly think Nolan wanted Comrie and not Drury or Gomez to center this year's 1st line, flanked by a guy like Ryan Smyth, then you obviously are the one with your head in your a$$.
Also, please go ahead and do me a favor: do the research and find me the stats and contract values of other comparable 3rd liners and tell me if it Hunter's was a bad deal. You need guys - role players - on the 3rd line on any team that wants to contend for the cup. And this team in particular needs guys who want to stay and help build a core - no matter their role. Would you have rathered they dump Hunter and pick up another FA on a 1-year deal to take his place, and continue that cycle for years to come?
If so, you are one of the people that want this team to tread water, just like you accuse Nolan of. Obviously he can't be concerned about the future success of this team if he won't let it go to sh!t for the rest of this season, isn't that your rationale? To me, what you obviously would prefer is the culture of losing that makes a kid like Stamkos come here and after 3 years get the hell out because there is no one that wants to play in a culture of losing. You obviously don't want a culture where maybe some UFAs could be interested in signing either.
In terms of DP, his conditioning in training camp lead the organization to believe he had it in him to be Brodeur-esque in terms of the number of games the kid could play. And, much like the rooks, you would never know if that is possible if you don't give him an opportunity to prove it. So, guess what? His BODY can't hack it, but no one "rode" DP as you suggested. That requires an outside force making the decision. In fact, you directly contradict yourself in that sentence by saying
"Instead he allowed his 26-year-old hotshot goaltender to dictate his own playing schedule, to the point where he was ridden so hard he finally broke down."
Along these lines, did you for a minute think that part of the reason that DP wanted to play that many games had something to do with the fact he might "go through a wall" for Ted? Sure, it was mostly his ego, but how can you discount the fact Ted is a player's coach when "great" players like Peca have been saying it ever since the Isles got him?
You discount this notion that Nolan doesn't actually get everything out of his players and that he benefited by "great" players like Hasek and Peca to take him far in Buffalo. If 2 players made a team buddy, why didn't Luongo and Jokinen push the Panthers over the top? Because they didn't have an approrpiate supporting cast, and did not have a coach that could make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Seeing the trend here?
Lastly, I don't understand where you are coming from with this whole business of failure and success. Where has Ted Nolan or anyone else ever proclaimed that this season has been a success? And while this team took a step backwards, it was not a failure because of the development of guys like Comeau and Bergenheim.
For a guy who bashed me earlier for putting a little trust in what KH reported back to everyone, I get it, you have some faith issues with this team. And rightfully so, as they have done nothing but disappoint for about a decade. But if you can't see the steps being made to try and recover from the perpetual tailspin they were in, whether those will be successful or not, to me, you are one of the folks on this board who will never be happy with what this team is doing. In which case I say:
go root for someone else if you are so disgusted with this organization.
Just my two cents.
Ya know Phil......
ya had me until "Icelanders".....
Ask a little nicer next time...if you can humble yourself.
I hope the devs or future teams bully our fruitcake lineup. What the heck are Garth and Ted thinking sporting such a soft team night in and out?
Bet Clarkson LOVES games like this.
Way to go Okposo. 1st NHL point. Nice play Marty.
FREI ~ You wonder why I called you a Ranger Fan....You are so far off on Nolan it is scary. Next time send me the crib notes and have them make some sense!
Give me the best coach in NHL history and tell me what he could do with this team. Especially with 9 of your TOP players hurt !!!
D-Money, thanks for a thoughtful, well-written response. While some of your points have valid ideas within them, I still think its fair to fault Nolan for the things that I have.
I don't believe that he's been the great motivator that he's supposed to be, as I didn't see that type of play from the team this year. From anyone. There were just too many half-efforts made to not question his preparation of the team. I heard about but did not see a game before a packed house where they had a single shot in a period? Feel differently if you wish, but I put stuff like that on the coach, especially when it happens regularly as it did with this team this year.
I fault him for playing Rick too much, especially after he just came back from surgery last year and got no rest over the all-star break. There is simply no way that he should have played as much as he did, hurt or not, ego or not. He's the only real player the team has and you just don't take those type of risks just to maintain mediocrity.
Its nice that Nolan is in love with Trent Hunter. The problem is that he's a peripheral piece, the croutons on a salad. He's not a player that you build a team around. I nice third-liner? Sure. But not a big deal. And if you had a team full of them, it would be a failure. Ted liked to look back at the dynasty and say, hey look how much grit that team had, but pay little attention to the fact that they had truckloads of talent, too. Skill wins, not grit. There is no marking on the Stanley Cup that says how much GRIT a team had when it won. As long as Ted values GRIT so highly over SKILL, I think he's wrong and not addressing the needs of the franchise.
You mention the development of the "Kids", and thank god for that because if it weren't for a few bright spots among them, the season would be a total disaster. But I don't think Ted had anything to do with it. I think it happened in spite of him. We watched him bring up Tambellini, only to play him 5 minutes a game, make a mistake, and get sent down what, about 4 different times? Ted didn't want the "kids" until they became necessary due to injury. I don't think he wanted Okposo up here, either. I can't give him credit for their development.
I apologize if you think I "ripped" you or anyone else for asking why their faith has grown so much. I simply wanted to know if there were reasons given for the optimistic outlook that I had missed. I remember pretty clearly reading something posted by KH that was to the effect of "ooh boy I'm excited, wish I could tell you why!". To me that just sounds like utter rubbish and fluff that a PR department would put out, and I wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything. There was no "ripping" intended anywhere. I'm not saying that it definitely is, but that's what it sounded like to me.
Related to that, I've seen the plans, and the lighthouse is very grand, and the canal is charming, but what I'm really interested in is a winning hockey team. If the idea around here is that the winning team comes after all this grand stuff gets built, then, knowing what I know about Nassau County, we're going to be waiting for quite some time.
Lastly, I guess you'll just have to find some way to excuse the cynicism with which I regard this team. You're well aware of the last 15 years of history around here. I just happen to feel that I've seen enough mistakes, excuses, and lousy hockey over that time. I think that losing sucks, and mediocrity sucks. And if you don't think so, then we agree to disagree.
Rocket by Okposo. On Brodeur no less. Congrats Kyle.
Will Nolan CONSIDER protecting his players??!!! CMON!!!!
Bill Guerin vs David Clarkson:
Early in the 2nd period Rupp hits Guerin pretty solid into the boards, a delayed penalty call on Rupp is coming up and as the whistle blows in the Islanders zone a few players come together. Out of this Guerin and Clarkson look at eachother and square off. Both guys throwing wild shots, Clarkson getting the better of Guerin, but Guerin hangs in there and throws some shots as well. Not much connecting, but Clarkson should get the win because he had more control of the scrap.
WIN: Clarkson
Matthew Spillier vs Aaron Asham:
Midway into the 3rd period, these guys come together in the Devils zone. Spillier challenges Asham and away they go. Gloves come off, and they square off for just a few seconds. Both guys throw 2-3 punches with no damage done, then when Spillier is trying to get ahold of Asham's jersey Asham gets a arm loose and smokes Spillier down with a solid punch. Linesmen come in and Spillier gets up with a nice mouse under his left eye. Devils bench going wild, especially Kevin Weekes.
WIN: Asham
Joe Vasicek vs Rod Pelley:
Very late in the game something happens behind the play, Pelley is pisse at Vasicek and Pelley goes after him. Pelley is very busy and Vasicek is trying to get away from him, when Vasicek goes down Pelley looked to sneak a few shots at him. On the way off the ice the Islanders bench was giving it to Pelley pretty good.
WIN: Pelley
D-Money...I think you hit the nail right on the head talking about DiPietro and his conditioning, but I think the point a lot of people miss is that not even BRODEUR should be playing a "Brodeuresque" (I think that's like Burlesque except who'd want to see HIM naked...?) load of games at the goalie position. The Dev's have a capable back-up in Weeks who should have seen more ice if they want Marty to hold up through the playoffs. Around this time of the season the team that doesn't have a ready back-up is just asking for a breakdown. Dubie earned that contract down the stretch for you folks last spring, just like he's being asked to earn the next one...
Dubie played a great game tonight. I hope he's still with the Isles next year, because he deserves to get at least 25 games in the net.
The kid's also played well. If the team gets younger as it should, Nolan needs to go.
Kyle looks like a keeper. You guys have heard me say all year thatsome people have IT !
Kyle has IT !!!
First two points off arguably the best goalie ever, and in grand fasion. Helmet gets knocked off and he bangs in the one timer !!!
Something for us ALL to smile about !!!
To the above moron ripping Nolan.....ANY AMOUNT OF $$$$ if he was available the Rags would fire Renney and hire him!
Way to stick up fro your teamates # 3 you worthless piece of GARBAGE !!!
Seriously were the youtube videos of this guy fighting a fake ???
Our goal scorers and rookies are getting pounded and he sits back and watches !!!
YOU ARE A JOKE SNOW !!!
Another WOW...
Just saw the KO goal......impressive. (I missed the last 2 periods).
What a simple play.
And it was a POWER PLAY GOAL!!!
Comeau and KO knock off the NBR 1 team in the East.
How bout that.
Love the kids
On a night when KO scores and we play a capable game, I cant help but be pissed off at Nolan and Garth for assembling a team that can barely protect itself. Listen, this season is gone. We are the lowest scoring team in hockey. How do we not have an enforcer? Guerin shouldnt be fighting Clarkson .
This is crappola. No excuse.
Can somebody tell me why we got rid of Asham???
NEWSDAY: Slurs uttered in stands upset gay Ranger fans.
I thought all Ranger fans were gay. ?????
I knew it was only a matter of time before I got trashed as a shill for the organization, based on my vague post about the impression I got at the game. So first let me correct the record about what I posted. Frei, you characterized my post as to the effect of "I am so excited and I wish I could tell you why!" Actually, that's not what I said. What I said was (without sharing details) it was clear to me after talking to the Isles folks that (I) the organization has the goals that most of this board hopes it has (based on the posts I read here), and (II) the organization's understanding of how to reach those goals, and therefore the order of its priorities, is consistent with what the majority of well-informed, frequent posters on this board think it should be.
In a separate post, Nick said that, based on an offline conversation with me, he feels much better about how the organization operates. I know Nick offline and I trust him and therefore shared with him more of what I learned. The big additional point is that I told him a bit more about my impression of how people communicate within the organization and how internal conflicts are resolved. My impression on that score was pretty favorable, i.e., (III) on the whole, the NYI organization works the way it should, is not highly dysfunctional (as many here fear), and much of what is reported in the media on these issues is wrong.
If you look at (I), (II) and (III) above, I don't see how you could accuse me of claiming that everything is hunky-dory and that we should all just shut up and trust that the awesome will be arriving any minute. Please. I haven't said anything of the kind. Here are a couple of concerns I still have:
-Garth Snow has *not* proven yet that he is a good judge of talent, the single most important attribute a GM needs (IMHO). I'm not saying he's NOT a good judge, just that the jury's out. I share the concerns of Steady and others about some of the deals he's made, though I am not as alarmed as some.
-no matter what the Isles do, they are saddled with certain liabilities that make it difficult to attract premier UFAs, such as an aging arena, inferior practice and workout facilities, and poor attendance. The first two are not really fixable until the new arena is built. Attendance can be improved somewhat through smart marketing (I think there's been a huge improvement on this front), but again, we are hobbled by the lack of mass transit access and by 12 years of catastrophically bad ownership and management prior to the 06-07 season (and by the out-migration of youth from the Island). The fans were abused again and again and again until finally, they left in droves. For any business, it takes work to bring people back who've been repeatedly lied to, insulted and betrayed. In fact, most businesses with the Isles' track record from 1994 through the 2005-06 season would already be out of business. Luckily, sports loyalties have some staying power and the Core of Four left us such a great foundation (in terms of building an identity for the franchise and a fan base) that even Spano, Gluckstern, Millstein, Milbury, etc etc. could not completely destroy it.
So Frei, as you can gather from what I just wrote, I really understand where you're coming from. And I completely agree that we're not out of the woods yet. Nevertheless it's an important sign of progress that the people running the organization do understand the problem and are truly trying their best to fix it.
Attaboy KH
"Slurs At MSG Upset Gay Ranger Fans"
I wonder how they feel about "Potvin Sucks"?
Thanks 505, and Merrick, thanks for the Easter wishes. LOL. Would it be interreligiously insensitive for me to say I'll be praying for the resurrection of the New York Islanders on Sunday?
Oh What A Night!!! Late March back in 08 ... was at a game that was decided really lateeeee ... what a game oh what a night!!
Sorry guys ... still sporting a buzz.
Was a dirty stayout tonight.
Shortly after I had my new stick delivered in time for the playoffs ... I decided to get my skates sharpened and see if the rink posted the playoff brackets yet. On the way to the rink I get a call from my buddy Marc .. Devil season ticket holder ... asking if I wanted to go to the game b/c his fiancee was going to a bachelorette party .... Hell Yeah!! ... and I thought getting my new $250 stick for $140 bucks was a great deal!!
You guys that saw the game know the rest.
I've been awake for 22 hours and I'm really exhausted so I'll talk about the game tomorrow.
Figures the one game I forget to record is the one that KO gets his first goal... too sweet with the helmet off. The picture of him Park, and Comeau says it all. Didnt see the game, but from On The Fly it looks like Dubie had another strong outing. Does this guy ever dissapoint?
Missed this one but its cool... my buddy is using his companies box on Sunday in philly and invited me. Pretty much said because its easter, that no one important will be there so I can pretty much be myself... at an Islanders game thats a mistake!!!!
KH, God is the judge...do you as please. But duly note that I was fairly certain after I sold my tix for last night because it was Good Friday that I would miss Okposo's NHL first goal. Ah, the trade-offs in life.
Most of you know that I'm not a fan of hockey goonery, but I'm definitely with those above who say at this point of the season we need a 100% enforcer to protect our guys. For heavens sake, this is the Devils we're talking about--not exactly the Broad Street Bullies. They obviously thought they could push us around all night--and despite the few fights, they were right! Kudos to Guerin for doing something, but is Kip Brennan finished with his suspension? Let him take Miro's place.
Posted by KH
Attendance can be improved somewhat through smart marketing (I think there's been a huge improvement on this front),
with all due respect - marketing shmarketing. sports is not play station, and it's not a new 3 lb. super-duper brontasaurus burger at macdonald's. the only honest and fool-proof marketing method in sports - at least for this team - is WINNING, period. "lack of mass transit access" ? - if the team wins, the fans will get there, just like they used to. yes, even to that decrepit old barn. " bad ownership and management"? old news. noone will think about that stuff for a second as soon as the team is in first place. even a crook like that pumpkin spano will be a distant and comical memory when the islanders are in the stanley cup semi-finals. and winning on a consistent basis brings lots of perks, like a new arena and "market"ability.
KH
Sorry I took a little longer, but I loved your organization, the website, and immediately signed up. I live in PA, but, I'm from the Island. If there is going to be a meeting somewhere that I can make, so that you need an extra voice to be heard to get the job done, I would be more than happy to come down, and help out anyway i can.
I haven't really posted a lot because I've been mostly reading the same stuff, and it still comes down to the same ending: WAIT AND SEE.
As far as Nolan goes, here is my take: How many players have we lost this year to season-ending injuries? How many younger players (who may have made a quicker leap into the big league then expected) have been thrown into the lineup? Yet through it all the Islanders were still flirting with a playoff push until they got into another losing streak. Bottom line: Nolan (with a healthy, talented team) can take this team to the playoffs.
Now onto Snow:
KH brought up a good point:
"-Garth Snow has *not* proven yet that he is a good judge of talent, the single most important attribute a GM needs (IMHO)."
I've said this before, This is a HUGE transition year for the Islanders, and it starts with the draft. If Snow makes the correct picks, then I believe we may not be as critical of those past trades he has made before.
Attendance: In all honesty, it's up to the town of Hempstead and Nassau County to determine how attendance will be for next year. We all know that NVMC will begin a makeover this summer if everything is approved. People will come to see the new improvements, both in the Coliseum, and of the team (if a plan is approved, that's a recruiting tool for free agents). If both products are good, you'll get the attendance.
Cincy said something like this (not quoting). We as fans are in a win-win situation right now. If we lose, we get closer to the number one pick. If we win, then we know we have some talent now, and that the future is not as dark as some make it out to be. For now, watch and enjoy as much or as little as we can. Because if all goes well for this organization, there will be light at the end of this tunnel.
Re: Last night's game....
We were a very rare group ... Devil fan, Isles fan, Flyer fan and Ranger fan.
Before I get to the obvious ... KO's performance ... I'd like to offer up my point of view from what I saw in live action.
The team as a whole is lucky that Dubie stood on his head. Even though most of the shots he faced were of what I'd say was low percentage shots he still had to make some great saves.
#1+#2=#3 is just useless. Getting to watch the game live you can see he looks lost. Berard one minute looks like a solid defenseman, and then the next looks like a rookie making bone head low percentage plays.
Even though the Isles only gave up 1 goal ... I think it was more because of Dubie and the fact that the Devils started picking spots and missing. The Devils aren't the toughest team in the league yet they were able to push around the Isles and crash the crease with regularity.
Zach Parise may not have scored a goal last night ... but he still cracked the score sheet ... and to me was the most noticealbe player on the ice. Incredible persistence and skill.
In the 3 fights ... I think Guerin pretty much held his own... I don't count getting wrestled down or pulled down as losing. Asham tagged Spiller pretty damn good though ... I was sitting about 30 rows back along the blue line on the side where the Isles score twice and got a great view of Asham's knock out jab. I'll ask a question that was asked 1000 times. Why did we get rid of him?
Another thing about the Rock that I've mentioned I believe in a previous thread ... but it bares mentioning .... TURN THAT DAMN MUSIC DOWN!!!!! It is ridiculous ... my friend Marc said it is always too loud ... I told him .. you're a season ticket holder ... complain.
You can't even talk about the game inbetween faceoffs. It also mutes out any crowd noise .... my friend Marc said ... What crowd noise? He isn't happy with his fellow fans' subdued posture during breaks in the action.... I said ... how could they do anything else .... the music beats you right back down to your seat.
I'd wonder if anyone else that has attended games at the Rock noticed the same thing. It makes that caverness building seem more impersonal too. I hope the NVMC stays more intimate with the fans ontop of the rink.... grass is always greener ... right?
OK ... now to KO ... I thought the Park, Okposo & Comeau line was the best line for the Isles ... very energetic and had some good opportunities. KO shows lots of vision on the ice .... and his speed is above average. He got around a few players ... as soon as he adapts his speed with the speed of the game you are going to see him take passes and plow through the defense. I like what I saw.
His assist showed great vision too... He had Comeau setup perfect.
His goal ... pure goal scorers goal. It reminded me of Brett Hull .... he found that part of the ice after taking a cross check and just ripped the shot on the fly... I never saw the puck ... so I think Brody might of not seen it either. There were not as many Isles fans there as last time I was there ... but we made some noise ... and my Devil fan and Ranger fan friends were both impressed with his play also .... the Flyer fan said ... two games proves nothing ... I said .. you're right ... he's going to be better than that.
For the record ... all 3 of my friends want us to win as many games as possible so we don't get a high draft pick. Geeezee ... why feel threatened about that?
Nice come back Steady did you think that one up yourself?
I agree with all of you, but I have to say that I am giving Snow and Nolan a shorter leash than I had hoped for. Sick of lunchbuckets -- we need talent. Where in the world are they going to get it?
I want these guys jettisoned: Satan, Hilbert, Davison, Johnson, Gervais, Fedotenko, Oleg Vasicek, Sutton, Berard, Regier and oft-injured Bates.
Notwithstanding the unobtainable Wade Redden, Mats Sundin or Marian Hossa, I hope Snow really goes after one of these UFAs this summer: Dmitri Kalinin, Kristian Huselius, Eric Nystrom (just because), Jason Williams, Antii Miettinen, Brian Rolston, Mark Streit, Arron Asham (should have stayed instead of Simon), Bryce Salvador, Sean Avery (YES, him), Mike Commodore, Cory Stillman, Jason Smith, Ryan Malone, Matt Cooke.
I think Malone, Huselius and Avery are the three I would intensify efforts on.
Otherwise the lines will be this (in no order):
Comeau-Comrie-Guerin
Tambellini-Nielsen-Okposo
Park-Sillinger-Hunter
Sim-Colliton-Bergenheim
Jackman (hey i like him -- has some hockey sense, though he is not a true heavyweight)
Campoli-Witt
Martinek-Meyer
Get two more from elsewhere -- forget Gervais and Sutton, who are non-impact players.
Eccchhh. You can throw in whomever they draft if it's high enough. Nolan won't play all these kids, but Snow has no reason to not go after someone decent in the UFA pool -- except Coliseum blues.
Agh, I just don't know. Like seeing these kids, though. Like McCabe, Bertuzzi, Luongo days all over again (said dripping with sarcasm).
In the past I have posted supporting players such as Hilbert, MAB (who should never have been traded - despite his flaws he added a dynamic offensive dimension that the Islanders desperately miss) and others... I have been disappointed in Tambellini and have said that he just doesn't have a nose for the puck at this level.
Granted Tambellini didn't get a fair shot for a while... but over the last several weeks he's averaged almost 15 minutes a game.
He has 1 goal and 2 assists in 28 games. He's a 3rd or 4th line player... and i really wish he was a 1st line guy. I hope he finds a way to re-capture his instincts. The puck just doesn't find him.
On the other hand... Comeau always has the puck on his stick. Great instincts and very noticeable on the ice at all times. I find myself looking for him to see what he will do.
Even better in a much shorter sampling is Okposo.... WOW! This guy has that extra gear... the nose for the puck and the know how to get himself in the right spot at the right time so the puck and his teammates can find him. From game 1 to game 2 you can already see that he made adjustments.
Keep Comeau and Okposo on the same line and you have a nice combination for next year.
Put Hilbert on that line with them... and now your talking... OK, maybe that's a bit of a stretch.
DOC
The Draft ~
As some of you know the draft lottery is weighted so that the last place team overall gets the highest percentage of possible combinations.
The winner of the draft lottery moves up no more then 4 spots. Looking at the standings I don't think the Isles can get lower than 3rd, and most probably 4th worst. So "IF" they win the lottery they have a shot at Stamkos only if they finish 4th worst. However ... it is more likely that the Isles can be bumped down to 5th or 6th overall pick than they can win the Stamkos sweepstakes.... Why is that?
Here is the percentages for winning the lottery for the teams that don't make the playoffs.
30th........... 25.0% (250 combinations)
29th........... 18.8% (188 combinations)
28th........... 14.2% (142 combinations)
27th........... 10.7% (107 combinations)
26th.............8.1% (81 combinations)
25th.............6.2% (62 combinations)
24th.............4.7% (47 combinations)
23rd.............3.6% (36 combinations)
22nd............ 2.7% (27 combinations)
21st.............2.1% (21 combinations)
20th.............1.5% (15 combinations)
19th.............1.1% (11 combinations)
18th.............0.8% (8 combinations)
17th.............0.5% (5 combinations)
Lets just say at best the Isles finish 4th worst ... That gives them a 10.7% chance of getting the 1st overall pick. If a team that wins the lottery moves up for spots .. that means that teams that finish 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th can bump the Isles down one spot if any one of them win the draft. That is a 22.6% chance that the Isles will be bumped won one spot vs. only a 10.7% chance that they will win the lottery. So they have more than 2X the chance of getting bumped down then they do getting bumped up. That is assuming they finish 4th from last.
If they finish 5th from last they can't get Stamkos .. but can get the 2nd overall pick ... so in that case they have an 8.1% chance of getting bumped up to the 2nd overall pick finishing 5th worst vs. a 17.2% chance of getting bumped down to 6th overall pick. So again ... more than a 2X greater chance of getting bumped down on spot instead of winning the 2nd overall pick.
So seeing those astronomical odds and chance of getting bumped down being greater ... why bother rooting for losses? With a DEEP draft and still a decent shot at a good prospect 5 - 6 players deep isn't it better that the Isles try to build a tradition of winning? Give the young players and potential UFA signees a signal of promise for next season.
Drafting up 4 spots isn't going to be much different unless we get Stamkos ... and that is VERY UNLIKELY at this time. The 2nd - 5th ranked players are all highly touted also and at about the same level of talent. The next 4 players are also really good too. So either way the Isles will get an Okposo level or better player. Might even be a defenseman. We aren't deep in that prospect position either.
Besides, I'm not crazy about relying on an NHL lottery machine to work in the Isles favor if you get my drift ... wink wink. Just taking a different perspective as we wind down the last 7 games. I'm thinking it would be more satisfying to play spoiler for our division rivals.
Happy Easter Everyone!!!!
19 Isles
I kinda feel bad. Look at the 9th post on this blog. You could have just copied mine, and then write what you needed to write lol. Save your typing fingers. Still love the effort you put in though, never stop.
I agree completely we should play spoiler. How's the new stick handling for ya?
For a great perspective of the draft lottery and past draft lottery results check out this site...
http://www.nhlscap.com/draft.htm#lottery
I was looking at the standings and pretty much have given up the prospect of LA & Tampa catching the Isles. If the Isles lost the last 7 games (unlikely): LA would have to go one game over .500 to catch the Isles & Tampa would have to go .500 to move ahead of the Isles.
For Atlanta and St. Louis to catch the Isles is more of a shot ... but Atlanta would have to win 2 of its last 5 if the Isles lost every game ... and asking Atlanta to even win 2 X seems like a tall order.. they have 2 vs. Florida, 2 vs. Tampa and 1 vs. Carolina... so that can mix up the standings a bit below the Isles. ....
That leaves St. Louis .. St. Louis does have a good shot of catching the Isles ... they have 1 game in hand on the Isles with 8 games left. They are only 2 points behind the Isles .... which is pretty much why I had the Isles no worse than 4th worst in the league in my previous post.
I just find it very hard to root against the Isles only for a slim chance of getting Stamkos ... butttt.... if they end 4th worst and miraculously win the lottery ... I'll not be disappointed.
Netminder39 ~
No worries brother ... it was actually your post that inspired me to look into the draft lottery more ... I just copied and pasted a lot of that stuff from a website that I also included in my last post.
What I was trying to explain in that other post was to show what is the point in rooting for losses. There is more of a chance we get bumped down anyway.... and my last post shows our chances of moving up in the lottery combinations by finishing lower in the standings ... I think St. Louis and the Isles are going to be jockeying for 4th & 5th worst.
We'll see.
Happy Easter All!!!
Oh netminder ... I haven't used the new hockey stick yet. Just got it Friday ... I have practice on Tuesday night so we'll see how it works out. I'll probably be shooting the puck over the glass till I get used to it. LOL!!!
from Larry Brooks:
"Finally, it's amusing how the New York Islanders are dislocating their shoulders in patting themselves on the back over the early arrival of Kyle Okposo, but have somehow neglected to mention that it was then-GM Neil Smith who directed the kid's seventh-overall selection in 2006, isn't it?"
Many of you have been talking about the need for physical players. well, I had thee pleasure of watching Minn-Calgary last night, two teams battling for 1st place. Three heavyweight fights, including a Chris Simon dandy. The place was rocking. It proves two things 1) the fans LOVE physical hockey 2) the islanders are pathetic in this area.
Happy Easter to you all,
"To the above moron ripping Nolan.....ANY AMOUNT OF $$$$ if he was available the Rags would fire Renney and hire him!"
wow, you'd lose a lot of money on that one Steady...
how come everything always comes back to the Rangers?
Will Islanders give Nolan contract extension?
BY GREG LOGAN
Nolan confirmed his contract situation yesterday. "They haven't offered an extension," Nolan said. "There hasn't been a discussion of it."Contacted yesterday on a scouting trip in Ontario, general manager Garth Snow said he had no comment.
Questions about Nolan's job security first arose near the end of a seven-game losing streak in February when Snow expressed some disappointment with the team's performance. Answering a question about the team's fall from seventh place in the Eastern Conference on Jan. 23, Snow said, "Even at that point, I think we should have had a better record. I don't think anyone was satisfied. We had the ability to be higher in the standings than what we were."
If they decide Nolan has to go because the 'Buffalo stuff" came back and he causes too much friction and problems, then fine. But if Snow gets him out here based on his coaching performance then he is a fraud and a coward and is only looking to save his own skin. The quote here about the 7 game losing streak makes me sick. Nolan has made mistakes no doubt. So did Miller Huggins, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden and Al Arbour. The fact though, is that this team stinks because of it's personnel, not it's coaching. And if they use Nolan's coaching performance as the reason to get rid of him, it is a phony smokescreen and this franchise is right back to where it was under Milbury. Nothing will have changed. And by the way, who is responsible for personnel?
Anon ~
Next time you quote someone (Larry Brooks) make sure you are quoting someone that knows what they are talking about. Nolan and Smith were only recently signed and the actual draft selecting was actually done by the Isles' scouting staff. Smith was more of a figure head representing the Isles since he was the GM. Smith was a bit out of the loop regarding amatuer talent and in an interview during that draft he credited the scouting staff for making the Okposo selection.
That said ... I still disagree with letting Smith go ... but that is another topic.
Besides ... who cares? ... we have Okposo and so far he seems like a great selection.
19Isles.....
Re all your "percentages"
Trying to understand that is like watching this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz3KpY5lrRc
(For those of you who DON"T have NHL Network).
And remember the Florida game when the Isles had 52 shots on goal and still got beat?
Here's Ted Nolan's post game interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkUMbrT5SU&feature=related
exguy ~
Here is the comment I left on that article that you quoted a portion of ... I'm with ya there ....
Posted by 19 ISLE in NJ 22
"With the lack of talent provided to Nolan .. primarily 3rd and 4th line type players ... and the rash of long term injuries to all key defensive players and Ricky throughout the season how could anyone hold Nolan responsible for the team's demise? They were almost doomed from July 1st due to the loss of talent and lack of new talent and positional depth.
The Islanders play in the toughest division in the league .. both physically and talent wise. Every team in the division except the Islanders have a superstar forward and a good degree of toughness. The Isles have neither.
The Isles as Nolan stated early in the season have to play 100% every night in order to compete. There is no way that can happen in this division and conference without wearing the team down physically. Now you see the results of that. I think it's Snow's job to deliver a product to the coach so that he can orchestrate into a true competitor. Snow failed to deliver .. and in the process he's disgarded important picks and prospects for nothing.
As Steady who also posts on the Logan blog puts it so perfectly ... "Nolan is trying to create lobster salad with a can of cat food"
Regarding the whole Dubie for DP controversy in that second game of the recent home and home with the Rangers ... I defer judgement to Nolan ... At first I was shocked and dismayed .... my suspicion was that DP was hurt and a decision like that supported it. Now we all know that DP was hurt ... and I think Nolan was giving DP an extra day to heal and felt confident in Dubie since Dubie was playing well.... The team infront of Dubie let him down ... and in hindsight I think that Nolan now made the right choice.
I think Nolan saying if Terry Sawchuck was in goal for the Isles it wouldn't of mattered is an understatement ... I think if Broduer was the Isles goalie that night they would of still lost.
The Isles composed as they were at the peek of their season just wasn't a playoff team ... and their fall has nothing to do with the coach. Nolan had them competing every single game and they were only winning by one goal for most of their games... mostly due to DP standing on his head. When DP got injured .. that was it ... the team's fate was sealed. If Snow thinks the Isles should of been better than 7th place back in January he is totally delusional and it really dismays me that someone with that much poor judgement is going to chart the future of this franchise.
Players love playing for Nolan ... and if that is an equity that Snow is willing to toss away ... then he has ZERO incentive to lore UFAs to the Island."
LOLOLOL @ 505 .... That sheet is fantastic 505 ... I love those commericals .... and very fitting ... % is my forte.
... and the Nolan cliche comparison.... c'mon ... you can't tell me the NHL network didn't watch any of Nolan's post game pressers when t