Former Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella, who was viewed by many as the most high-profile and possibly most high-priced candidate for the Islanders' head-coaching vacancy, apparently is out of the mix. Money isn't a major issue for Isles owner Charles Wang, but there always was a question whether Tortorella and a team committed to long-term development plan were the right fit for each other.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow is expected to sharply narrow his long list of candidates over the weekend and reach a decision on a successor to Ted Nolan early next week, an NHL source said. When contacted by Newsday, Tortorella politely declined to comment on his role in the Isles' search process.
Although Tortorella was coming off a season in which the Lightning had the worst record in the NHL, he had a winning record in the previous four seasons, including the 2004 Stanley Cup title.
As a former Rangers assistant who also served as head coach for the final four games of the 1999-2000 season, the fiery Tortorella would have added spice to the local rivalry.
But there also would have been a question about whether his hard-charging style and impatience would have worked with a team planning to fill some major roles with developing prospects from the organization.
Tortorella certainly helped turn the Lightning from an also-ran into a power, but that success also means he can take his time waiting for an opening with a team closer to title contention than the Islanders while collecting the final year of his Tampa Bay contract, valued at a reported $1.3 million.
With Tortorella out of the Isles' picture, the other candidates who have interviewed with Snow include former Atlanta coach Bob Hartley, former Toronto coach Paul Maurice, former Lightning assistant and Boston coach Mike Sullivan, current AHL coach of the year Scott Gordon of Providence, former Los Angeles coach Marc Crawford and Isles assistant Gerard Gallant. The search should conclude about a month after Nolan's July 14 departure
Comments (56)
can't say i'm dissapointed but this seems early as gallant hasn't even interviewed yet. looks like marice will win, living on toronto i wont hear the end of it. maybe gordon or sullivan are the best options. crawford is a disaster and hartley, hes bush league, goon style guy, dont see that hear.
Now, that's a shame. There goes my choice. Everyone else is second best. Hartley was probably the choice from the get go and all the rest are window dressing.........Sir William
Obviously Gordon is the right choice. He's a successful AHL coach - coach of the year - which shows he can work with younger players. He's not a big name guy that will clash with Snow. Seems to be the perfect fit.
While I think the chances of him going with Hartly because of their experience together makes him a legit candidate I really think Gordon should, and will be, the next coach of the Islanders ....
Just because Gordon won in the AHL does not mean he can coach in the NHL. The fallacy that working in the AHL means that "you can work with kids" is widespread here. I heard the same thing about Nolan, because he coached some minor league team. How did that work out?
Coaching in the AHL means coaching only kids That's all you have to do. There are no grumbling veterans to placate. No
pig headed goalies to deal with. No overpaid toe drag specialists
impersonating first line centers. No PP specialists who refuse to listen to the coaces.
Coaching little league baseball is miles away from coaching the Yankees. Just because you get a bunch of raw rookies, who's goal is to not make waves and get promoted, to listen to you does not mean you can do the same on the major league level.
Hartley will be the next Islander coach because that's what Snow had planned all along. The search was a farce played out to make Snow look like a real NHL GM. He would have done better just to hire Hartley and say that "this is the guy I wanted from the beginning , so I hired him. He's my choice and I'm the GM."
I would have respected him more.............Sir William
All you can do is trust the guy's judgment at this point. None of us were in that room interviewing these guys, so you never really know. I would've been fine with Tortorella as coach, and I'm sure he would've done a good job, but you now have to turn the page. I always said it would be Hartley or Gordon, but you can't fault Snow for conducting his first coaching search as meticulously as he did.
SW ~ After reading the article on Torts ... I could of pretty much wrote your post for you ... because I knew how you would react.
Torts is a fine coach ... and will coach again leading a competitive team ... I think it's a matter of timing ... If Torts has been eliminated ... it's not because he doesn't know how to coach ... it's probably because he just didn't fit the overall plan.
The question is ... who is the one that felt Torts wasn't the right fit? Was it Torts? Was it Snow? Was it Wang? Was it all of the above? We don't know the details of this ... and as Nick stated ... we don't know what was said during the interview.
I just hope this isn't going to be a step by step elimination process... I think it's best we just hear who is the next coach instead of hearing who is not.
----------------------------------
Regarding Gordon ... I don't know much about him except for his record and the results he's gotten. But why would you be so down on him just because he was an AHL coach? Do you not think that someone who is used to teaching at that level ... can teach at a higher level?
Look at Laviolette ... he came in and coached vets to a 96 point season without ever coaching at any level in the NHL ... the man was a career minor league player that only played in 12 career NHL games .... he like Gordon was a champion coach at different levels ... and also lke Gordon led the Providence Bruins to the Calder Cup Championship ... then did pretty darned well as the Islander coach.
It was when the GM allowed Lavy to lose the team that he was eventually fired... one of many bad moves Milbury made... and Wang blindly went along with. It only took Laviolette 2 more coaching seasons to win a Stanley Cup ... and led Veterans and Kids to that championship ... I'll say that Laviolette had all the pre-requisites to make a fine coach ... and aside from having some good young talent ... he led a team of seasoned experienced veterans.
Gordon had never entered my mind as a candidate for the Isles head coaching position .... but that is why I do what I do for a living ... and Snow does what he does. He knows better than I.
----------------------------------
It wasn't until I spent the other week helping a former AHL coach by working at a kids' summer hockey camp that I myself learned that coaching requires more that just hockey smarts to teach kids... it requires patience ... encouragement ... leadership ... psychology ... skill ... commanding respect ... organization ... a sense of humor ... energy and flexibility.
I was asked not to post anything regarding my conversations with this former coach ... he was concerned for his own job security purposes when I told him some of what he said would be awesome for the hockey boards ... but I guess I can mention this small tid-bit without mentioning his name ...
He actually endorses Gordon ... he knows him and said pros at the NHL level are used to coaches making it up through the ranks ... and actually respect them a whole lot more than when a player retires and then becomes a coach .. with a few exceptions.
AHL coaches are the grassroots teachers of hockey stars ... and they may not have the resume that some NHL coaches have ... but that doesn't mean a thing if an NHL coach can't teach young kids while at the same time command the respect of veteran players. It's a personality thing mostly ... but every AHL coach pretty much knows the same thing that an NHL coach knows ... the difference is how that coach is at motivating, teaching ... and for himself .... learning.
I learned a ton in that one week from hanging out with that former coach and the other 6 coaches and 11 assistants like myself... I have a whole new respect for anyone that coaches hockey at any level. Infact that encouraged me to go for my USA hockey certification ... maybe I'll be a regular assistant by the spring for some youth teams ... I just need to see if I can commit to that kind of schedule.
SW ... don't worry if the Isles chose Gordon ... let Gordon teach ... and coach ... I wouldn't expect miracles this season even if Torts was the coach ... so I don't put higher expectations on Gordon.
... and ... if it's Hartley or any of the other candidates ... so be-it ... they can coach too. I'm sure Snow will want who he feels is the best ... and just because we may find a fault in his decision .. doesn't mean we necessarilly know better ... Gordon or Hartley may not be the right choice ... maybe it's Maurice? I am not qualified to make that judgement ... I just want a coach that can teach ... and motivate. Also one that learns from his own mistakes and successes.
Why not hire an ex backup goalie to be the next coach?
@ Sir William,
Didn't one Steve Stirling win coach of the year in the AHL? We all know how that one ended.
In other news, I am hearing rumblings that Maurice is the front runner and that a decision will likely be announced on Tuesday (my birthday of all days).
For everyone that missed out on the Open House today, it was a great time. I will be making a post and uploading some of my pictures in a little while.
www.islesblogger.com
They should hire Dunham to coach
Torts did not get the job because DP is a pampered baby.
If Snow didn't want Torts that's his choice. He's the GM and he should be allowed to hire his own man. I really have no problem with that. I just don't go for the sham interviews when he knows full well who he wants.
As for AHL coaches for every LaViolette there a Sterling. My point is that it's not the kids who take a coach down it's the vets. Who took down LaViolette? Certainly not any rookies.
AHL coaches have the advantage of never dealing with prima donnas or butting heads with franchise goalies. The kids are young and don't want to make waves or be labled as troublemakers and have their chances of moving up stalled.
All of that changes at the next level. Success at one level does not automatically bring success at the next level. So far, Tambellini has beem the poster boy for that arguement.
My feeling is that Snow wanted Hartley from the beginning and that's who it will be. I may be wrong, only Snow knows for sure.
I jsut don't go for the whole charade...........Sir William
you guys are too much. if snow had hired someone without interviewing, he would have been rash and stupid for not checking out options.
he does interview lots of folks and the minute the one you like gets ousted (for very good reasons, i think) snow is playing a charade and the interviews were a circus to cover his choice.
lol!
SW: I still haven't seen any evidence that this coaching search is a "sham" as you put it. You seem convinced that Snow wants Hartley and is going through the motions for some nefarious purpose. I prefer to think that he's taking his time and looking for the right fit.
I was concenred that Snow might go with Tortorella, because I did not think he was the right guy for this team at this time. I'd have no problem with Gordon. I've previously stated my preference for Maurice, but a good first timer would not be terrible. I think Hartley would be a disaster waiting to happen.
I do agree that I'd much rather hear about who we hired than about who we didn't. Here's to hiring the new guy, whoever he is, this week.
Sorry SW, the word you used was "charade" not "sham".
NOVA, It's a charade to me because it's a CYA move. Now Snow can go before the cameras and tell everyone that after exhaustive interviews he picked the best man for the job.
There's no "nefarious purpose." It's the old "he was the best in the interviews" bullspit.
I could be wrong, but I am willing to bet that Snow knew who the next coach was the day he fired Nolan. All this interviewing was window dressing. It gives Snow something to fall back on if his choice doesn't work out. Personally, I hate that. Be a man, pick your guy and live with it. If he wins, you look good. If he fails, then take the blame as you should. Show me some strong leadership.
Just my take from 516 ville........Sir William
It will be interesting to see, SW, whether your fears are correct, because, as I have stated above, I do not think Hartley is a good, or even particularly good choice, for the Islanders right now. If Snow is really just "going through the motions", merely to allow him to say "he was the best in the interviews", then he puts at risk most of the faith/credibility he has created over the last twelve months.
I agree that, if he goes with Hartley, then he could have just hired him from the get go and not tried to camouflage his hiring of his buddy by a series of useless interviews.
We will see.
Best from Nova Scotia. I'll be heading to Moncton for Training camp and will report what I can.
Welcome to the dark side folks...Been telling you for months Snow is full of it !!!
Better late then never to realize the bobbles are LOST !!!
The Isles will not be a very young team this season. 9 players are over 30.
Oh my gosh. SW fought with Steady about everything he is know killing Snow for. I guess the Oracle was right and is not an Orfice. I thnk an apology is in order. Loud Mouth Steady called this one dead right. The mgmt is a bunch of cobbleheads.
Anonymous: You're right there are several players over 30. However, for the most part, these are not long term guys. Players like Guerin, Weight and Sillinger, for example, are simply holding down the fort while the players further back in the pipeline develop and progress further toward their NHL future. They also allow the team to be somewhat competitive while the younger guys develop and can serve as mentors for the up and comers. Sort of like Eddie Westfall did in the years before the Islander's cup years. So when Snow talks about a your movement he's not soley focussed upon Tambellini, Nielsson, etc. but more so the the guys in the system that are a couple of years away.
12:28 is not me
I don't think Snow's search has been a charade at all. I think he's taking his time for find the right fit for this team. This isn't going to be an easy year, this is not a decision to be made lightly. But I think we will certainly have our share of pleasant surprises along with the usual occassional dissapointments. I am, however, really looking forward to seeing what Doug Weight can bring to the ice and the room. What a great guy he seems to be!
Doug Weight also said the Isles have "a lot of youth, and we're going to expect a lot out of them."
Then someone pointed out that the Islanders have eight players over 30 years old, and Weight realized he joined an old timers team.
If Snow hires Hartley, he will have spent the capital that he gained by two nice FA signings and a very good draft. As always with this franchise it's two steps up and one step down.......Sir William
To be quite honest, I am not thrilled about any of the 3 remaining candidates. So I'm not gonna be happy no matter who Snow picks.
Two are retreads and one is an unknown who never dealt with players over 30 before.
Snow had his chance to make a bold statement and didn't take it.
Instead he chose to get a yes man. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess time will tell.
Whoever it is, we have to give the guy a chance before calling for his head. I didn't care for Nolan and his treatment of the young players. So I got my wish and they fired him. All we can do is hope that the next guy is better than the last guy (the Isles fan's credo).........Sir William
Brings to mind two fabulous Who quotes:
"Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."
and
"We won't get fooled, again."
Sir William
I'm evening to playing field with our little troll friend. Just so you know, he's been posting some of your info at other forums across the web.
And and all that are interested in this guys info are welcome to request it here.
http://z9.invisionfree.com/IslandersPirateHaven/index.php?showtopic=92
SW ~ I know you liked Torts .... but can you honestly say with a straight face that Torts wouldn't be a "retread"? What is a retread anyway? Isn't that what you are looking for? Someone with experience.
Tell me this... Torts lead a very talented team to dead last in the conference. How is that going to translate to a winner for a less talented Isles team?
:: Slides soap box back to Sir William ::
Check that ~ "Tell me this... Torts lead a very talented team to dead last in the conference." .... make that Dead Last in the ENTIRE League.
I am convinced that no matter what this organization does, the same people have something negative to say about it.
19ISLES.....I doubt you can call Tampa a talented team when they didn't have a goalie. Put DP on that team and tell me where they finish. No matter how much talent you have up front, you can't win without someone who can stop the puck. Therein lies the tale.
How did Hartley do last year? Right, fired after going 0-6.
How about Maurice? Right, fired by Toronto after missing the playoffs, again.
Torts is a guy with FIRE. You think Tampa will be better with Melrose? They will still lose a ton of games 8-6.
Compared to Hartley and Maurice, Torts is still a fresh face.
Who's your choice?...........Sir William
I think all Snow is really looking for is stability, and a clear view and destination for this organization that the new coach will buy into, and follow. Let's review for a moment:
Laviolette, and Sterling: Both AHL coaches before coming to the Islanders, and both took their teams to at least one playoff birth. I call that success.
Nolan: former NHL coach of the year, and a 10 year absence: Playoffs at least once.
Now, the remaining three candidates:
Hartley, Maurice: have the capacity to coach a team to compete/win a Stanley Cup.
Scott Gordon, could be the next Laviolette.
When we get the talent for any of these coaches, I'll bet they'll do their job.
What Garth needs to figure out is which one will be more loyal to his vision, and philosophy.
NET All 3 coaches you mentioned took the Isles to the playoffs one year and got fired the next. You call that success? We'll have to disagree on that one.
19ISLES...I just looked up some stats on that "very talented" Tampa team.
Vinny Le----minus 17
St. Louis----minus 23
Boyle---------minus 29
Lukawich----minus 15
3 stooges in goal .901, .899 and .859 save per centages.
Tell me again how talented they were.......Sir William
Posted by Netminder39
Scott Gordon, could be the next Laviolette.
good astute comparison. hopefully these players won't put walls up in front gordon the way some players did with lavoilette. 1 really good coach in the nhl is worth 10 mediocre marginal players.
This decision of who the next coach is gonna be is not a easy task for SNOW....SNOW has a lot riding on himself right now...He fired NOLAN and took ALL responsibility of the team on HIS shoulders....He really needs to make sure he makes the right decision...MAURICE, HARTLEY OR GORDON......If he picks HARTLEY everyone on this blog is gonna say he knew from the beginning, but im gonna take it as who ever he picks WILL be the right MAN for the job....We need someone who will be on the same page as SNOW....and this doesnt mean this coach will be a puppet..it just means that this COACH will work together with SNOW to help build this team back to a STANLEY CUP contender...Alot of fans have VERY VERY little faith in SNOW and this is why i think SNOW will definitely make the right decision. He wants to be trusted, he wants to be a fan favorite, and he wants to be the REASON we WIN the CUP again....I have not stopped thinking about who I would want as a COACH, and I really cant come to a decision myself....I think its hard because u want to make sure we make the right move...Do we go w/ a veteran coach with experience, who MAY be set in his own ways as coaching, or do we want a inexperienced COACH that SNOW can MOLD....If HARTLEY OR MAURICE are 150% committed to the "PLAN" i would say choose one of them, if not you HAVE to go w/ GORDON!!! Someone who has dealt with prospects his whole coaching career and someone who is willing to DO WHATEVER it takes to make a successful NHL career for himself....
On that note...LETS GET THE VERDICT ALREADY!!!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!
Tonysac brings up an interesting point about Snow....Guys like Bob Hartley and John Tortorella will get other NHL head coaching jobs, for sure. Who else would ever hire him to run an NHL team if he fails at this job? He needs to succeed for his own future livelihood, and you could therefore expect him to be very sensitive to hiring a coach who's on the same page and buys into the concept he's trying to build.
"Scott Gordon, could be the next Laviolette"
you mean someone we fire too soon and then goes on to win the Stanley Cup with someone else?
Most smart teams are building through the draft. And several teams that were considered an easy two points, now looking pretty scarey.
Building through the draft can only be accomplished if the organization and the fans are prepared to be patient. I know that the Isles fans have been told this before. But here is what Snow has defined:
- build through the draft.
- give young players ice time.
- hire a coach who accepts the vision.
- stick to it for 5 years.
Maybe you have seen more defined than my list. But has it every been spelled out like this in the past 15 years?
Kevin T.
above was not me...Just the lonely troll.
TONYSAC...You make a lot of good points. Personally, I think that Snow has missed the boat by not hiring Torts, BUT the guy has to have a chance to succeed with his own choice.
I do not think that this is a backbreaker for Snow. He seems to have Wang's ear and that's all it really takes. Look how many chances Milbury got to screw up before he got the boot.
Let's hope whoever he picks turns out to be the right man for the job. Lord knows we have had enough of the other kind.....Sir William
TONYSAC...You make a lot of good points. Personally, I think that Snow has missed the boat by not hiring Torts, BUT the guy has to have a chance to succeed with his own choice.
I do not think that this is a backbreaker for Snow. He seems to have Wang's ear and that's all it really takes. Look how many chances Milbury got to screw up before he got the boot.
Let's hope whoever he picks turns out to be the right man for the job. Lord knows we have had enough of the other kind.....Sir William
SW - yeah, and now look where MM is!?
I think T-Sac and Nick have very good points - Snow fails this, and I am not sure he can even end up an analyst on TV.
SW ~ ?!?!?
You said ~ "19ISLES...I just looked up some stats on that "very talented" Tampa team.
Vinny Le----minus 17
St. Louis----minus 23
Boyle---------minus 29
Lukawich----minus 15
3 stooges in goal .901, .899 and .859 save per centages."
Tell me right now you wouldn't trade some of our stooges straight up for Vinny? Then add St. Louis, Boyle ... and remember ... Richards & Prospal were a part of that crew for 3/4 of the season ...and Lukawich is average anyway. But the top 4 players on Tampa were better than the Isles' top 4 players hands down... and all of em scored more points than our #1 point getter.
Those 3 stooges in goal?? Lets just take the top 2 to compare with DP and Dubie since two goalies on each team played the majority in minutes .... the top goalie for Tampa ... Holmqvist had 2469 mins played 3.01 GAA and an .890 save % ... yeah .. he sucked ... their second best goalie .... Ramo with 1260 mins played a comperable 3.03 GAA and again .. another comperable .899 save % .... almost a mirror image of each other.
For the Isles .. DP a whopping 3707 mins played .. with a 2.82 GAA ... and .902 save % ... Dubie with 1132 mins played ... and a 2.70 GAA with a .919 save % (excellent btw) .... but that is all the Isles really had .... was goalies saving their bacon.... Tampa ... sure ... didn't have that ... but they had scoring ... something Nolan would of ate rotten fish for.
So how do you think Torts would do with no scoring? Think he's so used to having that GO-TO guy ... heck ... guys for that matter.
For the record ... Tampa goal differential is -44 ... and the Isles' was -49 .... not much different over an 82 game season ... so who was able to squeek out more points with a worse differential??? Nolan did with the Isles .... so the last thing the Isles need is another head strong coach that is not with the program and having to try his patience with a team that is almost half under 25 year olds.
Never liked Torts for the coaching vacancy ... I'm glad he's not the coach ... he's not the coach for THIS team ... that said ... Hartley isn't my first choice either ... I'm kinda thinking along the lines of Michael S. .. Maurice wouldn't be a bad choice... and ya know what? I wouldn't be disappointed with Gordon.
Sir William:
I understand why you would disagree with my assessment, but i would like to explain why i would say that those coaches were successes.
For Laviolette, and Sterling: Both picked by Milbury, however, at the wrong time. We had just received an infusion of veterans from that draft with Aucoin, Peca, and Yashin, amongst others. If I really wanted to win for the now, i would've gone with a more experienced coach that would have handled Laviolettes' and Sterlings' second seasons differently. The fact that two "AHL" coaches were able to take that team to the playoffs, with that veteran core, in my opinion, is a success. Their lack of NHL coaching experience in terms of holding the team together, led to their firings their next years, again in my opinion.
Nolan: was hired at the right time, and took them into the playoffs the first year. But as the Islanders realized last summer, they weren't going to get better experienced players, they needed to get younger and build a team from scratch. Nolan didn't want that, which brings us today.
I believe that the next coach will be starting to develop and mentoring more this year than actually coaching. As the team grows, so will the coach. Good time for Gordon. Read a lot about him, and I'll comment on him later.
19 ISLES .......So you just proved my point. Tampa was not a talented team. They had awful goaltending and all their "talented" players were minus players. And not by small margins, but huge margins.
Convenient of you to only take the top two goalies. So no, lets not. Let's look at the whole picture. Not pretty with an .859.
Let's again look at the big picture. Vinny L doubled the top Isles point scorer by himself and yet the goal diff was only -5.
So that tells me that Tampa was a one line team with abosultely no defense and no balance to it. Not exactly the hallmarks of a "talented team."
Asking if you would trade their top players for ours is a ridiculous
question. Anyone would. But would anyone take their goalies, their D or their second, third and fourth line players?
Tampa was a one line team. And that line was a complete disaster defensivly. Sure they could score but they gave up way more goals than they scored.
This isn't about Torts. That's over. You said that Tampa was a "talented team" and I disagreed. They have some star players but overall they stunk. Kinda reminds me of the 70's LA KIngs
who had Taylor, Robatille and Dionne as one of the great all time lines. Never won a single thing.........Sir William
Sir William,
are you an idiot? stop posting things twice all the time
The 70's Kings did not have Luc Robitaille, but they did have Charlie Simmer. If Robitaille played in the 70's and also played on the 2002 Red Wings, that would have been something.
The 70's Sabres had Rene Robert, Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin, a little more similar to what you are talking about.
Although the 80's Nordiques had A Stastny, P Stastny and M Goulet!
This should be an open & shut case with Gordon becoming the coach. A minor league coach for a minor league team. Perfect together
Above was not me SW.....Wow this guy is obsessed with using others sign on's. Kind of funny.....In a sad way!
Our troll problem may be curbed in the near future:
From Zip's blog.
"One other note: Before the season, we hear, the powers-that-be are planning registrations on the message boards to allow us to continue the fever pitch of discourse and thought-out inquiries, presumably with less interference from those pesky trolls. Think that will be another improvement.
Til later.... "
Now it remains to be seen if they get it done and how effective it will be.
Not a troll, just the bearer of facts. Pinning one's hopes on Franz Neilsen is a stretch at best. I recently saw someone state the Isles could squeak into the 2nd round of the playoffs. Let's not get delusional. Just which teams are they going to beat out? They have a better shot at Hedman or Tavares in the draft lottery than the playoffs. Just because someone points out something the Islander faithful don't want to hear, doesn't make them a troll. Live with it. The entire organization from know-it-all Wang, to the I'm smarter than the other G.Ms, Snow, to the barn they they paly in, to the roster is 2nd rate at this time. I'm not anti-Islander, just a realist. Their dynasty of the '80s was outstanding. Mike Bossy is the best goal score I ever saw, but, that was then, this is now & now the Islanders aren't very good & their prospects other than Okposo shouldn't scare anyone.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=hradek_ej&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fname%3dhradek_ej
Good article by EJ HRADEK........and it helped me make my final decision......I want GORDON!!! Having Gordon as a head coach for the direction this team is going (rebuilding) it just makes perfect sense to hire a coach like GORDON...No NHL experience, a winning record in the minors, knows how to deal with prospects, knows how to have patients with prospects, teach prospects and MOLD prospects....lets get it done SNOW...Remember you hold this team on YOUR shoulders now....Better make the right decisions, otherwise you'll never find yourself another GM position in the NHL!!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!
PS..BRONX BOMBER!!! You signed Marcus Naslund and Wade Redden and that Russian kid forget his name...You lost JAGR, AVERY, SHANNY...There is nobody on your team that "SCARES" any team in the NHL now...Drury and Gomez...totally underachieved last season, though i believe with ur losses of jagr, avery shanny, They will have better seasons, at least the RANGERS hope soo......Dubinsky has the ability to be a good player, but did playing with Jagr make him look better??? Dawes has great speed and decent hands, but will he grow into a NHL sniper???? And what happened to Prucha??? He went from 25 goal season I believe to being benched the next?? Your defense is still shaky, even witht he signing of REDDEN .which by the way was a horrible horrible signing....but once again, the RANGERS hope not!!! And also with STAAL being a 1 or 2 more seasons away from being a NHL Caliber Defensmen....... Your biggest asset and threat on your team, is LUNQUIST..and i will say this, he is def. a top 3 goalie in the league...and i think with a more solid defense infront of him..he will be THE top goalie in the League...I dont care what any ISLANDER fan says, LUNQUIST is very talented future HOF IMOP.....
Now dont get me wrong, do I think the Islanders are gonna make the playoffs, and even say to get into the 2nd round??? Well first id like to say that we have been chosen to finish last the last few seasons, and proved everybody wrong....I think we have a chance to actually make the playoffs, as long as DP stays healthy and players play to there potential...Is that a long shot, possibly but as we all know, what a roster looks like on PAPER, and how the ROSTER performs are what makes and breaks teams...I mean look at your RANGERS!! How many seasons did they have an ALLSTAR roster on paper, and not make the playoffs????? And like you said, im not A "TROLL" JUST A BEARER OF FACTS RIGHT????? Out of the 2 teams, Rangers and Islanders....Its the RANGERS that need to be more concerned about making the playoffs then the Islanders, because once again we will be chosen to finish last in the league, while you will be chosen to be a CUP contender once again!!! So if we dont make the playoffs..so be it, we are in the rebuilding stages....and if we make it, once again we proved everybody wrong...Thank you for your time!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!
Just for the hell of it...
Rag$ didnt win a single playoff GAME in 10 seasons. 97-06
Here are some Rag notables on those non-playoff year teams...
99 Gretzky, Wayne C
16 LaFontaine, Pat C
27 Kovalev, Alexei RW
2 Leetch, Brian D
24 Sundstrom, Niklas RW
17 Stevens, Kevin LW
9 Graves, Adam LW
5 Samuelsson, Ulf D
33 Savard, Marc C
23 Beukeboom, Jeff D
29 Cairns, Eric D
35 Richter, Mike G
15 MacLean, John RW
93 Nedved, Petr C
22 Knuble, Mike RW
21 Schneider, Mathieu D
10 Tikkanen, Esa LW
14 Fleury, Theoren RW
18 York, Mike C
27 Hlavac, Jan LW
20 Dvorak, Radek RW
13 Kamensky, Valeri LW
12 Daigle, Alexandre RW
10 McCarthy, Sandy RW
4 Hatcher, Kevin D
88 Lindros, Eric C
23 Malakhov, Vladimir D
10 McCarthy, Sandy RW
34 Berard, Bryan D
36 Barnaby, Matthew RW
9 Bure, Pavel RW
16 Holik, Bobby C
26 Rucinsky, Martin LW
6 Kasparaitis, Darius D
68 Jagr, Jaromir RW
and oh yeah... Tom Poti.
jason, thank you for your research...I was to lazy to go and do that!!!
None of the above was me.....Troll boy from the Rangers blog.
I will not be posting until a new coach is signed so IGNORE all the fake posts under my name!
Hope all you regs are doing well !!
I will tell all of you this: hammering wine coolers with a pole in one hand and the sun on your face makes Garth's fiasco much more acceptable
See ya when a new coach is announced tomorrow...
It's 5:40 pm. I take it Islesblogger.com won't be getting a coach for his birthday!