Disclaimer

I do have the express written consent of the New York Islanders to use their logo on this website.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Rock the Barn

I went to a couple games over the past week, and I've never heard the old barn rock like it has so far. The Isles are 17-7-0 and show no signs of slowing down. If these videos don't show you, then I don't know what will.


 Lets Go Islanders!

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Brooklyn Experience

I went to the Isles/Devils game in Brooklyn. In all honesty, this place isn't a hockey rink, but at least I got a good video of Ryan Pulock's goal with my new GoPro.


Sunday, August 31, 2014

Tradition on Ice

One month from now, the preseason will nearly be done.
One year from now, who knows what will  be happening?

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Rookie Scrimmage

I recently wrote an article about the Blue and White scrimmage for Long Island Weekly. See it HERE. Also, here are a few photos I took at the scrimmage that didn't get posted yet.







Monday, June 30, 2014

Draft Party

I recently wrote an article on the Draft Party from last Friday for Long Island Weekly, see it HERE:
Free agency begins in just a few hours, and wait for Garth Snow to throw lots of money around to build a contender.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Halakdown

Photo Credit: @NYIslanders Twitter
Credit Garth Snow: He can check goaltending off his summer checklist. Now all he needs is a decent backup, and Evgeni Nabokov should be able to do just that come next season for the Islanders. Halak should be able to carry the load for the Islanders next season as the sure-fire number one goalie. The Isles haven't had a goalie of this caliber in a long time. Now, is it time to buy a Halak jersey? Take the poll on the right and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

End of Season Grades

Now that the season's over, it's time for some end of the year grades. I won't be posting all of my grades here, but here are a few of them. To check out all of the grades, be sure to check out IslesBlog soon. Both of these grades are listed out of 100 possible points. 



Photo Credit: NHLcom
By the time the Islanders called up Anders Lee after the Olympics, their season was already in desperation mode. In the 22 games since his call up, Lee proved he belongs in the NHL, registering 9 goals and 5 assists for 14 points. During that time, Lee also was a +3, a rare stat for an Islander. Although Lee’s numbers are good, he went through an 11 game slump in the middle of his call up, getting just one point between March 18 and April 10. Lee could end up playing with John Tavares next season, which would vastly help his game, but we saw flashes of it late in this season. The former 6th round draft pick earned his spot on the NHL team next season by his solid play this season.



Photo Credit: NHL.com
Stats wise, Frans Nieslen had a career year, raking up 25 goals and 33 assists for 58 points, all career highs. Nielsen scored on 15 percent of the shots he took this season, which is the highest percentage of any Islander. His -11 is no cause for concern because he was healthy all season, and it’s hard to be positive while on the Islanders. When talking about Nielsen, it’s hard to forget about his shootout abilities. The Great Dane took a shot in all 15 Islanders shootouts this season, scoring on eight of them. That put him second in the NHL behind TJ Oshie in shootout goals. With Lubomir Visnovsky out for most of the early season and John Tavares out in the end, Nielsen stepped up and became a first line center and power play point man, roles that he filled admirably. However, Nielsen shouldn’t be in either of those roles come next season with everyone healthy.

That's all I will give you for now. Be sure to check out IslesBlog in a few days. Lets Go Islanders! 

Monday, April 14, 2014

Cleaning Out and Looking Forward

I went to Isles cleanup day today to try and get a few autographs and talk to the guys. I did that, as you can see on my other blog.

When Lubomir Visnovsky walked out, I asked if he would be ready for next year. "I hope so," he said. Johan Sundstrom is all healed from his concussion. Brian Strait (right) will be getting his cast off tomorrow. Everything is looking up for the 2014-15 Islanders, who will be playing for the last time at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Try not to cry when watching below.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Never Say Die

If you are sick and tired of watching this year's team like I am, then you should enjoy the following documentary on the Islanders. Never Say Die...until you are eliminated from playoff contention.
Lets Go Islanders!
 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Where Are They Now?

After my last blog entry, many things happened. My twitter account gained over 30 new followers, and people tweeted at me with both support and criticism. Most importantly, the people over at IslesBlog took notice. They offered me a writing position at the blog, and I accepted it. Don't worry, I'll still be updating this blog as often as I can. With that, I will give you a brief preview of my first blog entry for them. It's a where are they now edition with some of your favorite former Islanders of years past.



Photo Credit: nhl.com
Rob Schremp: Most Islander fans remember Rob Schremp for the baseball swing goal he scored in Colorado in 2010.  Over his parts of two seasons on Long Island, Schremp played in 89 games, netting 47 points. In February 2011, the Islanders placed Schremp on waivers, where the Atlanta Thrashers claimed him. He was a fan favorite during his time on Long Island, and one of the best shootout shooters since Frans Nielsen. He finished out that season with the Thrashes. That turned out to be the last season in Thrashers history, and the last time Schremp played in the NHL. He played a year in the Swedish Elite league, and then went to Russia. He played or Dynamo Riga in the KHL, but left mid-season. He went to Austria for the rest of that season, recording 36 points in 26 games for Salzburg EC. Now, Schremp is playing for EV Zug in the Swiss league. If you have heard of any of these European teams, I envy you. Schremp was once a first round pick, but now he is trying to recapture the dream he achieved briefly playing in the NHL. 

Bonus Photos: Here are some former Islanders at the Sochi Olympics. I won't mention Michael Grabner's hat trick. (Oops.) 
Slovakian Defenseman Milan Jurcina knocking Team USA's Patrick Kane into the boards. 
Credit: Sun Times














Here's Austrian defenseman and former Islander Thomas Pock, wearing number 22, defending against Team Canada. 



That's all for this entry. Make sure you check out my IslesBlog entry once it comes out for more! Thanks for reading! Lets Go Islanders!

UPDATE: 2/19/14 HERE is the full entry on IslesBlog! Enjoy! 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

A Night on the Isle

When rooting for the New York Islanders, one might become bipolar with the sudden lows and highs fluctuating on pretty much a nightly basis. However, this team can be a teaching point for life in general, from loyalty to passion and never giving up. MSG's Alan Hahn sums it up after last night's game.
 The seating capacity at Nassau Coliseum is currently listed as 16,170. Last night's attendance of 11,111 was well below the average attendance of 13,461, but it is an all too common sight these days. The Islanders inevitably taking a lead before a not too packed house, only to painstakingly let them all down, and send the crowd home angry and empty handed.

However, last night was a fun exception. I was lucky enough to be in attendance. I bought tickets on a website for at least $90 below face value and they were great seats. Evgeni Nabokov got hurt in the first period, which usually is an ominous sign of things to come. After the first period, it felt like it was going to be another one of those nights where the Isles go through the motions in line for a loss, after which Jack Capuano will say the team's "battle level" wasn't there. Like we haven't heard that one before.

In the second period, that quickly changed. On the power play, the Isles got a break, and I got my camera out for what you see below.

Shortly after that, the die-hards in section 329 broke out into a 'Yes' chant that has to be seen live to believe and love.

For once, the Isles were the team getting the breaks, putting the puck in the net with regularity. The crowd at the Coliseum could sense it, as the Stars were held without a shot for almost 10 minutes in the second period. After John Tavares tied it off an amazing pass from Thomas Vanek. After that, Dallas called timeout to try and regain their composure. It didn't work.

If Peter Regin scores, Isles win. It's that simple. They won when he scored in the preseason, and now they have won both times he scored in the regular season. His tap in of a Josh Bailey pass gave the Islanders a lead.

Then Dallas tied it. At this point, I started thinking, "Here we go again." However, Brock Nelson singlehandedly brought the Isles the lead going into the second intermission.
In the third period, it was the John Tavares show. First, he set up Brian Strait during a 4 on 4 to make it 5-3. Then, he came out of the corner untouched and knocked the puck past Kari Lehtonen to make it 6-3. While all of this was going on, Kevin Poulin faced only 15 shots in relief of Evgeni Nabokov, stopping 13 of them en route to the win. With under 4 minutes left in the game, the Islanders had nearly two minutes of 5 on 3 time to try and set up the captain for his hat trick. Here's what happened.


Maybe this game was a distraction from the fact that this is not where the Islanders thought they would be at this point in the season. Maybe it will be a turning point for them to build on in hopes of making the playoffs. But for one night, all is well on Long Island.

All the loyal supporters will just have to keep watching and hoping that something will happen.

Thanks for reading! Lets Go Islanders!