Your (Former) New York Islanders

Watching the NHL playoffs is always exciting. If your team is playing, it only increases the intensity. When your team isn't playing, watching the hockey playoffs seems like watching a multi-act Broadway show at some points. The drama, intensity, excitement, and thrill all seem to increase because as many athletes have said before, "The playoffs are when the real season starts." The first round of this year's playoffs have been spectacular, unless your team has been eliminated. Game 7's, many overtimes, and great goals have been the story. There has been one team that has stood out to me the most so far, and it is the Tampa Bay Lightning.

You are probably thinking, "Why Tampa Bay?"

Well, first of all they came back from a 3-1 deficit to the Penguins, winning 3 in a row, including a game 7 epic in Pittsburgh, in which their goalie, former Islander Dwayne "Rollie the Goalie" Roloson, stopped every shot faced and another former Islander, Sean Bergenheim got the only goal, which you can see below. Roloson's biggest save came when another former Islander, Nate Thompson, was sitting in the penalty box for a late penalty.



Remember Dwayne Roloson? The Islanders had him for all of last season and for most of this season until a New Year's day trade to the Lightning for D-Man Ty Wishart. With all due respect to Wishart, I think Tampa Bay got the better end of that trade.

This seems to be so typical of former Islanders, leave LI and succeed, just ask these guys.
Best of Luck to Rollie the Goalie and the rest of the former Islanders in this year's playoffs. Congrats to the Lightning on their epic win. Keep enjoying the game everyone.

Lets Go Islanders!!

This Is Home

No matter what anyone says, the Islanders are Long Island's team, and they always will be.



With all of the rumors out there that the  Islanders may be relocating, the team is still here in Nassau, for now. And this all fits into "The Script." Since the Islanders lease at Nassau Coliseum expires after the 2014-2015 season, and the Islanders are improving overall,  Nassau County executives and Charles Wang are going to have a tough decision to make in the future. To keep a hopefully winning team where  it belongs? or explore other options? Let's hope that we can get to that point.

Lets Go Islanders!

Unbelievable

Reading the capitals website's preview about last night's game got me sick. See for yourself and then you will know what I mean.

C'mon man. The Isles have not worn a fisherman logo for about 15 years now. Hopefully we will never have to see it again, ever. The Caps need to get with the program.

Lets Go Islanders

The Real 3 Stars of Friday's Game

We all know what happened between the Islanders and Penguins on Friday night at Nassau Coliseum.
The 3 stars of the game were listed as:
     1. John Tavares
     2. Matt Moulson
     3. Michael Grabner

These three players are deserving of the three stars. If I had my picks, they would be a little different.

Third Star: Mikko Koskinen
A day after going through an emotional up and down and earning his first NHL victory, Mikko Koskinen was thrown back into the fire against the Penguins. He stepped up big time and made 35 saves on 38 shots for his second NHL win in 2 days. One of those 35 saves is this one, which may possibly be the save of the year.



Second Star: Travis Hamonic
Kudos to Travis. The rookie d-man showed that he could compete with the best of them on Friday night when he got a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. (For those of you that don't know, that is when a player gets a goal, assist, and gets in a fight in the same game.) He started off with a blast of a shot for the first Isles goal. An assist on a great pass to PA Parenteau, who simply redirected it home for the Islanders 3rd goal. To cap off the Gordie Howe trick, Hamonic got into a nice tussle with Michael Rupp during the second period. Congrats Travis, you deserve second star of the game.

























First Star: Micheal Haley
Micheal Haley, what is there to say about him? Friday night's was his first game of the season, and to leave with the fans chanting your name, that is something. In the first period, Haley got into a fight with Craig Adams, one of Pittsburgh's better fighters, and he clearly won that fight no contest. In the second period, he scored his first NHL goal, and it was a beauty, as you can see below.



Then, to finish off his day, he got into a fight with Islander enemy Maxime Talbot, won, and then skated down to the other end of the ice and took punches at Islanders enemy #1, Brent Johnson. And, he wanted to take on the whole Penguins team, or what was left of it, as he was being escorted out by the referee.
















Micheal Haley, great statement in your first game of the season. You are the First star.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, because I can't seem to get enough of it.
A Hockey Game.   Friday Night Fights Featuring The Isles and Penguins.
Lets Go Islanders!

New York Islanders Goalies (Or Lack Thereof)

As you are probably aware of by now, the Islanders goaltending situation really is very bad. So bad, in fact, that I can barely keep track of everyone and I'll show you everyone and their problems.

Goalie #1: Rick DiPietro
We all know DiPietro signed a contract for life a few years ago. Since then, we have not received much.  Now, DP has a broken face from his fight with Brent Johnson last week. He'll be gone for about a month.

Goalie #2: Dwayne Roloson
Currently starting for the Tampa Bay Lightning after being traded for Ty Wishart and trying to help them make a deep postseason run.  He gets physical at times also.

Goalie #3: Nathan Lawson
He'll be coming back in less than a week. He's been out for a few weeks with a knee injury. He'll assume the #1 goalie role assuming that no one new comes in.

Goalie #4: Evgeni Nabokov
Be a man and just show up Evgeni.  We really, really need you.

Goalie #5: Kevin Poulin
Last night, during warm-ups....

Now he is done for the season.

Goalie #6: Mikko Koskinen: Healthy, but he allowed 2 goals on the first 2 shots he ever faced in the NHL.

Goalie #7: Joel Martin: Arrived at the Coliseum after being driven from Bridgeport straight to the game last night. He'll back up Koskinen if needed.

AND: If all else fails, the Islanders have 3 goalies in their Front Office.
Mike Dunham, current goaltending coach and former Islanders goalie.
Former Quebec Nordiques goalie and fired Isles coach, yet for some reason is still with the team, Scott Gordon.


Last but not least, the Islanders also have GM Garth Snow. If he wants to do something to show the Isles fans that he is doing the right thing, he shouls strap on the pads, and get between the pipes. After all, he is only 2 years older than Doug Weight.  He also likes to get physical, such as HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Who is going to play goalie for the Islanders? My prediction is a person not mentioned in this entry.

Lets Go Islanders!

The Entire Season In One Photo

This pretty much sums up the whole season. 

Lets Go Islanders!

Why Play For the Islanders?

Everybody knows that the Islanders recently stole goalie Evgeni Nabokov away from the Detroit Red Wings on waivers. He would get paid over half a million dollars to play the rest of this season. Then Nabokov made what seemed like an easy decision to him at the time, to not show up to the Islanders. Why would he do this? There are many reason to go to the Islanders, and not to. Now I present to you a big decision, To Show Up or Not To Show Up?

Good Reasons to Show Up:

• He can use the rest of this season as an "audition" to prove to other NHL teams that he is capable of still playing at the high level required to be great in the NHL. 
• After this season, he is an unrestricted free agent and can go anywhere, unless he wants to return to the Islanders. 
• The Islanders can appeal to the NHL to "toll" his contract. This means that he would not get paid at all for this season and his contract would not begin until next season. Essentially, this would push back his contract and keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. 
• He can prove to other NHL teams that he is a team player and just show up, and try his best to help the struggling Isles. 

Good Reasons not to Show Up: 

• He wants to be a part of a team that can make a deep playoff run. The Islanders are most likely not going to make the playoffs this season. 
• Nassau Coliseum is an old, dirty, and just plain bad arena and not that many players want to play there. 
• He would have to find a place to live for the next few months, then have to do it all again once he signs with a new team next season. 
• If he does not want to show up, more power to him. 

It now looks like Nabokov is going to pull a Darrelle Revis. He will try to hold out as long as possible until something happens. Also, the Islanders really need a goalie, badly. He could help the team right now.  Let's hope that Nabokov and the Islanders can resolve something soon. 

We hope to see you in this crease soon Evgeni, just wearing a navy blue jersey. 

Lets Go Islanders!