Is Nolan Right Man for Isles?
There have been renewed indications that Ted Nolan's future with the New York Islanders is not exactly written in stone. After 1.5 seasons as the coach of the Isles, most would have assumed Nolan would be re-inked by the Isles, especially after leading the Isles to 7th in the East at the all-star break. But then the wheels came undone and now the legacy of the Isles' 2007-2008 season won't be about how many points the Isles missed the playoffs by, as it will be about how close the Isles are to landing a top drafting position. And so the question remains as to whether Nolan is responsible for where the Isles currently sit today. My answer: Not entirely.
The argument FOR Ted Nolan - Those who will vouch for Nolan will tell you that he is a players' coach--that his players will go to the ends of the earth for him. They will tell you that Nolan can get the most out of average players. Last season Viktor Kozlov had his most successful season under Nolan, notching 25 goals and finally showing signs of his true potential. Other players like Jason Blake had a career season under Nolan, as Blake reached 40 goals and won him self a mammoth $25 million contract. This season Josef Vasicek proved he can provide more than merely eating 4th line minutes. Nolan proved last season he could take a team that was predicted to finish near last in the league into the playoffs, while giving the top team in the conference a good scare in the first round.
The Nolan advocates will tell you that Nolan is the right man for the Isles's bench considering the lack of talent that has surrounded the Isles organization--that Nolan will get the most out of whoever Garth Snow can muster up each and every summer. They will also convey that the downfall of the 2007-2008 Isles was out of Nolan's hands: (1) His all-star goaltender (DP) injured his hip at the all-star game, (2) His best puck moving defenseman (Campoli) suffered a season ending injury, (3) His defensive crew (Martinek, Witt, Gervais, Campoli) has suffered numerous injuries all season, and (4) He was given a team with simply not enough talent to score goals on a regular basis. They will point out that with out Ted Nolan, this franchise might be much worse off than is imaginable.
The argument AGAINST Ted Nolan - Those who will tell you that Ted Nolan is the wrong man for the Isles' bench will tell you a completely different story. I tend to agree with those individuals so I will speak from that perspective. We will concede that Nolan might be a good motivator at times, but we will highlight that Nolan's lack of understanding of some basic hockey knowledge is a flaw that cannot be surmounted. We will tell you that Nolan is a man resistant to change--that he will continue to repeat mistakes at the expense of winning.
We would cite examples: (1) Mike Dunham roughly one year ago, who had proved to the world that he could not compete in the NHL, yet was still allowed to continuously play while singlehandedly losing games for the Isles while an anxious Dubie sat on the sidelines, (2) A PP this season that has never shown consistent success, yet still comprised the same strategies and the same players for months at a time, (3) A horrendous 5-3 strategy involving perimeter passing and outside shooting that has singlehandedly cost the Isles points this season, (4) An obvious favoritism toward veterans like Silinger and Hunter on the PP, Comrie and Guerin always on the first line, and selective punishment for poor play (see MAB's 20 games in the pressbox v. Comrie's 0 games), (5) A refusal to admit that his trust and faith in Chris Simon was misplaced after a 2nd horrific on-ice incident in less than 20 games.
We will tell you that with the likes of Comeau, Tambellini, Nielson, and Okposo, the Isles are an up and coming team that will rely primarily on younger players (see aso Gervais and Campoli on the blue line). We will also remind you that the Isles will have 4 top picks in the first two rounds of this year's draft, and that the Isles need a coach who will not only motivate them to play as hard as humanly possible, but one who will also teach them how to play the game and give them the confidence to do so. We will tell you that Nolan was just what we needed this year and last, but it's time to part ways and move on.
What will Garth Snow do? Is it even Garth Snow's decision to make? What would you do?
Posts
64 comments:
It's no secret where I stand. I would love to see Nolan move on. This team will need a teacher, not a motivator over the next few years. With all the kids expected to compete for a job here, I am sure that making the team will be motivation in itself.
Nolan is a terrible HOCKEY coach. He may be wonderful with the players but he is terrible on basic hockey strategy. He also lacks the basic skills to teach players the finer points of the game. He has hired an absolutely horrendous coaching staff, which says more about his friendships than his judgement or committment to the team.
I would love to see Bryan Trottier given a shot with this team.
Having said all that, I read today the Wang personally worked out Nolan's three year deal. This tells me that Nolan will be back, as Wang will once again attempts to prove himself smarter than everyone else in hockey.
The owner should but out and let the GM handle the team. But we all know that Wang can't help himself and that the misery will continue....Bill
Bill...an element that I failed to address in my article which you have highlighted is Nolan's dreadful coaching staff...I haven't seen one thing these guys bring to the table, especially Gallant and his horrendous PP unit...I'm not sure how Gallant still has a job....
Last week Nolan skated the Isles into the ground when they underperformed in a meaningless game against the Leafs...strange how this was the first time Nolan got on his players for simply going through the motions since I can probably find 5-10 previous games with similar efforts that mattered way more than that one...
Sometimes I feel like Nolan is too much about trying to be the most popular guy...agree?
Yeah, I'd place more/additional fault on the assistant coaches as well. If Nolan is not a good hockey coach, then he needs to hire good hockey assistant coaches, to run things like the PP and PK. While the PK has been pretty darn good when all our players are there (probably equally due to Chabot & the type of players on this team...Witt, Sutton, Park, Hunter...people who make a living giving up their body), the PP has been a well documented failure.
Gallant needs to be held accountable for this, and I think this reflects greatly on Nolan as a leader. He is trying to build an "us versus them" team, and this blinds him to "us's" faults. His loyalty to Gallant has been in my opinion more damaging to this team than his loyalty to the vets. Just imagine if our PP was ranked in the middle of the pack throughout the year...we'd be right in the thick of things.
I'd like to see Chabot stay, Nolan can get one more year to turn this around, and Gallant replaced with a pure hockey guy. We don't need anymore "team players" behind the bench...we need a hockey mind. And that hockey mind needs the decision making latitude from Nolan to make the PP & line combo calls. Nolan can still do what he does best under such a system- "motivate" through his charisma and loyalty- while the assistant coaches take care of the details.
Anyone think Jack Capuano should be given a shot at the assistant coach job? He knows our young guys better than anyone, and clearly players like Tampy, Nielsen, Colliton, & Comeau (and now KO) have had success under his leadership. Their PP was pretty good as well...
Glad to see Crosby might be back :)
Come on Atlanta & Tampa...you know you can win!
This whole Snow-Nolan rift is a made up story, mostly by Logan. He first claimed that it was started by Snow trading Simon. We now find out that Nolan was fine with the trade and actually thought it'd be good for Simon. Now Logan's trying to insinuate that because Nolan hasn't been offered a contract extension, there must be some kind of problem between Nolan and Snow.
My question is not why hasn't Nolan been offered an extension, but, why would he be offered an extension now? Coaches are given an early extension as a reward for good performance. Why would the Islanders reward Nolan with an extension based on this season? It doesn't make any sense. If they are going with a full youth movement, wouldn't it make more sense to see how Nolan deals with that before signing him to an extension?
I think Gallant will probably not have his contract renewed. Trottier would be a good choice as an assistant. He's a good PP coach and if Nolan doesn't work out, he'd be familiar with the players and could fill Nolan's position. The only snag to that could be that Trottier lives in Pittsburgh and I think has younger kids and he may not want to make the time commitment a full time coach would need to make.
Shink, That is a great idea. Trottier was part of one of the most dangerous PP ever to lace them up.
The problem I see with that though is that how would Nolan react to Trottier. Would he view him as a coach waiting in the wings to take his job? My guess is that it would probably split the team into camps.
Bryan Trottier was a hockey god. Ted Nolan was a bounce around spare part that never quite cracked any line up.
The young players would really benefit from Trottier's instuction.
That's why I would like to se him named head coach....Bill
Nolan is a Terrible coach (we have known this since last year when he decided to bench Yashin and not play him with Blake in the Playoffs) Snow is a terrible General Manger and The Islanders aren’t a good hockey team. How many more years are they going to be “rebuilding.” It’s the same thing year after year. The Islanders once again the laughing stock of the NHL. Simply put the Islanders are a joke of a team
Yashin is a name no one dares to mention anymore. Everyone was convinced we would be a better team with out him. The problem is the Isles did not have anyone to replace his production with. Yashin probably would have been the leading scorer on this team and probably could have helped us more than he could have hurt us this season (think about Yashin's 60-70 pts on a team with no first line center). A part of me is extremely happy the Yashin days are over. Yet another still remembers that the Isles did make the playoffs in 4 out of 5 Yashin years.
Chucking Yashin was Snow's weak attempt to placate Smyth, who evidently didn't care for Yashin. It all ended up backfiring when Snow couldn't sign Smyth and had no one to replace Yashin's point per game stats.
So far Snow has shown that as a GM, he was a great back up goaltender.
How's Neilson doing in Edmonton?
How's Noke doing in Boston?
How's Walter doing in B'Port?
Tim Jackman is HORRIBLE. He get 10 seconds of ice time and take a penalty. What is he doing here while Walter rots away in the AHL?
My man Dubie is turning people's heads in the NHL. I saw several articles stating that he will be sought after by teams other than the Islanders who are looking for a quality backup.
He is certainly making the most of his chance here and his numbers get better with each game he plays.
Is he changing any minds here?....Bill
He has shut me up for now....
Robert Neilson (a non "Nolan type player") 2 more assists tonight as the Oilers edge closer to the playoffs......Bill
Dubie now has a 2.65 GAA and a .915 save percentage. All this while playing with the likes of Hiller, Davison and Johnson in front of
him.
Even still, I am getting the felling that Snow would like to see McDonald get the job. McDonald has a one way contract for next year. Don't ask me why? Just another blunder by our illustrious GM......Bill
"Chucking Yashin was Snow's weak attempt to placate Smyth, who evidently didn't care for Yashin. It all ended up backfiring when Snow couldn't sign Smyth and had no one to replace Yashin's point per game stats."
What? No no no. Yashin was bought out by Neil Smith, well before Snow even entered the picture. Well, technically he was still in the picture...as a player.
However, I think any GM (including Snow...or Brian Burke) would have done that...they needed to make a statement move to separate themselves from the Milbury reign of terror. You're correct in saying he didn't replace his PPG, and that proved disastrous this year.
And I still think making a run for Smyth was the right thing to do...Nilsson's 39 points this year are the result of playing on a team with all kids, and playing 1st line minutes with 2 extremely talented players...Horcoff & Hemsky. Put him on the Isles' first line and he'd put up Hilbert numbers.
Also, what is behind your feeling re: MacDonald? Is that just a gut feeling? If you've heard anything, let us know...that would worry me.
Here's what I know/think. MacDonald has played 1 game, and maybe will get 1 more. Both Doobie & MacD are competing for the backup spot..Snow wants to see what he has, given our unique, but unfortunate position, of being able to play the last 12 games of the season without our franchise goalie.
And regarding the 1 way contract, MacDonald was a "proven" backup (more so than Dubie) was when he was signed last summer, and probably wouldn't have signed a 2-way as a 28 year old. A 1 way contract only means he gets paid the same whether he's playing with the big club or in BP. Doobie makes $500,000, MacDonald makes $425,000. Both a fairly insignificant amounts... At least we have 2 decent backups with DP being injured. I'd argue, if anything, that Snow is showcasing MacDonald for a trade.
Either way, Doobie needs to stay, and I think we could re-up him for a nice bargain. I loved watching his "mic'ed up" last night on VS!
Good looking win last night, though they better not fall out of the top 5 though... where is this type of hockey coming from? I worry that teams are taking the night off against the Isles now, and we'll start winning again. We want a shot at the top spot!
Again, I thought KO looked awesome last night! When that kid fills out his big frame, he's going to be a force to deal with. I love listening to him speak too- the guy is mature past his years, and after 4 games already sees what he has to work on. I predict 25 goals next year.... right alongside Stamkos!
Nokaleinen played in his 50th game the other day, so the Islanders will be getting the Bruins 2009 2nd round pick. He has 9 points in 50 games. This is the best trade Snow has made. Even if Walter doesn't pan out (which I believe he will), getting a 2nd round pick for an at best 3rd liner is a steal.
NYISLES....Don't you remember Snow's famous "Yashin is part of our team" comment? A week later he bought him out. It was not Smith but Snow. Smith was long gone by then. In fact Snow was the GM for a full season before unloading Yashin. Faulty memory at work there, buddy.
Shink, Getiing a second round pick for a first round pick who is now an active NHL player was a good deal?
All of our FIRST round picks (except Okposo) have turned into third and fourth line players. So explain what was so great about this deal?
The second round pick we get remains to be seen, but if history is any guide, the pick will turn into another grinder who ends up in Bridgeport......Bill
Nyisles, yeah sorry you are off by a year for some reason...the Yashin/Smyth debacle was last summer which was about 1 year after Snow/Nolan were already on board...
Bill...we traded Nokie for Walter and a 2nd round pick...this was indeed a steal...great trade by Snow, but a lucky one at that...
Who cares where Nokeleinen was picked? And yes, I consider it a good deal when you trade a player for another player who is just as good and has more upside, and you get a 2nd round pick.
Shink, Walter has spent the entire year in the AHL. Noke has played in 50 games so far for the Bruins.
How do you say that they are equal value?
The 2 nd rounder may turn into something or it may not. But as of this moment, Snow traded an NHL player for an AHL player.
Sorry but I don't see the upside to that...............Bill
I can say they are of equal value because I've seen them play. Walter is a better player. Nokeleinen is basically Trent Hunter with Andy Hilbert hands. He's only playing because of the injury to Bergeron and has been a healthy scratch for 13 games.
Colliton, Jackman and Spiller were sent down for tonights Bridgeport game. MacDonald was also sent down and Mike Mole was called up to back up Dubie. I don't know if that is permanent though.
Not entirely faulty memory...
Once again, I relied on ESPN for "facts".
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/teams/transactions?team=nyi&year=2007
Damnit.. sorry about that!
The Noke trade turned out better than I was expecting. If Bergeron is healthy again Noke won't be playing those minutes anymore. At least we have another 2nd rounder in another supposed re-building year.
Also, Walter plays center- who (besides Andy Hilbert, whose roster spot is apparently guaranteed, like Crosby or Healty) would sit?
RIght now we have Vasicek, Comrie, Colliton, and Hilbert playing the center. Before that we had Sillinger & Neilsen in there as well. Some of those guys make too much money to be sent down for someone like Walter (Sillinger); some are clearly better (Comrie & probably Vasicek), and some are better prospects (Colliton & Neilsen).
Only Hilbert strikes me as a worse choice than Walter, but then we lose one of our better PKers for a prospect.
SHINK..Aside from your having seen them play the results are this.
Noke is actually in the Bruins line up and has become good enough that the Bruins allowed him to play in enough games so that the Isles would get a conditional second round pick.
Walter has been unable to crack a depleted Islanders line up that has 11 regulars out with injuries.
So, aside from you assumption that Walter is better than Noke, we have a traded a guy who actually plays in the NHL for a guy who can't even get a shot at an injury depelted team.
Now, the jury is still out on the 2 nd round pick. If that pick turns into a useful player, than the trade was a good one. However, if it turns out that the pick is a bust then so is the trade.
My feeling is that if Walter was ever in the Islanders plans, then he would have been playing with the big club this year instead of Colliton or Reiger. Obviously, Snow / Nolan didn't think enough of him to promote him......Bill
Big test for Washington tonight vs the Hurricanes. I want to see Ovetchkin in the playoffs. Since the Islanders can't win, it's let's go Caps.........Bill
Anyone else pulling for another team?
I don't understand how you conclude that Nokie is a better player, just because he is playing in the NHL and Walter is not. The two players are in two different organizations with different circumstances.
Nokie was called up to be the 4th line center and didn't cut it, so they moved him to wing. He's a grinder who only dresses when they need that in the line up. He's basically the Bruins equivalent of Jackman.
The Islanders have only lost one center, who was also their checking line center. Walter isn't a checking line center, Colliton is.
I'd almost like to see them send Regier/Jackman down and call up Joensuu who just arrived in Bridgeport and is supposedly only going to practice with them.
Did Oleg Kvasha change his name to Steve Regier?
We sure could use Kvasha back....Luongo/Jokinen for Parrish/Kvasha....BEST TRADE EVERRRRR.... happened the same day as Chara/Spezza for Yashin the second BEST TRADE EVERRRR....
The jury is still out on Walter...
Some of these kids have me excited for next season...Okposo, Comeau, Bergenheim will only be better...seems like Nolan finally appreciates Comeau...
I like Colliton. If he puts on some muscle he could be a real thumper. He skates hard and seems to really give every shift that extra effort.
As for Nokie and Walter. The fact that Noke is in the NHL and Walter is not, says it all. The pick will tell the tale of this trade.
If Noke was replaceable, the Bruins could have easily sat him down and not forfited the pick to the Islanders. The fact that they chose to play him and give up the pick says a lot about what the Bruins think of him...Bill
I agree about Colliton. I recall watching preseason LAST year, and I was quite impressed.
He's big- 6'2", and only 195. He'll easily put on an extra 10-15 lbs of muscle in the next 2 years, and with that size, he'll be hard to push off the puck.
Stamkos has four goals in his team's playoff game tonight and there is still 5 minutes left in the 2nd period. He had 5 goals in the first three playoff games.
Noke tonight:
14:18 1 assist +3
BRUINS WIN.
Sorry Shink, but Noke is turning into a player...........Bill
now that the Islanders are done, i'm rooting for that other NY team
the Sabres :)
I would love to see the Sabres do well, especially after losing Drury/Briere.
I'm rooting for my longtime favorite Western Conference team the Sharks...I have trouble rooting for any other Eastern team...
I'm still struggling with the notion that Nolan only recently got on his players for lazy effortless play...where was that all season....I know it's against the notion that all Nolan type players work hard, but this team had taken nights off continuously over the course of the season...so again I ask...why now?
Justin, the short answer is that the honeymoon is over and that Snow may be taking a harder look at the situation. In other words, Nolans job may be on the line.....Bill
I think it's because they have so many kids in the line-up, Nolan wants to make it clear to them that it's not okay to take games off. The last thing Nolan needs is the kids picking up bad habits from the lazy veterans.
Its been awhile but at this point I think everyone is playing for a spot next year. Personally, I like what I am seeing from the kids and their strong play only shows that Nolan's decision to basically rarely make roster and line changes when they were clearly needed that much more obvious. While I don't think it would be the end of the world if we kept Nolan as a lame duck head coach next year, I also wouldn't mind bringing someone else in who has experience working our kids and understands how an actual powerplay works. In my eyes Trots only failed as Rangers head coach because it is just in his nature to get the best of the blueskirts.
Yeah, I've been thinking about Trots coming back, and wanted to pose a question to the group.
I honestly don't remember his tenure with the Rangers, and wanted to know what people thought of him as head coach? I recall his assisant days with Colorado (obviously successful), but what about him as head coach?
I'd love to see him back in the organization, but I still want a hockey COACH. I worry that with Trottier, we'd be going to the opposite extreme of Nolan- all hockey smarts and (perhaps?) unrefined coaching skills. Any thoughts?
NYISLES....I proposed Trottier because I think he was someone who the younger players would have to respect and listen to. All they have to do is look up at the rafters and see just what it was to be a winner.
My thoughts are, that the kids have tuned Nolan out and that they have been turned completely off by him and his methods. Teddy may be fine for an aging team of malcontents (Toronto) but he is awful at attempting to teach the game to young players.
Trottier didn't get a proper shot with the rangers as he had a team of older crybabies who just did not want to put in the effort every night. You could see that it drove Trottier crazy when players took shifts or nights off because of sheer lack of heart.
Trots could mold these younger guys into a team that played hard every night, unlike what we have witnessed this season.
He gets my vote and the Isles can't do much worse than they did this year.........Bill
What leads you to believe the kids have tuned out Nolan? With the exception of Tambellini, all of the kids have looked good playing for Nolan. Bergenheim, Gervais, Campoli and Comeau have all developed pretty nicely under Nolan's watch.
I also gave my vote for Trots because it seemed like every other game, this team tried to celebrate what we once had...I see no better way to have all this come full circle then have someone who was a part of the greatness that was the dynasty years to come back and teach the players (especially the young ones) how to play the game and teach them what it takes to win in this league. Lets also not forget that super mario for all the greatness that he was didn't win a cup without the help of mr. trots.
It's just one of those can't put your finger on it things, but I think many of the kids have been discouraged under Nolan's "watch." If I were a Comeau/Bergenheim etc. I would resent the fact that my minutes only increased once other players went down, even though I was playing better hockey than them before their injuries. If I were Tambellini, I would resent the yo-yo treatment this season, etc....
SHINK, I base my opinion on the fact that if there were no injuries would any of them even be here?
Bergy was only here because he had a one way contract. How would you consider his production and developement for the first 50 games when he was benched every time he made a mistake on the ice.
It is only since the rash of injuries that Bergy has become the player we all hoped he would be.
Nolan had no choice but to play him
and he responded with his best hockey once he realized that Nolan had no one to replace him.
I think Gervais has taken a step back this year. Much like Campoli did last year. I do not think that he has played as well as he showed in his first year.
Tambellini has been misused since the day he arrived here. It appears to me that Nolan makes up his mind on a player when he first sees him on the ice and that's it.
Robert Neilsen is the prime example
of that. He was banished after a couple of days of camp. Now he is playing like we always knew he could.
You may not agree, but Nokie has also flourished under a different
coach.
Nolan has made no secret that he is a veterans coach. How else can you explain dressing Simon who added nothing to this team.
I will agree that Comeau has come along nicely, but I see that as more to do with his level of play rather than anything Nolan has done......Bill
Bergenheim's ice time began to increase at the end of December, it had nothing to do with injuries.
Comeau was gradually given more ice as he proved he could handle it.
Last season was Campoli's best season and this season he looked even better. Same with Gervais.
Tambellini has done nothing to merit more ice time.
Nokie has flourished in Boston? He averages less than 8 minutes per game, much like the rest of the kids on the Islanders, and is a healthy scratch every three games or so. How is that flourishing?
It's not Snow's decision, first of all. Nolan's status is really decided by Wang, probably in consultation with no one.
While I agree Nolan had some serious blind spots, it's necessary to give Sillinger heavy minutes because he's by far the team's best faceoff man. Without him, there's been a real drop-off.
Re: Tambellini. I could be wrong, but I don't think he'll ever be an NHL regular. A good minor league player capable of filling in from time to time, but not a top-six forward.
shink, Comeau is flourishing but Noke is not? Odd they are tied for goals scored at 7 each. In addition Noke has played in 50 games and is ONE goal behind Hilbert who has played in 70 and averages twice his ice time.
Noke has just started to come into his own and played 15 minutes and was + 3 in the last Bruin game. He has come on much like Bergy with increased ice time.
Gervais did not have a good year here. I think he has taken a step back. Your opinion is different, but I disagree.
As for Campoli have a good year last year, he was injured in camp and then was not recalled when he was healthy. In fact, he was singled out by Nolan for thinking that he had a spot on the roster
when he did not.
Bergy on began to play more when Sillinger could not. Go back and read some of the posts from Nov and Dec and see how several people complained about his lack of ice time and his whipping boy status
under Ted.
I have to agree about Tambellini so far. I still feel that he has the goods but just does not feel comfortable under Nolan.
I hope that he doesn't turn into the next Robert Neilson who seems to be doing very well under McTavish.
You can argue all you want about Nolan but we are still in 13 th place and in the bottom five of the league. And that is the bottom line.....Bill
"You can argue all you want about Nolan but we are still in 13 th place and in the bottom five of the league. And that is the bottom line"
The thing about that is we're better off in the bottom 5 this year. With our roster, we weren't going to make much progress over last year anyway- we were facing a likely 1st round exit from playoffs even if we made it. We had no talent this year, even when injuries are disregarded. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm content with 1-2 more years on the bottom, watching young guys show their stuff, drafting high, and hopefully signing 1-2 stud vets long-term to build a winner.
With the parity around the NHL, it doesn't appear to take as long as it used to to build a contender. 10 years ago, there were opportunities for dynasties. Not anymore. We have teams like Tampa, Carolina, Edmonton etc doing well for 1-2 years, and then dropping off. Just like in the NFL, teams can pay their prize possessions all they want, but a championship team is built by the guys who surround the stars. Sure, Ovechkin, Crosby, Kovalchuk are worth giving 10 year deals to, but only the Penguins are a lock to make the playoffs this year. And the Penguins can attribute that entirely to the guys they've brought in around Crosby.
We have a star to build around (DP), and I honestly think we're 3-4 players, and a little luck in the draft, away from a serious run in 3-4 years. Of course, thats all provided that Snolang don't pull a Milbury and sell the farm for another Yashin, Kvasha, Parrish etc.
NYISLES.......I guess that is the mindset that the Islanders have lulled you into for the past 20 years.
I HATE TO LOSE. It's not acceptable to finish 13 th.
Even tonight I couln't help but want them to win although we might draft lower. This sucks.
Some nights I feel like the kids may turn into a team and other nights (like tonight) they all look like a bunch of career fourth liners.
0 for 5 on the PP and a league leading 15 th short handed goal given. Tell me again how great the coaching is......Bill
Kings win!!! Thrashers win!!!! TB OT loss!!! :-)
JUSTIN Do me a favor. I posted on Loagns site that I am not renewing my season tickets and asked if others were doing the same.
Since that post, I have been blocked by Loagn from posting anymore.
Please jump over there and let the other guys know that Logan has blocked me.
He is a disgrace to the newspaper profession and most of his writing is nothing more than shill work. But this really takes the cake....Bill
Shea Guthrie scored the game winner for Clarkson in their 2-1 win over St. Cloud State. Jase Weslosky had 38 saves in the losing effort.
Robert Neilson....2 more assists tonight.
Jagr may be leaving the NHL to play in the new Russian Elite league next year.
I think this league could pose a problem for the NHL. I think a lot of older European players will go play there. I also think a lot of younger players could stay over there. They can play tax free and make just as much, if not more than playing in the NHL, especially with the rookie cap in place.
One thing that will always keep the NHL with a good talent pool is the that it is the only league where you can play for Lord Stanley's Cup, and winning it is reaching the highest level of success in hockey outside of winning a gold medal for your country.
Nice job by Nolan giving Nielson and Okposo the nod in the shootout. Why he thinks Richard Park is a breakaway contestant however is beyond me.
Shea Guthrie was named to the All Regional Team at the NCAAs. Clarkson lost to Michigan.
According to this blog, Guthrie has signed with the Islanders. I don't believe it though, as it says he signed after his game on Friday, which would have made him ineligible for the game on Saturday.
http://blog.collegehockeynews.com/?p=177
Tampa v. ATL tonight! Someone has to win!!!
Justin or J, It's time for a new topic. This one has played itself out. Either that or everyone here is in mourning.
It's a shame that the season is ending on such a sour note. There are a lot of smart hockey guys here (not all that I agree with) and their points are always well argued without personal attacks.
I am sure we will continue as a slower pace once the season ends. I hope this blog stays up and that the regulars all return when draft day approaches or whenever there is Islander news.
Thanks to all that made this a great plac to talk hockey....Bill
I think we are indeed all in mourning. I'm having a little bit of writer's block. Bill, as you have been such an integral part of the success of B&O, how about filling in for me and writing the next article? If you're up for it, post it beneath this and I will publish it on the main page.
Bill -
I couldn't agree more that we are in some state of mourning simply because our hockey season is ending in less then 4 days at this point. To go along with Justin, I also believe I have hit a mental block about writing about this team for this season. On top of that I am also finishing up my college career, hopefully graduating this upcoming may.
Since Justin and I have started B&O it has been nothing but a great place for the few but great minds that actively contribute. Whether it be good times(there are a few from this season) or the bad (too many to actually count at this point) I personally am extremely happy with B&O at this point.
As far as a cool down for us, I can only foresee the opposite to a degree as I am sure we will all talk about the playoffs, and I believe the draft lottery is either right before the playoffs start or right after, which already will have us discussing our potential plans for next season. Lastly, let's not forget that Justin and I started B&O in the middle of July, who knew that we even possible, considering the only ice then is that which cools our drinks.
I'm not in mourning, there's just not much to talk about. It's too bad the season has ended the way it has, but maybe it's best for the future that this happened. With the amount of time the kids have played, everyone in the organization should have a clear idea as to who is ready and who is not.
I'm interested to see what this Hillen kid looks like. He was the leading scorer among d-man in the NCAA. I guess he can't be any worse than Berard, Meyer, Davison or Johnson.
Bergenheim must have a terrible agent. The only kid that makes less than him on the team is Regier. Jackman makes the same.
I'd like to echo Bill's comments. This place is one of the few places around where people actually discuss things with logic and not personal attacks. I don't agree with everyone, but I respect everyone's opinions and enjoy reading everyone's posts. Besides, if we all agreed with each other, it'd be pretty boring.
Yeah, whats the scoop on this Hillen character? Is he a late bloomer, or did he just not want to declare for the draft? And why the Isles, and why now?
And what exactly is a "top after-college free agent" (got that from isles website)?
The only place I've read about him is on the official website, which will try to be positive, even more than me :). Is this just an experiment, or is this guy a legit prospect?
To be honest, when I saw this, I couldn't help but think of last year when we had to sign guys from the German league to make do...hopefully Hiller's 2 year contract is two way.
Hillen appears to be a late bloomer. He also could just be a one year wonder in college. Up until this season, he didn't really do anything in college. His contract is more than likely two-way.
A "top after college free agent" is basically a guy who was never drafted and ended up having a pretty good college career, so a team gives him a shot by signing him.
The Islanders signed two players last year, Bentivoglio and Trevor Smith. Smith has had a pretty solid season since being called up the Bridgeport.
Dubie, Curtis Joesph, Ed Belfour, Adam Oates, Jason Krog, Brian Rafalski and Jason Blake were also undrafted college signings.
It's basically a low risk roll of the dice. If the guy pans out great, if he doesn't, they let him go after two years of toiling in the AHL or ECHL.
For whatever reason (I'm guessing it's CBA related), there have been a lot more of these signings the last couple of years. Or at least there has been more media coverage of these signings.
Justin and J, I'll try to bang something out tonight....Bill
Shink- thanks.
Anyone up for doing a playoff "bracket"? We could try to find a formal one through tsn or espn, or just do our own.
Either way, I'd love to hear everyone's picks once the season is over and playoffs begin.
Great performance tonight from Joey Mac in goal. At the very least, if we can't find anyone better, Doobie & JM are capable of solid goal tending.
I watched most of the games tonight, and was looking forward to St. Louis beating Nashville...but they gave up a 3 goal lead. Atlanta looks putrid out there, and couldn't get enough pucks past our arch nemisis Anderson (FL goalie...remember him?)
I think tonight would have been the night to jump into 3rd to last place, but things did not pan out. I thought the Isles played pretty well, and the other bottom feeders stink. 2 games left against the Rangers...always exciting, and I never want to do anything to help these guys, but I really want at least a shot at the top draft pick. I'm so torn.
FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME
This summer will be the defining moment for the Snow/Nolan regime. The team, as it stands now, is full of holes and there are teams in the Eastern Conference that are becoming stronger (Washington, Philadelphia, Montreal).
As it stands now, goaltending appears to be a real strength. I think that both Joey Mac and Dubie have proved to the rest of the NHL that they are capable backups
Unfortunately, one of them has to go. Mac has a signed contract for next year and my gut feeling is that Snow would like to see him emerge as the back up.
Dubie, on the other hand, is an UFA.
My feeling is that the Isles should resign Dubie to a two year deal and then move one of the two.
I personally prefer to see Dubie stay just because he bleeds Islanders blue and orange. He has proved to me that he is more than an adequate back up and that he could easily play 20 games next year.
Joey Mac, with a signed deal, should bring some kind of pick or prospect before the draft. I hope that Snow doesn't pull another "brain freeze" and allow
Dubie to walk away for nothing in return as he has done several times in the past. He will certainly attract some offers and he should be locked up ASAP.
Loyalty to this franchise has been in short supply over the last years and at some point the franchise has to reward the players that really want to be here. Hunter was a good start and Snow should continue it with Dubie.
Random thoughts:
Sillinger should retire or be bought out, if he cannot be moved before the season starts. He was a good stopgap but clearly his time here has passed.
Comeau is a decent player but he is being hyped way beyond his talent. He holds the puck too long
and does too much sideboard play.
He should blossom into perhaps a second line player. He is not as good as his hype and is a solid player on a bad team. He only has 8 goals in 50 games. He is a future building block but by no means is he star material.
Colliton is a sleeper who should replace Hilbert next year. If he puts on some muscle over the summer, he could be a tough player to move from in front of the net.
He is also a very good player on the PK.
Okposo looks like he will one day be a frontline player here. Finally, a first round pick that lives up to his reputation.
Steve Regier doesn't appear to have a future in the NHL. Anyone here think differently?
Tambellini has disappointed me this year however, I would like to see what he could with Franz Neilsen as his center all year. They worked magic together in Bridgeport
this year and I see no reason why they should not at least be given the chance to do the same here.
What is the consensus on Joe V.?
Stay or go? I waffle. I know that if he goes he will score 30 goals for his new team. If he stays he will hit 15 again. What say you?
MY GOODBYE LIST:
Tank
Satan
Sillinger
Hilbert
Joe V ????
Next time I'll address the defense.....BILL
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