What's Wrong with this Picture?

WHAT really is WRONG with this picture? This is Steve Downie, and he has no regard for his fellow NHLers. But then again, that's pretty easy to understand since he has spent most of his time in the OHL and the rest of the time... suspended. EJ Hradek called him a "gutless puke" today on NHL Live. I tend to agree. I think most sensible humans may tend to agree.

So what's really wrong? How does the NHL NOT hand out at least SOMETHING to this repeat offender who sucker punched a veteran NHLer? Damn good question, to which I have no answer. Is it because it was the officials' least favorite pest, Jason Blake, instead of Leafs great Mats Sundin that had to leave the ice so the NHL felt it could go without reprisal? Did Blake's eye have to leave the socket and fall at the officials feet in order for there to be at least SOME sort of punishment?

Sorry guys... I DON'T GET THIS ONE!!!! The Officials and the League have failed the NHLPA this time, IMO. This guy punched a player while he was being restrained. The officials restraining both players didn't do their job to protect BOTH players from further incident. Shouldn't the NHLPA have something to say about this? Isn't it THEIR job to protect their members?

Sure, this is another argument for repealing the instigator rule, but is that really the answer? Yes, it would have been nice to see one of the larger Leaf players play ping pong with Downie's head for the assault on Blake, but it didn't happen. Blake's face turned purple immediately and swelled up so bad he couldn't see out of that eye, (God knows if he lost the contact in it as well) all while Downie skated off to the box laughing.

I can only hope the Cosmos will find a way to even up the score. Because, what goes around, comes around. For additional comments and thoughts on this subject, check out Tom's Tiger Track Blog http://www.thetigertrack.com/

I hate the West Coast Road Trips: Not only because I'm not at the games, but because I have a hard time staying awake for them. So here it is, after 10 pm and I'm drinking coffee. Oh... the things I do for hockey. God Help Me

The Air is Thin in Colorado

While Rockit and I were sitting in Panera’s yesterday, working on my new computer and designing a new blogspot page for me (Ok, he was working, I was drinking coffee looking over his shoulder), the topic of air quality in Denver and how it effects the players came up. (Is it "A"ffect or "E"ffect? I never get that one right!) Remembering all the games that I watched Blake spend a good amount of time doubled over, pale and panting made me wonder if HE just had a harder time adjusting (you know, ‘cause he is so much lower to the ground than everyone else.) or if it is more of a universal problem. I had posed the question earlier in the day to one of my media contacts and received just a one word answer. “Yes.” Since I actually had three questions in my email, one of which was ‘Am I over thinking things again?’, I figured it was just me reading into things too much once more.

Imagine my surprise when Deb Kaufman’s first intermission interview with Bruno Gervais related to ... How the altitude effected the team. I guess I wasn’t the only one wondering. During her next segment Deb went into red blood cell count and the need for water. This was far too much of a science lesson for me, so I continued to search the net while I watched the game from the comfort of my couch. There I found Corey Witt’s entry for the day in his NYI Media Blog with his second paragraph beginning with the sentence “The big talk of the morning skate was the altitude…”

AH HA!!!! So my attention to detail is correct! However one word responses can always be misconstrued, as it was, and I am vindicated.

Ricky and his bright white pads squeezed out one point but couldn’t capture the other. Sean had some great opportunities, but still remains with just that single goal on his stats. Jackman has a point for himself as the Islanders only goal scorer of the evening. And lastly, Jiggs calling the game just sounded so sweet. By the time B.A.M had returned from his higher calling at the Fire Department, they were already in the second period. He sat working with his laptop but listening to the game.

“No one calls a game like Jiggs. You don’t even have to watch. Everything is clear when he calls it. He was always the best. I miss him.” He thought for a moment. “Who’s missing?”

“Howie.” I told him. He obviously wasn’t looking at the TV because you could SEE Jiggs with Jaffe.

“I wish they could keep him. He’s the best there is.” And he’s right, as usual.

Ryan Smyth played “keep-away” with the media before last night’s game even basically dodging our own workhorse of a beat reporter. Certainly the questions that remain are hard, and the answers for the Islander faithful would be hard to swallow, but I look at it this way…. All Ryan’s answers were presented when he did his post game interview show with King and Mears in Dolan’s pub all those months ago. You can probably still catch it on ITV and see for yourself. The body language was unmistakable. While the crowd chanted wildly “Come Back Next YEAR!”, Ryan could not look at the crowd. Instead, he clutched his two children sitting on his lap as if it were a hostage situation and he was using them as human shields.

For him, I’m pretty sure it felt like a hostage situation. Edmonton, the place he loved and thought they loved him, had shipped him off unceremoniously. Unbefitting a play-through-anything hockey player, he wept openly for the cameras upon his airport departure. He did manage to pull himself together and be the professional he is throughout the balance of his tenure on the Island. But you could see it in his eyes and his face; he had only one thought ... Sticking it to Edmonton any way he possibly could. The Islanders were never part of his game plan, no matter how large a part he was in Garth’s game plan.

Sometimes you gamble and lose, but you have to be willing to take that gamble in the first place. I give Garth credit for that. Leave Smyth alone, his brief stay here will be just a footnote in Islander history. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. Problem is they may take a few years to cook.

The Tale of the Pads -- Or -- The Single Minded Media

This is definitely not going to win me any friends in the press room, but I can’t help it. Last night’s press conference really had me surprised at the way things happen, so much so that a few of us began to snicker at the absurdity.

The PADS! The Pads! What about Ricky’s PADS????? It started in Ted’s interview. He answered as best he could, and was asked again. He answered again. Once more for effect. He answered that Garth would be calling the league, attempting to get the “real reporters” to move onto another question. The problem was this particular group didn’t seem to have any other questions. Want to know why? Because Greg Logan wasn’t there to lead the charge. There was actually dead silence for more than a few seconds in between Ted’s “Pad” answers. It was at that point that I realized what an effect our beat reporter had in that press room. HE asks the important questions, everyone else just takes notes or shoves their recorders or mics into the direction the words are coming from. And all this happens under the quiet and watchful eyes of Chris Botta who keeps this entire media circus moving from one ring to the next. But without Logan the circus seems to be out of step.

Granted, this “pad” controversy could have serious ramifications for the upcoming road trip, but I couldn’t help but feel this was a pack of sheep looking for a border collie, and he just wasn’t there. The sheep were herded into the locker room to talk to the players. I snuck behind them and stood in the back, a place I have become quite comfortable with. I keep my mouth shut and my eyes open.

Shakey was still loading equipment into bags as Bill Guerin stepped into the limelight. “What about the PADS??? Did you know about the Pads? You’re the Captain, did they tell you about the pads???” I loved his answer. “I’m the captain, they tell me what time the bus is, that‘s it..”
Shakey was unusually quiet in his tasks. This is a man who generally makes the reporters job difficult in the locker room by going about his business and conversations as if they aren’t there. One reporter tapped him “If there wasn’t a gag order, I could ask YOU about the pads.” Shakey just shook his head.

Ricky was brought into the room and again asked the pertinent “Pad” questions. He answered far better than anyone else, after all… they’re HIS pads. They then moved onto how he felt after coming back from the knee problem. Cool! A different question! There are so few of them. Had I had the nerve to pipe up from the back of the room, I would have asked something like “With the extensive road trip ahead of you, do you ever wake up and wonder where the hell you are?” “Does anyone have any intentions of going skiing while they’re in Canada?” Things like that. But I don’t say anything, I just watch everyone else.

Next up, Mike Sillinger who had three points in this game and is one heck of an interview. His second question: “What did you think at the end of the first when Ricky changed his pads?” Mike coldly looked at the reporter, “I didn’t even notice. He changed his pads? “ Mind you, the look in Sillinger’s eyes was not exactly pleasant. He wasn’t rude or mean or angry, but stern. The reporter explained the league situation. “Oh yeah? News to me. I’m not a goalie. I don’t care. Ask him about it.” He smiled at the other reporters and lightened the mood.
Midway through Sillinger’s interview, a secret alarm must have gone off that only the “real reporters” could hear because all at once, half of them left the room in formation. My blog box buddies and I obviously don’t have the mechanism to hear it, we stayed behind until the few that were left were done with Sillinger. As the camera lights were turned off and everyone left, we couldn’t help but snicker at what had transpired. The most informative part of these evenings, for me, is the few minutes after where we huddle in the hallway by the stairs and discuss what just happened.

We bundled up and headed out into the frigid air, still yapping and laughing and exchanging thoughts. This is going to be a tough trip if Ricky has to miss two games. It will be a tough trip no matter what. Good luck gentlemen. We’ll keep the light on for you.
Be sure to check out the other blog boxers who were there last night:

http://greetingsfromislandercountry.blogspot.com/ Jim's blog.

http://voice.blogspot.com/ My favorite adversary, Frank.

and the man who seems to have a winning touch. As soon as he arrives at the Blog Box, the Islanders score. Michael Schuerlein's blog with photos!
http://www.islesblogger.com/