2-23-08 “The Rock” Welcome to the Land of NO!

When I saw there was a 1 pm, Saturday game on the schedule at the beginning of the year, I knew that was the only time I would be able to get to NJ to see the new Prudential Center. I thought for sure this was a no-brainer to get others to join me for the trip. The Booster Club had two busloads of cheering fans. My fellow blogger Mike S., Islesblogger.com brought his Dad and his Uncle. Prolific blogger Tiger Track Tom Liodice bought a last minute full price ticket when his plans changed at the last minute last night. Nevertheless, IslanderQueen and I wanted to take in the entire TRAIN experience, so we planed for weeks. The train wasn’t the problem today, the Rock was the problem.
My morning started out with me sliding down my porch stairs and landing on my back as I went out to get the paper at 7 am. It was a sheet of ice since yesterday’s storm. I managed to drive to the Wantagh train station after dropping off my 13-year-old at her friend’s house in Massapequa. IslanderQueen and I navigated the ticket machine where it dispensed strange gold coins as change for a $20. I thought they were subway tokens; IQ assured me they were actual currency and not MTA monopoly money.
We waited upstairs in the brick room, afraid to touch anything. “Did you read our horoscope this morning?” IQ said coyly. “I read mine; it said something about making sure we synchronized our watches since everything would be on a timetable.” Prophetic considering what we were up against!
“No. The regular MSN.com one said we should probably just stay home because we’d have to choose sides and there would be protests.” Thinking back now, as I sit here writing this, those words too were pretty darn accurate.
After a few rounds of cell phone “Marco Polo” with Mike S., we met up at the NJ Transit station, fighting with a new ticket machine and trying to get it to take the gold coins back. IQ had an idea of where we needed to go as she had done this once before. I was nothing more then a tourist carrying a camera and looking like a deer in headlights.
We managed to get off at the right stop in Newark Penn along with Mike and his family. There were plenty of other Islander fans in their gear so we attempted to follow them thinking they knew where they were going. Outside there was a cold drizzle, almost a fine mist of melted ice. IQ stopped to open an umbrella, I braved the elements. We bumped into other Islander fans that we know from the Coliseum and some from the message board, but we were all herding like cattle along the streets of Newark.
We stopped dead at the door and formed seven or eight lines to be searched and scanned. Unlike the Coliseum, they actually DO have someone poking through your purse looking for contraband. They let me keep my Cadbury bar. I thought that was nice of them. I thought I could hear “moos” from the crowd as we were herded up the escalator and to the first concourse. We all split up in search of food, facilities and alcohol.
Once in the ladies room I noticed that the make-up IQ had attempted to put on me during the train ride didn’t hold up very well in the mist. I now looked like a blue-eyed raccoon. She doesn’t use cheap make-up. It was not coming off with water from the sink; it only melted in the rain. Lovely. Oh, who cares? No one knows me here. Therefore, off we went to find a bar.
There are many bars on the first concourse of the Rock. However, they are quite PRIVATE. “No! No! You can’t come in here with that ticket. You need a gold ticket to get in here.” I heard, over and over and over as we went around the outer edge of the rink below.
“Ok. Where can we go with THESE tickets???” Everyone was quite pleasant, but unwavering in their reluctance to let us in anywhere. This is the Titanic, and my ticket is for Steerage.
“You can go upstairs to the Goal bar for pre-game only.” We made another lap around this massive building and up a metal staircase. There is a bar to the right, and one to the left. The bar to the right was packed four deep. The bar to the left had seats available. I am used to being well known at the Coliseum, so I just think I can go anywhere. Uh… NO.
I am immediately stopped and asked, “Where do you think you’re going?” Can I see your ticket please?” I show him my plain white ticket and he scoffs at me. “That side. Only THAT side.” I am now a little more than displeased, so I engage the gentleman in conversation regarding the facts about how someone new to this building would possibly know where they are allowed to go and not go. He had no concrete answers other than “…..by your ticket.”
“Yes, I understand that, but WHERE does it say that? What SIGN tells me I need a Willy Wonka gold ticket to get a Vodka and club soda?” IQ tugs on my jersey sleeve.
“Now I remember this.” I hear IQ say as she finds her way behind two men at the service bar on the “low life” side of the room. And there we wait, and wait and wait. The men that were there took their beers and left as more people took their place. Several minutes later, a Cher look-a-like of a barmaid makes her way to the service area where we stood, and immediately goes over to the male patrons.
“EXCUSE ME! We are FIRST here. THEY came in AFTER us. I don’t mean to be rude to you boys, but we’ve been waiting a LONG time.” Ahhhhh…. The California girl is learning how to be a New Yorker after all.
Two drinks were $24. I don’t think I will complain about Doolan’s anymore. We take our plastic cups and head down the stairs to wait for the pre-game skate.
“Woahhhhh!!! Where are YOU two going??? You can’t bring those down here. You gotta finish those up there.” IQ and I, and our cocktails, are now being held captive in the upstairs lounge. My blood pressure is rising and it’s a lovely contrast to the blue circles under my eyes.
We walk around the perimeter of our bar-cage, and then decide to just buck up, and suck them down. As we headed down the steel stairs, without our cocktails, we heard “Ladies, you won’t be able to get back in here once the game starts. It’s a private club.”
“Whatever.” I shake my head at her. We circled the building again trying to figure out what side we should stand on for pre-game skate. IQ walks me down to the glass toward the Islander side for a few minutes, but then made her way to the other side. I agreed to meet her back at the seats, which were basically in the rafters. I stood with other Islander fans and took a few pictures. I was happy to see how many Islander fans actually do make the trip to Jersey. It must make the team feel good at least. However, I’m still increasingly annoyed in the Land of No, and made my way back out to the concourse in search of some answers. I headed to the information booth, which is marked simply by a white sign with a black question mark.
“Excuse me. Can you tell me please, as I am not a beer drinker, nor do I have a golden ticket, where I might be able to find some Merlot?” The woman behind the desk just smiled at me….I asked again. “Is there any kiosk on the concourse that sells wine?”
“No. It’s not allowed by the ABC. And they’ve been here four times already.”
“Wait. You’re allowed to have beer at every kiosk, but you can’t sell wine that has the same alcohol content on the concourse?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.” She is still smiling at me, and I can tell, she is not happy with that situation either.
“Ok. So, tell me please. Where can I, an out of town visitor, be able to get a glass of wine????” I am trying to be pleasant, but I am not a happy woman, and I am taking notes in my head.
“There is a restaurant upstairs, that IS open to the general public, and you can probably go to the bar up there and get one. Just tell this woman over there that you want to go to the restaurant.”
They are guarding the escalator up to the level where this mysterious restaurant that is “open to the general public” is. I was stopped twice more on my way to this magic place. By the time I reached the hostess, to recount for the third freakin’ time what I was there for, I was increasingly sarcastic, but she is well trained and about 22 and actually walked me personally to the bar and introduced me to the bar back. This is a caste system in its truest form, and I am on the lowest level.
“Cabernet, two ice cubes.” At this point, I didn’t even care what the heck it was, as long as it was red. “That will be $10.” and again, I couldn’t leave, but I have a little more room to wander the restaurant during my captivity. I called IQ to let her know where I was. She was in the seats and had eaten sushi. “Did you eat something? Did you get anything?” Now she played Mom. “Be careful when you come up here, the stairs are very steep.”
I finished the wine in record time and asked the hostess how to get to section 117. She directed me to a back elevator in a deserted hallway. Lou Lamarillo was getting out of the elevator as I was getting in. Now I KNOW I wasn’t supposed to be here.
I explain my wine debate plight to the woman running the elevator. She agrees with me, and then I find my way to my seat next to IQ. The first period went quickly, but truthfully, I really wasn’t watching too much of it. The sight lines are fine from up in the rafters, but my head was spinning because I was seething. With 4 minutes left of the first, we got out of our seats and tried to find our way to section 2 where we thought we were going to have a NYIC mini Meet & Greet. IQ tries to talk me into getting something to eat, but I cannot even recognize any of the food on this level. We stop at some sort of Cuban counter and notice they have Smirnoff Ice bottles, and opt for those instead of the deep fried Cod balls. We were carded, and I almost laugh myself sick. The young woman behind the counter is very sweet as she was in disbelief of my age. We found Mike and Tom and headed downstairs to attempt to locate Section 2.
We met up with MmingE and NJIslanderFan on the concourse and waited for Sybo, who didn’t show up. However, we did meet an arrogant Devils fan who at first started out harassing me relentlessly and then calmed down, took our pictures and my business card. Angry and hungry, I headed off into the ladies room, but before I could get in, IQ received a phone call from someone whom she had met during her last trip to the Rock. She had told him how upset I was about the entire “No entry” thing, and even though HE was on vacation in Florida, he arranged for us to be accommodated back in that upstairs restaurant with a view of the ice. Chef Hani is obviously a true gentleman who cannot stand to hear that a lovely woman such as IQ was having such a hard time of it in the establishment that he takes so much pride in overseeing. It bothered him enough to make sure we were to be treated like regulars there.
“Come, we’re going upstairs. We’re going to have lunch, and you can have whatever you want to drink.” She walks ahead of me. We were stopped at the door. “I’m sorry Ladies, the restaurant is closed unless you have reservations.”
“Chef Hani told me to come up here, NOW.” IQ says while still holding her phone on the long distance call. Suddenly, the golden gates opened to us. She handed her phone to another chef, and everyone snapped to attention. We were escorted to seats on the ledge looking over the rink, our drink order taken and miraculously, lunch was served. I was in awe of her power, and the kindness of one true gentleman and Head Chef that I have not had the pleasure of meeting. It’s amazing that there are still people out there like this.
While we were watching the game from this perch, my phone goes off with a text message. “Comrie and Satan for Marian Hossa. Reliable source.“ I wondered if I just became the NYI version of Eklund. “No way!“ I text back.
“No! Really!“
Now what do I do with the information that has now fallen in my lap along with my napkin and the bacon off my cheeseburger? I give it to Mike S. Let him figure out what to do with it. We stayed there for the balance of the game and were served desert too. The amazing chocolate mouse cake with whipped cream took the bitterness out of the Islanders loss on the ice. But maybe it wasn’t enough to take the annoyance out of the gum that was on the back of my jeans from the restaurant chair I was sitting in. However, it is just jeans; I am not going to make a stink about it. I tried to forget that it’s sticky and gross. As we were leaving, we met Garth Snow heading toward that same back elevator. We stopped and said hello. IQ shook his hand, and he was cordial and broke into a smile when he spoke with us. This is a man who just witnessed his team lose, but he had the courtesy to stop, smile and be charming to two fans who had made the trip. We continued to make our way downstairs to try to meet everyone else to make the trek back to the train.
“Are you okay now?” IQ asks me. “Yes. Much better, but I’m still writing!”
The 4:12 to Penn Station didn’t show up, so the 4:23 was packed. However, as chivalry is NOT dead, the boys stood while IQ and I sat as we made our way to Penn Station. Once there, I am again a tourist without a clue, but at least now, I have a support group with me.
While waiting for the train, we all catch up with the BlogFather, Chris Botta and his three sons. This is a very brave man. I can’t watch ONE kid, and he’s navigating Manhattan and Newark with three precocious and adorable little boys. I am amazed, and glad it is him and not me. While in Penn I noticed other Islander staff notables, and I wonder why they didn’t drive in either, or go on the team bus. At least now, I am not feeling as slighted since the Blog Box Troika (Mike, Tom and I) weren’t given special dispensation to travel with the employees. They were all waiting in Penn station too.
I can’t distance myself from the aroma of Starbucks and IQ and I broke away from the team to grab a cup. Once back on the train, I settled down knowing I was heading home… Never to go to the Land Of No again.
So the spell is broken, we didn’t beat the Devils this time, but it was a day game, and they had it coming. You can’t win ‘em all boys. It was time for Broduer to get one back.
Deadline day is Tuesday. Let’s see what that brings. At least I know where I can go in the Coliseum…. ANYWHERE I FREAKIN’ WANT TO!

CHRIS SIMON - On the Bench and Ready to Work.

It was no surprise to me that Chris Simon would be back in the line up for the Islanders the very first day his suspension would end. My friend Kevin Gibson from TSN emailed me yesterday morning that it was confirmed Simon had a roster spot.

“Ha! I knew it two days ago.” I wrote back. It wasn’t a fact I had heard from a reliable source, it was purely “woman’s intuition“, knowing Ted and reading between the lines of every press conference he had given in recent days. There was no way he was going to let Simon wait to get back to work. I told Gibby “He’ll give him 6 shifts to get him started.” I was off a little. Ted gave him 9 shifts and 6:17 of ice time.

I didn’t expect Jeff Tambellini to be sent back to Bridgeport, but someone had to go and Jeff drew the short straw. Well, not really since Tamby has a huge impact for the Sound Tigers who are also doing very well right now. That full moon is working magic for both clubs right now.

I personally didn’t hear the fan reaction when Chris Simon stepped out onto the ice for his first shift back. I don’t know if I was preoccupied with my laptop, or on the phone getting great news about the birth of a friend’s new baby boy, but I didn’t hear any reaction from the crowd. I watched his next few shifts carefully to see how he reacted and how others reacted to him. He seemed only slightly uncomfortable, but more rust than fear. Later he said that his timing is off, but his wind is good. He had been skating all along.

I took notice of the size difference between Chris and St. Louis when they were on the ice. Yes, he is a massive man, even among other massive men. He isn’t exceptionally fast, but he certainly is intimidating, and you can see that he thinks on the ice, not just reacts. I say that because it’s a sharp contrast to Sean Bergenheim who, just like my original favorite Jason Blake, plays with wild abandon and excessive energy. He is a joy to watch but it will take Sean’s hands a little while to catch up to his feet, the same way it did with Blake. I’ll be sure to be there to see it when they do.

After the 1 -0 Islander win over Tampa, the press conference had that same giddy feeling as it has the last few days now that it is SIX wins and definitely classified as a “streak.” When they win, the room is more crowded than usual. Greg Logan, our exceptionally hard working Newsday beat writer, came in chuckling and shaking his head. I knew the feeling. “Who ARE these guys?” I waited toward the back of the media gaggle so that I could see Nolan walk through the door. As soon as he did, he flashed that smile that I so enjoy seeing. That “winning” smile of his, and then he quickly recovered his composure and took his place at the podium.

It was then, when the reporters asked him about Simon’s first shift that I was surprised to hear there was a negative reaction from the fans. “What?” I looked over at my fellow Blog Boxer Tom Liodice; he nodded to me indicating that there were some negative reactions. Ted’s take was that if the fans pay their hard earned money, they are entitled to their opinions, but that Simon is a professional and he’ll deal with it. What he didn’t say was that you’re only as good as your last shift, and the fans have a very short attention span. The minute Simon does something positive for the team; he will be a hero again.

In the locker room, Simon was the last one to speak with the press. Unfortunately, this morning is the first time that ITV’s post game coverage has a problem! The morning that I NEED it, I can’t get the video. I won’t be able to quote Simon, but I will be able to tell you that I watched his eyes and his reaction to the pointed and often painful questions.

There is no smoldering fire in his eyes, no hatred, and no evil within. He spoke softly, he nodded in agreement and he looked the inquisition in the eye while responding thoughtfully. He is there to work toward the betterment of the team. He knows his role, what he needs to do, and what is expected of him. He is grateful, sincerely grateful, for his teammate’s reaction to his return and does not begrudge the fans their reactions.

The callers on Thursday’s NHLLive’s XM radio show sounded off about his return. Some irate fans called for a boycott of the Islanders for putting him back in the line-up. There were angry posts on our message boards when it was revealed that Tambellini would be the sacrificial lamb to offer Chris a bench seat. But I, personally, would like to implore the fans to at least give Simon a fair chance. Give Ted the credit he is due for making the decisions he feels are necessary.

In other words… PLEASE… ISLANDER FAITHFUL: BE PATIENT! BE FORGIVING, and most importantly, non-judgmental. For who of us is without sin? Let him cast the first puck.

Tampa Bay in Town 2-21-08

Tom's here, so there's no way in hell I"m doing the "Live Blog" thing. Ok, Well, it IS live blog, but not play by play.

Simon's here. He was at the warm ups, and everyone was at the glass looking, waiting, he didn't look very comfortable. Neither are we.

Loudville is crowded and loud as they should be. THey just started the Let's Go Islanders Chant. You know... they should give them some sort of incentive for that. Oh... they do. $10 tickets. Right.
Ok Simon's on the ice first shift out, othing happening yet, and no boos or noiises from the crowd. Nice. I was worried. Short shift, that was uneventful. Keep it that way Chris.

DiPi is getting peppered a little, but the board says 4 shots on goal, they're keeping it moving in the right direction.

So it isn't filling in the way we would have liked it. And the weather is good, but the Bolts are playing like crap lately... and the Islanders aren't. (Ha ha ... that was for YOU Dr. David!) Even my brother Dominic called from Tampa asking if he would see me on TV since he was watching hte game. Um... no. Not from up here.

Frank is already having a stroke and we're only in the first period. Tom is the buffer tonight between us so that we don't kill each other as he's my favorite adversary.

Oh look, SOG are 11 - 2 in favor of the Islanders, and Simon's back on the ice. Puck goes out of play and Comeau is in the box for delay of game. They really should change that rule.

Good to see Ricky may be on tonight. He just fumbled the puck but snatched it out of the air in forn tof Gratton's face. Nice little move that prompted the DiPi chant.
SOG now 12 - 5 and 24 seconds left to the penalty. They kill it off, no problem.

And someone must have spiked Berard's Starbucks today because he is flying.

Little Marty goes into the boards, and they call Drew Fata for tripping. That was a bogus call IMO. The little guy slipped himself.

End of 1, and they manage to get out of the period without any scoring. So there will only be a few seconds left when they return to the clean sheet of ice.

Off to Gate 1 Meet & Greet to see who is there.
CJ is on the Jumbotron with Berard. He says they are well rested. He's actually just on a caffein high. ha ha ha.

Yeah yeah... I got side tracked. Back in the box, SOG 18 - 11 and no score. I didn't miss much while I was chit chatting. That's a good thing.

As is typical, Frank has dissapeared from the blog box for the second period.

Simon back out and into the play at 4:46 of the second. Gee, he's next to St. Louis and there's like a 3 foot difference in size. Very short shift. Miro Park and Bergie trying to make things happen, but they get a whistle for interference on Satan. I guess he was trying just a LITTLE too hard.

As luck would have it, they just did a pseudo commerical for the blog box on the in arena TV thing. Thank god it wasn't on Broadcast. It was just Tom and I... um... laughing. They toldpeople to come talk to us. Right... Like we'd do that. Just kidding!!! We're friendly. Well... Tom, Ken and I are friendly. Frank's another story.

And someone DID indeed come up to talk to us. Thanks guys.

Did we think it would be scoreless by the third? No, not I. And looking at the game stats, Simon has had 7 shifts so far. More than I told my friend from Toronto I thought he'd get.
How ARE the Leafs doing Gibby? Losing to Buffalo I see.

I'm starting to get a headache. Someone score. Or I should go get some tea...
There's a hole in the ice in front of the bench being fixed. It's also colder in here than usual, but I think that's because it's colder outside than usual. But even I'm not exactly comfortable. Ok... Tea it is!

Miro, Miro on the ice, a goal right here would sure be nice....
You HAD to wait till I was on the concession line to score? Thanks. But Sean gets the assist and I'll take points for that boy any way he can get them.

SOG now 24 - 21 with 10:23 left in the third. Not the most exciting game I've seen, but there's still time left for something to happen.

9:33 left and Ranger takes a penalty to put the Islanders on the Power Play. Now, can they convert it into something is the question.

There is now a new Hooters promotion for free wings if you wear your Islander gear before or after the game. That's good since it doesn't look like there will be free chili tomorrow.

It's always nerve wracking as hell when DiPietro loses sight of the puck. But he managed to keep it beneath him in order to get the whistle. 7:28 left and sog are 24 - 22 they are closing in. I'm not very comfortable as all the action is now in the Islanders zone. They want to tie this up for sure. If anyone can, it's that little rat St. Louis ... uh... if he was out there. Which he's not.

Again, the post is Ricky's best friend as it CLANGS off and right beneath him. He sits on it in order to get a whistle.

The New York "Who Are Those Guys" 2-20-08

Was it the Lunar Eclipse? Did Ted find a way to channel Herb Brooks? Did Mike Comrie sell his soul to the Devil? What happened last night? How could the moon and Alexander the Great BOTH be eclipsed in the same night? I’m still shaking my head.
After months of having the same argument with my husband, his tune changed last night. “I will just shut up now.” he said. Week after week, we battled back and forth; “A GREAT team FINDS a way to win Dee.” This was always his response when I would try to rationalize an agonizing loss.
“But they worked hard. You can’t fault their effort…. They tried.” I would attempt to protect the boys like a mother bear backed into a corner. Always, I was confronted with the response “They’re not GOOD enough. They don’t have it in them.”
“FINE! Make your own damn dinner!”
Then there was a win, and we all smiled. It was followed by another and another until we not only had a “streak” but a minor miracle. I wasn’t surprised at Miro’s goal. He should be producing, it’s expected. I didn’t care that Vasicek’s goal was an unlikely bank off Kolzig’s pads. It was a goal non-the-less, and the way it lit up Tank’s face was just priceless. As we sat on the edge of the couch, we were both happy with the one point. “Just get to overtime boys… just get to overtime!”
The horn sounded, Ovechkin was visibly upset with being shut down by (of all people) Radek Martinek. (Again… the eclipse HAD to have something to do with THAT!) Never was the “post” more a friend to Ricky than it was last night as the clanging sound from the TV was promptly followed by my screams, over and over.
A boring game that I hardly watched turned into a “fight to the finish” that had me gasping for air. Fool that I am I announced “If Mike Comrie gets the third goal, I will just throw up.” I was safe during overtime as no one scored. But who would have ever thought that he would pull through in the shoot out as the last shooter.
So as Mike the Magician managed to sneak the puck beneath Kolzig to win the game in spectacular fashion, I sat on the couch awestruck.
“You puke, you clean it up.”
Tonight -- Full Moon Thursday at the barn against an angry and disappointed Tampa Bay. Let’s see if this streak turns into “Miracle on Ice.”

2-18-08: The Smile came with a Hefty Price Tag

That’s FOUR in a row now for the Islanders. That’s a winning streak which matches the one the Sound Tigers managed to pull off last night. I asked for Ted to come into the room smiling, which he did. But it was a strained smile. The satisfaction of winning another game, against a team they have lost too for the past 12 years, was soured by the untimely injuries to both Comeau and Sutton, both of whom had to be helped from the ice.
The kids got their win for the day, even though it didn’t look like it would happen all the way up to a few minutes into the third. It was a great gift for a packed house, the 9th sell out crowd this season. Of course, once again, the weather could have cooperated a little more. It was raining with a terrible low fog when I drove my daughter and her friend to the Coliseum. There were mascots everywhere for the little ones, and Sparky descended to the ice from the rafters. Even my very sophisticated 13-year-old found that slightly amusing.
And where the heck did all these teal jerseys come from? They can’t all possibly live on Long Island. There must have been some sort of group rate for the holiday. I’m sitting in my own seats this time, for a change. I love my view here, but the arm of my chair is sticking to my jersey. I had to go get something to wash the goop off because it was just grossing me out.
After all the talk on the message board this morning, I was surprised to see Ricky in net instead of Dubie. As it is a celebration of youth today, rosy cheeked Vinny Lopez did his best American Idol version of the Star Spangled Banner and got a huge round of applause. There were kid commentators with CJ Pappa and little ice girls who were cute as a button.
I had forgotten that my section 211 seats are next to “the wives section,” because that’s the only reason I can see for there to be so many well dressed women toting little kids and no men to be seen. I won’t stare, especially since I have no idea who any of them are.
The first period starts and at 17:56 Mike Comrie takes 2 for slashing and ends up in the box. I was hoping they weren’t going to start this already. The endless parade to the penalty box is always annoying and puts undue pressure on Ricky. The penalty was killed off with no shots on goal. The kid line, or as I see it, the “5” line was out when there was a delayed penalty on Aaron Johnson for holding. At the end of that power play, the Sharks had only 3 shots on goal and no goals. Bonus.
ITV’s new kids commercial were just too cute. Witt’s oldest daughter definitely has her father’s fire.
Sean Bergenheim did some great work in the corners, and the goal light went on as he was mugged against the glass. But something was wrong, they waived the goal off and I figured “Here we go again!” Surprisingly the Sharks end up with double minors that put the Islanders up two men.
The Islanders spent what most of the fans felt was much too long trying to tee up the perfect shot. The guys above me are really vocal in their displeasure with Mike Comrie’s performance.
As if by wizardry both Meyer and Johnson are called for penalties to put them two men down. Somehow they manage to kill off the penalty again with the Shots on Goal at only 5 - 6 in favor of the Sharks.
With only 1:05 left in the first Hunter is called for interference, and I wonder if Ricky can manage to hold on. The period ends with :55 left of Hunter’s penalty to carry over to the second, and a fresh sheet of ice.
I head to gate 1 for the daytime version of the NYIC Meet & Greet and of course, get side tracked once again and come back to my seat as the 2nd is already under way. I missed the San Jose goal, but I caught a glimpse of it on one of the screens on the concourse. I did watch Ricky make some pretty nice saves, snatching the puck out of the air. I must have missed the problem in the net for the Sharks. It seems that Martinek’s slap shot broke Nabokov’s mask and one of the bars cut into his nose requiring numerous stitches. They replaced Nabokov while he was being stitched up.
At the start of the third, Nabokov was back in net and the SOGs were 9 -19 Sharks, and it was still only 1-0. I was hoping they’d be able to give these kids a win. Before I could blink, the Sharks had their second goal on only 21 shots. I started to think there was no way in hell they were going to be able to come back. But surprisingly Hilbert managed to get the puck over Nabokov and into the net.
I wish these people would stop with the “You S**K” chant after a goal. Especially considering, we were STILL losing! At 16:38 of the 3rd, the SOGs were now 10 -21 and the crowd erupted trying to will them to tie it up. As I’m writing, Comrie makes some sort of miraculous move that lets him waltz in, get by a defenseman and right through Nabokov’s pads. The guys above me, who were screaming for his head a few minutes ago, are now in disbelief, along with everyone else.
I headed to the Blog Box to watch the end of the game with the group. The Islanders were on a power play, but DiPietro has to make some petty impressive saves. Just as I was writing them off, they managed this come back. The crowd was into the game in full force. Even Big Angry Man was sending me text messages.
The Blog Box table was covered in silly string. Five bucks says it’s still there on Thursday. At 8:41 of the third, Freddy Meyer makes it 3 - 2 and we now have a second batch of Free Wendy’s Chili. The crowd goes nuts, but all joy is shattered as Comeau gets taken into the boards hard and doesn’t get up. Personally… I hate this part of the movie. I don’t like watching a player get helped off the ice, it gives me flashbacks of seeing Blake on that stretcher looking like he was dead. The incident draws a five minute major and a game misconduct for # 3. But the pressure is not off Ricky who decides to grab the puck out of the air and literally run up ice with it before the whistle sounds.
With 41 seconds left to the Sharks penalty, there’s a huge scuffle in front of the San Jose net and Comrie takes a punch. It looked as if every Islander was in the crease with Nabokov and the Sharks were taking offense. You couldn’t even tell who was doing what to whom because there was just too much going on. We waited to hear the outcome of the penalties. Satan and Comrie go off for the Islanders, and Ehroff and Shelley go off for the Sharks. They pull Nabokov for the extra skater, and we’re all on the edge of our seats now. Sutton is hurt on a play, Tank loses his stick and the puck hit’s the post past DiPietro and hit’s Sutton who is sprawled face down on the ice. He wasn’t getting up and it took quite a few men to help him down the tunnel as he wasn’t putting pressure on his leg. The Islanders really can’t afford to lose more players.
With only 6.4 seconds left of the third, there is almost no one left on the bench. I’ve never seen so much room on it before. This just doesn’t bode well for the game on Wednesday. Tom wants to get Drew Fata on the phone. There going to need call ups.
So, as I said, the smile on Ted’s face came with a huge price tag. The wins are good, but the injuries are killer. The press room was packed with reporters I had never seen before. CJ was a one man video equipment juggling show and there was even someone from XM’s Home Ice that looked more like an extra for the Sopranos than someone who should be in the media pack. Yep. There’s a full moon coming.
So, as this team is stepping up and surprising everyone, I have to wonder how long they can do it. Hopefully, long enough to cement a playoff spot…. If the cost isn’t too high.
As I was leaving the coliseum, there was a line that stretched and snaked around the downstairs lobby all waiting for a chance to shoot a puck on the Coliseum ice. The security guards had never seen this kind of turn out for an event. Neither had I. It was great to see. And so was the win.

2-18-08 Kids Day too -- Shark Bait?

I don’t like day games. Sorry. I understand them, but I don’t like them. I like my hockey at night, not at 1 pm when the sun is shining and I feel like I should be doing 100 other things. But it’s President’s Day on Monday the 18th, and once again the Islanders are taking advantage of the kids being out of school and hopefully, looking for something to do.
There are only two day games scheduled in the NHL tomorrow. The Islanders are taking on the Sharks and the Devils vs. the Hurricanes. Two night games are also scheduled, so it will be a light day in the NHL. The complexity of this year’s schedule is astounding. Just as the complexity of marketing this game is more than difficult.
The Islanders developed a family game day pack for Kids Day Too that is a bargain, at 4 tickets, a Dave & Busters card and a Friendly’s gift certificate. As the weather shouldn’t be a problem, I hope there are plenty of Long Island families taking advantage of this special, especially considering this is Hockey Weekend in America. Festivities were planned in many of the hockey loving communities, all of which I heard about on 3M’s Home Ice. I will say there were a few of my friends who WORK in this field that had no idea. Shame on you guys… Shame on you! This is your field, and I really shouldn’t know more than you do.
Let’s look at Monday’s possibilities. In my mind, they’re dreadful. When I had this conversation with the Big Angry Man over dinner of Lobster Quesadillas and Caesar salad, you could see him getting considerably angry. I mentioned they don’t play well during day games this year. There have been four day games so far this season, and they’ve lost each of them. Last season’s stats were better with more day games on the schedule: Seven wins and four losses. Maybe we’re actually due for a day time win.
But when we discussed this, the Dynasty Die-hard didn’t want to hear my reasoning. “If you’re telling me they can’t win because it’s a day game, then they should just pack it up now because they don’t belong in the NHL.” He wasn’t listening when I said the theory was mine and not theirs. I was just going by the numbers.
So far the numbers are: 61 points with only 6 teams with less than that, 59 games played, 27 losses, 147 goals (the lowest in the league). Better numbers, three recent games, three recent wins. In my mind, that’s a mini streak. If they can get it to four games, that’s a REAL streak.
This is their longest road trip, and it started off with a loss. The Sharks are going to get to the Coliseum tomorrow and they’re not going to be in a very good mood. They took a beating from the Rangers at another 1 pm game. They’ll be looking for a win on our ice. And I’m sure JR will be running his mouth left and right. It should be an interesting day. I’m hoping to see that smile of Ted’s in the Press Room again. That would make the kids happy too.