Game 10 for "Ace" Bailey an Islanders win 11-29-08

I'm still waiting for Josh's, (oh excuse me, according to the Maven he is now "ACE" Bailey) first NHL goal. Maybe he's waiting for me to be in the building. I'd appreciate that.

I didn't make it to the Coliseum tonight, but I see it was a success in more ways than one. Another big check handed to a local charity, another fun night for the fans, and another two (much needed) points.

There were no interesting pins on the announcers lapels tonight. I missed them. Actually, I missed most of the game so that I could be in my Normal Rockwell USA town's Christmas kick-off called "Miracle on Main" complete with gingerbread house contest, classic cars, live music and Christmas movies for the kids. Of course since it was game day, I had to wear my Islanders gear, even for the Christmas festivities!

I did manage to get back in the middle of the second to see Freddy Meyer shine and Hunter get the empty netter. Nice. I... uh... also spent an hour and a half on-line shopping so I have no other comments on the game. Other than... Woo Hoo! Two points! And they didn't blow the lead!

Sorry Windsor. He's Ours 11-29-08

As we await the arrival of the official press release stating that Josh Bailey is not being returned to his junior club, we offer up a big; "Yeah, like we didn't see THAT coming?"

I think the only ones surprised at this are the Spitfire coaching staff. They're pretty miserable since yesterday's cell call from Josh himself. If Garth starts getting pains in his back today, I think he should assume there's a voo-doo doll in Ontario with his face on it.

Josh was their Captain. They've been waiting for his return as a big part of their season's strategy. The Islanders have something else in mind. He's part of OUR strategy.

I knew this was coming when I spoke with Garth and company and half hearted pleaded for them to "send the boy back to his team." and was given an absolute, adamant "This IS his team" response.

Ouch. I know when to shut up, especially when I was asked "Do you work for Windsor?" I had crossed that invisible line in the sand. "No, I'm just a mother, and he's a 19 year-old boy." Okay then. Now he's a 19 year-old boy who will be starting his first NHL career year as a NY Islander.

I'm happy he's here, he's going to be one hell of a hockey player.

High Noon in Boston 11-28-08 (Blogging from the couch)

The number of that truck is #17. Milan Lucic, the 20 year-old 6'4" left winger is hell bent on hitting as many Islanders as he can. First he took down Colliton in front of the Isles bench and got a tongue lashing from Witt. Then he gave Jackman yet another gash on his face when he crushed him into the boards during the last few minutes of the first period.

There was no penalty called, when there really should have been. It took Jackman a few minutes to get to his skates, and Lucic waited around waiting for something to happen--anything. No penalty, and no real retaliation. He skated away satisfied with himself.

The story of the first few minutes of the game has to be Nate Thompson in his first game back from sports hernia surgery. He's been solid with no signs of rest and tallied the first goal. I was amazed as the cameras followed him for what seemed like minutes, all alone in the Boston zone.

I'm still hoping for Bailey to get his first NHL goal, and considering how well the fore checking has been so far, it's a strong possibility today may be the day.

With a penalty called on Tambellini Boston scores on the power play to even it up. Why #12 was allowed to keep poking at the puck in Joye's pads, I don't know. But he did.

I was going to say we can start a new drinking game called the "Jon Sim shoots wide" game because I think he's missed at least five really good chances. But then I felt bad when he ran to the locker room with a towel on his face stopping the bleeding from somewhere. Sorry Jon.

At 11:36, it was almost 2 -1, but the cross bar is your friend, so with SOG even up right now at 14, Joey makes a very lucky save to keep the score even as well when the puck just bounces all the way to him on some bad ice.

Tambellini takes a second penalty for high sticking because he wasn't watching what was happening behind the net.

And again, the audio levels on MSG Plus HD are variable. (I'm going deaf, no I'm not. I'm going deaf, I'm cured. FIX IT DAMN IT!!!

Boston gets 3 SOG during that penalty and they caught a break since MacDonald lost the puck with no whistle, until he finally fell on it to freeze it.

Boston's Ryder makes it 2 - 1 at 4:44 of the second unassisted. Well, actually, the assist was from the giveaway by Brendan Witt, but they can't use that.

With less than 30 seconds left of the 2nd, the Islanders go on the power play, but the SOG are now a very UNeven 23 - 16 in favor of the Bruins. Joey has been getting far too much work.

Start of the third, and 2 SOG if that during their power play. As Danno came to sit with me, he called it. "Good teams would score here. The Islanders won't." Well, they didn't.

Dan keeps calling for Campoli to get back on the ferry. Having him say that whle watching him turn over the puck made it that mjuch more painful. Lucky for Campy, Joey has been in great position. He should buy him dinner when this is over.

At 13:22 Billy Guerin gets a break away, but Fernandez gets a toe on it and it hits the boards. At 13:12, Blake Wheeler flies to the other end of the ice and beats MacDonald to make it 3 - 1. The momentum seriously shifts.

Ten seconds later, Krejci makes it 4 -1 and by 12:40, Peter Maninno makes his NHL debut. What an afternoon. It was great to see Gordon speak to Joey when he came back tot he bench, and top off the conversation with a pat on the shoulder pad and a "Good job." MacDonald has been playing very well. But he can't save them all. No goalie really can.

At 10:50, when the Bruins made it 5 - 1 Witt decides to continue his conversation with Lucic. This time with his fists. Sadly, Witt seems to get the worst of it. Not to be outdone, Jackman and Hnidy square off and that one gets quite bloody to say the least.

Once they get back to playing hockey, Richard Park adds to the Isles score on a power play. But with 8 minutes left, it's more a personal bonus than a team victory.

With the SOG now 23 - 36 with only a little more than five minutes left in the third, I'm wondering how high it can go.

Ryder beats Maninno and makes it 6-2 on the power play. Not the debut he was looking for, I'm sure.

To add insult to insult, Lucic made it 7 - 2 and Joey MacDonald blew a gasket on the bench. The defense is leaving this kid out to dry. And they did.

AS if I didn't think they'd lose a day game. Back on the bus boys. You've got a game tomorrow too. Shake it off.

Just a note: Scott Gordon said something I found to be very telling when asked how he felt about MacDonald's play of late. "He's been what every teams #1 goalie HAS to be."

Now if they can get the rest of the team to play the way they're supposed.

Book Shopping on Black Friday in my PJs

I would normally be done Christmas shopping by now. My usual routine is being finished by Thanksgiving. This year, with everything that went on, I haven't even STARTED. Just call me Mrs. Grinch. I'm not good at this. But I had an idea that may work out for me, and maybe you too if you don't like bucking the crowds either.

How about some one-size-fits-all, never goes out of style, has no expiration date and can expand the recipient's horizons? Books. And considering that we have some very good authors in our midst, I think it's a wonderful idea.

Here are some ideas:

Necessary Heartbreak by NYIC's own Mike Sullivan. A great gift for women young and old on your list available at Barnes & Noble. It's received some RAVE reviews from many outlets including the NY TIMES! This is the first of a Trilogy that will really catch your attention.

The Smart One by my old High School buddy Ellen Meister. She has a wonderful sense of humor and you'll find lots of Long Island references in this and her other book, The Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA.

Adam Canfield of the Slash & Adam Canfield Watch Your Back both children's books by my good friend Mike Winerip who also writes a parenting column for the NY Times. Check Amazon.com for those titles.

For your Hockey fan friends, there's always Kevin Gibson's book Three Players Who Have Never Been in my Kitchen. A fact and figure book about all teams past and present and a little humor sprinkled in.

And lastly, there's a new book by funny guy Denis Leary, Why We Suck. It sounds fabulous!

Another Re-Run - Game Recap

If I'm tired of watching this, I'm sure the team is as well. Another three goal lead, another third period collapse. Everyone stands in the room and asks "What happened?" The answer is easy to describe and hard to fix.

Stan Fischler asked Scott Gordon if the team was tired in the second. He answered that they had to be because they spent so much time in their own zone. And then Scott said something I never thought I'd hear. The power play was atrocious.

In the locker room, Brendan Witt was already in his stall -- waiting for the onslaught. Again, the question at hand; WHAT HAPPENED? He said they stopped skating and started watching. Well, Crosby and Malkin are fun to watch. But that should be for us in the audience.

"They outplayed us. We don't complete 60 minutes to give ourselves a chance."

When Joey MacDonald entered the room, again the same questions again the answer boiled down to "We stopped skating."

Stan Fischler finally got the answer he was looking for when Doug Weight with a quarter size welt on his face said "The third period, we were tired and sluggish. Give those guys room and they're going to make plays."

I was happy to see Josh Bailey allowed into the room. He did have a two point night, and he handled himself well. Islesblogger.com Mike led the questioning for the bloggers that surrounded him after Point Blank had finished talking to Josh in the far end of the room.

I actually couldn't take much more. I waited in the foyer for my car escorts.

While I was waiting, I watched Bryan Trottier wait patiently with a man and his young son. As Sidney Crosby come out, he stopped him, introduced himself and asked for an autograph for the boy. Not only did Sid sign for him, but he leaned down and had a little conversation with the boy.

No matter what you think, this is really what it's all about. A star player taking the time late in the evening to chat with a young fan, an Islander fan at that.

Yes, it was a lead squandered once again. But there is still nothing greater than the game itself. So we will watch, and wait. And pray they can figure out how to fix it.

Guest Blogger Dina Blogs for IslesNation

What a treat, so Dina comes to hang with the Bloggers and takes over Stephen's machine and blogged for awhile on IslesNation.com while Billy Guerin scored to give us all Free Chili. Of course, Dina is sporting some really cool shoes tonight too.


The game did get really intense for a few minutes there. But Joey was not only good, but lucky as well. Sean is hustling hard and Bailey has his second assist for the night. Can he make it a 3 point night?

Doug had to play the Peanut Buter Jelly song about FOUR times for Dina. That was for the big bannana in Loudville. She would have stayed longer, but you know... She was working.

With only 35 seconds left, the Penguins get one back. But that's okay. We still have 20 more minutes of hockey to go and, if all goes as planned, they will hold the lead or add to.


The second intermission starts and Adam is told he is NOT allowed to catch another t-shirt! And he didnt'!

Third period starts after I chitchat with old Softball parent friends of mine. Everyone is coming by the Blog Box tonight! Even Mrs. Webby stopped by to wish me Happy Thanksgiving.

Is there any possible way we can get 4?

They're reviewing a play where Joey ended up in the net with five players on top of him. Don't know why... oh wait... Doug is explaining it. Of course.

As usual, I decide to go to the bathroom, and the Penguins score. Sid the Kid strikes again. Actually, is he still a kid? I guess so. 12:22 and we are now 3 - 2. and SOG are even at 22. They cannot let this game get away from them. They can't.

The Penguins are pressuring, and the Isles iced the puck. Back in their own zone they go.

With 9 minutes left of the 3rd, Malkin scores to make it 3 -3. Doug and I both saw it coming as Malkin skated right up to Joey and shot. We said "Oh S**T" in unison. I'm sure so did Joey. Well, we've seen this movie before.

Crosby just gave Malkin the puck once again and he blasted it past Joey to make it 4 - 3 Penguins. So much for carrying the lead. 7:59 left. They will have to at least tie the score to get one point and make the fans at least SOMEWHAT happy. Gordon is NOT calling a time out to calm the troops. WE don't know why.

In very uncharacteristic fashion, Bill Guerin just took a roughing penalty as he went after anyone in a white jersey. I feel like my head is going to explode. I can't imagine what Gordon feels like.

Should we pack up with only 6:41 to go? Maybe that will help them tie it up and go to Overtime?











Let's hope so.

Joey, Joey, Joey.... 11-25-08

As we can see, Joey is in great form. He's going to have to be.


Hello Eric Godard. How are you?

Can we all think REAL REAL HARD so Josh get's his first goal? Thank you!

Penguins take a penalty and the Isles go on their first power play. Think they can keep the puck out of their zone? Um, maybe not.

So with a 5 on 3 power play, Doug Weight gets the first goal with an assist by Josh. That's his 2nd NHL point.

And then, while I was on the phone, Hunter with an assist by Hilbert made it 2 - 0 and the crowd went nuts. Actually, it's a great crowd tonight, just as we had hoped for. We get three and it's Chili time.

Yikes!!! So Godard and Fritz decide to do a little tap dance center ice. I was a little upset because it was an ex-Islander that we really liked. It was a little upsetting for me. But, it's all part of the game.

Okay, the Blog Box is now full for the first time. We're even a seat short.

And, it's LOUD. OMG! My ears are going to bleed.

Everyone is calling for Tambellini's head. Pat Sajak is back at the barn tonight. Always nice to hear him say "The Rangers Suck!"

Hilbert gets a boarding call, and everyone a little pissy about that, but so far Joey is doing well, even with Satan crowding the net. SOG are now even at 10 - 10.

And we're back for the second period. Jackman for some reason, missed scoring while he was in the crease. And some poor schmuck didn't win the money from Capitol One and their 10K countdown.

Actually can't say too much about Jackman, as Sean did the same thing.

Sim draws a crowd behind the Penguins net and the countdown is done. The contestant does go home with a prize pack, just no cash. Just like the rest of us....

"It's the Fluke of Flukes" per Howie

They weren't supposed to win. It was supposed to be a 3 - 2 Islanders loss. But the Hockey Gods thought otherwise and decided to play a little trick on Montreal.

What a shame that Ryan O'Byrne didn't notice that Carey Price had left the net on a delayed Islanders penalty. Had O'Byrne just shot the puck at a slightly different angle, he'd be able to sleep tonight. But as the puck went into his own net, he lifted his hands over his head in disbelief. How do you console a kid who just made a huge mistake in front of 21,273 people?

You don't. You keep him on the bench and let him think as the TV cameras capture his every remorseful gesture. It's heartbreaking. It's that old Wide World of Sports Agony of Defeat thing.

Chris Campoli beat himself up on the bench because he failed to put the game away in overtime. He held his head in his gloves for about the entire time the Zamboni flooded a strip from goal to goal for the shoot out that would have to decide the game.

Two points is two points and we'll take them any way we can get them. But the toll this win will take on a young Montreal player is huge.

Gordon's version of 'War & Peace' 11-24-08

Scott Gordon may have a different version of "War & Peace" than the Islanders fan base. He was blasted left, right and upside down for how he handled the game on Friday that saw the loss of budding talent, Frans Nielsen.

He was lambasted for not sending gargantuan Mitch Fritz out onto the ice to "send a message"during Friday's Isles /Devils matchup. But maybe Gordon has a different message.

I am not one that calls for the end of fighting in the NHL, so please don't start whining at me. But considering that Gordon had already lost Trent Hunter from the game when he stood up for Frans, I'm assuming Scott had a different plan; one that wasn't immediately visible.

It's a long season, one that has begun with an unusually high amount of injuries. Every time one player returns to the line up, another one is out for weeks. That can't be easy on the coaching staff, and it's not easy on the fans.

The extended loss of Frans with those "multiple leg injuries" (enough injury info guys, or are you stil going to complain?) makes the Josh Bailey "stay or go" decision even more important. I've got an itchy little feeling that he won't see Windsor again this year. If that's the case, please get this boy some permanent housing.

Congrats to Mike Sillinger for his four assists with Bridgeport his first time back on the ice since his hip surgery. He must have been having a lot of fun.

Good luck boys tonight in Montreal. Sadly, native Long Islander Mike Komisarek is also out for an extended period with his own injury. It's just always nice to see NHL players from our neck of the woods, no matter what sweater they wear.

Okay coach, tonight you may have to "put your balls to the wall and make a decision." I have faith you'll make the right one. Another 2 points will put the Friday loss further in the distance. Let's go for it!