Snow & Gordon Press Conference

I'm masquerading today as a reporter. I made my way to the morning skate and Garth Snow's press conference at 10:30 am.

I felt I needed to be there. I haven't seen Garth in weeks, so I wanted to see how he was fairing during these troubled times. Trade deadline time is always stressful for everyone. But even more so for the GMs who have to make these deals and the men who have to pack quickly.

"The last week to ten days, there have been lots of conversations and lots of talk. I compare it to fishing. You drop your lines in the water and see what unfolds. We're obviously in a situation where we're going with younger players and giving them an opportunity to play significant minutes. Our younger players have made great strides. But I don't think that happens without the proper leadership."

As it had been mentioned that Campoli had asked for a trade, as a gentleman, Garth was reluctant to give the details of those closed door conversations. He reiterated his admiration for Chris as both a player and a person. If nothing else, the Islanders are a room full of quality, character players.

"Chris Campoli is a good, young defenseman and a great skater, he can move the puck and he has an element of offense. We gave up a good young player for a first round draft pick." Garth was sincere and quiet in his tone. I'm sure this wasn't the easiest thing for him to do.

"We have a significant amount of draft picks in the first and second round and we're going to build this the right way." His determination to stick to the plan is apparent.

"A first round draft pick is big. As you see around the league, teams are holding onto those draft picks. It's a situation that falls into our criteria of what we have planned for the future and it's up to us to draft a good hockey player." (You hear that Ryan Jankowski? Make it so.) This draft will be huge for the Islanders.

Snow continued "We need to build this team through the draft, and then once we draft the players we have to develop them. That's the way I see us at getting to where we want to be."

Speaking of developing young players, the development of Jack Hillen may have factored into the equation of being able to part with the likes of Campoli.

"He's come up and played extremely well, in his own right, he's a good puck moving defenseman and he can skate. A very smart defenseman who is a couple of years younger (than Campoli)."

Jack will certainly get his chances to continue his development on this team.

In return for Comrie and Campoli, Bryan Murray (who was the first to make a trade LAST season) sends us Dean McAmmond. Basically he's a fourth line, 15-year veteran center who has been said to have blinding speed and a propensity for injury. Wow! Could there be a better fit for the Islanders? Additionally, what is left on his contract is only a drop in the bucket compared to what the Islanders dispensed by trading off Mike Comrie.

"We're happy to have Dean in our locker room and we hope he will be a great influence on our young players." Garth said smiling.

When asked, Garth did not hesitate to praise Mike Comrie and his time on the Islanders. "He's been first and foremost a great person. Very productive, especially last year, until he got injured. It's a situation where it will be good (for him) to go to Ottawa. It's familiar to him and we wish Mike all the best. He's a first class person."

Of course in today's economy, we were wondering how reluctant teams will be to trade for the higher salaried players. The Islanders don't seem to be in that boat right now to worry about salary considerations.

"The number one priority for me is to make this a championship caliber team. Any deal we make in the future will have that mindset. We know where we're going and we have a plan to get there. And this is just another example of us following through with our plan."

Translation: "I ain't done yet."

Bottom line: "Draft & Develop."

We waited around for quite awhile before Scott Gordon returned after practice for his turn in front of the tape recorders. Tom Liodice and I were joking that he was taking as long as possible so he wouldn't have to answer the "So, what did you tell Campoli that made him ask for a trade?"

The questions started with his thoughts on Jack Hillen instead of his thoughts on losing Campy.

"Well obviously, Jack's come up and he's shown that his time he spent in Bridgeport was good for him. He's stepped up his play and we're comfortable knowing he can play significant minutes and be able to compete at this level consistently."

As a first year NHL coach going through trade time, Scott said he was holding his breath knowing that he would be losing a player. When it came to the problem with Chris Campoli, Gordon stated in a fatherly manner, "I wanted Chris to want more from himself. And since we sat down, I thought he was going in the right direction. Like I told him, it's a tough situation when you have an All-Star defenseman in front of you that is as good as (Mark Streit) he is."

"Defense is something that you can get better at, and for me, he was. His compete level was higher. I had no problems with Chris." All he told him was, 'I want you to want more from yourself.'

It is obvious that Scott Gordon is a good coach for the younger players. He is an excellent coach for the younger players. He wants to bring the best out in each of them, and wants them to reach their highest potential. As any good teacher, some times he may be looked at as wanting too much. But it's obvious that he may know what a player is capable of, even when that player doesn't see it in himself.

Good luck Campoli. We will miss you in the community. We wish you all the best.

2/21/09 Whiteout for the Lighthouse

One more thing about tomorrow night's Isles vs. Devils Town Of Hempstead night, if you'd like to have your thoughts and feelings about the Lighthouse project be recorded, please see IslesNation Stephen who will be in the Blog Box at the top of 201 as well as wondering around the coliseum.

Tell him how you feel about the project. The pros and cons and where you think Long Island stands.

Click the link above and see you tomorrow night.

Now it starts: Bye Bye Comrie & Campoli

Okay, have we graduated to the "C" words now?

And in a strange twist of events, my phone announcement from the Islanders rang as I was listening to the same news on XM's Home Ice. Mike Comrie and home grown defense man Chris Campoli off to Ottawa for someone I've never heard of and a first round pick.

Garth forgot to yell surprise again.

I will miss Chris. He is a great guy.

The Morning After.

Please also check the next blog entry from last night for information on the LightHouse project from a meeting I attended yesterday.


Okay, additional notes from last night. You know, there was an Islanders game last night and I think I actually watched about 15 minutes of the entire game. But that was enough actually to get the gist of the loss.

Nice to see Trent Hunter in the line-up, even though he was "iffy" just the day before. Sad to see Richard Park is now out for four weeks (or basically the rest of the season) with broken ribs.

Also nice to see that Sean Bergenheim isn't THAT much worse for the wear after the Ranger game brawl he was in. I did stop him in the hallway to tell him he had me worried. He gave me a reassuring smile, "There's no need to worry."

Below is one of the jersey's from the Lighthouse International tournament's Qiqihar team.

As you can see... it's pretty cool. Even of more interest to me, OkposoNet Ken was conversing in Chinese with some of the visiting reporters and scored a Hockey magazine from China. All very very interesting. OkposoNet Ken... Man of Mystery.

Also of note, LightPost Blogger and Lighthouse Project Energizer Bunny Katrina stopped by the Blog Box after finalizing her LightHouse booth responsibilities to take in a few minutes of the game.

The countdown to Saturday's game is on. Not only is our decimated team facing the NJ Devils, one of the hottest teams in the league, but it is also TOH night and our fan based WhiteOut for the LightHouse night.

It's also the night to bring coats for a cause to the Coliseum with you. I'm sure there are a few in your closet that are out of style or just don't fit the kids that you can donate to a very worthy cause. Bring them with you, please.

Happy Friday all.

Lighthouse Progress & an Islanders Loss

I could sit here now at 11:15 pm and regurgitate the information about the loss. That 6 - 2 beating that the Canes put on the Isles. But I'm sure there are plenty of people who could be, and will be writing that.

I'm sure you've heard it all on the MSG Plus broadcast tonight. And the truth of the matter is, I really wasn't paying too much attention to this game (as you can see by the previous post). HOWEVER!!! Something just came to me as I was downloading my photos from tonight. The photos are fuzzy, but please take a real good look.

Double click on the photos if you have to. They are taken at 5:45 pm today from the 12th floor of the EAB plaza. Do you notice something? My my my... doesn't it look like the traffic is MOVING. Why yes... I believe that Hempstead Turnpike is moving quite nicely, thank you very much. And this is on a game night. So besides the fact that was a lovely sunset that I watched, I really didn't' see the stop light changing a few times only letting a few cars through. I heard no horns of displeasure as traffic was jammed. Actually, it was moving quite well.

So as I stated previously, and actually even earlier than PB's 4 pm post, the TOH is finally moving along, we may actually have some good news on that horizon in that photo.

So besides coming out for Saturday's TOH night at the Coliseum to show your support for the LightHouse project, if you can pencil in Tuesday 2/24/09 at 10:30 am at Hempstead's Town Hall, you can show your support for REAL, in front of those that really matter. The Elected officials.

This project is about more than hockey, it's about 60,000 construction and related jobs and 20,000 permanent jobs. It's our own little stimulus package.

More on this tomorrow. I really need to get some sleep.

And yes... Isles lost... more than just the game. The loss of Richard Park may be just more than we can bear. Seriously.

Isles vs. Canes from the top of 201

8:32 pm. There is less than a minute left in the 2nd period SOG now 15 -20 in favor of the Canes. And the score is now 4 - 1 in favor of who? yep... Carolina. So... Um... I guess we're losing.

8:17 Okay, I'm back for like 2 seconds. And here we are with SOG at 9 - 12 in favor of Carolina and the score is still the same. At least it's not a blow out... yet. Just so you know.... Saturday is still the TOH night and we're hoping for that white out.



7:39 pm. Guess what? It's now 3 -1 Carolina. They didnt' even finish announce the first goal and they scored the second goal. That's not a good sign.





SOG are now 4 - 10 in favor of the Canes.





7:38 pm... and it's already 2 - 1 Carolina. Joey. The game started. Wanna stop a puck?

There is no way in hell I'm going to be able to do this as my friends are here and requiring my attention.

But here we are at the game and it's already 1 - 1 and SOG are 3 - 6 and Witt is in the box already.

And sadly Park is out for four weeks with cracked ribs but the good news is that Trent Hunter is back in the lineup.

So like if you're looking for game updates ... uh.... check out Tiger Track Tom's blog.

Because it looks like I"m going to be floating. So I will leave you at 7:36 pm. And you can check when I return.

GOOD (LIGHTHOUSE) NEWS!!

Bad karma be DAMNED, there is good news on the horizon.

The Town of Hempstead will be adopting a final scope for the Environmental Impact study. Well, won't THAT make Saturday's TOH night a little more exciting!

More details to follow! But Lighthouse naysayers stand down. There is motion, and it's in the right direction!

Blog Boxers will be in force tonight at the top of 201 and live blogging. Come join us.

Isles vs. Canes. Let's win this one and make it a great night!

Rangers 3 Isles 1 ##***))*#%%

Big Angry Man said it best, "you can be in last place, but just freakin' beat the Rangers."

I can't even think of bright spots to think about.

Sean made me hold my breath when he was scraping and then he walked off limping.

Tomorrow is another day. Let's see what happens.

Islanders Vs. Rangers in the Big Apple

I had toyed with going to this game.... for about a nano-second. I've never been to MSG for a hockey game, but I seriously don't think I could handle it.

So our last place Islanders will take on the struggling Rangers in a mid-week match-up. This could get ugly, or it could be boring.

I love this quote from the Game Preview on the Isles main site:

The Islanders will try to keep the Rangers from getting back on track. Over the past nine games, the Rangers are 1-6-2 and are falling fast in the Eastern Conference standings. Once atop the Eastern Conference, the Rangers are now just five points ahead of ninth-place Carolina.

But the Rangers have won three out of the four games they have played against our hapless Islanders. Let's see if they can make that TWO of FIVE and continue the Rangers downward spiral.

Question at hand is always: Who will be in net? But the question is ALSO; Who will be BEHIND THE BENCH? With the outcry for Renney's head, it would seem plausible that the Rangers could make a coaching change today just before the game. After all, this is an organization that traded Brian Leetch on his birthday... by phone. So, anything is possible.

Look for Live Chat with the Blog Box tonight. Details to be announced on participating sites.

Isles beat the Pens in a Shoot Out

The post game atmosphere is always so much better when they win. It's also better when there's actually a 60 minute effort. And that's what Scott was most proud of.

The play of the youngsters has been steadily improving. That's not much to get excited over, but when you're the last place team in the league, you'll take whatever shred of optimism you can muster.

But a shoot out win, and Tambellini netting a goal for a change was good to see.

"I thought it was sixty solid minutes. I thought the chances generated were pretty good."

Sean Bergenheim played a very good game, earning two assist points and the coaches confidence by managing to stay out of the penalty box this time. "I think Bergie played well, he finished his checks. Frans (Nielsen) is a play maker and has speed. Hilbert is reliable and can play both sides of the puck." They were a great line.

Okposo made his mark against the face of the NHL. "It's something where we want our young players to play against the best. They're going to be better players for it."

Personally, I didn't think Crosby looked like himself. he was almost invisible. But it was an entertaining game for the crowd of 16,234 (yes, that means sell out). And since it was a wonderful mood in Press Room 6, IslesOfficial Doug even got to ask Scott Gordon a question

after Stan Fischler and Greg Logan were done. When Seth said "One more question." Doug jumped right on it. He asked why some of the players seem to be reluctant to shoot. Check his blog. I'm sure he's going to discuss the answer.

Also check out Gary Harding's blog, View from 317 even though his view today was from 201. And of course, there was Stephen from IslesNation doing his thing going back and forth between his computer and his Blackberry.

When he turned his back, I was going to mess up his blog, but he caught me. But considering I have quite a few pounds on him, I'm sure I could have taken him if I wanted too.

Islesblogger.com Mike was quiet today as he stayed in his seats for all but the last remaining minutes of the game, and Tiger Track Tom Liodice looked quite dashing in his sports coat and tie. Wow! He really IS taking this very seriously. You can check out his work on the Isles main website for many of the game recaps.

Thanks to Doug I ALMOST had a one-on-one interview with Sean Bergenheim in the hallway but for some reason, couldn't come up with anything to ask him. We simply exchanged pleasantries and I told him how happy I was for him for his two point game and star of the night. It must have been that smile and those blue eyes, but I just walked away smiling instead of standing there asking questions and writing.

And finally some additional notes from the locker room (even though I'm not supposed to talk about them). Rick DiPietro looked quite well, almost as good as Hillary Duff.

Penguins vs. Isles on President's Day

4:18 pm: Even with the risk of this game going into overtime, I'm going to pack up my 35 lbs of hardware and get ready to head downstairs.

Later.

4:13 pm And we're stilled tied at 2. Here I thought it would have been a blow out. See? I can never call these things.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention what a brilliant save JOSH BAILEY made for Joey Mac before as he put his stick down on the ice and deflected the puck out of Joey's crease. It was a smart move by a smart kid.

4:01 pm: Sim get's pushed around. My friend is wondering if Guerin is a little angry being on the "line from hell."


3:40 pm: The Washington Nationals President's Race first time on ice, and Teddy never wins. Let's see if since he's on LI, he wins. Lincoln has the lead as they round the goal crease. And Washington is now fighting with Roosevelt, and Teddy goes down. Roosevelt down at the blue line and doesn't look like he's going to finish the race. The trend continues. Teddy never wins.





Here comes the t-shirts and the ice girls. Stephen from IslesNation is looking for a Goalie fight. Instead, he's going to get a Goalie(Stephen) vs. IslesOfficial(Doug) fight. Meaning, Doug is going to take Stephen outside and pummel him.





3:34 pm: Kyle, Kyle, Kyle! 2 minutes for holding with less than 1:40 left of the second. Not good.

3:31 pm: Instead of a goal, Streit ends up in the penalty box. SOG are now 19 - 15 favoring the Isles. This game will blow open in the third I"m sure. And that said, Ryan Whitney evens up the score at 2 each. The kids in attendance try cheering on the Isles to get it back.

HA! I knew it would be a goal, but it ends up being Nielsen's! Good for him! How about Mark Streit? Can he get us some free Wendy's Chili?

Okay, I'm going to ATTEMPT to get coffee or tea. How much should we bet the next Penguins goal comes while I'm away?

3:10 pm: Dougie gives CJ Papa incorrect information and Tamby ALMOST hits the net.

2:46 pm: Just as I expected, end of 1, tied at 1 and pee wee's on the ice shooting pucks. Very cute. And so far, the ambulance hasn't had to come for one of the big head presidents. Time to get coffee.

2:39 pm: Malkin! Just as I figured has now evened the score with only 1:53 left of the first.

2:35 pm And Jackman is in the box and the SOG are 7 - 7. But I'm sure this means the Pens will tie the score and everyone will go to the locker room at the end of the first all even at 1. That's my prediction. But we know, I've been wrong before. Oh.. and it was indeed Campy's goal. Just as I thought!

2:28 pm: Doug is saying that's Sean's goal, and I'm thinking it's Campoli's. Let's see who is right. Gary and Doug are wagering at the end of the desk.

2:24 pm: Bill Guerin makes an unfortunate pass to someone in WHITE and Tyler Kennedy makes a dash for Joey MacDonald. The great thing is he missed the wide open net.


SOG are now 3 - 6 in favor of the Pens with 9:57 left of the first.


Who will score first, and who will get punched out first in the blog box? All these questions and more will be answered shortly.

2:10 pm: Joey MacDonald is in net and for some reason, the goal light behind Fluery is going nuts. The Islanders only had one shot on goal, but the goal judge must be on crack today.

There are also people sitting in the row in front of our table. Which means I'll be standing on my chair most of this game.



Here we are at the Coliseum along with the big-head presidents. One of them will no-doubtedly go rolling down the staircase. Dam they are scary looking.

Wonder how Dan Blysma feels about being behind the bench.... on the wrong side!!


So I'm here and I find out that the much maligned Ice Breakers dance squad is now a victim of the economy. They have been released. Point Blank readers rejoice.

Because I Can - Jason Blake Goal Watch

So yesterday's Valentine's Day Islanders/Flyers match-up didn't turn out the way we hoped. Actually, as I've been saying all along, the Islanders don't do well during day games. So I had no hope to begin with. I was hopeful only because many of my friends had made the trip and were there to cheer on the team.

Sadly, the goal explosion put a damper on their cheering section. And in all honesty, although I was listening to the game sitting in a high school hallway at one of those molded 60s classroom chairs, I actually nodded off for a few minutes during the second period. But the text messages kept coming from those in attendance, and they weren't happy.

Ex-Islander Aaron Asham had his way with Jackman. Campoli caused that penalty shot. And Sean couldn't find the back of the net. The only one who did was Andy Hilbert. It was just one of those days -- Again.

So while I'm all dressed in red and drinking champagne and eating heart shaped ravioli, I get a text from Islesblogger.com Mike. "Blake just scored 2 in 15 seconds."

I almost jumped out of my chair. I'm so happy for him. Almost the same way I was happy with the unexpected production of Mark Streit and Doug Weight. They weren't expected to do well, but they did. Of course, the party ended when both went down with injuries. But for Blake's dark days of last year and his less than stellar season, I'm sure no one expected to see the explosion in point production. No one .... but me.

I've said from the start that Jason Blake should be a 20 - 25 goal scorer consistently. But I also said he needed his contacts adjusted. Well, his point production seems to be coming less from an eagle eye from the point and more because he's taking his chances up close and personal to the goal net. (Although there's a photo of him at the Leafs Skills Competition in a ball cap and glasses, so maybe he did get his perscription changed!)

Barring unforeseen injury, Blake could indeed get close to his much heralded 40 goal season. Seriously, I wonder if every time that little bug scores Garth Snow turns off his blackberry because he's afraid there will be another email from me.

So for my detractors who like to leave those no-name nasty comments every time I put something out into the blogosphere about Jason, save your keystrokes. I don't approve them any way.

NY I Charities & Auctions

Updated 2-15-09: I just checked out the link on the NHL Auctions and I'm not very happy with the turnout. I know things are tight, but this is for charity and the bidding isn't starting out very high. The sticks are starting at $250 and that private skate is for TWELVE people. The bidding is starting at $1500. That's a little over $100 a person if everyone wanted to chip in! And since it is charity, I'm sure it's deductable. So check this link for where it is right now and give it a thought or two.

Okay guys, if you won your local super bow pool and have some extra money laying around, you may want to check out some of these auctions. Are ya feeling lucky, punk? Are ya?


Sticks out of the Hands Auction:
Join the Islanders for their 2nd Annual Sticks out of the Hands Auction. Fans will have the opportunity to bid on game used sticks of the current Islanders team during their February 28th game versus the Buffalo Sabres. The highest bidders will receive two tickets to attend the February 28th Islanders game as well as the opportunity to take the stick out of the hand of the Islander player they bid on as they get off the ice post game. This auction will run from Wednesday, January 28th and will end following the Islanders game on February 19th.

Private Skating Event on the Coliseum Ice:Fans will have the opportunity to bid on a private skating event on the Coliseum ice following the Islanders February 28th game versus the Buffalo Sabres. The highest bidder for this auction item will receive the following: 1 Hour of private ice time for a group of 12 people following the 2/28 game, 12 tickets to the Islanders game on 2/28, and a visit from a special Islanders guest during the post game skate. (Winner must provide their own skates for participants. Additional game tickets can be purchased once auction is closed.) This item will be auctioned off from Wednesday, January 28th and will end following the Islanders game on February 19th. (PS, who ever wins this one, can you contact me so I can tag along? Thanks.)

Islanders Team Photo Opportunity:From February 6th through February 26th Islanders fans will have the opportunity to bid on a chance to join the Islanders in their team photo scheduled on March 6th. The winner of this auction will be invited down to the Nassau Coliseum prior to the Islanders practice and join the team for the end of season photo. The winner will receive a framed copy of the photo that will be autographed by members of the 2008-2009 team. Winner must be available on Friday, March 6th.

Also of note and good for a giggle and actually... cheap, the Islander phone greeting. Have a player or our GM wish someone a happy birthday via phone in a standard recording that you can add your own tag line to for only $4.99. (I'd really like to have him wish Dan a Happy Anniversary on Saturday and tell him that since he created the monster that I am, that he shouldn't complain that I'm blognoring him!)

All details and links for these items are on the Islanders main website.

Kings in town tomorrow. Should be interesting.

Not Quite Ice but still Nice! Skating in Sayville

It was a beautiful morning. Crisp and clear with bright, warm sunlight. Perfect to be outside. Perfect to check out the Town Of Islip's traveling skating rink that is making a brief stay in beautiful, downtown Sayville.



When I arrived, I was worried that it may be just a trifle too warm for ice, but then I watched as Vinny was out on the rink with a stick and a puck and.... sneakers.



"Hey!!! What is this???" I thought to myself. I wandered closer with my camera to get a good luck.



"Did you bring your skates?" He called over to me as he watched me approach. "Yep! But I wanted to take a look first."


It's pretty amazing stuff. It fits together like 3 foot puzzle pieces and is made of all non-toxic materials. They only have to spray a coating on it once a day that is something akin to vegetable oil. And it's PORTABLE and doesn't need any energy!


This skating rink was used at the Town Of Islip's Winter by the Bay in Bay Shore where over 10,000 people came for the free festivities. I was told that over 3500 skated on this little synthetic rink. All for free and all had a great time.




The free family fun winter ideas came from Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan who understands the economic problems families on Long Island are having and wanted to give them something to do that wouldn't put a strain on their wallets.


I met Dan, the president of the Sayville COC, who stopped by to make sure everything was in order. And Pam from the Sayville Inn (one of my pesonal favorite restaurants) stopped by on her scooter to tell Vinny about who would be helping out during the week. Even our favorite beat cop Joel stopped by to take a gander at the makeshift rink with it's pic nic tables and rubber mats from Canada set up in the middle of town.




The rink which TOI owns, will be making the rounds. But this week it's appearance is scheduled and run by the Sayville Chamber of Commerce and has been placed in the Carvel parking lot on Montauk Highway.


The hours are 10 am - 4 pm daily until Feb. 22nd. Bring your own skates. On Saturday the Islanders mascot Sparky was there to entertain the kids. You never know what the Chamber will be able to come up with to entertain the residents.


After your skating session, take a walk down Main Street and enjoy some leisurely shopping at our unique little shops and restaurants. It's small town USA right here on Long Island.