Of Hockey & Country: The Battle of Stanley Vs. The World

I don't follow International hockey tournaments religiously the way I do the NHL, but I don't discount them either. I'm very aware of USA Hockey and all they do to promote the game and produce quality American hockey players. It's a wonderful program that has produced some great talent.

In saying that, I support them and their participation in any international event. Many of our teams, both men's and women's, have taken home gold over the years. While I may not be able to tell you who won the last three World championships without the use of Google, I still think the tournaments are important for various reasons.

First of all, these men and women are representing their country. Most of the time they are on foreign soil. They are the face of the US to many people who may never get here. Conversely, the participants get to go to countries they would not otherwise see. It is an invaluable learning experience.

Secondly, it is a chance to play with and against players of varying expertise and notoriety. For many, these tournaments are a once in a lifetime opportunity.

While the IIHF games are big business and tremendous fan favorites in Europe, they seem to take a back-of-the bus seat here in the US. It was pointed out that one such competition falls during the all mighty Stanley Cup playoffs. Now, while that is an inconvenience for us in the perpetually reminded piddly US hockey loving demographic, it doesn't mean we should completely ignore it. That is unfair to those representing US, the US hockey market.

It's also said that only the European PLAYERS give a crap about the World Championship and that the American players do not. Sorry, I can't imagine that any one of the players tapped for a roster spot on Team USA did so begrudgingly.

"You want me to do what? Play in Europe? Against the best players each country has to offer? Crap. Yeah, may as well. My NHL team didn't make the playoffs and my t-time doesn't start till May 15th. I guess I could, if I have to."

Then the question of insurance on each NHL team's most prized assets comes into question. To allow your star players to play in tournaments far from home where they could become injured is understandably a large concern.

But a star player could become injured anywhere, as we have seen more than once this season. Who would have thought we'd lose a player kicking around a soccer ball in the hallway? How many athletes injury themselves at the gym? How about that dreaded snow blower accident we heard so much about this season? See? Anything can happen.

All I know is these games do mean something to a lot of people. It should always mean something to play for your country. International sports competitions are the only time opposing countries can fight to win something without there being bloodshed. And while everyone wants to win the grand prize, during the journey understanding and friendships are formed.

You can never discount the importance of Good Will.

I look forward to Team USA playing in this competition with young Islander Kyle Okposo on the roster. This is a valuable learning experience for him. I hope he does well.

I am keeping track of All-Star D-man Mark Streit and his contribution to Team Switzerland. The IIHF games may never be as important in the US as they are in Europe, but that won't matter to those players that come home with gold, bronze or silver.

Sure, getting your name on the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal in hockey. But you can't tell me that hearing your national anthem play while they put that medal around your neck is not important.

There is no nationality for the Stanley Cup. It is awarded to a TEAM. If you win it on one team, your name is etched on the cup, but you may not be with that team the next year. If Team USA wins at the Worlds', they win as a team of Americans, and American is something they will always be. National pride is not something to be taken lightly.

Good Luck Scott, Good Luck Kyle. A very special Good Luck to the oldest member on Team USA this year; that scrawny kid from North Dakota that went undrafted and made a name for himself in this league any way.

I'll wear my Team USA jersey proudly, even if I can't watch the games in the states. I have Twitter, and Twitter is a wonderous thing!

Gary Bettman Discusses The Lighthouse NHL Hour

Because I am the geek that I am, I am a faithful listener of the NHL Hour with Commissioner Bettman. Today on his show, the Commissioner addressed the 2nd team in Toronto rumour. But while he was at it, he spoke about the Islanders. Here is the excepts from his radio show as presented on NHL.com by the NHL.com staff.

The Commissioner also told a caller that New York Islanders "cannot stay in the Nassau Coliseum one minute longer than they're required to under their lease."

Islanders owner Charles Wang is attempting to gain approval from the Town of Hempstead for the Lighthouse Project, a development that would include a much-needed remodeling of the Coliseum, the smallest arena in the NHL. The Isles' current lease expires in 2015. Bettman said Wang "is absolutely committed to trying to do everything possible to get the Lighthouse Project moving forward -- but warned that " If that doesn't work, he's going to have to look at his options -- that doesn't necessarily mean his options off of Long Island, but he's going to have to look at his options."

Considering the stories floating around the blogosphere today, those options are many. But who really knows what is being considered and what is purely writer's fantasy.

But Mr. Bettman continued, "That building is antiquated, everyone knows it. It impacts attendance. It impacts team performance. It impacts the experience fans have when they go to the game. It's time for Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead to give him the approvals so that he can move forward," Bettman said. "Let him get the approvals he needs so that he can get the job done. He will get it done, but it's time for the governmental authorities to stop being an impediment to what must happen inevitably -- because if anybody thinks that in the absence of the new arena, this team is going to stay in the Nassau Coliseum, they must be nuts."

Uh... Okay then.

Better Roads, Government Dollars

This is for my mother who has asked me a few times this past week "Is anything happening with the Lighthouse Project? Anything?"

The only thing I can say is that I know our friends at the project are working hard with a congressional delegation to try to obtain funds for highway and roadway improvements under the Safetea-Lu Bill. (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users)

We have all said that the roadways and highways in the area surrounding the Coliseum need improvements even without the project. By trying to secure funds for the improvements, this will benefit EVERYONE.

So, see? There is movement and it isn't at ToH.

Continue to support the Lighthouse LI Project and all it will bring and it WILL happen because we can MAKE it happen.

My LIGHTHOUSE LI Wish List

I've had time to think about the details of the new arena as well as the surrounding area of the proposed Lighthouse LI project.

On paper, it is better than anything Disney could imagine. In my mind, what I can envision for this current vast expanse of gray parking lot is second only to heaven.

So here is a list of details I wold love to see at the project. Mind you, I have not passed these by anyone I know who works for the project. So please don't take anything you see here as a hint of the wonder yet to come. Although that skating rink in the photo would make me happy, so I'll assume that's already ONE item off my wish list that will be included. So here goes:

Lighthouse LI Wish List:

1) Cup holders! Come on, Bridgeport has them, why can't we?

2) Better wireless service in the arena so that I can actually HEAR the game and not just watch it.

3) Starbucks! REAL Starbucks, or Seattle's Best. And not just urns of already brewed regular coffee at concessions. I want a store front and all it entails. I'm spoiled rotten and I want my coffee. Decaf preferably after 8 pm!

4) A wine bar. Not just any wine bar, a LONG ISLAND wine bar! We have a wonderful wine industry here on Long Island, so why can't I get a glass of Bedell Merlot, or Pindar Winter White at the largest entertainment venue on Long Island? I want it.

5) A team store at the front of the arena that's OPEN when the arena is NOT! In Columbus they have a fabulous store right at the entrance of the arena. You can buy anything you want right there. In Boston, there's a Bruins team store in the train station below the TD Bank Centre. You can keep some of the concession stands, but I'd love to see a team store at the team's HOME.

6) A sky way. If you've been to St. Paul, you know what I'm talking about. There are walkways that connect building to building so you never have to brave the elements. There are security doors at each building and they are monitored by camera. They are clean and beautiful and offer a breathtaking view of the city. With the proposed project being one of the most magnificent developments on Long Island, I think something that connects each piece would make a lot of sense. To be able to WALK from the hotel to the concourse of the arena without having to wear your coat and snow boots in January would be a dream.

7) The Ladies room stalls should include TWO strong hooks and PLEASE, a pull down shelf. Perhaps this is just me being the pack mule that I am at games, but between my purse, my laptop bag, my coat and a bag of new purchases, I have no place to put all of it in the rest room.

8) Lockers? Maybe? Again, for those purchases and the bulky coats that make sitting in a packed arena less than comfortable.

9) Public skating. Oh, you have that. Perfect!

10) Concerts: indoors and out. Wait! You have that too!

I'm sure there are many other details that I can come up with, but these seem to come to mind first. Do you have anything you'd love to see there? Let me know.

Hey Toronto! Are you REALLY the Center of the Hockey Universe?

This should cause a mild ripple in the hockey pool, but while I was listening to Toronto 640 am today (since I have yet to update my XM account for another $3 a month so I can web stream Home Ice), I heard Bill Waters complain about the attendance at a recent Toronto Marlies Playoff game.

Wait... Back up the bus. This is Toronto we're talking about right? The center of the Hockey Universe? The place I am told that Hockey is not a sport, it's a religious cult. So what was Mr. Waters, who has worked for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, complaining about? Could it be just because it wasn't a sell out? Because you KNOW, we're told that EVERY hockey game in TO is a sell out.

It seems Mr. Waters was complaining and trying to figure out how to fix a report of attendance at an AHL playoff game of.... (wait for it....) Under 1,000 people.

I'm sorry. What was that number? Yes, under 1,000 people for a hockey game in the hockey Mecca.

So I went to the AHL site to try to find the stats for the game, and they have the official (yeah, we know what that means) attendance at 2,258. Hell... that's a lot more than 1,000.

However, I was complaining about our paltry attendance at our Sound Tigers game at less than 6,000 here on Long Island. (Okay, maybe I need to apologize, but I still think we could have done better!!!)

Put that in perspective in your mind now. Toronto -- Hockey Playoff game --- 2,258 in attendance. Uniondale -- Hockey Playoff game for a CT team -- 5,903 in attendance.

Excuse me, Toronto... Are we still going to have the John Tavares will languish in obscurity in Long Island argument? Is it that ONLY the Laughs, sorry LEAFS, are important in Toronto and not Hockey itself?

How do you justify an AHL game attendance in Toronto at only 2,258? (when it's really under 1,000)

I heard on the radio the concession prices, the parking, the getting out of the parking lot arguments. Yet, when the Islanders try to use such arguments as Arena conditions we are shushed. "It's not your arena it's the fact that you have no fanbase!" Uh.... not so.

Hmmm.... Dear Toronto: Long Island is a strong hockey market whether you want to believe it or not.

Dear Dan: There's one less bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the wine rack because you left me here alone to watch the Rangers win. But at least... so did the Bruins!

Next up (as if you possible care) My Lighthouse LI wish list! Yes, I've given it great thought. What could possibly serve and improve my experience at the Coliseum.

For now... It's crash time.

Blake Comeau Back on The Bus

News arrived at my office in-box via press release that Blake Comeau has been reassigned to Bridgeport hoping to even up the series on Wednesday with the baby Pens. I hope that his injury is truly healed. I'd hate to have him end up injured again.

Speaking of injuries and recoveries, it seems that Frans Nielsen and Sean Bergenheim have been held back from playing for their countries during the World championship in Switzerland. They were healthy enough to rejoin the line up for the Islanders but I'm guessing the team is erring on the side of caution by holding them back. It's sad, but understandable.

Also understandable is Marty Brodeur's hissy fit as the Cane's win game 4 with .2 seconds left. The series is tied at two and I would have never expected that. But that's why they play the game.

Team USA lost it's only exhibition game today in Switzerland 5 - 2. I haven't seen anything about our boy Kyle yet. But then again... I only got the information off Twitter.

I'll tell you that Twitter is now my new favorite addiction. It's so much better than Facebook because it doesn't have all the social gift/game/survey/sell me crap. I've been able to find so many great articles on twitter that it's kept me more than busy.

Also keeping me busy is all day rebuttal to those who still claim that Toronto has claim to John Tavares and those who think Sean Avery is getting the raw end of the stick.

I'd like to show Avery a stick myself. And throw it at him the same way Brodeur threw his at the boards.

Nite nite.

Dear NHL: I've had it!

I can no longer stomach watching the childish antics on one Sean Avery. Seriously, I can't.

Watching him whack Tim Thomas in the head with his stick and act like he did nothing wrong was bad. Watching him punch a 20 year-old rookie goalie tonight was more than I could stand. This man has no respect for anyone or anything in this league.

I have heard from numerous sources that being a member of the NHL is a privilege. It is something you work hard for and something that should be cherished. It is an elite group of men with relatively short careers.

When I hear Phil Esposito speak about it, he is adamant that it is a privilege not a right and that hockey talent is a God given gift that should never be taken lightly.

Sean Avery takes it lightly every day, every minute. It is one thing to be an enforcer in the game. They live by a code of conduct, or at least they used to. But those men who fight the hardest are generally the most humble and soft spoken off the ice. It is also another thing to be an agitator, someone who can get under the skin of an opponent verbally to cause them to lose focus and be off their game.

Sean Avery has taken "agitator" to the level of class clown. His perpetual "Who? Me?" attitude has no place on the ice or in the NHL. He doesn't do this for his team. By his own admission he is NOT a team player. Sean Avery is self centered and a loner who feels he is bigger than the game.

I give John Tortorella credit for attempting to keep him on a short leash, but it is not working. I give the Dallas Stars credit for walking away from him saying they wanted no part of what he had to offer.

There are those who say he is "good for the game" because he brings publicity to it. High speed crashes bring publicity too, but with them devastation. He is a train wreck. Does the NHL need that type of publicity? I doubt it.

So, to the League I ask: Do we really need to wait until Sean Avery finally ends another player's career with his "accidents"? You have already had to create a rule just for him. How many more will it take before it is clear that he does not respect this game, this league, the players or anyone else associated with it. I hardly believe he even respects himself.

Let this season be his last in the NHL. There are so many men who could take his place who are far more worthy of the honor. He can find other ways of making a lucrative living. Let him find one.

"Uh...Sorry."

Dear Jeff Blair:

because there is moderation on the Globe & Mail and Isleschick was curious to see what I wrote, here it is, if it never shows up there.


Mr. Blair, I see that your paper actually had another article almost in rebuttal to this little piece of your personal opinion. Just as so many other Canadian journalists, you have found the way to increase your comment and hit count is by attacking the NY Islanders. As we have one of the most passionate fan bases, (whether you wish to believe it or not) I am sure you are being hit from all sides as your brief piece has made it's way from message board to message board.
John Tavares should be happy to be a NY Islander IF he is chosen.

Have you ever SEEN Long Island? It's a beautiful place to live with beaches and vineyards and plenty to offer a young man. To say that he will be a "nobody" playing for a "nowhere team" is actually a disservice to a young man looking forward to his professional career and an insult to some hockey greats that came before him.

While you may have some rude things to say about us, where else could he be taught by some of hockey's greatest legends? (Mike Bossy & Brian Trottier)

While our media coverage is indeed smaller than that in TO, it would do a young player well to be low key as he matures. The pressure is not so great that he will break.

In other words... I'm sick of your Toronto Maple Leaf grand standing and feeling as if you own the hockey universe. Brian Burke may be a great hockey mind, but he is not the pope or God and just because he wants something doesn't mean he will get it.

So go ahead now and tell your countrymen that Tavares is no longer the number one pick so that you can justify him becoming the face of our franchise (if that is what Garth Snow wants.)

The ball is in HIS court, NOT Canada's.

Enjoy the Internet hits on your column as they are all coming from our fan base which spans the globe.


Translation: byte me.

Making the Most of it: Jon Sim

Update 4/21/09: Greg Logan and I hardly ever have the same idea, except this time. Guess we were both impressed on a night that nothing else was pretty impressive.


Hockey is a tough sport. It's an even tougher business. Sometimes difficult decisions are made from a business standpoint that are emotionally cutting. It's all a part of life; all a part of the business.





This past season, a veteran with nine NHL seasons to his credit was suddenly a member of the AHL. I suppose this was better than the almost full season he spent not playing at all.





Jon Sim had played two games in the '07 - '08 season before a leg injury ended his season prematurely. From what I saw on his face, he seemed devastated. Night after night he would stand in the tunnel staring at the ice. It was painful for me to watch. He's a professional hockey player. Hockey players want to play hockey, not just get paid to wander the hallways and show up at charity functions.





When the new season began, he was healthy and ready. He played 49 games, but he was a -12. He did not dress for 14 regular season games under new coach Scott Gordon.

Jon Sim had his best night on March 2nd with 3 assists. Two days later, he was assigned to Bridgeport after being placed on waivers. I can't imagine anything worse for a hockey player. Isn't that in essence saying "Gee, thanks. We really don't need you."





Sim could have been far less than the professional he actually is but he accepted the assignment and in the 18 regular season games he played for the Sound Tigers, he has scored 13 goals and 10 assists. He has become an asset for coach Jack Capuano.





This weekend, back at the Coliseum, I watched him play his heart out. I watched him stand in front of the net and repeatedly get whacked in the back. I watched him be important to that team and an annoyance to the opponent.





Saturday night was the second loss for the Sound Tigers in this playoff series, but Jack Capuano had this to say about Jon Sim in the post game interview.





"Jon Sim is a professional. When he first got down, obviously he could have had an attitude. But he came down, just like all the guys came down. He's been real positive to the guys, real good in the locker room, real vocal. He's played hard. He's played hard. (Yes, he said it twice for emphasis.) He has no regrets. He came down to work on his game and help the younger kids on our hockey team. So it's a tribute to Jon Sim with the attitude he came down with for sure."





Jack could not have been more sincere.





"If there's one guy who is going to stand in front of the net, whether it's the American League or the National Hockey League, he'll do it. And he's not afraid of the puck, he stands right in front of it and tries to score goals. We just have to get pucks to it."





Tonight, Sunday, Jon Sim scored twice helpping the Sound Tigers win their 3rd game in three nights. The AHL is a tough league. Their schedules are tough and the officiating seems a little 'lax' to say the least. To call it "minor league" hockey is an insult.





But Jon Sim is making the most of it, and it is a tribute to him.