The Long Island Press featured an article in April called "Garth Snow's Summer "To-Do" List" written by Michael McEnareny. I actually used the article when I interviewed Mr. Snow in late April.
He admitted he hadn't read the article, but when I explained the five main items the fans wanted to see addressed in the off-season, he said he couldn't disagree.
They were:
1) Draft Wisely
2) Add size up front
3) Fix the Goaltender-go-round
4) Add nastiness at "D"
5) Find an Experienced Sniper
Continued here.
We're really missing a piece of the puzzle.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
DiPietro Speaks: In 140 or Less
They say timing is everything, but I am curious as to this one. The Islanders are hosting a Twitter Question & Answer period tomorrow with Rick DiPietro. They are asking fans to log on and offer up questions for Rick that he will answer, in 140 characters or less. You have to be a member of Twitter in order to submit the question, but you will be able to read the answers once they are posted. Questions are being taken up until Noon on Thursday.The web address is http://twitter.com/NYISLANDERS.
Considering that last night the rumor mill was running rampant with "Niemi to the Isles" speculation, I just found this interesting. I did get into a few conversations with fans about Rick DiPietro's ability to play this season. While I can understand that his ability is a question mark, I still believe he should be given the chance to at least attempt to get back to the form he was.
That being said, should Garth Snow surprise me once again and grab Stanley Cup winning goalie Niemi for a good price, I will just sit on the sidelines and shake my head. I want you to know that I DID try to find out if there was any shred of truth to the rumor, but was stonewalled at every turn. Usually I will get at least a snicker for my questions, but this time I received no response. Now, could that mean something? I don't know. Let's just say it wasn't a flat out "What? Are you serious?"
Also, it is nice to hear that new Islander James Wisniewski is happy to be joining the Islanders even though he was surprised about the move. Here is an article from the main site. I'm just happy that it wasn't the same cry-fest there was when Garth Snow pulled the same move with Ryan Smyth. You remember that 11th hour deal with the Oilers that shocked the hockey world as well as the Smyth family. So, no tearful airport press conference for Wiz. Good move. I like him already.
Considering that last night the rumor mill was running rampant with "Niemi to the Isles" speculation, I just found this interesting. I did get into a few conversations with fans about Rick DiPietro's ability to play this season. While I can understand that his ability is a question mark, I still believe he should be given the chance to at least attempt to get back to the form he was.
That being said, should Garth Snow surprise me once again and grab Stanley Cup winning goalie Niemi for a good price, I will just sit on the sidelines and shake my head. I want you to know that I DID try to find out if there was any shred of truth to the rumor, but was stonewalled at every turn. Usually I will get at least a snicker for my questions, but this time I received no response. Now, could that mean something? I don't know. Let's just say it wasn't a flat out "What? Are you serious?"
Also, it is nice to hear that new Islander James Wisniewski is happy to be joining the Islanders even though he was surprised about the move. Here is an article from the main site. I'm just happy that it wasn't the same cry-fest there was when Garth Snow pulled the same move with Ryan Smyth. You remember that 11th hour deal with the Oilers that shocked the hockey world as well as the Smyth family. So, no tearful airport press conference for Wiz. Good move. I like him already.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sim-ply Surprised.
Lots of news over the Twitter feed today. Some upsetting: Wisniewski will wear #20 and some surprising: Jon Sim signs a one year two way contract.
It was a little surprising so my first reaction was a "WTF." Not because it was a bad thing, but more because it shocked me. I just didn't expect it. But let's remember that I was the woman who got called out on more than one occasion for being one of Jon Sim's biggest supporters. He was often called my "newest charity case."
But the guy works, and works hard. He draws penalties and annoys the daylights of players on the ice. He takes abuse and occasionally finds the back of the net. This isn't a bad thing.
The only bad thing? Jon, Shakey would like you to start wearing socks with your skates. He says they stink.
Reactions of today and more at HockeyBuzz.com But you can always leave your thoughts here.
I guess I'm glad I didn't get a #20 for my necklace. But this still sort of makes me sad. sigh.
It was a little surprising so my first reaction was a "WTF." Not because it was a bad thing, but more because it shocked me. I just didn't expect it. But let's remember that I was the woman who got called out on more than one occasion for being one of Jon Sim's biggest supporters. He was often called my "newest charity case."
But the guy works, and works hard. He draws penalties and annoys the daylights of players on the ice. He takes abuse and occasionally finds the back of the net. This isn't a bad thing.
The only bad thing? Jon, Shakey would like you to start wearing socks with your skates. He says they stink.
Reactions of today and more at HockeyBuzz.com But you can always leave your thoughts here.
I guess I'm glad I didn't get a #20 for my necklace. But this still sort of makes me sad. sigh.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Survey Says?!
It has taken me almost two hours to read only a portion of what everyone has been saying about Garth Snow's Friday night acquisition of ex-Duck James Wisniewski. So far the survey seems to say the deal was a steal.
Some thought provoking information about the roster was found at this installment of IslandersPointBlank, and I always leave it to my buddy Dom at LighthouseHockey to come up with all the useful information and web links. I don't know how he does it, but I love him for it. Dom took the time to scout out both sides to the Wisniewski signing. Like everything in life, there are ALWAYS two sides to the story.
I have personally had people come up to me and say how great a signing Wiz will be for the Isles this coming season. And I have also had some tell me of dirty hits and lack of character. I decided to contact someone a little closer to his old team and asked if there was anything I should know about James. The response I got was "He wanted more than we were willing to pay him. We have other plans."
Hmmmm...Not exactly what I was looking for, but a quote none-the-less. I was hoping for more insight into his personality or work ethic. But I see this will be one signing I will have to wait to draw my own conclusions about.
But no matter what I think, the overwhelming response has been positive. There was even a little Garth Snow Twitter love fest going on over the weekend, and surprisingly to some -- I didn't start it. But there were some great words of praise from writers and fans alike.
Does this mean that the Islanders will be play-off contenders this coming season? Who knows. So much can change from September's training camp to push for playoffs come trade deadline day. I'll just say that maybe the chances of making the playoffs are slightly higher than they were. Also, the Anaheim signing tonight of Andy Sutton to a two year deal ends the questioning about whether the big man would be back in Uniondale.
So while it seems the Isles swapping shot-blockers with the Ducks, their defense seems to be all worked out. However, I have read fans questioning who will be able to put the puck in the net. Well, some on the net do like to call the Isles GM, "Mr. August" so he may have one more trick up his sleeve.
I will reserve becoming familiar with all the names on the Islanders roster until September. But I should probably at least learn to spell a few of them, even if I can't pronounce them.
On a side note, I wandered over to the game used jersey tab on the Islanders main site. While a lot of the items are sold, I found some of the pricing a little on the surprising side. (i.e., stupid) John Tavares' jerseys are priced at $5,500. at first I thought it was a typo. Then I noticed that all his jerseys in each set were priced that way. I believe only one of them was sold. I am imagining that was John's father that bought it. Just a guess.
So... no other news to report as of yet. Perhaps another depth move this week. But other than the above, I've got nothing. I'm going to be spending the next two days working on another divisional article for another website. This one will be on goal tending. Oh... that should be interesting.
Some thought provoking information about the roster was found at this installment of IslandersPointBlank, and I always leave it to my buddy Dom at LighthouseHockey to come up with all the useful information and web links. I don't know how he does it, but I love him for it. Dom took the time to scout out both sides to the Wisniewski signing. Like everything in life, there are ALWAYS two sides to the story.
I have personally had people come up to me and say how great a signing Wiz will be for the Isles this coming season. And I have also had some tell me of dirty hits and lack of character. I decided to contact someone a little closer to his old team and asked if there was anything I should know about James. The response I got was "He wanted more than we were willing to pay him. We have other plans."
Hmmmm...Not exactly what I was looking for, but a quote none-the-less. I was hoping for more insight into his personality or work ethic. But I see this will be one signing I will have to wait to draw my own conclusions about.
But no matter what I think, the overwhelming response has been positive. There was even a little Garth Snow Twitter love fest going on over the weekend, and surprisingly to some -- I didn't start it. But there were some great words of praise from writers and fans alike.
Does this mean that the Islanders will be play-off contenders this coming season? Who knows. So much can change from September's training camp to push for playoffs come trade deadline day. I'll just say that maybe the chances of making the playoffs are slightly higher than they were. Also, the Anaheim signing tonight of Andy Sutton to a two year deal ends the questioning about whether the big man would be back in Uniondale.
So while it seems the Isles swapping shot-blockers with the Ducks, their defense seems to be all worked out. However, I have read fans questioning who will be able to put the puck in the net. Well, some on the net do like to call the Isles GM, "Mr. August" so he may have one more trick up his sleeve.
I will reserve becoming familiar with all the names on the Islanders roster until September. But I should probably at least learn to spell a few of them, even if I can't pronounce them.
On a side note, I wandered over to the game used jersey tab on the Islanders main site. While a lot of the items are sold, I found some of the pricing a little on the surprising side. (i.e., stupid) John Tavares' jerseys are priced at $5,500. at first I thought it was a typo. Then I noticed that all his jerseys in each set were priced that way. I believe only one of them was sold. I am imagining that was John's father that bought it. Just a guess.
So... no other news to report as of yet. Perhaps another depth move this week. But other than the above, I've got nothing. I'm going to be spending the next two days working on another divisional article for another website. This one will be on goal tending. Oh... that should be interesting.
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