The signing of Mike Comrie to a league minimum deal with Pittsburgh made me think about the game in my head I like to play once the season starts. But as I really don't have anything going on until I meed with the team's PR people next week, let's play it now.
"Ex-Isles: Where are they Now" game now on HockeyBuzz.
Maybe some of the names will conjur up some pleasant Islander memories -- or not so pleasant ones. But it was something to do while I sat drinking coffee on my back deck in the cool of a September morning before my Sunday of Softball begins and my netbook battery dies.
Have a wonderful Sunday.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Prospect Projections
As we are now in September and my season has officially started, I'm making the prediction that at least one of the prospects from 2010 are sticking. Okay, let me be clearer -- Kirill 2010 or Nino. One of them. For my reasons and rantings in all the typo ridden detail you can read it at HockeyBuzz.com here.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Weight: Expecting Big Things in his 20th Season
Tonight I waited for Doug Weight to do a radio interview on AM640 Toronto with Bill Watters. I was hoping he'd be on before 5:30pm, but of course, he wasn't. But I'm glad I waited around to hear what he had to say.
While NHL.com's Brian Compton has a really great article up on the returning Captain, it was nice to hear Doug in his own voice speaking with excitement about the upcoming season.
"I don't see why we wouldn't expect to see teams make big jumps." He knows that all the reports have the young Islander squad still at the bottom of the Eastern standings for next season. "Respect has to be earned. We're ready for that."
This is the intangible that veteran Doug Weight brings to the table. He will not only be a mentor but a motivator and an insulator.
He's hoping and believes that Rick DiPietro can make 30 - 40 starts this season and knows that doing so would be getting off in the right direction to becoming the star in this league that he should be. As hard as it was, he has taken the necessary time to heal and should be fine.
When asked about first rounder John Tavares and what he likes about him, Doug was quick to answer "I like everything about him. He constantly wants to be better. You don't find that in a lot of guys."
Weight worked out with JT before heading off to his own private Idaho and said he looks great and stronger. "I think it's going to be a big year for him." Two qualities that JT has that make him believe that are "He's lethal around the net" and "He doesn't want to take a shift off."
Doug was asked if anyone else in the room of youngsters impressed him and he rattled basically the majority of the roster. "Josh will be a great 2-way centerman." He then went on to praise Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau. "We've got talent." But talent may not be enough and he knows that.
"We've got to ask a lot of each other. We've got to show up 60 minutes a night. That's how great teams do it." And that is something I have heard for years. Great teams find a way to win. They pull out all the stops and find something in themselves they didn't even know they had. Dough knows it. He's lived it. He will have to teach it.
He will. Welcome back Captain.
While NHL.com's Brian Compton has a really great article up on the returning Captain, it was nice to hear Doug in his own voice speaking with excitement about the upcoming season.
"I don't see why we wouldn't expect to see teams make big jumps." He knows that all the reports have the young Islander squad still at the bottom of the Eastern standings for next season. "Respect has to be earned. We're ready for that."
This is the intangible that veteran Doug Weight brings to the table. He will not only be a mentor but a motivator and an insulator.
He's hoping and believes that Rick DiPietro can make 30 - 40 starts this season and knows that doing so would be getting off in the right direction to becoming the star in this league that he should be. As hard as it was, he has taken the necessary time to heal and should be fine.
When asked about first rounder John Tavares and what he likes about him, Doug was quick to answer "I like everything about him. He constantly wants to be better. You don't find that in a lot of guys."
Weight worked out with JT before heading off to his own private Idaho and said he looks great and stronger. "I think it's going to be a big year for him." Two qualities that JT has that make him believe that are "He's lethal around the net" and "He doesn't want to take a shift off."
Doug was asked if anyone else in the room of youngsters impressed him and he rattled basically the majority of the roster. "Josh will be a great 2-way centerman." He then went on to praise Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau. "We've got talent." But talent may not be enough and he knows that.
"We've got to ask a lot of each other. We've got to show up 60 minutes a night. That's how great teams do it." And that is something I have heard for years. Great teams find a way to win. They pull out all the stops and find something in themselves they didn't even know they had. Dough knows it. He's lived it. He will have to teach it.
He will. Welcome back Captain.
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