Okay, this was REALLY not the entry I wanted to stop vacuuming up the damn dog hair in my living room to write, but I was compelled. It's short, it's here at HockeyBuzz.com.
Thanks Larry Brooks and NYPost for poking me into action.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Gordon Watch
Okay, this was REALLY not the entry I wanted to stop vacuuming up the damn dog hair in my living room to write, but I was compelled. It's short, it's here at HockeyBuzz.com.
Thanks Larry Brooks and NYPost for poking me into action.
A Perfect Seven -- Losses
Well, it's late and I did manage to write something over here at HockeyBuzz.com. Tomorrow morning I will have my far mor fluffier piece and photos about my night at the barn, the last one I'll spend there for a few weeks as the Isles head to California.
Okay, actually I'm smart enough to save some of the items to tide me over for a few days since they don't play again until Wednesday in Anaheim.
And with that -- and what feels like I broke my finger somehow -- I'm saying Good Night.
Congrats Matt Moulson on the Islanders lone goal, his sixth. Also congrats to James Wisniewski the Sharp player for the month of October.
Okay, actually I'm smart enough to save some of the items to tide me over for a few days since they don't play again until Wednesday in Anaheim.
And with that -- and what feels like I broke my finger somehow -- I'm saying Good Night.
Congrats Matt Moulson on the Islanders lone goal, his sixth. Also congrats to James Wisniewski the Sharp player for the month of October.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Line On The Ice
How far is too far? Where is the line that can't be crossed when players are chirping each other in hockey? This question has come up quite a bit this week, especially for our Islanders after their last bout with the Philadelphia Flyers.
According to Danny Briere it was something Frans Nielsen “said” that pushed him to the limit. We are not privy to what he actually said because -- well, you know the adage “what happens on the ice, stays on the ice.” But it supposedly was enough to send Briere into a head clocking fit. (In all honesty, I still don't buy that. Not from Frans Nielsen.)
The League told James Wisniewski his hand gesture was “too far” on the ice, even though, according to him, it was a gesture Sean Avery had performed during the pre-game skate. (Monitoring pre-game skates will be a topic at next week's GM's meeting.)
Avery has been in trouble numerous times for “going too far” on and off the ice. It’s one thing to slander an ex-girlfriend, then current girl-friend of another player, but there was an outcry of “foul!” when it was reported that he chirped at Jason Blake about his battle with cancer. Insensitive to say the least, but too far or just part of the game?
I was listening to Ray Ferraro on his morning talk show on Vancouver's am 1040 on Wednesday and his co-host asked the same question. “How far is too far?” Ray Ferraro has been on both ends of the ice on this one. He’s taken as much as he’s given. According to him, that’s the way it is. There is no line. “Everything is fair game with one exception -- kids.” He admits there are things he wished he hadn't said, but little is off limits.
Okay, there you have it. So the code of the hockey player is "no kid references." Ray said he’s been called midget, asked if he’s been shot out of a cannon and other short jokes. He’s tossed items about like “With that head, are you a float in the Thanksgiving parade.” These seem all pretty tame. Think back to the barbs lobbed in Slap Shot. Demeaning references about a goalie’s wife or a defenseman’s sexuality was enough to cause an all out blood bath.
But as Ray said, it’s part of the game. “Things I’ve been told on the ice would get someone arrested in the real world.” Do we want to take that out of this game too? This is a passionate game, and it’s the passion that makes it so special. If you remove or penalize every on ice comment made I believe something will be lost. This is the last, great, gladiator sport there is. Every year some other aspect becomes regulated and limited.
In this terrific SNY.TV piece by Chris Botta, Zenon Konopka talks about what happened in the Flyers game that caused him to be escorted from the ice. However, he too wasn’t too quick to divulge the actual verbiage used, only the fact that he wanted to be heard loud and clear. Watch it and see what you think? He discusses how things are in the ECHL (go back to Slap Shot territory) Maybe the ice is the last place anyone can be “non-pc” and get away with it. Personally, I’d like to keep it that way.
According to Danny Briere it was something Frans Nielsen “said” that pushed him to the limit. We are not privy to what he actually said because -- well, you know the adage “what happens on the ice, stays on the ice.” But it supposedly was enough to send Briere into a head clocking fit. (In all honesty, I still don't buy that. Not from Frans Nielsen.)
The League told James Wisniewski his hand gesture was “too far” on the ice, even though, according to him, it was a gesture Sean Avery had performed during the pre-game skate. (Monitoring pre-game skates will be a topic at next week's GM's meeting.)
Avery has been in trouble numerous times for “going too far” on and off the ice. It’s one thing to slander an ex-girlfriend, then current girl-friend of another player, but there was an outcry of “foul!” when it was reported that he chirped at Jason Blake about his battle with cancer. Insensitive to say the least, but too far or just part of the game?
I was listening to Ray Ferraro on his morning talk show on Vancouver's am 1040 on Wednesday and his co-host asked the same question. “How far is too far?” Ray Ferraro has been on both ends of the ice on this one. He’s taken as much as he’s given. According to him, that’s the way it is. There is no line. “Everything is fair game with one exception -- kids.” He admits there are things he wished he hadn't said, but little is off limits.
Okay, there you have it. So the code of the hockey player is "no kid references." Ray said he’s been called midget, asked if he’s been shot out of a cannon and other short jokes. He’s tossed items about like “With that head, are you a float in the Thanksgiving parade.” These seem all pretty tame. Think back to the barbs lobbed in Slap Shot. Demeaning references about a goalie’s wife or a defenseman’s sexuality was enough to cause an all out blood bath.
But as Ray said, it’s part of the game. “Things I’ve been told on the ice would get someone arrested in the real world.” Do we want to take that out of this game too? This is a passionate game, and it’s the passion that makes it so special. If you remove or penalize every on ice comment made I believe something will be lost. This is the last, great, gladiator sport there is. Every year some other aspect becomes regulated and limited.
In this terrific SNY.TV piece by Chris Botta, Zenon Konopka talks about what happened in the Flyers game that caused him to be escorted from the ice. However, he too wasn’t too quick to divulge the actual verbiage used, only the fact that he wanted to be heard loud and clear. Watch it and see what you think? He discusses how things are in the ECHL (go back to Slap Shot territory) Maybe the ice is the last place anyone can be “non-pc” and get away with it. Personally, I’d like to keep it that way.
Not AS Bad?
That's the line that bothered me most in this morning's article in Newsday by Katie Strang.
Granted, she's taking her cue from Scott Gordon who said it was a step in the right direction and told Rob Carlin they had to start somewhere. But still.
No matter what you may want to think about who is in net for the loss, the truth is, they're not losing by one goal. They're not scoring. Matt Moulson had to fight for his fifth goal of the season and that was all anyone could get.
Shots are going wide, they're soft, they're hitting sticks. They were credited with 29 shots on goal, 17 blocked and 7 missed. There were 25 hits and they won 57% of the face offs. Rob Schremp won 7 of the 9 he took. But even winning the face offs didn't help them this time.
More at HockeyBuzz.com if I ever get my Internet working properly again.
I've had Fios for less than a week. Last night the modem decided to freak out and refused to connect to the Internet. I was on the phone with a technician for over an hour and a half. Nothing would work. Interesting. Maybe the cable guy who was wandering around in my drive way today had something to do with it.
Happy Friday.
"So even though the streak was extended, this loss wasn't as bad as the two that preceded it."
Granted, she's taking her cue from Scott Gordon who said it was a step in the right direction and told Rob Carlin they had to start somewhere. But still.
No matter what you may want to think about who is in net for the loss, the truth is, they're not losing by one goal. They're not scoring. Matt Moulson had to fight for his fifth goal of the season and that was all anyone could get.
Shots are going wide, they're soft, they're hitting sticks. They were credited with 29 shots on goal, 17 blocked and 7 missed. There were 25 hits and they won 57% of the face offs. Rob Schremp won 7 of the 9 he took. But even winning the face offs didn't help them this time.
More at HockeyBuzz.com if I ever get my Internet working properly again.
I've had Fios for less than a week. Last night the modem decided to freak out and refused to connect to the Internet. I was on the phone with a technician for over an hour and a half. Nothing would work. Interesting. Maybe the cable guy who was wandering around in my drive way today had something to do with it.
Happy Friday.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Isles 2 Canes 7 & No Party for Rob
Oh boy. Thoughts the morning after here at hockeybuzz.
Tonight's game may be a wake-up call or a repeat of last night. We'll have to wait and see.
All we do know is that Dwayne Roloson will be the target in net. But I'm thinking the outcome may not be very much different from last night.
And don't forget to @RobCarlinMSG your answer to his Twitter Question of the Day.
Tonight's game may be a wake-up call or a repeat of last night. We'll have to wait and see.
All we do know is that Dwayne Roloson will be the target in net. But I'm thinking the outcome may not be very much different from last night.
And don't forget to @RobCarlinMSG your answer to his Twitter Question of the Day.
@RobCarlinMSG Twitter question of the day - What is your biggest concern with Rick DiPietro? See your responses on Subway #Islanders GameNight.. #Isles
15 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Game 12: Isles vs. Hurricanes
12:30 pm Updated: So Rick DiPietro gets the start in Raliegh and Jon Sim gets a hat trick for the Sound Tigers! Gotta love Twitter!
The headline reads “Slumping Isles visit struggling Hurricanes” Both teams are stalled at ten points and frustrated with only enough wins to count on one hand after playing 11 games so far this season. The Hurricanes have yet to score a goal on their own ice.
The Islanders power play is barely effective at 22% while the Hurricanes’ efforts hardly register at 12%. Scott Gordon had the Islanders practicing PP drills on the smaller ice yesterday at Ice Works before leaving for Raleigh. The Hurricanes worked on their face-offs. The Islanders, with the likes of Zenon Konopka, stand at 51% face off wins to the ‘Canes 37.4%.
If you’ve got over 5 minutes, you can listen to Scott Gordon break-down preparation with SNY’s Islanders Point Blank TV. (below) Painfully detailed and one chuckle.
This could be anyone’s game. Rob Schremp is going to do everything possible to make it belong to the Islanders. Rob will make his season debut tonight and it’s about time. Rob is one of the players I was most interested in watching this season, and now he is already behind in his stat-pack. The way he plays his high energy game, it wasn’t really feasible for him to play all 82 games, but now he’s starting out with only 71 ahead of him. Still, as hard as it was to sit out and watch his team play while he was on IR, it had to be better than watching the team play while he was a healthy scratch.
I asked a retired NHLer what the Islanders could do to break this losing streak and get back on track. His answer was “one.” “One shift, one period and one game at a time. Win every one-on-one battle, win every shift.” Sounds simple, right?
It isn’t.
Not sure if it will be Dwayne Roloson or Rick DiPietro tonight as each is assured one game on this road trip. Scott Gordon will alert the media as late as possible I'm sure.
Line combinations from those who were there yesterday look like this.
Matt Moulson-John Tavares-P.A. Parenteau
Josh Bailey-Rob Schremp-Blake Comeau
Doug Weight-Frans Nielsen-Michael Grabner
Matt Martin/Trevor Gillies-Zenon Konopka-Trent Hunter
hockeyflan @7thwoman Sim with a hat trick, 25 mins left in game. Tks for the loan.
The headline reads “Slumping Isles visit struggling Hurricanes” Both teams are stalled at ten points and frustrated with only enough wins to count on one hand after playing 11 games so far this season. The Hurricanes have yet to score a goal on their own ice.
The Islanders power play is barely effective at 22% while the Hurricanes’ efforts hardly register at 12%. Scott Gordon had the Islanders practicing PP drills on the smaller ice yesterday at Ice Works before leaving for Raleigh. The Hurricanes worked on their face-offs. The Islanders, with the likes of Zenon Konopka, stand at 51% face off wins to the ‘Canes 37.4%.
If you’ve got over 5 minutes, you can listen to Scott Gordon break-down preparation with SNY’s Islanders Point Blank TV. (below) Painfully detailed and one chuckle.
This could be anyone’s game. Rob Schremp is going to do everything possible to make it belong to the Islanders. Rob will make his season debut tonight and it’s about time. Rob is one of the players I was most interested in watching this season, and now he is already behind in his stat-pack. The way he plays his high energy game, it wasn’t really feasible for him to play all 82 games, but now he’s starting out with only 71 ahead of him. Still, as hard as it was to sit out and watch his team play while he was on IR, it had to be better than watching the team play while he was a healthy scratch.
I asked a retired NHLer what the Islanders could do to break this losing streak and get back on track. His answer was “one.” “One shift, one period and one game at a time. Win every one-on-one battle, win every shift.” Sounds simple, right?
It isn’t.
Not sure if it will be Dwayne Roloson or Rick DiPietro tonight as each is assured one game on this road trip. Scott Gordon will alert the media as late as possible I'm sure.
Line combinations from those who were there yesterday look like this.
Matt Moulson-John Tavares-P.A. Parenteau
Josh Bailey-Rob Schremp-Blake Comeau
Doug Weight-Frans Nielsen-Michael Grabner
Matt Martin/Trevor Gillies-Zenon Konopka-Trent Hunter
Monday, November 1, 2010
Isles vs. Flyers Aftermath
2:01 pm: Good News/Bad News Dept. The good news is that Danny Briere did receive a 3 game suspension for his hit on Fans Nielsen. He will not be playing in Saturday's tilt at the barn. At least it proves that the League DOES want to do something about head shots.Off to charity with the pink pads!
Did Danny tell Colin Campbell the same thing he told reporters after Saturday's game? "What? I didn't do anything." Yeah, right! Bad news: Milan Jurcina will be out 2 - 4 weeks with his hamstring injury. (just great.)
More good news, Rob Schremp will be available to play on Wednesday in Carolina. YEAH! Sort of bad news: In order to make room for Rob, Jon Sim has been placed on waivers in order to clear to be sent to Bridgeport.
8 am: I am anxiously awaiting the results of the 10 am phone call from the league to Danny Briere regarding Saturday's game. If the league is serious about limiting head shots, I am hoping they prove it.
I am however, a little disappointed in this article I found by Chuck Gormly. The word that bothers me the most is "allegedly."
Danny Briere, who will undergo a 10 a.m. hearing with NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell for allegedly cross-checking Islanders forward Frans Nielsen with 1 minute left in the Flyers' win Saturday night.
Watch the tape. See if there is any question in your mind. I don't care what Frans said to Briere. A two handed stick to the helmet is not the appropriate response.
Also according to Mr. Gormly,
Andrej Meszaros suffered a head injury when he was driven into the boards by Islanders forward Trent Hunter and right wing Andreas Nodl is questionable for tonight with a shoulder injury that occurred when he careened into the boards.
I had asked around yesterday as to whether this meant that Trent Hunter would receive the same type of phone call. Most people felt the call was in error. But reading that Meszaros may miss time on the ice, I'm wondering if something may happen on that front.
This ugliness will likely spill over to Saturday's game at the barn. I'm hoping that cooler heads prevail and that no more injuries out of anger are sustained.
Also, I'd like to wish a very happy Birthday to Matt Moulson. One of my absolute favorite gentlemen any where.
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