Hales & Bails at the Team Store

*Yes, yes. The NY Islanders have acquired the rights of Christian Ehroff. But I have photos from tonight. Musings about the acquisition and what could possibly happen at Hockeybuzz.com.

Okay, the line was amazing. Can I say Social Media is working? Yes, I can. Those I asked had found out about the Hales & Bails signing through the main website, Twitter and Facebook. Over 400 fans, young and old, male and female waited patiently on line since about 3:45 pm.

There were those who brought there own chairs with them and those who grouped together and camped out on the floor. These great kids, who deemed today "JoshMas" had a count down going and brought a ton of their own items with them for Haley and Bailey to sign for them. They had a lot of time on their hands so they started to put together a song too, but they wouldn't sing it for me. Maybe they'll sing for me when "Matt-Mas" rolls around on the 7th.

Once the line started to come through the store, it seemed never ending. There were the adorable kids that were too shy to speak, the young men with dreams of one day being in the NHL themselves, the seasoned Season Ticket Holders, the families that made it an outing for a summer evening and of course the young girls with stars in their eyes and big smiles as they approached. Much like Matt Moulson did, Josh did have one marriage proposal.

I found it very cute when a one of the mothers stopped and looked at the boys, "You know, you two are very cute. You shouldn't wear your helmets so much." That made me laugh. Josh was sporting a healthy tan and a new mustache along with that winning smile. But truthfully, 25-year-old Michael Haley has become somewhat of a cult hero on the Islanders since the Pittsburgh game.

Two adorable fans waited on line and had their phones signed by both. Casey & Katelyn (with the great Islanders hat) waited patiently to get in. Both avid fans, but perhaps Katelyn just a touch more as her Mom told me all about the custom made Islanders birthday cake she had to have made for her daughter. (I need the phone number of the bakery. My birthday is in November.)

The Vote Yes sign was prominently displayed and quite a few people asked if they could buy a shirt to let their Nassau County friends know how desperately a Yes Vote is needed come August 1st. As I spoke to some on line about the vote, those who live in Suffolk kept saying they WISH they could vote. So the best they can do is talk to their Nassau County dwelling friends.

Okay, on the new merchandise front, I'd like to know why I didn't see these Islanders flip flops sooner. Two styles to chose from, and with today's 40% off sale, cheap enough to buy two as one woman was doing when I took the photo.

No, this is not Cujo and it wasn't real, but oh so adorable to show off all the canine merchandise. As one Twitter friend asked, does it have anything to do with Matt Moulson's new shirt? Hey "Muttson?"

July 7th will be Matt(Martin)Mas at the team store. Seeing this turn out, I'd say get there really early if you can.