Sunday, May 20, 2012

Good Morning.
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weekend as we gear up for graduations, bar-b-ques and of course the Stanley Cup Finals. With not much going on other than the battle of the Tri-State at unhockeylike hours on NBC, all I can say is -- Let's Go Devils!

Yes, yes. I have committed even with their game 3 loss. When I became an Islander fan, I took an oath to just root for ANYONE who plays against the Rangers. So there you have it. So of course that means that the Devils will roll over and the Blueshirts will win and face the Kings. Just.My.Luck.

Due to very little going on in Islander Country, I have resorted to cooking up a storm but I will spare you the recipes for now. I'll use those in August when we REALLY have nothing to talk about. I did come across two articles that I found very interesting. One is on the subject of shot blocking that has been all the (reporter) rage for coverage. I was going to write about it as well, but just didn't have enough first hand information to actually generate a post.

Check this one shot-blocking from GetRealHockey.com. It's a very good read, but I would add just one more aspect to the argument: the business angle. When I did reach out to someone who played and asked why a player would put himself in harms way, I received the same speech about "commitment" to the win.

But I truly wonder if management feels the same way. What happens if a star player is out with an injury due to taking a 90 mph puck to the leg, not only for the balance of the playoffs, but for a portion of the next season? Was that one shot towards the goalie that important? Will the insurance companies that insure these players contracts start raising rates if this mentality of "anything for the win" continues?

You then have the entertainment value of it. I've heard numerous times where this style of play has been called "boring." It certainly is leading to the "the team who scores the first goal wins the game" style we are seeing in the Ranger-Devils tilt.

The other article I found very interesting was about Russian bad-boy Kirill Kabanov on Sportsnet.ca. It will give you an even great insight into what goes on in this kid's head. Yes, he is very personable and he has great potential if he would just stop being a "stupid" man. Read it, it's very enjoyable.

Okay on the NY Islanders front the voting for JT91 for the EASports cover of NHL13 has been heating up. His newest promoters in the campaign are PK Suban and Steven Stamkos. NICE!!! When you can get those guys thumping for you, that's a win! Vote at this link and get JT on the cover.

Matt Moulson spent his evening at the Wounded Warriors dinner last night and felt inspired. I'm hoping the powers that be are "inspired" to give Matty the Lady Byng because he really is one of the best on and off the ice.

And speaking of charity, one of the Islanders favorite charities, The Smile Train, has reached 750,000 surguries with the help of donations and celebrity involvement from the likes of Kevin Connolly, Erik Estrada and Howie Mandel. If you check out their website, it will break your heart. No wonder the Islanders are so passionate about this charity.

Well, that's all I've got for now and I'm done with my coffee. Maybe I will at least go write down the recipe for drunken seafood with Jameson and Mexican lobster roll.... Maybe. Lobster rolls a'la deedee on Twitpic

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