Snow & Gordon Press Conference

I'm masquerading today as a reporter. I made my way to the morning skate and Garth Snow's press conference at 10:30 am.

I felt I needed to be there. I haven't seen Garth in weeks, so I wanted to see how he was fairing during these troubled times. Trade deadline time is always stressful for everyone. But even more so for the GMs who have to make these deals and the men who have to pack quickly.

"The last week to ten days, there have been lots of conversations and lots of talk. I compare it to fishing. You drop your lines in the water and see what unfolds. We're obviously in a situation where we're going with younger players and giving them an opportunity to play significant minutes. Our younger players have made great strides. But I don't think that happens without the proper leadership."

As it had been mentioned that Campoli had asked for a trade, as a gentleman, Garth was reluctant to give the details of those closed door conversations. He reiterated his admiration for Chris as both a player and a person. If nothing else, the Islanders are a room full of quality, character players.

"Chris Campoli is a good, young defenseman and a great skater, he can move the puck and he has an element of offense. We gave up a good young player for a first round draft pick." Garth was sincere and quiet in his tone. I'm sure this wasn't the easiest thing for him to do.

"We have a significant amount of draft picks in the first and second round and we're going to build this the right way." His determination to stick to the plan is apparent.

"A first round draft pick is big. As you see around the league, teams are holding onto those draft picks. It's a situation that falls into our criteria of what we have planned for the future and it's up to us to draft a good hockey player." (You hear that Ryan Jankowski? Make it so.) This draft will be huge for the Islanders.

Snow continued "We need to build this team through the draft, and then once we draft the players we have to develop them. That's the way I see us at getting to where we want to be."

Speaking of developing young players, the development of Jack Hillen may have factored into the equation of being able to part with the likes of Campoli.

"He's come up and played extremely well, in his own right, he's a good puck moving defenseman and he can skate. A very smart defenseman who is a couple of years younger (than Campoli)."

Jack will certainly get his chances to continue his development on this team.

In return for Comrie and Campoli, Bryan Murray (who was the first to make a trade LAST season) sends us Dean McAmmond. Basically he's a fourth line, 15-year veteran center who has been said to have blinding speed and a propensity for injury. Wow! Could there be a better fit for the Islanders? Additionally, what is left on his contract is only a drop in the bucket compared to what the Islanders dispensed by trading off Mike Comrie.

"We're happy to have Dean in our locker room and we hope he will be a great influence on our young players." Garth said smiling.

When asked, Garth did not hesitate to praise Mike Comrie and his time on the Islanders. "He's been first and foremost a great person. Very productive, especially last year, until he got injured. It's a situation where it will be good (for him) to go to Ottawa. It's familiar to him and we wish Mike all the best. He's a first class person."

Of course in today's economy, we were wondering how reluctant teams will be to trade for the higher salaried players. The Islanders don't seem to be in that boat right now to worry about salary considerations.

"The number one priority for me is to make this a championship caliber team. Any deal we make in the future will have that mindset. We know where we're going and we have a plan to get there. And this is just another example of us following through with our plan."

Translation: "I ain't done yet."

Bottom line: "Draft & Develop."

We waited around for quite awhile before Scott Gordon returned after practice for his turn in front of the tape recorders. Tom Liodice and I were joking that he was taking as long as possible so he wouldn't have to answer the "So, what did you tell Campoli that made him ask for a trade?"

The questions started with his thoughts on Jack Hillen instead of his thoughts on losing Campy.

"Well obviously, Jack's come up and he's shown that his time he spent in Bridgeport was good for him. He's stepped up his play and we're comfortable knowing he can play significant minutes and be able to compete at this level consistently."

As a first year NHL coach going through trade time, Scott said he was holding his breath knowing that he would be losing a player. When it came to the problem with Chris Campoli, Gordon stated in a fatherly manner, "I wanted Chris to want more from himself. And since we sat down, I thought he was going in the right direction. Like I told him, it's a tough situation when you have an All-Star defenseman in front of you that is as good as (Mark Streit) he is."

"Defense is something that you can get better at, and for me, he was. His compete level was higher. I had no problems with Chris." All he told him was, 'I want you to want more from yourself.'

It is obvious that Scott Gordon is a good coach for the younger players. He is an excellent coach for the younger players. He wants to bring the best out in each of them, and wants them to reach their highest potential. As any good teacher, some times he may be looked at as wanting too much. But it's obvious that he may know what a player is capable of, even when that player doesn't see it in himself.

Good luck Campoli. We will miss you in the community. We wish you all the best.

Isles Practice at IceWorks

Today I ventured to IceWorks like a few others. As a fan, not as a blogger. I left the laptop and tape recorder home. I did bring the camera, because I'm never actually without it. I rushed to leave the house so I could beat the snow. I left without a hat and without a few other things I wanted, but I was trying to beat the snow that had just started to fall. I also forgot to take OFF my "55" Islander necklace as I started wearing it again on the 26th when the Leafs were in town. I didn't think anyone would notice. Um... I was wrong.

I was lucky that it wasn't sticking, even though it was coming down pretty fast. By the time I arrived in their parking lot, I was fighting people with Jersey license plates for a parking spot.

"Whooaaaa!!!! What the hell??? Why are there so many people here" I wondered. It seems there was a girls pee wee hockey game between the IceWorks girls team and this team from New Jersey. But there WERE a lot of regular fans in the bleachers when I barged through the glass doors.

I stood by the glass with my blogger buddies and we just started to chat wildly. Actually we chatted and laughed so much, I hardly looked at what was happening on the ice! I know. That was bad of me, but as I said, I wasn't there as a blogger. I was really there to just see my friends that I haven't seen because of this STUPID LONG WEST COAST TRIP!

I got a nod from Coach Gordon. Hope that means he didn't read my "has he started drinking yet?" question in my last blog. Mike Comrie was all smiles while he was practicing, which is always nice to see from any of them. Who knows how long we'll see him in an Islanders jersey. I certainly don't.

Chris Campoli definitely doesn't look like the same as he did so many years ago when he started on the Sound Tigers. Bruno, on the other hand, certainly does. I am so bad some times that I actually almost pulled a "B.D."

"Wait! Is that Andy Sutton on the ice?" I asked my buddy who wasn't paying attention either. "I think so."

I got excited. I ran up to ask someone I thought would have a clue.

"When is Andy Sutton coming back???" I realized I must have sounded like a five year old asking for a dollar for the ice cream truck.

"Sutton? I don't know! Why??? Have you seen him?" Uh oh, I thought to myself. I tempered my enthusiasm.

"Isn't that him?" I asked sheepishly.

I got that "look" that said it all. "Dee... That's Jackman."

I headed back to my friends without my dollar and no ice cream.

No, Greg Logan wasn't there today but I later found out from Chris Botta's Point Blank that John Jeansonne was representing Newsday and received news of Doug Weight's 2 - 4 week injury update. This sucks. Probably more for Doug than for us. But maybe we'll see him again now from the announcer booth here at home.

I didn't get to see many Islanders employees today. I guess they are recovering from the very long road trip. I can't blame them. Hope they all recover nicely. Two of our media regulars brought their children with them. They are both very good Dads.

Because there was a pee wee game there today, the concession stand was open. It is far better than the concession stands at the Coliseum. One of my friends bought a large hot chocolate that made her VERY happy and I had a Cappachino.

When it was over, we said our good-byes and I headed back into the crowded parking lot and out into the snow that was now starting to stick.

Yep. Today I was just a fan. I was there just to be supportive and have some enjoyable conversations at the glass in the cold, crisp air of the rink. I only took a few photos, here are the best of them.

They practice again tomorrow afternoon, but I doubt I will make it out there. I still have to de-chrisma-fy my house. Yuck.

Hey! Who is THAT handsome young man? Why it's non-other than Tiger Track Tom Liodice. Remember to look out for his Islander's post game review on the Islander's website after each home game.

Frustration, Dejection, it's all on the face of Scott Gordon

That is how Howie Rose announced the empty net goal at the 19:30 mark of the third period that was heralding the tenth loss for the Islanders. Gordon is still looking for a December victory. Personally I don't think he will get it.

I opted to watch this one from my couch, in between trips to the kitchen to prep for Christmas Eve dinner. I did more sitting than prepping, and now I'm doing more writing than cooking. But I'll get to it.

So What do we have to look on the bright side with? Uh.... Ummm... Give me a few (drinks that is). These mounting losses are giving me cause to purchase ear plugs as the Big Angry Man is doing a lot of yelling at the TV.

"If you can't beat 'em... BEAT 'EM." That would be nice to hear, but we don't. Hilbert got a goal. The prize for actually trying. Sean Bergenheim finally got a goal after 14 games, his fifth of the season. His prize for REALLY trying. It was a short handed goal no less.

But other than that, there was frustration, miscues and down right stupid penalties (Mike Comrie).

"I don't know... what else do you say?" Even Jaffe is having a hard time.

They need to get through this month and start fresh. It's not the system, it's something else. And whatever it is... I hope they leave it behind in 2008.

I may actually have to stand by my "the number is twelve" prediction. It may actually come true.

Sorry Mike - There's No Room at the Inn

So that's a crappy Christmas reference, but it's the best I can do under the circumstances. I'm terribly behind schedule on my Christmas "To Do" list and work problems are draining my energies. (Also, if my husband sees me continuing to write instead of wrap, bake, clean and cook, he will probably throw my laptop out the window and run over it with his truck.)

The item that struck me this morning in Greg Logan's brief article is what Gordon said about Mike Comrie. I understand that the facts about rosters and cap restraints are real and daunting. That is business and the guidelines must be adhered to and unpopular decisions made. But in the quotes that Greg offered up, for some reason "He fit in well." regarding call up Ben Walter just struck me funny.

No where in this article did Gordon seem to give the impression that he was eager to get Mike Comrie back into his line-up. "Right now, there's a lot of things that have to be juggled, just a lot to toss around."

Am I reading into this statement? Perhaps. But maybe Scott Gordon is just as tired of watching Comrie's play as some of us in the stands are. Maybe the written statements I have seen that Comrie doesn't fit Gordon's system are actually accurate.

We will see in the next few games how the line-up shuffle plays out. Break out that Steve Stirling Line Combo Yahtzee game Scotto. I know he left it under the bench for you!

Comrie & DiPietro Injury Update - From the Bleachers

So what was I doing at IceWorks today at "11 ish"? Hiding. Hiding from work as I had been incredibly annoyed by a project gone wrong. So the lure of the ice had called to me. And knowing I wasn't going to be at the Coliseum tomorrow for the game, I found myself sitting in the cold air of the rink with a coffee mug, gloves and my camera. (the photos are really blurry. Sorry.)

My phone rang as I sat there alone. It was my boss. I can go for months without him even knowing I'm alive. As soon as I leave the building to be alone, he needs me. I wasn't leaving yet.

It wasn't until 11:35 am that Mike Comrie in a yellow jersey came out onto the ice, alone. Shortly after, he was joined by Ricky in a track suit and grey hooded sweatshirt. He skated around without his gear, but in his goalie skates which made him pretty slow and deliberate.

He must read the damn message boards, because he shot a puck right at my head and skated away. I watched him skate around trying to put the puck in the net. Once, twice, three times. He shot wide, he shot high, he clanged the post. Finally on try number 4, it found the back of the net.

Josh Bailey walked by, gave me a big smile and said "Just another day, eh?" Yep. Just another day.

I watched Rick, who was all smiles and playing with the pucks like a kid. Someone else came out onto the ice to be with the two of them. Comrie was moving quite slowly, every move seemed calculated. He grimaced. Basically, he looked a lot like me first thing in the morning getting out of bed wondering why the hell everything hurt. These two Islanders, who were not in the team meeting that Gordon held upstairs, seemed polar opposites.

Rick skated unencumbered and smiling. Comrie skated and would stop occasionally, and put his stick on his knees. I felt bad for him.

This was the first time my butt was actually cold on the bleachers. Yep. It's winter.

It wasn't until 12:07 that the team left the office and headed into the locker room to put on their gear. I knew I couldn't wait around and watch them. I headed over to say hello to Greg Logan, who had been there since 10:30 am, after only getting 3 hours of sleep to catch an early morning flight. Oh, yes. Beat reporter. What a glamorous life!

Far more glamorous than mine, but I get more sleep!

So there you have it. Ricky looked good, thinner, but good. Comrie looks in like he's in pain. And Okposo was all smiles for the two seconds I saw him.

Yeah, not exactly the press release you were looking for, right? But truthfully, for those who I've read who may have questioned Comrie's status; that's the only reason I wrote this.

Game Notes: Isles @ Tampa 10-16-08

Yeah... from the couch that is. End of second period and Isles are up 2 - 0. Nice start.

This morning I asked my friend Dr. David Lubin who was the 7th Man award winner in 2004 for the Tampa Bay Lightning for his feelings about the Lightening. This is what I got:

"Well, it's not Melrose that wins or loses games, it's the guys on the ice. Against Carolina last week, Mike Smith was stalwart stopping over 40 shots, but the defense gave way and the offense was non existent in the last 30 minutes. I turned to my buddy when we were up 3-2 and said we were going to lose 4-3 in regulation. I was wrong, it was overtime. Stamkos hasn't been seen much averaging less than 10 minutes a game, but when you've got to kill off 9 penalties, there's not going to be much of him to see, although Melrose has suggested he might play the number one overall draft pick on the power play. With 15 new faces this year it might just take awhile to get adjusted on the ice. Problem is, you can't wait too long. The Tampa Bay Rays will be attempting to win the American League pennant tonight so attendance might be affected. There was another game vs. Boston when we played Carolina but attendance was pretty good. TV sets on all the concourses and in the suites were tuned to the game and the Lightning played the remainder of the game on the big screen following the hockey game. Glad I was watching the end at home though since it ended about 1:45 in the AM."

Thanks David.

Well, I can't stay long but I can't believe we now have a seven minute pre-game show. That's incredibly annoying.

I was very happy to see Comrie got the first goal. Not quite the $4 mill goal we've been calling for, but a goal non-the-less.

Joey Mac is doing a decent job considering, according to Howie, "he has not been considerably tested." I'm sure Joey would beg to differ with you Howie.

And my favorite part of the night so far? Look at Scott Gordon behind the bench. He's wearing a blue suit, a blue suit and an orange tie with little white accents.

Scott. You just won me over BIG TIME.

Sean, score one when I can see you.

Back to the game.

Oh why do I bother. Tied now 2 -2. Note to Barry Melrose. Drug testing. Start at "P."

And the Islanders get their win in OT. That should put a slight smile on Garth Snow's face.

SOG were even. The entire evening, they seemed very evenly matched. Which is a bad thing considering how bad we hear Tampa is.

Night.

2-28-08 Game Notes from the Kitchen

I'm watching the game on the big screen in the living room, but I'm actually back and forth from the stove to the couch. Had to send this out for my friend Webb20...

2nd Period. 3 -0 Islanders... AWESOME ANDY!!! Ok, so it's only the 8th of the season for him, but it was certainly beautiful. I didn't see the first goal that trickled in under the goalie by Comrie. The rest of his shots so far tonight have been weak.

I did see Vasicek's beauty from Hunter that was just gorgeous. But HILBERT??? How fabulous was that? So yes Webby! Awesome Andy!

But while I'm writing this, I see Berard take down #11 and Ricky as well. A penalty shot is awarded and Perrin easily gets it past DiPietro who is probably still a little shaken from having to jump over Berard. So there we have it.

In the time it took to have a late dinner with my family, the game is now tied heading into the third. The message board that was so giddy with pleasure just a few minutes ago is now back to being on suicide watch.

Luckily, their goalie is having as difficult a night as ours. Mike Comrie with goal # 2 to make it 4 - 3 at 3:17 of the third. So even the soft shots sometimes go in Mikey boy.

Random thought: When the hell did Sean develop that eye twitch of his? This is totally new. I noticed it in the locker room on Tuesday, but didn't say anything. I figured maybe it was just sweat getting in his eyes since he spoke with us before he showered. But he was sitting there on the bench blinking away in the 2nd. Someone please take a look at his eyes, thank you.

They definitely didn't need Nielsen getting hurt now. Shoulder injury doesn't sound 'good', neither does "will be evaluated tomorrow."

Is Webby smiling from ear to ear at home? Hilbert is doing everything tonight, including making saves.

With 3 minutes left in the third, I'm starting to get nervous, as I usually do when it gets too close to 2 minutes left. If he's going to lose this for them, that will be the time he does.
And here we go... 2:01....

Sean brings in the puck but he shot it so wide, Lehtonen had to stretch to grab it. On the net Sean, please.
1:40 to go, and Bergie shoots wide.

And at 1:22 Bobby Holik ties it... because that's what happens. Just as Danno and I thought. But for some reason, Jaffe wants to make it Davison's fault for screening. Sure, blame the new guy!

One point is not enough at this time of year. But HUNTER saves the day because Vasicek makes it happen with that 15 foot stick of his!

In all seriousness, they probably didn't deserve to win and let DiPietro off the hook tonight. At least it will be a good flight home. Let this be the start of a nice winning streak. You know... Just enough to make us believe and bite our nails till the last possible day to see whether or not the Islander faithful will have a post season.... Go ahead... I dare you!

*Photo from the Town of Brookhaven Animal shelter.