Cutting it Close

With Nino Niederreiter on the IR along with Trevor Gillies, there's some wiggle room with the NY Islanders roster situation, but cuts need to be made and difficult decisions loom.

Brian Rolston is finally practicing with the team and Jay Pandolfo is awaiting to hear his fate.

With so many veterans now signed, the average age of this team has increased by at least five years. Is that a good thing?

New post here on HockeyBuzz.com along with some Player Twitter things I found humorous.

Blue & White Scrimmage Draws the Faithful

Hockey in July drew the most faithful of Islanders fans and not just for the air conditioning in the Coliseum. When I arrived in the parking lot, I could see the familiar blue tent of the crowd from Islander Mania message board. Yep, once again Dominick was running the grill, @IslesChick Lisa was playing hostess and the blenders were whirring. In every direction, the conversation surrounded the Islanders. After all, this group came together because of one thing in common: The Islanders.

The first of two entries on last night can be found here at Hockeybuzz.com.

I hope you picked up your VOTE YES gear last night. Garth Snow addressed the crowd. Due to the importance, he read from a prepared statement on the ice. The issue was the August 1st vote and how necessary it is to make sure that Islander fans get the word out to their friends and neighbors who are eligible to vote on August 1st on the referendum to get out there and do so.

More later tonight.

Tim Horton's Is Coming!!!

Turnovers. It was because of turnovers. And they weren't apple. But forget the 5 - 3 loss in Montreal for a moment, there's BIGGER news!!! Tim Horton's is coming to Long Island! But you've have to go to the Coliseum in order to line up for a Canadian cup-of-joe.

In honor of the opening, the Islanders took a 1/2 page ad in today's Newsday with a very special offer of $20.10 tickets for Friday's game against - oh no - The Montreal Canadiens.

There's even one of those funky codes you can scan in order to get your tickets and Newsday subscribers get first crack at best available seating.

I will be there, with cash. Please tell me they're also bringing the maple glazed donuts. Please!

Back to hockey: According to Katie Strang of Newsday in her morning report James Wisniewski is not happy about the officiating of last night's game. Specifically the two minute penalty for a boarding call that Moen received. While I seriously didn't think Wisniewski would return to the ice after his head hit the boards, he managed to hardly miss a shift and leave with three points and a headache. But he professes that sort of thing needs to be taken out of the game. When a guy is defenseless against the boards, you can't skate in and smash his head into the dasher. How about just trying to steal the puck? How about that?

Dwayne Roloson shared Wisniewski's feelings about the officiating and said that sort of thing leaves it to the players to take things into their own hands. (Note: don't piss off Dwayne Roloson.)

Nino Watch: We should know today if he stays or goes. After last night's performance (which Scott Gordon said will have nothing to do with the final decision) I'm personally thinking Nino may be better served being "the guy" for the Portland Winterhawks rather than fighting for icetime and perhaps eroding the young man's confidence.

We'll see.

Back to the Portland Winterhawks for Nino. Good kid. He'll have a good season there. We'll keep our eye on him.

Gordon: Garth Doesn’t Get Enough Credit

When Scott Gordon was asked last night by Stan Fischer “What is different about this team?” his answer seemed obvious and yet somewhat redeeming.


“Part of it is maturing with our younger forwards and the experience on our defense.”

In Scott Gordon’s third year as coach, he’s said he is no longer willing to call this a “rebuilding” phase. If this was Extreme Home Makeover, I‘d say they were in the putting on the siding stage or almost done but not quite finished stage.

You cannot deny the maturation of one Josh Bailey. That young boy who Garth Snow traded DOWN to get in the 2008 NHL entry draft stunning the fan base into a mass exit from the Coliseum’s Draft Party has finally arrived. Five games in, seven points, three goals (including a game winner), four assists and a plus/minus 2 rating.

With a two point game on Saturday, Scott Gordon had this to say when Newsday’s Katie Strang asked (once again) about Bailey’s game.

You know what? And I said this before the game – You just can’t, unless you’re around him and saw what we had to go through (his) first year, as far as making the decision to keep him here. We knew that if he stayed here, we could get a lot of the bad things out of his game and make the process quicker for him. If we had sent him back to Junior, he would have gotten a bunch of points, probably would’ve won the Memorial Cup with the team that won it. (He) Would’ve gone to World Juniors, but at the end of the day, right now, he could be the player we saw last year instead of being the player he is now. That’s two summers of quality off-ice training, it’s the understanding of after he makes a play, he’s got somewhere to go. He’s just so much stronger on the puck now that things are happening more for him because of the fact that he’s just older. And had he played another year against kids, it’s not going to help him as far as speeding up the process of being NHL-ready.

I was one of those people complaining about Josh being kept away from his junior team at such a young age and not being able to play in the World Juniors representing Canada. At the time, my motherly insistence over it being the wrong move for such a young boy was met with tolerant yet vehement disagreement. About now, I should be getting an “I told you so.” email.

When I was told Josh wouldn’t learn anything by going back to his junior club and that “He’s an Islander. He STAYS an Islander." I left the room shaking my head grumbling. But the much criticized move is paying huge dividends right now.

His coach can‘t say enough good things about him. “He’s such a great kid. He listens. He wants to get better. You never get any attitude from him at all. And I said this before, Garth (Snow) doesn’t get enough credit for trading down and drafting him. It’s like, all the other players that went in front of him, they would’ve been the better option, but certainly he’s shown that he was the right guy.”

Josh is the right guy for this team now -- and for the long haul.

Now, the question remains, is Nino Niederreiter in the same situation that Josh Bailey was two years ago? Do they see the same things in Nino that they saw in Josh? With only four games remaining on his try-out period, it’s still too soon to tell.

It Took 56 Minutes for the Caps to Beat the Isles

So said @dani3boyz last night on Twitter. And she was right.

Nino Niederreiter scored his first NHL goal in Washington. That will be one he will remember forever.

Dwayne Roloson made his first start of the season and proved why Garth Snow inked the veteran netminder for a two year deal. There was no 1st period let-down for Roli. He had given up three quick goals in each of his exhibition games, but it wasn't until 18:15 of the second that Alex Ovechkin managed to get one passed him.

Blake Comeau's roughing penalty late in the third led to the game winner by Nick Backstrom. It was actually a lucky break for the Caps. And as the Islanders had done against the Rangers, when opportunity knocks, good teams take advantage of it.

There was a lot of chatter about Matt Moulson's missed breakaway. While it would have been great if he made it, that's not really Matt's specialty. I'll let him slide on that one.

All in all, the injury depleted Islanders gave the Washington Capitals and the superstar of the league a run for their money. There is nothing to be ashamed of in that performance.

Now, how hard can they make it for the Penguins on Friday?

As a side note: I didn't get to watch most of the game because I was at Hofstra last night. I got a look at the WHUR studios and was really impressed with the facility! It actually looks better than some more well known radio stations.

So when I left the campus, I turned on 88.7 FM and started to catch Chris King calling the game. The production quality was very good, but the tempo of Chris' side-kick could have been a little better. I found him a little slow on the up-take. The signal was loud and clear until I was all the way to Bay Shore on Sunrise Highway. Then I had to switch to XM radio to continue to listen to the game. Of course on XM it was the Capitals feed that was being broadcast.

What was the first thing I heard the caps announcers talk about during intermission? The lack of an Islanders fanbase. I screamed at the radio.

Cuts before Opening Day

With more cuts still to come before Saturday, I posted this at HockeyBuzz last night. Yes, I was tired and cranky. Can you tell???

In other news, Bruno Gervais celebrated his birthday with the team at Adventureland yesterday for the Islanders charity event. The weather was good. I should have gone. I didn't.

Sean Bergenheim scored for the Bolts over the Panthers in their exhibition game. Speaking with my friend Dr. David Lubin, the 2004 7thMan for Tampa Bay, I told him Sean would get at least 15 goals this season for them. I've got my fingers crossed. He's wearing No. 10 again there as he first did in Uniondale until he left for Russia and Richard Park was given #10 to show Sean that his place was taken. When he came back, they gave him #20.

Nice guy and slippery player Mike Mottau wore #55 on Saturday during their exhibition game against the Devils. While Morency of the Sound Tigers had already graced the Uniondale ice at least once wearing #55, seeing it on Mottau stung a little. But he said he didn't have an affinity to numbers but would be asking what else was available.

Hopefully there will be word out of the PR dept on the status of Nino Niederreiter and Rob Schremp and the extent of the injuries they incurred over the weekend.

Streit and Okposo wasted no time getting shoulder surgery so hopefully they will have a better picture of exactly when the two key ingredients of this roster will be back.

But... we'll see. All I know is that Scott Gordon and his coaching staff certainly have their work cut out for them this week trying to make a team that works when two pieces are missing.

Nino Signs his Entry Deal

What a great day at the rink today. But I had to rush back to work and then home. It's taken me awhile to get the post together. But I finally finished. Please see the entry on HockeyBuzz.com because I just don't have the time to change it around and post it here.... I be tired squad leader!

Isles Training Camp: Relying on Others

Oh how the drive to work in the morning right now irritates me. No, it's not just the endless traffic on the Oakdale merge but the fact that my car wants nothing more than to head straight to the Coliseum where Islanders training camp has now moved.

But alas, something has to pay the bills and it is not my hockey musings. So today, while others were present at camp, I relied on Twitter to find out what was going on.

The Islanders Dyan LeBourdias has an excellent article on Jack Hillen on their main website.

When I was there at camp this weekend, Newsday's Katie Strang and I couldn't help but comment on Jack's skating ability. She called it "efficient" while I just think it's mind blowing. But along with Jacks skating, he told me in April that he really wanted to work on his shot. So I had Dyan ask him how he progressed over the summer with his quest of getting to 120 shots instead of last year's 80.

“Yeah, I tinkered with a lot of different sticks and flexes and kick points and lengths, so I think I’ve settled on a good flex. I was working on different things, so I feel like I have made some progress.” – Jack Hillen

Hillen may have gone undrafted, but he will not go unnoticed. Not by a long-shot.

A minor deal was made out of Rick DiPietro taking a day off today and now having scheduled third days off from his routine. I don't know why this is getting so much conversation. Oh, wait. I take that back. It's because it is Rick. In all honesty, I think it's a brilliant idea. First of all, if you let him, Rick would probably never take a day off unless he was told to. If they want to have DiPietro around for the entire season, I don't mind them giving him some breathing room.

John Tavares turned 20 at the rink. I'm disappointed there were no Shakey Pie-in-the-face videos on ITV as there were when Ricky celebrated his birthday one year in at camp in Moncton. While still not of "legal age," John certainly no longer looks like a kid. I think we will all be pleasantly surprised to see what he can accomplish this season.

Katie Strang reports that the Islanders have been discussing an entry level contract with Nino Niederreiter's Swiss agent, who has been ever present. I'm certain he wants to get something done as quickly as possible, but the Islanders will sign Nino when they are ready. (Which will probably be soon.)

Tomorrow is Islanders Media Day. I was wondering if there would be any sort of press conference this season as they didn't have one for free agency signings or after the draft. So this will be the one big camera & microphone free for all.

I am curious to find out if Mark Eaton or Zenon Konopka will be there tomorrow and when they will be able to participate in camp.

Training camp is always where chemistry is built and to have new players not be able to participate certainly has to be a detriment. But, that is Scott Gordon's problem I suppose.

Please don't forget about the Blue & Orange Scrimmage game on Saturday morning at 11 am at the Coliseum. If the Bruins can pack their arena with almost 15,000 on a Thursday night, we have to come out strong and show them that Hockey is alive and well on Long Island. Tickets are only $10 and will benefit the Islanders Children's Foundation.

Rookie Game 1

**10:22 pm: Well, not the way they wanted it to go for sure. Too many penalties, too many missed opportunities and too high strung. According to Newsday's Katie Strang who is in Boston, she Tweeted that Scott Gordon felt the team lacked consistent jump. The 5-2 final was punctuated by a Jordan Caron empty netter to land him a hat trick for the night. Nino Niederreiter had his first fight in an Islander sweater and he said he tried his best. However, the decidedly Bruins slanted announcer did everything but call him a sissy for his performance against Tyler Randell. It was uncalled for.

Casey Cizikas was quite noticeable, especially flying around without his helmet. Kirill Kabanov seemed to be somewhat frustrated as he took an extended amount of time getting off an opponent on the outside of the net late in the game. It wouldn't change the score.

In front of almost 12,000 animated hockey-starved Bruins fans, the Islanders lost their first pre-exhibition exhibition game. Perhaps tomorrow will be different.

Pre-Season check-in

Today is September 8th and we can all say Happy 18th Birthday Nino Niederreiter! (although it is hard to type when you're trying to do three things at once.)

Yes, today our newest hot prospect turns 18-years-old. As he has turned 18 prior to September 15th, the start of NHL training camps, he is eligible to sign his first entry level contract. However, I am guessing that the Islanders will wait until they see how he does at the prospect games in Boston (that I still wish I was going to) and at camp with the rest of the squad hopefuls.

Katie Strang was at IceWorks yesterday for the informal practice that many of the players attended. She had a change to talk to Mr. Elusive, Rick DiPietro. Nothing earth-shattering of course. He is still quite guarded but looking forward to "normalcy" as he put it. In all honesty, in the past seven years has anything about that man been "normal"?

They are STILL talking about poor Dan Ellis this morning on the XM Home Ice Hockey This Morning. However, like me, they agree that he should not be crucified for his comments as that will make others shy away from revealing their feelings and personality. I have something on it as well but am waiting for some number confirmation. You know... RESPONSIBLE BLOGGING and all. ahem ahem. Would never think of putting something out there that I haven't researched.

Okay, Late for work as usual! more later.

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.

This Entry has no Title because I can't Think of One

It's 7 am and I'm only half awake. I must have been totally asleep when I decided a crab cake on an E-Muffin was a suitable breakfast. One tea down, one more should poke my brain into a semi-alert state.

There were a few things I was kicking around yesterday, but couldn't find the inspiration to generate thoughtful, researched posts. I still can't so here are this morning's Cliff Notes.

1) Cam Fowler: The draft prospect that fell to 12th overall after being tauted as going in the top three has signed his first 3-year entry contract with the Anaheim Ducks. (or is it the Ducks of Anaheim? I always mix that up.) Fowler is already 18 years old. Nino Niederreiter will not be 18 until September 8th. I was wondering if he would get the same treatment because of his talent level. But as noted, Nino was actually one of the youngest draftees because of how his birthday falls. My hopes of seeing him on the Coliseum ice this season are dim.

2) Kirill Kabanov: I found it interesting that the highly talented Russian bad boy that fell to 65th overall, where the Islanders took a chance on him, is STILL here. Yes, Kirill has NOT returned to Mother Russia but is enjoying some time here on Long Island. Okay, that makes me wonder why. Perhaps it's harder to get in and out of Russia right now with that whole "spy" thing going on and they want to just keep him around for training camp in September. Perhaps they have high hopes for him come training camp and he's working towards his goal of getting to the NHL fairly quickly. Whatever the reason, he was right when he said he needs to gain weight. Seeing him in shorts and a tank, you can see how immature his lean muscles are. You can also see that his arms aren't the only place he has decided to "decorate."

3) The Coliseum has received high marks for food safety when compared with the other sports venues in North America. Savor: I applaud you. Especially considering that my first year at the blog box I went around the coliseum taking pictures of violations myself. Having owned a restaurant years ago, I knew what it was like to have to pass food-safety inspections. There were many in 2006. But I see all that has changed and that makes me very, VERY happy. Now -- could they just bring back the Chicken & Broccoli with Brown Rice at the Sushi stand? Please?? That was my favorite! And I miss the pizza ovens downstairs on the lower concourse. You can still get pizza, but when you watched it come right out of the pizza oven -- it was different. More -- Brooklyn-like.

4) AOL's Patch.com websites are cropping up all over the place and at first I didn't think I would like them. But I must say they are very informative and well done. Here's an article on Bobby Nystrom's son, Eric, written in the Plainview Patch.com website by Brendan Manley. Give it a read.

5) Yesterday was Zach Parise's birthday. It was also General Manager Garth Snow's and my friend @IceCreepsMike from the website IceCreeps.com. I hope they all had a great day. I also hope that the Devils can't find a way to keep Zach Parise under the salary cap because they spend so much on Ilya Kovalchuk that the Islanders can make him an offer he can't refuse and Lou can't match and that one day I will see the name Parise on the back of an Isles jersey once again....

Okay, maybe I should switch to coffee. It's obvious the Tea isn't cutting it because I'm still dreaming.

Isles Prospects Show off for Long Island

There were no surprises for Scott Gordon from last night’s scrimmage, but he was happy with what he saw. With the mixture of new draft picks and those returning for a second year, Gordon said "We saw what we expected and there is a varying level of talent and ability and where they played and how old they are. There are certainly no disappointments. Some of these guys who are only 17 years-old will be a lot different when they are 19 and 20 and they turn pro.”

While the ages on the ice ranged from 17 to 22, no one looked out of place or overwhelmed. Hockey is a game you play because you love it. It’s apparent they all do. “This whole week isn’t about anyone coming to make the Islanders, it’s about building team unity so that when they come to camp, they know the coaches, the training staff they know the players. It’s an opportunity for them to learn how to be a pro both on and off the ice in the weight room how we do things as coaches here and give them a feel for everything so that when the time comes for them to turn pro they have a better understanding of what it takes to be a pro.”

Kirill Petrov did not take part in the scrimmage as he “...banged himself up in the pregame skate this morning.” This was only prospect camp in the middle of summer and no one wants an injury here that could jeopardize a player’s development in the fall.

However, watching Matt Martin play this scrimmage the same way he did the playoff games against the Calder Champion Hershey Bears, I asked Scott if he should have held up a little. “That’s Marty’s game. This is a contact sport and you have to be physical. The players can’t think that they can go out and it’s going to be shiny hockey. We encourage checking and you’ve got to play the game with the idea that you could get hit. You can’t go out there thinking no one else is going to touch you. And if it was like that, it wouldn’t be the type of look we would want to see anyway.”


The returning attendees, especially those who spent a year in Bridgeport made sure the kids knew this was physical hockey. A year in the AHL certainly has made a difference as Scott Gordon pointed out.

“Well, some of the Bridgeport players like Justin DiBenedetto looks like a better pro now. He’s leaned out a little, he’s a little quicker on the ice. He’s skating more, he’s not standing around. I was encouraged to see that. It’s good to see our goalies where they’ve come in a year. And even some of the college guys, like Aaron Ness, to me he looked a lot more comfortable in the game than anything I saw last year. And even the two practices it was a good setting for him to show what he can do. I could go down and have my comments about each guy. But the biggest thing is, it’s not about where they are today. It’s where they’re going to be and this is all part of the process.“

Being “pro” also means facing a crush of media with lights and recorders all vying for attention. Not one of them flinched. Each prospect seemed comfortable even while the interviewers at times did not. It seemed the more main stream media (read that as Ms. Katie Strang) headed off in a different direction, the group of more “new media” types grouped together in a clump. However, without the presence of a main stream media reporter whose job it is to speak out as quickly as possible to get their questions answered so they can meet their deadlines, us internet types are trained to be more accommodating of each other. The respect we offered up to each other often left a pause in the questioning.

Kirill Kabanov did not have to translate for his fellow countryman last night. He faced the recorders alone and was quick witted and talkative. His English is excellent and he answered each question with ease. At the young age of 17 (he turns 18 next Friday) he has a full understanding that hockey is not just a job and a game, it is entertainment. “It’s like a show It must be fun for people.”

The unexpected crowd of 5,024 were indeed entertained “It was pretty cool. I really like Islanders fans. They’re like crazy. I like Long Island a lot. Everyone asks me how bad am I with all my tattoos. In less than one year I’ll make a big one here (over his heart) a map of Long Island. No, really. Right here.”

Whether he was joking or not, the sentiment was real. He is happy to be here and looking forward to showing who he truly is. His ability to charm is evident. When asked who his favorite player in Russia is, he rattled off a name and repeated it three times for us. However, as none of us were familiar with him, he immediately made a reference us North Americans could relate to.

“I have the same coach as Ilya Kovalchuk. I have the same number, 17. I got the first letter in the last name, K. But my favorite is Valery Kharlomov. You’ve heard of him? Everybody heard of him? He was a great guy.” (No. I had not heard of him and it just took me five minutes to find him on the web as I was having difficulty spelling his name.)

Kirill has enjoyed the other activities the camp has provided such as the Mets game but missed out on the fishing trip as he was having his wrist checked out. At the Mets game, he enjoyed being in the crowd of Season Ticket holders but “It was a little bit boring because the game is so slow, it was like three hours.” He was lucky it wasn‘t a Yankee game. That may have lasted seven.

Kabonov was asked if camp had taught him what it was like to be a pro and he agreed he has changed his attitude. “I learned not to be late for practice, for buses, for everything. Just trying to be a good boy. I am a real good boy.”

This is a young man looking desperately to change his image to attain what he wants. “I have to work hard and do my best and try to make the team as soon as I can.”

Nino Niederreiter shares the same ease with the press as Kirill with perhaps, far less to prove. Nino models his game after Vinny Lecavalier and Ilya Kovalchuk. “He’s just a fantastic skater. I would love to be like that.”

While he didn’t know much about Scott Gordon before this week, when asked if he found anything surprising about prospect camp he was quick to say “Just that the coaching staff is fantastic. They do everything for you.” I don’t believe that meant they were being coddled, I do know it means they are being TAUGHT.

Nino said he was surprised that so many fans showed up for hockey in July, (So was the Coliseum staff.) and is enjoying his time on Long Island, including the fishing trip. He did not have to eat the fish he caught as was indicated in the website article. “No, I don’t like that fish I caught.” But it did make a great photo op. “Yah! Big smile I guess.” Nino has enjoyed the weather here but was reminded it will certainly change come Hockey season.

Brock Nelson is only a few weeks removed from high school and last night played in an NHL arena. “It’s pretty awesome. I know it’s a big jump but it was fun to be here in the Coliseum and play with the guys here. It was a great experience.”

You would think that someone so young would seem out of step with the 22 year olds who already have a year of AHL experience under their hockey shorts. “I felt I did pretty good. I know it’s a little bit quicker They’re bigger guys, faster, stronger. But I felt right there. So I just have to bulk up a little more and I can contribute a little more.”

As John Tavares had offered advice to all the prospects, the biggest item on their agenda should be getting stronger. In every interview Tavares did this year prior to the draft, that is the one thing from his rookie year that stood out -- how much stronger NHL players are.

These mini-camps are designed to cultivate the stars of the future. As Scott Gordon said, it is not to see who will make the Islanders come September, but who has potential to in a few short years. Some of these prospects will return to their Junior teams in the fall, some will move on to College. Perhaps a select few will remain with the Islanders as Josh Bailey did in his rookie season. (John Tavares was a given that he wasn't going anywhere except Uniondale.)

I am going to go out on a limb here. While I was thoroughly against that move for Josh Bailey and was pretty vocal about it, after seeing the 2010 first round draft choice -- Keep him up. Nino Niederreiter will do just fine.

Next up, following up with 2009 prospect Casey Czizkas.

Happy Fans Meet Bailey & MacDonald

The line was wrapped nicely within the stanchions when I arrived at the Broadway Mall tonight. There were some familiar faces, those who like me, attend just about everything. But there were also a lot of younger fans there. Actually, it looked like a meeting of the Josh Bailey Fan Club. But I looked around and did find a few fans that may have been there during the dynasty years.

For instance, Norm was waiting patiently holding a hockey stick as tall as me. He also is the first person I know that has the same 14K gold logo necklace I have. He bought his in the 80s, mine is a little newer, but he remembered the jeweler’s name where he bought it. Amazing!

“How do I feel about Nino? I was hoping more for size. But I have confidence in Garth and his staff. They know what they’re doing. And that steal could be that Russian Kid. But in fee agency: Maxine Afinogenov. That’s who I want and I bothered him all last year about it. Oh, and bring Andy back. Maybe he’ll sign for less because he likes it here. And he gives us the physical presence on the ice.”

Chris and Paul had arrived at the same time I did, so they were towards the back of the line. Chris had his jersey slung over his shoulder as it was a little too hot to wear it. While they weren't able to watch the draft, they already knew how to say Nino Nieddereiter without stalling. When I asked what their hopes for a free agent were, I received the typical fan sentiment.

“I hope they can pick up someone good. Maybe a veteran.” When I asked Chris if he wanted a defenseman or a center he said “Either or.” Then Paul chimed in with “Someone who has a lot of endurance. They keep dying out in the third. “But experience and leadership is what Chris is looking for as he hopes Doug Weight is rehabbed from his surgery.

In the back of the store, Josh Bailey and Andy MacDonald were stationed at a table laden with stickers and pencils and cards and two boxes of sharpies in different colors. I watched at three girls who came together giggled and smiled while they waited to head to the table. After they had their jerseys signed, I followed them outside. When I asked Allie, Katie and Justine if Josh Bailey was their favorite player, I received a resounding “Oh my God yes!”

They’ve been Islander fans since Justine dragged them to games “Because my Dad and brother are really into it.” Katie gave her up though “She’s got a Josh Bailey shine.” Justine blushed. I told her not to worry, it was understandable. They already knew about new first rounder Nino and bad-boy Kiril and were looking forward to the prospect scrimmage.

Back inside the store, four young ladies were admiring the new John Tavares figurine
while waiting to get to the table. I couldn’t help but overhear. “I have to have this! My birthday is coming. I want this for my birthday!” The tall young woman sporting the John Tavares 91 tee shirt implored her friends. Alex’s birthday is August 24th and she LOVES John Tavares. But along with Alex was Madeline clutching her jersey and today was HER birthday. I made the suggestion that Josh should sign “Happy Birthday Madeline, From Josh.”

She loved the idea, or so I believed by the open mouth gasp I got for the suggestion. Josh was only too happy to oblige. Sadly I didn’t get the name of the other happy friend whose birthday is July 10th and will be celebrating it at the Blue & Orange Scrimmage at the Coliseum.

Once all the happy fans were done, I took a few minutes to talk to Josh and Andy some questions. Of course, I had to start with checking out Josh’s souvenir from April. Yes, that gash on his cheek is leaving a scar. “I kinda like it. I’m gonna keep it.” Josh smiled at me when I asked him if he was putting vitamin E on it. It won’t take away from his smile.

I asked their thoughts on the draft this year and whether it brings back memories of his draft experience. “I’m pretty excited from talking to Snowy and Jankowski. They’re all really excited, so that mean’s we’re excited.” Eric Cairns and the rest of the scouting staff are also very excited about this year’s selections. It was two years ago (for Josh) so it’s pretty easy to relive that moment. It’s probably one of the most exciting moments of my life, for me and my family. I’m always good to think about it.”

I asked Andy MacDonald if he felt there was too much pressure on the players who have to sit there and wait to see if their name is called. “It’s definitely tough as a player. Especially for guys that are supposed to go in the first few rounds and maybe they drop a little bit. It’s just part of the process; just something you have to go through. “

The truth is, not every player who is invited to the draft will actually be drafted by an NHL club and there are many players who have had success in the NHL who were NOT drafted as a youngster. “Just because you DON’T get drafted doesn’t mean you’re not going to make it. So, it’s exciting to go and get drafted, but there are tons of guys out there that don’t. It is nerve wracking as a player.”

Josh Bailey related the best way of looking at the draft from a player’s point of view. “The best line I was told about the draft is ‘You’re not any better of a player of worse of a player what number you’re picked. You’re the same player no matter what.’" He’s right.

As far as being a 17 year-old coming to Long Island Josh could only say “Long Island is a great place to play. Luckily, I’ve been here for two years now and I’m excited for the third year and many years to come. It’s my home now. I could never say enough good things about Long Island.”

A-Mac had some good advice. “Especially as a 17-year-old, it’s probably a little overwhelming coming to the biggest city in North America. I mean, it IS New York. But you’ve just got to play your game and go out there and do what you do. You’re not supposed to change anything when you come. You’re just supposed to do what you do that got you as far as you are.”

Yesterday was also Canada Day and Andy told me I was only the second person in the store to mention that, but since hockey fans in the USA thought of it as Free Agency day, I asked Andy if he remembered the day being exciting for him as a fan. “As a younger fan, it was a pretty cool day. You knew guys were going to go different places and as a kid you always hoped guys would go to your favorite team. Now, after playing in the league, you hope you can land a good player. It’s an exciting time. There’s a lot going on and you just take it all in.”

On this day, Josh Bailey was busy taking in meeting the members of his fan club and they all left happy.

Next player signing will be Blake Comeau on July 6th at the team store in the Sunrise Mall. On July 13th, Kyle Okposo will be at the Broadway Mall and on July 28th Jack Hillen will be in Massapequa. Mark your calendars.

El Nino Is Coming to Long Island!

So said Charles Wang in his post pick interview.

I was totally surprised to hear the announcement at the podium of Nino Niederreiter as the Islanders draft pick. Why? Because I don't usually get what I want on Draft day.

Since I had started to research draft possibilities, I was totally sold on Erik Gudbranson and was hopeful he would be available at #5. But all the while I was researching the top 12 ranked prospects, Nino kept coming up. Erik was originally listed in the rankings at 5 - 7. Then his stock started to rise and his ranking jumped.

While that was happening, other names started falling into the mix of possible prospects and Nino's name began to climb as well. Everyone who asked me what I thought the Islanders should do got the same answer: Take Erik if he's available and if not, bring Nino to the Island.

When Gudbranson was taken at third, I was visibly disappointed sitting in the penalty box with my blogging buddies at the Coliseum draft party. I tweeted out, "I'm heartbroken." But more than just missing out on Erik, I figured for sure I was going to hear a name I hadn't even researched be called as the NEXT New York Islander.

I asked Tony from Islander Nation for his book of prospects to start looking at other possibilities, just so I wouldn't be taken completely off guard.

Then the Tweets started coming in from LA that Snow was looking to move BACK in the draft order. Again, my heart sank. How far would he go? The fourth pick was made and still there was no annoucement of a move and nothing new on Twitter.

The break in the Draft coverage from LA made me concerned. Wheels were turning, deals were being made on the draft floor, I just knew it. But then Garth Snow and his "Entourage" made their way to the podium. YES!! We were sticking with FIVE! The wait was almost over!



As Garth bent down three feet to speak into the podium microphone, he surprised me once again. This time, however, it was a wonderful surprise. Nino Niederreiter was chosen as the highest drafted Swiss player in NHL history. I'm pretty certain the scream I let out was heard in the Zamboni tunnel. When the confetti guns went off, I just couldn't believe it. "Yes! YES!" I kept saying. My associates at the table all asked, "So I take it you're happy?"

In all honesty, I am perfectly happy with this pick. Nino is a "Big time player who scores big time goals." according to Garth Snow and everyone who has ever seen Nino play. So many of my Twitter friends who have seen him play wrote to tell me how good this kid actually is.

"He's not afraid to get his nose dirty or pay a price to get a goal." Garth told the ITV reporter. Now, doesn't that sound a lot like our already 30 goal-scorer, Matt Moulson?

When Scott Gordon was quoted as saying "He's one of the few guys I went on line to find video on." I knew the coach had already built a folder on his computer with Nino's name on it. But as Gordon mentioned, this 17 year-old kid has already been exposed to a high level of competition and will be given a taste of our the Islanders operate when he attends the mini-camp in July.

The chemistry in the dressing room is something that I have noticed and been talking about the entire year. It is magical. There doesn't seem to be any annimosity or "cliques." If all goes as planned, this is a group that will play for each other. Which can only mean they will win or lose as a TEAM; and that's a good thing!


As far as the Kevin Connolly inclusion at the table and at the podium, I know a lot of people have a lot to say about it. My feeling is mixed. I'm not 100% sure why, but I'm not overly offended by it either. This is LA and LA is all about star power. Kevin lent a little glitz to the podium, especially making the announcement of pick #30 (that they traded picks #35 and 58 to Chicago to get), Brock Nelson.

Kevin told ITV Reporter Mike Trudell that he is the West Coast Rep for the NY Islanders. Connolly, a life-long NY Islanders fan feels this team is going to be a "serious contender" come next season and said he would NOT miss the home opener on October 9th. For someone who is in front of a camera all the time, he said he was nervous getting up there on the podium, but 11 year-old Cameron Wang is an old pro having been up there before.



With the first pick of Round Three* (thanks Webbard) on Saturday, the NY Islanders pulled another surprise and drafted much maligned Kiril Kabanov, the Russian Left Wing who played with Moncton this past season. The Islanders seem to be the one team willing to give young hockey players a chance to redeem themselves or hang themselves. The choice is their's.

Well, all these picks will certainly make the Blue & Orange scrimmage on July 10th an event not to miss!

And here's a video of the night from my friend JohnnyZ from YES!Islanders