Full Speed Ahead to July & August 1st

Just before the 5 pm deadline for qualifying offers, Katie Strang Tweeted out which Islanders RFA's were offered up new deals and which were not. Yesterday the NY Islanders did the same on their website.

It's so odd in this day of Twitter News that once something is "officially" announced, it actually feels like "old news."

Dustin Kohn and Jack Hillen were NOT offered QOs and I am sorry to hear that about Jack. I am also sorry to see Bruno Gervais go because he is one of the most pleasant and well mannered young men you could ever meet. Bruno was signed to a one year deal with Tampa Bay last night. Now that he is signed, I suppose we'll find out what the Isles get from Tampa in that "future consideration" deal.

In an effort to understand what a Qualifying Offer relates to in dollars. At a 5% increase, Josh Bailey's QO is a little less than $920K. I'm thinking he will be offered more, but that is about the least. According to Nick Giglia, due to the way the CBA is written, Bailey's cap hit will go down. Not exactly good news for a team trying to hit the cap floor.

The only actual signing announced by the Isles yesterday was the two-way deal for Tomas Marcinko. According to Eric Hornick it is a $650K deal with a "Europe Assign clause." Not exactly sure what that is. I guess I should have asked him.

Thanks to TSN there is a sortable free agent tracker that seems to be updated in a timely manner. Not like TWITTER TIMELY, but timely.

The Isles Arena saga continues to be news as we head towards the August 1st County vote. Bill Daly made a phone appearance on SNY's PointBlank TV and basically said this is the last chance for the Islanders to stay on Long Island. No new arena and the team is gone after their lease is over.

God Forbid the vote on August 1st is a Countywide NO. There will be wolves at the door just waiting to snatch the team from us and head north. We cannot let that happen. There is too much at stake.

Newsday has yet another article last night that sort of struck a nerve with me. So Nassau County is doing (another) environmental study of the property.

The SEQRA review, begun several weeks ago by planners and engineers from the Department of Public Works, is expected to be completed after the Aug. 1 vote.

Um, how many of us remember how much money Charles Wang paid to have this study done only two years ago. But again, let's investigate traffic, water and garbage now that the plan isn't anywhere near the scope of the Lighthouse. Oddly, no indication of WHO gets to pay for it this time.

The Legislature would then determine if it wants the Nassau County Planning Commission to advise lawmakers in their analysis. But, Democrats argue, the administration of County Executive Edward Mangano should have kept the commission involved from the get-go to ensure that SEQRA was performed correctly.

Oh look, there it is. Welcome to the pissing match between the Democrats and the Republicans AGAIN over actually getting something done on the Hub property. Seriously, the SEQRA can't be performed correctly without the Dems INVOLVED in it? I.Hate.Politics.

RDP Faces the Sabres Tonight

Confirmed by Jack Capuano, Rick DiPietro, who did not skate this morning will indeed be in net. His veteran presence, confidence and 'personality' will be evident!

On the ice this morning was Kyle Okposo, not in a yellow jersey. It was nice to see.

Bruno Gervais will not be taking off the cage any time soon. When I asked him he told me "Not this year. Next year." I asked again and got the same answer!

Also Rob Schremp: Jets!


Here's hoping that Matt Moulson has a little extra "luck" out there tonight on the ice and can add to his totals again. Also looking to score again is big Trevor Gillies who left the rink today, smiling, telling one of the reporters. "...and I'm going to get another one!"

I'm looking forward to it!

Random Thoughts For an Off Day

I've been completely out of it today. It started with my tour of Jury Duty, which I begrudgingly went to (like everyone else). After four hours of sitting in one place, we were mercifully relieved. In some ways it may have been interesting to serve on a jury. But considering what I do, can I really be relied on to judge only the facts presented? Um, hardly.

Fact: In a Twitter mention, @NYIslanders released the info that Bruno Gervais has a fractured cheekbone. That'll teach ya to drop the gloves Bruno.

Good News Dept.: Andy MacDonald is close to returning. YEAH! Not sure if he's just the good luck charm or if he means that much to the team, but it just has not been the same without him. No word if he will be available for Thursday against the Rangers as of yet. Not sure if Jack Hillen will be ready either, but I'm thinking that Capt'n Jack, I mean coach Jack may want to give Travis Hamonic a little taste of that Ranger Rivalry he's heard so much about.

Good Food Dept.: Tomorrow is the Meet & Eat with Rob Schremp and A-Mac at Social, the restaurant across from the Coliseum. I've heard so much about it from people who have been there and really, really enjoyed the food. What do they know? I used to own a restaurant. I'm no Chef Ramsey, but I certainly know my way around a commercial stove.

Besides, if the food is as good as I've heard, a gift certificate will be the perfect Christmas gift for my In-laws who live a stone's throw from there. Any time spent with funny-man Rob Schremp is well worth the price, so I'm pretty sure everyone attending will leave full and happy. If you couldn't make this event, Social should be having a few more of these Meet & Eat deals throughout the season.

Good Read Dept.: Books are always good holiday gifts, so don't forget that hockey fan on your list. There's Stan Fischler's "Who's Better?" which he was autographing after the game on Saturday at the Coliseum. And then for the stats junkie, hockey know-it-all in your family, how about Hockey Prospectus? Good value and good info.

For your non-hockey fan, Mom, Aunt, Grandmother or Niece, how about "Necessary Heartbreak"? A Novel of faith and forgiveness. And something that will be better received than a fruitcake.

Rick & Sim In, Hunter Out Isles WIN vs. Devils 11/26/10

And so it begins.
Rick gets the nod again, for good reason. He has been playing well. Jon Sim has been recalled to replaced injured Trent Hunter who is out with a knee injury suffered on Wednesday.

Sadly Rick won't be able to face off against Marty Brodeur as he is scratched along with Jamie Langenbrunner and Matthew Corrente for the Devils.

This game has significance as it could tie the longest Islanders losing streak or break it. I'm opting for the second one.

With 1:41 left of the third Jack calls a time out. There is an empty Devils net at the other end of the ice and an extra Devils attacker. Joensuu passes to Martin but he can't get a shot off into the empty net. The Isles keep the puck in the nuetral zone until it is forced back in where Rick has to make one final save.


Let's Go Islanders.

With three quick whistles in the first few seconds, the Islanders are the first on the board with a goal by Jesse Joensuu at 1:32 with an assist by Frans and Grabner.

That's how you start the game!

The Islanders have the first power play of the afternoon as David Clarkson heads to the box for interference. But they are spending way too much time chasing the puck out of their own zone. Nothing comes of it. They are still without a power play goal in almost 30 chances.



Colin White seems to have it out for anyone in a blue sweater. But sadly it was Bruno Gervais that answered the bell after White's hit on Parenteau. Let's talk about uneven penalties again, shall we. Bruno gets 2 for instigating, five for fighting and a ten minute misconduct while White gets 5 for fighting and 5 for boarding. The Islanders will have a short power play as Bruno headed to the dressing room with only 8 minutes left of the first.

Johan Hedberg is called for tripping early in the second with the Islanders out shooting them at 15 to 5 in front of an announced attendance of 10,897. Kovalchuk gets to sit in the box for their goalie.

With nine seconds left of the power play, Blake Comeau takes a goaltender interference penalty and the Islanders are on the PK for 1:20. Still no goals on the power play. Something isn't clicking.



With a pass from Blake Comeau to Rob Schremp, Rob manages to get the puck behind Hedberg from the far left corner. Or as Brad Kurtzberg, from InsideHockey.com, likes to call it "Schremp's Office

The shots on goal are 19 - 12 in the Islanders favor, but the hits are a staggering 21 to 9 in favor of the Isles.

With 1:41 left of the second, the clang off the post scared me but didn't go in behind Rick. Jon Sim has been doing everything that Jon Sim does naturally, but Mark Eaton has made some excellent defensive plays to keep the away from the net.


One minute remaining in the second and the Islanders manage to withstand a flurry of activity in their own zone and head to the dressing room still up by two. If they can hold the Devils off for another twenty minutes, the streak will be broken and a new day will dawn for the team.


The third begins and with four minutes gone, the shots are now in the Devils favor at 20 to 19. The Islanders defenders have done an excellent job keeping the puck away from DiPietro by giving themselves up to block. While Rick has made some excellent saves, none have been of the caliber of Wednesdays, that caused a DiPi chant -- until now when Mattias Tedenby takes a point blank shot at Rick and there is no rebound.

The third period has been all Devils. I've been watching without typing when Brad Kurtzberg notices I'm turning blue. "Breathe Dee." And I exhale as they break to clean the ice.

Reese takes an interference penalty at 10:04 and the PK is back to work. This is a turning point for the roster. If they can get past this, it will prove how much they really want it

And just as I said that, James Wisniewski takes a highsticking penalty for clipping Tedenby in the face with a high stick. Drawing blood, he gets four minutes. And the Isles are killing off a five on three penalty before they are only down one man. The game is on their sticks. Can they hold the lead?

Rick DiPietro does his best impression of Billy Smith clearing Clarkson out of his crease over and over again. With one rebound at the side of the net in a dangerous position, the Isles still manage to kill off the five on three followed by the five on four. Maybe they do want it as much as the fans who are now cheering "Let's Go Islanders!"

The Devils called a time out and left their net empty when they returned to the ice. With an extra Devils attacker on the ice it became a tense situation. The Islanders managed to keep the puck in the nuetral zone but couldn't manage to get it in the empty net. It didn't matter. With the clock ticking down the last two minutes, then one minute of the game, it was clear that the streakwould be broken. The Islanders would win this game 2 - 0 and Rick DiPietro would once again earn a shut out against the NJ Devils.



After the on ice celebration in net, Deb Placey spoke with Rick on the ice. He addressed the fans and thanked them for all their support during this terrible losing streak. He meant every word. The fans that were behind him today are the ones that mean the most to him.

In the dressing room he talked about this only being one game. And while he and everyone else was glad it was a win, they know there is plenty of work to be done.

"Four points in three games. It's a start." Matt Moulson told me before heading off. Rick told a another reporter with just this win, there was no way they should start getting cocky.

They won't. But they needed a good place to start. Today was day one.


Coach Jack Capuano with his first NHL win has a reason to smile and gets a few days to plot and plan before facing the dreaded Rangers in home and home games Thursday and Friday.



Locker room quotes to follow.

Loss #14 - But Getting Better

Yeah, I know. It took me 24 hours to get this out into the world. But hey, I sometimes have a life. Not very often mind you, but occasionally.

Rather than coming straight home last night to write a new entry I went to see my husband's friend Eric (he's an Islander fan too) and his band Miss Alibi at the Garage in Bayport. I had not seen his band and they were actually very, very good. Got the crowd jumping.

Then is morning I had to bake for today and then the family came first as the Jersey contingent came for the Holiday. So I wrote part of the entry in the car and just finished it now -- 24 hours later.

Notes, Quotes and my very inadequate translation of Bruno Gervais's interview with me here at HockeyBuzz.com.

And Note To Garth: with the possibility of Trent Hunter being out with some sort of lower body injury (yep, that's what we figured yesterday.) can I say two words? Darryl Bootland. Odessa Jackalopes. One of your ECHL teams and he's been here before. I'm just saying.

Go (home) HABS, Go

Nah, just kidding. It's good that they prove they are such a rabid fan base as to travel all that way to support their team. Gotta love it.

Rob Schremp is a Sound Tiger (for now).
Bruno Gervais is a forward (for now).
Trent Hunter will play tonight (as of NOW).
Dwayne Roloson gets the nod in net for tonight. (how now brown cow.)

Here's a great article written by my friend Su Ring that has her take on Nino going to the Winterhawks. Su was very familiar with his play long before I even noticed him. Check it out.

All Isles fans heading tonight to the barn, I will see you there at the meet-up at Doolans or at the Tim Horton's stand. Let's Go Islanders!

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.

Monday Mash-up

Which basically means, I don't have anything really to report so let's just throw out some quick hits and see what sticks.

Rob Schremp is still trying to get to 4400 followers on Twitter so that he will then announce his contribution to the Special Olympics. You can help him out if you haven't followed him yet on Twitter.

Along with Rob's charity work, Bruno Gervais has teamed up with the Clark Gillies Foundation for one particular event that will be held on September 19th in Melville, NY at the Rosewood Inn on Route 111. There are 22 men willing to shave their heads for charity, including Clark himself who has pledges of $1570 so far. Fellow Dynasty member Bobby Nystrom has also volunteered for the task, yet has NO pledges as of yet. Hmmmm... Maybe because Nystrom doesn't have quite as much hair as Gillies.

But this is about getting pledges for Bruno. You can click on here to see the donation pledge. You know any amount helps him out. While you're there, check out the rest of Clark's site.

Over the weekend, when I was in PA and not thinking about hockey very much, I was receiving DMs asking if Garth Snow was going to go after Stempniak. I did receive an answer, but you already know it -- Nyet.

Speaking of "Nyet" -- so like is the NHL going to say "Nyet" again to the latest incarnation of the Kovalchuk deal? Is the cap hit REALLY $6.66 million? Is this one written to be less a circumvention of the cap than the last contract? Oh, we'll just have to wait and see now won't we. All I know is -- If the Devils sign Kovalchuk and it makes it difficult to keep Zach Parise, then I hope the Islanders would do anything in their power to snatch him up.

The latest issue of Hockey Quarterly is now available on ling and just as all the others, it's done exceptionally well. Clayton Hansler and his editing staff do an exceptional job putting this website together and coming up with the ideas. This issue is all about the "Big D." Check it out, no matter what team you are a fan of.


Frans Nielsen has been subjected to a Twitter Q&A today. Answers should be posted some time tomorrow. He has also received quite a few accolades this week. A lot of people are really looking forward to seeing what he can do this coming season.

Spend $30 or more at the Isles team store this week and you'll get a Matt Moulson t-shirt. I remember when they couldn't keep the regular shirt in stock
And at least unlike Rob, Matt didn't change his number.

We are so close to training camp, but even closer to those two prospect games in Boston on 9/15 & 9/16. I am STILL trying to find a way of getting to Boston for at least one of those games, but no one is taking the bait! UGH! So if you're going, I'm jealous.

Kraft Homestyle: Not exactly fast food, it actually took me a long time to make but the new homestyle Mac and Cheese is about as close to grandma's baked with love
product that you will get. Next time I'm throwing lobster and peas in it and serving it for company.

Wednesday's Notes

Not to be outdone in his charity work by fellow team mate Rob Schremp, Bruno Gervais has teamed up with the Clark Gillies organization for a "hair raising" (or removing) fundraiser set for September 19th here on Long Island. Donations in any denomination will help Bruno out, who probably has the best chance of his hair growing back based on the lot of participants that includes both Islander legends Clark Gillies and Bobby Nystrom.

What's On?:
While I was busy working yesterday, the The National Hockey League officially released their national television schedule.

The Islanders have the possibility of a total of three nationally televised games including an NBC game at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

On January 23, the Islanders will host the Buffalo Sabres at the Nassau Coliseum at 3 p.m., with the game currently sitting as one of the three possible games that NBC can exclusively cover. The other two choices are the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the Philadelphia Flyers and the Florida Panthers taking on the New Jersey Devils.

This season, the Islanders will have two of their road games televised on Versus, with only the first, set for October 13 at the Verizon Center against the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m., having exclusive broadcast rights. Versus will also cover the Islanders game on February 2 at the new Consol Energy Center against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m.

As was pointed out on Twitter, the fewer National games the Islanders are on, the less money they lose on their TV deal with MSG.

Working for a Living:
I have always told this woman she works too much, now there's an article to prove it. Check "A Day in the Life of Ann Rina" on the Islanders main website.


By the Numbers:
Yesterday, the official NY Islanders Twitter account announced:

Two number changes to announce: Rob Schremp will wear 44 and Matt Martin will wear 17. #isles

Rob then Tweeted his delight over the change and apologized to anyone that has already bought a #13 jersey. (all three of them.)

I'm a little disappointed with the change as I felt that #13 suited Rob. It really isn't unlucky, and it's half of Matty #26.

Oh, I'm in trouble for that one.

Welcome to Columbus, Anton!

11:35 pm: Postgame report at HB.

Just when I thought I would wait until I actually had some inspiration to write a pre-game report for tonight's CBJ vs Isles game in Columbus, I get inspiration from my best source: Twitter. A call-up from Bridgeport for injured Bruno Gervais.

Pre-liminary Pre-game report for tonight's match-up here at HockeyBuzz.

Should anything else come by my phone or my computer regarding tonight's game (or any other useless thought that might come across my already overly taxed brain) I will be sure to post it.

Wish me luck. I have to go fight at the Verizon warrenty center today. Seems my daughter's Rival A455 split into two pieces. Maybe she should have actually let it out of her hands for more than a nano-second!

Super Bowl Party with the Boys

Today there was an open practice for Season Ticket Holders at the Nassau Coliseum. Between the freezing cold, the losing streak and it being Super Bowl Sunday, it was certainly an INTIMATE gathering of fans.

While the sentiment of the players was to keep things light, you could tell by the faces of some that the extended losing streak is taking a toll.

Marty Biron, the only Islander goalie with a recent win, was back on Long Island and sharing a net with Roloson and DiPietro for a final shoot out drill. On very little sleep today after last night’s dinner-dance, it was all just a blur to me.

I decided to leave the tough questions about the Islanders’ current slump to the Main Stream Media types in attendance. Katie Strang corner Garth Snow in the runway. Brad Kurtzberg grabbed Scott Gordon as soon as he left the ice. I hung back and asked questions about – The Super Bowl!

(Seriously, do you think I’m going to be able to garner valid answers about what’s going wrong and why they can’t score? Hardly.)

So the little survey I did about today’s big “day of stupid American fun”, as I heard it called on the news today, garnered me a few interesting answers.

“Are the Patriots in it? Then I have no interest in it. I’m gonna go see a movie.” That was Massachusetts native Scott Gordon’s response to me about today’s “big game.” That sort of shot me down real quick.

Sean Bergenheim told me that the team would be hanging together to watch the Super Bowl. When I asked him what his favorite football watching munchies is, he hesitated. “Oh, I try not to eat too much junk, but I would say maybe a hot dog.” That would certainly qualify as “junk.”

I wanted to see what everyone thought of the commercials that mean so much to Super Bowl Sunday, so when I asked Sean if there were any Super Bowl commercials that stood out for him over the years, “The commercial with the kid when he’s on the computer and there’s a clown. That one.”

Bruno Gervais, as big of a foodie as he is, favors wings. “Bar-b-cue or mild. That’s a classic. Everything though, hot dog, burgers. If you’re going to do it -- do it right.” He felt there are a lot of good commercials out there and did like all the Budweiser commercials. But wait, last year there was a baby commercial. You know, those Car insurance, the baby – with the clown. Yeah. That was a good one.“ When I asked if he felt that half time and the amount of promo spent on the commercials takes away from the actual game he said “No, the game is fun.”

Rick DiPietro will also be spending tonight with the team “Where ever they go, I go.” (Sorry Cassandra. Not sure if the wives are invited or not.) The man who spent his free time learning to cook said he’d have to go with Buffalo wings as his favorite game time munchie. When it came to commercials, Rick said there was a funny one that he liked, “No, there was one I really liked, but I totally forgot what it is. So obviously it wasn’t that good."

Rick didn’t think the half time show or the commercials are more important than the actual game. While he wasn’t really interested in seeing the Who at half time, he wouldn’t mind seeing Janet Jackson again. (Funny, I got that from a lot of the guys… Gee, I wonder why? Ha!)

Jeff Tambellini’s favorite munchie is Nachos and his favorite commercials were the Budweiser frogs. When I asked if the commercials and halftime spectacles took away from the game, Jeff had a well thought answer off the top of his head. “I think the event, as a whole, is so good, because it’s not just one thing. Instead of flipping the commercials off, you actually get to watch them. I just think it’s so much fun to watch through the whole day.”

We had another vote for Nachos from Jon Sim who ALSO voted for “those little baby commercials. I like the talking babies. They’re hilarious.” I think he was teasing me when he said the half time show and commercials were indeed the best part of the Super Bowl because he ended with “Unless it comes down to the fourth quarter.” Especially when you have money riding on the outcome.

Even the infamous Richard “Shakey” Krause, Islanders Equipment manager voted for Nachos as the favorite Super Bowl snack, but his favorite commercials are the Bud Bowls. He also looks forward to the half time show and commercials. (And also wanted to see Janet Jackson again…)

So what this all boils down to is that – E-TRADE HAS THE BEST COMMERCIALS AND NO BRAND RECOGNITION!!! Hey! Madison Avenue morons, while your commercials are hysterical, you are spending millions and millions of dollars and no one knows what your product is! There is no 100% brand recognition! I had to tell each of them what the product is!

Okay, enjoy the game and the commercials. My husband will be screaming “PETE!!!” at the top of his lungs as he is a Who-Head from way back while I will be digging into the --- drum roll please – Nachos, like everyone else!

Good Morning St. Paul!

The Islanders wake up this morning in St. Paul for the first of three games in four nights in three cities. Not an easy schedule, but one the young team doesn't seem to have a problem keeping.

It's a mini-holidy home-coming for Minnesota native Kyle Okposo as he will be swamped by family and friends. But the party won't last long as they head out for St. Louis immediately after.

On Tuesday, I caught up to Bruno Gervais and veteran NHLer Jon Sim to ask if these condensed road trips are a problem. Check it out on HockeyBuzz.

Puck drop tonight at 8 pm, pre-game I am assuming is 7:30 pm. Join us on Twitter for #NotoriousNateThompson night. Hopefully... he's actually playing.

*Oh! Almost forgot. Fellow Blog Boxer Tiger Track Tom Liodice actually made this trip to St. Paul and I am very, very jealous. You're lucky I like you Tom.

Also... If you haven't watched the October Highlights video like 100 times, you're really missing something awesome

But I do love Linkin Park

Mr. & Mrs. Rick DiPietro

Remember this guy? Yeah. We used to see him a lot before this past hockey season turned him into a member of the witness protection program.

Well, he married his long time girlfriend on Saturday and since I really had nothing else to write, and since I was a little .... drinking...., I "googled". Yes... I googled.

This is what I came up with. Thankfully, the HockeyBuzz crowd hasn't ripped me apart for it yet.

And don't forget Bruno Gervais and Nate Thompson will be at the Broadway mall team store today from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Line up for an autograph and a sweet hello from one of the Islanders nicest good guys.... and Nate.

Post Game 5-4 Canes over Isles

Bruno on a caffeine high gets his second goal and does an interview with CJ Papa that sounded like it was recorded at the wrong speed. Did he even breathe?

Tambellini thumped one of the Canes into the boards and he bounced. It was a real shock. It was Tamby doing it.

Streit gets another personal point with an assist and time Jackman gets two.

Rechlicz is just an animal... but one that can actually skate and play hockey. Even though he playe only a little over 7 minutes.

Okposo and Nielsen had a great game, each with a goal and an assist, but seriously the Chia Beards (as Jaffe called them) have to go.

Park, wearing special padding to protect his recovering ribs, not only scored but also took a hit that made me hold my breath.

Dean gets hooked, the officials miss it, and he ends up in the box giving the canes a 2 man advantage in the final two minutes. "Dean McAmmand has earned that kind of respect to have the officials let him have his say. He cares. The kind of guy you want on your team." Bill Jaffe.

I hate to say I'm glad they lost. That's not the way I want to feel. But in these last dozen games, we can't lose sight of the big picture.

They're playing better than we could have ever hoped. But they can't will themselves into a playoff berth. They can't roll over either. But losing is seriously in our best interest. I'm sorry Peter Mannino.

One Point in Toronto, But a Bigger Loss?

The Leafs haven't had a great season even with the Pope of Hockey as their GM. They probably didn't expect much from the youngsters on the worst team in the NHL. They were wrong.

But along with the Islanders walking away with one point in Toronto, they added to their long injury list as Sean Bergenheim limped off the ice in pain.

It seemed like an "Uh Oh!" moment for Bergenheim on the ice as he was skating toward the net one minute and wincing in pain against the boards the next. He skated off the ice on his own, but headed straight to the trainers and did not return. Losing him for any length of time will not change where the Islanders are in the standings, but it will certainly interfere with Sean's development into the player Gordon wants him to be.

Also amazing last night was watching lightweight, good guy Bruno Gervais take off the gloves and have at it with Lee Stempniak. The bench was amused. The TV watching fans were stunned.

Kyle Okposo continues to show off his skills and CJ Papa had the most eye-catching tie I've seen in a long time. Although Scott Gordon is the best dressed coach I've ever seen. I'd love to see his closet. I'm certain it's military neat and strategically organized. Just like him.

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.

Gervais Stays an Islander 7-25-08

How sad that I had to find out this great news first thing on my NYIC message board. I would love to be able to wake up and find such happy news in my own email inbox. But once again, I’m left to find out from other NYIC members with insomnia who post during the wee hours of the morning.

I’m very happy that Garth managed to lock Bruno up for an amicable 3 year contract. Bruno is one of those young players who has ingratiated himself to the fans, the media, and anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him.

Drafted in 2003 in the 6th round at the tender age of 18, I remember when he first played on the Sound Tigers during the ‘04 season. He was nothing more than a boy who looked even younger than he actually was. Thin and pale with pout-y lips and wide eyes. His English wasn’t the best, but he was a striking presence on the ice for such a young player. But whenever I’d see him in street clothes, I’d always comment, “Someone please feed that boy. He needs a cheeseburger.”

But teenagers are deceptively strong, and that was Bruno. Bridgeport was his training ground even though he played only 55 games with them. But then he made his way up to Uniondale, still basically just a kid. He started to grow into his body, and his English improved and his personality began to shine.

A quick witted comedian with a charming smile, he quickly became a favorite of ITV. So much so that Josh Bernstein and his ITV staff named what became an annual award after him for the player “Most Appreciated By Islanders TV.” The award is called the “Bruno” as it was first presented to Gervais. In 2008, it was presented to Brendan Witt by Steve Mears. Witter was surprised that it was an ACTUAL award, engraved and everything!

Gervais not only offers so much on the ice to his team mates, but so much to the Long Island community. We always talk about “home grown” talent. Well, Gervais may have been born and raised in Longueuil, QC, Canada, but he has grown into a man within the Islanders organization. We’re lucky to have him, and I’m sure Chris Campoli is a happy man today too. They worked so perfectly together on the ice, they never had to wonder where the other one was. When injuries began to plague them, you could see the loss.

So Welcome Home Bruno, glad to have you. And as I said when the Blog Box had the pleasure of interviewing you last season… with that accent, you could read me a cereal box and I’ll pay very, very close attention.