Isles 7 Bruins 2 Final - But Losses Mount

The Isles rookie squad took it to the Baby Bruins hard early in the first period. According to Brett Gallant, just to set the tone of the game. They certainly did. They were physical and dominating throughout three periods. The two Bruins goals weren't scored until 5:02 of the 3rd and 18:46 of the 3rd -- long after the damage had been done.

In game blog and recap with quotes from Brett Gallant and Matt Donovan here at hockeybuzz.

But let's talk about the losses. On Monday the Isles lost Rhett Rakhshani to concussion from a hit. Last night they lost Mark Katic with a separated left shoulder. The Bruins may have lost a kid who was helped off the ice last night as well, but don't ask me to spell his name.

These are on-ice losses, but there were off-ice losses as well in Islander Country. Katie Strang is now working for ESPN New York covering all three hockey teams. (ESPN covers hockey? Who knew.) Deb Placey has been awarded the Devils game nights both home and away with Doc Emerick retiring to only work for Versus and NBC.

Closer to home, just this morning, I read that IslandersPointBlank will be losing it's first and only full-time editor and writer, Chris Botta.

They say things come in threes. There's your tri-fecta.

SNY's Point Blank TV With Birthday Boy Jiggs MacDonald

A great piece featuring a great guy and golden voice of Islanders hockey.

Kate Murray: "Let's Go Halfsies"

I have not seen anything official, but at 11:15 pm last night, Islanders Pointblank has an extensive entry on what the Town of Hempstead should be unveiling as their "pushback" to the Lighthouse Project.

As expected, it is said the proposal will be a 50% reduction of certain portions such as the retail space square footage. However, Mr. Botta says the reduction to the residential portion will be 75%.

While Charles Wang has remained quiet all this time, looking back at the clips of Mr. Wang from past public appearances, I can't imagine he is going to be open to such a drastic reduction in his plan. Nor can I imagine him investing just to renovate the Coliseum.

However, the surprising item in Mr. Botta's article is the suggestion that current County Executive Ed Mangano is in Charles Wang's corner in this debate. Does that mean that his desire for a casino on the property was just a smoke screen? Or is he looking for the Casino AND the Islanders to reside on the property? As I previously wondered, is there now a Republican party rift between the Town and the County? Who knows.

This morning I scoured the pages of Newsday looking for some sort of information out of the Town of Hempstead, but it was not there. I, like every other fan, eagerly await the proposal from Kate Murray. Previously she said it would have been unveiled in June. I suppose she hasn't turned over her calendar page as of yet.

Tick Tock, Kate. Hmmm... Maybe Ed Mangano will drop the ceremonial puck at tonight's Blue & Orange scrimmage. Wouldn't that be interesting!

SCF: Finish Line is Now Best of 3

For my thoughts on the SCF Game 5, please check HockeyBuzz.
(Thank you Adrien Dater (@adater) for the use of your photo)

I have some very good links to my Tweeps there for their coverage of the games.

So, here’s to a Sunday night filled with Hockey on NBC, starting with a pre-game show at 5 pm with Anthony Curatolo from The Hockey Guys on www.blogtalkradio.com/thehockeyguys, a Live Chat with XM’s Shawn (Big Country) Lagivnestarting at 7pm, some interesting TwitBits from those covering the game live in Chicago all night long and hopefully a Hawks win.

Yeah! I said it! I’m still rooting for the Blackhawks!

Isles Aside: In this morning’s Newsday, Jim Baumbach has a brief article under the title “Islanders: Former owner still believes in Hartford” Sadly, the title (as usual) is misleading. If you don’t actually READ the article, you immediately assume there’s a link between Hartford and the Islanders. The good thing is that within the first paragraph that connection is broken by reading that Howard Baldwin “…does not see relocating the Islanders as an option right now.” The wording “right now” does leave the idea open ended. Perhaps Mr. Baumbach wrote the story just to include the second half of the article news that Charles Wang is STILL waiting to hear from the Town of Hempstead as to what they deem acceptable in the Uniondale parcel. He did note that Kate Murray said she expected to present the ToH’s plans as early as June. Turn the page on your calendar Kate, it IS June.

I suppose any mention of the continuing plight of the Islanders is a good thing. Anything that can light a fire under the local government is appreciated by the fans. Even Gary Bettman on his weekly radio show on Thursday had to take 3 minutes to answer a concerned fan’s questions regarding the Lighthouse project and the Islanders. Even with the attention placed on the impending draft and the possibility of a future star, Islander fans are most concerned with where their team will be after 2015.

Time flies. The question has been pending for years. The only constant has been – Kate Murray.

Shooting Blanks

When there was NO news coming out of Islanders Country, Chris Botta would generate it or even BECOME the news. So he has done so this week.

With the often elluded to possible demise of Islanders Point Blank, Chris Botta has sent the Islanders fan base into a collective state of mourning. As he stated in his most recent entry, the organization did make him an offer to continue. It just isn't an offer he can live with. Everyone needs to do what is best for themselves and their family. The problem is, the fan base always considered themselves part of HIS family.

In May of 2008, when Chris Botta first left the NY Islanders, like so many of the writers in the blogosphere, I offered up my feelings (http://7thwoman.blogspot.com/2008/05/end-of-era.html). Mr. Botta's e-mail response was "Thank you, Mrs. Karl. My mother will be proud."

His mother is not the only one who is proud of him. As fans, he gave us an unprecendented insider's view. As a mentor, he gave many of us opportunities we would have never had. As an author, he gave us knowledge and laughter. None of these gifts can ever truly be repaid.

While our exchanges since his 2008 departure from the Isles consisted of merely cordial plesantries of "Hello, how are you?," I read every word he wrote, every day, probably three times a day. If he checks his stats, I'm certain my IP address comes up more often than I'd like to admit. But hey... as I said, when there wasn't news, he created it or became it and as so many devotees, I craved it.

I wish him well, whatever the future brings. Talent and work ethic such as his are hard to come by. But I've been saying that since the first day I met him. He is a unique personality -- truly one of a kind. (Which I think is a lot better then when he called me "a piece of work." But that's just a guess.)

Stay in Hockey Chris, the NHL needs you!

Welcome to Oz - LighthouseLI Mirror

I learn the most amazing things on Hockey This Morning on XM 204's Home Ice. Yesterday's Denis Potvin segment surprised me. It seems that South Florida and the Panthers (which are up for sale for $240 Million) have their own Mixed-Use development proposal, and it's called "The City of OZ."

Hmmm.... Multi-use sports, entertainment and residential complex. Where have I heard THAT idea before? Oh right. Long Island. Do you know why these proposals are hitting the desks at planning boards? Because they WORK! Because they make sense. Because they are the vision of the future.

The first time I saw a mixed use area based around an arena, I was in Columbus. The brick walkways, restaurants, hotels and condos all within walking distance of the Columbus Blue Jackets made me weep. I was ready to move to Columbus. It was a glimpse of Utopia where a prison used to stand. Why can't we have that? WHY?

Perhaps today when Charles Wang speaks on WFAN 660 today, he can get some vital information across to those who don't know enough about the project, or have been misinformed about it. I hope so. 5:30 pm.

The top three draft prospects were in Tampa and ex-NYI Blog Box member Jon Jordan has a recap of their visit on Hockeybuzz. (and I'm jealous.)

Chris Botta has the most amazing Q&A with John Tavares on his blog from yesterday that has over 300 comments. The Long Island poll says the fans want John Tavares. I want Garth to shock the hockey world and come away with TWO of the top prospects. That would make everyone sit up and take notice.

They now have over 6,000 tickets reserved for the Draft Party at the Coliseum. And I keep getting more depressed that I won't be there. Phooey!

The Re-Elect Kate Murray Kick Off Party

There were stars and stripes bunting, banjos and free ice cream. There were signs on tall sticks high over head with Kate Murray’s name and likeness on them. A town employee prompted a “We Like Kate!” chant as he walked through the crowd standing in the sun on this Friday afternoon in front of the Levittown Veteran’s Memorial. It was picture perfect. If the picture were being taken in 1945.

This is politics and politics on Long Island is getting quite ugly. This was the “Kate Murray for Supervisor” re-election kick-off party. I was handed a press release for the event and noticed the first paragraph which states “Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray launched her re-election campaign before hundreds of cheering supporters.” Forgive me, this is my first exposure to one of these, but how did they know there would be “hundreds of supporters” if it was already printed? Why not “thousands”? Or how about “quite a few,” as if I had put down my camera and my recorder I may have been able to count the actual attendees using my fingers and toes. (They were accessible, I waswearing sandals.)

Nassau County Republican Chairman Joe Mondello took the podium. His words were passionate and strong. He felt the press is “… giving the democrats a free ride. We’re going to take a positive approach to this campaign. I’m going to have a lot to say on how this thing unfolds. We are going to spare no time, no effort, no money to re-elect a great supervisor: Kate Murray. Make no mistake; the Democrats are absolutely after us. They are not satisfied having the Federal government, the State and they are in charge of the County. They want our Towns too and they want your Town. And they want your jobs." (Huh? okay. I kept listening.)

"And we are the only government in Nassau County that is fiscally conservative. We are the only ones where Kate Murray has held the line on taxes. She’s done what she had to do. She’s really addressed the problems. She’s absolutely pro-growth. But she wants the people not to be hurt. She’s the watchdog (woof). She has to look out for the people of this township. And she’s going to start letting people know, not getting defensive not fighting back that way, but letting people know that she is out there looking out for their interests." Does that mean she'll be more accessible to the media? I can't be sure.

"And she can’t jump at anything. I saw a sign before that had something to do with the coliseum. We’re all for redoing the Coliseum, what we are NOT for is ANYTHING else that is going to be a part of it that could really injure the Town of Hempstead. And there are villages that are concerned. The Village of Garden City (that has threatened to sue), the Village of Hempstead and other people that are concerned about…”

And then the hell gates opened. A very small group of vocal supporters of the Lighthouse project yelled out. What was Mr. Mondello’s response?

“Blow it out your duffle bag pal. They’re being paid by Charles Wang. That’s what’s going on here.” (Does he really think the kid knows what the hell a Duffle bag is?)

Really Mr. Mondello? Somehow I missed out on that action and I know some of those who were there to be vocal.

“So as far as I’m concerned, let’s do what we do best and that’s win elections especially in the town of Hempstead.”

Now, I’m a registered Republican myself and somewhere along the line I believe we’ve been LOSING quite a few elections Mr. Mondello, not winning them.

Kate Murray took the podium to cheers. “Why are we here today? We are here today because residents of America’s largest township deserve leadership they can trust. While other governments are in fiscal chaos, Hempstead is earning the highest Wall Street credit ratings and in a time when other officials at other levels of government rely on fiscal gimmicks, like deferring personnel costs, we refuse to mortgage our children’s future. We’re here to tell our residents that you can produce a tax freeze budget and still maintain the finest municipal services anywhere.”

“The Hempstead town Republican team that we have here is managing government well. We planned for this economic recession we’re in, and we’re a model of financial strength. You won’t hear us blaming the economy for fiscal mismanagement. Leave that to the government officials who would rather point fingers than lead. We don’t do that in the Town of Hempstead.” T
“How are we helping the Town of Hempstead residents? We are freezing the town taxes once again. This is the second town tax freeze in the last three years.” To be clear, I am not a ToH resident, so I don’t know what that equates to, but I am under the impression that taxes are high begin with. Tom Suozzi’s new June 1st energy tax was cited and understandably booed.

“We know that the economy is tough out there, so we have our OWN $40 million stimulus program. Now is the time that folks need projects that will support and create jobs. And that’s exactly what we are doing in the town of Hempstead.” (I guess she has more relatives that need work.)

“Our $40 million capital program will finance jobs and road improvements and other infrastructure upgrades that we’re going to put resident’s to work. In addition to creating jobs and stimulating the economy, we’re doing it in a Green responsible manner. We have Long Islands ONLY solar powered Government office.”

That actually sounded quite good. So did the “How To” seminars Ms. Murray said the Town offers to residents on solar power. She also mentioned a water “e-cycling” program.

If, indeed, this is what the Town is looking for, did they mention to the Lighthouse developers that water "e-cycling" should be part of their proposal? I don’t know.

Ms. Murray also felt that due to the economy, fewer residents would be taking vacations and opting for “Stay-cations” instead which should see increased use of the town's parks and beaches.

“We saved the beach at Point Lookout. We have swim lessons, yoga lessons; quite frankly you could have a full time job just taking part in the free programs that the Town of Hempstead has to offer.” (How much does that job pay Ms. Murray? $40 an hour? Sorry.)

When it comes to affordable housing, Murray stated that they have built more “affordable” homes in the Town of Hempstead than in any other municipality. “We refinanced the refurbishment of over 800 affordable apartments. We’ve created 1,300 affordable units for our seniors, and now we have partnered with developers that have an additional 2000 units for our seniors so that they can stay in their communities.”

These developers are probably not Charles Wang and Scott Rechler. Although I’m curious that she wants to preserve the suburban lifestyle and is talking about approximately the same number of residential units that the Lighthouse project has proposed. I am wondering where

these 2,000 units are planned.

“We have to help our Mom & Pop businesses more than ever, and in that regard we have done nine successful down-town renovations in Oceanside, Baldwin, Elmont, Levittown, Franklin Square, Merrick, Bellmore, Roosevelt, East Meadow and Seaford. And we’re working to get into even more towns. “

As that is TEN towns and she claimed nine were successful, I’d like to know which one was a failure.

While looking around the crowd at the few in the Blue, White & Orange, Ms. Murray’s tone changed.

“Let’s talk about the other developments that are going on, not only at the Coliseum (which hasn’t seen a shovel yet, but okay) but all around the Town,” she became stern, "Let me tell’ya the Murray Team is innovative and we’re open to innovative, progressive development while we are absolutely committed to preserving our suburban character. That is our legal responsibility and that is our moral responsibility.”

Last I checked there was no “suburban character” in the 150 acres of asphalt surrounded by a college, a highway, an empty lot and a recycling center. Are McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chipotle part of “suburban character"?

“We have approved some very innovative transit oriented developments next to the West Hempstead train station and in a number of other communities. And we continue to look to all other development plans with open minds.”

I’m just wondering how she can look to other plans when she won’t attend a meeting with a developer. In going over the media release, I saw the same items she outlined in her speech; however I miss the hyperlinks that internet text would provide. I would like to see back up to these very powerful and impressive messages she gave today, and I’m lazy and do not want to have to search the internet for them myself.

Once again, Ms. Murray became stern in her tone looking at the Lighthouse supporters in the crowd, “That being said, we won’t be bullied." (Yes, bullied by the public. The very VOCAL public.) "The safety and welfare of our residents is of the utmost importance to all of us on the town board and it’s our legal and moral responsibility to make sure that the quality of life enjoyed by our residents is preserved. It is too important to take shortcuts on proposals that could change the character of our region for generations to come.”

Yes, Nassau county might actually have a monument to be recognized by. Some sort of Landmark to identify it. Out in Suffolk, as lame as it is, we have the Big Duck and the Montauk Lighthouse.

“A big structural deficit is a sign of bad management, not bad times.” And as the crowd chanted “Kate, Kate, Kate.” with a departing shot at my blogging brethren and she uttered words that cut me to the quick. “And, BTW, I’m also an Islanders fan.”

Really, Ms. Murray? How many games did you attend last season? I was at about 30 games, I never saw you. Can you tell me who Joel Rechlichz is? I doubt it. Nonetheless, the exclamation drew cheers and applause from the middle-age, upper middle class crowd.

Yes, this is the Republican Party, to which I belong. Suits and ties, khakis and Izod shirts. Other than the veterans by the monument, I saw no other uniforms. The Republicans by their own admission are ready to wage war on the Democrats to keep the ToH a Republican Township in a “sea of fiscal red ink.”

Supposedly, in the ToH, 10% of their tax dollars pay for 90% of their day to day town services. Again, I‘d really love a hyperlink for that. (A side note, Garden City is one of the only villages that have a PAID fire department while the rest of Long Island relies on volunteers to protect them.)

As it was wrapping up, as The Dixie Rascals began to play “Give my Regards to Broadway”, and as my eyes began to glaze over from the rhetoric and speeches, a man interested in talking to anyone who would listen, came to me. He had a lot to say.

“It’s a shame that she has not articulated her viewpoint on the project. It’s a disservice to her town and to the people of Nassau County and Long Island. We are losing our young adults at five times the national average and she doesn’t want to voice her opinion on one of the largest projects on Long Island. She obviously doesn’t know how to negotiate. She’s going to kill a project that would be vital to the Uniondale School district. On top of that, if we lose a major sports franchise in this area, we’ll never get one back. And it’s the Republicans who have been to blame over the course of the last ten years. And they talk about fiscal responsibility. They‘re the party of no ideas.”

Ouch. Sad, but true. My own party has brought us to this point.

I saw Joe Ra talking to Point Blank’s Chris Botta, luckily for him, that stupid banjo music was so loud my recorder didn’t pick up their conversation.

I walked in on Nick Giglia’s conversation with Donald Clavin, ToH Receiver of Taxes, mid sentence. It was rude on my part, but hey, this is journalism.

“It’s going to get to the middle and everyone’s going to be happy.” He was telling Nick and Isles Jersey sporting Joe Conte. The sentence brought out the Brooklyn in me, “Can you get to the middle if you don’t want to hear any body or show up any where?”

Mr. Clavin wanted to bring to light (or media attention) that Kate Murray has called Scott Rechler to reschedule twice. (This is confirmed.) But this does not excuse her from the other meetings she has missed or recused herself from.

“By the way, when the hearings come in, she’s going to be there.” He assured me. However, they cannot schedule the public hearings yet, so who knows if her calendar will be open. “The villages are saying you better make sure this is done right or we are going to potentially sue. There is a process.” he paused before he uttered the line that this time I believed “and I’m an Islander fan, just like you guys. Nobody wants to see the team go, but no one’s going to build this thing without the proper studies. If it was a proper study, why did the Uniondale school district raise concerns?” He looked me square in the eyes, “Are you Dee?”

Busted. “I read your stuff.” Okay, he is an Islander fan, or a well trained employee, or both.

“These are all legal requirements, trust me. Sixty-five-hundred pages, you can’t go through in 45 days. And why did it sit in Nassau County for five years. Give it time, let the public hearing come. You guys come down voice your opinion, let the other residents voice theirs, and I really think something will be done when everybody gets together. But right now, it’s being tossed around like a political football. They did move the initial phase very quickly. You’ve gotta let the process go. A lot of this is out of our hands.” Although Mr. Clavin speaks fast and furious, he closed with “The process won’t choke on this issue because everyone knows it’s important and they want it done properly. And the town is doing a great job of that. And so are you guys.” He was referring to the blogger bunch, but he does feel the fans are only getting one side of the story.

“Don’t think that anyone has come out and stonewalled the project. What they are trying to do is make sure it’s a good fit. Sincerely, I want you guys to know that.” We nodded silently.

“The hearings will come, at the end; I think there will be a happy resolution for everybody.” That sat well with me as I feel he truly believes it, but he also knows the deal “Nobody gets everything they want.”

No, they don’t. But we should get what we need.

Because Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

Even when most people won't look for it.

Joshua A. Bernstein is doing a wonderful series on this year's milestones. The first installment is Forwards. Even though you may not find anything earth shattering, trust me, these are facts that will be repeated in coming years for many of them as their NHL careers progress.

Last night, on the one year anniversary of his departure, IslandersPointBlank's Chris Botta was the final guest of the season at the NY Islanders Booster Club. He had a lot to say, so much so I ran out of time on my digital recorder. But you can only find out what he said if you are a member of the club and receive their newsletter. You don't have to be local to join up.

Team USA advances to the semi-finals by beating Team Finland today. Kyle Okposo had an assist along with my original boy, Jason Blake. At first I was a little worried with Esche still in goal, but he pulled through. Next up, Friday against Team Russia. THAT will be a real test.

Good Luck Scotty!

Nassau County drops the Gloves - Just like the Wrecker

So while Nassau County has decided to make some noise regarding the Lighthouse Project and Charles Wang's commitment to this area in Chris Botta's Islanders Point Blank blog, let's not forget that "politics" is the polite word for "mud-slinging."

We're obviously going to be stuck in the middle of He-Said, She-Said with little control over the actual outcome. Read Chris Botta's interview if you haven't done so as of yet. And then wander over to LetThereBeLighthouse for additional information and a plea for sanity.

And don't forget to who up at the Marriott on 3/26/09 for the Community Outreach meeting at 7 pm. More valuable information can be found at The Lightpost by Katrina Doell and guest blogger Tiger Track Tom Liodice who attended the Point Blank II gathering last week.

Oh... and as of 1:49 pm on Saturday, the Isles are down 2 - 0 to the Bruins and young Phil Kessel. The bright side? We have his brother.

The Firestorm before the Snow Storm

*Photo swiped from OkposoNet Ken Dick's facebook page. Thank you Kenny!!!
10 am: Sunday 3/1/09 I just read Greg Logan's article on the relationship between Scott Gordon and the veterans. It's quite an eye opener.

I asked my husband, the Dynasty Era Die-Hard what he thought of it. I'm sorry I did. I got a ten minute monologue comparing what Gordon is doing to what it would equate to in the fire service. It wasn't pretty. I'll leave it at this, "If this is what Gordon is doing, by alienating the vets, I've lost even more respect for him than before. " Ouch.

8 am: OMG!!! I woke up this morning to check on the status of the Bill Guerin trade and could only laugh at what I found on Chris Botta's Point Blank. The overnight stats had to be staggering with the contributing factor of being linked from the story on the TSN site.

You know you've made it in this business when TSN links your website. Of course that also gives the late night net loonies the opportunity to post at will all sorts of crap that isn't true.

Personally, I thought for sure Botta would be the one to break the news sometime in the early morning hours, but as of 7 am there was still no official word.

So onto other news that was buried because of the Guerin waiting game. I found this on TSN:

The NHL has come down hard on Minnesota Wild tough guy Derek Boogaard as the veteran enforcer was handed a five game suspension Saturday for an elbow to the head of Flames' forward Brandon Prust.

Okay then! So Witt has some suspension company for the week! Although Boogaard gives up only 1/3 the salary that Witt does.

Now the snowstorm that we are preparing for seems like the biggest story on the news. Prepare for the MASSIVE snowstorm..... OMG!!! It could be a FOOT or more!!

All I know is.... I'll be working in my PJs in my den tomorrow. OOOOOOHHHHH Scary!!!

Streit's All-Star Redemption & stuff..

The weather outside reminds me of New Hampshire and the frost on my living room skylight is seeping through and dripping on my leather couch. I'm on my second cup of tea and so far the only article I read in the Sunday paper was Greg Logan's report on All-Star Mark Streit. It is one of his best.

Of course since I read the paper while browsing the net, I checked on Point Blank to find Postcards from Montreal with additional quotes from Streit. He certainly has made us proud so far during these festivities. Conducting interviews in multiple languages, he is an international charmer.

Mark's shot in the skills competition was 98.3 mph, not too shabby. But how do you compete with Chara the giant who tallied over 105 on his second attempt? You just don't.

I'm glad Point Blank reported that Streit was not hurt in the tumble he took yesterday during the shoot out. We already had one All Star get hurt during one of these things. Let's not go for two.

Of course, it's the skills competition that is far more entertaining than the actual All Star game. But it's what I didn't get to see last night. Thank the Hockey Gods for the NHL Channel so I can catch up what I missed.

I agree with one of the comments on Point Blank; let's get the Lighthouse done so that we can host an All Star game back on the Island.

Yesterday's entry about my Isles team store purchases prompted Big Angry Man to rib me a little. I came home to this.

"Hey Dee! Look what I found! A custom Islanders orange juice holder. And it was only five bucks!"

Thanks honey. I'm leaving it that way.

Extra Credit Reading: Adam Sherlip, the Hockey Volunteer has updated his blog of his trip to India. It is fascinating. I give him a lot of credit for what he is doing right now. So since there is no hockey on TV until 6 pm, check out his website and catch up with this well-traveled young man and his adventure of a life-time.

Me... I really need to wash the kitchen floor. That's MY excitement for the day. I'm very jealous Adam!

Team Store Sale Well Worth the Trip!

Yep. I couldn't help it. Women and "sales" just go together. So I headed to the team store at lunch time yesterday and walked out with a bag full of goodies.

First off, it was nice to see clothing with our logo in something OTHER than orange or blue. It was a toss up between the black jacket or this great pre-washed brown zip hoodie. The hoodie won. It's soft and comfy.

I couldn't help but buy the Islanders Sharp calculator for a big five bucks. It's going to make my office mates laugh every time they see it. And the tee-shirt bundle of hat and shirt for $15 is one of the best deals you can get there. Some one's getting a birthday gift.

I tossed in the rubber bracelet as an after thought, but I actually have had my eye on them for quite some time. Okay, so using my gift cards, I received 10% off my total order. Having reached the $75 platform, the very hard to come by "Pride & Passion" book by Stan Fischler and Point Blank's Chris Botta was thrown in as a bonus.

Let me tell you something. Last year I was trying to find a copy of that book and could only find it used on Amazon.com for the insane price of $200. I asked around, but no one knew where they could locate one for me.

I heard that while cleaning out some areas, cartons of these books arose from the rubble. Lucky for us who didn't have a copy and didn't want to wait until one came up on Ebay for a reasonable price.

GET TO THE TEAM STORE BEFORE THIS PROMO IS DONE! It's WELL worth it.

You can also purchase their Breakaway Bundle package there too. Two tickets, Three Games, Gift card and Food coupons. It's a great deal.

Okay, sales pitch over. But I'm happy with my purchase. Today I get to shop at Pathmark, but I'll spare you THOSE great savings details!

Isles Team Store: Going Out of Business Sale?

Wait? Could they be preparing to liquidate for the move to KC??

OH! Sorry, I made a mistake there. I pulled a Newsday. I wanted to see if I wrote a 'sensational' headline if my hit count will increase. Let's see if it works.

Actually the Islanders team store is going OUT FOR business. And with a very special and worthwhile promotion.

If you buy $75 worth of gear in the store you will be presented with a copy of "Pride & Passion" authored by Stan Fischler and someone you all know very well, Chris Botta. Yep, the best of the Islanders reporters is also an author, we already know he's an accomplished writer.

But the Islanders have sweetened the deal even more. (Maybe in preparation for Valentine's day?) If you use a gift card for your purchase, they will give you another 10% off. Hey! That's like having a no clip coupon! It also pays for what the people that gave you those holiday gift cards had to pay in order to GIVE you that gift card! SWEET!!!

So stop by one of the team stores and stock up. Come on. I know they're tanking right now, but you won't change your alliance. You're Islanders fans. You will always be Islanders fans. And the gear that I saw when I visited the Massapequa store was wonderful.

And hey... so if they DO move to Kansas City or Nevada or Suffolk County (I wish I wish I wish) you'll have collector's items. But for now, you can just wear them and enjoy them. And since reading is fundamental, you'll probably fundamentally enjoy your free copy of that book!

Saturday's Notes

Today I spent the day "Chrisma-fying" my house. My back hurts and thinking about putting it all back in a few weeks doesn't make me happy. For my daughter, it's a great time of year. She wakes up and the house is decorated, as if by elves. I can't wait till she is old enough to have to do this herself.

Islanders are in Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets. Had this game not fallen in December, I may have been able to convince Big Angry Man to take me on a little hockey road trip. But this close to the holidays, it's impossible. NYIC's Ohio Chapter president, Jimmy14 and his entire family will be in attendance wearing their Islanders jerseys. I hope they make it on TV!

Scott Gordon skated the team hard yesterday. (Or as I always wish for "Skate 'em til they puke.") Let's see if it does anything for them in the scoring column, or just makes them more tired than they were.

My "Holiday Hat Trick" package came yesterday. If you haven't picked one up yet as a gift for someone, or for yourself, I'd like to suggest you do so. This is the best value I've seen in a long time. You can even pick one up at a new Islanders Kiosk in the Roosevelt Field mall. (Very sneaky on the part of Islanders marketing!)

I actually got to catch some of Chris Botta's ESPN 1050am radio show this evening (while putting on my make-up to go out this evening. Okay, I caught ALL of the 1 hour show while putting on my make-up. Yes, it takes that damn long now!!) Interesting that they started out the show speculating that Matts Sundin may chose to be a Ranger. (Where is the puking smiley when you need it.) The league REALLY does need to change the rules to include a deadline for decisions.

If the Rangers take the man who hasn't been able to make a decision since the LAST season ended, well... Good Luck to them. But it will be nice to finally see the "Matts Watch" be OVER. If he does chose to play in the Big Apple, he'll be leaving a huge chunk-of-change on the table in Vancouver. But does he really need it? Probably not.

Okay, time to finish up and head out the door. Enjoy the game all. As best you can. Just remember, it's still hockey. Islanders Hockey. Good our bad; it's ours.

Blue (Maple Leafs) Monday? We'll See

After spending an entire Sunday recovering from far too much Christmas party merriment, I'll try to clear my head with a few Monday morning thoughts. And as reciting the alphabet backwards is the way to increase concentration, I'll work backwards here as well.

Tonight the Isles are in Toronto to see Brian Burke's Leafs and old friend Jason Blake. Neither team is doing well, and the Leafs are having their own injury problems. This game belongs to either team. I suppose it will be up to luck and desire to see who walks away with the points tonight. So far the Islanders have lost four of five games to the Leafs. Let's see if they can change that percentage tonight.

I did wander over to the Leafs site and found one of their call-ups has a blog, Jaime Sifler details his first road trip as a Leaf instead of a Marlie. What I found quite charming about it is the details of moving up to the NHL from young eyes. It's a dream come true for him. It just underscores the point that playing in the NHL is a privilege not to be taken lightly.

That privilege was spit on by Sean Avery, and on Sunday Point Blank's Chris Botta decided to open his memory bank and divulge an interesting story of Avery's side show in the Coliseum tunnel. From the start, I was told anything I witnessed or heard in the tunnel or locker room hallway area was off limits. The recollection of Avery mouthing off to Garth Snow looking for a fight didn't surprise me one bit. But it did leave me angry and disgusted. As if I needed more ammunition to hate this guy. Would he have mouthed off to Snow if they were in the parking lot with no one else around, and Garth was in jeans and sneakers? Probably not because I can only imagine that Avery would have left that conversation by ambulance. The fact that a few of the 38 comments so far would even think to defend this arrogant idiot also amazes me.

In defending my opinion that the six game suspension was warranted, I did say to certain other (Canadian) reporters that had the comments Avery made been racial or homophobic, would they have look for them to be ignored by the league? So what do we learn? That Avery already used racial slurs against ex-head coach Ted Nolan. The difference: It was on the ice with no cameras documenting.

Also on Sunday the Dallas Stars website added their take on the situation with this article, but they have also removed Avery's name from their roster. All I can say is... GOOD.

Saturday night's game certainly didn't end the way everyone wanted. A 5-1 loss to another struggling team is not what any Islander fan wanted to see. I didn't watch the game because they didn't have the TV on at the party, but I did receive text messages from my fellow Blog Boxers, until they too became disheartened with the score. (I wonder if it was because I didn't wear my colors to the party? hmmm...)

Blake Comeau rang off the post and played with passion we didn't see at the beginning of the season. He knows an opportunity when he sees it. Well, #57, as Coach Gordon said, the job is yours to keep or lose. Gordon doesn't kid around. Personally, I'm happy to see him back. He was very impressive last season and it was even mentioned to me that I may have to replace the "55" on my necklace with a "57."

So far, there is no new number hanging from my charm. I'm still waiting to be impressed.

Here we go again...

It's becoming a pattern. And not a very pretty one. The Islanders are up by three early in the game and then fall short at the end of 60. I'm not one that likes change, but this is a pattern I'd like to see them break right now. I'm sure Scott Gordon feels the same way as he seemed to have had a few choice words in the papers today.

I watched the last three minutes of the game with TravelChic at the Point Blank party last night. She went to say good-bye as the Islanders were down 3 - 4 and I begged her to stay.

"You can't leave now! There's only a few minutes left. They can tie it up. They can!" I stood up and kept her from leaving.

"Come on! I watched Ray Ferraro tie a game with 9 seconds left. They can come back." With wine induced eternal optimism I crossed my fingers and kept my eyes on the screen.

"Dee, Ray Ferraro had TALENT. He could score goals. We're lacking in that department right now."

The clock ticked down and the horn sounded. Game over and another loss for the books. I looked at Jack Capuano behind the glass door of the restaurant. He wasn't smiling. I just pouted at him to show my disappointment. I looked at Tiger Track Tom Liodice, "I'm still waiting for Scotty to have a stroke."

It was not the way to end the game with a room full of enthusiast Islanders fans. But that's the way it ended.

Thanks to Mr. Botta for hosting such a lovely party. I wonder how Josh Bailey did in Westbury.

Happy Birthday IslanderQueen. Hope we made it memorable.

Thanks to fellow Blog Boxers B.D. Gallof, Ken Dick and Tom Liodice for taking such good care of me all evening. Sorry I gave your wife a new word to use on you B.D. But if I have to live with it... so do you.

Thanks to Patti and Christine for finding the Islander fan in them.

Extra special thanks to my wonderful friend Wendy for being the designated driver and schlepping my butt all the way to RVC on a weeknight. I won't even tell anyone we went the wrong way on Sunrise Hwy and didn't realize it until we hit JFK and that's why I got home so late. No... Not me... I won't breathe a word about it.

Back On The Bus Mark

As if by wizardry, Point Blank announced the signing of Mark Parrish to a 25 game P.T.O. with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers even before the Bridgeport Sound Tigers knew about it.

That's how these things go nowadays. The news hits the Internet first and spreads faster than ants on a pic-nic.

Within a matter of seconds, just about every website and message board had something to say about it, both good and bad. Hell, even NHL Live gave it a quick announce as a breaking story courtesy of ... yep... Chris Botta.

I took a different approach. I emailed the powers that be with my usual "You forgot to yell Surprise!!" Luckily, he still laughs when he gets it.

Parrish is a great guy. He did a lot of good things when he was on the Island. But he could be yet another poster boy for what may be wrong with the business.

He received a very large contract. It didn't work out. He was bought out. He got paid to stay home. This is what happens when owners over pay and realize their roster doesn't quite fit the salary cap, or what's expected of that player. Ouch. But Mark is a hockey player. Too young to retire, he waited but nothing happened. Hopefully, he's not too old to remember what it's like to play for the AHL. Things are different there. He will have to adjust. I wish him luck.

In other bloggerdom news today, XM's Home Ice covered the story of the Ottawa blogger who was tossed from the press room on just about every show they had on. Even Puck Daddy weighed in on it, very eloquently I might add.

This whole thing has me worried. Actually, the entire way Bloggers are being handled right now by the NHL has me worried. There are those out there that may be saying "Hey!!! I want in! What about me??" And there are those that are saying "No! Keep them out! They don't belong."

Sigh... Many points were brought up during today's broadcasts. The idea of the sheer number of those out there who are deemed bloggers is frightening. It's obvious there needs to be some way to "separate the wheat from the chaff."

It's true. I hate to say it, but it may be time for the NHL to take a real stand and come up with guidelines for the teams that aren't basically "Okay, do whatever you want."

In our little corner of the hockey universe we've been wildly... lucky. Of the original panel chosen, the team, the players, the media and the league itself has not had a problem with any of us. It could have been far different. Suppose one member was less than sane and it showed during a press conference or a player interview. Suppose a member truly hated one of the paid media and decided to use it as a means to attack that reporter. So much could have gone wrong.

Instead, somehow each of us took this experiment as an honor and a privilege. We all work very hard at what we do and are incredibly respectful of everyone involved. But who can guarantee each team will be as lucky as the Islanders have been? No one.

That one little incident in Ottawa is going to have a huge impact on what we do. There is talk of whether or not Live Blogging infringes on broadcast rights. There is talk of instituting "rights fees."

Yes, blogging has changed the industry, and now the industry itself will change blogging.

God help us.

Panthers bite Rick -- twice - 10-18-08

Sigh... Wow. The Islanders made it to the cover of the Sunday sports section today. Luckily it's a photo of Rick making one of his 34 saves from last night's game in Sunrise FLA. The Getty photographer probably didn't have his camera ready for the first goal of the evening that came only 24 seconds into the first period.

It set the tone for the entire game. Was the 2 - 0 loss a rusty DiPietro's fault? Hardly. Especially considering no one could keep the action out of DiPietro's side of the ice. If DiPietro was not in game shape, the score could easily have been 20 - 0. But it remained a Panthers shut out as shot after shot by the Islanders men and boys were turned away by Vokoun.

Okay then. What positive points can we take away from this game before we throw it in the trash with yesterday's Taco Bell?

1) No one is on the super-sally-secret injury list this morning.

2) No one is being reviewed by the NHL for suspension.

3) Kyle Okposo, who was told to "SHOOT MORE!" registered 4 shots. Bill Guerin registered 6, and still can't find the back of the net.

4) uhhhh.... I'm thinking.....

5) Gordon's head didn't explode behind the bench.

6) I drank wine and ate chocolate with my friends which made the game more palatable, but leaves me fat and headach-y this morning.

7) Neil Best has a wonderful article today in the sports section regarding the Islanders treatment by MSG. Any time Chris Botta is quoted or the Blog Box is lauded in print, to me...it's a "wonderful article."

8) Their plane didn't go down.

9) One more! CJ Papa did a good job filling Deb Placey's (high heel) shoes.

10) There is no 10, but lists go to 10. So I just put the number there for consistencey.

Okay. So there are a few good things about last night's game.

I can't believe I rushed like hell, bucked traffic for an hour and a half and left a wonderful lunch hosted by my friends from the NY Times, just to watch that game.

Okay. Back to the softball fields of Lido Beach for me to watch 14 year olds freeze their butts off and parents huddle on the bleachers craddling coffe cups.

Looking a Radio Gift Horse in the Mouth 10-4-08

Or so it may seem. And I really don’t want it to come off that way. But while I was sitting on the ball field this morning, I wandered over to my car to listen to the inaugural broadcast of “NY Hockey This Week.” I turned the car toward the ball field so I could still see my daughter’s game going on. Of course, no sooner did I put my head down to try to get my lap top running, she hit a home run. I didn’t see the hit, but I saw her rounding the bases. I knew I was going to get yelled at for that. But that’s my luck.

With two minutes before air time, the ESPN radio announcer in the previous time slot called it “the Rangers Show”… TWICE. I cringed. The Gods of the Internet were not kind to me today as the Kings Park school they were playing at didn’t seem to have a wireless connection. DRAT!
I immediately noticed something I wasn’t used to… COMMERCIALS. I am so spoiled by XM radio that I forgot that AM radio makes its money off sponsorship. That means commercials for just about everything and anything. And then let’s not forget the news too. Oh, and other sports scores. AAAGGGGHHHH… AM radio: Disjointed content that cause you to reach for the preset buttons. I resisted.

The ESPN theme played and the show started on time. Pleasantries were volleyed between Don La Greca and Chris Botta and then onward to the Scott Gordon interview. The “Enforcer” question rears its mighty head along with the choice between Sugden and Fritz. “They have to be able to play the game.” Gordon says. Ah yes, the sticky part of the gorilla-on-skates role.

“….It’s an important part of the game and Mitch Fritz is a step in the right direction. If he can continue to progress in that area, it will be a big thing for our team.”

He was asked about Snow’s acquisition, Mark Streit? “Streit is here to play defense. The more he plays defense the better he’ll get.”

On 2008 1st Round draft pick, Josh Bailey Gordon said “… if we can get him into a game and he performs well… we haven’t closed the book on whether he’ll start with us, but not on the 4th line. If he’s not on the top 2 or at least the third -- he can’t play here.”

Why waste his time when he can accomplish so much more in juniors. Botta contended “Bailey will play 9 games. He’s the Captain of his junior team and he needs to be in the World Juniors.” Yes he does. But his injury is still in question.

Speaking of injury, Campoli and Sutton are out for at least two weeks, but the good thing is there were no additional injuries from last night’s game. Never thought that would be a bonus, but I guess we have to be grateful for small favors.

The Islanders played Boston tonight and won 3 - 1 in regulation. But I’ll get to that later.
How many minutes is this show supposed to be? There were so many commercials!!
The girls win their softball game and we’ve moved fields. No luck on the internet connection there either.

The interesting (but far from surprising) thing I noticed on the show was that the calls were coming in for Botta. It just proved what I’ve known all along. He has a very dedicated fan base that would do anything to support him. If this show was on at 4 am, there’d be phone calls.

The music began to play over Don and CB as they headed into yet another… COMMERCIAL BREAK. Don La Greca’s lightening speed speech is a sharp contrast to Botta’s deliberate, articulate tone. But then again, CB is no stranger to radio and Don’s usual partner is EJ Rhadek, and if he doesn’t talk fast, he’d never get a word in edgewise.

La Greca’s advice to Islanders fans was “More patience.” Hmmmmm… where have we heard that before?

Before Lou Lamariello called in for his guest spot, they talked about the NJ Devils, and of course, the great Marty Brodeur. “Is this the year he’s human?”

What a question. We ask it every year. And every year he proves he’s still amazing. “He looks worn down -- Mentally, he’s worn down. There’s too much on his shoulders.” Don was condemning.

Botta called him a “class act.” “He is one of the greatest athletes we’ve seen play in NY.” That he is CB. That he is.

I took the next commercial and news break to head into Dunkin Donuts. My world doesn’t run on Dunkin’ but it was the closest public restroom I could locate.

I returned in the middle of Lamariello’s interview as he was discussing the salary cap and the potential problems the NHL could be facing. The NHLPA has the right to revisit it in (I think) April. Certainly, they will.

Wow! I didn’t know Glidden paint has a website called “mostcolorfulfan.com” to promote their official team colors paint? Of course not. I only listen to XM radio!!!!! HOW MANY F-ING COMMERCIALS CAN THERE BE IN A ONE HOUR SHOW? They can’t be making that much money that they need this many sponsors to afford them. God… I’m spoiled. If they ever get a podcast of this… it will be a 28 minute show. I’m positive.

Islanders #1 fan, Miriam from Forest Hills called in to wish CB the best on his new venture and to ask why everyone’s got the Islanders slated for a 14th or 15th place finish. That made Botta laugh, “Can they play a game yet?” So true! Gordon doesn’t even have a final roster, but the media outlets are determining where they’ll pick in next year’s draft. Foolish to say the least.
It was also noted that Rick will steal games in this tough division. As long as he stays healthy of course.

A little more chit-chat and they were done by 11:26 am. All in all, it was a great first run. I’m hoping they can come up with a good, permanent time slot. AM radio is something you either have to web stream or listen to in the car. At least… that’s the only way I can listen.

Now, about that game tonight that the Islanders won 3 - 1 over Boston. Once again, I was disappointed that there was no way for me to watch or listen to the game. I could only imagine it in my head while I watched the crawl on the Ranger replay.

I went to the Bruins site to see if they were web streaming the audio the way the Devils did the night before. Nope. But they did have a live blog going. That didn’t’ do it for me. But, as luck would have it, since I’m on the NHL.com site probably … oh… EVERY 20 minutes or so… I found that one of the new features of NHL.com is this revamped Real Time player. You can’t maximize it, and it doesn’t stay open if you click on another window, but it is a wonderful new gadget.

There are a bunch of features condensed into this little box. I can’t actually show you a screen shot of it, because I’m not Islesblogger.com Mike. But check it out during ANY game. It shows you the same as a normal scoreboard would, but additionally player shot information and penalty info. I found the damn thing fascinating as I watched it for the final 6 minutes of the game. You’ve got to try it.

So that’s my report on NY’s newest Hockey show on ESPN radio. As if anyone cared. Also if anyone cares…. My daughter’s team won all three of their games, and came in as the second seed for tomorrow’s games. At least we don’t have to be at the fields until 12:30 pm tomorrow.
Travel softball…living like a gypsy and spending a fortune. Just not quite as much as I would be if she played hockey. Again…. Thank heaven for small favors.

Can they see the Lighthouse from Moncton? 9-25-08

Should we work backwards in our timeline tonight? Sure. Why not.

The Islanders lost 4-0 tonight in Brandon Sudgen's debut. Not his fault. (I would like to know who was repsonsible for handing him a #55 jersey though!!) He dropped the gloves twice.*(Correction: Once, and he won. This is why I wish I could have seen the damn game myself!) But the youngsters were no match for the veteran team. Of course it would have BEEN NICE if the game was audio or video streamed SOMEWHERE. ANYWHERE on the net so that we could have been a little more involved in the game. I remember listening to past pre-season games from far away places webstreamed on the Islanders website. With all our new technology and beautiful video portals ---WHY THE HELL COULDN'T WE WATCH THE DAMN GAME? We'll have to wait for the ITV version later.

I had a very nice conversation with Katrina Doell from the Lighthouse Development group late this afternoon. Katrina is Public Relations coordinator as well as the administrator of the Lighthouse Blog. I've added the link on the side bar and Webby has added a button on the NYIC website that will help you send letters to the appropriate government agencies to support the Lighthouse project.

There are seven different form letters to choose from. It really couldn't be simpler. Give it a "click" and check it out. If we want our team to have a new arena, then we need to show our support. This will be OUR arena, OUR entertainment center on OUR Long Island. If you are tired of hearing people talk poorly about the facilities you currently pour your money into at every game, then let your voice be heard.

Yes, it's a hard road. But you can help pave it. Let the town know the Lighthouse has your support. I've seen the arena areas in Columbus and St. Paul. This will make them jealous.

Okay, it's official. A new hockey blog is generated every minute and the season hasn't even started. I almost fell over when I heard on XM radio today that ex-Tampa Bay GM, Jay Feaster is now a blogger for THN. They also mentioned another blog that looks like it may be interesting during the season because it's by yet another established media name. 24/7Hockey is authored by broadcast veteran Matt McConnell.

(Okay, I'm starting to wonder. What's the deal? Leave your job, blog full time? Someone explain how that works. Does Neil Smith have a blog yet? He's been out of work how long?)

Also on XM204 today was our own "24/7" hockey blogger as Chris Botta did a guest spot on "In The Slot." As an ex-radio guy himself, he hasn't lost his touch. And as I just noticed, as I went back to his blog to get the link, here it is 10:24 pm and he already has post game comment entry up. Point Blank -- the 24 hour AP wire of Hockey. "It's the end of the world as we know it." But in a good way.

And lastly, this just made me giggle. So it seems Garth Snow wins again. All summer he mentioned that there would be a change in how the team handled the reporting of injuries. Basically, he didn't want to do it anymore. He wanted all injuries to stay within the confines of the club.

He won. It seems that during the last GM meeting, the NHL rule for disclosure was changed and now they basically don't have to say "boo."

I, for one, used to be scared to death when Garth would glare at a reporter who asked a question he didn't want to answer. Once I got over that fear, I actually enjoyed the mental chess game he would play with them. Now, with the ruling on his side, he doesn't even have to glare. He can just not answer. And I'll be in the back of the room.... smiling from ear to ear.

Certainly, as fans, this is going to be miserable for us, but from a business standpoint, I can certainly understand it. Two more points for our GM. What rule will you have changed next Garth?