Gordon: From Hired to Fired

I was there at the August press conference when Scott Gordon was announced as the new head coach. I was pleased as punch when Brian Burke and USA Hockey asked him to be on the coaching staff of Team USA. I was angry as hell today when news came over that he had been fired. I have a full post here at HockeyBuzz.com But this is just a few more personal words on the subject.

Scott Gordon was not only a great teaching coach, he was also good to the inexperienced blogger that wasn't sure what questions to ask. He took the time to answer even the stupid questions in great detail with patience.

To those people who said he has no personality, I say you don't know Scott Gordon. He could be witty and charming and downright funny when the mood struck him which was may not have been often but it was well worth it.



I've said it all day, I will say it again: I'm not happy about this move.

Also, I guess my Scott Gordon suit watch series is down the tubes. Damn it. No one dresses better.

Back to Reality - Back to Hockey

Yep. I took a vacation. I headed to my usual home-away-from-home, as far north in the US without needing a passport to cross the border. That's why it was so difficult to stay on top of the West Coast games last week. Okay, that and the fact that I can't stay up until 1 am when I am the type that gets up at 6.


So back to reality, back in New York and back to hockey, even though I would SO much rather be back on Hampton Beach watching the sun rise.
Last night I did post something at HockeyBuzz.com regarding Scott Gordon. Some readers took it as my taking pot-shots at Gordon. That's not the intent. I personally don't think Scott Gordon should go anywhere. But I think they need to rethink the way they handle certain roster issues. Something has gone seriously wrong since early October and they need to find a way to turn that around NOW.

Is this extensive losing streak strictly because of the loss of Andy MacDonald? Do they need a new eye doctor to come in and figure out why so many shots are going wide of the net? What went wrong here? There was such high hopes for this team just a few weeks ago, even with the loss of Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo.

And what happened to the new-improved Josh Bailey? Is he playing with some sort of tweak that we don't know about? With ten straight losses and the record set at 12, they need to start putting points on the board or indeed Garth Snow will be the first one to walk to the podium in June of 2011.

Side Note: Interesting conversation on Islanders Point Blank and an ESPN Sunday recap, regarding Rick DiPietro's ability or the organization's desire to have him play for the Sound Tigers. If Scott Gordon is continually saying that Rick has to "shake off the rust," what is so repugnant for them to send Rick to Jack's bench for a few games? maybe he could get a win or two and regain his confidence. Wouldn't that be a HUGE mental boost for a man who is trying to hard to return to form but isn't quite there yet?

PS: Um, if it was good enough for Garth Snow to get shipped to Bridgeport for a few games, how come it isn't good enough for Rick who had a pretty good record there when his career first started?

The Gordon Watch

Okay, this was REALLY not the entry I wanted to stop vacuuming up the damn dog hair in my living room to write, but I was compelled. It's short, it's here at HockeyBuzz.com.

Thanks Larry Brooks and NYPost for poking me into action.

Game 12: Isles vs. Hurricanes

12:30 pm Updated: So Rick DiPietro gets the start in Raliegh and Jon Sim gets a hat trick for the Sound Tigers! Gotta love Twitter!

hockeyflan @7thwoman Sim with a hat trick, 25 mins left in game. Tks for the loan.

The headline reads “Slumping Isles visit struggling Hurricanes” Both teams are stalled at ten points and frustrated with only enough wins to count on one hand after playing 11 games so far this season. The Hurricanes have yet to score a goal on their own ice.

The Islanders power play is barely effective at 22% while the Hurricanes’ efforts hardly register at 12%. Scott Gordon had the Islanders practicing PP drills on the smaller ice yesterday at Ice Works before leaving for Raleigh. The Hurricanes worked on their face-offs. The Islanders, with the likes of Zenon Konopka, stand at 51% face off wins to the ‘Canes 37.4%.

If you’ve got over 5 minutes, you can listen to Scott Gordon break-down preparation with SNY’s Islanders Point Blank TV. (below) Painfully detailed and one chuckle.

This could be anyone’s game. Rob Schremp is going to do everything possible to make it belong to the Islanders. Rob will make his season debut tonight and it’s about time. Rob is one of the players I was most interested in watching this season, and now he is already behind in his stat-pack. The way he plays his high energy game, it wasn’t really feasible for him to play all 82 games, but now he’s starting out with only 71 ahead of him. Still, as hard as it was to sit out and watch his team play while he was on IR, it had to be better than watching the team play while he was a healthy scratch.

I asked a retired NHLer what the Islanders could do to break this losing streak and get back on track. His answer was “one.” “One shift, one period and one game at a time. Win every one-on-one battle, win every shift.” Sounds simple, right?

It isn’t.

Not sure if it will be Dwayne Roloson or Rick DiPietro tonight as each is assured one game on this road trip. Scott Gordon will alert the media as late as possible I'm sure.

Line combinations from those who were there yesterday look like this.
Matt Moulson-John Tavares-P.A. Parenteau

Josh Bailey-Rob Schremp-Blake Comeau

Doug Weight-Frans Nielsen-Michael Grabner

Matt Martin/Trevor Gillies-Zenon Konopka-Trent Hunter

A Hat Trick for JT - But 2 Points Lost

I enjoyed the game for more personal reasons. I was home on the couch with my husband -- for a change. But the consensus seems to be bitter disappointment.

Fans seem to be disappointed in the choice of DiPietro over Roloson and over losing to a team that should have been just a little easier. I was yelled at by fellow fans for having the "you can't win them all" attitude which they felt is what has made this team mediocre to begin with.

Even Scott Gordon told MSG's Rob Carlin that he wasn't happy with what he was seeing, but that it was a learning lesson about what they need to do moving forward. The key word he used was "pace." So while the Islanders who have been depleted by injury have been able to eek out points, they have done so by being (according to Gordon) "more opportunistic."

Full post game thoughts here at Hockeybuzz.com

For those of us here on Long Island and would like to get to talk to John Tavares, I can tell you that he will be the guest speaker at the NY Islanders Booster Club's first meeting of the season tomorrow at the Marriott in Uniondale. There is a fee to join the club, but they do a lot of good charity work and have monthly guest speakers.

Gordon: Garth Doesn’t Get Enough Credit

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Garth Snow vs. Bloggers, Chapter 3

Scott Gordon Year 3
This will be Scott Gordon’s third year as head coach of the NY Islanders. It is also the final year of his contract. There was much optimism heading into this season, but it didn’t take long it to disappear.

A healthy Rick DiPietro, an improved defense corps and a little grit were sure to help Scott Gordon improve the team’s ranking in the standings yet again. When the Blog Boxers sat down with the Isles GM, I asked him what Scott would have to do in order to obtain -- job security. Knowing that the Islanders do not discuss contract specifics, I knew the question itself would be met with raised eyebrows. It was.

“I can tell you from my own perspective, our team did make an 18 point increase in the standings last year with a much younger group. We expect to make the playoffs. Scott and I have a great relationship. I would never talk about anything in regards to what you’re alluding to. We all want to make the playoffs and be in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup. Everyone has different situations whether it’s a player in the last year of his contract, if it’s a player with a five year contract. It doesn’t matter. We all need to win today.” That was actually three sentences more than I thought I would get out of our GM on the subject.

Winning. That was the thinking two months ago, two weeks ago and two days ago. It was also the same thinking during the press conference when Nino Niederreiter was signed to his entry level contract.

Garth Snow said it to the media -- again. “Obviously the goal is to make the playoffs and compete for a Stanley Cup. Nothing short of that is acceptable.” However, the key word here is “compete.”

Charles Wang agreed. “We have high expectations for the team. We’re getting closer and closer to what we believe is a real competitive team and a fun team to watch. And obviously, we want to win.” Competitive and entertaining.

While there was no big splash in the off season in free-agent acquisitions, there were some comfortable changes made. “We’re in a position where we’ve upgraded our defense in talent level and leadership. The depth is there. At forward another year of maturity and they’ll be ready to take that next step. We’re excited about the group that we have.” Garth Snow is pleased with his defense corps he has assembled with Mark Streit leading the way.

Streit is so important to this team, he was a focal point of the press conference. Scott Gordon admitted that Streit had to play almost 30 minutes a game out of necessity last season. But, he indicated he was a more comfortable heading into this season. “The signings that he (Garth Snow) made are huge.” There was finally dept at the position.

The Islanders took a skilled player that was being used as a forward in Montreal and transformed his career as a defenseman for the New York Islanders. A top four defenseman at that.

But everything changed on Saturday when Streit left the ice with a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum and rotator cuff. Even when Scott Gordon didn’t know the full prognosis, he told the press immediately after the game, “Any team that loses one of their top four defensemen has a hole in their line-up.” Streit is leaving not just a hole, but a crater.

And while Gordon told reporters “The challenge with starting a new year is to have everyone on the same page.” Gordon will be facing a raft of new challenges including figuring out exactly WHO will be trying to get on that same page.

Scott Gordon’s job just got a lot tougher while Charles Wang’s vision of a competitive team just became a little blurrier. Additionally, losing Kyle Okposo for any extended amount of time would just be another blow to what should have been an exceptionally exciting and entertaining season.

Scott Gordon truly has his work cut out for himself. I hope he is up to the challenge.

Game 2: A Better Showing

SB Nation's Lighthouse Hockey called this group of Isles prospects "Hatchlings." I thought that was truly funny, I'll just call them "rookies." Some of these young men have never played in an NHL arena, so these two exhibition games were very exciting for them.

When I spoke with Scott Gordon on Tuesday, before the games, he didn't expect big crowds for these games, but knew they would mean a lot to his young squad.

"You're playing on NHL ice and treated like an NHL player for a couple of days." Well, almost. They did take the bus to Boston, but everything else was NHL caliber. The estimated 7,000 tickets sold turned into over 11,000 on Wednesday and a whopping 14,180 on Thursday. Basically, as many patrons as you'll see at the Coliseum.

The Isles prospects seemed a little less anxious as pointed out in this quote from goal scorer Tony Romano in the Islanders post game report on their website:

“I felt like a lot of us were in our comfort zone tonight rather than last night,” said Romano. “I know myself, last night I was just a bit hesitant. Tonight I definitely felt like I was playing with a lot more urgency, using some more hockey sense and it definitely made a difference in my game.”

When I asked Scott Gordon what they would have to do to impress him, he told me "Just go out and play their game. We know mistakes are going to be made. They're not really a team. They haven't had the opportunity to play much together so I think that every player has their own special abilities and it's important that they show those. If you fight, you fight. If you score, you score."

Travis Hamonic showed his. As Lighthouse Hockey said "Hamonic will eat your children." Whoa! Okay then. Yes, the kid has grit and spunk -- and he got tossed out of last night's game because of the fight rule. But many of the rookies showed their "special abilities."

Kevin Poulin made some excellent saves and many noted the score would probably not have been kept so close if not for his heroics. Many of the names that have tested the waters on the Bridgeport squad stood out last night as well still trying to impress both Scott Gordon and Jack Capuano. With cut day looming large, the older prospects are hoping to make a line up somewhere within the organization.

The younger prospects will be heading back to their junior clubs, but this camp and these games gave them a good taste of what is to be expected of them. When I asked Gordon if he watches those who have returned more closely than the younger prospects, he said "Realistically, the guys that are going to go back to junior, we have a better idea of what they are doing and what their progress is. The guys that have the potential to make our team; whether it's a draft pick or a player from Bridgeport, we'll be more in-tune with those guys and watching them closer."
With rookie camp about to end and Training camp starting this afternoon, I wondered what Scott Gordon hopes to accomplish in his third year as head coach of the Islanders.

"Obviously, we improved from the first year, and we want to continue to improve. The whole process that we've gone through in the last two years is going in the right direction and you want to make sure we continue to go in that direction. I think a good measure for us will be the way we finish the year in the standings. The objective is for every team to make the playoffs and certainly you hate to think you went into the season not thinking you had a chance to win the Stanley Cup and hopefully our players feel that way."

I read that as heading into the season looking to create a positive attitude in the dressing room that will carry out to the ice.

Scott Gordon has his work cut out for him. While the Islanders improved by 18 points last season, their record must continue to improve whether they earn a playoff berth or not.

As far as this being the last year of Gordon's contract, I have read much speculation on whether he will be extended or if he will play out the remainder of the contract and not be renewed. If anyone remembers what Scott Gordon told the press when he was first hired as a rookie coach, he approaches his employment knowing that any day could be his last in this business. He just works his hardest and does his best.

The saying "The Best is yet to come" somehow comes to mind here.

Turing Attention to the Worlds

*Photo from USAHockey website. (Even they're using Okposo to promote!)
While the playoff race is heating up in the NHL, the National teams are preparing for the World stage this year in Germany. Granted, for those of us in North America the World Championships are basically a hockey footnote, but when you're a hockey fan without a horse in the Cup race it's not such a bad idea to pay attention to the International competition that is around the corner.

The 2010 U18 Team USA has already taken Gold in Minsk for the second straight year after beating Sweden 3 - 1. The most notable thing about this Gold Medal team is that there were two players from California, one from Arizona and one from Nevada. It also heralds the quality of the USA Hockey program.

When the USA team took on Team Canada, they downed them 5 - 0. I'm not sure if Canada medaled in this tournament or not. I'll have to look further and don't have time right now.

But let's look at the Men's National team which boasts NY Islanders Kyle Okposo and Jack Hillen. This is Kyle's fourth time representing his country. As an Islander fan, I'm smiling at that fact. But add Jack Hillen and Scott Gordon into the mix and I'm downright proud.

Also on the roster is a young man who calls Syosset, NY home. That would be Eric Nystrom. Nice, right? Could this be a way for Gordon to get a good look at how well he works with Kyle and Jack? Could we be seeing Eric in an Islanders sweater come next season? I know... dreaming... dreaming...

But at least those of us here in Islanders Country, who have their eye on the Stanley Cup playoffs, also have something to look forward to for two weeks in May.

Here's to wishing the Men's National team has as much success as the U18 Team. If they come home with hardware, unlike the Olympics, I'm hoping Scott Gordon gets to come home with one of his own. But that's something else I'll have to check out.

Congrats also to the Bruins for advancing to round 2, even though I feel really, REALLY bad for Ryan Miller. I also feel really, really bad for the Nashville Predators. They put on quite a show last night but just couldn't get it done. Nashville has a great fan base and every time I hear some yodel saying Hockey doesn't work in the South I tell them to look towards the Preds. It works alright. Don't doubt it.

Well, Now We Know

Yep. Fifth, as expected. In this year of a deep draft, the NY Islanders are sure to come home with a very good player -- potentially of course.

Thoughts on the draft here.

Amazing they can make this day so important to so many fans. Did you see that Tweet-Up they were throwing in Edmonton? That's what this has come down to. The teams that don't get to dream of the Stanley Cup get to dream of finding the next franchise player to hang their hopes on.

Also on HB, a Congrats to Scott Gordon. I guess Kevin Allen of USA Today was right. Brian Burke WAS appointing Gordon to Team USA. He couldn't have picked a better candidate.

IBC Breakfast with Scott Gordon

He came as prepared as a physics professor to a lecture. It was only 7:30 am and he was ready. But this is the way Scott Gordon operates. He was confident and calm as he faced the group that had decided to join him for the breakfast buffet at Jericho Terrace in Mineola.

From the amount of food they put out, I thought there were going to be 100s of attendees. There were probably less than 100 and they sat quietly listening to Scott explain the strategic changes he has made on the ice, with visual aids, charts and video clips.

"As I was putting this together -- you don't realize how as subtle these changes are they can have a big impact." He explained that without the red line, he has had to try to balance offense and defense, "...so we're not killing ourselves to retrieve the puck and at the same time being able to be good defensively."

Once he started to draw those lines on the video screen explaining where the forwards and defense were supposed to be, I knew I was going to get lost. I was right. I began to realize he wasn't wearing a tie. Since when didn't he wear a tie? See? That's what I do when he starts talking over my head. At least this morning, I was too far away from him for him to watch my eyes glaze over.

Okay, actually -- I just don't want to give away any of his tactics. You should join the IBC and then you can learn all about how Scott Gordon attacks on the ice.

I will say that I did learn a lot, as everyone else in the room did. Even if at one point the video made the game look like a lot of buzzing bees, there is science to it.

This is the environment where Scott's real personality comes through. You can see how well he "thinks" the game, you can tell how much he cares about the team and the organization and you can also find out -- he can be very funny.

In the post presentation Q&A period, he did discuss the changes at the trade deadline. He spoke about the bad luck of removing Andy Sutton from the line-up while counting on Andy MacDonald who was lost the next day to injury. But Scott is encouraged the team has played with the same effort and enthusiasm even facing change and injry. He also feels that the experience the younger players are getting now will benefit them for the long haul.

With the contracts that will expire, Gordon said the Islanders will have to add players and he's excited about where they are going and the development of the younger players through the patience of GM Garth Snow. (Hmmm... exactly the thing that ex-GM Mike Milbury was always accused of NOT having.)

Coach Gordon had some pleasant things to say about our star rookie, John Tavares. Maybe one that surprised the audience. "He is very passionate. He's a hockey nerd."

What? Yes, he is. "His whole life has been about scoring. He's always been able to do it. Even his games that I watched him play in juniors. I was surprised there wasn't as much 'cheat' in his game." And while the first half of the season, JT was producing, when he fell into a multi-game slump, it effected him.

"He's nineteen-years-old, so he gets knocked down a lot." I've written that often.

Gordon told him not to worry about the points. But it was evident he wasn't going on the ice with a clear head. "He cares. He wants to be the best player he can be."

Well, this week he didn't have to worry about points as he was named the second star of the week for his seven points in three games.

John will get stronger over the summer and he will return to camp next season ready to be a big part of the New York Islanders.

While we all know the playoffs for this season are unlikely, Gordon did end by saying "I can almost guarantee next year will be exciting."
We look forward to it!


Rob Schremp at the team store up for tomorrow. Too late to start that one now.

One & Done

A very rushed post game at HockeyBuzz and I was just about to shut down and get going to I can get ready to head to Bridgeport when I noticed the comment asking me what I thought of Scott Gordon walking out on Rob Carlin's interview.

As it's been pointed out to me on more than one occassion, I have 'professed my love openly' in this space, so I suppose I have an obligation to say something.

Okay, here goes.

It could have been worse. I know so many people who say that Gordon is a boring interview with no personality. But that's so far from the truth. He's passionate, articulate and funny. He's also frustrated as hell, but he holds his temper from the cameras and the microphones.

Should he have walked off camera? No. But I'm sure it was a lot better than flying into an obscenity laced tirade. The New York Islanders are not the best when it comes to media relations. We know it. We've seen it. It's nothing new. There are no John Tortorella's or Brian Burke's in Uniondale. There is only New England proper, never show your true feelings, chill coupled with a look that could kill you where you stand.

Now I really gotta get going!

Scott Gordon: Post Olympics

*Note: Isles vs Flyers preview on Versus Website Here.


It’s been a week since the Gold Medal game in Vancouver. Everyone has gone back to their pre-Olympic lives including NY Islanders’ head coach Scott Gordon. I was lucky enough to be able to catch Gordon in his office between practice and a 1:45pm team meeting to ask a few questions.

As an Islander fan, I was very proud to have our coach hand picked by hockey legend Brian Burke to be on the bench alongside the likes of Ron Wilson even if it did mean sharing that bench with rival Rangers’ coach, John Tortorella. It was a trifecta of New England hockey, even if Wilson was born in Ontario and maintains dual citizenship. He grew up on Rhode Island, so it counts.

This was not the first time that Scott Gordon was on an Olympic squad. He was on the 1992 Olympic squad in Albertville, France where they finished 4th. Eighteen years later, Team USA finished 2nd with Scott Gordon having a completely different vantage point.

With Rhode Island born Brian Burke at the helm of Team USA, some of his Olympic selections were criticized and the team was thought to be too young and not able to get very far in the Vancouver games. The team relished their position of underdog and played well beyond expectations -- of everyone but Brian Burke.

“I think that’s why we were successful. We had a young team and the fact that no one was really tainted. They were excited to be there. I thought our players looked at it more like ‘This was an unbelievable opportunity and I’m excited to be here!’ versus ‘I knew I was going to be here and they would have been crazy not to pick me.’ I think for our team, that’s what made it special… I think the players that we had in Vancouver were exceptional as far as their attitude and their character. There was nobody that was pouting about ice time. It was a true ‘team’ and great people I think sometimes being in that environment it can go unappreciated because you’ve done so much in your career.”

Special could also be used to describe some of the American talent the world was exposed to. I asked Scott Gordon if anyone surprised him on the ice.

“I didn’t’ know how good Patrick Kane was. His skill, his vision, his ability to make plays. Ryan Kesler was a guy I didn’t know a whole lot about that really impressed me. I was impressed with Chris Drury and what he brought to the table, considering that he was a guy that was questionable whether he should make the team or not and I thought he acquitted himself well. And obviously we had some big performances by our defensemen who stepped up and played well. Really, to get to the silver medal and have a chance to win the gold medal, there were a lot of guys that really stood out for me.”

When Brian Burke was criticized for announcing at the Winter Classic in Boston that 33 year-old, Connecticut native Chris Drury had made the 2010 squad, he shrugged it off. Later, when asked about his selection, he would tell reporters “I picked Chris Drury because he’s Chris Drury.” Burke is nothing but a man of his convictions and obviously one that sees hockey differently than everyone else. (Just ask a Leafs fan.)

With the decidedly low-key New England flavor on the bench of Team USA, only John Tortorella stands out as notoriously loud-mouthed. When I asked Scott Gordon how it was to work with him, he gave me a broad smile.

“John’s a very passionate guy. He speaks from the heart and that’s what’s great about him. I think that when it’s all said and done, he wants guys to care as much as he does. I enjoyed the entire time I was with him. I got to know him real well.”

I’m certain there are some NY reporters that wish there was a filter between his heart and his mouth. (Hello Larry Brooks.) But certainly, he is right in saying that no one can say the Rangers’ head coach isn’t a passionate guy who cares deeply about this sport.

The unity on the bench was even visible in their attire. Something that I noticed right away for some reason. I thought that perhaps Ralph Lauren, the official outfitter for Team USA this Olympics, had also outfitted the coaching staff. I was wrong.

“Ron bought all the coaches, GMs and staff ties.” Paired with navy suits and blue shirts, it was picture perfect prep-school headmaster attire. Of course, the picture of GM Brian Burke was usually without his jacket and his tie loosened, but that’s just Burke‘s style.


As the coaching staff does not receive medals, I asked what Gordon WOULD get from the Olympic committee for his efforts.

“I dunno.” I laughed as Scott leaned back in his chair smiling. “If I don’t get anything it doesn’t replace the experience.”

Certainly coaching staff should get SOMETHING to commemorate the experience. A certificate, a plaque -- something! Because I highly doubt Ron Wilson would ever try to pull what Russian coach Viktor Tikhonov tried to pull when he kept Khabibulin’s Gold medal since he didn’t play in any of the 1992 games. I think Jonathan Quick gets to keep his 2010 Silver medal.

I asked Gordon about his feelings on the NHL continuing their participation in the Olympics. He had definite views on the much debated subject, but as that is one I have been researching for another article, I will hold onto them for now.

Congratulations Scott Gordon for a job well-done. Now -- Back to work!


*Note: I reserve the right to have this proofread on Monday and to post it in various internet outlets as I see fit. But at least I met my self-imposed Sunday deadline! Now where the hell is my editor???

Typical Day Game Loss

Well, had they played 60 minutes, they may have won, but the 3 - 2 score in favor of the Bruins stood after I packed up at the five minute mark. I thought if I did, Kyle Okposo would have tied it up and sent it to overtime and I would be kicking myself for having packed the computer. No such luck.

But I did get a few minutes with call-up Dylan Reese who is very familiar with Matt Moulson's scoring touch. Postgame here at HB. Scott Gordon had some strong words in today's post game regarding dissapointment and mental mistakes. The frustration level is evident.

Blake Comeau was escorted off the ice and didn't return, but Gordon said it didn't seem like there were any concussion symptoms. We hope that's true. We'd also like to see if any rulings come down for the hit.

I'm hoping beyond hope that I can actually get my final Olympic entry done tomorrow. I had a wonderful conversation with Scott Gordon on Friday about his experience and his feelings about the NHL continuing participation in the Olympics. I may not have it up until late Sunday, but I'm going to give myself the deadline of -- SUNDAY! He did have some interesting things to say!

and with that -- I think I will pass out now.

"Several" Is A Vague Number

Certainly more than one could be "several" and it certainly looks better than saying "two" if you are looking to make a point or cause a ruckus. But when I checked with MY anonymous source the term "several" in relation to the latest Newsday headline, the quote I received was "That's just the media being the media. That's all there is."



The timing of the article seems suspect to say the least and not just because of the trade deadline. My anonymous source seemed to agree with me on that as well. While I thought to grill, um, question some of the players on the validity of the article, I could see I (as in specifically ME) was not going to get far with that one and chose to chase down Scott Gordon instead. I asked him questions about the Olympics (for something on Sunday) and snuck in a question about the benching of Sean Bergenheim in Atlanta yesterday. I was curious if it was to send a message or just the luck of the draw.



"He hasn't scored in 14 games. I don't think there needs to be any explaining. He hasn't played well. There's no message sending with me. You don't play well -- You don't play." At least he's fair. He applies the same rules to everyone.



It was wonderful to see Newsday reporter Mark Herrmann back in the building for today's practice. It's been so long, I joked about security letting him in. He smiled and said he got lost. He spent some quality time in the locker room with Captain Doug Weight and a few others while I had Scott Gordon all to myself.

When I went back to the locker room, he was sharing availability with NY Post's Dan Martin as Marty Biron explained Wednesday's events to them. He was speaking at lightning speed and was very animated. He was not holding anything back from them, but you could see that while Marty may have been frustrated on Wednesday, that was then and this is now. The ultimate professional, he knows how it goes and certainly knows that the two men he reports to also can relate to his mindset. There should be no problems here, but I look forward to Mark Herrmann's report as he is always brilliantly entertaining in his dissection of the story at hand.


I also found out Bruno Gervais has never made a Lobster Quiche and was then ushered out of the skate room with a "Hey! No Media Allowed!" And back to work I went.

The Final Showdown - USA vs CAN

*(This was Arena Hostess Dina's view when she attended one of the Team USA Olympic games.)

While the Islanders are on the ice this morning for practice, they are still without their coach. He is otherwise occupied preparing for today's Gold Medal game with Team Canada. I'm sure that assistant coaches Scott Allen and Dean (can I buy a vowel) Chynoweth don't really mind. As long as he's back in time for Tuesday's first game back at the Coliseum, everything will be fine.

Some thoughts on the very fuzzy hockey border here at HB.

Good Luck Team USA, but no matter what, you've made us proud.

(*And this is the power of the big cookie. That one was peanut butter. Today's will be chocolate chip. So far, they've worked.)

Dear Scott: The Weather is Horrible...

5:21 pm; Never underestimate the power of the BIG cookie!
Congratulations to Team USA and the entire roster for a job well done. Here's to going for Gold on Sunday! And as usual -- Scott Gordon was right! They were staying until Sunday!




Original post: 10 am


"So why don't you win today and stay in Vancouver through Sunday. Okay?"

That was my email to him this morning.

Even without the "Snow Day" I have taken today, I was expecting to leave my office early so that I could sit in front of the big screen and watch today's match up with Finland at 3 pm on NBC. While it's nice to know that hockey will be on the main Peacock network, it is a 3 pm game, so I'm assuming the only thing NBC is doing is trying to cement a Pavlov's Dog theory that NBC carries Hockey in the afternoon. (NBC Carries Hockey In the Afternoon... repeat...)

My Team USA jersey is draped over the chair and ready and I've set out an offering to the hockey gods of chocolate chip muffins and spiked hot cocoa. (Okay, that was my breakfast, but the candles are still lit.)

I should have thought of invoking the Hockey Gods for last night's Women's game. Maybe it would have helped. As the saying goes, "You win Bronze, you lose to get Silver." What a heartbreak for the Womens' team. Some of them were truly inconsolable last night during the medal ceremony.

The shut out was stinging for them. Some of them have played for USA Hockey for half their lives. Some of them may never reach the Olympics again. But chin up girls! You are coming home with hardware. It is still a testament to the USA Hockey program and women's hockey in general.

Now, for the men -- well, they have played the underdog role this entire tournament. In all honesty, however they get the job done will be fine with me. You only need one goal to win -- one more than your opponent. That's all I'm hoping for.

#EpicWriterFailMoment

For those of you not familiar with Twitter, that's called a Hashtag. It means something you can search by. As there are so many writers on all rungs of the professional food chain, it's a hashtag that is recognized.

Today, I'm having my own #EpicWriterFailMoment. I have a blog entry I have wanted to write for weeks. I have been holding it for the Olympics. I interviewed Jason Blake, Doug Weight and Garth Snow for it. I have quotes I located from Brian Burke and Rick DiPietro on the net. I have quotes from Islanders Authorized from Scott Gordon that I can plagiarize. So much information, so much at my fingertips, and yet I have failed to write it for weeks.

Why? I think I'm afraid I won't do it justice. Right now, on the world's largest sports stage, Hockey is taking a back seat to curling. Except for this RUS vs CZE game that is taking center stage on NBC at 3 pm. The USA vs. CAN game will be on a channel nobody can even find.

I wore my Team USA hockey jersey out today. Of course, it says BLAKE on the back. But that didn't stop the two Skater dudes at Starbucks from yelling USA USA at me at Starbucks this afternoon.

While other fans have many of their team players at the Olympics, we don't. But I am proud as anything to have our coach, Scott Gordon there representing the Islanders as well as Mark Streit doing an exceptional job for the Swiss Team. The only one who is failing dismally is me. It's painfully obvious I do not have the fortitude to be an Olympian of any kind. Unless maybe there was an Olympics of cooking and drinking at the same time... then maybe I'd get bronze. Maybe.

Team USA wins again!

Congratulations to Team USA and Coach Scott Gordon for pulling out a 6 - 1 win over Norway. While it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for this morning, it was still enough to earn 3 points. But adjustments still need to be made if Team USA plans on making it to a medal round -- and winning.

Meanwhile, someone forgot to tell the Swiss that this is Canada's game as it took until a fourth shoot out round to determine who would get the second point for the game. Babcock had to put Sidney Crosby back in the shoot out after his first attempt on Hiller was stoned. Hiller and Brodeur stopped three shooters each. But someone had to win. But it wasn't easy.

Thoughts on this afternoon and this evenings' CAN-SUI game here at HockeyBuzz..

Note to Shaun White: Perhaps playing air guitar during the national anthem while you're on the podium isn't the best idea you've had. UGH!!

USA 3 Switzerland 1

And that's ONE. Three points to start the what will hopefully be a successful run for Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics.

On Sunday, I didn't get a chance to wish Scott Gordon good luck before he headed off to Vancouver. I decided to send him a quick email from home. I smiled from ear to ear when he took the time to respond from his blackberry.

It took me almost a half hour to get the damn web stream working this afternoon. Much of that time was taken up by having to create a Cablevision account on-line so that I could actually stream NBC. I can't tell you how annoyed it made me that I now can't even watch something televised by NBC without having to go through Dolanvision.

The website didn't start streaming the game live for me until it was already six minutes into the game. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't giving up either. After all, as an Islander fan, I am exceptionally proud that our head coach is one of the three behind the bench for Team USA. I didn't want to miss it. I'm glad I didn't. And I also don't think I've ever heard Mark Streit's name so often in one game broadcast!

There is nothing like Olympic competition. Team US GM, Brian Burke, told a radio reporter he would have folded towels or driven the bus just to be involved with USA Hockey for this competition. He is driving the bus.

So congratulations to Team USA for today's win. Now get some practice time in as the games go on. Next up, Team USA will face Norway who was blown out by Team Canada 8 - 0 this evening. That puts an awful lot in the goal differential column for Canada. Hopefully, our USA team can do the same.

As much as I enjoy the Olympics and all they mean, I'm quite miserable without my NHL hockey. I'm feeling a little lost and out of sorts. I can't even imagine how bad I'll be by next week. Actually, I don't think I want to think of that right now.