A few quick hits

New York Islander Fan Central | 6/06/2008 04:55:00 PM |
Were already two months into off-season for the Isles with the draft in two weeks.

Two more months and camp will be here, things are moving very quickly. Free agency, prospect camp, signings/trades/negotiations. No off-season at New York Islander Fan Central.

So far the live draft chat is still on here for Friday June 20th. I wish this was a full Saturday with several rounds. Opening night is first round only which means if Isles pick and do nothing it could be over very quickly.

Saturday will be a lot of fun with nine picks. I'm planning another live interactive
blog Saturday morning. I'm working on feeders and tickers that show the Isles picks as they come in.
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SI.com: John Rolfe does an article on Mike Milbury where the former gm verbally goes after Tiger Woods.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
What's funny is Mr Rolfe spends three quarters of the article bashing Milbury then prints he is right for bashing Woods begging the question why do an article on everything he ever did wrong if that's the case or did he have to qualify it with a rip job on the former gm so he would get no backlash?

If Tiger Woods does not like hockey, that's his business. Almost seems like he was brought into it by the league just to create some headlines.

Mr Rolfe went back to his previous Islander update where he was critical of the team for rolling out the dynasty players. I responded and wrote Mr Wang is just doing the right thing because John Pickett did not bother. I also wrote if he does not do these things he is accused of not caring about the alumni and if he does it's only to sell tickets so how can he win?

Isles also scheduled these events on weekends when ticket sales were not a problem last season so the ticket sales argument makes virtually no sense.

Call it the heat but I also asked Mr Rolfe if he's going to ask the same question of the forever mediocre Rangers when Adam Graves number is retired next year considering the New York Islanders are the standard for US hockey dynasties with no team in any sport matching nineteen playoff series wins in a row and a boatload of players who should have their jersey's retired for their championship accomplishments compared to Graves with his one cup at Msg.
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SI.com: Adam Muir reports Michel Therrien's job status could be in trouble.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Old news before the playoffs, for a good part of the season and since he was brought up from the AHL to coach from Wilkes-Barre. Given the revenue Pittsburgh will take in with the playoff run and with a new building going up the bad old days in Pittsburgh are officially over so if enough star players want a new coach, they will get one this time.

And the same thing can happen here folks, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Isles
ping-pong ball came up for Crosby a few years ago it might have happened already.

Having written that put me in the minority that Malkin is better than Crosby. He got them in the playoffs and carried them through the early rounds and was dominating games at a level Crosby is not at currently.
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I'm hoping John Tortorella does not find his way to Pittsburgh, Toronto, Ottawa or an Eastern Conference club. I know quality coaches like Wilson, Quenneville and Hartley will land somewhere and hope that Pat Burns coaches anywhere. I would like Paul Maurice in Florida because I do not think he's the right man but good for a gm like Jacques Martin who does not want anyone who will create waves.

I do not dislike the Panthers but Isles have to stay ahead of them, amazing these kids have not put it together yet and a year of turmoil could force a few of those young players here.

I guess that's why.
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If Barry Melrose is hired by Tampa I will never make the mistake of writing someone has been out of the game too long to return to coaching again. Not Kevin Constantine, Trots, Goring, Al Arbour, Keenan, Bowman or anyone living. I used to write Ted Nolan should go coach in the AHL if he wants another NHL job, he went to Moncton and got to the Memorial Cup and proved himself. Pat Quinn coached against Al Arbour in the 1980 final and still wants to coach.

If Melrose does not have to go coach in the minors to get hired by someone, no one should have to.
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Speaking of Toronto why not hire a new gm and let him pick a coach, or does that make too much sense for Richard Peddie? Ron Wilson would be a good pick but if you are going with a traditional GM/Coach format you are forcing a gm to accept that coach and you have to wonder who makes the final decision?

Garth Snow if there are players you absolutely want to deal pick up the phone and trade with Cliff Fletcher, even Milbury got Jonsson, the pick for Luongo off of him.
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I'll go out on a limb right here and guess I think Sundin is headed for Colorado this July if the money is right. Between Forsberg, Sakic, Smyth it's just a place star players seem to like to play with pressure but not overwhelming pressure and going there does not upset anyone very much.

Someday someone has to explain to me why every star player who goes to Edmonton seems to want out while Colorado everyone seems to want to sign there for the
long-term. Is it the exchange rate, the city? It's cold with a ton of snow in both places. Both are good hockey markets and Edmonton's crowd will be intense regardless of record.

Is the travel that much different? I would think that ice surface in Edmonton would be a big selling point to players who want to extend their careers because it's faster.

That's one I have never figured out.
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Should I want Mike Milbury behind the bench in San Jose to keep a better coach out of the job or do I want him off television? Not too sure.

One thing I do know, Milbury coaching another club at the Coliseum will produce a sellout crowd calling for his lynching. Like Roenick the act is getting old and things sure are peaceful with him in San Jose.

Milbury started off entertaining but now it just seems forced. Last summer I thought he should get the Bruins job, but Chiarelli hired his friend Claude Julien and it was an outstanding pick who deserved at least Jack Adams consideration after what the Bruins did last season.
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One more time:
When Pittsburgh dominates the Eastern Conference next season and returns to the finals we can start making Edmonton Oiler comparisons, not before.

When Detroit wins three more cups in a row we can talk about the in the same universe with the Islanders.

Good final, great players? Absolutely.
Any better than Edmonton-Carolina, Calgary-Tampa? No, if you take away the color of the uniforms and just look at the hockey for what it was, one team got that bounce or the post/crossbar or powerplay that made the difference.

Pete Sykora's ot goal was the first pp goal to win a finals game since Denis Potvin did it in game one of the 80 finals.

First time:
All this attention for Chris Osgood to the Hall of Fame? He had two cups rings before this final and well over three hundred wins. I guess this takes him off the Tom Barrasso list.

For those who listened to me on Hockey Night on LI a week ago I got little right on the finals predicting Pittsbugh in six on the basis Pens sharpshooter would exploit Osgood because he did not wear the over sized equipment and find holes. I did get the home ice question correct with Detroit breaking the Pens home winning streak and Pittsburgh winning in Detroit.
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Isles claimed today the Dinner & and Dynasty DVD was the first released in a decade by the club, I would be very curious what that last one was? I still have Pride of the Island on VHS.

Imagine the money Cablevision could let them make if they let them go through the archive of incredible games and make DVD's from them to go with one for each season.

Anyone notice you almost never see the Jiggs McDonald-Ed Westphal calls of these games, just the out of town version?

I would love to see Islanders-Oilers 1981.

Finally:
Unless something major happens a full weekend off for NYI Fan Central, of course whenever I write that something major does happen. The feeders all over the blog are always working for updates.

Major means a signing, a trade or more this weekend.