Mr Logan drops his bombs on Gordon dissension

New York Islander Fan Central | 3/01/2009 06:21:00 AM | | |
Newsday: Mr Logan in his article on dissension with the coach has quotes from head coach Scott Gordon on several subjects where the beatwriter dishes the lockeroom dirt at length as he puts a lot of quotes without names of players in his story who were critical.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
It's best you read the full article, I will do what I can here to interpret with exact quotes....

* The beatwriter claims Newsday interviews with several players indicate discontent revolves around three main issues - Gordon's decision to hold meetings with a group of young forwards separate from the rest of the team, what one player termed the coach's decision to "exile" Guerin, and Gordon's insistence that players not blame his system in the media for losses.

* Head coach Scott Gordon responds in what Mr Logan calls " a frank interview " Saturday with the following:

" I meant no disrespect to the veterans but simply wanted to spare them the need to go over video of rookie mistakes. I actually talked to Billy about this and told him, 'This is what I'm doing,' I actually had a conversation with Richard Park and Trent Hunter and told them they do all the right things ... That was my way of doing it in consideration of the players I felt didn't need to see that stuff."

"It's not like I've done what I've done with malice, And let me just say right now, like, I love Billy Guerin. I love his personality. I have the most respect for what he's accomplished in his career, and I feel real bad this situation of where we are in the standings had to happen with me."

According to Mr Logan, Guerin declined comment for this story, except to say of himself and Gordon:

"I think we're both emotional guys. That's as far into it as I can really go."


The coach is quoted as saying the following after a similar meeting with Weight after he returned from injury:


"I explained to Dougie that I know it's not an easy thing to take, I said, 'Listen, who knows if you're going to be back here or not? But if you are, our team is going to be better for it, and you coming back, if it plays out that way, are going to be better for it because you're going to be on a better team. "

Also reported here is several players praised Gordon's flexibility when it came to adjusting the defense with Brendan Witt adding the following:

"In defense of Scott, he had such success with the way he played in Providence. But he tweaked it. You can see everyone has gone positive with that and has played better as a team."

According to Mr Logan several players said Gordon told them not to blame the system for their losses when they speak to the media with an unnamed player quoted as saying:

"Every time we'd blow a lead, he'd always come in and say, 'It wasn't because of the system. Don't tell the media that's how we gave up the lead.' He's said it numerous times."

According to Mr Logan, Scott Gordon flatly denied ever doing that and despite what has happened the veterans have tried not to direct their frustration toward younger teammates.

"I feel bad for the young guys," a sympathetic vet said. "It puts them in a tough predicament."

The beatwriter finishes up quoting an unnamed players asking how Scott Gordon's act will play when it comes to signing free agents noting that players talk?

"I guess that's the chance you're going to take if you separate young kids from older vets," said the locker-room voice. "That's the price that's going to happen if you go down that road."

NYI Fan Central Comments:
What can I write folks?

A team in 30th place with a rookie coach is going to have it's issues on a lot of levels. Scott Gordon has his story, Guerin, Witt and a lot on unnamed players apparently have their version.

Scott Gordon went after the media very hard after blown leads were a postgame subject recently during a road game, you could see he was angry by the time he got to C.J Papa's question's.

Greg Logan blogged on it but never reported whether it was from his Newsday questions or another outlet?

My question is why does this beatwriter take a seasons worth of issues at different times and drop it like a bomb in an article now?

Islanders have been playing reasonably well. Bergenheim had a big night, Danis a shutout who allowed one goal in three games this week. Was he saving it for a likely Guerin trade to unload before he leaves or was the win just not a good enough story?

Was this put in the paper now to influence Guerin to go?

I personally think it's weak to use unnamed player sources to dish dirt, especially on a team with only one regular beatwriter who does not write nearly enough blogs, this is not Toronto or the Yankees where everyone is competing for dirt and stories on players.

This is a writer who goes AWOL from blogging when an Islander goalie starts the all-star game.

Is it really this necessary for this beatwriter to dish out every bit of dirt against Islander head coaches seemingly every year when a lot of other teams no doubt have similar problems, fire coaches, trade players and the media does not go to this extreme to give us details?

And this is what Mr Logan claims is only part of it?

We keep reading this is a small market team from this media, player accomplishments are downplayed or considered under-rated (Logan wondered if he did enough on Weight and Bailey when they had their milestone games) but when it's negative Greg Logan attacks it as hard as he can as he did when he took a tantrum in Newsday's Islander blog about the club going with the NHL injury policy.

I hate using this example but again we do not see the Knick-Ranger dirt dished in Newsday (unless the Garden wants someone bought out) with unnamed player sources, we do not see things this negative in Newsday on a team where players were calling out Avery last year/this year or veterans problems had with Tom Renney?

Is what's happening here that different than on other losing teams with four hundred man games lost to injury in 30th place?

Again, why here and now? Campoli, Comrie left and kept things in-house or did not attach their names to the quotes.

Seems like Greg Logan's work only does damage to what the Islanders are trying to do in free agency/Lighthouse as he brought up, seemed pre-planned here.

All those Islander Insiders, where was the actual inside information?

It's not like all this happened during last night's game, so what was the point to drop this bombshell now at the trade deadline when he could have told us as these things happened weeks/months ago?

Mr Logan waited, was it to keep players from wanting to come here in trades or drive the fans away? If I knew I would report it when it happened.

Why write all these article each day if something else is the story behind the scene, he has Newsday's Islander blog and access to as many updates as Mr Zipay who did seven blog entries on the Rangers Saturday.

I wonder if Mr Botta will now ask the same hard questions or just report he knew and leave things alone because Newsday staff will gang up on him as they have on occasion with Mr Logan also taking his shot?

Enjoy Yann Danis shutout and Bergenheim's two goals, Mr Logan did not have a word from either one of them about it.

Too bad for them, and us.

Was this fair to either one of them?



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