Quick Hits

New York Islander Fan Central | 3/11/2009 12:00:00 PM |
* Seems Newsday (and the marginal city coverage) is playing the win and you lose John Tavares card more and more as a sidebar to games. I think everyone understands this already but it's never been the lock many made it seem to be with a club that has been playing five hundred now since mid-January with virtually every game a competitive one regardless who dresses.

Ask me on 4/1 if the Islanders will finish 30th and then again after they are done playing Tampa Bay. Look out for Colorado too because that was the worst team I have seen this year, they could free fall down as the Isles did.

* What a shock another Toronto news article on the Lighthouse where almost everything written is wrong beyond an old Wang quote in Newsday. I guess this what happens when a story has gotten passed and reinterpreted about ten other times.

* Has Eden Laikin finished reading the documents submitted on the Lighthouse by Mr Wang-Mr Rechler or waiting to spring some more not so well hidden items about the club threatening not to sign a new lease?

I had no problem with Ms Laikin or Newsday writing about this but to state that it was well-hidden and that Newsday discovered it buried in the reports is an outright lie. I went to the Lighthouse website myself and read this the day after the meeting and I had no idea what I was looking for. The Lighthouse website even set up separate pdf files since by section so everyone could read it easier.

The idea this was hidden or buried is just a lie that makes me question Ms Laikin and begs the question where is Mark Harrington who for years covered this process from a business standpoint?

What's Charles Wang or Chris Dey going to do who apparently added or were forced to add Newsday ads to the club website and game coverage? I suspect nothing.

Funny I never see Islander upcoming games advertised during Msg-Knicks telecasts?

* I'm disappointed Mr Botta did not address Greg Logan's anonymous quotes articles with veterans critical of Scott Gordon. I know he's in the middle between the team that could cut his access or his friend in Greg Logan with a staff that would be quick to remind us Mr Botta has a team sponsored blog if he did refute Mr Logan or question why he's writing public anonymous quotes (for a second year) on a team with limited media coverage and few player features.

I felt Mr Botta needed to take a stand and confirm or deny, he wrote in his blog he would but maybe his entry with Brendan Witt's comments was kind of his way of doing it without getting involved all the way.

Funny thing is Jon Sim got more coverage from Greg Logan about his demotion than he received since he signed here which says a lot about the beat writers coverage. I wonder what the reaction would have been if Mr Botta pointed that out.

* Anyone think the Newsday staff/local media would have been as generous to Sean Avery if Garth Snow claimed him? I guess this means if Snow did resign Alexei Yashin last summer the media would have been just as open-minded pointing out they needed a productive center who was a big part of four playoff teams in five years that will not make the playoffs in two seasons since he was bought out.

* Wonder how Mark Streit feels about Guy Charboneau being fired by the Canadians and Bob Gainey behind the Hab bench?

* Article out of National Post had Brent Sutter's comments he is year to year coaching the Devils and does miss home. Reminded me of Al Arbour late in his first run as coach saying he would go year to year. I guess all that was written about not wanting to leave home was true a few years ago.

* Nothing like NBC-Dick Ebersol-Msg connection giving hockey fans a steady diet of Ranger hockey. Just remember Islander-Devils fans help those local ratings which will be marginal nationally regardless who is scheduled to play.

Ebersol will never allow the Devils or Islanders on that station for a regular season game. Comcast Flyers also have a big stake in this which is why Ed Snider's team has to appear.

* It's been about six weeks, does DiPietro need more surgery putting 09-10 in doubt or can he start working toward a return?

* Funny how all those years the Islanders finished eighth all we read from the media was why bother making the playoffs and to do a full rebuild? It's early but we sure are not seeing that for a team with 400 less man game lost than the Islanders and about the same goals per game.

Someone told me the Rangers are down to three players (it's four) from their 2005-06 roster that supposedly was the beginning of their prospect rebuild. I wonder if Garth Snow's eventual rebuild will wind up the same way given the Islanders have six players left from their 2005-06 roster. (depending on whether you count late season deadline trade for Tambellini)

Trent Hunter, Radek Martinek, Rick DiPietro, Jeff Tambellini, Bergenheim, Gervais.
Colton Orr, Blair Betts, Henrik Lundqvist, Michal Rozsival.

Frans Nielsen is from the 2002 draft.

I guess it depends on whether you believe what's written in the papers, for myself I just look at the quotes these days.






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