One nice thing about doing a mailing list called Islanders-Sound Tigers that dates back a decade is I can look back and check past articles/very old postings, where we can laugh at all the things myself and everyone got wrong over the years, and view full articles.
A few things turned out correct as well.
Ten years ago Butch Goring was ripping his 0-5-1 club off the ice in preseason, the locker room was renovated then also. Cablevison back then did not make him to go Msg to do the post-game or interview himself to save money on announcers.
Charles Wang and Sajay Kumar were beginning their first season as owners. Bryan McCabe was already being traded again for Alexander Karpovtsev. I was complaining about poor city coverage and Rick DiPietro was making his debut for the Chicago Wolves of the IHL, getting a shutout and an ejection all in the same 5-1 win.
Many were calling for an improved Islander team based on a stronger defense with Gary Galley/Kevin Haller to go with Roman Hamrlik, Kenny Jonsson and Chara, who with Brad Isbister almost negotiated their way out of the season. Taylor (not Nelson) Pyatt was impressing in camp, Tim Connolly was on his way to a roster spot. Eric Cairns was out four weeks, Aris Brimanis and Yevgeny Korolev made up the final two spots with....Matthieu Biron.
John Vanbiesbrouck, Wade Flaherty were between the pipes. Alexei Yashin was returning from his holdout in Ottawa.
Newsday was providing a twelve page pullout for the start of the Islanders season.
I predicted a 38-32 record with a bunch of ties and a playoff spot/run. Goring was complaining about his lack of right-handed centers.
Cablevision was actually playing preseason games against the Islanders again for a short time. Pavel (Bossy) Brendl & Jamie (Trottier) Lundmark were being sent down, Stephan Qunital was doing his Redden to waivers dance for Hobey Baker Winner........MIKE MOTTAU.
Marc Savard was being called out by writer Eric Francis in Calgary, who roasted the Islanders over Chara-Isbister, then a week later wrote an open letter demanding Savard take $700,000 after Brad Isbister signed for $ 385,000.
The more things change......better not happen this decade. Tons of articles on Sound Tigers ten years ago.
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