Ed Mangano's Memorandum of Understanding

Updated 5/1:

Disclaimer:

Ed Mangano was quoted earlier this week that a Casino project would be " in addition " to the Lighthouse Project.

He then also was quoted as saying a Shinnecock Nation Casino "is a very real alternative" to the LH.
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I have to admit, I did not see this coming.

Someone with less patience than Howard Milstein who may give Tom Gulotta a run for his money?

Folks actually knocked Charles Wang for a lack of patience after waiting for about eight plus year?

Apparently new Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano from his first days in office, decided to create his own Memorandum of Understanding with himself. In that understanding, he decided to forget who was awarded the right to develop the Coliseum property in an open bidding and started immediate negotiations with someone else.

Mr Mangano has also apparently decided in his understanding to save the millions Wang-Rechler invested for traffic/water/misc consultants. There will not be two hundred plus community meetings to inform the public if a Shinnecock Nation Casino is to break ground next summer.

All the issues that held up the LH are now positives for the community, according to the new Nassau Executive.

Meanwhile the usual lip-service about saving the Isles is thrown in at the end like the team simply does not matter. Mangano clearly is not in favor of the LH project vs a Casino as a destination spot.

Al D'Amato even stopped in for a chat and took a few digs at the LH, we all know where he stands.

Can't make this stuff up folks.

TOH/Kate Murray? They don't even have a vote in this matter apparently.

Even if by some miracle TOH released a scaled down LH project that Wang-Rechler may be interested in building, a lease still has to be negotiated with Mangano.

This was the lease Tom Suozzi had ready before he left office, but could not be voted on by Democratic Nassau.

Mangano was quoted about looking into the developers agreement with Wang-Rechler that is currently in place so it's not looking promising for a future lease negotiation with Nassau if the TOH approved the LH.

Apparently that property is too valuable in Nassau for private developers to build on it where they make the bulk of the revenue in exchange for renovating Nassau's Coliseum, especially when it's something that could compete with other office space/residential in Nassau/TOH.

No wonder the Lighthouse page on the Nassau County website disappeared less than a day or so after Mangano took his oath.

Ed Mangano had his Memorandum of Understanding with himself all set to go.

Bottom line:
Where is Mangano's plan to make the New York Islanders self-sustaining as a hockey franchise at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum? A week ago Nassau hosted the Yankees championship trophy after every other sports team in the area received huge money to become self-sufficient, relocate locally or remain in place.

Some folks wondered why I was so tough on Tom Suozzi for letting the LH sit in a drawer for a few years? Mangano was not happy with Wang/Rechler/Smg deal negotiated by Suozzi to run the Coliseum.

I'm not sure if Wang-Rechler have any response, I doubt it will be through the media because Wang made it clear he does not want it done that way. My speculation remains TOH would do anything not to take the blame for voting down the LH.

My stance is unchanged from the entry earlier this week.

Wang-Rechler should demand an immediate vote on the full LH proposal, they are entitled to that for the millions they have spent.

If Ed Mangano is eventually the one to turn the LH down, he will not need a memorandum to understand he will be the one to blame if the Islanders do leave or if a Casino fails to be built, he will be the one held accountable.

There will also be no 51st state he can support to hide in.
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Some format changes to New York Islander Fan Central, including a new twitter box.

Previous full page template and all elements are now located at nyifancentral.blogspot.com prospect blog is unchanged, but will have all contract status updated per Ct Post article last week.

The generic page was removed.

Still have not decided on whether to do full blog entries during World Championships.



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Management Review 09-10 NY Islanders Season

Today we wrap up our review of the 2009-10 season and the full-time blog entries with a review of Head Coach Scott Gordon & General Manager Garth Snow.

Overview:
In a painfully mediocre conference, which saw the playoff cut on average drop dramatically from ninety five points/eighth seed to the final three seeds all being under ninety points, a huge opportunity was to qualify for a playoff spot was missed.

New York won only as many regulation games as they did a year ago with about two hundred fifty less man games lost to injury. Overall goals scored/allowed improved with point total which is what many media sold as improvement, but special teams were worse than a year ago with both powerplay/penalty killing dropping into the bottom five.

Third period scoring saw this team at the bottom of the league.

Head Coach Scott Gordon:
Like the individual players grades, Scott Gordon did not build a roster of smaller/less physical players, which lacked veterans who could contribute as top line forwards. He worked with what he had and changed some players positions with Comeau, Sim, Bailey, Okposo, Weight. (on more than one wing/point)

As on any other team, some players improved or had a breakthrough while others regressed. Some of that has to speak to Scott Gordon's decisions, others to how players performed individually.

Decisions that also included Comeau riding the bench so Trevor Gillies could play three minutes in Philadelphia.

In 2008-09, he did not put public pressure on his young players, even criticizing a 2002 pick in Bergenheim for being worried about his numbers, that is what good coaches do, which of course he held to with virtually all his players again this year.

Being head coach is not about winning a popularity contest with the players, the job ultimately is to win hockey games and getting the most out of the talent you have.

Moving Forward:
Unlike Ted Nolan, Gordon did not take the media bait regarding his contract toward the end of this season. Owner Charles Wang (despite management claims it does not discuss management contracts) informed the public of Gordon's contract status in an radio interview.

Are Gordon and his general manager on the same page and a team that work well together? Only they know, however Nate Thompson was the player Scott Gordon used but lost his spot to waivers while Jeff Tambellini was glued to Gordon's bench and his comments about his defenders lack of size after a to Boston sure did not seem an endorsement of Snow's trade deadline decisions.

Scott Gordon was not in the same situation as AHL counterparts like John Anderson in Atlanta or Peter DeBoer in Florida, both who had more top line veterans or older, more-developed prospects. The clock is running for the first head coach since Al Arbour who should be back for a third consecutive season to have this team not only in playoff contention but ready to take the next step and qualify.

A club that can beat the top teams, have a good record against the West should have been able to win against equal/lower teams by standings and on the road in their own division.

Many opposing coaches/players, praised how difficult the Islanders were to play against. Next year they have to beat the clubs they are supposed to win against.

Grade C
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General Manager Garth Snow:
The general manager said recently he is not satisfied with the season and that everyone who returns has to be better. This has to start with how he reconstructs a roster with some expiring contracts that were lacking in terms of size, physical players, speed and veteran scoring on far too many night's that had nothing to do with the young players.

You going to tell me Max Afinogenov (pick a struggling veteran from last summer) with his eight goals would have failed and been a mistake here as a late signing/tryout? Ok.

You going to tell me Tim Jackman or some other veterans were a better offensive fit, than Afinogenov (pick a struggling veteran) and had to be signed at the end of last March?
Not buying.

Snow also has to be held accountable for leaving his club short on defense (in terms of depth and size) after the trade deadline. Anton Klementyev came up who was sitting prior to recall and to date had not played again for Bridgeport after drafting and signing him last summer. When this club was in it's losing streaks Snow did not panic, however he did nothing in terms of a lateral move to address any weaknesses beyond Brendan Witt being placed on waivers.


Moving Forward:

With Jesseu Joensuu, Matt Martin and other players in teams system, expect part this teams changes to come from within. Having written that there are not a lot of open spots heading into July 1st with five defenders already under NHL contract and many players at the point here signed (Gervais-Hunter-Bergenheim-Tambellini-Comeau) where it may be time for a change.

Make no mistake, this is now Garth Snow's organization and he is on the hot seat with his head coach. He has made a few excellent decisions on Matt Moulson, Mark Streit and even Dylan Reese. He needs more signings like this and a few creative trades for established veterans that upgrades the overall veteran talent pool. This gm has also had his share of clunkers with Bobby Hughes, Ben Walter, Petteri Nokelainen and Rob Hennigar along with Joel Rechlicz, albeit minor league players or the past general managers former picks but par for almost all organizations.

2009-10 was a missed opportunity and like the teams uneven play, he must receive an uneven grade more than anyone because he constructed the roster.

Finally, don't tell us the Coliseum is one reason why free agents won't sign here anymore when they took front-loaded contracts to play in dumps like Joe Louis Arena, Msg and Mellon Arena.

Tell the truth which is Charles Wang and most non-corporate owners cannot afford to front load a contract and pay someone twenty/thirty million dollars over the first three seasons of that kind of contract. It's not a knock on Wang or you.

Grade C



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Stefan Ridderwall Has To Be Signed by 6/15

Did a prospect update a while back, which included who needed to be signed this summer.

Add goaltender Stefan Ridderwall to the list.

With no formal announcement by the NHL, the league did come to terms on a new transfer agreement with Sweden on 3/26 and Finland earlier according to the Hockey News.

The agreement with Finland is reportedly similar.

Details:
The new agreement with the SEL runs through the 2011-12 season and according to the deal, the NHL will compensate Elitserien teams $225,000 for players signing with an NHL club.

Players can sign before June 15 and players who’ve been drafted into the NHL the same year can sign until Aug. 15.

Players under 22 who haven’t been drafted in the first round may return to the Elitserien if they can’t make the NHL club roster with hockeyexpression here reporting the Isles lose their rights to prospect goaltender Stefan Ridderwall if they do not sign contracts with him during the summer and include speculation Timrå of SEL could be interested.

Prior to this the same outlet (4/11/10) also reported the Isles were waiting on the conclusion of Ridderwall's playoffs for the 2006 draft pick, who passed his twenty second birthday in March.



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