I wish to start this entry by thanking all my visitors whether we agree or not.
For me this is only about the New York Islanders and I want for nothing else but another Stanley Cup or four straight.
My hope is folks never read these entries and leave with the notion I'm lecturing or talking down to anyone.
My sincere apologies to anyone who has ever felt that way.
NYIFC Comments:
The information is available and I draw on years of long experience from reading to base my views. Direct quotes are mostly provided so we have more credible information to examine.
That still does not make my viewpoint correct.
Admission:
My own knowledge of the west and other franchises has gotten very poor along with current players on other teams. There is nothing out there I want to waste my time reading anymore, and this is my fourth generation of NHL players and many are frankly bland in a team concept league.
Impression:
Most professional media now need advanced metrics to make stat based discussions to fill articles because their knowledge is just as poor as mine but need a paycheck. This is how am amateur junior writer makes a site for NHL salaries that those same media also use. (not league approved sites)
Mistakes:
Sure I make mistakes.
For years the phrase NYIFC would be covering something was used here. Linking to others professional media articles with quotes, and giving my views afterward is not covering anything.
Of course there are people hired by Espn and all over North America who claim to cover our team but never attend one game, I'm not sure what that should be called?
Live and learn, but respect the folks who visit by being upfront and tell them when you think you made a mistake.
I'm Right, Who Cares?
I'm not the kind of individual to tell readers I was correct. (even when Dolan bid for the Coliseum I even apologized for writing at the time that I saw this coming long before 2011)
It's more preferable for me to go above/beyond to point out when I get things wrong because I see so many just contradict themselves practically day to day or ignore/move on quickly as fast as they can.
Never understood that kind of thinking by so many. Last I checked this was just hockey discussion?
I'm Wrong, Who Cares?
Wang moving team from his hotel/the failed referendum would produce the framework for a New Coliseum, it does not matter with Coliseum when Islanders leave.
Got all that wrong, admitted some denial on Nassau in retrospect.
Anyone who wants to go back and find more please do.
Games:
On the ice I watch the games and filter out things behind the scenes unless the quotes are direct from those involved. Michael Peca's comments when he was here about this made an impression on me that I stick with because I'm not in the room.
2014-15 New York Islanders:
Anyone who's been reading knows where I currently stand on the 2014-15 team at this time.
On Experience/Other Bloggers/Franchise Survival:
As an older fan some of the views here about poor fan
support/occasional things about other bloggers selling themselves 24/7 or
wanting careers above anything else is a little tough love.
For myself our team is the only thing that matters.
To be blunt my honest impression is the clock is ticking on franchise survival and without fan support not seen here since 1988 the NYC professional media/Canadian media will go all out to get this franchise relocated or folded because they have no interest in spending money (win or lose) to cover this franchise much less help produce a next generation of fans.
My thoughts are other amateur writers who are only in it for themselves should act as I do. Does
that make me correct? No, however we all do things our own way and this
is mine.
Many times I have written if I were doing this in the 1980's I would have done things like many of the younger generation today. I would not have linked to amateur's on blogs with professional accredited writers who work for newspapers.
Bottom line we do not have time for anyone to make a career for themselves above anything else is my honest view. Some spam themselves day and night. I see that as very disappointing and unfortunate.
For me it's the front of the jersey, never the back.
Many want them name on the front and back, our team is just a stepping stone.
Not for me.
Charles Wang:
Folks here know where I stand on Mr Wang.
It comes from an honest place and based on years of quoted comments from owners in modern buildings all going broke, without his impossible circumstances in Nassau as he outspent many of them before payrolls went over fifty million in a building only able to support 1980 revenue streams.
His Long Island only campaign did lot's of damage, the same blueprint Bill Torrey used since 1972 with our alumni. For someone who claimed to see two games before he bought the team he sure has tried hard enough.
No idea if Scott Rechler or Mr Wang was behind the decision to make only the Islander owner the face of the Lighthouse project.
Mr Rechler or Mr Wang in my view made a mistake there. We'll never know.
Many do not even know the name Scott Rechler.
Nassau/Kate Murray Politicians:
Just admit you cannot support anything the people who own you do not want and if you crossed party lines to do so you would be voted out of office. Even Mr Wang got them on all on his side at different times which was the biggest miracle he pulled off until this sale.
Our New Minority/Majority Owner:(s)
When they are approved and pay what they promised there is something to talk about. For now we don't even know who's agreement is the binding one.
James/Charles Dolan:
My view of James Dolan is he is a businessman who wants his competition gone, his cable contract money back in his bank account, and his AHL team at his renovated Coliseum on his Msg+ station.
He's hardly the first or the last businessman to operate under that premise.
If Charles Dolan completed his purchase agreement and bought the New York Islanders from John Pickett and merged Sports channel with Msg, I have no doubt James Dolan would be spamming Islander hockey 24/7/365 and the Rangers would be hidden.
Beyond linking to countless media employees who speak of Dolan's practices in direct quotes that leave no doubt on this subject, I have no personal view of a complete stranger because he has every legal/professional right to do this.
Having written that I have every legal right to link to articles from professional journalist about these practices for the good of my teams survival for those who visit here.
Dolan's Media People:
Alan Hahn and I did not have a nice exchange on twitter last week when I linked to a 2007 article with his direct quoted comments about Dolan or the Islanders final words about his coverage in 2006, even writing I'm a troll for bringing it up?
Of course I always laugh this stuff off.
You have read my twitter comments about Arthur Staple's lack of coverage vs his Newsday counterpart in Steve Zipay. Never personal but do not feel appropriate to blindly ignore as some feel our team deserves far less coverage because they have been hidden or only ridiculed for so long.
Like Howie Rose who speaks for ten minutes since 1996 on a baseball pregame about our team I do not think Rose or Staple deserve my thanks for doing far less.
I just look at quantity/quality and remember the past because I have been reading/posting articles for a long time.
It would have been great just one time to see someone tell me or write, I have a boss/bills to pay so I write what my employer tells me or find another job.
That I would completely respect.
October 2015 Barclay's General Local Media:
No sports franchise survives without media to get folks interested in
the product, the New York Islanders have far less media than in 1972 and the worst of any professional team in North America.
Nothing I have not written here often.
My view is long before day one in October 2015 the professional media will ignore/discredit Barclay's as suitable to house an NHL franchise, and slap a "Brooklyn" label on every article from day one to create perception. I told one person on twitter this week for some older media it will be like Trottier coaching the Rangers, they will never accept or stand for it.
I believe for what it's worth the NYC media will not be returning to cover the New York Islanders at the Barclay's Center like they did the Nets who never lost NYC coverage because it's basketball.
Newspapers or companies that see Barclay's as Msg competition who have strong ties to Dolan/Msg are going to do what helps their ad revenue.
I hope someday someone can throw this back at me when I'm wrong.
There
are media people who's hockey views I feel are over the top unfair and
sadly vindictive that do not come from a place of knowledge. (even when
it's rarely positive) Our coverage in my view is worse than any team in
professional sports that is by design to drive our franchise out of
business, and there is overwhelming documentation to support this for
well over a decade that extends to the NYC sports editors and how they
use their coverage budgets since the 2004 lockout.
A ton of gossip, sources and innuendo are also used as filler far too often. When the NY Times spends money to send the Ranger beatwriter to Cody Rosen's home town and not cover games I ask why and point out Rosen was in Flyers camp before the Isles selected him which did not make it into Jeff Z Klein's pay-walled article.
The Devils knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, the NYC media cut or eliminated their coverage entirely so it's not a win/loss issue for those writing wait until the Islanders start winning in my view.
New Jersey is Manhattan only for football in terms of media.
Outside NY:
I believe there are some old-timer writers (absolutely inside NY also) who resented the Islanders unmatched success, so they do kick a little harder than so many franchises who have never won a thing in their history or needed forty years to ride the eighth seed to the cup twice. (Kings)
Cannot prove it, but how I see it based on other teams and an outright weak knowledge of other teams.
Mr Yormark:
Given Brett Yormark's experience/performance to date and my entries on him. I do not feel he's capable to fight for a team with strong historical fan support inside NYC (I have posted enough past articles to support this view) and a franchise that is second to none in New York championship tradition or that he see's New York Islander history as any different than the Nets.
And no doubt Mr Yormark's bosses tell him what they think he should do.
Ok, that's it. Thanks for reading.
The Wang-Barroway court documents are free for viewing but illegal to post for those interested.
