Ratner/Prokhorov/Coliseum/Sound Tigers:
Now that Mr Ratner did what he seemingly least wanted to do since early August (cutting Prokhorov a check) the Coliseum discussion has continued (beyond unions) so we shall see who is the sponsor/anchor tenant at some point.
I did not start New York Islander Fan Central for this.
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Twin Rinks:
No idea how Twin Rinks plays out court dates go past opening of camp. Not a bankruptcy/bonding lawyer, and Wang's bankruptcy purchase different than Ferraro's issues. My uneducated guess is this will not be settled by opening of camp.
Like I wrote the team has plenty of practice facilities.
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Nelson:
I have no idea how it will play out with Brock Nelson, we will get that answer soon. If Nelson is locked out for the season, he does not get traded, he can only sign in Europe.
Negotiations start again under a new majority ownership next summer, but his 2015-16 in terms of the NHL is over if not resolved.
It is his career, every game could be his last so he has every right to get every dollar.
Just ask Kevin Colley.
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Games/Media/New York/Long Island vs Brooklyn/Yormark:
The days of sticks/pucks updates daily here are long gone.
No interest in treating every three game losing streak like the end of world or winning streak like it's time to plan the parade, all 82 games are not big games.
Perhaps many noticed the updates posted during the season are few/far between, and the playoffs go silent.
The plan has been set folks up as best I can for the season, then let the games tell the story.
That is why things are busier during the summer/off-season.
Our team no longer has any true professional media, I do not like linking to anything but smaller market home town newspapers for player stories with direct quotes.
If our one full time professional Msg/Newsday media person (Arthur Staple) has been so offended by my comments, he should not read them or take a good long look in the mirror. My view is he should not be thanked for doing the bare minimum vs his counterparts, but our fans have grown accustomed to less media now with the glass half empty so they do not know any better or accept the notion our team deserves less.
Folks know where I stand on these subjects back to 2000-2007 we have the least full time media of any professional sports franchise in North America by a mile. I used to write it will only get worse but it finally seems close to rock bottom now beyond Dolan going AP over Staple which could be an improvement?
Today sourced-based tweets are considered media reports where someone can generate full articles off of them?
In 1972 this team had five full time beatwriters, a few years later it had road games on free television in NYC on WOR.
Keep that in mind when you read a New York Islander player is considered under-rated or when someone writes if a player was in another market. That's why.
From this day forward it's up to you to advance these points I have made for years if you agree.
Enough people complain, you get the changes you want or you can thank your beatwriter for answering some tweets on a plane twice a month like he is doing you some kind of favor.
No NHL teams fans are getting less coverage than this one, and there is always a negative under current.
To me the New York Islanders are the New York Islanders, and it's the same as any other year, just like every other NY team or the ones playing in New Jersey who are smart enough to brand like they play in Manhattan.
Folks know where I have stood for years on this. It's boring to keep re-writing it.
If you agree the archives with my thoughts will likely be there for you.
I have given my thoughts on Mr Yormark, he has a job to do and the badly flawed plan that has worked with the Nets is all he knows. Yormark was honest enough to ask what if the Islanders draw like the Nets in NJ?
He was not wrong when he said that.
You can bet Yormark has seen the attendance figures at the Coliseum since 1989 or Wang showed him the numbers and asked what can we do to improve this attendance?
Bottom line if you like this teams tradition show up and give Mr Yormark no reason to try his plan which is wrong but worked temporarily with the Nets but is not sustainable because the Barclay's center is no longer new, and the Nets are not a good team that generated even less media than the Islanders playoffs, and are done paying tens of millions in luxury tax penalties.
Ten other people doing Yormark's job for other local teams tell me he is wrong based on how they market for their NY/NJ franchises. That's my entire counter-point beyond the forty percent of the Islanders season ticket holders in July 2011 came from NYC.
More folks should have listened for years about showing up if you wanted to keep the team at the Coliseum.
You keep boycotting, you keep losing things.
As always my advice is our fans better act like 29 other teams, show up and pay the big boy prices, win or lose.
Many other teams fans have who have never won a thing fill their buildings every year.
Go and do likewise in an unobstructed seat or the future changes made will be based upon your decision to not support this team.
Nassau politicians knew they could lose this team and keep their jobs, they always knew.
After this entry, I'm done on these subjects for good.
I did my absolute best.
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2015-16 Season:
My view is this team has to show an ability to win low-maintenance games as they did for a few weeks in March-April 2013 to take the next step forward.
That means 20-25 shots against, 2-1, 1-0 games. No regulation losses.
This team earned a lot of shootout win points, far fewer games are going to overtime.
Either the players here are old/developed enough to do this now or the coaching cannot take them to that next level, there can be no more excuses for the special teams/blown leads.
You know I felt Capuano should have lost his job based on this already, but we move forward and hope for improvement as Hamonic, deHaan, Leddy, Hickey enter their prime.
I do believe the bottom teams have improved enough to drop the 8th seed point total a bit, but perhaps not.
This team barely qualified 19 games over with 101 points, they have a brutal schedule vs other local competition.
To win come playoff time they have to learn to play 1-0, 2-1 ugly low-maintenance games.
They do have the offensive game as presently constructed. There will be injuries/significant ones, always have been every year.
Getting in the playoffs is as hard as winning the cup today.
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New York Islander Fan Central/Twitter Account:
The intention is to renew this site domain through Oct 3rd, 2016 if the blogger outdated renewal system permits, if not this will be the end.
If it renews I only promise the two sites will remain visible to all visitors.
If not I will make the prospect blog invisible to everyone also.
The twitter account may go to protected tweets. I only have not done this so I can embed my own tweets here. If domain not renewed it will be deleted entirely.
I do not follow anyone or care how many follow me. Those who follow will conduct themselves as adults or they will be muted/blocked.
I intend to be much more quiet either way, and frankly do not want followers who cannot write 140 characters without profanity or are not capable of having discussions like adults.
Never blocked or muted a single person who made a respectful point I did not agree with. In fact the best discussions is where I learn new things.
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Please no advertising, no link exchanges. I do not want anyone's money or business opportunities, nor do I consider myself an editor so I do not want anyone joining my fictional writing staff.
I'm done responding to these e-mails.
No doubt there are plenty of self-serving fans desperate for attention at any price with their message board owners who would love your money.
My advice....go spend it on tickets. The name on the front of the sweater is all that has ever mattered to this site owner.
Here is to a great season, for me 1972-73 or 2015-16 it's just another New York Islander season beyond the enormous loss of Mr Al Arbour.
The header honoring him will remain up until the end of training camp regardless.
As always thank you very much.
