New York Full Preseason Schedule Released

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/26/2016 11:58:00 AM |
Islanders website: Full preseason schedule

NYIFC Comments:
Considering how fans have to piece it together every year before getting it at the last minute, very surprising along with Dolan agreeing to have his their hockey team play the Islanders twice after close to a decade (and back in the late 90's) of the teams avoiding one another religiously in preseason for a lot of reasons.

New York Notables

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/21/2016 09:04:00 PM |
Sure the New York Islanders could still be playing/winning right now in ECF, but based on what we saw over 82 games they had a lot of luck to even qualify/advance past round one.

Funny how a soccer team in Secaucus NJ, and another in the South Bronx, have people running them (with no major mainstream media coverage) who both claim New York at every opportunity, while Mr Yormark cannot seem to figure this out with his marketing people as 30,000-40,000 fans go see a soccer game, and already have a great rivalry? Six more NY Islander weekend games have been promised this coming season which would equal the Coliseum weekend totals  but would not come close to the Saturday former totals, but after last season those customers are likely gone for good or well into another boycott which helped make the decision for Nassau to do nothing very easy.

As usual the worst professional media for any sports team in North America will do what they do between analytics/metrics as they sleep through the few games they wrote anything.

Personally if Altice drops sports or the Islanders entirely when it acquires Newsday it cannot get any worse. 

The usual fans on the Kate Murray/Jay Jacobs business plan are getting their 7/1 max payroll shopping list together while they wait for ticket prices to drop around twenty dollars and attend games starting in December if the team is in contention? Let's just write Stamkos is a center and not coming here to be a 2C because the fans/building does not produce 41 sold out gms at top prices, and he wants to center a first line.

There is no sensible replacement available for Okposo in Loui Eriksson or Andrew Ladd, who did not help their teams win or qualify for the playoffs. The rest is the usual very mixed bag of too old, not productive enough or a player who's not going to help Tavares.  This team also has Grabovski with his five concussions signed for the next two years.  Okposo said he wants to stay, despite the rhetoric he is a 1st line player, so his numbers must be replaced, and Tavares made clear he wants his friend to return.

Shane Prince costs a 3rd rounder and produced, he's going to be here. Quine also proved he can help at this level, and given his play in Bridgeport he's ready for the NHL, this is where some changes will be coming from for 2016-17.

The heart says resign Nielsen who scored two goals at Msg in the twenty game lead up to the playoffs. The head says this team has Strome, Nelson and Quine are all centers, and changing everyone's natural position (even Lee moved to right wing) does not help their development.

Frans Nielsen is not a winger.

Ask Bailey, Grabovski (all concussions playing wing) Comeau,  and the countless players who were good soldiers, who all said it made no difference what position they played----until it did.  

How many days were Halak, Greiss and Berube healthy at the same time last year? I get goalies like routines, want to get their work in practice but where are any of them going under contract?  Halak had to be great at times to get the numbers he got, so did Greiss, and they need both goaltenders.

Berube went on waivers a year ago for Jhonas Enroth, he looked good in most (not last Pens game) of his seven appearances, but that body of work did not improve his standing, and if Kevin Poulin were not claimed by Tampa he would never have been here. If Christopher Gibson is qualified and accepts his offer he is signed to go with Bridgeport's other two signed prospect goalies.

The good news is the defense (all signed) looks better than it has in over a decade but someone will have to play the Matt Donovan role which means you don't want Scott Mayfield or Adam Pelech (among many prospects) sitting Mayfield is at point where he needs to be in the NHL.
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The NY Islanders have no control over who Dolan hires to hide/Brooklynize the team on +2 next season but of course another Ranger die-hard Kenny Albert, who put the Fisherman logo over the cup banners in the Fox glow-puck era would be another person good at hiding the Islanders for them.  It would not shock me if one of the low-grade options like Mike Crispino got the job either sitting in their stable of people with little to do given Steve Cangialosi does the telecast for two teams with Msg contracts.

Even Wang's North Well Health carries an Msg logo on the scoreboard. 

My pick would be Chris King (loyalty matters/excellent at his job) but he would have to become an Msg employee, and he's filled in fine on television in rare cameo's. Yes, I would love to see Phil Giubileo return and move up to the NHL radio, after leaving the Sound Tigers (his replacement Paul Ryan announced he is leaving after one year this week) but who knows? 

Bridgeport had a twitter chat and claimed they are looking at a Sound Tigers television deal. I asked when are we going to find out if they are moving to the Coliseum, and received no response.

I'm not a person who writes here with amnesia, and well aware I wrote in the past the Sound Tigers should remain in Bridgeport, but things have changed. An AHL hockey team is a requirement of Bruce Ratner's Coliseum lease. A promised announcement did not happen despite Ratner's side saying would happen by ground breaking with those infamous naming right also never announced.

Ratner/Prokhorov keep making deals to renovate buildings together like Beacon which begins in 2017.

Bottom line an AHL Long Island Ranger team cannot be a anchor hockey tenant at the renovated Coliseum because that's bad for the New York Islanders business. If no AHL team was allowed I would have no problem with the Sound Tigers remaining at WBA beyond it's poor attendance again come playoff time vs Toronto.

Rose Out Calling NYI Games

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/18/2016 07:23:00 PM |
Folks know what I feel about this subject many times over. FINALLY !!

Garth Snow Speaks

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/12/2016 03:01:00 PM |
Islanders website: Garth Snow did a conference call with the media on 5/12/16

New York Ownership Change Leaves Mostly Unanwered Questions

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/12/2016 11:00:00 AM | | | |
Updated: Garth Snow happened to speak after I began my entry, was gracious with the fans, and sounded like a man who will keep his job.

“New ownership won’t have any impact on what we’re doing this offseason.” -Garth Snow 5/12/16

So far the three owners have not spoken to this subject.
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Let's be clear. I'm damaged goods on this subject from the past.

Steven Gluckestern was a good #2 owner in Phoenix, highly regarded, paid bills/spent on players.

Gluckstern came here with NY ties, met fans often, then Howard ("Fill The Building First") Milstein met with Nassau and soon we had an ownership run by Ed Milstein on life-support trying to ice a five million dollar payroll, and leverage the television contract to trade Palffy to the Rangers. (after they tried to leave)

Milstein was many things, but not a fool, and he was correct. Some of his investors in the Islanders to this day are high profile people like Steven Ross, who own the Miami Dolphins.

Milstein is still a billionaire, and despite throwing 125 million out the window to purchase the Redskins, was not wrong about fan support or Nassau as Wang found out, but that was then, this is now.
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Jon Ledecky was a good #2 in Washington that became part of an ownership which moved down town from Landover during a season, went to the finals, added Jagr, and had horrible attendance for years.

Ledecky's been popular with fans, and seen at many games the past two years. All three were at Neulion's Christmas party last Dec (held at Wang's Northwell Health) and reportedly at game 2 in Tampa. (at very least)

I cannot tell you a thing about Scott Malkin beyond he seems to be the billion dollar owner of the two, with businesses in London, and his Harvard ties to Ledecky. 
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Garth Snow can say what he likes about the coaches, staff, but in the end it comes down to what Jonathan Ledecky/Scott Malkin say regarding keeping him as Alt Gov, President, GM which could have been decided day one in 2014 win or lose.

Charles Wang stayed loyal to Mike Milbury, he paid for it big long-term regardless of the money he spent or the three straight playoffs. We have fans who want a total house-cleaning regardless if this team won a cup or finished 30th, who do not consider this management team or coaching staff credible even though the players working here clearly disagree.

Despite media rhetoric, we have no idea which owners have what percentage of the team, or what date the minority owners become majority who have a final say in hockey matters. 
 
Teams change (or go without) general managers during drafts and 7/1 in the past, the fact the UFA players have had no conversations regarding new contracts is not insignificant but Snow has signed prospects early.
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What Do We Know?
Everyone (and their lawyers) looked at all leases.

We know former Caps gm, George McPhee, was with Leonsis/Ledecky's + Garth Snow's agent, and was a consultant here this season. 

Ledecky's comment about KC Royals not spending for elite players in 2014 and proved they could win. (not until 2015) Wang's sole ownership took back business operations from Barclay's eight months after his agreement with Ratner at a point before Ledecky-Malkin bought a share of the team.

We also clearly found out Mr Yormark (with a brother who ran the Florida Panthers for about a decade) did not pay much attention to hockey traditions at Nassau Coliseum in 2013, 2014 or 2015 or ask many questions of the fans or the teams owner(s) which meant communication at both ends was not very good to be kind.

Fred Mangione, as Chief CEO of Barclay's made clear he should have booked more Sat home games for Islanders speaks for itself which may have lost its former Sat night customers permanently.

And we know Prokhorov-Ratner this week signed a 49 year lease to renovate/operate the Paramount Theater near Barclay's Center starting in 2017.
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We have no idea what Barclay's owner, Mikhail Prokhorov thinks of the Islanders, any owner, or what they think of him, Mr Yormark, or the lease Charles Wang said was iron-clad for 25 years in 2012. 

We have no idea what Ledecky/Malkin think of having the team at Wang's Northwell Health practice facility or his agreement at WBA in Bridgeport through 2021.

A decision on Bridgeport's future needs to be announced in accordance with Ratner. (now 85 percent Prokhorov's lease to supply an AHL team for a renovated Nassau Coliseum)
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Sorry folks, just giving you my take of the landscape at this early time.

Our incoming new owners have the Islanders website to make clear what they intend to do without a newspaper/sources or gossip. We're going to know eventually, so the sooner, the better.

Fans sitting around on 7/1 expecting twenty dollar tickets, a max payroll filled with top players signed are a tough act for any owner.

Agents, players, fans want a stable operation, and answers.
It's a time to be proactive.

7/1 or later is not the right time for changes if they have already been decided.

We know the players like this management, and so does Garth Snow, but it's not his say until the three owners publicly decide it's still his job.

For now Snow will do is job as always, we'll see if he can negotiate contracts new owners have to pay. 

The exit meetings are over with the players, it's time for ownership to pick a direction, and announce it to the public or it's Snow's job as always which seems to answer all questions. 

Hamonic Rescinds Trade Request

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/10/2016 02:07:00 PM |
NYIFC Comments:
This never should have leaked from Canada in the first place. Family circumstances sometimes change, and clearly did. Another satisfied customer playing for this organization.

New York Out In Five

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/08/2016 06:21:00 PM |
What can be written? I asked for this teams best hockey in games three and four after writing how poorly I thought they played all season + round one & finally got it. They outplayed Tampa in both Barclay's games, had a third period lead twice but lost in overtime.

They were better against Tampa for long stretches, unlike the Florida series.

This series could have gone 4-0 New York besides some bounces. (even game two had deflections that went Tampa's way)

Greiss gave them every chance to win, but he was not perfect. 

Sunday was not their day, and unlike Tampa could not keep it close to start a rally, and Bishop made his saves. The core of that team went to the finals last year, and knocked out Detroit in five with a 1-0 win. 

And fair or not, a lot of players simply did not produce enough in these playoffs, some veterans/prospects.

Sure they missed Lee, and Grabovski but where are they without Quine's goal/points or Shane Prince's goals?

The goal was winning the Stanley Cup, now we find out who stays/goes, the exit interviews will begin.

To speculate on anything is really folly, we have no idea if there will be an official ownership change date or what they will do differently if/when that happens. All three owners were at game two.

UFA likely means some departing players, perhaps many, a lot of restricted free agents. 

Some media who love to hate our team will kick them the hardest and did from day one in 1972 & at Barclay's were wrong all season,  folks will have to be a little smarter and see through their bias/agenda.

I did not expect a playoff spot based on what I saw most of this season. Next year (like last year) really has no bearing as teams will improve while others will be weaker.

Sadly it's time to put the Al Arbour tribute into the history section.  Both the Coliseum, and Barclay's had their year with a customized look here.

Season #45 begins for the New York Islanders in October 2016.

New York Outplayed/Outworked All Season/Playoffs

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/03/2016 10:00:00 AM |
I'm not complaining the coach is, the players are, and basically have been the entire season.

Does the luck finally run out against an injured Tampa team New York has dominated at home for years, who they finished the regular season ahead of in the standings, by a player scoring who was sent to the AHL and demanded out? 

This is what we saw with a rested Islanders team that struggled to nine games over before a schedule that should have ended any realistic chance of a playoff spot. Instead we saw an exhausted team, never home, win the ugliest games continuing to be badly outplayed with the biggest goals scored by players who rarely hit the scoresheet like Hickey beating Calgary/Washington.

It did not make much sense as the injuries piled up with the wins. 

Then come round one we saw an Islander team dominated by Florida, with one regulation win where they trailed for ninety percent of the series and were less than a minute from a 1-0 loss in game six with five goals in three home playoff games? Again Hickey won a game in overtime.

It has not made much sense all season, and we still wait to see this teams best game, the line changes continue.

I guess the biggest concern here would be the season trend of not playing well with more rest. The players badly needed the break after playing game one with the 1st round still going on, and getting right back on another plane.

I'm not sure what to expect. Tampa is the defending champion for a reason, on paper the Islanders had more points over 82 games, but again seem to be struggling badly, and over-matched despite the 1-1 series.

We'll see what happens, but the Stanley Cup is the goal. If this team cannot advance let's see it's best hockey all season.

I'm thrilled they are here, just want more. New York's best game before a lot of players hit UFA. If Bishop turns into Khabibulin in 2004 like he did last spring (sometimes) so be it. 

New York Signs Parker Wotherspoon ELC

New York Islander Fan Central | 5/02/2016 10:35:00 PM |
Islanders website: Reports Parker Wotherspoon has signed a three year ELC.