The Insider also includes head coach Scott Gordon and what he needs to do as a new coach to evaluate the young players beyond statistics which also included Tim Jackman. Mr Bettman discusses the NHL outdoor game with Mr Logan's slant the Islanders were given less consideration despite the commissioner ever saying any such thing.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Oh, the agony of Newsday's coverage.
Greg Logan may be the only man in America who noted the Islanders play Spezza, Heatley and Luongo three games in a row. Last January they traveled from Minnesota to Ottawa so why not do another feature and include Gaborik too? I wonder how many times since 2002 the Islanders have played Florida-Atlanta-Ottawa in some combination of games?
Nothing like Greg Logan to come along and make our fans feel so good about things they read his work and rush right out to purchase tickets. They do not even pull this
up in Toronto on the club going back to 2001-02 but of course this is about keeping perception about the club as negative as possible, not to throw in at the end of the article they are finally dedicated to a youth movement.
We know the Newsday script well by now. Mr Herrmann follows up with future franchise viability/attendance update # whatever, Neil Best comes in with the Msg
limited-controlled ratings. Finally the comedy club in Mr Rieber-Baumbach take a few parting shots at something/anything about the team to make whatever fans left just not even bother anymore.
Newsday is just wonderful for Islander attendance and building their profile in the NHL community.
Other markets do not have to put up with this much less ones with limited coverage space that never talks to Radek Martinek who then become under-rated in NHL circles
along with any good story about this franchise.
Ottawa and Carolina writers did some heavy lobbying for Sutter and Shannon after the hits they absorbed from Islander players. When was the last time this beat writer did any lobbying when an Islander took a questionable hit?
Newsday did not even mention Streit not being listed on the All-Star ballot. In Boston the writers were very critical for Tim Thomas omission again.
Our beat writer loves our team so much he goes out and asks players on other teams about the Coliseum's condition where Heatley did not take the bait while Spezza saw where the questions were going and backtracked taking about winning is what players look for over any facility.
I'm sure a few folks are already saying to themselves Greg Logan is absolutely right and here I go again picking on him.
Not true.
Newsday's staff did not pull this on the Rangers when they lost for seven years in a row despite all the money they threw away, meanwhile they have two playoff wins since 1997 and you never read a negative word about them.
You think Alan Hahn today is doing these kinds of features on the Knicks for their fans where they go over the history of Isiah Thomas bad moves or the football writer is bashing the Jets for all their years of struggles?
Only the New York Islanders folks.
You think George Richards in Florida slams the Panthers like this or hit the fans over the head with their failures to this degree since they last made the playoffs or bring up Luongo or Olli Jokinen being traded away for very little to this degree?
Funny but I do not see Mr Zipay talking about how the Garden is older than the Nassau Coliseum and very much a dump when it's time to talk to free agents as the front-loaded contracts are ignored by Newsday.
As for where the franchise would have been with those players last I looked Heatley, Luongo changed clubs since they were drafted while Spezza for his talent is getting a lot of criticism for his play the last few years. The Senators had a lot of infighting last spring and are not looking very good now.
Atlanta, Florida did not do a lot of winning with those players and the Islanders had missed the playoffs seven years in a row before a decision needed to be made about drafting them or improving immediately.
The agony of what might have been also is a franchise that may not have made the
playoffs at all in fifteen years as opposed to four times in six years which Mr Logan would not touch along with the injury numbers which had a lot to do with last years final standings and this seasons start. Those players he called the core could easily have left for free agency by now with little or no return.
But why write about any of that when it does not stir up the fans?
This is not about telling the teams story or about today's youth, the current gm or coach and what they have been trying to do despite the teaser.
It's about running down a franchise to upset the remaining fans in an attempt to simply hope more people tune out. Mr Logan even spun perception on Gary Bettman that the Islanders were not seriously considered for an outdoor game when the commissioner did not go there at all. How many times did Mr Botta tell us the Islanders initiated the process years ago and was personally involved in the talks?
Did Mr Logan write this to discuss the youth movement too?
What's priceless is Mr Logan actually thinks this is why GM Garth Snow and coach Scott Gordon are dedicated to the development of the franchise's latest first-round picks.
Who is to say whether the Islanders would be any less desiccated to developing youth now regardless of what happened in the past? A lot of winning and losing clubs in this league are dedicated to their youth and put a lot of young players in their lineup.
Enough folks have talked about the age of the current roster too.
Bottom line I do not need fluff articles from the beat writer but this kind of constant beat down of the club is just not called for. None of this was to barely make a point the Islanders are finally heading in the right direction with youth.
Anyone wonder why the team does not want to talk with Newsday about injuries and the fans are staying away? Newsday's coverage sure does not help attendance despite the revenue given for advertising.
Newsday: Mr Logan in the Islanders Newsday blog finally gave Joey MacDonald a few words of praise along with the goaltenders comments.
Tsn.ca: Reports the Tampa Bay Lightning fired Barry Melrose on Friday with comments from new gm Brian Lawton after the new owners in October said his job was safe and hired Rick Tocchet as their new head coach.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Fear not folks, the hockey media in the US will not give them the well deserved verbal beating the Islanders receive in the national media for things Charles Wang has not come close to on his worst day. Should be interesting if the Espn crew step up and defend Melrose now who did inherit a 30th place club with a lot of flaws all the moves did not correct.
Quick Hit:
No criticism of Islander President Chris Dey because he has his hands completely tied but reading the release of the agreement of a pregame with Msg President's comments was a joke about the working relationship with our team given preseason games could not be aired live on the internet.
Does the pregame include twenty minutes of High School Programming like the new Saturday format?
