Islander News Articles 2/4

Newsday: Greg Logan's game recap (without quotes at this time) notes the smaller crowd that turned out in the snow and that things are going well when Radek Martinek scores his first in 101 games.

Newsday: Mr Logan's other article was mostly a repeat of his pregame blog on Josh Bailey vs Steven Stamkos where the Lightning's top pick credits the Islanders for selecting a player he had a big rivalry with when Sarnia played Windsor.

NY Post: Dan Martin after doing his attendance estimate asks head coach Scott Gordon if the winning mean anything changes with regard to his young players while Bill Guerin and Brendan Witt comment.

Looks like Peter Botte was given the game off for sports-ticker coverage while the Devils game had a writer assigned for their game and of course Filip Bondy (big Ranger homer) was an extra covering the Graves/Garden cash grab.

St Pete Times: Has Damien Cristodero's coverage on how McKenna played in goal & Tampa Tribune: Erik Erlendsson has Martin St Louis on his cross-check that negated a goal.

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Mike Knobler has comments from Thrashers rookie head coach John Anderson about his job status with general manager Don Waddell.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Posted this just to get some ground work about a team that just hired a coach with some of Scott Gordon's background may be going through in a losing season as the Islanders have. No doubt Don Waddell has Anderson's back because I cannot see him getting another coach and staying employed himself.

Of course Anderson has Kovalchuk and some firepower, not the Islanders three hundred man games lost to injury and no dynamic scorer/first line talent.

Two of the nine coaches hired last summer are gone with Barry Melrose and Ottawa’s Craig Hartsburg.

AP/CP: Report former Maple Leaf Bryan McCabe was booed every time he touched the puck in his return to Toronto, then he scored the game winning goal in overtime and was named first star.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Good for McCabe.

Never had an issue with McCabe playing for the Islanders, just that his contract combined with his defensive play was a non-starter for any kind of return and the media rumors assuming Snow would hand over any compensation for a bad contract made no sense. He got bullied out of Toronto by the media who were not classy at all with him and created a lot of negative perception.

Now the Islanders have a team to play with some momentum off that game on Thursday.

Sporting News via Sports Busness Journal/several articles: Liz Mullen reports NHLPA ombudsman Eric Lindros resigned Tuesday over differences with director Paul Kelly and is quoted as saying it should be noted that this is not the result of conflict of personalities but a fundamental problem between the Current Executive Director and the office of the Ombudsman and the effort to create transparency.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I can guess what an Ombudsman does but knowing Lindros past negotiating this is hardly surprising, maybe he was right here? People like Lindros and Healy have the ego to drive the NHLPA to another lockout.

Newsday: Mark Herrmann tells us if you are an Islander or Devils fan it's not our business that the Rangers overdo their celebrations and that retiring Graves number is a family matter.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
Reads all well and good but when the Islanders honor a homegrown dynasty or coach Mark Herrmann is one of the first to question the motivation behind the Islanders family matter and a franchise who cannot honor a true homegrown dynasty enough.

Mr Herrmann should follow his own advice next time he questions Islander family business.

He's no New York Islander Fan.

Islander News Articles 1/21

Newsday: Greg Logan has more from the Islanders doctor, Elliott Hershman, associate team orthopedist in a conference call with reporters on the goaltenders condition.

Newsday: Mark Herrmann suggests the Islanders should start looking at a new plan for a goaltender if they don't want many more seasons to be brutal, taking a dig about the club drafting a goaltender with their first round pick and wonders why the Islanders have been determined to build completely around DiPietro?


NYI Fan Central Comments:
As expected the usual digs and cracks from Mr Logan/Mr Herrmann, covering DiPietro at the the all-star game? No, kicking the player when he's down, absolutely.

Sure seems about his personality and his contract for them which should have nothing to do with any of this.

Who knew Greg Logan missed his calling second-guessing the doctor because he dressed earlier. I guess Mr Logan was on vacation too much to see how durable DiPietro has been throught his career to write seeing is believing when it comes to the goaltender playing, that's not fair for a goaltender who played sixty plus games the last two seasons he was healthy and returned in the 2007 playoffs.

Mark Herrmann's was classless with a dig at drafting a goaltender with the first pick this summer and that the Islanders should scout young goalies as well as it has scouted Midwest and western cities for preseason games/training camp but the poor coverage Islander fans come to expect from writers with an agenda against a player and a franchise.

You would think for all that thunder he would know about Mannino or Ridderwall which is about as deep as most clubs goaltending pool with a franchise goaltender.

For a man who has been writing about hockey on and off since the eighties it's scary Mark Herrmann's hockey sense is so poor.

You look around the league at the level of backup goaltending combined with ignoring the strong play of Joey MacDonald and it makes you wonder where Mark Herrmann is coming from considering he interviewed Scott Clemmensen and knows how much the Devils current backup has bounced around.

I guess this is the Islanders thanks for not sticking to league policy and trying to give the media more information regarding injuries. Greg Logan, Mark Herrmann and the Newsday staff acted more immature and unprofessional than anything they can throw at DiPietro when they did not get their information earlier.

You would never know a year ago from either of them DiPietro was named the all-star starter or had his team in a playoff spot or won six straight after the ASG playing hurt.

Which is exactly the way they prefer it remain.

NY Post: Dan Martin's article mostly has the Islanders press release.

Newsday: Peter Botte also opens with a dig at the goaltenders contract excluding he has a longer term contract at a salary far below the average for star players and goaltenders before he second-guesses the doctor for clearing him to dress in October.

NY Times: Dave Caldwell also reports on the announcement of DiPietro's season ending injury.

Globe & Mail: David Shoalts has more on the Lighthouse/Nassau Coliseum situation but nothing new from the last week.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
According to the comments from the writer Kate Murray made these comments yesterday which means 1/21, but nothing in Newsday from here.

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Terence Moore has a very good article on Thrashers coach John Anderson, how outspoken he has been and adjusted to being in a losing situation with the Thrashers.

Bridgeport plays in Albany tonight at 7:30pm.