Even Bigger Cracks Appearing In New York's Weaknesses

No one wants to write about it, however it cannot be hidden any more than the thousands of empty seats when this franchise is listed at the official home team.

This is simply not a good hockey team overall who's goals allowed is at the bottom of whatever this division is called, and struggle badly at five on five.

It's beyond Jack Capuano/or any head coaches ability, although he's doing Nelson/Donovan no favors. 

It's likely to only get much worse as the special teams start to even out.

PHWA Member Dennis Bernstein Goes Woodward On Botta?

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A little thing surfaced in my research the other day that I remembered from years ago when Miroslav Satan received the Good Guy Award with the Islanders. A member of the PHWA was from a site called the fourth period.

I admit, this blog completely looks down on such a site being credentialed by the association. I'm very tight and strict with my standards here, have been since day one to a fault.

Apparently now though a different PHWA member from same site named Dennis Bernstein had a lot to write/speculate/opinion about Chris Botta and this ugly situation on Tuesday here. I remembered his article on 12/17 regarding this story here where he included the following but asked questions of Botta and how Lou Lamoriello fired PR people as someone who was from the NY area.

This is the point in the story where the question of credential status and game access comes into focus. Chris Botta is a good guy, he credentialed me for Islanders game back in the day but I’m not a follower of his work. My assumption is that since he writes for more than one website, he’s able to translate his experience of two decades around the NHL to the written word, not a stretch for someone coming out of public relations.

Some Fascinating Points Were Made Today I Wanted To Share:

If the writers wanted to pressure the Islanders into reversing the decision, they should have chose to boycott the games, not withdraw from voting for season ending awards. The best way to show solidarity is to not sit in the same press row at Nassau Coliseum where they used to sit shoulder to shoulder with Botta but it would likely risk their jobs. So let's man a protest that puts us in no jeopardy but does risk our standing with the NHL. Let's start an action that potentially lowers our visibility if we lose the right to vote for the high profile awards. The NHL will likely look at this as a marvelous opportunity to grab a sponsor for fan voting for the awards and find a 'blue ribbon panel' to select the finalists. Sad to say, none of my colleagues took a primer on negotiation and civil disobedience before decided to engage in an ineffective strategy. One of my fans, a New Jersey Devils supporter made a fabulous point that if the PHWA voted for the Vezina Trophy, would Larry Brooks of the New York Post really boycott the voting if he had the opportunity to vote for the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist?

So while a right I've worked hard to earn stands at risk in a matter that has zero to do with me, the politics of the matter isn't what the most egregious part of the story.

When Chris Botta was disavowed in Uniondale, he got an audience with WFAN Radio on Mike Francesca widely listened to afternoon drive time show. On the show, Botta, who was the former PR director of the Islanders, stated he left on amicable terms and had no idea why his credential was pulled. In the days thereafter, he hypothesized that the cause was the jealousy Islanders management and ownership had over his great relationships with the players. If credentials were pulled for every reporter that had good relationships with players, there would be no credentialed reporters, it's just silly logic.

NYIFC Comments:
I have no idea about what was hypothesized or where Mr Bernstein is coming from with this. I cannot endorse or reject that viewpoint.

The leadership of the PHWA has come under fire for not going to the wall in support of a dues paying member of the association. One of the deans of hockey writing, USA Today's Kevin Allen, issued a brief, smart statement questioning the logic of the boycott which I am in total agreement. While I don't want to impair anyone's right to earn a living, membership to the PHWA is granted on an invitation basis only and for a body of work, certainly not a requirement for Botta to possess for continuing employment. My support for Mr. Allen's stance comes from the following logic:

What if Chris Botta's actions earned him expulsion from press row? Was there full disclosure on the nature of his relationship with the team?

I've come to learn a very different version of the reality and have been quiet up to this point but in an effort to get to the other side of the story (and there always is one), I feel a duty to those in the PHWA who feel the same way as I do as well as the public.

An alternate version of the story is that Chris Botta was terminated from the Islanders and as a result, every time he entered the locker room he came with an agenda. He routinely bad mouthed the organization to players, questioning why they would want to play for them and denigrated management. If you were GM Garth Snow or owner Charles Wang and you got wind of a former employee that you granted access was discrediting the organization at every turn, what would your best response be? Like the Islanders, I'd be doing the exact same thing, pull the 'privilege', not the 'right' to be in the building and make no comment about it.

Which of the two scenarios makes more sense? An innocent writer being singled out for doing his job for a team that is in dire need of publicity, or a terminated employee with an agenda to get back at his former boss. I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but I'm buying the latter and as for those dues paid to the PHWA, I'm happy to refund the $25 annual fee out of my own pocket if it came down the second way. With the status of the ability to vote for the awards now in potential jeopardy, shouldn't Botta do the right thing? Step away as to serve the great good of the association, thank those chapters for their support and in a public statement urge them to cast their vote to maintain the integrity of the awards and the PHWA, or is it really all about Chris?

Perhaps the PHWA should explore termination for a member that's misrepresented his situation, not enact an ill-planned, ill-advised boycott that damages the reputation and privileges of a long standing international body.

Feel free to check Mr Bernstein's twitter account and ask hard questions here along with researching his background reporting here.


NYIFC Comments:
Mr Botta made clear he had no part of initiating such a boycott in his statement the other day beyond knowing it was discussed.

NYIFC comments are simply we just wanted to bring this PHWA members views to our readers, you have to make up your own minds.

Completely admit NYIFC loves a style where someone is willing to put their credential or themselves on the line for the fans and ask same hard questions like this blog always does when things do not seem fair or add up. The past stories speak for themselves about this PHWA experiences.

Could the writer be wrong about Botta? Absolutely, but the point is there are always two sides.

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Larry Brooks hurts hockey in New York

NY Post: Larry Brooks today goes all out to finally get comments from Henrik Lundqvist on an article written in SI by Michael Farber back on 1/14 about all three local goaltenders here to stir the pot and once again only go negative on Martin Brodeur, the best hockey player of his generation in this market to manufacture some fodder for tonight's game.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Larry Brooks as usual does not get it or that desperate to stir the pot to get reaction. For a man who constantly sells us his Rangers are good for the league angle despite his team being virtually invisible he should understand Martin Brodeur is good for this hockey market and all three teams. Instead Mr Brooks shows up a few times when he can to take some kicks at one of the best goaltenders of all time if not the best outright and it's kind of sad.

Even worse Mr Brooks in what seems deliberate harps on Lundqvist record against Martin Brodeur but does not note the Devils playoff sweep in 2006 and does all he can to play up a rivalry with the Ranger goaltenders, despite Brodeur's regular season dominace over Mike Richter.

Despite any short-term in season success Rick DiPietro and Henrik Lundqvist are not in the same league as Martin Brodeur at this point in their careers.

Meanwhile back in January 2007 Larry Brooks is telling the public we are fortunate to have Martin Brodeur in our midst here.

We are fortunate to have Martin Brodeur here, of course he's the most under appreciated athlete of this generation in New York because that's exactly how writers like Larry Brooks want it.

And that hurts hockey in New York which is another reason why it's burried under mountains of baseball/steroid/A-Rod and college basketball coverage today along with more Knicks gossip.

Sports Illustrated: Darren Elliot does an SI feature a week ago where he does nothing but praise this incredible player who just keeps winning.

Advice for former Devils employee Larry Brooks to follow.

Three blind mice...see how they report

It's that time of year folks where the media takes it's extra little kicks at the Isles and stirs the pot with anything they can dig up which of course becomes the perception for fans because someone/anyone writes or says it somewhere.

Ottawa Sun: Bruce Garroich speculates a feud between Rick DiPietro and Ted Nolan based on leaving him in against Tampa for eight goals in his weekly article with about twenty different subjects.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Seems Mr Garrioch did not even watch this game because if he did he would know pulling DiPietro in the final minutes when the Isles allowed the final three goals in forty two seconds would have been completely pointless nor were any of those final goals on the goal tending.

Mr Garrioch did not even note Ted Nolan praised DiPietro after the Florida and Montreal games where he played well because this footnote to his article was likely already written during the week.

I wonder if he wrote this when John Paddock was fired with all the feuding in Ottawa this season?

NY Post: Larry Brooks who's paper has not had an Islander centric article since March 2nd takes his shots today at Ted Nolan and suggest he has been pouting since Chris Simon was booed at the Coliseum upon returning from the 30-game suspension and traded to the Wild & the coach suddenly has begun to resemble one of those guys who forever is complaining.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Yes folks, the same Larry Brooks who on February 24th here wrote there is no team in the NHL or in the New York market that has managed to do more with less than the Islanders and that Ted Nolan should be neck and neck with Wayne Gretzky for coach of the year.

Does Mr Brooks really think people do not see through his act at this point?

No wonder in the struggling NY hockey media market at the height of the hockey season along with this article he is reduced to having to do something on baseball today because hockey does not matter in New York.

A large majority of the fans and media do not agree with the double-standard for Pronger vs Chris Simon including Larry Brooks by this article who does a lot more complaining than the Islanders coach.

Ted Nolan has a right to complain about this even if Larry Brooks does not like it nor should he be thrilled with this many injuries and losing which is new for him.

Also Ted Nolan is asked questions about this so it's not like he's calling hockey writers to make his own headlines given his team has not had three days off since the all-star break and callups barely making games during warmups.

When WFAN visited the Coliseum recently Pierre McGuire in an interview praised Ted Nolan and felt he should be coach of the year if the Isles made the playoffs, today he felt Nolan was doing a poor coaching job covering the Pittsburgh game against Philadelphia for NBC.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
How did he become such a bad coach so quickly Mr McGuire other than the fact the injuries and lack of scoring finally caught up with a roster with eight or nine callups on it?

Folks want to write Ted Nolan was part of building the club so he deserves blame for it's failure that's fair and reasonable, but most of what I'm reading just sounds and reads like media people who like to hear or read themselves rant.

It seems done just to stir the pot, too bad some Islander fans will buy into it.

Today was just about three blind mice making noise to stir up the Islander fans and create opinion.

Larry Brooks Islander bias old news

NY Post: Larry Brooks as usual shows up to write something on the Isles and even when he throws in some half-hearted praise about the DiPietro contract maybe being a good signing (after he gets in his shot at Charles Wang) or Trent Hunter's resigning while acknowledging the club's hard work and leadership under Ted Nolan and Bill Guerin only seems to be writing to make sure he gets his message out which is he considers the Islanders last in New York in terms of popularity and no one in New York notices or cares about the club and that they are not good enough to win.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Let's just call a spade a spade. The editors at the Post choose to treat the Islanders this way and are more of a New York franchise then the East Rutherford, New Jersey Giants or Jets and thousands of people care and notice and have since the team first appeared on WOR-9 in the 70's.

The lack of coverage is subjective, done by design and no doubt a few life-long Ranger fans who have enough problems getting any recognition for their own team in New York City who control the agenda behind the scenes at the Post, Times and Daily News want it this way. The space in the paper designated for hockey coverage today is extremely limited.

In other words the Rangers are just as invisible inside New York City and are desperate for coverage because they cannot compete with the major sports who dominate year round.

Bottom line, it's reflective of a few individuals regulating the limited space for hockey coverage, no more and no less. It has nothing to do with any teams popularity in a market.

Mr Brooks writes something once or twice a year on the Isles and there is always some kind of negative spin or outright insult thrown in there about the franchise because he cannot help himself as a life-long fan of an Islander rival and today is no different.

This former Devils employee also has no problem getting in his shots at his former employer.

Mr Brooks was stuck with the Islander beat when they did win the Stanley Cup which he does praise but never could personally accept as a New York Championship Franchise that won like his favorite team never could. He makes sure to keep the New York Islanders on the outside whenever the chance presents itself. His disgraceful conduct claiming Mike Bossy wanted money for a retirement ceremony where he had to issue a public retraction then not writing a word on the event speaks to his true agenda.

Mr Brooks finds it very comfortable doing all he can to distance the Islanders from being a New York franchise but the reality is he even acknowledges indirectly on occasion is how many Islander fans are inside the city limits and at Msg for games and have been for close to two decades and only serves to contradict himself.

They came out in big numbers in March 2000 to cheer a club dead last heading for their seventh straight year out of the playoffs at a time Larry Brooks called the Garden, Nassau Coliseum Mainland in an old article I posted on my Islanders-Sound Tigers mailing list.

At the time Mr Brooks wrote this Butch Goring was just fired as coach at the worst time in franchise history with no reason for any New York Islander fan to attend a game of a team destined to finish out of the playoffs for a seventh straight year but did in New York City and in substantial numbers.

No, in this 75th anniversary season the Rangers had to go even a step
farther and turn the Garden into Nassau Coliseum Mainland, as the
substantial number of Islander fans, who invaded Manhattan last night,
filled the arena with chants of "Let's Go Islanders!" as their team
whipped the heroic home boys by 5-2.

Devils have the same problem with Post beat writer Mark Everson, who has been known in New York circles as Mark Neverson for his gloom and doom on the Devils.

As for Larry Brooks:
What's the expression, a picture is worth a thousand words?






Does Mr Brooks really think all these Islander fans inside Msg cheering for the NEW YORK Islanders are only from Nassau County?

Another sad day from the very limited hockey department at the New York Post, your act has gotten very old Mr Brooks, save the
half-hearted complements because it's clear the insults are the real agenda behind them.

NY Post double-standard on Isles

For openers apparently the PSAL beat is the sports editors preference for Dan Martin because Mike Puma covered Saturday's game while Mr Martin did coverage of a PSAL event.

This was after the Post sent no writer at all to Monday's home game against Philadelphia.

Earlier this year Ranger beat writer Larry Brooks poked fun at Radek Martinek in his column for Ryan Hollwig according to the player pulling at his stitches but when it involves his favorite team here is so offended he writes:

Finally, the faces and titles change but the low-grade environment in Ed Snider's Philadelphia never really does, witness the constant scoreboard video replays of Bully Steve Downie beating up on Fedor Tyutin last Saturday and suggest maybe the Rangers should simply play the "highlight" video of Colton Orr breaking Todd Fedoruk's face every five minutes whenever the Flyers come to the Garden?

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I guess Mr Brooks does not like it when things work both ways?

It get's even worse today with Jay Greenberg having the nerve here to list Chris Simon as immature and a psycho winger then calls Rick DiPietro cocky here with an untethered ego who dismisses good questions from reporters like they were pucks shot from
point-blank range.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Isles don't have anyone who cares about the club in the print media who will respond to this non-sense so I guess I will.

Can you imagine how quick Mr Brooks and Mr Dellapina would go after Greg Logan if he wrote that about Ranger players? We already saw them go after Howard Berger from Fan590 earlier this year.

A good hockey question from the New York Post? Sounds like a contradiction in terms from the beginning.

New York Hockey coverage at the Post and in general has never been at a lower point between the sports editors providing limited space combined with Larry Brooks and Jay Greenberg's subjective double-standards which has only served to hurt the exposure for hockey in the New York market. Sad how far Mr Greenberg has fallen since his days in St Louis and Philadelphia.

Mr Brooks made a career of covering the Isles with the glass half empty going back to being the beat writer in 1980 who would give them a fair share of accolades but never what they deserved for their accomplishments. He did lobby to get players in the Hall of Fame but for every positive thing there have been about five other things that were brutal.

The ink did not even dry for the Al Arbour night feature and Mr Brooks was already making a second feature on Charles Wang about Neil Smith the same day, even though at that time there was no updated report about his status just to write something negative about Mr Wang.

Even worse Mr Brooks got caught with a major mistake reporting Mike Bossy returned for the 25th anniversary in 2006 for money and had to issue a public retraction where he blamed everyone but himself.

As for the Islanders relationship with the Post why should Rick DiPietro or any New York Islander representative give any NY Post writer the time of day given how the Post covers this team much less someone like Jay Greenberg who never writes a favorable word about the Isles and only goes near the Coliseum for the Ranger angle or covers a game on very rare occasions?

The Post provides blanket Devils coverage of the games home and away and you expect Rick DiPietro to help you fill your quote book when you appear twice a year?

Maybe Rick DiPietro has no respect for how the post is covering our team and cannot even put a blog for the team in the paper but DiPietro is generally praised top to bottom from the media folks who speak to him and likely could care less what any newspaper writes as he always seems to make himself available regardless as does the organization as a whole.

Is it fair to speculate Dan Martin told Mr Greenberg this about DiPietro or he needed to put an Islander in there to replace Jason Blake who used to also get ripped in these Post player features? Never does a player or coach from our team make the list for doing something good despite how much Ted Nolan seems to go out of his way for everyone. Peter Laviolette also seemed willing to give his time to anyone and Steve Stirling always was classy and even went into NYC to appear on television after midnight when he was hired.

I'm still wondering why for the first game against Washington Dan Martin uses one of his limited paragrahps on game coverage to make issue of a few empty seats which even Chris Botta had some words for to make some point a game was not sold out which was.

I wonder if Mr Greenberg felt this way about Simon when he was a Ranger and getting suspended for a stick swing at Ruslan Fedotenko of the Lightning or jumping Dave Scatchard in a shoulder harness? He sure seemed mature with the kids in Winnipeg but why even consider that?

Islander News Articles 11/4: DiPietro update

Newsday: Anthony Rieber has reaction on an incredible night and Rick DiPietro's eye injury.

"It was an electric atmosphere," Trent Hunter said. "It was a lot of fun for the guys. We were grateful to get that win for him."

"It feels really great," Arbour said afterward, "but I didn't really do that much."

Newsday: Mark Herrmann blogged at 1:40am, reported on DiPietro and wrote the tribute was dynamic and not a museum piece that made the game anticlimactic. He felt current players and today's fans were an active part of the show, not just witnesses with Pat Lafontaine
saying on his way to a reception afterward, we have not seen the likes of this anywhere else in sports.


Newsday: Former Islander Patrick Flatley tells some incredible stories about Al Arbour and how hard he pushed him to make him a better player that falls along the lines of the Arbour/Potvin bus story in 1975.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I never heard these stories before on the Arbour-Flatley relationship, fantastic stuff.

Newsday: Mark Herrmann does an article on what Al Arbour means to the Islanders along with a lot of great quotes from former teammates and Scott Bowman.

NY Times: Joshua Robinson covered the game for the Times.

NY Post: In a big shocker Larry Brooks covered the Islander game and put up a good article and praised the Islanders for putting on a great show. He praised Al Arbour, the alumni and talked of the history but as always Brooks fails to understand the Islanders are not the problem, the New York Post and their poor hockey coverage in the New York market is the problem. He questioned if DiPietro had vision problems before quoting the teams statement on the goaltenders health.

"For me, being an Islander now, this represents what the organization has done, and what we're capable of doing as we go forward," said captain Billy Guerin. "We're all happy to be here, we all want to play here. This is a franchise with such a rich tradition. We all want to do our part in carrying it forward.

"We wanted to win this one really badly. We wanted to win this one for him."

NY Post: Larry Brooks in the no good dead goes unpunished department of course does not talk more of Al Arbour in his regular Sunday NHL column but instead questions why Neil Smith's contract status with the Islanders still has not been settled.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Larry Brooks national past time and one of his favorite kinds of articles. Shots at Gary Bettman, a little airing of dirty Islander laundry on a day that it's not an updated story and not single quote from anyone with new information. This could have been written at any time in the last year so why now?

Daily News: Mike Lupica writes
Al Arbour was the same model of class and consistency and excellence when he was winning four Stanley Cups with the Islanders as Joe Torre was winning four World Series with the Yankees.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Absolutely true, but make no mistake, the New York Islanders did not have a two hundred million dollar payroll advantage to slaughter most of the competition long before the games were played on the field. Joe Torre was a model of class long before he became Yankee manager. Al Arbour could have went to a lot of teams on the rise after his first tenure as coach and written his own ticket and won more Stanley Cups but the Yankees will never be anything like the family concept that the Islander franchise is all about which is why he came back and why Joe Torre has moved on to another team again.

Point Blank: Chris Botta Saturday in his blog tells a wonderful story from the heart on Al Arbour attending his father's funeral days after Al Arbour's retirement night in 1997 and the pin which I still have from that night.

Daily News: Peter Botte covered the game and reported DiPietro told Ted Nolan by telephone before he arrived at the doctor's office that he thought he'd be fine in very limited space.

Canadian Press: Reports Islanders spokesman Chris Botta said DiPietro did not suffer a severe eye injury, but was taken from the arena to the office of team ophthalmologist Dr. Bruce Zagelbaum for an evaluation and remained in the building until post-game ceremonies honouring Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour were completed.

Nolan hugged DiPietro before the goalie left the building.

"I just asked him how he was and he said he was all right," captain Bill Guerin said.

Updated 12:15am:
Islanders website: Reported Rick DiPietro received the news from the team's medical staff that Rick DiPietro did not suffer any permanent damage to his eye but a facial contusion and cuts near the right eye. An examination late Saturday evening with team ophthalmologist Dr. Bruce Zagelbaum confirmed DiPietro did not any serious damage to the eye.

For now, DiPietro will be listed as day-to-day and the team expects to have its next update on Monday afternoon.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Dave Molinary wondered if it was like old times from the Pens side of things on the night Arbour made a 60-minute comeback predictable.

"Maybe it was the hockey gods," Penguins forward Ryan Malone said.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Dave Molinary also had quotes from defender Rob Scuderi who is from Syosset about Al Arbour.

Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Rob Rossi has the Penguin centric coverage and knew very well about the Islanders history against Pittsburgh.

Sound Tigers Website: Has full recap on the game.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio reports on the Sound Tigers 4-1 win against the Hershey Bears Saturday night. Jeff Tambellini had a goal and three assist in the win.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio's blog talks about how many shots Bridgeport gave up for the win tonight.

Patriot News: Has the Bears centric coverage.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Sound Tigers again face Steve Stirling's Norfolk Admirals Sunday at home today in a 4pm start which is their third game in three days.

Islander News Articles 11/3:

Newsday: Mark Herrmann has highlights on Al Arbour's press conference and how the current teams feels about him coaching them Saturday.

"Well, he coached one of the dynasties," Guerin said of Arbour after practice Friday at Nassau Coliseum. "There are not too many coaches out there you can compare to Vince Lombardi, but he's one of them."

As his news conference went along, the coach seemed more and more like the old Arbour. He joked that he hadn't read the contract. Snow said, "Trust me," to which Arbour replied, "I've heard that one before."

When it was mentioned that one of his former players called him a father figure, Arbour cracked, "Well, he didn't say that in those days, I tell you that. They called me all kinds of names in those days. I was very hard on some of the players, for one reason. I wanted to bring the best out of them."

NY Times: Legendary writer during the Islander dynasty era George Vecsey came out for Al Arbour's press conference and does an outstanding article.

“I wanted to be Guy Lafleur or Mike Bossy,” said Nystrom, who is still affiliated with the Islanders. “Al would talk to me quietly and tell me what he expected. He was a psychologist. We would practice three-on-two endlessly because Al wanted to cut down on our goals allowed. We might not always do it right, but we knew what he wanted.”

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Yes everyone, believe it or not this is the kind of daily coverage we used to get at the New York Times for our hockey games. Vecsey called the Islanders the greatest team of it's generation back when they were winning the Stanley Cup and his work was at a level far above anyhing today. I only hope the Times let's him go cover the game tonight.

Daily News: Peter Botte makes a rare appearance today in the Daily News to cover the press conference.

" I'm sure I'll be a nervous wreck," Arbour said after watching his new assistant, Isles coach Ted Nolan, run practice yesterday. "I know Ted better do a good job (tonight) or I'll be on his back. ... Whatever they want me to do, I'll do. I'm hoping to have a good time."

"It's going to be an exciting time, an honor for all of us to get a chance to play for such a legend in the game," DiPietro said. "But this is a real two points. There's consequence to this game, so our main focus has to be Pittsburgh."

NY Post: Larry Brooks who was Islander beatwriter in 1980 showed up and covered the press conference.

"I don't understand the game today," said Arbour, who turned 75 Thursday and was surely underestimating himself. "I can't believe what I'm seeing."

"It's a no-name team, but it has a lot of character," said the Coach, accompanied on the trip to what he called, "home," by his wife, Claire. "They play hard every night."

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Shelly Anderson has Pens coach Michel Therrien's classy words about Al Arbour. Ryan Whitney was held out of practice with a groin injury.

"He had such a good career and was such a great coach," said Therrien, who hopes to meet Arbour. "I remember the first time I coached against Scotty Bowman, that was something special to me because I grew up watching him. And watching Al Arbour win all those Stanley Cups, to see him behind the bench is going to be special."

Cbs Sportsline: Wes Goldstein has an excellent feature on Al Arbour.

"That first year he came in, we knocked off 100 goals against as a team," said Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin. "We had allowed the most goals ever by a team in its inaugural season, but he had a system and a style of play that made us responsible, and ultimately it was a major reason for all our success."

"He took over that team when they were starting out and brought it up to the level of a champion," former Islanders captain and current New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "You can't understate the role he played there."

Newsday: Bob Glauber reports Islanders owner Charles Wang is interested in purchasing a team in the new UFL Football league that could play at Hofstra University starting next August.

NY Daily News: In the latest Ranger defeat and humiliation in court John Dellapina reports the Islanders were one of three teams to vote to keep control of their website.

Sound Tigers Website: Reports on Bridgeport's 5-2 loss at Binghampton Friday night. Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen had the Sound Tiger goals.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio reports in his blog Ben Walter will be called up to likely replace Sean Bergenheim in the Islander lineup Saturday and writes about the loss to Binghampton.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio's game coverage is on the Sound Tigers getting lot's of shots but not finishing, second round pick Dustin Kohn and Gregg Johnson were scratched as Joe Rullier made his debut.

It's just a funk that — it's tough for us," Capuano said. "You can't fault the effort. You can't fault the way we played."

Press & Sun Bulletin: Has the Binghampton Senator's coverage.