Bergenheim and random notables

Sean Bergenheim did not play in Russia's 4-0 win friday against Finland.

Finland will play Sweden in a game for third place.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Tough WC for Islander fans. One player who's been hurt aside from a few games and no one else participating. I'll keep checking through Sunday when the tournament concludes but I would be surprised if he plays again.

Islanders website: Reports on the latest meetings regarding the Lighthouse project and requesting the fans support.

Dates and times: May 22 at 10 a.m. and May 27 at 7 p.m.
Where: Nathan L. H. Bennett Pavilion
Town of Hempstead Town Hall
One Washington Street
Hempstead, NY
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Regarding the NHL playoffs it's amazing how much tradition and story lines keep coming back to the New York Islanders. From the comeback against Pittsburgh and comparisons to the 83 Islanders/Oilers matchup with a possible Pens-Oilers series to the playoff beards.

Seems like this time of year everything comes back to the New York Islanders incredible traditions. Seems like the Isles should be an original six team for all they mean to hockey this time of year.

Philadelphia-Dallas extending their series and getting games on NBC is good for the league this weekend.
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Looks like all that Yankee Stadium construction I talked about for months is becoming a factor. Easy for me to spend Mr Wang's money but he pays for work on the field to get the Isles in as the host team it will help the Islanders exposure. If the Rangers are the other team they can be the visitor and not lose a home game but part of that deal should be Islander fans get majority of tickets.
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Jacques Martin signing a long-term extension must make for a marvelous day for Olli Jokinen. It would not shock me to see him moved this summer and no I cannot see him wanting to come back to a franchise he demanded out of a decade ago.
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I appreciate Garth Snow telling us about the draft and know he cannot give out specifics. Having written that it does not make for anything entertaining. Even a Ridderwall, Johansson update would have worked for me.

I wonder when the gm is going to respond about the coaches own comments that he's in a difficult situation?

If Ted Nolan feels this way the subject is now fair game to be asked by Mr Logan or anyone.
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I have mixed thoughts on Mr Dey's approach to reach out to the kids. Part of it is a good idea and the right way to create new fans and always something you should be trying to do. Having written that it seems like they know they have done all they could for the long-time diehard fan and if they cannot get those people back must get a new generation of families vested in the product.
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Regarding some television shows for the Isles that's nice but Msg owns the stations and if the Isles get one program while the competition gets countless shows each day I cannot see it helping much.

Msg wants to impress us why not show all four Islander wins against Pittsburgh this week from 1993? Get Jiggs McDonald in there and have him do half hour shows with every Islander great they can bring in.
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It's funny the Pittsburgh papers did a short article on the 93 series, meanwhile our friends at Newsday did not write a word?

Like I said I do not get any pleasure being critical of the media/Newsday but this is just terrible coverage and it hurts the team at the gate.
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For those wondering the Post is going up to fifty cents next week yet they have enough revenue to send Jay Greenberg back to his former stomping grounds in Philadelphia to cover games while the Isles go all season without a full time beatwriter or a blog?

Cutting out Larry Brooks on Sunday should save a few bucks. Why is Mark Everson providing full time Devils coverage again or why is the post paying to travel to road Ranger games?
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Responding to a few e-mails:
I have not found a good poll worth doing and do not want to do one just to generate response. If anyone has a good hockey suggestion for a poll I would be happy to go with it. I was thinking of a poll for coaches who you would want to replace Ted Nolan but given the club has said he will be back it's kind of pointless to ask.

I have no idea how a live draft blog will go here in terms of participation. All I know is I will be here and anyone who wants to talk Islanders draft in the blog will be welcome to do so also.
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No, the Islanders do not provide me scoops nor am I interested in that sort of thing. I am not an insider and have no desire to be. I take things as they happen with the club and try and be fair whether it be positive or negative.
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Mr praise for Mr Botta has very little to do with the blogbox, he's done a great job representing this franchise for two decades. I have never met him and do not participate in the box as someone who goes and sits there but I can tell my readers the Isles have been first class in how they have treated me because that's the way it is.

My blog comes from a viewpoint of the traditional fan watching without access and that's the way it will stay. If there was a reason to be critical of Mr Botta I would be. I have blogged and disagreed with some things he has done this year too but I have nothing but respect for him.

Quick NYI Fan Central Q & A

A Question in the e-mail box....

Q: Do you think the Isles will make a big trade?

A: I have avoided topics on this subject because it's too early to tell. I have not been big on posting the odd-trade rumor here because I did promise to only use established media sources and even the rare ones posted by credible media sources are like one of ten or twenty rumors in one article with no quotes from players or executitives aside from Doug Weight which the Blues denied.

Trade market has been mostly dead this year with the cap and just a chessmatch that I see will go on until the deadline because it's fair to ask is any Eastern Conference team out of realistic contention and will that change in the next thirty odd days?

I'm guessing at best two teams from the Eastern Conferece fall off the playoff map with the Kings and another Western Conference club.

In the end as the trade deadline approaches I am going to hold to my promise to be a hundred percent correct and last to report any deals but I will pick out the most credible media sources for possible Islander trade rumors. I'm not interested in breaking the news or scoops, I want to get it right.

From our club's perspective how they do on the ice will determine direction and a month is an eternity. Isles could be making a push at second or making a run at the number fifteen spot and you can write that about a half dozen clubs at least.

I do not see Garth Snow or the hockey committee giving up another number one pick or a top prospect. I can see them adding salary for teams wanting to unload a player but I just do not see a big deal like last year. We went from the gm talking about signing Comrie, Fedotenko to silence and we have read nothing on Trent Hunter, Vasieck or Miroslav Satan.

If the Isles fall out of realitic contention, I think all bet's are off and we could see a big house-cleaning with many potential UFA to go with Guerin, Sillinger and even Brendan Witt who both are signed for next season. That's how you rebuild quickly and kind of do what the Flyers did a year ago.

Earlier this year I read a few things on Peter Forsberg wanting one more big contract which a team like the Isles may be willing to pay to have a name star.

As always I expect the trade deadline will be interesting for the Isles.

Quick NYI Fan Central Q & A

I got an e-mail today asking how I draw the line in the content I post here?

It's a great question because even thought this blog is connected to the Islanders website, I am not a member of the print media so do not take my NYI Fan Central Comments as some kind of writer telling you what's going on behind the scenes because that would not be fair or honest. I just give my perspective on an Islander or hockey related event.

Having written this when I look at other sites I try my absolute best to make sure the articles posted here are not from blogs, fan sites or message boards but newspapers with professional hockey writers. When those writers have a blog that's is acceptable to me for the same reasons Michael Fornabaio's blog appears.

I had this problem today deciding to include CSTV.com articles on Kyle Okposo and read the writers profile before deciding to include it in our daily news digest.
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Another person wrote and told me about my stance against the New York Times not including Islander coverage in their paper which led him to question the publication in their hockey blog section.

One of the many thing here I will always do is question poor or incorrect Islander coverage. I may not always be correct but I will hammer my points home in an attempt to get this team blogs and hopefully full time New York Islander beatwriters in the Times, News or Post the way things used to be.

I hope folks pick up on this and do likewise.

NYI Fan Central Update: Poll results Q & A

Thanks to everyone who voted in a five day poll on the biggest concern regarding the Islanders:
Lack of balanced scoring 9 (90%)
Special Teams 2 (20%)
Injuries 0 (0%)
Team Defense 0 (0%)
Roster Depth 1 (10%)
Schedule 2 (20%)

New poll will be up shortly.

Blog notables:

* I took down the hand written schedule and instead went with the NHL gadget box that displays an Islander calender with the upcoming games, news and a calender with the games highlighted to add to the scoreboard posted at the top of the page.

* An NHL search engine was added to the page within the last week.

* I am officially cutting out the tags for writers and publications in most instances. Writers and their publications are credited properly in each blog entry anyway and there is just not enough space in the tag feature and the idea is to provide a reference for who the articles are about.

* The fantasy section is up on a trial basis but does a good job with current updates on Islander players. So far I like what I see from it's feeder.

* Problem with a video center is occasionally some non-hockey news will filter into it. If some luxury apartments rented by Islander players filter into it there is not much I can do there.

* As for the latest Q & A from questions hitting the mailbox: nyifancentral@yahoo.com
for those who do not want to respond on the blog or board.

Q: How about Islander fans writing to the publisher of the NY Post that we will boycott the paper because of the lack of coverage of the Islanders. I usually read that paper but I am stopping during the hockey season and reading Newsday.

A: I feel your pain and agree completely. I have suggested the same thing and have not purchased a single New York Post and all you can do is vote with your wallet and demand change which I have done.

It's insulting the Devils and Rangers get full daily coverage in that paper while Dan Martin does small articles on days his PSAL beat does not get in the way. Mr Martin works where his editor tells him to but since Evan Grossman left for the NHL a full time replacement has not been found nor does the Post seem interested in bothering to find one. Part of what I do here is hold the media under the spotlight but I cannot do it every single day. No excuse for the Post not assigning a full time daily beat writer (home and road games) and a blogger for their publication.

Q: Are there any bars where Isles fans meet up before games at the garden?
A: I'm not really sure if there is a select meeting place, but given a strong Islander fan turnout at Msg, I'm sure there are several. I do not want to mislead you here and give you a specific place because I could be wrong and that would not be fair to you. The recent Msg games I have gone to have been directly from work or home.

Finally, I received an e-mail today asking me to be a guest Saturday on an excellent local hockey radio show called Hockey Night on Long Island here which got a write up in Newsday with Neil Best recently here hosted by Alex Silverman and Steve Grill.

Unfortunately I am not going to be around tomorrow afternoon. My thanks to Alex and Steve for their very kind invitation and keep up the great work. I do think you have touched upon something badly needed in the New York Islander Fan Community. I have listed to this show, called in once and they do an outstanding job discussing Islander Hockey.

Hockey Night on Long Island is one of the few featured feeds at New York Islander Fan Central along with an outstanding blog called Tom Liodice's Tiger Tracks and Islanders Esoteric which is an excellent stat and information blog. Our message board features game threads and Mr Prospects, who does an outstanding job providing prospect updates.

NYI Fan Central Update: Polls, Q & A

A few quick blog updates for everyone:

Thanks for the response to the first poll and especially the e-mails with your support for the site. I know a poll about a site is kind of boring but I wanted a little more feedback on the site itself for the first poll. A vote for the prospect center was appreciated.

Second poll and all subsequent polls will be hockey centric and the latest one addresses concerns about the team on the ice.

Don't be shy about e-mailing or responding on the blog or message board.

I altered some video feeders because the content it produced were not Islander Hockey related. I added in a new one that has more postgame interviews.

I also changed some news feeders because a few were simply repeating articles.

I had three questions I did not answer so a quick mailbag Q & A:

Just wondering where Nystrom & Tonelli were on Al Arbour night?
Nystrom If I recall did come out with the alumni for the banner raising. I'm not sure about John Tonelli but he has been at so many of these events it's impossible to speculate. The core of four weekend later may see Tonelli, Potvin and a few others who did not attend.

Can you get better video's for the site?
I put up a link to the ITV video's from their RSS. The google, yahoo, youtube video feeds come from fans and you get a lot of good stuff and a few things not hockey related that I do not want here so I am being cautious.

What's the deal with Kyle Okposo struggling?
He lost his linemate and the club has been struggling but for me to guess about the Golden Gophers would not be fair. What's reported in the paper by the coach about Kyle Okposo's play and his own comments tell his story far better than myself.

Finally a quick thanks to the Islanders Cory Witt for doing a media blog update and including NYI Fan Central that was very kind and unexpected. I usually like to check to see if I miss some articles they put into their occasional digest of articles.

That's how I found out this morning when I looked.