Today it’s a great pleasure to welcome a new writer – Scott Marcus. Scott will be covering the Isles for us over the upcoming season.  Good thing, too; if 2015 Isles are anything like 2014 Isles, we need to keep a close eye on them. We’ll do all the official introductions later, but you can follow him on the Twitter @ScottMarcus77 and on Instagram at Scott_Marcus.

Right now, Scott has compiled a lot of thoughts about the next version of the Islanders – what they need, and what they got so far this trade season. 

Take it away, Scott!

The New York Islanders are set to begin their first official summer as residents of NYC, all after an exciting season of renewed hope that the Isles may finally have located this mysterious and elusive “corner” where success apparently can be found hiding around the bend. Of course as fans, we’ve thought that perhaps they had located this mythical corner several times over the past 20 or so years, only to have our dreams shattered in a trash bin full of foul-smelling fish sticks, but this time there certainly does appear to be good reason for optimism.

What’s different than in years past?

1. The trifecta of the Islanders moving in to New York City, coupled with new ownership and the prospect that this team could legitimately win a cup within the next few years may have FINALLY gotten the Isles off of virtually every good players “Oh hell no” list (AKA: No trade list). I think that guys are going to WANT to come and play for the Isles now. The days of having to essentially bribe a player with an absurd contract to join this team are likely over, not that they ever spent that kind of money to begin with.

2. Speaking of spending money, the Islanders have two good things going for them now. First, their is ZERO chance this team is going to be a cap-floor team again anytime in the near future. Charles Wang made a legitimate effort when he first took over the Islanders to spend money and rejuvenate the team. The team of the early 2000’s was pretty good with Alexei Yashin, Chris Osgood, Michael Peca, etc… Who can forget the excitement of seeing the Old Barn come back to life against Toronto back in the playoffs?

I love watching the video for so many reasons. It was quiet literally the first time since Al Arbour retired that fans had a reason to hope and believe again. This team had quite literally just come through hell on Earth. John Spano, the Fisherman jersey, The Gluckstern/Milstein, and I forget the third guy ownership troika, the Coliseum nearly being condemned because of the neglect to the building, etc….. The energy of the place is just off the charts, and if you’ve ever attended a big game there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Also, I love seeing that video for the shot of our GM to be on the bench (I remember shaking my head in amazement when our back-up goalie became our GM, incredible to think now in retrospect that this may have gone down as Charles Wang’s single greatest decision as owner of the NY Islanders.) Alas, this was not meant to be and the team would head back in the wilderness. The sad reality was that the team was hemorrhaging money. It simply wasn’t getting close to breaking even and eventually ownership took the easy way out. Stop spending and try to build cheaply through the draft. Well, we’ve now got several factors working in our favor. First, the strategy of building through the draft on the cheap was a slow and arduous process, but appears to have finally arrived. Second, you can add to that the new financial situation of the team and it’s favorable cap position……. well, let’s just say things are looking up. The second point on the money front is this, the contract to play at Barclays Center is pretty interesting/unusual. The Islanders are not renting space there as a traditional tenant might, in fact it is Barclays Center which is paying the team a flat fee to be residents. I think that this factor is far bigger than people realize. It will force a unique pressure on the team to spend in order to perform which I will expand upon a bit further down – because it very well could impact this next season specifically. Finally, the supplemental moves made over the past couple seasons by Garth Snow has left the team pretty damn solid as players go. There really are not many, if any critical holes in the roster which need to urgently be filled in order for the team to step up in to the ranks of true contenders. After the Pittsburgh series of two seasons ago, any fan knew that this team simply wasn’t ready to take the next step (it was fun to pretend though). The defense was mediocre, and the forward lines were not nearly as well-rounded as they are now. Most critical of all was the goalie situation. As much as I loved Nabby, he was no longer fit to be a starter for a full season. Hell, we didn’t even have a back-up. With the additions of Halak, Johnny Rocket, Leddy, Grabovski, Kulemin, this roster is very well rounded and appears to be lacking only a few pieces and experience.

Add it all up and the future is very bright.

So with another brilliant draft in the books and free agency underway, what moves might we expect the remainder of this off-season? Is there a big trade still to be made which might send us all into a state of delirium? Will the team stick to their long-term vision and let this very young team continue to mature – not mortgaging any of the future to win now?

Of last season’s roster, a few guys of note could either be back or on the move still in my opinion:

Lubomir Visnovsky: Personally, I would like to see him return. Yes, he’s older and doesn’t have many seasons left in the tank. But can you honestly say with any degree of confidence that Reinhardt or Pulock is ready to replace him? The Islanders cannot afford to gamble with one of the kids in the top-six this coming season. They are going to need to earn their way in, and the team needs an established player until they do. I think Lubo makes the most sense. I’ve watched his play closely, and the guy still has speed, he clearly has smarts, has a great shot and is a skilled powerplay guy, and finally, Thomas Hickey seems to play better when they are together (I wish that wasn’t the case, but it really is like Jekyll & Hyde when they play together vs. separate). One of my favorite moments this past season was after game-4 against the Caps when Lubo was awarded one of the three stars of the game. The joy on his face when he came out and thanked the fans while skating that lap in the arena was really pretty wonderful. He’s been a very solid Islander, and should he still want to go, I think he’s earned his spot. The team seems to be indicating “No” to Lubo, but recall, they’ve done that with players before as well. I think we may see him back, I hope so.
Brian Strait: Please, for the love of god, make him go away. There is no reason on this Earth why Brian Strait should have started as many games as he did last season. He is simply awful, and I cringe anytime I see him on the ice. I suppose that’s mean of me to say, but this guy is definitely my least favorite Islander. He must be giving it to somebody but good to be getting gifted this much playing time. I suppose I’m only adding this here to vent my frustration, because it’s fairly obvious he wont be leaving the Isles anytime soon.
Josh Bailey: Bailey is on this list only because he is a potential trading chip in my opinion (even if no noise is being made on that front). I know that I am very much in the minority on this, but I actually like Bailey and think he is a very good player. Sure, he doesn’t shoot nearly enough and when he does, often seems tentative. But, there are so many other factors at play. He is quite good at setting up his teammates, works very hard and effectively in the corners and virtually always benefits whichever line he plays on. I’d like to see him back on the third line playing alongside Frans and Kulemin or Grabbo personally.
Michael Grabner: The Gremlin probably needs to go. His speed is intoxicating, but his inability to stay healthy and also to finish plays is maddening. I have this sneaking suspicion that he could return to form on another team, which would suck for us, but he just doesn’t seem to fit on this team anymore with the number of forwards we have. I tend to suspect that a team would take a chance on him and that he is our most easily tradable asset. I could see him going for either a draft pick, or perhaps in a package deal which brings a player of considerable significance to the Isles.

As for possible big name additions out there, not much left other than Patrick Sharp.

First, let’s collectively thank God that Phil Kessel was not traded to the NY Islanders. Yes, his talent is spectacular, but can he possibly be worth the potential of blowing up our locker room? Does Jack Capuano seem like the kind of coach who can handle Phil Kessel when others couldn’t? Do we want even a portion of that contract hanging over our heads the next 7 years? Pittsburgh can enjoy his services over the next 7 years – all while there team lives in salary cap hell with no defense to speak of and an inability to fix the problem due to their contract issues.

Patrick Sharp: Chicago is not necessarily in a position of strength as regards this trade, and the rest of the league knows it. If the Islanders get in on this, it would likely be much like last season, very late in the game. I could actually see this one happening as the Islanders can easily provide solid prospects, a 2017 pick, and a current/cheap top-six forward. I don’t think it’s going to cost that much frankly (at least compared to what people expect today). The Isles can also easily absorb the cap hit – so this is one worth watching.

Martin St. Louis: On the one hand, he doesn’t seem to fit the Isles mold. On the other hand, his skill set (even as it diminishes) is without question appealing. He strikes me as an interesting 1-year contract candidate while someone like MDC continues to get ready to take that next step up the big club. Still – who would he supplant amongst the current batch of forwards? Who would you sit in favor of St. Louis? The more I think of it, the less it seems to make sense. But I have to admit, the idea of a veteran forward with his level of playoff experience is very appealing and could prove an excellent resource for this group next season. (Update: A moot point, he just announced his retirement today. That takes care of that.)

As for in-bound players, other than restocking the Sound Tigers, we have a new back-up goalie. Thomas Greiss, previously of the Penguins was signed yesterday to a 2-year deal. He played 20 games last year with a 9-6-3 record, .908 save percentage, and a 2.59 GAA. Eh, I would have preferred Neuvirth personally, especially as he signed a similar contract with the Flyers. He seemed to have more upside and probably would have been a better option were we to run in to any serious issues with Jaro next season.

Alright, finally, who’s back:

Thomas Hickey signed this week. 3-year deal worth 6.6 million. I like it, he may not be a fan-favorite, but he is steady and reliable and just fine as a 5/6 D-guy. Who were we replacing him with anyway?

Anders Lee also signed this week! 4-years, 15 million smackeroos. This does make me very happy, first you can’t spell Islanders without A-N-D-E-R-S. Second, I really love his play. Third, during the fisherman jersey game this year I had the opportunity to watch warm-ups from the penalty box. Most interesting moment was actually watching Jaro stretch and do some moves in front of the box. Damn that man has powerful legs, you don’t realize how those goalies move until you see it up close like that. Anyway, at one point Anders Lee slides on over to the box, picks up a puck with his stick, and I kid you not, looks right at me and signals “hey, you want it?” and I’m like looking around and like “who me?” and he’s like “yeah, you want it” and I nod my head yes and he flips the puck over at me. My mind of course ran to all the wrong places with this over the next several weeks, but what fun it has been, and what intoxicating eyes! Anyway, so glad he’s back

So, what’s most likely to happen the remainder of this summer?

I do think the Islanders are going to make a big move this summer. Mostly because of the Barclays Center contract. I felt that way last summer for the same reason, and it certainly panned out as expected. Remember, Barclays is paying a LOT of money for the Islanders to play in Brooklyn. It came out earlier this year that the venue was being looked at for a potential purchase – but the Islanders contract was of concern to the possible suitors. Apparently the risk of Barclays Center losing money on this deal is fairly significant if those reports are to be believed. The only way to minimize that risk is to make sure those seats are filled and that interest in the team is high. Getting off to a good start is critical, and without a doubt the only way to do so is to have a legitimate contender in the building, and one cannot overlook the impact a big signing or trade can have at generating interest/headlines in a product which is what this building sells. With the Nets a likely mess next season, this amplifies the importance of the Islanders having a successful first season. The pressures on this team are new, it’s no longer a question of survival, it’s now a question of making an impact which generates interest in the team in a new, highly competitive market. For that reason alone, I expect the Isles to make another big move before this season gets underway.

As for a relatively quiet free agency for us thus far this season, Arthur Staple rightly, and repeatedly had to remind Isles fans this past week on Twitter that the Islanders do not tend to spend up to the cap ceiling, they have an internal budget. It’s really a testament to the turn-around in fortunes of this team that we can so easily forget that. But he is so right, and it really does pay to stop and ponder what cap-space for contracts this year means a few years down the road. It is fairly obvious that Garth Snow is not going to blow up his long-term strategy for this team and ruin his ability to meet salary obligations 3-5 years from now by signing up to the cap for immediate benefit this season. I tend to think those internal budget numbers are going to be in flux these first few seasons of new ownership and tenancy in Barclays Center, but Art’s point is well taken.

In other news:

1. John Spano is going back to prison for ten years. What a fascinating little conman this guy is. He’s almost like a Woody Allen movie character, kind of reminds me of Zelig.

2. Work on the new Islanders locker room at the Barclays Center is underway.

3. The Blue & White Scrimmage will take place at Barclays Center on July 8th at 7pm. A great opportunity to feel a part of the hockey world again, get a look at Michael Dal Colle, Joshua Ho-Sang, and the other prospects making their way up the depth charts. It will also be a good opportunity to get a look at the seating arrangement at the Barclays Center if you haven’t already done so. This is well worth the trip as your seat location is probably more critical in this building than in any other in the NHL. Tickets are only $10 and it’s hockey in July, what’s not to love?

4. If you are thinking about signing up for full-season tickets and don’t want to spend a small fortune to sit in the lower bowl, then you had better move fast. If I’m reading this availability chart right, the upper bowl looks as if it is getting close to being sold out. I just signed up for mine officially and it appeared as if there were perhaps 100 seats left in the upper bowl in reasonable locations. Barclays did announce this past week that they had passed the 8,000 season-ticket subscriber threshold. An intriguing mix of City and Island fans will be found in that building next year for certain.

5. If you haven’t seen the roof on Barclay’s Center recently, it’s a site to behold. The pic at the top of this post was actually shot from the roof, and here is another view of the Green Roof. I’ve seen it in person, and it’s quite impressive. 

6. According to Arthur Staple of Newsday, John Tavares will not be on the cover of NHL ’16

7. Also, on the NHL ’16 front, Sparky the Dragon will be there as will the Yes! Yes! Yes! goal chant. I am wondering however which arena will be used. The renders on NHL ’15 of the arenas were very impressive, and the Coliseum looked just about perfect. I’m wondering how they would use Barclays and get the building accurately rendered based upon two pre-season games played there thus far. Heck, the banners didn’t even go up until very recently.

8. Oh yeah, and on the issue of banners; A major thumbs-down to Barclays Center for their decision to not hang the Division and Conference championship banners earned by the Islanders at Barclays Center. As fans, it is going to be important to us not to feel like second class citizens in our own building, and seeing those banners meant a lot. It told the history of this team, and frankly they were damn impressive to see in all their glory at the Coliseum. I hope this ends up being reconsidered. Perhaps it will, but only if the fans make noise about it.

On a personal note, if this post is up and showing on the PuckBuddys site, then first let me thank Craig and Doug for the opportunity to write on their site. I find it really exciting to write about this upcoming season for the Isles as it is such a season of transition for the team. It’s also so fantastic to connect with a fellow community of Gay hockey fans and I hope to find out there are a few Isles fans who will say hello. Some of the info I’ve covered here is pretty standard news that any self-respect Isles fan may already know, but as a first post I wanted to cover everything – so forgive me any “yeah, we already knew that” moments please

Any feedback on this post would be greatly appreciated so that if I have the opportunity to post here again, I can perfect my own writing process (this is my first attempt at writing about hockey – so forgive my style. I write as an observer and as a fan, I’m certainly no expert).

Finally…… is it October yet???

While we couldn’t bring ourselves to revisiting Saturday’s game, we’re lucky Jason did. And now that we’ve got him doing Caps playoffs post-season analysis, we damn well better win this thing Monday night. Take it away, Jason!

The Capitals are not giving up goals because of any deficiency in their defensive scheme. They just have one bad habit: they suck, catastrophically, once or twice a game.

Disregarding the empty-netter potted at the end of the game, the New York Islanders scored two actual, contested, “how’s-your-mother” goals in Game 6.

The first, as scored by John Tavares and as noticed by Russian Machine, Japers’ Rink, Greg Wyshynski and Stevie Wonder, was the direct result of Brooks Orpik making a doo-doo-headed dummy play and trying to hulk smash the forward entering the zone.

Instead, he missed, removed himself from the play like John Wilkes Booth, and left defenseman John Carlson alone on an island like a exclusive resort.

The second goal, scored by Nikolay Kulemin, followed a blown defensive play like a smell follows a fart. A scrum took place along the bench, wherein several Capitals players stopped playing hockey, for a little bit, just to see how it felt, I suppose.

Now mind you, this recess from hockeydemica took place in the middle of Game 6 of the NHL playoffs. Ideal? Mais non. While everyone else enjoyed their little episode of “Laugh In” along the bench, John Tavares snuck into the zone with the puck. Alex Ovechkin and another Capitals player (this will be important so remember it) decided that they BOTH want to hit John Tavares, because the Russian Machine Never Brakes.

They do, but with his Braveheart-like dying breath, Tavares throws the puck to Kulemin, alone in front of the net like a divorced fisherman. Kulemin dipsy-doo’s around a helpless Holtby, and the fat lady had effectively sung.

These dummy plays are fixable. They’re avoidable. They are blips and burps in what has so far been an otherwise well-oiled and determined defense. But that’s like a Ferrari mechanic telling you, “it’s just a gasket.” I NEED THAT GASKET! That gasket needs to work or else the whole thing goes to hell in an exquisite Italian hand-basket. The Capitals defense can win Game 7, if they keep their heads fore of their ass for a full sixty minutes, and not sixty minus-a-few.

They are a good defense, more than capable of keeping with the Islanders forwards. Whatever squeaky sneaky white-board scheme Trotz has drawn up for New York is working. The Caps, like a millennial with no hope of receiving Social Security, just need to let it keep working.

Back when Buffalo was the worst team, still are, in the league, the Sabres traded a star and fan favorite in Vanek for someone not seen to be as good as him in the Islanders’ Moulson along with a a 1st rd pick in 2014 and a 2nd rd pick in 2015. At the time of the trade bewilderment beset both fans of Buffalo and players alike. Rumors were abound on what player was next to go. Not if but when the next star (Miller) was going to leave.

The Vanek/Moulson trade had a big impact on not two but three different teams. Buffalo, a team in rebuilding mode sent their star and packing for seemingly his shadow. This left Buffalonians fearful of a full rebuilding mode. Buffalo was already rebuilding. They just gave Myers a hefty paycheck a couple years ago. They acquired Ehrhoff to compliment Myers. They bolstered their ‘toughness’ with Scott and Kaleta. Let us not forget this trade, these prospects, and even the firing of Ruff for a change in guards and brining in Rolston from AHL affiliate Amerks. Buffalo was already rebuilding and transitioning from one style to another, much like the coronation of Pope Benedict XVI.

As I see it Buffalo is searching for versatility.  The trade, a bold but necessary move really positions Buffalo to be a potential playoff bound team in the 2014-2015 season.  Acquiring LaFontaine and Ted Nolan (who coached Buffalo from 1995-1997) were important steps in completing a fast rebuild of the Buffalo Sabres. Moulson will be able to grow with the core group of young players as well as provide experience to lead.  Ott really isn’t a ‘C’ type player (no offense).

As for the other team in the trade, the Islanders are now a guaranteed desperate playoff-bound team. Acquiring a star like Vanek this early in the year grants them plenty of time to learn and bond with his teammates.  [stats:  4G, 5A, +5 with Islanders in 12 games].  While 9 points in 12 games is a good ratio much more was expected of both Vanek and the Islanders. The Islanders are 4-13 with Vanek on the roster compared to 4-7 without him (OT were counted as either losses or wins).  All he has netted the Islanders are six extra losses and the loss of a probable excellent first round pick. The Islanders are not living up to the expectations of many and may have issues behind the scenes (an excellent read).  Either Vanek has yet to get used to his new team or Vanek was the brightest star in a sky with little light.

Buffalo has undergone other changes to improve themselves.  Kaleta was reassigned to the Amerks where he’ll surely never see the light of day in the NHL again, or at least in Buffalo.  They have also sent down Ristolainen and Grigorenko (bold but very smart moves as neither should be on their team) and recalled Luke Adam, Alexander Sulzer, and Brayden McNabb.

Additionally they also claimed Matt D’Agostini off waivers from Pittsburgh.  As someone who adores his Penguins take it from me that acquiring D’Agostini is a sound tactical play for Buffalo.  He is and will develop to be a solid RW, bounce between 2nd and 3rd line.  Additionally he will assert defensive duties to allow his teammates to jump into offense.  He will also go for pucks in the corner and chip in offensively as needed.  He’s a smart hockey player with good vision and all-around good play.  Buffalo, being loaded with so many offensive minded players (including D-men) desire a few good all-around good players.

What Buffalo can’t do is trade away Miller. The Sabres may be rebuilding but it only has to be a rebuild for this season, a fast rebuild. With Grigorenko now in the AHL (and Jr World Championship and Ristolainen with the Amerks as well i’ll be able to evaluate their play and potential better sitting in the stands of the War Memorial as well as freezing outside at Frozen Frontier.

At least i’ll have Ristolainen and Gauthier-Leduc’s good looks to keep me warm as I tweet at the game next Friday!

I sit, with all four walls around my desk, adorned in some manner with Islander paraphernalia. I have something absurd like 60 autographs from the Islanders, past and present, on these walls. Of the t-shirts I wear, roughly a fifth of them bear that team’s name and or colors. I own 12 jerseys of this team. I state these things, not to shame your fandom or laud my own. I state them so you know where I am coming from.

I state them because I have made peace with and accepted the fact I will never be one of those who graduates from fan to professional insider. There are many reasons for this, which we will get to in short order, but for now, it is important to know I wear that badge of ‘fan’ not with shame, but with pride.

The logo of the House of El is an ‘S’ that represents hope. It is why it endures. That hope endures. Always.

Distilled into its simplest form, the logo of the Islanders is an ‘NY’ which in accompaniment of their full crest, represents their home. Moreso than any other team in the league, the Islanders wear their identity on a daily basis. That map of Long Island, with the ‘I’ pointing at Nassau Coliseum, the NY leaning over the Island with the hockey stick vigilant and at the ready with the 4 pieces of tape across it speaking to glory greater than any of you know, no matter how proud your team has made you. This representation of their home, adorned in the colors of that home, conjures an image of defiance.

Defiance has been the defining trait of this organization since its inception. Rather than the predetermined favorite moniker of ‘Ducks’, they chose Islanders like their geographical forefathers, the Iroquois before them. The name meant simply ‘people of the Long Island’ as the Iroquois name meant ‘people of the Long House’. It was an identification to state their modesty yet their distinction from the others in the area.

The colors of the team and its logo have served that defiance through a rise never since replicated and a fall never imagined. It has gone from symbolizing defiance of a supposed original 6 authority that demanded tribute and a league that said ‘you can’t!’ as well as expectations at every turn, to symbolizing a defiance of reason, criticism, self-respect and accountability.

I, like many others in this fanbase, literally bleed and hurt with this team. I have picked out a tattoo as a loveletter to this team, so when I say bleed, I mean that literally. This is not going to be easy to pen because it will cut very deep on those I know very well. It still must be written. I reiterate it is not written in malice, but in love. I have played hockey with our coaches. They are wonderful men. I have spoken in-depth to our General Manager. He is a passionate and candid man of conviction. I have shaken hands with nearly every player on that team. For the most part, they are caring, dutiful young hockey players. That is why this will hurt to write. But it must be done.

“Burn it to the ground!”

To paraphrase a great General: The toll this takes on the above listed will haunt me, but I have a duty to my people of this Island, a duty I will carry out at all costs. I exist as an independent correspondent covering this team, because I love these colors. I am a fan. That fandom, the glory of what those colors and that NY meant and by all rights should mean again is what drives me. I exist only to protect that crest. Every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the good of that crest and my Islanders family. I can stand idly by no longer.

So now we are at the time, where a season wrought with great expectations has descended into calamity and despair. What can be done? What must be done? First we must answer this question: Where does blame lie? That list is long.

The easy narrative is that a fish rots from the head. And in this case, it’s very true. However, lets pay tribute to the team’s surprise playoff run last year and start from the bottom.

The Fanbase

How can I blame the most dedicated fanbase in North America? All they do is endure serving after serving of fecal sandwiches and keep on coming back for more. Well, that is precisely why we are to blame. We never stop caring. Apathy is the only message that pierces the veil that Wang has cast over this franchise. Stop going. Stop buying merchandise. The team has a TV contract that doesn’t expire until 2031 and a lease in Brooklyn until 2041, don’t be bullied or threatened into supporting an inferior product. DO NOT LET YOURSELVES BE BLACKMAILED BY A CRIMINAL. Other than the games I have already committed to going to, I am not going to another game this season. I cannot continue to reward this level of organizational incompetence. I do that enough with the Dolphins.

The fans turned ‘Insiders’

You people are emblematic of a mindset and way of doing business that speaks to EVERYTHING Charles Wang is about. He took an honest but misguided idea (by a fan who rose through the ranks to become the team’s PR head!) to give fans access and turned that into the biggest farce in transparent coverage since Baghdad Bob. Fluff piece after fluff piece, softball after softball. Why? Because these ‘blog boxers’ have been bought and paid for. They proudly surrendered their fandom and their very souls to peddle in access and free admission to games as credentialed media.

None of them ever take the organization to task for it’s ridiculous practices, because they are a state sponsored media outlet. When one does speak out of turn? Just like the guy that hatched the idea, they get blackbagged in the middle of the night, discredited, and then erased. All is well for the most decrepit franchise in the Eastern conference the last 8 years. At least that’s what the ‘voices of the fanbase’ in the blog box will tell you.

Sycophants, Incorporated

Well, let me tell you something, blog boxers. I know you read this space, because your reactions make that clear. You are supposed to be the voice of the common fan? The common fan, collectively, has a message for you: YOU SUCK. You are your masters voice and your very presence disgusts those of us who still bleed these colors rather than who ourselves out for the dog treats you covet. You, aside from that criminal in the owners box, are the most revolting part of this mess. You are absolutely disgusting and should feel shame every damn day you dance your puppeteers dance to get another sucker to buy a Family Fun Pack. But hey, you can wash down that shame with a $5 dollar Pepsi in the pressbox. I’m sure every other organization charges the media for refreshments, too. You know what this fanbase would find refreshing? Some goddamn honesty.

The Coaching Staff

Now comes the hard part. I genuinely like these men. As I mentioned before, I’ve played with them! Dougie Weight is a legitimate candidate for greatest American hockey player ever. He is a HELL of a man. Brent Thompson is as loyal and passionate as they come. And neither one of them should be behind the bench for an NHL team. They both have at best minimal (in Doug’s case NO) experience in the professional coaching ranks before given the keys to the PP and PK respectively of an NHL Team. NOWHERE ELSE IN THE NHL WOULD THIS HAPPEN. I challenge you to find a coaching staff with shorter coaching resumes before their current job. I will wait.

That brings us to the man who Garth Snow once lauded as having ‘ Xs and Os second to none’. The New York Islanders head coach is Jack Capuano and he has no idea what he is doing. He is overmatched, left with no support, and at this point the best thing for him professionally is to be put out of his misery. He has lost the room. It’s painfully obvious. He is a players coach. The problem with a players coach is the boys will battle for you as long as they believe you’re the guy and as long as they like you. Now, the guys in the room still defend him, so I assume they still like him. But not a one of them believe in or more importantly fears him.

Capuano, like his 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th defensemen forced to pretend they are a top 4 is just in over his head. A little like his goalie prospect being forced to masquerade as an everyday NHL Goalie. This happens at every level of the Islanders organization. On the Ice, behind the bench, in the GM’s office and hell in the Game Ops and Marketing offices too.

People, GOOD HOCKEY PEOPLE, are asked to do more than they are physically or emotionally ready and or able to do because they are the best (cheapest and least likely to complain) candidates for the job. And I don’t BLAME THEM. Every last one of us would take a paycheck for a job slightly higher than our comfort level and figure we can learn on the job. If you say otherwise, you are a liar. However, OUTKICKING YOUR COVERAGE shouldn’t be an organizational hiring practice. For the Islanders, it’s a mantra.

The General Manager

This one cuts to the bone for me, I like this man. Garth is in many ways the perfect example of a self-made hockey man. He has my respect for that alone. He was a scrapper as a player and frankly, he still flashes those tendencies, which is why so many assume arrogance drives him. I do not personally believe that to be the case. I want to thank him for his service to this logo, this community, and his support of the You Can Play project. I also want to take this opportunity to wish him the best of luck on all his future endeavors.

I am one of his most longstanding supporters. Personally, I love the guy. That said, I am formally calling for his termination. It is not personal, it is simply business. I don’t even believe he’s as terrible as some would have you believe. I think he’s a very good talent evaluator and a GREAT cap-ologist. Garth’s problems are two-fold. He cannot deal with today’s players. He is old school. If a player wants money out of slot or grumbles about ice time, Garth unloads him.

That’s fine if you are the Detroit Red Wings and have your choice of free agents. We sign Jon Sim and Marty Reasoner in what we classify as an active offseason. We occasionally need a delicate touch to massage some egos. Garth doesn’t believe in that, which would serve him well on some teams, but not here. Additionally, Garth’s greatest assets, his ability to find players who have skill sets others don’t appreciate or to maneuver the salary cap are both used by his owner to justify circumventing the cap floor every year with reckless abandon.

Garth is very good at the cap, and Charles exploits that to stay under the salary floor. This, his strengths as an executive are used to actually hurt the organization because he is continually expected to do more with less. Then, as the coup de grace, Garth treats all negotiations as if they are player contract negotiations. He won’t overpay, even when he ought to. He won’t factor in what other GMs know his priorities in terms of team need are when making a deal, and thus continually cannot fill the same two needs of CREASE CLEARING DEFENSEMAN AND EVERYDAY NUMBER ONE GOALTENDER that have plagued this organization for innumerous fortnights.

Therefore, though he has my thanks for acquiring a great many players I value and treasure as Islanders, restocking our farm coffers and his support of the above mentioned YCP, he must leave his title as General Manager. Thankfully for him, he currently carries 4 other titles in the organization because the owner believes in paying as few people as possible.

Okay, we are done. On to what to do with this shipwreck going forward. Oh, I forgot someone, didn’t I? Oh, right. That’s right. Him.

The Owner

My football team, as mentioned earlier, is the Miami Dolphins. The relevance here is that 2 weeks ago, that owner, Stephen Ross, someone I DETEST politically and frankly, think is inferior to Joe Fan as a football mind, stood on national television and OWNED a fiasco. As in took OWNERSHIP something OWNERS do. Ross promised the situation was unacceptable, could not happen again, and brought in both allies AND ENEMIES to insure there were no repeats of arguably the most embarrassing chapter in team history.

Expletive Deleted

Charles Wang has a great many enemies, and he deserves every damn one. Count me among them. I’ve made it this far without swearing so the rest will be typed with blood-red fingers and clinched teeth. I. HATE. YOU.

We should be ideological allies, Chuck. After all, you are moving my team that is my identity (before gay, short, Italian, pudgy, funny, good-looking, even before BROOKLYNITE, I identify as an ISLANDER FAN) to my home. Do you mind if I call you Chuck? I really hope so.

Charles Wang made his fortune ruthlessly destroying the competition by undercutting them and then buying them out with his superior profit margin which he boosted by fuzzy-ing the math of acquired properties, pumping and dumping them. It’s why one of his best friends is in jail. This man is without question the most unsavory of all Islanders owners, including the con man who once bought the team with about as much money as I have. Hi Mr. Spano, hope all is well! The documentary was great.

Back to Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang doesn’t negotiate. Ever. He also doesn’t abide criticism. Criticism is dissent. Dissent is treason. Treason is punishable by exile. There is a white washed history of great Islanders who are persona non grata in Charles Wang’s building because they disagree. Tonelli. LaFontaine. BILLY SMITH. And many more, all never acknowledged because they have the audacity to presume to know more about a sport they excelled at then a computer salesman.

This, in the end, comes down to Mr. Wang and his organizational philosophy on two fronts. One he took from the playbook of Vince McMahon. Several WWE employees who were let go explained that Vince ‘values good soldiers more than talented soldiers’ and Garth enforces that doctrine to the letter. That doesn’t work when you won’t acquire free agents. That means you are shoving talent out the door with none coming back in.

Additionally, Mr. Wang cuts every conceivable corner he can. In addition to the unheard of practice of making media members (even the state sponsored ones!) pay for refreshments, he charges the few honored alumni he hasn’t excommunicated for parking. He has cut our talent evaluation to the smallest scouting department in the NHL and downsized our front office to bare bones. The few that remain are placed with more responsibility than they are ready for, over worked, and have nothing to fear as their loyalty is perceived to be intact.

This is of course all evident on the ice, where every year for the last 7 by seasons end we manage to ice one of the lowest on ice payrolls (not cap hit with it’s fake bonuses) in the NHL.

It’s a shame that Andersen of the Ducks wasn’t available when the New York Islanders were paid by Cody Rosen’s father to draft him. Oh? He was. My bad!

The Wang apologists will demand I give equal time and say HE SAVED THE TEAM!!!!!!1!!!!1!!!1!BBQ!!! I’m sorry, but that’s erroneous. I am not as plugged in as some state sponsored blog boxers (who I somehow scoop on news all the time?) but I have confirmed the BOG and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (who grew up a ISLANDERS fan) weren’t letting the winning-est US expansion team of them all with the 6th most Stanley Cups in the NHL leave it’s 4th most lucrative market area. I know that must be a shocking fact.

Mr. Wang cries poverty while exploiting a kickback lease his friend and outgoing county executive gave him while trying to argue one of the most lucrative TV contracts in the NHL isn’t hockey related revenue. Chuck, I reiterate, I hate you.

None of these things I’ve outlined as grievances ever get any play in the media. Why? Ask Chris Botta what happens when you say mean things about the Islanders. Your press pass disappears like it’s a third period lead.

What should be done?

Here is your bloodletting of a solution!

What the Islanders should do: Effective tomorrow, assign Doug Weight back to his assistant GM role. Assign Garth Snow back to his president of Hockey operations role. Strip both of all other titles. Have them and a panel of respected alumni begin a search for a new GM. Relieve Jack Capuano of his duties. Name Peter Laviolette head coach.

What the NHL should do: Fine the New York Islanders the maximum allowable amount under the league rules in terms of money and draft picks for cap floor circumvention.

What Islanders fans should do: Not spend a goddamn dime until honest change happens. And no, firing Jack and promoting one of his inexperienced assistants are not the droids we are looking for.

What the Blog Boxers should do: Resign in shame or at the very least drink a tall glass of SHUT UP juice. Find your fortitude, reclaim your fandom and take a damn stand, I’M BEGGING YOU. Lastly, the one of you who questioned MY loyalty while suckling the teat of corruption, asking if my pen name of RoseTintedVisor was supposed to be ‘ironic’. I will literally wave this flag until I die, and you will sit there and criticize me for having an agenda as you issue one free pass after another to this clown-shoes organization from your All-important grovel induced press pass perch? Choke on the next soda Wang invoices you for, fella.

I’ve done a lot for this fanbase and never asked FOR AN OUNCE OF CREDIT. I’ve organized sellouts when we were bad to thank the boys for a good roadtrip, I’ve pushed and helped chart the course for the first You Can play Night in AHL history for this organization, never asking for an ounce of compensation, because I LOVE THAT LOGO and believe in what it should be, not what it is.

That level of dedication takes a hiatus effective immediately. The only response I ever received from the team any way was being blocked and blacklisted for being too negative. After helping organize these things. Gratitude. This is the salvo to wake the masses. Do your part: GIVE. THEM. NOTHING. And let the hockey world know.

I’m out. You should be too until there is legitimate action taken.

The Islanders, are as currently constructed, going to be in the playoff race all season. They aren’t good enough to pull away but not bad enough to fall out of it. That means the first rounder will be between 13 and 26. That’s Dylain Macilraith territory, not Connor McDavid. The 2nd rounder, will presumably be a mid round pick as well, which means 43-56 overall. That’s not the premiere trade chip it’s being portrayed as. The Islanders farm system is literally better than anyone elses in the NHL on the Blueline and at Centre. What don’t we have? A first line wing. Worry, no more. Finally, the last asset we bid adieu to is John Tavares’ best friend and wing man, a true Long Island fan favorite, Matt Moulson. I will elaborate below why it was okay to deal him, in my opinion.

6 Reasons I Love This Trade And You Should Too

1. The Tavares Factor -This morning, both John Tavares and Thomas Vanek (along with the lucky sonnovagun Kyle Okposo) became part of the best line they ever played on. They instantly became the best players each other had ever shared a line with. Think about that. This isn’t a case of a parasitic relationship where we bring in a washed up Boyes-ian vet to leech off Tavares’ skill. Tavares WILL make Vanek better, but Vanek can also make Tavares better.

2. Hello, Brooklyn, but it’s not time to say goodbye, Long Island – The Islanders are in the middle of an awkward transition. They are moving from Suburbia to become perhaps as Urban a team as it gets. They need buzz to dent the landscape. This trade is a headline grabber. It’s a power move. It’s an announcement that they will not go into Brooklyn on the same old shoe string budget, AND that they are not merely playing out the string on Long Island.

3. The Playoffs were nice. This is a move about ending that phase – This is a change in mindset. This is the big boy pants move this fanbase had wanted for so long. This is a move that definitively states, WE ARE OUT OF THE PHASE WHERE THE END GOAL IS MAKING THE PLAYOFFS. This is a GO COMPETE FOR THE STANLEY CUP move. Think about that, the New York Islanders loading up… for a run at Lord Stanley’s Cup. What a day and age.

4. This isn’t trading your tires for a new interior, this is trading your tires for a whole new sports car – Matt Moulson is a wonderful hockey player. I do not mean to diminish or slight his over 100 goals he’s notched on Long Island. He is willing to go to the dirty areas and pay the price. Few in this age of hockey do that. That said, he is dependent on a distributor. If Tavares is out with injury, can he drive the bus offensively? No. Vanek can. People point to their similarity in numbers and say ‘they are the same player’ because people are idiots.

Moulson put up his numbers next to one of the arguably 5 best players in the world. Thomas Vanek put up his numbers with Patrick Kaleta as the second most recognizable forward on his team. Vanek isn’t getting Tavares fancy hubcaps or a spoiler. Vanek is another fine automobile piece of ass, imported, from Austria, by way of Buffalo. Is Matt Moulson who you give Tavares Money to? No. He’s not. I’m sorry. He’s a legit number 2 scorer and a great player and loyal soldier, but he is a 2nd scoring option.

The difference between a primary weapon and a secondary one is the primary can create on his own. Tavares affords Moulson space to use his skills and net drive. Vanek… gives Tavares space. We weren’t letting Moulson walk for free a la Parenteau or Blake. We got the BEST PLAYER ON THE MARKET for him. Nobody, NOBODY this year, will trade for a better player than Thomas Vanek. Think about that.

5. It’s time to let love in, Islanders fans – Art Staple of Newsday was hammering home the point that Isles fans are so psychologically scarred by Milbury that they don’t trust any trade. This trade is a bold move. Yes, it’s a risk given that Vanek is a pending FA, but so was Moulson. And Vanek affords us something Moulson doesn’t: The possibility of seeing Wang open the purse strings to keep him. Moulson was going to walk. That was by design. Now, we enter a new era, where the Islanders do crazy things like MAKE IMPACT TRADES and ADD SALARY (Vanek’s cap hit is 4m HIGHER than Moulson’s this year). The dog days are over kids. Your hockey team wants to win. They want you back. It’s okay to love them again. They want to matter. BeLIeve in them.

6. Nobody is safe – There is a lockerroom dynamic, right? The boys have all grown up together. They love one another. You could see the pain in Moulson’s face when he discussed the trade. This team is a family. But it is also still a business. Once in a while, the boys need a little reminder. Turgeon for Lafontaine. Harris and Lewis for Goring. You need to shake up a room now and then. Welcome to the new age, kids.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t end this by thanking Matt Moulson for being here through some rough years and lighting our path towards a better future (along with a great many red lights). He is the proverbial quintessential Islander. That’s why this trade is so tough. Nobody epitomizes the ‘started from the bottom and now we’re here’ mindset of this team quite like Matt. He worked so damn hard here. He’s a true fan favorite and he busted his ass to transition from AHL journeyman to First Line NHL winger. I wish him nothing but the best and will always have a place in my heart for him. Good luck Matt.

And welcome to Long Island, Mr. Vanek.

Their garments honor seldom acclaimed heroes known throughout their clan and the hockey Island they call home. Scatchard. Jonsson. Tonelli. Flatley. Ferraro. Volek. Kasparaitis. Westfall. And on and on the names go. Then there is another tier, a tier even you, the uninitiated into their clan, recognize. These names are legend. Their place amongst the lore of the Island is without equal.

Even the enemies of the Island fixate on these names decades later with disgust and jealousy. Smith, the coldblooded assassin. Nystrom, the norseman who looked like he just arrived on Midgard via Thor’s Chariot. Gillies, the most feared of all the Island legends. Bossy, their deadliest sniper. Potvin, their leader, reviled abroad, celebrated at home.

These names are around you, and you become unnerved. You were told to forget their past, everyone else had. Yet, as you take your walk towards the entrance to the castle labeled Gate 9, you sense that past is very much alive. Those two categories of names may yet see new hallowed names among them.

Their cheering crowd, which you were told didn’t exist anymore, buzzes around you. You can feel the eyes upon you… are you one of them or not? You had better decide quickly, for as you take your seat, you hear from the area known as 329, the loudest of their village, as they begin with their chants and prayers.

“Who are we?” they ask in unison. The answer, not enough to sate their query, begets the question being asked again, and louder. “WHO ARE WE?” The answer comes in the form of a song. “WE. ARE. THE. ISLANDERS…. FIGHTING FOR NEW YORK!” They collect themselves and belt out another ballad, a warning to the nearby rival tribes… “WE HATE NEW JERSEY DEVILS, WE HATE BUFFALO TOO, THEY SUCK! WE HATE NEW YORK RANGERS, BUT ISLANDERS WE LOVE YOU.”

They settle in as the battle begins. The thunder can be called down with a bolt of their Gremlin, or mastery from their dashing young Captain, but at his beck and call are a myriad of wizards and savage louts, who doggedly pursue their mark with a mix of skill and strength with relentless speed. They hail from far off kingdoms like Denmark, Minnesota, Oklahoma or from the great kingdom to the North where this hunt was invented.

Back in their base camp, a wily old traveler guards their flag, he is aided by a half dozen ill tempered and fleet footed young men and one who as he, wears a gray beard and speaks of past travels with a funny accent and a flair for dramatics. These peculiar hunters draw blood. Their adoring masses serenade them with cheers. They are victorious and their old den is raucous. You don’t believe your eyes or ears.

You were told to expect a lifeless group of outcasts just waiting for the time to abandon their den. What you found was a different story of a people who have many times stared down death and seem unwilling to surrender to it’s embrace. The Island tribe is not dying, nay, it is growing… in both confidence and number. They grow tired of seeing their past conquests forgotten, and seem ready to spark remembrances with the victories of a new generation. They have, at long last, developed a taste for blood again.

There’s a strong concern that to those who truly love the game on Long Island, in the move to Brooklyn, the team may lose it’s identity. I don’t believe that to be the case, primarily because I’m of both spheres, and know Brooklyn to be as workman like as Eastern Long Island. That concern aside, it does raise the question that 329 asks every game: Who Are We?

This Islanders team, is as much as any other in the NHL, is steeped in and cognizant of it’s tradition. That tradition is that of having their back to the wall and punching their way out. Two times, in a single playoff year, they trailed 3-0, rallying to force 7th games. Their fans scoff at the history of their rivals because the Islanders history is dismissed as a result of the 20 year circus that followed, but what they did is unrivaled in the history of the sport. They went from a moribund sadsack expansion franchise to a dynasty in 8 years. The Big Bad Bruins, the Broadstreet Bully Flyers, and Gretzky’s Oilers are all lauded as all time great teams. Exactly one team can claim playoff victories over all of them at the height of their respective powers.

The Canadians, The Wings, other teams of tremendous tradition in the NHL have an elegance, an air of dignity about them. Pundits laud them for their tradition, their class. None of these accolades are heaped on Long Island and her legends because of the way they won. They bullied the bullies. They beat down the highfaluting Oilers. In short: Respect wasn’t given to them. They took it by force.

The NHL can laud the game the way it was played by the Flying Frenchmen, or the Triple Crown line, or the Production Line. For my money, I’ll take the Trio Grande above all of them. Life on the line, game you need to win? Give me Billy Smith over any of your ‘technical master’ goalies. Islander hockey has never been concerned with class. It’s always been blue collar, more about getting the job done than aesthetics. And they can say this, that few other teams can claim: Since they arrived in the NHL? Exactly one team has won more championships than them.

Islanders hockey isn’t a sonnet to the game or a thinking man’s way of playing hockey. Islanders hockey is puck pursuit, hard hitting and resilience. Islanders hockey is a bar fight, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

I interviewed former Isles PR Man, current NYT and Sports Business Journal contributor, Chris Botta. Chris served as Isles PR point man for 2 decades, and became a household name in Long Island’s hockey-sphere for his founding of the always informative IslandersPointBlank.com and a soon thereafter very public falling out with GM Garth Snow.

VP: A lot of Isles fans have some serious reservations about the move to Brooklyn. Do you think there’s any tangible downside?

CB: Once you get over the massive disappointment for a lot of people that the Islanders are leaving – or, more accurately, had to leave – Nassau, the rest is mostly positive. For starters, Brooklyn sure beats the team being in Seattle, Quebec or wherever else it could have landed. Charles Wang made it clear to me a few months ago that there were substantial offers from outside New York, and he listened to a few because they were coming from people of wealth and influence who were sincere in their approach.

I’ve known Wang since 2000, and he always insisted on not using other municipalities as leverage. He never did. When you consider what Seattle has been offering for the Sacramento Kings, it gives you a bit of an idea of what Wang turned down to stay in New York.

My only reservations are about the Brooklyn barn. Despite the comments from the Barclays people that the arena will hold close to 16,000 for hockey, my skepticism was justified, based on what happened at the preseason game. As of now, I’m told by NHL people that somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 seats do not have complete views of the ice. I hope they do something about it. They have two years, so I’m optimistic that they’ll get it right.

VP: How essential is mass transit to the survivability of a team and its venue in 2013?

CB: There are plenty of pro teams in the U. S. that do not rely heavily on mass transit. But it’s pretty essential if you’re going to be a major league team in New York. Could the Islanders have played another century in Nassau without public transportation and been successful? Most definitely, but that ship has sailed. Barclays Center definitely benefits from being adjacent to public rail. When I went there the first time, I almost gasped when I took that long escalator ride up and saw that giant sign for the arena.

VP: Can you please definitively put to bed the notion that the Islanders are going to break this lease in Brooklyn and go back to Nassau?

CB: It has been a non-story since the day they announced the lease and Wang said it was “iron-clad.” Bruce Ratner and Brett Yormark (and no doubt Mikhail Prokhorov) want the Islanders at Barclays. Wang agreed to the deal and won’t break it. Charles wanted to stay in Nassau and tried for more than a decade to make it work. He’s at peace and seems happy with Brooklyn.

VP: In terms of sponsorship, attendance, brand visibility and the Brooklyn ‘effect’: do you think this impacts the Isles significantly? Are you optimistic enough to think they can be in the top half of the league in terms of revenue and merchandise sold after the move?

CB: I’ll answer the second question first. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Islanders will finish in the top half of the league in revenue from merchandising in their first season in Brooklyn. Maybe top third.

Sponsorship sales will increase significantly because Barclays will still be a spiffy new arena, there will be excitement around a good hockey team establishing itself in Brooklyn, and – just as importantly – Brett Yormark is a relentless salesman. Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean the Islanders could not have excelled in business with a good team and new arena in Nassau. We’re just never going to know.

VP: Do you see that new-found potential capital being invested in the team?

CB: I don’t see it as taking new money and putting it into the team. The payroll is going to go up no matter what. The salary cap floor will be over $60 million soon enough. A good team like the Islanders will eventually require a top-15 payroll to retain their core players and add a few free agents to remain a consistent contender.

VP: Could the New York Islanders become a preferred free agent destination?

CB: That can be a bit over-rated, Vinny. How many would you call preferred right now…five or six? Also, Mark Streit had no problem signing up for Uniondale when the Islanders made the highest offer and most aggressive pitch.

I don’t think “preferred” is the right word. The good news is that the Islanders won’t be one of a very small group of teams that free agents try to avoid, unless they need a career resuscitation. Players want to be teammates with John Tavares. Players want to be on a winner. Players want to sign with the Islanders. I believe that has already started, years before Brooklyn.

VP: Did you manage to get to one of the playoff games this year and take in that atmosphere again?

CB: I did and really loved being in the old barn at Hempstead. I hadn’t been to an Islanders game since a game I went to with my family a few months after the blog issue. Work and running around with my sons to their sports had kept me away.

What a great night it was. A friend gave me great seats for Game 4 – the game they won.

I took a friend from Canada who’d never seen the Coliseum like that. It was awesome to see it through his eyes. It was also nice to catch up with so many fans of the team and staff that I hadn’t seen in a while. We went to the bar at the Marriott and just soaked it in some more. Such an incredible night.

After the jump, Chris’ thoughts on You Can Play, outdoor games, growing league revenue and whether or not the NHL needs ESPN.

VP: YouCanPlay and other groups have done a lot to promote LGBT awareness in the lockerroom. Do you think the younger guys coming in to the league are getting it and the message’s importance?

CB: There’s no question in my mind. What Patrick Burke and his staff have done with YouCanPlay has been remarkable. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much they’ve done in short time. Affiliations with Major League Soccer and the NHL, already? All the support videos from so many college and pro teams? Players going out of their way to speak out? Inspiring stuff.

Most of the young players coming into the league are compassionate about the issues without the messaging, you should know that. But YouCanPlay and others have made a monumental difference.

VP: Do you feel the league endorses these efforts strongly enough?

CB: I do. The key will be for YouCanPlay to make sure both its own staff and the NHL are keeping their foot on the pedal.

VP: From a PR standpoint, would a gay player work in any market?

VP: It’s not about PR or particular markets, it’s about what’s right. There’s no doubt in my mind that the first current NHL player to acknowledge that he is gay will be accepted completely by the rest of the players in the league. You are always going to have bigoted people hiding out, mostly behind their computers, but they will not have the courage to put their names to their comments. So really, who cares about them?

VP: Do you think the league is ready for it?

CB: It has been for years. And now with groups like YouCanPlay, the legacy of Brendan Burke and the acceptance of so many NHL players, it’s as ready as any major sports league in North America.

VP: Would that present a PR boon or a distraction?

CB: Managed well, it would be a distraction for one day. If you’re an NHL team and one of your players has said he is gay, take one day and make everyone – including the gay player – available to address every question from every outlet. Then make it clear that the subject will never be addressed again. He’s a hockey player. Ask hockey questions. Anything written or said after that would be noise. I believe the moment is less than ten years away.

VP: What’s your favorite memory of the Barn as we wind down our time there?

CB: As a youngster, I grew up in that place. The Islanders won the Stanley Cup when I was in ninth through 12th grade. My older brother, a Rangers fan, drove me to the parades. It doesn’t get better than that. As an employee, I’d rate getting the chance to work closely with Al Arbour as my favorite among countless great memories.

VP: In your previous life, was there a more surreal moment than the Kirk Muller trade?

CB: Vinny, we had a guy buy the team without money and ESPN will broadcast a documentary all about it soon. We had my friend Mad Mike for a decade. We had Ricky and Yash and Teddy Nolan, the fisherman jersey and the Gang of Four. Neil Smith was fired after forty freaking crazy days and nights and Garth went straight from goalie one season to GM the next. Garth has turned out to be a good GM as I expected he would, but that summer was a wild one.

That’s just some of the stuff you know about, without going into the private stuff. It would be impossible to rank all the moments in order of how surreal they were. What I can say is, it was a privilege to have the opportunity to be a small part of all of it. Of course, as a fan and an employee, I wish a lot of it was better, but I was very fortunate to have 20 years with the team.

VP: As a PR veteran, do you feel the league falls short in promoting its individual stars and their personalities? I feel every other league makes its stars brands onto themselves and at the same time promotes them much better than the NHL does its stars, even though hockey players are infinitely more approachable.

CB: I disagree. I think it’s one of the more poorly-reported issues of the last few generations that the NBA and the NFL promote their stars brilliantly. Those sports are more popular in the U. S., and it’s not the leagues, but the sneaker and apparel companies that have played a bigger role in increasing someone’s star. David Stern was a great commissioner, but he gets a lot of credit for work done by Nike.

VP: How much easier would a homegrown superstar like Captain John Tavares have made your job?

CB: It would be unfair for me to say he would have made my job easier because 99 percent of the players we had when I was with the Islanders were a joy to deal with and made that part of my job hassle-free. John’s a dream because he’s a great player and person and is the biggest reason the Islanders are competitive again. Winning makes coming to work in pro sports even more fun – whether you’re the PR person, ticket sales executive or no matter what you do. One of the many reasons why I hope John leads the team to a Stanley Cup is because I want to see my friends still involved with the Islanders get a ring.

VP: Which of the innovative things that you and your guys pioneered in your time on the old job is what you’re proudest of during your tenure with the Isles?

CB: Near the top of the list would be our involvement with PWAC, the People with Aids Coalition on Long Island, at a time about 15 years ago when the Islanders and San Francisco Giants were the only major league sports franchises involved in the cause. Any of the work stuff pales in comparison to anything we did in the community.

VP: What do you think of the league’s ambitious plan to grow revenue that you recently reported on?

CB: Their goal is to make another billion within three years. I bet they do it in less.

VP: Tickets are moving for the outdoor games, and a Champions League is something that has fans giddy. Do you think the NHL could get that lightning in a bottle moment they’ve craved forever?

CB: Maybe not lightning in a bottle, but the NHL is poised for great growth for the next 8-10 years until this CBA runs out.

VP: I love what the NBC family has done for the NHL and vice-versa, but the question persists: Does the NHL NEED ESPN?

CB: I would have liked for the NHL to leave room in its NBC deal for something like one game a week for ESPN, but it’s a moot point. NBC wanted, and paid for, the whole thing. Having ESPN more invested in the league would help, but no, it is not essential.

VP: Are your kids still Isles fans?

CB: Of course. I’ve been gone from the team five years now, and Luke and Cole are only 12 and Aidan is 15, but there’s a unique bond there. They are going to want to go to games in Brooklyn.

VP: Do you find yourself rooting for the team still, given the ties you have throughout the organization?

CB: Absolutely. It’s not just the ties that remain, or even from working there a long time. It’s a connection that goes back to when the team was formed in 1972, when I was seven. That doesn’t go away.

VP: Despite your rift with the front office, do you still talk with the boys on the team or the guys and girls working for the Orange and Blue?

CB: To clarify, the rift was only with Garth and that’s in the distant past. As for the question, yes. Friends are friends.

Frans Nielsen, he of the 4 consecutive finishes in the top dozen vote-getters for the Selke, added balance to his game, elevating his wingers in Okposo and Bailey to a legitimate pain in the ass line to play against. Ask Matt Niskinen and his broken nose about that.

Garth Snow (6th in GM of the year voting!) and Jack Capuano (5th in Jack Adams voting) actually revealed themselves to be secretly good at their jobs. Snow has built a playoff team out of the leftover cans Charles Wang lets him return to make payroll and Cappy has coached them up like the dickens. They are added by a capable staff, non more important than Dougie Weight.

These are all good things to have watched unfold last year, but what about the stories for this year? What should The Nassaumen and their faithful anticipate? On the contract extension front, Thomas Hickey, Josh Bailey, Cal Clutterbuck, Kevin Poulin and Travis Hamonic (7yr/23m!) were all locked up on multi-year deals. Lubomir Visnovsky and Evgeni Nabokov have both decided for guys that initially didn’t want to be here, they are happy to stay here. They will be the veteran leadership in the room.

After the jump, we take a look at the changes on the blue line.

The captain, Mark Streit, took leave of us for more crime ridden dystopian pastures in Philadelphia, where he can be a -24 with more notoriety and much more money.

In his place, Matt Donovan (The AHL’s highest scoring blueliner over the last 2 years) will get his long-awaited shot at the show. He did not look at all out-of-place in the preseason opener and picked up a dandy of an apple in the third period.

This gives us Donovan, Hickey, Strait, Visnovsky, Hamonic and MacDonald on the backline. Calvin DeHaan is nipping at Donovan’s heels, should he falter (and Calvin actually stay healthy), CDH looked a touch more tentative than Donovan tonight, but that could be expected given the time he missed from injury. Carkner will intimidate the hell out of the pressbox if he’s not waived. As predicted, Radek Martinek magically appeared during training camp and will soon sneakily and mysteriously sign a contract.

Up front there was a little more changeover as the team cast El Nino… Swiss for Malcontent Diva, of the shores of Long Island and into the Minnesota Wilderness in exchange for the rough and tumble sasquatch Cal Clutterbuck. Peter Regin and Pierre Marc Bouchard will take over for Keith Aucoin and Brad Boyes in the skill guys without physicality department. Oh, AND MARTY REASONER IS GONE THANK JESUS. Expect a rookie or two (Nelson, Lee, Or Ryan Strome) to get top 9 minutes opening night.

The lines will be as follows:

Moulson-Tavares-Bouchard
KO-Frans-Bailey
Clutterbuck-Regin/Child-Grabner
Martin-Cizikas-McDonald

As of this writing, Strome appears to be the clubhouse leader of the kinder. He could be DYNAMITE with Grabner on his wing and Clutterbuck shotgun for protection. This would allow Regin to be that ideal 13th ‘break glass in case of emergency’ forward and Eric Boulton to not really be a thing. Lastly, in net, we roll with the aforementioned Nabokov and Kevin Poulin, with Anders Nilsson ready to push Poulin. Rick DiPietro is gone… I will remember him.

Off the ice, the transition to BROOKLYN! has begun. The NYI website is now run by team Yormark and is BROOKLYN black. The Motif this year is ‘A Shift in Power.’ Catchy. We also take our newly revitalized team to Brooklyn for a preseason game this Saturday for fans first look at our new barn with actual hockey going on. Lastly, we will venture outside to the house that Ruth built to play the Rangers on January 29th.

This is an important season for our fan base and the first one in a while Isles fans enter not just with hopes, but legitimate expectations. For once, there’s no off-ice uncertainty. No arena referendums. No locker room malcontents. No anchor of an injured goalie contract. No weight of X numbers of playoff-less seasons. This team took a few steps up the mountain last year. Now comes the fun part. living up to and exceeding the burgeoning expectations.

Preseason has started, and while that’s fun, it’s about making it through injury free. So far so good, Clutterbuck had a minor cut to his thigh from a skate, but that was it on night one. We dropped a split to Calgary on Tuesday evening, but all the big guns were firing – Grabner, Tavares, Moulson, Griffin Reinhart! (and some AHL guys) lit the lamp. On to scenic Newark, Thursday, and Brooklyn on Saturday!

Expectation, not hope rules the day. Anything less than winning a playoff series will be considered a failure, And FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

Their heroes that litter the history books faded into memory of only their fans, forever slighted by the media from afar because of the arena where they achieved their triumphs or the scalawags in the stands they achieved those triumphs for. Since then, generation after generation ground to dust struggling to match the team’s bright future to the weight of its lofty past.

Perhaps their most maligned aspect of their existence is their fanbase, painted as malcontent, boorish, and wrongly perceived as ill-informed. They sing their own songs, chant their own cries, laud their own heroes. In essence, to the untrained eye, they are weird. Their fans are actually insanely passionate and defined by that early success, that commitment to excellence in past years that became a glimmering ghost sweeping across the decrepit facility that once was a feared den of champions which had become a tomb to past glories rather than a birthing ground for new ones.

From afar, the team seems defined by it’s eccentric owner, his nepotistic hiring practices, rash personnel decisions, occasional frugality, and the propensity for him to publicly look ridiculous while family members clad in team colors stand nearby.

It’s other defining characteristic is a storied and bitter rivalry with it’s nearby big city counterpart. That rival carries an air of superiority and past glories all her own, dismissing the rogue empire of the 70’s and 80’s as an afterthought. Oddly enough, nothing burns the premier franchise like losing to that ‘afterthought’ and nothing keeps them awake at night, chilling the cackles of their hearts like thought of their foes resurgence.

The outcast team expands its sphere of influence, irking their rivals fans as they traverse down the highway to a new nearby arena, too close to the enemy’s sanctum for comfort. This is viewed as an affront to their traditional supporters, but also a chance to rekindle that past glory and expand the brand to heights unseen in sometime. The vagabond outcast team once feared, then forgotten, now poised to be a force to be reckoned with once again.

Is this story that of the Autumn Wind or of Never Say Die? It is the story of John Madden, Tom Flores, Ken Stabler, Jim Otto, Jack Tatum, of George Attkinson knocking Lynn Swann out, Kenny King galloping down field, Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, Tim Brown and dethroning the Steelers and slapping the mighty 49ers in the face. But it is also the story of Al Arbour, Bill Torrey, Ed Westfall, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, Clark Gillies knocking out Bobby Clarke, Bob Bourne flying down the wing, Pat LaFontaine, Zigmund Palffy, John Tavares, dethroning the Penguins and spitting in the eye of the New York Rangers.

It’s the story of two ancient Coliseums, and the search for hope to light the halls of these storied franchises. They are at different chapters in their rebirth after both flirting with fleeting notions of success in the new millennium. The Island Tribe is further along down this path, but the denizens of the Raider Nation are ready to enter their own resurgence. The parallels are too many. The two homes for each franchise minutes apart… the wacky machinations of an overbearing owner… the memories and hunger of a rabid fanbase for something better than mediocrity.

The long painful journey from legacy to laughingstock humbled their backers, but in spite of it all, the defining trait of DEFIANCE endures. Then, now, forever, an expectation and demand that another championship join the trophy case is the sole mandate.

The New York Islanders welcomed themselves back to the NHL last year. Again, we were told by the media and most of us believed, the team simply wasn’t ready to compete. However the stray pundit occasionally warned us, one day the fabled orange and blue monster of old lore in the Long Island Sound would awaken. That pundit would usually be mocked but there was an inkling when the time was right, we would to quote the great Sir Ben Kingsley, “never see it coming.” And lo, as one of my regular sources a dapper coliseum usher was so fond of saying, “one day we will just wake up and come to the realization we have a good hockey team.”

That’s precisely what happened down the stretch. The team bowed it’s back on the precipice of being out of the playoff race, they decided to go on an absolute tear and reveal themselves to be that aforementioned ‘good hockey team’.

The moment for a lot of the fanbase was a game in Washington, down 1-0 for 50 minutes, stealing a 2-1 win in regulation. Or the two defeats of their closest pursuer, Winnipeg, in the span of a week. Or the time they came back from down 2-0 in Montreal. Or the time they pulled the same feat in Madison Square Garden. Or in the confines of the Hockey Mecca, Toronto. Or in their house of horrors in Philadelphia. Or when they went into Pittsburgh and smacked the Penguins around. Or when they handed Boston 1 of exactly 3 home regulation losses.

These were the moments when you realized that this wasn’t the team that folded in the face of adversity. They thrived against the wind. That trait of defiance, the mentality of NEVER SAY DIE Was reborn. Eventually, the Autumn Wind will blow anew and like their on ice counterparts, the Raiders will remind everyone of who they were, what they are, and who they can be tomorrow.

The Islanders were the 3rd best team in the East on the road. The Road Warriors shined under the bright lights. Their star shined the brightest when needed the most.

Tavares would light their darkest hour time and again, even scoring the playoff clincher in the final minute against Carolina. For his work as the flag-bearer of the house on the Isle (or the House of El), he would be voted 3rd for the Hart trophy (player deemed most valuable to his team). The Danish Darkhorse, Frans Nielsen finished 12th in the Selke vote for best defensive forward. Their affable coach who looks like Fred Flintstone, the always upbeat Jack Capuano, was voted 5th best coach in the league, falling just short of a Jack Adams for his efforts (for his part, one hopes he at least received a Sam Adams).

The crafty Goalie turned GM Garth Snow was 6th in executive of the year balloting, and that’s fitting as he’s locked up 6 pieces of the core for a fraction of their worth; while stealing 6 gems off the scrap heap.

The off-ice uncertainty is over, as the organization turns it’s eyes towards Brooklyn. The on ice future is now, as the team turns its eyes towards the Stanley Cup. This is a young nucleus with it’s appetite whet by last season’s success, hungry for more. This team has upgraded it’s offensive firepower after finishing 8th in the NHL in goals scored. They have firepower and the hockey world is getting to know their names.

The era of the anonymous afterthought Islanders is over. The time for the world to gain familiarity with them is now. Soon comes contempt. And that oft battered fanbase that was told so many times over the years ‘you don’t matter anymore and you’ll never matter again’ stands ready to remind everyone exactly who they are and exactly how far they’ve come.

On the other cost, the Raider Nation spends it’s time in the darkness, awaiting their same clarion call back to action. It will come, as it did for the Island Tribe, with not even a gust of the Autumn Wind as warning. Before you realize it, that torrential maelstrom of nostalgia will erupt and they will be back, just as the Islanders are back.

The way the two legacies of the Island Tribe and the Raider Nation intermingle is a bit of serendipity. After All, the New York Islanders owe the impetus their birth to the WHA’s Raiders and both teams fanbases fly the Jolly Roger as their warning to other fans that they are in hostile waters.

By the way, great atmosphere outside the Rock with a couple of fun places to eat. The area reminds me of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor but smaller. Nice gem in a depressing cesspool. Like Marty Biron’s eyes on the Rangers bench.

As for the actual draft, there were deals to be had downstairs, plenty of vendors hocking hockey merchandise (your erstwhile scribe picked up a Frans Nielsen Rookie Card), but not a lot of dealing to be found on the draft floor. Of course, that all changed when Uncle Lou teabagged Bettman with the Cory Schnieder trade to a thunderous ovation from the Devils faithful. That was all well and good, but that’s our Devs beat, not why you’re here.

The Isles made a splash of their own. GM Garth Snow sent the disgruntled Nino Niederreiter to the Wild for the number 70 pick and Cal Clutterbuck. This move is about a few things.

Firstly, it reminds us that Garth Snow loves middling draft picks. See the Streit move earlier this month for more proof. Garth Snow loves his 2nd-5th rounders, more bullets in the gun or some such cliché goes here.

Secondly, it shows how the Isles view their team. The top 6 provide scoring, the bottom 6 provide sandpaper and secondary scoring with guided missile strikes from Michael Grabner. This tenacity on the bottom lines served All 4 conference finalists. It’s about having more that one line that can grind on the other team and give them pause in the corners. Being a physically taxing team to play against is something the Isles take pride in, and their mix of speed and physicality serve them well.

Lastly: The New York Islanders are a professional hockey team again. They join the other teams in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup Championship. The time of being an afterthought or laughingstock is over. In reflection of that mindset, it’s time to act like a big league team again. That means that with the clear goal of winning, anyone that detracts or distracts from that must go. From the public venting of his agent, to the refusal to attend prospect camp, the writing was on the wall. He needed to go.

The Isles will take a loss in potential for a gain in the present. Clutterbuck gives the Islanders 2 of the top 5 hitmen in the NHL (Matt Martin) and 4 absolute grinders when you add in the tenant of number 91 Colin McDonald and Casey Cizikas. What they lose is a top 5 pick who clearly felt misused. Not to blindly defend the organization, but consider this: If you publicly called out how your boss was using you and then blew off a staff development training where you were requested? I’d get my resume ready too. Nino has some growing up to do. Hopefully it starts in Minnesota.

The Isles capped their hour by adding Ryan Pulock, a large blueliner with a heavy shot with the 15th pick. Shipping off El Nino was merely the first shoe, however. The other dropped last night just after 9PM when the team let it rip through Arthur Staple of Newsday that they were buying out Rick DiPietro and his albatross of a contract. This was the thing a lot of die hards needed to see before they truly thought we were back. And it had to be an Amnesty Buyout, too. None of that cap hit to reach the floor nonsense. And lo, it was. Now, a real player or two, in addition to signing our RFAs, will need to be added to achieve cap compliance.

The move to cut the cord with DiPietro was undoubtedly difficult for Wang, who purportedly considers the brash and polarizing netminder part of his family (full disclosure: 39 was a true gentleman when I met him). The $67.5m pact had to go.

GM Garth Snow did what he could trying to soften the blow for Wang, but understandably couldn’t find a hapless GM to take that on (despite Feaster, Sather and Holmgren all still apparently breathing). So a decision had to be made, the decision of course falling to the head of the house, Charles Wang. And he bid DiPietro adieu, much the way he did Yashin in 2008. Thus endeth the association with a goaltender who once infused great hope and ended as polarizing as any athlete this side of A-Rod.

Allow us to go on a journey of 2 seasons into the past. As camp broke, there we see a team waiting for John Tavares to become dominant. Players like Blake Comeau, Tim Wallace, Milan Jurcina, Steve Staios and Brian Rolston litter the roster. DiPietro is entrenched as default ‘starter’. There is no end to an arena saga that is as sordid as the Coyotes mess anywhere in sight. The prime asset in the system is Nino Niederreiter. The team is putrid and lacks backbone, in every way, an afterthought.

Then step into the light and open your eyes to the present day. The team is ready to move into a new home in Brooklyn with a 25 year dose of stability. They have a Hart trophy finalist, one of the leagues elite, John Tavares. There’s not a plug to be seen (until you look at the 14th forward, Boulton, but I digress) on this roster. Every player serves a purpose, the time for place holders is over. DiPietro and his contract are gone.

The team is playoff caliber and the NHL rewarded their resurgence with an outdoor game. Their coach finished 5th in Jack Adams voting, their GM 6th in executive of the years. Their Franchise Center third in the MVP vote, and their defensive center 12th in Selke voting. That folks, is indicative of respect. They aren’t in the hockey wilderness anymore, viewed as a hapless collection of misfit toys.

They still have far to go, and holes to fill (Chiefly in net and a slot in the top 6). But the past is buried, and the new era of Islander hockey isn’t coming, it’s finally here.