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.

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.

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.

The crucible of playoff hockey forges players with consistency issues into legends.  It’s how Joel Ward got a 4 year contract from a team. When teams can’t build a playoff capable nucleus through in house development, you overpay for grinders who occasionally pot a clutch goal. Thankfully, Long Island made the postseason this year and enabled us to take a gander at what these guys can do with the pressure dialed up to MAX. The funny thing about playoff performers though, is that they are dependent on regular season performers to get you there.  With that said, let’s have a look at who elevated their game once the team punched their ticket and who did the ticket punching.

Making the Grade: The Soundtrack of the Ascension

Johnny Tavares: The Franchise. Johnny Boy carried the workman’s load most of the year. He strapped it in every game and finished with 47 points in 48 games.

Everytime the whole thing came dangerously close to going off kilter, there was 91 to right the ship. In the dying seconds, again and again, it was Tavares. With help from one of his running buddies,  JT would step up when it was time to make the doughnuts. Think back to the put away goal late against the Caps, it was Johnny on the spot capitalizing on some dogged work by Matty Moulson.  On the goal that punched the Isles ticket to the postseason against Carolina? It was Tavares again, taking advantage of the net drive by Kyle Okposo.  The crowd exploded when JT took  a feed  down the wing from Brad Boyes who had just detonated Mark Eaton. The franchise deked once, got Martin to open his legs and used that as a screen to pop Fleury’s  water bottle. Maybe ten players on the earth have the hockey sense, positioning, core strength, skating ability, and hands to make all these plays. Maybe 10.  He is the flagbearer for the house of El. He does not kneel. He is your national hockey league MVP.

Josh Bailey & Kyle Okposo: If we accept that Tavares is every bit as good as he appears, we understand to perform his greatest feats (like getting the Islanders to the playoffs), Superman still needs the Justice League.

Okposo  and Bailey have mirrored each other in so many ways. Rushed to the show, expectations because of their draft status, and maddening inconsistency. Somewhere along the way, they found themselves. Joshua found himself not as a centerman, but at the wing, where his puck distribution and tenacity along the half wall in his own zone suit him well. Kyle Okposo is a dominant player when his head is right, he lowers his shoulder and he drives to the net.  His physicality fuels his game. This was on display during the postseason, but also the last quarter of the regular season.  When JT faltered slightly, these 2 were the Brave and the Bold, picking up the slack as needed. Their coming of age was humongous. When the team needed a lift, Kyle Okposo’s fists found Matt Niskanin’s face. When JT needed a jumpstart, it was Bailey tabbed to turn the engine over.

Frans Nielsen: The Great Dane’s inadvertent deflection of a Pens point shot to tie game 6 was what the uninitiated took away from the season.

For veteran observers, it was a revelation to see the defensively responsible and longest continuously tenured Isle step up his offensive game.  He’s a vital cog in the machine. This beloved lockerroom fixture finally got his chance to shine. There’s speculation that he had an arm injury down the stretch, and couldn’t get the torque needed to use the Danish Backhand of Judgment. This is extremely likely, as we didn’t see his signature move in the shootout the last 4 shootouts the team went to. The injury was probably sustained in the W over the Bruins in Boston, but he fought through this and other nagging injuries. Tough little player for a gentleman known as a ‘finesse guy.’

More musings and music after the jump…

Matt Martin, Colin McDonald, Casey Cizikas: This fourth line had a plethora of big hits and big goals. None bigger than Zeke’s giant tally to stop the bleeding in Florida. Or C-macs twin killing in Philly. Or his spark that started the inferno against the Rangers. And oh yeah, Matt Martin led the league in hits, AGAIN.

Mike Grabner: The Gremlin potted 16 lamplighters, his dogged work on the PK reminding everyone what he looked like in his calder finalist campaign. He’s an omni present threat. He alters the opposition’s plan on the PP. He has a unique, singular skill, that is unmatched in the league. They don’t teach speed, and there’s not a burner in this league with wheels like MG40.

The Young (Old) Guys on defense:  brought it the last 30 games of the regular season. Once Lubomir Visnovsky got acclimated and lessened their load, 47 and 3 dialed it in.  They showed the ability to eliminate, agitate, infuriate, and intimidate the best players in the world. This was never clearer than Travis Hamonic serving a piece of humble pie to Evgeni Malkin at the end of game 4. These 2 took giant strides. The future is limitless. Hamonic, describing MacDonald’s loss to an injury, sounded like a gilted loved. These 2 are inseparable and their chemistry is an asset going forward.

The New Guys, young and old – Brian Strait and Thomas Hickey were both 6^th or 7^th D on their respective cup contending clubs, both sent down to get top line pairing minutes in the A. Garth Snow had other ideas and decided to bolster his defensive depth by claiming the pair. To use talent evaluation parlance, both ‘flashed’ huge during the course of the season.  Strait added physicality and snarl. His defining moment to some was his overtime takedown on Crosby that netted the game ender.

Firstly, the call was dubious. Secondly, the defining moment actually occurred one game prior when he pancaked 87 and drew a PK when the Penguins came unglued, which yielded a tying goal to the Isles. Quickly, in their desire to scapegoat, fans and hockey pundits forget he was trying to match the best player in the world. Not bad for a kid in his first full year in the show.

Likewise, Thomas Hickey made an impact learning to activate into the play under the tutelage of Lubomir Visnovsky, learning when to pinch and when to stand up at the line. Hickey’s OT winner in Montreal is seared into my mind. The development of MacDonald, Hamonic, Hickey and Strait was all aided by the arrival of the wayward Visnovsky. Much was made of his circular path to the Island. All he did once he got here was produce. And then sign an extension. Huge pickup by Garth Snow. His extension coupled with the acquisitions and steps forward by a great many younger D means what exactly for Mark Streit?

That was a look at who stepped up. In the next installment, who is stepping out?

Sports are wrought with emotion. It’s what’s makes them such a great part of fan(atic)s’ lives. The unexpected highpoints and the crushing low points are what litter the landscape on the road that ends at 16W with a stop at Lord Stanley’s. The New York Islanders Fans have traveled this road before. They know the road and where the potholes are. This incarnation of the team hasn’t, though.

They are young and inexperienced. That much was evident in game 1 when Pittsburgh blew the doors of them. They sat there and the black sports car with gold racing stripes streaked by them. The Penguins notched 1W out of the 16 needed to reach their goal and it seemed like 4.

The height of the clamor of the Chicken Littles was 3 minutes in yesterday where the Islanders were already down 2-0. A few journalists with keen eyes and a penchant for analytics pointed out the Isles were starting to actually steer play in their direction and that Pittsburgh couldn’t keep allowing chances in waves. The Isles poked one home and then the Captain of the Penguins and the only story the NHL cares about responded. The New York Islanders were trying to outrace a Ferrari in a Dodge Dart.

Okposo busts the Pens’ grill

Then a funny thing happened. Brian Strait took the side mirror off that snazzy sports car with a (surgically repaired) teeth rattler on Crosby. And then Kyle Okposo smashed their grill in with a cross that crossed up Matt Niskanen. 13 seconds later, the Islanders found the back of the net.  3 minutes later, they squared the score. From then on, the Islanders had the inside track. The race is 2 laps in, and dead even.  

With Goaltenders, confidence is a funny thing. With some, no matter how many big games they win, it’s never more than an awkward bounce away from eroding. With others, you can hang 8 on them in 3 periods, have the best player in the world streaking down the wing unchallenged, biscuit on his stick looking for a hat trick and have the seemingly struggling goaltender swagger the puck away with panache. The Professor is the teams thermostat, not it’s thermometer. Nabby sets the temperature. His cool demeanor never gives it away, win or lose. 6 times this team has gone on the road and spotted the opposition a quick deuce lead and then rallied to overtake them. Your barn does not scare them. They are too young to know any better. They are however, starting to learn they are good.

Ready to roar

It’s a funny thing going into a game knowing you are going to be reduced to tears. That was the experience at the regular season home finale against Florida. The boys flexed the guns and imposed their will and the old Barn on Hempstead Turnpike got a little dust kicked up in the air possible, because a few eyes got misty as ‘WE WANT PLAYOFFS’ shook the rafters dotted with memories of playoff glory past.  After the clincher (scored by who else, Johnny Franchise) in Carolina, the dust seemed to make it’s way through every TV set that was watching the game. Quite a few TV sets, too as the Islanders ratings, lockout and all are up 150%. Anyhow, the last game at the Coliseum and the first game at Barclay’s will produce some of that eye irritating dust, but tomorrow will produce something else: Ear-aches. Soak in the atmosphere tomorrow afternoon. It’s been a long time coming.     

The Ghost Of Volek has awakened…

This team has been ‘lost in the wilderness’ since David Volek smoked a one-timer past Tom Barrasso in the Spring of ’93 to deny the Penguins a dynasty. Since then, they’ve been sold, mocked, faced extinction and irrelevance. Now, they have one of the best players in the world, a sparkling new home waiting, an outdoor game next year, and oh yeah, an inspiring month plus of play to get the opportunity to be where they are today.  The New York Islanders tradition is that of a team that doesn’t believe in convention, that scoffs at the easy way.

That tradition was began in 1975 by ousting the Rangers and twice rallying to square series that they trailed 3-0, including a legendary salvo by 18 to take down the mighty Penguins. Then there were Tonelli’s heroics to keep the dynasty dreams alive at the expense of Pittsburgh. And lastly, the aforementioned thunderclap that was Ferraro to Volek.

This history, this road traveled by the Islanders, has gone through the Steel City before. They know the path and they’d like nothing more than to complete that trip again. The ’80s muscle car has the engine humming and the flashy imported sports car is sporting a few nicks in the paint today.  Better buckle up, kids.

Pierre Turgeon returns to the ice - Bruce Bennett/Getty

“Saturday night, The New York Islanders honored their 1992-1993 Conference Finalist squad before a controversial 3-2 OT loss to San Jose (at least the ref admitted he made a bad call to end it, that really keeps me from being too piss and vinegar about it).

The New York Islanders have a special tradition – more so than most teams. We are, as Isles fans, largely defined by that tradition, both good and bad. This tradition requires a history lesson. It’s a tradition of such dominance in it’s early stages thanks to the genius of Torrey and Arbour with 4 Cups in their first 11 years of existence, that I can say that will NEVER be duplicated.

You hear that kind of off-the-cuff hyperbole often in sports. That’s accurate. In 1972, the team takes the ice for the first time. In 1983, they raise a 4th Stanley Cup Banner.

The 80’s didn’t end there, no, a guy by the name of (Please excuse my indulgence or a brief moment, my dear Buffalonians) LalalalalalalalaLAFONTAINE told the Caps to screw off in one of the greatest game 7s in sports history, a game so Epic, it started on Saturday and ended well into Easter Sunday.

Since then, the highlights have been spread out. A few come to mind, the drafting of John Tavares for instance. He’s a superstar, a gamechanger. And he’s Property of the New York Islanders for a LONG time. Another that I got to see unfold was the improbable Dubie run to the playoffs. Little Yoda pokechecked Brylin’s attempt and the old Brendan Byrne Arena (That’s the IZOD center, the Devs old home,  for you n00bs)  erupted like it was Nassau West. One more time, Easter belonged to the New York Islanders.
 

Shawn Bates

Another defining moment  was the 2002 Series against the Leafs where the two teams simply ravaged one another. Everyone still talks about game 4, where a game winning penalty shot from Shawn Bates in the dying moments of the third caused me to jump so high I punched my ceiling.

However, I’m a different cat. I’ll never forget game 6 of that series as long as I live.  The table was set one game prior, in game 5. Two things happened in that Leafs win of note.

Michael Peca’s knee was irreparably destroyed by that cheap-shotting scumbag, repeat felon, coward who is a Matt Cooke caliber criminal, Darcy ‘Mother’ Tucker. I hate him. I would do violence upon him if I saw him. The other saw one of the game’s true ambassadors do something awful that essentially began the end of the career of longtime Isles stalwart Kenny Jonsson. He charged him from essentially the redline to behind the goal line. I respect Gary Roberts, generally. But that was a dirty a hit with as much intent to injure as you’ll ever see in an NHL game.

Neither hit resulted in any action by the league. They both resulted in plenty of action taken by the Islanders. To set the stage for our newer audience, the NHL Pre-lockout was what hooked me on the game. It was frontier justice on skates. Should you commit a crime, you would be judged by a jury of your peers, not the incompetent biased malcontent that called himself Chief Disciplinarian, Colin Campbell. 

The Islanders took the ice that night as Judge, Jury and Executioner. Payment was going to be collected, win or lose. In a nod to Al Arbour’s old approach, decide the hockey portion of the festivities first, and then settle old accounts and see them paid in full. You could tell once we established the outcome of the game, there was going to be an ass kicking.

You knew because as the Centers leaned in for the night’s opening draw, the scoreboard simply read “TONIGHT WE WIN FOR KENNY AND MICHAEL.”  To this day, goosebumps. Utter goosebumps. 

With 1:55 left in the third, it happened. Eric Cairns, A certified ass kicker, was on the ice. And he was there to get some. But let’s be real kids. Darcy Tucker is a fucking wussie, so he grabs Shawn Bates (WHO NEVER FIGHTS!) knowing it’s about to pop off to avoid squaring with Cairns.

Tucker’s sidekick,  Shane Corson, goes to get some of Cairns. That was none too smart. Cairns hands him his lunch, and Corson, like a bitch, tries to kick him with his skate. Bitch. Some Tough Guys, Leafers. Real Manly Men.  And they both left with ass kickings for their trouble as Cairns skates off saluting the crowd. Riveting old-time hockey.

Pierre Turgeon and Steve Thomas - Bruce Bennett/Getty

If you’re asking what any of this has to do with 1993, I’ll tell you. Our glory years mostly exist through an old dusty lens. Our newer pleasures are small, if poignant moments. The ’93 team is our last link to tangible greatness. That’s why it’s special to us. Those were the last moves of Torrey, the last gasp of Arbour’s tenacity. These are the only links a lot of us remember to the best damn team to ever put on a pair of skates.  This squad went in against a Caps team poised for a big run and knocked them out decisively.

Pierre Turgeon

Dale Hunter cross checked Turgeon into the endboards after Sneaky Pete scored the series clincher in one of the ugliest moments in NHL history. The Caps hatchetman got one of the longest bans in NHL History.

Still, the Islanders limped into Pittsburgh without their best player against the two-time defending Champions and punched them squarely in the eye. Kasparaitis doggedly hounded Jagr and Lemieux every time they touched the ice, frustrating, incapacitating and infuriating them.

Ultimately, the unlikely duo of Ferraro and Volek would end the Champs reign and take this ragtag banged up overlooked squad to the Conference Finals. It chills me to the bone (in a good way) to see so many parallels to the current team on that plucky iteration of the fabled Never-Say-Die-Landers.  

Trevor Gillies

Mick Vukota : Trevor Gillies  The Sheriff. That’s what Vukota was. He’d dust you 6 ways from Sunday. He would feed you a diet of fists. If you were still trouble, he’d shoot a double leg that would make Dan Gable proud. “Protection Buddy, it’s what you’re here for.” 

Gillies gets that. He’s one of the NHL’s most hated men, and most Islander fans don’t give a rat’s ass. He is as the cold war adage went, Mutually Assured Destruction. If you run Tavares, Grabner, or Okposo, we will let, as that homerriffic hack Steigerwald put it “Gillies out of his cage.” Protection.

Travis Hamonic

Darius Kasparaitis: Travis Hamonic  A young Defenseman not afraid to get some of the games biggest stars, who delights in taking the body and can chip in offensively with a well placed slapper. If you run him or his teammates, he will throw them. And no, he doesn’t care about your “Hall of Fame resume.” That applies to Kasper in 93 and Hammer now.

Vladimir Malakhov: Mark Streit Silky Smooth 2 way Dman with a cannon of a shot and the ability to move the puck like a forward.

Ray Ferraro: Frans Nielsen Crafty two-way Centerman with the ability to set up the backbreaker of a goal. Fun to watch.

Glenn Healy: Al Montoya  Netminder that’s been around failing to breakthrough, gets a chance to shine on the Island and runs with it.

Pierre Turgeon: John Tavares  The game-breaking sniper.

The added layer to this parallel is the ability to disappear from the defense and then de-cloak in the Offensive Zone like a Klingon Bird of Prey and light the lamp. Again and again.

Travis Green: Blake Comeau That about tells you what I think of Comeau when I compare him to the guy Milbury referred to as “Gutless Puke”.

These parallels are mostly clearly evident. Can this squad honor the 92-93 team by recapturing some of it’s swagger and magic? I certainly hope so!”

You will follow Vinny on twitter, and you will like it: @TheLastIslander