Gordon Had No Chance on the Island

0

Written on 11/17/2010 by Jim Cerny

Does it seem logical and make sense that a National Hockey League coach is fired after two straight last-place finishes and in the midst of a ten-game losing streak in Year No. 3?

Absolutely. It makes perfect sense. And for that I believe Islanders GM Garth Snow was certainly justified in sacking head coach Scott Gordon on Monday morning.

However Gordon was not the problem on Long Island. Just as interim coach Jack Capuano will not be the problem beginning with this evening's home tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Islanders' issues start much further up the food chain than the head coach. And higher up than the general manager for that matter, as well.

For all of their good young talent---and make no mistake, the Isles do have a good group of talented youngsters both on their current roster and in the organizational pipeline---the Islanders are headed nowhere under the petty and penny-pinching ownership of Charles Wang.

Once hailed as the savior of the franchise---and rightfully so---at the start of his ownership tenure earlier this decade, Wang has now become a mirror image of some of the disasterous ownerships that preceded him, ones that I was more than well-acquainted with when I served as the club's play-by-play broadcaster.

There was the unfortunate end of the John Pickett regime. There was the embarrassing tenure of the Howard Milstein group, led by clueless hatchet man David Seldin. The "Gang of Four", whose names I can't even remember they were in and out so fast. And of course Gary Bettman's personal black eye, John Spano, a fraud with hardly a dime in his pocket who was personally endorsed by the commisioner of the NHL.

It was embarrassing to be an Islander for all of those years---whether being an Islander meant as a player, a coach, an employee, or more importantly, a fan. The team was mismanaged, a last-place guarantee year after year on the ice, and played to an empty house on a regular basis at the Nassau Coliseum.

Sound familiar?

Sure it does because history is repeating itself these past several years under Wang's stewardship.

Listen, he helped build this franchise back up, and it wasn't too long ago that under his guidance the Islanders were back in the playoffs and the old barn in Hempstead was rocking again. But those days are gone, and I can't envision them coming back.

Wang either wants his Lighthouse real estate project---which includes a new arena, retail, and hotels---to be approved by the Town of Hempstead or he wants out, spending the absolute bare minimum on his team until his lease is up at the Coliseum.

It's his money, so it's his decision. But in the meantime he is holding Islanders fans---what few of them actually still care---captive.

And a good man, and solid coach, like Gordon is given absolutely no chance to win with the roster he is handed. Then he is fired when the team doesn't win. Same will hold true for Capuano for as long as he is here. And the next coach, probably another minor league guy because they are the least expensive to pay, will face the same the situation down the road.

It's going to get worse before it get's better, too. Wang is committed to not spending much more in player salary than what the CBA mandates as the bare minimum. Heck, the Islanders only reach the salary cap floor because they still have Alexei Yashin's buyout on the books.

And what of John Tavares? Remember him? First overall pick in 2009. The player the Islanders craved to build around and center all of their off-ice marketing strategies around?

What of Tavares today? He has a respectable 10 points in 14 games, but his relevance on the National Hockey League landscape has just vanished. This is a guy, similar to a Steven Stamkos, who should be one of the faces of the new NHL. Instead he is adrift on the Island. There can't be a week that goes by that he doesn't speak to his agent or his family about the day that he can finally become a free agent and quickly flee to another organization.

This story could go on and on. But the bottom line point as it regards to Scott Gordon's firing is that yes, the Islanders were justified in letting their head coach go.

But Scott Gordon never had a chance to succeed in the first place.

Follow Me On Twitter: @jimcerny

.

Posted in , , , , , | Comment Now!

A New Epidemic in New York

2

Written on 10/16/2010 by Jim Cerny

You heard about the bedbug epidemic in New York? I'm sure you must have. You know, nasty little critters sabotaging hotels and closing down retail stores in and around Manhattan? Yeah, those bedbugs have become quite the story, so much so that my aunt in Iowa brought it up to me the second my plane landed out her way during a visit this past summer.

But I digress.

There is another epidemic sweeping through the New York area---one that has infiltrated Long Island and into New Jersey, as well. And it affects only hockey players.

It is called the injury epidemic.

It actually began on the Island, taking strong hold and wiping out numerous key members of the New York Islanders. Then the New York Rangers took a few hits in Manhattan as did New Jersey Devils in Newark. And last night the full force of this epidemic came crashing down on the Rangers during their home opener at Madison Square Garden when superstar sniper Marian Gaborik suffered a separated shoulder and team captain Chris Drury suffered the second fracture to his left index finger in the span of a month.

There is no end in sight to this vicious epidemic.

Here's a detailed look:

New York Rangers:

Drury broke his finger blocking a shot during the first scrimmage of training camp. He missed the entire pre-season, and first two games of the regular season, before returning last night. He lasted into the second period when he collided with teammate Michal Rozsival and fractured the finger in a new spot. He is out six weeks. "I am worried about him," said head coach John Tortorella. "He is fit to be tied." Gaborik was boarded by Toronto's Colby Armstrong, suffered a separated shoulder, and the 42-goal scorer from a year ago is out 2-4 weeks. The team's alternate captain Vinny Prospal missed all of training camp with a sore knee. He will undergo surgery Tuesday and is lost for an indefinite period without having played a single shift yet this year. So gone from the equation are three key veterans, including two of the Rangers top scorers from a year ago.

New York Islanders:

All-Star defenseman Mark Streit was forced to undergo major shoulder surgery after being hit during an intrasquad scrimmage that was opened up to the fans in mid-September. He is out six months. Gone is the club's minutes-muncher and power play quarterback. Winger Kyle Okposo---a 52-point scorer a year ago at the age of 22---also injured his shoulder before the season's first game. He is out indefinitely. Center Rob Schremp suffered a back injury, and the Isles lose another key power play performer. He's gone on a week-to-week basis. And just when it doesn't look like it can get any worse, John Tavares---the focal point of the Islanders and last year's first overall draft pick---suffered a concussion on opening night against the Dallas Stars. He likely will return tonight against Colorado, but still....this is The Franchise we are talking about...never good to put the word "concussion" next to John Tavares' name.

New Jersey Devils:

Now in the Devils case, one could argue that their injuries have been extremely timely because some of them have offered salary cap relief via the long term injured reserve list, of course made necessary by the Ilya Kovalchuk contract signing. But again, I digress. Defenseman Bryce Salvador suffered a concussion during the pre-season and is out indefinitely, placed on long term IR. Veteran forward Brian Rolston joined him on IR, and provided signifciant salary cap relief in the process, by undergoing a sports hernia operation earlier this week. He'll be out at least 4 weeks. Rugged defenseman Anton Volchenkov broke his nose on opening night and hasn't played since. Meanwhile the Devils skirt questions about whether or not Volchenkov, too, suffered a concussion. And another defenseman went down this past week when Mark Fraser fractured his hand.

OUCH!

We are a little more than a week into the 2010-11 season and that is a total of 11 key players injured on three teams loacted within a 30-mile or so radius of one another.

It's an injury epidemic.

Don't go drinking the water.

Follow Me On Twitter at: @jimcerny and @thenyrangers

Posted in , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comment Now!

The Kids Start Off Alright

0

Written on 10/05/2009 by Jim Cerny


John Tavares (photo left) did not disappoint in his NHL debut on Saturday night. The first overall pick in this past NHL Draft---and annointed savior of the Islanders franchise---notched a pair of points, including his first NHL goal, against Sidney Crosby and the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins at the Nassau Coliseum.

If you haven't yet seen Tavares' goal, check it out here. He displays a quick set of hands, turning a broken play into a big goal. True goal scorers---whether they have played ten years in the NHL or ten minutes---instinctively know where to position themselves to get the prime scoring opportunities.

Rangers coach John Tortorella says that, "the puck just follows these kinds of players...it finds them all of the time."

John Tavares is that kind of player. Right spot, natural instinct, great hands.

Good for the Islanders and their fans to have landed Tavares following years of misery on The Island.

Bad for the Islanders that not long before Tavares and his 'mates took to the ice on Saturday, team owner Charles Wang spoke in bitterly disappointed tones that the Town of Hempstead had not met his October 3rd deadline to resolve whether or not his planned Lighthouse Project---which includes a new arena for the Islanders---would go forth. In grave tones, Wang spoke of options such as selling the team or relocating it to another city.

Veiled threats? Perhaps so. But threats nonetheless as far as the dispirited fans on the Isles are concerned.

Chris Botta over at NYI Point Blank and BD Gallof at The Hockey Independent are the two reporters who have covered this story the best---really for years now---and the best part is they usually offer up very different views on the goings on. That makes for some fun reading, while also providing a wider scope of opinion. Go check them out if you have not already.

Anyway, getting off topic here, it's a shame that Tavares' debut was pretty much overshadowed by arena politics. As Arthur Staple wrote in Newsday, "I went to a hockey game and a press conference broke out."

Good stuff that Tavares scored a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, even if he failed on a couple of other prime scoring chances and muffed his shootout attempt.

And JT was not the only youngster making a positive early impression over the weekend. Both Victor Hedman, the second overall pick right behind Tavares, and Matt Duchene, chosen No. 3 this past June by Colorado, had nice starts, as well.

Though he was a minus-two in Tampa's season-opening 6-3 loss to Atlanta on Saturday night, Hedman played confidently, and he played a lot. Coach Rick Tocchet used Hedman in all game situations, and the kid led the Lightning with nearly 27 minutes worth of ice-time. He also picked up his first NHL point, assisting on the Lightning's first goal of the season, and was second on the team with five shots on goal.

Duchene, one of two 18 year-olds in the Avs lineup along with Ryan O'Reilly, earned an assist in his NHL debut last Thursday, and played 15:29 in Saturday's win over the Canucks. O'Reilly, the Avs second rounder this year, has seen far less of the ice than Duchene, but he also earned an assist in his NHL debut against the Sharks last Thursday.

Another member of the 2009 draft class---Atlanta's Evander Kane, selected fourth overall---made a neat play to also earn an assist in his first NHL contest on Saturday. Kane stole the puck at the Lightning blueline, burst past the defenseman to drive towards the net. Though goaltender Mike Smith poked the puck off Kane's stick, Rich Peverly was there to clean up for the Thrashers and hand Kane a point.

Two other kids have impressed right from the get-go, Philly's James Van Riemsdyk (first round in 2007) and Michael Del Zotto (first round in 2008) of the Rangers. Van Riemsdyk, who is in the perfect situation, I think, surrounded by such a deep and talented group of teammates, has three points already in his first two games. In Saturday's win over the Devils, he notched a pair of assists and was a plus-three.

Del Zotto is clearly still adjusting to the speed and intensity of the pro game, but there is no denying his offensive skills. The 19 year-old defenseman is playing on the Rangers' top power play unit, and looks comfortable doing so. He also picked up his first NHL goal on Saturday in the final minute of the second period against Ottawa. You can check out Del Zotto's first goal here.

Early samplings for sure, but so far, the kids are looking alright at the NHL level.

Posted in , , , , , , , , , | Comment Now!

Clouds Hang Over Tavares' Home Debut for Isles

0

Written on 9/23/2009 by Jim Cerny



This is the night Islanders fans have been waiting for ever since the club selected its next savior, high-scoring forward John Tavares, with the first overall pick in June's NHL Entry Draft. In fact, this is the night the diehards have been salivating over since the Isles won the draft lottery.

Tonight, John Tavares dons the home blue jersey and skates in his first game---albeit a pre-season one---in front of the hometown faithful at the Nassau Coliseum following training camp in Saskatoon.

It should be a happy occasion for these fans, who have been mercilessly beaten down with on-ice foibles and off-ice turmoil the past 15 years or so. Tavares' home debut should signal that there is a bright light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Unfortunately that bright light, as Islanders fans have been reminded over and over again through the years, could very well be an oncoming locomotive headed the wrong way on the same track.

You see, just 24 hours prior to JT's maiden game at the Coliseum, Islanders owner Charles Wang was taking part in a 12-hour marathon of a public hearing regarding his Lighthouse Project, which calls for a much-needed new arena for his team---along with several billion dollars worth of other devlopment. And by most accounts, including this one from Chris Botta over at Fanhouse, it was a rough go for Mr. Wang and his Lighthouse Project.

After the hearing, Wang reiterated his October 3rd deadline for certainty that the Town of Hempstead would be willing to green light the massive Lighthouse undertaking.

That ain't happening. Too many questions. Too little time. Not enough negotiating from both sides.

"It's time for Lighthouse to push the panic button," BD Gallof, creator of HockeyIndependent.com and longtime blogger on all things Islanders, told me this morning. "Charles Wang's only leverage is that October 3rd date, and really what kind of leverage is that?"

Perhaps Wang would have had more leverage if the Isles pre-season game in Kansas City---which also took place on Tuesday night---did not play to a half-empty house. Had there been a sellout---or at the very least, a good-sized crowd---Wang could have pointed out that if he doesn't get his Lighthouse Project approved, then he'd be willing to move or sell his team to Kansas City, a market with a brand-new arena already in place.

If that was Wang's orginal plan when the pre-season game in Kansas City was scheduled, then let's just say things did not play out the way he wanted.

Pierre LeBrun at espn.com takes a closer look at the failed outing in Kansas City last night, and concludes that KC is not the hockey market Long Island is. Now that's saying something.

So circling back, what exactly are Wang's options? He is holding firm to an "all or nothing"---as Gallof refers to it---non-negotiable take on his enormous development project. It's not just the arena he wants. Wang wants the hotels, retail, etc. to transform the area by Hempstead Turnpike, as well. But without a real threat to leave---OK, perhaps Jim Balsillie could offer to take the team off Wang's hands and move it to Hamilton---Wang lacks the leverage to get the whole enchilada.

There has been talk of the Isles considering a move to Brooklyn, where the New Jersey Nets basketball team plans to move into a still-to-be-built-or-even-approved arena. But in Gallof's opinion, "Brooklyn is not an option. There are so many holes though that, not the least of which is the demographic."

The one thing that could be mutually acceptable to both Wang and the Town of Hempstead is a refurbishing of the antiquated Nassau Coliseum, though who would pay for what would also be hotly debated. There has actually been discussion about refurbishing the old barn in Nassau, one that would add the necessary suites and other popular amenities to suit Wang, though it might take upwards of two or three years to complete.

The bottom line here, though, is that, yet again, Islanders fans can not enjoy the moment without worrying what about is around the corner. Yay, Tavares is here! Ugh, the Islanders may be skipping town!

It has been this way really for the past decade or so, ever since one Islanders owner after another has tried to figure out how to land a new arena to stop the financial bleeding that, reportedly, costs Wang about $20 million annually.

"The past 15 years have been excruciating for the Islander fan," stated Gallof, who does provide some optimism on his blog in that top Town of Hempstead officials have told him they expect a new arena to be built...at some point.

"These fans are just tired of it all. They are damaged by it."

Posted in , , , , | Comment Now!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)