Turkey Day and other thoughts

I know it is a little late, but I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Wow, it has been a long time since I have been to a hockey game. My family has had season tickets for over 20 years now, and I remember back in my 20's when I wouldn't even think of missing a home Islander game. Man, how times have changed.

Now in my 30's and two little girls at home, unfortunately attending games at the Coliseum becomes less of a priority. Don't get me wrong, I love the Islanders and still attend as many games as I can but it has become increasingly more difficult. Hopefully, I am raising my daughters in an Islanders household, where they will understand as they become older what a priviledge it is to have a local hockey team and beyond that, being able to attend the games.

As I sit here and watch the old classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, I realize yet again, I will not be attending the game tonight. I am hoping after probably 10 straight hours of Christmas movies I will be watching the game on television tonight.

On to the Islanders...

What is going on in the goal scoring category lately? The offense has become absolutely anemic. The Islanders are actually playing excellent defense...imagine if they actually start putting the biscuit in the net?

I have to say, I am impressed with the way the Rangers are playing. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty happy when they lose, but winning their past 10 of 12? That is pretty impressive. Too bad we have dominated them so far this season.

Goals for Andy....

I hate to come down on guys, but as I hope to bring you honest insights from me, I am making a request to Santa to bring Andy some goals. Yesterday, during the Bruins game he had two glorious opportunities to put the puck in the net, but once again, he came up short. And Howie and Billy were making comments how Andy has no luck. I gotta say guys, it has nothing to do with luck. He just can't finish.

And my case in point: Andy had another opportunity to put the puck in the wide open net last night, and he completely missed. I actually had my hands raised as I thought it was a sure goal. And I wasn't the only one frustrated about it last night. If you watched the post game interview with Ted Nolan he was clearly unhappy as well.

Sincerely,

Michael

Al Arbour: 1500 Games, November 3, 2007

Well, unfortunately I was not able to be at the game tonight. I couldn't find a sitter for the girls, but that may have been a blessing in disguise.

Now, don't get me wrong, I would love to be at the game tonight but watching on television does provide some benefits. As I write this at approximately 6:18 pm, I am watching the pregame ceremonies dedicated to Al Arbour; something I would most likely not see if I were at the game.

As all of us know, this is quite a special night. With a astonishing 739 wins the man is a legend in Islander history and the history of the NHL. Bringing 4 straight cups to the Island and helping the Islanders to upset the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs, are just a few of his accomplishments. To view that game against the Penguins, click here.

He also made one of the shrewdest coaching moves that caused the NHL to revamp its rulebook. During a playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1982, with the Islanders down 3-1 and 5 minutes to play in game 5, and about to have a powerplay, Al pulled Billy Smith and inserted Roland Melanson. At the time, goaltenders were allowed a brief warm up period. Melanson was given his time to warm up and this allowed the Islanders deadly first powerplay unit with Bossy, Trottier, Gillies, Potvin etc. to rest their legs. As it turns out, the Islanders tied the game, went to overtime, and won the game 4-3.

The ceremony tonight just shows you how the Islanders franchise has really come full circle. Charles Wang has put all of his resources and support into this team, and this really shows all Islander fans how much he really cares not only about this franchise, but also the precious history it represents. Garth Snow has also done an excellent job and hopefully all Islander fans appreciate what he has done during his short tenure as the general manager of the Islanders.

And what a ceremony after the game. Showing old photos and highlights on the big screen and bringing back some of the alumni was just the icing on the cake. Well done Garth and Charles.

On to the game....

Sidney Crosby and the boys come to town. 7 games against the Isles, 14 assists against the Islanders so far in his young career....wow

Quite an inspiring comeback by the Isles. For those of you who were watching the game from home it was quite a treat to have Nolan miked up on the bench. Hearing him joke with Al Arbour and talking a little bit of strategy on the bench was interesting.

I am not usually one to buy into this sort of stuff, but you have to wonder how much the presence of Arbour on the bench really inspired the guys to go out and give it their all as they did in the third period. You have to think they really wanted to not only win the game for themselves but really make it a special night for Al.

Let's hope Ricky is okay. Whenever you see a player, especially a goaltender, sustain any type of injury near the eye, there has to be some concern. Nolan did say after the game that Ricky walked out under his own power, so lets hope everything is fine. Dubie came in and did an excellent job to get the win for the Isles.

And Miro finally breaks out....he and Wasicek just seem to click really well together. On Miro's second goal, it was all made possible by Wasicek. He hit the breaks in the offensive zone and made a perfect pass to Miro who beat Fleury blocker side upstairs. Lets hope Miro continues with his fine play.

Next game should be a good one. Hopefully the Islanders can keep rolling and hand the Rangers a loss.




Michael