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