Two-Minute Minors

Posts under the "Two-Minute Minors" heading will give me the opportunity to catch up on some quick-hit items that aren't related and don't necessarily demand their own posts.

Brent Sutter

It will be strange to see Brent Sutter behind the bench in New Jersey this year. When the Islanders began looking for a new coach during the 2005-06 season, I was really hoping they could somehow lure old #21 back to Long Island. But none of the comments coming out of Red Deer suggested that the timing was right, and I quickly gave up on the idea of seeing Brent back with the Islanders. Fortunately, we have Ted Nolan. I hope he has a long and distinguished career with the Islanders. That being said, I'd like to see the day when this particular Sutter finds his way back to the organization. Perhaps after Ted wins a Stanley Cup and retires with nothing more to accomplish.

Mike Milbury

I was glad to see that Mike will be replacing Brett Hull on NBC's NHL telecasts for the upcoming season. Mike always had interesting things to say and gave frank answers to questions that many coaches and GMs would have deflected with clichés. There were times when Mike was the only reason that the media paid any attention to the Islanders. That, of course, simply calls attention to the poor performance of the team under Mike's leadership. I'm looking forward to being entertained by Mr. Milbury without having his commentary inextricably linked to the fortunes of the team.

WFAN

SportsRadio 66 WFAN has announced that Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton will take over as permanent hosts of the morning drive show. I'm not sold on Esiason as an everyday, four-hours-a-day, go-to personality, but I'm curious to see how he does. All I know about Carton is what I've read in the papers the last few days. I find it odd that WFAN hired someone who has been criticized on more than one occasion for exactly the type of comments that resulted in Don Imus getting fired. But my real disappointment here is that the station didn't choose to pair Boomer with Chris Carlin. In the parade of guest hosts that covered the morning shift this summer, I found Carlin to be the most entertaining and pleasant to listen to. I imagine he will continue to have a significant role at the station. Maybe he will be the update guy on Esiason and Carton in the Morning. Carlin would surely add a worthwhile element to the show.

Now to bring this back around to the Islanders, WFAN's new morning show is being characterized as sports-focused and in line with the rest of the station's programming day. Here's to hoping that it's a hockey friendly show. To me, that means that hockey isn't only discussed when Gary Bettman hands out a 20+ game suspension.