Island Hopping

Two games in two days, four days off. Two games in two days, three days off. Lately, the schedule brings to mind island hopping. With the most recent two games anchored in the middle of a nine-day ocean, I think it's a good time to reset.

So put on your seatbelts as we take this puddle jumper on a three-hour tour of the Islanders archipelago.

Greg Logan reports that Kurtis McLean's footy foot injury is a dastardly ruptured Achilles tendon. Saying that this type of injury is a major impediment to the career prospects of a 28-year-old career minor leaguer may be an understatement. All the best to Kurtis for a quick and successful recovery.

A lot of people want to get on him for the way in which he injured himself. These types of cross-training warmups are fairly common throughout sports. A pitcher loosening his arm by throwing a football (or in El Duque's case, a softball) is probably the most common example. I'm not going to get on McLean because I'm in no position to say whether the injury was directly caused by the activity. It's entirely possible that the tendon was already vulnerable and regular hockey activity would have brought the same result. That being said, I think it's worth it for trainers and physicians to explore further whether it's risky for even highly conditioned athletes to engage in activities that use the body in ways that aren't required by their normal training. But, again, sometimes you just get hurt.

Also in Newsday, Tim Jackman is satisfied with his role but still looking to improve his game, and Joey MacDonald is ready to return. This is an important stretch for MacDonald as he's lost some ground to Yann Danis. On the other hand, perceptions being what they are (hard to shake), MacDonald might do better on the open market than Danis.

In the most recent Islanders Insider, Brendan Witt and Kyle Okposo do not have a problem with Alexander Ovechkin's 50th goal celebration, and Garth Snow compares Okposo's stickhandling ability to a lizard's tongue. The column also makes us relive the horror of Teemu Selanne breaking Mike Bossy's record for goals by a rookie. (For me, the horror was not the celebration, but the fact that the record was broken.)

The Ovechkin question is a weird one for me because I usually can't stand this type of scripted celebration. Generally speaking, if you hit a home run, and that's your job, round the bases and get off the field in a dignified manner. If you're a wide receiver and you catch a touchdown pass, you have similarly merely done your job.

Of course, there are times when circumstances call for, and intrinsically create, displays of enthusiasm. Such displays often endure as a classic moments, whereas their scripted counterparts run for a day and a half on SportsCenter. Ovechkin's 50th is clearly the latter. However, his hot stick routine came across more as Look how much fun I'm having! than simply Look at me! That doesn't mean that Rick Tocchet won't have someone take a run at him next time. In this game, that's okay too.

In the Post, Dan Martin confirms what many of us having been saying all year: the current players aren't at all focused on who might be joining them from the 2009 NHL Draft class.

Point Blank shows that time heals by throwing some love to this space's actual lease holder (I'm the sub-tenant), BD, and also speculates that Thursday night's Meet Me at the Marriott event will be more interesting than you might have anticipated. Messrs. Wang, Rechler, and Suozzi have something up their sleeves?

Lighthouse Hockey gives careful and well-thought-out consideration to re-signing Doug Weight. It's a complicated equation, and Dominik does a terrific job of breaking down the contribution factors.

Following the recent no-point weekend(!), the Isles stand six points clear of Tampa Bay and eight points clear of Colorado for 30th place in the overall standings.

Starting Wednesday night, the Isles play three games in four days (Minnesota at home on Wed., at Detroit on Friday, and back home for Philadelphia on Saturday). The Wild come into town with a disappointing 34-30-8 record (4th in the Northwest division, right on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference). The holders of one of the best looking home jerseys in the NHL finally got Marian Gaborik back, but now face a stretch without leading scorer Mikko Koivu. The Wild will pay a visit to the Garden tonight before heading east to take on native Minnesotans Okposo and Jack Hillen (pending Andy Sutton's return).

By Sunday, we should be able to put much of the calculating to rest. One thing you can be sure of: St. Louis and Stamkos, Stastny and Svatos, and Mueller and Turris aren't playing for draft position either.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20205.)

Five-Minute Major and a Double-Minor for 8/19/08

All-Time Athletes Named Michael Update

It seems this was not the only New York sports blog to catch yesterday's SportsCenter list of All-Time Athletes Named Michael. While searching for the complete list, I came across a post on the subject in the forums over at Big Blue Interactive. The writer of the post was dismayed that ESPN did not include Michael Strahan on the list. Fair enough.

The funny thing, though, is that I still don't have the complete rundown. A respondent to the post on Big Blue Interactive tried to reproduce the top ten to the best of his recollection, and it went like this:

Jordan
Phelps
Tyson
Schmidt
Johnson
Some fisher
An Islander
Coach K
Dikta
A [sic] forgot the other one

At least the fact that there was an Islander was memorable.

A second respondent noted that F-1 driver Michael Schumacher has to be included. The thing is, now that I think about it, Schumacher may in fact have been on the list, ranked one rung higher than Mike Bossy. So maybe this particular Giants fan equated racing with fishing and replaced Schumacher with "Some fisher?"

So I think we are left with just one name in our noble pursuit of those who join Michael Dean Bossy at the Round Table of Mikeness.

Other nominees from the Giants faithful included Piazza, Spinks, Modano, Richter, Singletary, and Webster.


Have You Been Looking for Dominik?

I've been meaning to give a quick plug to a great Islanders blogger who recently changed hosts. If you're wondering what happened to Islander Frontier, both the preceding link and the link in the sidebar are updated. Dominik tells us that this new home for his blog may only be a temporary bridge to his eventual destination, but I thought it worth a mention in case any of his readers haven't found the current location. If you haven't read Islander Frontier previously, Dominik has a very engaging writing style and consistently interesting perspectives on all things Islanders.


Third Jersey in November?

Over at Icethetics, a reader has provided a schedule for the rollout of third jerseys, including dates for their on-ice debuts and availability to retailers. If the information is correct (and there's no way to corroborate it at this point), the Islanders will wear their new third jerseys for the first time on Saturday, November 1, against Montreal.

Surprisingly, retailers would not get the new sweaters until Thursday, November 6. This is not consistent with what I was told at the NHL Store. We'll have to see, but those of you who were looking forward to a late August/early September purchase may have to wait a couple of months. I'll be sure to pass along any new information as soon as I can.

Bossy an All-Time Mike

I just flipped on SportsCenter to find them showing highlight clips of Mike Bossy. So stunned was I to see this that I immediately and melodramatically assumed that something terrible had happened. Why else would ESPN be talking about Mike Bossy? In the middle of August?

To my great relief, SportsCenter was simply featuring Boss as part of its Top Ten All-Time Athletes Named Michael. No. 22 ranked No. 9 on the list. I missed No. 10 and haven't yet found the list online, but I will try to add it later for your viewing pleasure.

Among the other great Michaels were Schmidt (another favorite of mine), Ditka, Krzyzewski, Tyson, Phelps, Johnson (I believe) and, at the top of the list, Jordan.

As much as I admire Krzyzewski's coaching career, I quibble with his inclusion on a list of great athletes. Coach K's playing career didn't advance beyond being captain of the basketball team at Army. Is there that much of a dearth of athletes named Michael that they had to include a coach? We'll have to think about that.

If I can procure the rest of the list we can debate the inclusions, exclusions, and order. But for now, a hearty "good job" to ESPN (did I just say that?) for not overlooking Mr. Bossy.

I know, not the most exciting news. But we have a full roster and a full coaching staff, and it's the middle of August.

NYI Top 10 Individual Seasons

Just one (for now) comment (okay, correction) on this latest list put out by the Islanders on their Web site.

At No. 8 we have Brent Sutter with 42 goals and 60 assists for an impressive 102 points. According to the article, "Sutter led the team in assists in the 84-85 season, and was just six goals off Bossy’s team leading 48 scores."

Mike Bossy never totaled 48 goals in an NHL season. He broke 50 in each of his first nine seasons, a feat still unmatched by any other player. During the season in question, 1984-85, Bossy actually tallied 58 goals, or 16 more than Sutter. It was only during Bossy's injury shortened tenth and final season that he failed to crack the 50 mark, settling for 38 goals in 63 games.

This message brought to you by the Coalition to Protect the Legacy of Mike Bossy, est. July 12, 2008.

Looking Back: Mikko Makela

I was going to title this post "Remembering: Mikko Makela," but then I thought people might think he had died. Mikko is very much alive and well. Anyway, with little news of note from the Islanders (Tomas Marcinko notwithstanding), I thought it might be time to take a look back at Islanders of the past to see where their careers took them and, if possible, where they are today. If the off-season drags on for as long as it feels like it's going to right now, perhaps this will be a regular feature.

So, why Mikko Makela? For me, he played a very important, though unfulfilled role in my life as an Islanders fan. He was a bridge from the Cup teams to the modern era. However, there was more to it than that.

As it became more and more obvious that Mike Bossy's angry back would prevent him from putting the proper exclamation points on his Hall-of-Fame career, I had an opening to fill—albeit with sorrow and reluctance. You see, Mikko Makela was also the heir-apparent to the role of my favorite Islander. Hoo boy.

Those were big skates to fill. Bossy wasn't just my favorite Islander, he was my favorite athlete. The fact that he actually was a legend in everybody else's eyes, too, certainly wasn't going to make it easy on the next guy.

But there was something about Mikko. He and Bossy were similar in stature, though give the edge in size to the young Finn. More importantly, Makela had a sniper's touch. He was a goal scorer with a quick and accurate shot. Who better to follow in the strides of the greatest sniper of them all? It also didn't hurt that his name was fun to say.

In my eyes, the defining moment for Makela as an Islander came in the 1987 Patrick Division Final against the Philadelphia Flyers. With the Isles having lost the first game at the Spectrum, Game 2 was winding down with the teams tied 2-2. The Isles received a golden opportunity when the Flyers were called for too many men in the final minute.

In what felt like the stuff of legends at the time, Makela snuck a well-placed shot by Ron Hextall with three seconds left in regulation to send the Isles back home with a split. (For a trip back in time—21 years ago tomorrow—read a recap here.) The momentum was shortlived as the Flyers took Game 3 by the score of 4-1 and went on to win the series in seven games.

Overall, Makela shone brightly and briefly for the Islanders. He played on Long Island for four seasons before being traded to the L.A. Kings for Ken Baumgartner and Hubie McDonough part way into his fifth season in November 1989.

That 1986-87 season was a major step forward for Makela, as he tallied 24 goals and 33 assists for 57 points. He followed that season up with a true breakout year in 1987-88 when he put up impressive totals of 36-40-76. Makela led the Islanders in shooting percentage on more than occasion and even found himself among the league leaders in that category.

It all went south quickly. Makela never again scored more than 45 points in an NHL season. He was out of the league by the start of the 1991-92 season except for an 11-game cameo with the Boston Bruins after the lockout in 1994-95. Surrounding that stint, he did achieve some success playing in Finland, Sweden, and Germany. He retired as a player in 1999.

In the years since his playing days ended, Makela has stayed in the hockey scene, perhaps in ways you wouldn't have imagined. He served as an assistant coach for Lethbridge of the WHL (where he met his wife while competing in the 1987 Canada Cup) for the first few months of the 2002-03 season before taking over as head coach in December 2002. He remained in that position until January 2004. Makela also spent time as a junior coach and GM in Finland.

In 2007, Makela established Mikko Makela's Hockey Program, a hockey skills and strength and conditioning development program also based in Lethbridge. He serves as owner/director/instructor for the program, which has four other staff members.

My hopes that Mikko would become the Islanders' next perennial 50-goal scorer never were realized. Despite that disappointment, I do have fond memories of rooting for him and was pleased to find him still involved in the game.

hockeydb.com, islesinfo.com, and HockeyDraftCentral.com served as additional sources for this article.

Catching Up with the Core

(New content below including note about comments.) Let's go right to the good stuff, shall we? In between today's Walk of Champions and on-ice Core of the Four ceremony, members of the Core were available to the media in the locker room area of the Coliseum. I was able to get a few minutes with Bryan Trottier (after Mike Francesa and Mark Herrman were done with him) and Ken Morrow (right, during the Walk). Here's some of what they had to say:

Bryan Trottier
On the depth of leadership of the Cup teams...

"Oh, it was a great group of guys. They were really special like that. Everybody was a leader in their own right, and we all loved it. Everybody had leadership qualities. Somebody would say something and everybody would listen. It was great respect. Yeah, different guys had different roles, different ice times, and that kind of thing, but everybody had a role on the leadership. It didn't seem to matter who got called upon, what the situation was, we knew that depth was our biggest asset--in intensity and in coming up with big plays and in leadership, character. And we used to say to ourselves, 'Man, I wouldn't want to play against this team.'"

On whether he and Mike Bossy have a more active role in bringing the alumni back together for these types of events now that they are back with the organization...

"We would like to be more involved but really the responsibility is still Garth and Ted to that degree. Mike is really concentrating on sales and marketing, and I'm really working with the player development at the AHL level. So, whenever we can have input at this level we enjoy it and have had to date, and we'll continue and embrace it because we love to see this place sort of rockin' and rollin'--whatever we can do to help. I mean, that's why we're here."

On whether he's concerned about celebrations of his era having run their course and being phased out...

"No, we just enjoy today. We don't think about tomorrow. Not yet. Today we'll...talk to me next week, I don't know, today I'm on a high--I don't know!"

You can watch video of this interview with additional questions from my Blog Box colleagues Tom Liodice of The Tiger Track and Ken Dick of Okposo Net right here, courtesy of Tom (yes, that's the actual Stanley Cup in the background, just beyond Deb Kaufman):



Ken Morrow
On being part of two of the greatest championship teams in hockey history...

"Well, yeah, two great hockey moments anyway. Wow, and you know, two of them happened in the same year. I had to pinch myself, you know, it was a career year by any standard. You know, I go through the Olympics and I thought nothing would ever top that, and then three months later I'm skating around with the Stanley Cup. So, I just consider myself real fortunate."

On having two groups of celebrated teammates to look forward to getting back together with...

"I'm like the king of reunions here, you know, because the Olympic team, if anything, it seems to be growing in stature. We've had more of these reunions and celebrations, and then the Islanders the last few years--just a lot of fun for us. I just hope the people don't get tired of seeing us!"

Video of the Morrow interview, also courtesy of Tom (look for Bob Bourne, Duane Sutter, Bill Torrey, John Tonelli, and Al Arbour in the background):



To me, the most noteworthy aspect of the Core of the Four celebration was the manner in which the on-ice introductions were performed. Normally in these situations, the players are introduced in ascending order of stature. On this occasion, the ceremony began with Jiggs McDonald introducing the five players in attendance whose numbers have been retired. Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies, Trottier, Mike Bossy, and Bobby Nystrom then introduced the rest of their Core teammates. It was a nice touch to see the star players recognize the role players.

In the interest of getting this content up as quickly as possible, I'm going to post it now. However, we are not done yet! Please keep checking back for more tonight and/or tomorrow, including photos, more details about the Core of the Four celebration, and, unfortunately, notes from the game itself.

Mike Francesa interviews Bryan Trottier
At this point, I don't know why the Comments option isn't always showing up on the blog's home page in Internet Explorer. However, if you click the title of the post, you will be able to access the comments from the individual post page. Alternatively, it seems to be working fine in Firefox.

As you could tell from the Ken Morrow video, the players assembled in and around the tunnel area before the ceremony began. There was a bit of a scramble as the 1980 replica home white jerseys were pulled out of duffel bags one or two at a time and staff members tried to track down the necessary players. I enjoyed a humorous moment with Brad Kurtzberg of Inside Hockey as a very young staffer, perhaps an intern or volunteer, was asked if he knew what Denis Potvin looked like and the young man had no choice but to admit that he didn't. However, despite the generation gap and the fact that some players were still lingering in the hallway outside the locker room, all members of the Core were accounted for and properly sweatered.

About those sweaters. As I saw one being pulled out of a black duffel bag, I immediately recognized the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics patch that adorned the sleeves of the Islanders 28 years ago. Nice job by whomever was responsible for taking care of such details. And didn't the sweaters look terrific? Simple and classic, they were a sight for eyes sore from looking at too many patches of alternating color and unnecessary piping. Seeing the current Islanders on the ice in the same jerseys convinced me even more (as though I needed more convincing) that that's how the Islanders are supposed to look.

It was both bizarre and great to see the names Morrow, Nystrom, Potvin, Bossy, etc., buzzing around the ice during pre-game warmups. Bill Guerin looked solid wearing Denny Potvin's name, number and captain's C. Trent Hunter was scheduled to be one of two players emulating Mike Bossy along with Miro Satan, but with Aaron Johnson scratched, Hunter snatched up his own number and played the part of Stefan Persson. For the game itself, the Islanders took the ice wearing their current white jerseys as a tribute, which led me to wonder why they didn't just have a set of 1980 replicas made up for the game.

It's almost a shame to mix in notes from the game with this event, but I have a few more pictures to post so maybe that will keep the mood lighter. I'll limit the coverage of the 1-0 loss to Florida to a few observations. Wade Dubielewicz looked calm and steady from the opening faceoff and never really faltered. He may have blamed himself for allowing that rebound to get to Booth in the first place, but Booth fired a wicked shot by Dubie. Even though it was only 1-0 with five minutes left in the first period, it was easy to note that the Isles' sense of urgency was not as high as I expected it to be. In fact, the sense I got from the crowd was that many fans felt like they were watching the season die before their eyes. A play with just under 3:00 left in the first typified the effort. A faceoff was pulled back to Hunter, who drew his stick back and waited for the puck to arrive so he could shoot. While he was waiting, a Panther got to it before it got to him.

With about 16:30 left in the second period, Mike Comrie had an opportunity very similar to the one on which Florida scored. Comrie hit the post with his wrister. The Isles continued to generate scoring chances consistently, and certainly looked like they could break the game open. The passing of the 6:00 mark saw a great shift by Sean Bergenheim at both ends of the ice. You know all about how the Isles were peppering Craig Anderson with shots without getting one by him. In the meantime, Jeremy Colliton and Blake Comeau were effectively throwing their weight around. With just under five minutes remaining in the second, the Kid Line generated a flurry of scoring opportunities, but Anderson flopped, spread, and stifled every one of them. With 2:17 remaining, I noted that I had never seen anything quite like this. As the shot total hit a team-record 29 for the period, I asked myself, "What's the record for most shots in a game without a goal?" We now know that Islanders set that record in this game going back to 1955 when the stat became official.

It was more of the same in the third. You can easily summarize the period, and the game, by saying that the intensity was there, but the lack of playmaking and finishing was fatal. After the game, Ted Nolan mentioned that the team had "25-30 good opportunities," "played well enough to win," and "battled and created a lot of opportunities." But the statement "We gave what we had to give" does not bode well, for what they had to give was not nearly enough.

Talking to the media, Mike Comrie looked more upset, shellshocked really, than I have seen a player look this year. His demeanor and facial expressions would have been appropriate for a player who just lost the Stanley Cup Finals after leading three games to none. Dubielewicz observed that the team played safe in the first period and desperate in the second. He, Comrie, and Guerin suggested that the lack of desperation in the first was inexcusable.

The Islanders have one more opportunity to get on a roll before they find themselves having to win twelve straight or something like that in order to stay alive. This post was so much more fun when it was only about the Core of the Four.

Ah, one more thing. I had intended to take pictures of the brand new Islanders Hall of Fame plaques. However, having experienced the difficulty of doing that well at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and knowing that Mike Schuerlein has already done it well, please visit his gallery for a great look at the hardware.

You Say Ovechkin, I Say...Well, I Say Ovechkin Too

OK, so bad example.

Thanks to Islanders Army and Japers' Rink for picking up the previous post on the advertising travesty that is the Versus "60" commercial. I realize that "travesty" may be a little strong, especially if you're not an Islanders fan who views the commercial as a tremendous slight to Mike Bossy. And that is what this post is about: diverse perspectives.

Prior to Wednesday night's game against the Caps, I was looking forward to paying a visit to Japers' Rink to see what the opposition was saying about the upcoming game. Reading the Gamenight preview and its accompanying comments was an eye-opener.

Let me say right from the outset that the purpose of this post is not to stir anything up with Caps fans. The Caps have an outstanding blogging community and I have enjoyed reading Japers' Rink since the operators first contacted Isles bloggers for quotes before the first meeting of the season between these two teams. It's a very sharp bunch over there, as well demonstrated by this comment from Sean, who said after viewing the Versus commercial:

"Hull's name shown inside the crease...someone at Versus a Sabres fan?"

Now that was an inspired observation. The purpose here is to show how our opinions as hockey fans are colored by different perspectives and the biases formed by having an allegiance to a particular team. It is also an opportunity to get a glimpse of how the Islanders are perceived around the league.

In the Gamenight post for Wednesday, JP wrote:

"I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you're gonna make the playoffs, you've gotta beat the teams you've gotta beat. This certainly is one of those teams, and one with whom the Caps shouldn't have a whole hell of a lot of trouble."

Replace "Caps" with "Isles" and I was thinking the exact same thing. Granted, the Isles give away a lot in offensive talent to the Caps. The teams obviously have very different strengths at this point. The Isles have tightened up their defense and goaltending, and produced some timely scoring, to turn a seven-game losing streak around into what is now a six-game winning streak. The Caps have played much better under Bruce Boudreau and are in contention to win the Southeast. However, the teams entered the game with nearly identical records. In reality, neither of us had any real reason to dismiss the other team.

The first comment in response to the Gamenight post began with this:

"When a club sucks -- and the Isles do..."

This is where I ask, "Really?" And then I wonder, "Is this what the rest of the NHL's fans think? And, if so, is it merely a function of the recent losing streak that saw the Isles plummet out of the playoff picture?" I understand that no one looks over the roster and trembles with fear. But when a team has won four in a row and is a point ahead of you in the standings, where does the motivation come from to say that they suck? What followed, of course, was a reasonable assessment of how the Isles would probably win playing the style that best suits their circumstances. And it must be frustrating to anticipate losing to a team with marginal talent. But the talent level is far from the complete story with this Islanders team. Yet, the team still seems to be paying for the sins of the '90s and the accompanying joke-franchise label. The perception is that it's still one of the easiest teams to put down, and that it's deserving of those put-downs. The results achieved over the last six seasons, while not stellar or brag-worthy, should suggest otherwise.

After the game, there was more of the same in the Thursday Open Thread. One comment began:

"What an opportunity, a crappy team limps its way into town..."

And further down the line:

"This one really pissed me off. The FRIGGIN ISLANDERS for crap's sake!"

Maybe this is more about the current state of affairs--no superstars and injuries lowering the bar even further. I was simply taken aback by the lack of consideration given to the Isles by a few fans and wanted to muse about what's behind it. Is it the past? The present? A combination of both, and add in a hint of unconventional ownership philosophies? Perhaps some fans of other NHL franchises will let us know what still drives their perception of the Islanders. The team has no current claim to the upper echelon. I think it does have a claim against being summarily dismissed. But maybe I'm just biased. Or easily swayed by six-game winning streaks.

Let me reiterate that the point here wasn't to call anyone out. I'm fully aware that there are probably Islanders fans taking similar shots at the Capitals on some comment thread or message board. In a way, seeing our teams from the perspective of rival fans keeps us honest. At the very least, it provides us with an opportunity to do a critical examination of our own teams with less influence from our natural biases.

A Few Questions

Can the Isles win five in a row?
I read the other day that the Islanders have not had a five-game winning streak since 1994. If not for the seven-year drought, I would have a hard time comprehending that. Even taking the dark days into consideration, it's a remarkable note. (Correction: I looked into this further. According to the Islanders 2007-2008 Media Guide, they actually won six games in a row in December 2003.) It would be nice to see this team, at this point of the season, put up a five-spot on the schedule. Nonetheless, I'm not going to pin down such a streak as a must-have. The Isles can still afford to lose a game here and there. They don't have to nearly run the table. What they can't afford is any more losing streaks, even of the two- and three-game variety. If you haven't checked out James Mirtle's playoff push, the latest version shows that the Islanders need to finish up the season 14-7-1 in order to earn the estimated number of points that will be required to qualify for the playoffs. Right now he's putting that number at 92 in the Eastern Conference. I'm not currently buying the premise put forth in the Yahoo! Power Rankings that the Isles have too many teams to climb over. At this point, they can still just take care of their own business and keep climbing.

How far can the defensive corps bend before it breaks?
The loss of Andy Sutton hurts because replacing a 6'6" defenseman with a 6'1" defenseman simply isn't an even exchange. Hopefully Drew Fata can bring to the table comparable toughness and shutdown defense, if not comparable size. When I heard that Sutton would be out 4-6 weeks, my first thought was that Garth Snow's trade-deadline mission was now clear: acquire a big, stay-at-home defenseman above all else. Then I realized that Bruno Gervais is still considered day-to-day and Brendan Witt is considered anywhere from one to three weeks away. On top of that, Islander Frontier presents a pretty convincing argument for standing pat with the defense. The only scary part is the lack of available depth should the Gervais or Witt injuries linger or if someone else (bite my tongue) gets hurt. But, as we all know, this team's success hinges on top-to-bottom effort and playing the system. As long as the team as a whole is giving maximum effort and playing the system, I'm willing to believe that a young, inexperienced defenseman can step in during the stretch run and play up to speed if necessary. By the way, another Mirtle metric, his Rod Langway Award, exposes exactly what the Islanders are missing in Witt. Going by this measurement, at the time of his injury, Witt was the tenth-best defensive defenseman in the league.

Forgetting Someone, Versus?
Versus is currently running a commercial for its NHL coverage that centers around Alexander Ovechkin's quest for 60 goals. To build up the prestige of the accomplishment, the ad displays the names of great NHL goal scorers who previously reached the standard for which Ovechkin is now shooting. I'm doing this from memory, so forgive me if my recollection is faulty. The names we see in the commercial include Gretzky, Lemieux, Brett Hull, Esposito, and Lafleur. Can you think of anybody else whose inclusion would have been appropriate in a list of great goal scorers who put sixty pucks in the net? And it's not as though Mike Bossy occupies some lower quadrant of this list. See for yourself:

Player	60-Goal Seasons	Milestone Breakdown
Gretzky	5	60(1x), 70(2x), 80(1x), 90(1x)
Bossy	5	60(5x)
Lemieux	4	60(2x), 70(1x), 80(1x)
Esposito	4	60(3x), 70(1x)
Br. Hull	3	70(2x), 80(1x)
Lafleur	1	60(1x)

That's right, Bossy is at the top of the list with Gretzky in this department. Granted, Bossy never hit any of those other sexy numbers. But his exclusion from this campaign is a shame.

Update: OK, so either I was imaging things or there's an edited version of the commercial. I just saw it again and the only names shown were Gretzky, Lemieux, and Hull. That would give the list a more contemporary slant, which certainly would be understandable in trying to relate Ovechkin to the recent greats who have accomplished the feat. If anyone has seen this ad with Espo and Lafleur included, please let us know. Otherwise, I have no idea why thoughts of those guys are in my head presently.

Update II: Ha, I'm not crazy! I guess Versus is showing this thing just about every commercial break now. Indeed, there is a version that includes the Esposito and Lafleur names! And a gaping hole where #22 should be.

Meyer Re-Ups, Campoli Down and Out

At least now we know that the dour expression on Chris Campoli's face in the locker room Saturday night wasn't simply the result of watching his mates blow a two-goal lead. Still, it was quite a shock to get home from work, turn the computer on, and find that Campoli's step-forward season has come to a premature end due. Just as surprising was the announcement that the contract of Freddy Meyer has been extended two years. How closely the two events are related is hard to say.

It's possible that the extension for Meyer was rushed into being in order to instill confidence in him as his role suddenly becomes that much more secure. However, I tend to doubt that Meyer really needed such a boost. His overall play over the last 20 games likely had more to do with Garth Snow being convinced that it was time to give Meyer more security. Let's not forget that despite being demoted, scratched, and bounced around the country this year, Meyer was always a well-regarded prospect, and he now seems to be fulfilling his potential. Certainly Meyer is at least as deserving of the two-year deal as Brent Sopel was of the three-year pact he just got from the Hawks.

To me, the key factor as far as Campoli is concerned is the loss of continuity in his development. The season-ending surgery surely leaves a hole in the roster, but it's not one that the rest of the corps can't come together to cover up. Campoli took a step forward this year, not a giant leap. Defensively, he has been physically stronger, more positionally sound, and generally a responsible, reliable blueliner. Offensively, he was just barely on pace to match his rookie-season numbers. No, he didn't have Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin to play with the way Mike Green does. But at some point, the Islanders need a quarterback whose presence in the lineup is not subject to his defensive shortcomings. It's disappointing that we'll have to wait until 2008-09 to see if Campoli can be that guy.


Happy Birthday to Mike Bossy, born on this date in 1957.

What's Cooking?

An overtime loss to a team missing its two biggest stars and playing a goalie making only his second start in nearly a month. A complete wipeout against a team that hadn't won a game at home in regulation since November 30th. Combine that with a road trip that now travels to Vancouver, Calgary, and Ottawa (6, 7, and 14 points better), and you have a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, this Islanders team seems to have a knack for cooking up disasters and then following them with something just sweet enough to remind you what the playoffs taste like. That doesn't make it any more fun. We spent years rooting for this team when it rarely won. That was bitter. These days, it wins just often enough to make it fun. I'd like to see the progression continue to where the team wins more often than not. Another offensive slump does not mix well with Roberto Luongo.

What else is cooking?

I guess Steve Downie's actions weren't quite reckless enough or indicative enough of a pattern of dangerous behavior. What if he got Jason Blake a quarter of an inch higher? Would eye damage be enough of an offense? Yes, players sometimes get hit in the eye during fights, but they shouldn't have to worry about it when they can't defend themselves.

In his midseason report a few days ago, James Mirtle gave Trent Hunter and Brendan Witt honorable mentions for Best Penalty Killer, and Ted Nolan an honorable mention for the Jack Adams Trophy. Always nice to see recognition for the hard workers. Mirtle also advocates a rule change that I wanted to see implemented when the shootout was introduced: a 10-minute overtime. I'm also growing tired of points being awarded for losses, and ties never bothered me that much. Calgary is currently 22-14-7. That doesn't look as good at 22-21 or whatever it would be with a few ties thrown in.

Corey Witt's Road Trip Blog has been an enjoyable read so far. Good stuff from the Islanders' media relations coordinator.

Tip of the hat to Neil Best for mentioning in his Watchdog blog Mike Bossy's appearance with Fran Healy on Halls of Fame. If you missed the show, it airs again Friday at 8:30 PM and Sunday at 6:30 PM.

I'm not going to tell you to enjoy the game this time.

How It All Started

In February 1980 I was seven years old. On a Friday evening, I sat on my parents' bed with my dad and watched the U.S. desperately hold off the Soviets. We were captivated. I had never seen my dad so excited about a game (until I scored my first AYSO goal a few months later). He wasn't even a particularly big hockey fan, but I think he bounced off the bed several times that day. The scene repeated itself the next day during the clincher against Finland. I was hooked. Among Eruzione, McClanahan, Craig, and Pavelich, the player I latched onto most was the one who shared my name: Ken Morrow. After watching him drape a gold medal around his neck, I followed Morrow to his new team. It just so happened that they were pretty good too.

I will always credit Ken Morrow with making me an Islanders fan. But it was the guy streaking down the right side with the deadly accurate shot and the number 22 on his back that cemented my love for the team. I used to wake up the morning after the Islanders played and run to the kitchen to check the box score in The New York Times. I would read every line looking for the name "Bossy" followed by a number. It seemed like he scored every night and those numbers kept climbing.

I became a little jealous of my best friend when I found out that he shared a birthday with Mike Bossy. I thought it was unfair that he had that in common with the player I admired most. As I grew older, I took 22 as my uniform whenever it was available. Two had always been my lucky number, so what could be better than two 2s and a connection to a gentlemanly and wickedly talented All-Star? Later, I wondered if I should have forged my own identity and chosen my own birthday as my number. But I'm still proud to have all of those jerseys, t-shirts, and warm-ups adorned with double-2s.

I was so disappointed when my favorite player was forced to retire in his prime. You only get the chance to admire sports figures in that kid-like way once. It ended too soon. More than missing watching him play, I felt bad that Mike wasn't able to complete his legacy. I still hate watching lesser players pass him on the career goals list. I regard his playoff goal total as the real benchmark by which to measure greatness. Of course, this is only the fan's point of view. I can take comfort in the fact that athletes themselves generally view their careers from a different perspective. I would guess that Mike doesn't need 900 goals or the title of greatest player ever. Ken Morrow doesn't need a Norris Trophy. The titles that these men currently hold with Islanders suggest that they are quite satisfied with their legacies.