Islanders Esoteric is going to make a bold prediction. Personally, I am not in the habit of predicting outcomes and such but I feel the need to do so now. I predict that Ricky DiPietro will score a game winning goal. Oh, and I predict we will finish in 7th spot.
RaRa Notes: What a night. There are a total of 10 players who shared the 18 points that the Isles had in player statistics with the 6 goals and 12 assists. And I guess we have quieted all the critiques at least for the night. The esoteric took forever to do. On nights like this with games on consecutive nights I may have to hold off doing the esoteric until the second game.
As my friend, Bob Z pointed out, Mike Comrie is on pace for 184 Goals this year. And this other guy, Mike Shots then mentioned he is also on pace for 164 Assists as well. Well, that makes our new captain on pace for 246 Assists!
When was the last time we won a season opener? Oh yeah. I thought so. Speaking of season openers, will we ever open the season at home again?
Tonight we had the 407th through 413th players take the ice that ever wore an Islanders uniform. Vasicek, Tank, Comrie, Guerin, Sutton, Sim and Bootland have all played a single game and are tied on the alltime games played list at #391. In fact all of our new members were on the scoreboard less Bootland. Vasicek, who scored his first and the seasonís first Goal is the 277th player to ever score as an Islander. He is also the 331st player to score a point as an Islander. Guerin, who had 3 Assists, is the 323rd player to ever score an Assist with the islanders.
Who thought when Comrie went into the box only 55 seconds into the season, "There goes the season!" Yeah, there went the season alright.
You also have to make note that this is what can happen if our boys stay out of penalty trouble.
Ra Ra Log: You may hear me say from time to time, "Please help me with ensuring my numbers are coorect." How can that be? Let me point out the difference between two stats recording sites in the NHL.com and ESPN.com. Look at both these links and see the difference between Ruslan's assists. This was brought to my attention when on the radio, Chris King congratulated Tank for his 100th NHL assist. I guess I will stick with what the NHL and Chris King, backed by my Yoda, Eric Hornick, with the correct stats.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/stats?playerId=264
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8468172&tab=crst
ISLANDERS ESOTERIC
Vasicek
In his first game, his Goal ties him with 45 others at #233rd, including Tank. His Points enters him into the Isles record book at #306th in Assists.
Fedotenko
His first Goal as an Islander makes him the 234th person to score a goal as an Islander. His two assists means he is the 325th person to get a helper and the 332nd player to get a point. In the Assist category, his two assists ties him with 19 others at #272nd. In the Points category, he is tied with 13 others at #274th with 3 Points.
Campoli
Chris played in his 132nd Game and is now is tied with Lindgren at #117th. His 11th Goal with the Islanders lands him in the #116th spot tied with 5 others. His point, his 49th gets him to #102nd on the all- time Points scored roster tied with Steve Konroyd.
Comrie
Had a 4 point night with 2 Goals and 2 Assists. Welcome to Long Island, Mike. He is the 235th and person to score a Goal and an Assist on the Island, respectively. His 2 Goals moves him up to #207th on the all-time Goals list ñ Not bad for his first game! He is tied in Goals with 24 others. He also scored two Assists and is the 324th player to do that. He is at #272nd on that list. His 4 points means he is the 334th player to ever gain a point while in an Islanders uniform. He is tied with 14 others at #259th overall.
Hunter
The last player to score a Goal for the Islanders last night. He played in his 245th Game to break into the top 70 of all players to play with the Isles, a mere 2 GP behind Brad Isbister. His Goal actually ties him with Satan for the lead in goals amongst active players with 62 and #43rd all time. Because of Satanís assist, Trent is now tied with Miro in Points as well with 126 Points at #56th overall.
Gervais
In his 79 Game is 1 Game behind Gerry Desjardin at #163rd amongst players in Games Played. His two Assist night jumps him from #179th all-time to #166th all-time in Assists tied with 5 others with 12 Assists. His two Point evening ties him with erstwhile Islander, Ryan Smyth and 3 others at #175th with their 15 Points.
Guerin
A 3 point night for our neo-captain and is onpace for a 246 Assist season. He is tied with 17 others in Assists at #254th by scoring 3 Assists. He is also at #274th, tied with 13 others with his triple point night. This also makes him the 333rd player to score a Point in the Isles Blue and Orange.
Sillinger
83 Games played. Tied with Park. #153th on the list.
34th Assist. 1 behind Bill MacMillan. #104th on the list.
60 Points. Tied with Rich Pilon and Gord Lane. #89th on the list.
Satan
His assist in his 164th Game is his 64th. That lands him at #67 all-time in Goals and #101st in Games Played tying him with Reichel and Hunter, respectively. Further, his is also tied with Hunter at #56th overall in Points with 126th.
Bergeron
In his 24th Game on the Island at #262nd all-time in Games Played, scored his 16th Assist at #140th on the helper list. This ties him with Joel Bouchard Games Played and 8 others in Assists. He now has 22 Points tied with Gino Odjick at #150th in Points.
PENALTY
Comrie was the first in the box for the season. His 2 Pims enters him in at the all-time Penalty Minutes roster as the 352nd player to ever sin in the sin bin. The 2 PIM ties him with 30 others at #323rd.
Sillinger's 2 PIMs gives him 48 with the Isles and ties him with Rich Kromm At #170th.
Martinek plying in his 254th Game gets his 159th PIM and is at #78th overall.
Suttonís trip to contemplate makes him the 353rd player to PIM. Like Comrie he is tied at #323rd with 30 others.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
It's the most wonderful time of the year
Used with permission from Peter Flynn - flynnpeterj@yahoo.com - U.S. Navy (1999-2005)
"Islanders start season today."
I can't think of four better words to put together other than "Islanders win fifth Cup."
As I watch the glory days of Bossy, Nystrom, Smith, etc. rebroadcast on FSN today, I remember my father telling me that even in those times, the Islanders didn't get the respect they deserved. Reading through the articles written by people that are paid good money to write about hockey, it becomes apparent that we still do not get any respect. Since the cup years, there is good reason for people to doubt this organization. Mad Mike, John Spano, the Rags sweep in 1994, the Fisherman fiasco - pick your reason.
The truth is that the Islanders have slowly built an environment from which a Stanley Cup run can emerge. When we brought in Alexei Yashin and Michael Peca, the message was clear. We're going to try and compete. When neither signing worked out the way it was intended to, the team was once again laughed at.
However, a corner has been turned. It began last year, with the hiring of a real, bona-fide NHL coach for the first time in recent memory. Everyone mocked the Islanders when they announced that Garth Snow was being named General Manager, but with the possible exception of the Ryan Smyth trade deadline deal, he has consistently made solid decision after solid decision. Given Charles Wang's loyalty towards Alexei Yashin, it is obvious that Garth Snow and Ted Nolan must have been very convincing in lobbying Wang to open his wallet and pay a player money to do nothing, a concept alien to many business professionals. The truth is that we are better off paying Yashin not to be here than we were paying him to be in the lineup.
In a pre-season game, new captain Bill Guerin dropped the gloves and fought an opposing player. When was the last time you could say that about an Islanders Captain? During another pre-season game, newly acquired European player Ruslan Fedetenko was the first person to come to the aid of a teammate when they were roughed up behind the play. And who came to the defense of Chris Simon, who at the time was taking on two Rangers at one time? None other than franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro. This team is built out of hard work, camaraderie, and determination. We don't have a Kovalchuk, Crosby, or St. Louis. We do, however, have four offensive lines and six defensemen that will be in your face, working hard sixty minutes every night.
This same coach took a team that was composed of similar players to a Conference Final on the back of a goaltender and a group of 20 players that played as a team. This team may not make the Conference Finals this year, it would be an absolute shocker in fact. But the prognosticators that have picked our team to finish last in the (admittedly tough) Atlantic Division and close to the Eastern Conference basement are in for a surprise. You most likely won't see a parade down Hempstead Turnpike this spring. But for the first time in recent memory, the Islanders have a long term plan. The free agents we signed this year are hard-nosed, hard working veterans that will help to bring back a winning attitude. Last season, it was disappointing to see that other than Rick DiPietro, the player that seemed most upset to lose to a more talented Buffalo squad was Ryan Smyth, a player who had been with the team for la total of 18 games. That will not be the case come playoff time this year.
I believe, do you?
"Islanders start season today."
I can't think of four better words to put together other than "Islanders win fifth Cup."
As I watch the glory days of Bossy, Nystrom, Smith, etc. rebroadcast on FSN today, I remember my father telling me that even in those times, the Islanders didn't get the respect they deserved. Reading through the articles written by people that are paid good money to write about hockey, it becomes apparent that we still do not get any respect. Since the cup years, there is good reason for people to doubt this organization. Mad Mike, John Spano, the Rags sweep in 1994, the Fisherman fiasco - pick your reason.
The truth is that the Islanders have slowly built an environment from which a Stanley Cup run can emerge. When we brought in Alexei Yashin and Michael Peca, the message was clear. We're going to try and compete. When neither signing worked out the way it was intended to, the team was once again laughed at.
However, a corner has been turned. It began last year, with the hiring of a real, bona-fide NHL coach for the first time in recent memory. Everyone mocked the Islanders when they announced that Garth Snow was being named General Manager, but with the possible exception of the Ryan Smyth trade deadline deal, he has consistently made solid decision after solid decision. Given Charles Wang's loyalty towards Alexei Yashin, it is obvious that Garth Snow and Ted Nolan must have been very convincing in lobbying Wang to open his wallet and pay a player money to do nothing, a concept alien to many business professionals. The truth is that we are better off paying Yashin not to be here than we were paying him to be in the lineup.
In a pre-season game, new captain Bill Guerin dropped the gloves and fought an opposing player. When was the last time you could say that about an Islanders Captain? During another pre-season game, newly acquired European player Ruslan Fedetenko was the first person to come to the aid of a teammate when they were roughed up behind the play. And who came to the defense of Chris Simon, who at the time was taking on two Rangers at one time? None other than franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro. This team is built out of hard work, camaraderie, and determination. We don't have a Kovalchuk, Crosby, or St. Louis. We do, however, have four offensive lines and six defensemen that will be in your face, working hard sixty minutes every night.
This same coach took a team that was composed of similar players to a Conference Final on the back of a goaltender and a group of 20 players that played as a team. This team may not make the Conference Finals this year, it would be an absolute shocker in fact. But the prognosticators that have picked our team to finish last in the (admittedly tough) Atlantic Division and close to the Eastern Conference basement are in for a surprise. You most likely won't see a parade down Hempstead Turnpike this spring. But for the first time in recent memory, the Islanders have a long term plan. The free agents we signed this year are hard-nosed, hard working veterans that will help to bring back a winning attitude. Last season, it was disappointing to see that other than Rick DiPietro, the player that seemed most upset to lose to a more talented Buffalo squad was Ryan Smyth, a player who had been with the team for la total of 18 games. That will not be the case come playoff time this year.
I believe, do you?
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Preseason Esoteric Part #3 – 2007-200 Milestones
I am going to start off with current active Islander players and their stats while playing with the NY Islanders. Here are upcoming milestones that can be attained this season:
Islanders Player Stats
Bates
30 points to 200 points
Satan
37 GP to 200 Games Played
38 Goals to 100 Goals
37 Assists to 100 Assists
75 Points to 200 Points
Hunter (also count as NHL totals)
56 GP to 300 Games Played
39 Goals to 100 Goals
36 Assists to 100 Assists
75 Points to 200 Points
Berard (after the Meyer trade)
12 GP to 200 Games Played
17 Assists to 100 Assists
29 PIMs to 200 Penalty Minutes
Sillinger
18 GP to 100 Games Played
41 Points to 100 Points
Martinek (also count as NHL totals)
1 Assist to 50 Assist
1 Point to 60 Points
43 PIMs to 200 Penalty Minutes
Ricky
14 GP to 100 Games Played
290 Minutes to 12,000 Minutes
25 GA to pass Healy (176GP)
10 Wins to 100 Wins
19 Losses to 100 Losses
Current Active Leaders
Games Played
Bates – 328
Martinek – 253
Hunter – 244
Goals
Satan – 62
Hunter – 61
Bates – 58
Assist
Bates – 112
Berard – 83
Hunter – 64
Satan – 63
Points
Bates – 170
Hunter – 125
Satan – 125
PIMs
Bates – 222
Berard – 171
Martinek – 157
PPG
Satan – 24
Hunter – 14
Sillinger – 11
Team Milestones
12 Wins to 1,200 Franchise Wins
53 Losses to 1,200 Franchise Losses
45 Points to 2,800 Team Points
34 Goals to 9,100 Goals
5 Assists to 8,700 Assists
545 PIMs to 46,000 Penalty Minutes
NHL Stats for individual players
Guerin
74 GP to 1,100 Games Played
36 Goals to 400 Goals
45 Assists to 400 Assists
81 Points to 800 Points
61 PIMs to 1,500 Penalty Minutes
Comrie
14 GP to 400 Games Played
38 Points to 300 Points
24 PIMs to 300 Penalty Minutes
Sillinger
10 GP to 1,000 Games Played
4 Assists to 300 Assists\
Satan
33 GP to 900 Games Played
55 Points to 700 Points
23 PIMs to 400 Penalty Minutes
Simon
56 GP to 800 Games Played
41 Assists to 200 Assists
35 PIMs to 1,800 Penalty Minutes
Vasicek
21 GP to 400 Games Played
39 Goals to 100 Goals
13 Assists to 100 Assists
52 Points to 200 Points
42 PIMs to 300 Penalty Minutes
Park
27 Assists to 100 Assists
28 PIMs to 200 Penalty Minutes
Hilbert
34 GP to 100 Games Played
39 Points to 100 Points
10 PIMs to 100 Penalty Minutes
Witt
76 GP to 800 Games Played
21 Assist to 100 Assist
76 PIMs to 1,300 Penalty Minutes
Bates
37 GP to 500 Games Played
28 Goals to 100 Goals
2 Points to 200 Points
34 PIMs to 300 Penalty Minutes
Sutton
22 Assists to 100 Assists
15 PIMs to 800 Penalty Minutes
Bergeron
30 Assists to 100 Assists
Coaching
Arbour
Islander Coaching Record
1 GC to 1,500 Games Coached
1 Win to 740 Wins
1 Loss to 538 Losses
NHL Coaching Record
1 GC to 1,607 Games Coached
1 Win to 782 Wins
1 Loss to 578 Losses
Top 7 All-Time Coaching NHL Stats
1st - 2,141 GC / 1,248 Wins -Scotty Bowman -30 seasons - 9 Cups
2nd - 1,606 GC / 781 Wins - Al Arbour - 22 seasons - 4 Cups
3rd - 1,449 GC / 693 Wins - Dick Irvin Sr. - 27 seasons - 1 Cup (Habs -1946)
4th - 1,318 GC / 657 Wins - Pat Quinn - 19 seasons - No Cups
5th - 1,222 GC / 564 Wins - Mike Keenan - 18 seasons - No Cups (Ok, I am in denial)
6th - 1,221 GC / 588 Wins - Bryan Murray - 17 seasons - No Cups
7th - 1,028 GC / 451 Wins - Brian Sutter - 13 seasons - No Cups
Esoteric Focus - Al Arbour
Born: November 1, 1932 in Sudbury, Ontario
Four Stanley Cups: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Hockey Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1996
739 Retired by Islanders: Al Arbour Night on Jan. 25, 1997
NHL Coach of the Year: Jack Adams Award winner in 1979
Seasons Coached: 22 (3 with St. Louis, 19 with Islanders)
Islanders Coaching Record (Regular Season): 739-537-223
Islanders Playoff Coaching Record: 119-79
1,499 games coached with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
781 regular season victories: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
739 victories with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
209 playoff games coached: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
198 playoff games coached with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
123 playoff victories: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
119 playoff victories with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
19 Consecutive Playoff Series Victories from 1980 - 84: NHL Record
Islanders Player Stats
Bates
30 points to 200 points
Satan
37 GP to 200 Games Played
38 Goals to 100 Goals
37 Assists to 100 Assists
75 Points to 200 Points
Hunter (also count as NHL totals)56 GP to 300 Games Played
39 Goals to 100 Goals
36 Assists to 100 Assists
75 Points to 200 Points
Berard (after the Meyer trade)
12 GP to 200 Games Played
17 Assists to 100 Assists
29 PIMs to 200 Penalty Minutes
Sillinger
18 GP to 100 Games Played
41 Points to 100 Points
Martinek (also count as NHL totals)
1 Assist to 50 Assist
1 Point to 60 Points
43 PIMs to 200 Penalty Minutes
Ricky
14 GP to 100 Games Played
290 Minutes to 12,000 Minutes
25 GA to pass Healy (176GP)
10 Wins to 100 Wins
19 Losses to 100 Losses
Current Active Leaders
Games Played
Bates – 328
Martinek – 253
Hunter – 244
GoalsSatan – 62
Hunter – 61
Bates – 58
Assist
Bates – 112
Berard – 83
Hunter – 64
Satan – 63
Points
Bates – 170
Hunter – 125
Satan – 125
PIMs
Bates – 222
Berard – 171
Martinek – 157
PPG
Satan – 24
Hunter – 14
Sillinger – 11
Team Milestones
12 Wins to 1,200 Franchise Wins
53 Losses to 1,200 Franchise Losses
45 Points to 2,800 Team Points
34 Goals to 9,100 Goals
5 Assists to 8,700 Assists
545 PIMs to 46,000 Penalty Minutes
NHL Stats for individual players
Guerin
74 GP to 1,100 Games Played
36 Goals to 400 Goals
45 Assists to 400 Assists
81 Points to 800 Points
61 PIMs to 1,500 Penalty Minutes
Comrie
14 GP to 400 Games Played
38 Points to 300 Points
24 PIMs to 300 Penalty Minutes
Sillinger
10 GP to 1,000 Games Played
4 Assists to 300 Assists\
Satan
33 GP to 900 Games Played
55 Points to 700 Points
23 PIMs to 400 Penalty Minutes
Simon
56 GP to 800 Games Played
41 Assists to 200 Assists
35 PIMs to 1,800 Penalty Minutes
Vasicek
21 GP to 400 Games Played
39 Goals to 100 Goals
13 Assists to 100 Assists
52 Points to 200 Points
42 PIMs to 300 Penalty Minutes
Park
27 Assists to 100 Assists
28 PIMs to 200 Penalty Minutes
Hilbert
34 GP to 100 Games Played
39 Points to 100 Points
10 PIMs to 100 Penalty Minutes
Witt
76 GP to 800 Games Played
21 Assist to 100 Assist
76 PIMs to 1,300 Penalty Minutes
Bates 37 GP to 500 Games Played
28 Goals to 100 Goals
2 Points to 200 Points
34 PIMs to 300 Penalty Minutes
Sutton
22 Assists to 100 Assists
15 PIMs to 800 Penalty Minutes
Bergeron
30 Assists to 100 Assists
Coaching
Arbour
Islander Coaching Record
1 GC to 1,500 Games Coached
1 Win to 740 Wins
1 Loss to 538 Losses
NHL Coaching Record
1 GC to 1,607 Games Coached
1 Win to 782 Wins
1 Loss to 578 Losses
Top 7 All-Time Coaching NHL Stats
1st - 2,141 GC / 1,248 Wins -Scotty Bowman -30 seasons - 9 Cups
2nd - 1,606 GC / 781 Wins - Al Arbour - 22 seasons - 4 Cups
3rd - 1,449 GC / 693 Wins - Dick Irvin Sr. - 27 seasons - 1 Cup (Habs -1946)
4th - 1,318 GC / 657 Wins - Pat Quinn - 19 seasons - No Cups
5th - 1,222 GC / 564 Wins - Mike Keenan - 18 seasons - No Cups (Ok, I am in denial)
6th - 1,221 GC / 588 Wins - Bryan Murray - 17 seasons - No Cups
7th - 1,028 GC / 451 Wins - Brian Sutter - 13 seasons - No Cups
Esoteric Focus - Al Arbour
Born: November 1, 1932 in Sudbury, Ontario
Four Stanley Cups: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Hockey Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1996
739 Retired by Islanders: Al Arbour Night on Jan. 25, 1997
NHL Coach of the Year: Jack Adams Award winner in 1979
Seasons Coached: 22 (3 with St. Louis, 19 with Islanders)
Islanders Coaching Record (Regular Season): 739-537-223
Islanders Playoff Coaching Record: 119-79
1,499 games coached with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
781 regular season victories: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
739 victories with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
209 playoff games coached: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
198 playoff games coached with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
123 playoff victories: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
119 playoff victories with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
19 Consecutive Playoff Series Victories from 1980 - 84: NHL Record
Monday, October 1, 2007
Islanders PreSeason Esoteric Part #2
Yesterday, we started the Esoteric with the leaders that left the team during the off season in Yashin, Blake and Asham. Today, I am going to go to the bottom of the list and start with Allan Rourke and Deron Quint. Rourke played in 17 games and Deron played in 5 games in their tenure on the Island. Rourke is tied with Dubie and 3 others at #288 on the all-time games played roster while Quint is tied with 6 at #348th. Both scored 0 goals and are tied with 128 other former Islanders to not put the biscuit in the basket. If you played for the Islanders and didn’t score a goal you would actually be #277 on the goal scoring list. As for Assists which would also equal points since there are no goals involved, Rourke has 2 Assists and Points and Quint has no points and no assists. The mere difference of 2 Assists places Rourke at #271st and #285th on the Assist and Points lists while Quint is way down at #323 and #331 respectively. There are actually 83 other former Islanders that never scored an Assist and 65 players who never scored a point.
“Hey, what about penalty minutes?” you ask. Let’s say 0 PIMs, 2 PIMs and 4 PIMs. Quint spent no time in the box and is tied with 44 other former Islanders that were good boys. Twice Rourke went to the box for #298th and is tied with 24 others with 4 PIMs. Zednik only went into the box once and is tied with 28 other players who only have one penalty.
Zednik also played in only 10 games with the Islanders. He is tied with 7 others including Steve Regier at #321st on the list. He scored a single goal tying him with 45 others including Hill at #232. He assisted twice and is actually tied with 17 others including the aforementioned, Rourke, for the #271st spot. His single goal and two assists ties him with Freddy Meyer and 11 others at #273rd on the points list with 3 Points.
As I type this I am anxiously awaiting news of Berard and if he will return to the Island. As I chose the next name to write about as I think of Berard, I have to pick Sean Hill. You see Berard’s goal to assist ratio is 1 goal to 3 assists while Hill had a significantly higher number of helpers than hitting the net. While Berard is 1 to 3, Hill is actually 1 to 24 for a total of 25 points. His single goal ties him with Zednik, mentioned in the paragraph above. His 24 assists ties him with Tom Chorske and Wayne McBean at #123rd on that list and #142 on the points list tied with Dave McLLwain with 25 Points. If he had one major penalty he would have broke into the top 100 on the all-time penalty roster. He has 110 PIMs and tied with Tom Kurvers and Marty McInnis.
Who did break into the top 100 was Zhitnik all the way up to #95th on the Penalty list with 128 PIMs. He is actually 3 PIMs back of Witt. He made it all the way to #144th with his 7 goals and tied with 9 others including Roger Kortko. He fell 4 places short of breaking into the top 100 in Assists at #104 with his 33 Assists and is also tied with 4 others including Sillinger. That’s 40 points and #120 on the all-time Points list.
Seems like Zhitnik had a few number “4’s”in his Esoteric. Poti had a few “4’s” in his esoteric starting with his 44 Points and the #114th spot on the all-time points roster. The 44 Points were broken down with 6 Goals and 38 Assists. He landed at #151st with Goals but broke into the top 100 in Assists with 38 at #96 tying him with Kip Miller and Chris Campoli, who may find himself on the waiver wire before this Esoteric is published. He played in 78 Games affixing him at #164th on the Games Played roster. In those 78 Games he was penalized for 74 PIMs and ties Billy Carroll and David Maley at #132 on the Penalty list.
I could have chosen Mike York keeping in tune with the “4’s” theme as he had 44 PIMs, only a single minute behind Tommy Salo, for #177th on the list. He played in 107 Games landing him at #132 all-time in GP. His 19 Goals at #88 ties him with Billy Carroll and Brian Spencer. 46 Helpers gets him to #83 tied with Bob Lorimer. His ties another Mike, Mike McEwen, with 65 Points and #82 on the Points list.
Only Kozlov and Robitaille are left to say goodbye to from last year.
Robitaille ends his second tour of duty as we await news to hear if Berard starts his second tour of duty with the Islanders tonight. In Randy’s 60 Games he tied two others at #196 including Wade Flaherty. Last night I mentioned Kirk Muller tonight I will mention Ted Donato, as both were two of the 9 players tied with Randy at #147th on the all-time Goal roster with 7 Goals total.
Ted Donato, who is the current coach at Harvard University and actually made it to the showcase showdown on the Price is Right.
Back to Randy now and his 19 Assists at #130 tied with Hubie MCDonough and Wendel Clark neither of whom ever made it to a game show final round nor did they ever make it to the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs either. Robitaille’s 26 Points gets him to #138th on the Points roster. His PIM’s ranked him at #222 with his 24 PIMs tied with 5 others including Bergenheim and Meyer.
Last but not least the Esoteric finishes with Victor Kozlov. He played in 81 Games while on Long Island, tying him with 4 others including Hilbert and Witt at #157. He scored 25 Goals and tied with Tom Fitzgerald at #74th all-time. He tied with Dale Henry and Mats Lindgren with 26 Assists at #117th all-time. This means he broke into the top 100 on the all-time Points list with 51 Points. The refs blew the whistle on him for a total of 28 minutes and #208th on the all-time PIM list. He tied Brian Mullen, Dave McLLwain and Roger Kortko, who finishes our esoteric after being mentioned for a second time.
Esoteric Focus:
Roger Kortko Fights
Roger Kortko Legends
“Hey, what about penalty minutes?” you ask. Let’s say 0 PIMs, 2 PIMs and 4 PIMs. Quint spent no time in the box and is tied with 44 other former Islanders that were good boys. Twice Rourke went to the box for #298th and is tied with 24 others with 4 PIMs. Zednik only went into the box once and is tied with 28 other players who only have one penalty.
Zednik also played in only 10 games with the Islanders. He is tied with 7 others including Steve Regier at #321st on the list. He scored a single goal tying him with 45 others including Hill at #232. He assisted twice and is actually tied with 17 others including the aforementioned, Rourke, for the #271st spot. His single goal and two assists ties him with Freddy Meyer and 11 others at #273rd on the points list with 3 Points.
As I type this I am anxiously awaiting news of Berard and if he will return to the Island. As I chose the next name to write about as I think of Berard, I have to pick Sean Hill. You see Berard’s goal to assist ratio is 1 goal to 3 assists while Hill had a significantly higher number of helpers than hitting the net. While Berard is 1 to 3, Hill is actually 1 to 24 for a total of 25 points. His single goal ties him with Zednik, mentioned in the paragraph above. His 24 assists ties him with Tom Chorske and Wayne McBean at #123rd on that list and #142 on the points list tied with Dave McLLwain with 25 Points. If he had one major penalty he would have broke into the top 100 on the all-time penalty roster. He has 110 PIMs and tied with Tom Kurvers and Marty McInnis.Who did break into the top 100 was Zhitnik all the way up to #95th on the Penalty list with 128 PIMs. He is actually 3 PIMs back of Witt. He made it all the way to #144th with his 7 goals and tied with 9 others including Roger Kortko. He fell 4 places short of breaking into the top 100 in Assists at #104 with his 33 Assists and is also tied with 4 others including Sillinger. That’s 40 points and #120 on the all-time Points list.
Seems like Zhitnik had a few number “4’s”in his Esoteric. Poti had a few “4’s” in his esoteric starting with his 44 Points and the #114th spot on the all-time points roster. The 44 Points were broken down with 6 Goals and 38 Assists. He landed at #151st with Goals but broke into the top 100 in Assists with 38 at #96 tying him with Kip Miller and Chris Campoli, who may find himself on the waiver wire before this Esoteric is published. He played in 78 Games affixing him at #164th on the Games Played roster. In those 78 Games he was penalized for 74 PIMs and ties Billy Carroll and David Maley at #132 on the Penalty list.
I could have chosen Mike York keeping in tune with the “4’s” theme as he had 44 PIMs, only a single minute behind Tommy Salo, for #177th on the list. He played in 107 Games landing him at #132 all-time in GP. His 19 Goals at #88 ties him with Billy Carroll and Brian Spencer. 46 Helpers gets him to #83 tied with Bob Lorimer. His ties another Mike, Mike McEwen, with 65 Points and #82 on the Points list.
Only Kozlov and Robitaille are left to say goodbye to from last year.
Robitaille ends his second tour of duty as we await news to hear if Berard starts his second tour of duty with the Islanders tonight. In Randy’s 60 Games he tied two others at #196 including Wade Flaherty. Last night I mentioned Kirk Muller tonight I will mention Ted Donato, as both were two of the 9 players tied with Randy at #147th on the all-time Goal roster with 7 Goals total.
Ted Donato, who is the current coach at Harvard University and actually made it to the showcase showdown on the Price is Right.
Back to Randy now and his 19 Assists at #130 tied with Hubie MCDonough and Wendel Clark neither of whom ever made it to a game show final round nor did they ever make it to the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs either. Robitaille’s 26 Points gets him to #138th on the Points roster. His PIM’s ranked him at #222 with his 24 PIMs tied with 5 others including Bergenheim and Meyer.
Last but not least the Esoteric finishes with Victor Kozlov. He played in 81 Games while on Long Island, tying him with 4 others including Hilbert and Witt at #157. He scored 25 Goals and tied with Tom Fitzgerald at #74th all-time. He tied with Dale Henry and Mats Lindgren with 26 Assists at #117th all-time. This means he broke into the top 100 on the all-time Points list with 51 Points. The refs blew the whistle on him for a total of 28 minutes and #208th on the all-time PIM list. He tied Brian Mullen, Dave McLLwain and Roger Kortko, who finishes our esoteric after being mentioned for a second time.
Esoteric Focus:
Roger Kortko Fights
Roger Kortko Legends
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Islanders Pre-Season Esoteric #1
Welcome to the 2007-2008 Pre-season Islanders Esoteric or should I say the Post 2006-2007 Season Esoteric. We lost 13 players that played on the team at some point last year and it has made for interesting number crunching and a rebuild of my database.
To start off I am going to focuse on Yashin, Blake and Asham. These guys were the top three in many categories and I feel they need to be separated from the others.
As always, if you see a mistake please let me know. We are pushing upwards of 411 players that have ever suited up for the Islanders so there is a lot of information. Tie that with many sources that have errors as well. One of the toughest things to deal with is Ties, Overtime Losses and Shootout Losses but we will deal with it as we come to those points.
Without further adieu I present the Preseason Esoteric thanking those that have wore the Islander Blue and Orange for their service and good luck in their futures.
Islanders Esoteric PreSeason #1
We all know the story of Alexi Yashin so I will not rehash it here. We know Jason left for “bluer” pastures in the great white north. Aaron Asham moved onto Jersey to spend time with Brent Sutter. I bring Brent’s name up because his brother, Duane, appears several times in the beging portions of the Esoteric.
Keep in mind that Duane played in 547 games for the Islanders and his “Esoteric-mate” Mariusz Czerkawski played in 470 games.
Alexi played in 346 games and holds the #41st spot on the all-time games played list. He is 2 Goals and 2 Points behind Duane for the #19th spot and #20 spot with 119 Goals and 290 Points scored, respectively. He is tied with Duane at #19 all time in Assists with 171 Assists. Mariusz and Alexi are tied at #10 all-time in Power Play Goals, both with 47 PPG. Mr. Alt is at #71 overall and 3 Penalty Minutes behind fellow comrade, Oleg Kvasha with 179 PIMs.
Wow! Both Oleg and Chow mentioned early on.
Jason Blake played 426 games on the Island and is now #30th all time in games played as an Islander, 24 games behind Scotty Lachance. He is 18 Goals behind Mariusz. He is solely at #17th with 127 Goals scored during his tenure on the Island. His 131 Assists actually gets him inside the top 30 at #29th overall. Combined scoring for him gives Jason 258 Points and ties him with Britain born, Steve Thomas, at #22 on the all-time Points scored roster. He scored 31 Power Play Goals and is tied with Mikko Makela at #20 all-time in PPGs. His 268 PIMs gets him at the #47th spot for sitting in the sin bin.
Aaron Asham, who a lot of people feel to be the hardest loss of the off-season. He played in 300 games for us and made it into the top 50 of all players who played for the Islanders, tied with Hamrlik. His 47 Goals good enough for #54 spot ties him with Reichel, Dave Stewart and Michael Peca. His 58 Assists gets him to #72 on that list and his 105 Points gets him to #64 on the Points list tied with Kenny Morrow and Scotty Lachance (getting his second mention in this Esoteric). Aaron was the active leader in Penalty Minutes with 315PIMs. He leaves us at the #40th spot a mere 3 PIMs behind Bert Marshall.
I want to slow things down for a moment and talk about a guy that wasn’t here for very long but stirred quite a few emotions and may have been the catalyst that got us into the playoffs last year.
Ryan Smith was here for a total of 18 regular season games and for as prolific as he was it only rates him at #279th overall in games played with the Isles. He scored 5 goals for #173rd and tied with 11 others including Bergenheim. Ryan’s 10 Assists got him to #178th all-time on the Assists list and again tied him with 11 others including Gervais and Tambellini. Now check this out, there was another guy that was here for a brief stay with 27 games played, that brought to the Island just as many emotions to the table and is probably the most hated Islander of all time*, Kirk Muller. Ryan and Kirk are tied at #175th all-time in Points with 15 Points. Ryan sat in the penalty box 7 times while he was here to contemplate how bad he was for 14 PIMs and #247th all-time.
*Incidentally, I had an opportunity to sit with Kirk Muller at the World Championships in Germany some years ago. I got to see his side of the story in relation to Don Maloney and Mike Milbury. I for one, having heard his side, think he has gotten a bad wrap. But hey that’s just my opinion and you can’t change history or what people believe, can you?
I have 9 more players to tackle and I will take them on in the Pre-season Esoteric #2 later on in this week.
Hope all is well and please let me know if you see any errors.
Esoteric Focus
Mikko Makela
News Article blast from the past
To start off I am going to focuse on Yashin, Blake and Asham. These guys were the top three in many categories and I feel they need to be separated from the others.
As always, if you see a mistake please let me know. We are pushing upwards of 411 players that have ever suited up for the Islanders so there is a lot of information. Tie that with many sources that have errors as well. One of the toughest things to deal with is Ties, Overtime Losses and Shootout Losses but we will deal with it as we come to those points.
Without further adieu I present the Preseason Esoteric thanking those that have wore the Islander Blue and Orange for their service and good luck in their futures.
Islanders Esoteric PreSeason #1
We all know the story of Alexi Yashin so I will not rehash it here. We know Jason left for “bluer” pastures in the great white north. Aaron Asham moved onto Jersey to spend time with Brent Sutter. I bring Brent’s name up because his brother, Duane, appears several times in the beging portions of the Esoteric.
Keep in mind that Duane played in 547 games for the Islanders and his “Esoteric-mate” Mariusz Czerkawski played in 470 games.
Alexi played in 346 games and holds the #41st spot on the all-time games played list. He is 2 Goals and 2 Points behind Duane for the #19th spot and #20 spot with 119 Goals and 290 Points scored, respectively. He is tied with Duane at #19 all time in Assists with 171 Assists. Mariusz and Alexi are tied at #10 all-time in Power Play Goals, both with 47 PPG. Mr. Alt is at #71 overall and 3 Penalty Minutes behind fellow comrade, Oleg Kvasha with 179 PIMs.
Wow! Both Oleg and Chow mentioned early on.
Jason Blake played 426 games on the Island and is now #30th all time in games played as an Islander, 24 games behind Scotty Lachance. He is 18 Goals behind Mariusz. He is solely at #17th with 127 Goals scored during his tenure on the Island. His 131 Assists actually gets him inside the top 30 at #29th overall. Combined scoring for him gives Jason 258 Points and ties him with Britain born, Steve Thomas, at #22 on the all-time Points scored roster. He scored 31 Power Play Goals and is tied with Mikko Makela at #20 all-time in PPGs. His 268 PIMs gets him at the #47th spot for sitting in the sin bin.Aaron Asham, who a lot of people feel to be the hardest loss of the off-season. He played in 300 games for us and made it into the top 50 of all players who played for the Islanders, tied with Hamrlik. His 47 Goals good enough for #54 spot ties him with Reichel, Dave Stewart and Michael Peca. His 58 Assists gets him to #72 on that list and his 105 Points gets him to #64 on the Points list tied with Kenny Morrow and Scotty Lachance (getting his second mention in this Esoteric). Aaron was the active leader in Penalty Minutes with 315PIMs. He leaves us at the #40th spot a mere 3 PIMs behind Bert Marshall.
I want to slow things down for a moment and talk about a guy that wasn’t here for very long but stirred quite a few emotions and may have been the catalyst that got us into the playoffs last year.
Ryan Smith was here for a total of 18 regular season games and for as prolific as he was it only rates him at #279th overall in games played with the Isles. He scored 5 goals for #173rd and tied with 11 others including Bergenheim. Ryan’s 10 Assists got him to #178th all-time on the Assists list and again tied him with 11 others including Gervais and Tambellini. Now check this out, there was another guy that was here for a brief stay with 27 games played, that brought to the Island just as many emotions to the table and is probably the most hated Islander of all time*, Kirk Muller. Ryan and Kirk are tied at #175th all-time in Points with 15 Points. Ryan sat in the penalty box 7 times while he was here to contemplate how bad he was for 14 PIMs and #247th all-time.
*Incidentally, I had an opportunity to sit with Kirk Muller at the World Championships in Germany some years ago. I got to see his side of the story in relation to Don Maloney and Mike Milbury. I for one, having heard his side, think he has gotten a bad wrap. But hey that’s just my opinion and you can’t change history or what people believe, can you?
I have 9 more players to tackle and I will take them on in the Pre-season Esoteric #2 later on in this week.
Hope all is well and please let me know if you see any errors.
Esoteric Focus
Mikko Makela
News Article blast from the past
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