Thursday, July 2, 2009

Goaltending Around

So, I felt a statement was made about Dipietro's situation last Saturday.

We knew a strong back-up was coming in. It happened.

Roloson is older, but he's coming off his best season ever. The numbers were good. He can play 30 or 60 games. It's a good signing. $2.5 isn't cheap, but we're under the cap level, so no problem.

Throw in this kid Munroe, who just went 31-19-4 with an excellent .926 SV% and well, Bridgeport would seem very well stacked, considerin All Rookie Team goalie Lawson is there and Koskinen is scheduled for BPort too.

Now, not even one week later, the statement has become stronger.

Precaution is one thing, but what the Islanders are doing is more than being careful. They're planning as if Dipietro isn't there. They're planning as if they're assuming Roloson will hold the fort for two years, just to clear the way for Koskinen.

Well, I guess it's the safest way to go.

Makes Dipietro's future look dimmer and dimmer though.

Hope I'm wrong about that!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Have You Seen My Shoes

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AC64F26F7D45063A

Monday, June 29, 2009

My Puck Daddy Interview

ISLANDERSESOTERIC.com: Who Killed Duncan MacPherson?

ISLANDERSESOTERIC.com: Who Killed Duncan MacPherson?

Anatomy of Another Trade

Part 1



Part 2

More Montreal Draft Videos

Roll Call - Day 2



CASEY!!!



Anders!!!

Mikko 2009 NHL Draft Videos

Mikko 31st Pick





Mikko Meets the Islanders



Meet Mikko



Tall



Mikko Signs Autographs

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Montreal Pics.

When i have more time I will straighten these out. Have to run to airport now.









Mikko

Montreal Videos - More to come!!!!

Anatomy of the second trade - part 1



Anatomy of the second trade - part 2




Round Three Board turns

Montreal Final Night

I am just getting in from partying like a rock star with many of the Isles Bloggers and BD Gallof and Eklund.

It is one of those days where more things happened then I can really remember.

One of the major events form last night is walking into a bar and meeting sudsie and the Isles Finish scout.

I asked both of them why they chose Mikko. Sudsie said his athletic ability for a guy 6 foot 7. and the scout said "because he can stop the puck."

Again we bumped into Calvin deHaan walking around. He is very excited to be an Islander.

I can not tell you all the different people I met this weekend but I do know that the Islanders went out and got the players they wanted. Plain and simple. All the Isles execs said that this was Snowies draft and although Wang was ever present it was all Snow.

I was hearing rumors from a couple of sources that there was some disparity amongst the scouts. Although I didn't hear anything directly I did hear this from several of my own sources. I expect Brian to have some strong follow up on this topic.

Once I can see straight I will post some more videos of tonight's events including the series on "Excuse me are those your shoes?"

As I walked with the group of Islander fans etc, you can tell the Montreal fans were all envious of our pick for JT,

My head hurts so I will post more later.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Recapping

So, the draft has come and gone. If you haven't seen all the picks and wheeling 'n dealing, check out the Islander homepage for details, although they haven't yet posted a simple list of their picks and results.

From what I gather, it's like this:
F Tavares, D de Haan, G Koskinen, G Nilsson, Coyote's 3rd in 2010, C Cizikas, D Klementyev, C Lee

That's what we picked up.

The Plus:
The Isles OBVIOUSLY had Tavares, de Haan and Koskinen on their list of players that they simply had to have. They got them and they didn't care who they skipped or what it cost in the process.

The Minus:
The Isles OBVIOUSLY had Tavares, de Haan and Koskinen on their list of players that they simply had to have. They got them and they didn't care who they skipped or what it cost in the process.

General feeling:
It's funny, because Tavares, de Haan and Koskinen were three guys I had really hoped to get out of this draft. That's exciting. If you had told me beforehand that we'd have them, I'd have been quite happy and probably would have said, "Can't wait to hear about the other 8 picks!"

Problem is, there are no other 8 picks. We have 4 more relatively unknown bodies and a remnant for next year's draft (granted, the Coyote pick is bound to be better placed than this year's 91, although next summer's draft isn't [yet] considered as deep as this summer's).

This draft will always leave me wondering if we couldn't have gotten de Haan or Koskinen at another point, under other circumstances? I will always wonder if we could've gotten de Haan without having to give up the five picks it took to get him? I will always wonder if anyone else was thinking of taking Koskinen anywhere near the 2nd round?

What to make of it all:
Ultimately, some fans will give this team the thumbs up for this draft. Heck, I too see three future NHLers in no less than Tavares, de Haan and Koskinen, which is a pretty good turnout for one draft.

However, now viewing the other three bodies and the general bevy of picks that came and well, mostly went, I feel as though the scouting stuff didn't really take things seriously after getting the three guys they knew they wanted. I get they let themselves rest a bit on the laurels of last summer and the belief that they got three future impact players with their picks between 1-31. When you hear what the staff says about Nilsson, Cizikas, Klementyev and Lee (who I think may just be a real gem at some point in the distant future), you get the jist that they kind of, sort of, just, well, were plucking at hunches.

Now, I am but a simple fan, but other than the Tavares pick, which in many respects is about the only one of real interest to a large portion of the fanbase, I can name you no less than five guys in each round who went AFTER each one of the players the Islanders picked in each respective round who I feel would have been much better choices. This goes for the de Haan pick as well - I truly feel he went a good 8-12 spots ahead of where he should have, well, when you compare him to some of the other first round talent (especially Kulikov, Rundblad, Leblanc and Schroeder)! This is not to say that the Isles didn't have good reason to believe that maybe a Florida, per se, was geared to take him 14th, but a good read of the many draft preview publications would give any ol' Joe this feeling.

With the draft hardly over, and of course excluding Tavares, I think we fans will look back at this draft and think "Doggone, THAT guy was still on the board when we took so-n-so and is now way better! How did the scouting staff miss him???"

Biggest statement made by this draft:
Now to the crux of it all - IMHO, this draft pretty much pointed out that this team no longer sees Dipietro as the longterm answer in goal, or as the face of this franchise. I'll tackle the latter point first.

As is, Tavares definitely becomes the new face of the franchise. There is little doubting of this. Aside from the humongous fanfare, when was the last time this team could call one of Canada's most adored sons one of its own? He puts us back on the map for those in the know....

So, with Dipietro being hereby replaced as the face of this franchise, the Islanders go WAY off the board to take the draft's most interesting and most NHL-READY goaltender. I had this guy pegged for round 3. They kicked off Saturday with the announcement of his name. I can only think: WOW!

In a draft this deep and with this team dishin' off five picks to get de Haan, this Finnish kid hasn't been taken to, uhhh, maybe be a back-up at some point. This pick speaks volumes about what the Isles feel about Dipietro's situation. It tells me, they're doubting Dipietro's longterm future. Heck, it tells me, they're doubting Dipietro's shortterm future.

This pick is a scary statement!

Top it off with the NEXT pick being yet another goalie, one not generally cosidered amongst the best available in this draft and well, those doubting the healthy return of Dipietro have been given a boatload of ammunition.

Know this: the team is still pretty high on Kevin Poulin, a monstrous goalie from the Q who they took last summer. In addition, Stefan Ridderwall is a part-time starter in the SEL and Jase Weslosky had the best numbers of any goalie in the system last year and is heading into a big senior year.

If you ask me, this draft wasn't just about the Islanders' future, but rather of its future WITHOUT Dipietro......

Meeting Calvin deHaan

I talked with Calvin's parents last night. Turns out they live like 20 minutes from Jen's parents house in Ontario. I was really excited to meet him and tell him about Long Island and how great it is there.

As I talked to his parents, they told me that the Islanders wanted Calvin from early on. They knew they wanted him as did other teams. They told me that he was out with Chicago the night before and met with the Canes people in the morning before the draft. He also said that Philly and Jersey had an interest in him.

It appears that this is the kid they wanted and they traded up to make it happen. Plain and simple.

The Isles see something in this kid and I said that our scouting staff has been doing very well for us lately and they are right.

Later in the night we are walking down the street and I see someone in an Islander's jersey and hat. Lo and behold, Calvin deHaan!! I asked him what he knew about the team. I also asked him if he was a Ranger fan and he said NO.

Calvin, you will fit right in and welcome to our home on Long Island!!!

Videos from 2009 NHL Draft - Montreal




GARTH AT PODIUM





GARTH MAKES THE PICK




FOLLOW ON TAVARES




THE ISLANDERS DRAFT TABLE





NEWS 12 LI




NEWS 12 LI Part 2




OUTSIDE BELL CENTER



INSIDE BELL CENTER

Friday, June 26, 2009

The 31st

So folks, the first round is over and as disappointed as I was with what essentially ended up being 5 picks for Calvin de Haan, we do have five picks tomorrow, including the 31st.

With that in mind, two fairly big fish are still available at this point:
A) Forward Jeremy Morin (21 THN, 28 CSS), considered by many to be the 2nd best sniper in this draft, 2nd only to Tavares.
B) Defenseman Stefan Elliot (27 THN, 32 CSS), an offensive Dman from the WHL who reminds many of Mike Green.

Also of note are C Drew Shore, W Landon Ferraro, C Cal O'Reilly, C Ethan Werek, C Richard Panik, C Joonas Nattinen and W Carl Klingsberg.

I sure wish we were going into tomorrow knowing that we'd be getting two of those guys, but be that as it may, we should have a great pick with the number 31.

Pre-Saturday Prediction:
- Should Colorado not be willing to trade 33 and 49 for 31 and 91, then the 31st should wind down to being one of Morin and Elliot. It's a no lose selection at this point.
- I think the team will look to pawn off #56, hopefully to a team like Montreal (home town crowd still wanting more?), from whom they should be able to get #s 65 and 79.
- With pick 91, should it not be moved, expect the team to select a goalie.

Some interesting names for later rounds should be Bubnick, Nestrasil, Vincour, Orlov, Silfverberg, Lehner, Kostinen, Koskinen, Wrenn, Hankowski, Flueler, Hackett, Barrie, Bertilsson, Vanek, Foligno, Dumoulin, Doherty, Vatanen, Bourque, and Kuchin.

Enjoy it folks!

Picks Tomorrow

Well, unless something completely unexpected happens, the Isles will go into tomorrow's action with 5 picks.

Coming into the draft, we were looking at 2 picks tonight and 9 picks tomorrow.

As of now, we'll be picking 31, 56, 91, 122 and 152.

Correction:
I made a typo earlier.... we traded pick 182 to Minnesota, not 108.

Looking ahead, I suspect that pick 91 will be used on a goaltender.

Picks 31 and 56 could turn out to be some real gems. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Tim Erixon can be had at 31. Maybe a McNabb, Panik or Rajala is available at 56.

Moves Exciting - Pick Not

I've got no problems with Calvin de Haan.

I have HUGE problems with this team essentially trading 26, 37, 62, 92 and 108 to get a guy who may VERY well have been there at 26 anyways.

In addition, I can't imagine that ANYONE would have taken him between 13-16.

Very disappointed.

Well, I sure hope Kyle Woodlief - of all people - is right, because at some point he praised de Haan as being as good if not better than Ellis.

Minnesota

Welp, Nashville takes another Dman and it's not a big surprise.

A big surprise would be Minnesota passing on Schroeder. Can't see it happening.

That'd leave Kulikov, Rundblad and Moore as the last 3 prospects I feel were worth moving the 26 and 37 for, much less the two 3rds.

Will we have one?

First Slight Surprises

Ok, I didn't expect Burke to pass on a MSP or Cowen at 7. He did. I'd have thought Kadri would slide a bit. Minimal surprise.

However, Dallas taking Glennie over Kulikov or Cowen or even MSP was a real surprise.

This bodes well for the Isles.

With six bodies to be taken before pick 16, there are still some decent chances that one of Kulikov, Rundblad or Moore will be around at 16. If Schroeder were there, it'd be awesome.

Can't see each of Buffalo and Florida passing on Ellis.

Deal in

16, 77

for

26, 37, 62, 92

Hmmmmm.... We'll have to see.

Who will it be at 16?

Rundblad?

I sure hope this staff knows what it's doing!

Sidenote: could the Isles really be trying to couple picks 16 and 31 to move up even further?

Just Reported

Islanders and Columbus have made a deal.

Going from 26 to 16.

I tell you what though, if it took anything more than the 37 (i.e. 56, 62, etc.) then I'm thinking it may not have been worth it.

I certainly hope it doesn't turn into Kassian or Holland.

Still, we'll see happens. I know many fans are looking forward to a move like this.

We got him!

There he is! Tavares is an Islander.

By the way - Roger was visible. He was shown no less than two times on the broadcast. Everyone saw you!

First Tavares Fan Club meeting.... didn't quite catch the date:-)

Pictures




Montreal Report 1

First Report...'

Outside Bell Center

Met Jamie Stewart News 12 Long Island.

Ryan, Charles and Garth Just walked into the Bell Center. Ryan went one direction and Garth and Charles went another. Time 1710.

My buddy Paolo asked Charles if he was going to pick Tavares. Charles answer, "Who?"

Just 5 more hours to go!

The night will be one that starts with a good amount of fanfare. I can see the first 5 picks taking a good hour.

From an Islander standpoint, I'm fascinated with seeing if the Isles move up or if they stick with the 26th pick. Many assume they'll move up, but I'm thinking a move up is only coming if:
A) a certain player of desire is dropping
B) the price is right

From all accounts, this draft is a deep one. Here's hoping the staff has that in mind when evaluating the value of a player in the 13-20 range as opposed to say two players+ in the 26-37 range.

In addition, I'm hoping any deals that Snow might wish to make may include the pawning off of a Dman currently on the roster. Whether Sutton, Witt, Martinek or Meyer, each may have some attraction AS AN ADDITION to say pick 26. They wouldn't necessarily have it alone. The UFA market has a number of Dmen who might look good in Coach Gordon's system.

In any case, as a fan I'd be very pleased if this team could move up without sacrificing 2 or more of the picks 26-62.

Packed House - Could it be anyone else

In preparation for tonight's events, here's just a little thought.

With a packed house at the coliseum and a fanbase whose majority is - rationally or not - thirsty for one name and one name only, is there any doubt who the 2009 NHL Draft's #1 overall pick is going to be? I mean, could it be anyone else?

More in a few hours....

2009 Draft Esoteric

John Tavares will be the 404th player drafted in by the NY Islanders franchise.

Of course everone knows the first pick ever was Billy Harris. The last pick from last years draft was 196th pick overall, 7th rounder, Simon Lacroix.

Incidentally, we have drafted 254 players since we last won a cup. That is alot of players to come through our system. The last player drafted while we were cup winners was Allister Brown. He was 249th overall picked up in the 12th round.

Post cup era had us pick Brad Dalgarno 6th overall in 1985 followed by Derek King at 13th overall that same year.

The final number of futility is 131. As in 131 players drafted by the Islanders since we last won a playoff series in 1993. Last pick of the playoff winning era was Carl Charland at 274th overall in the 11th round. First pick in the post playoff series winning era (16years and counting) was Brett Lindros.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

So which jersey will end up reality?

Here is the jerseys I have set for tomorrow night.



















Live from Montreal.

I have the distinct of joining fellow bloggers up in Montreal. From what I understand there will be 5 other bloggers from the NY Islanders world. In no particular order they are as follows:

Tom of http://www.thetigertrack.com/
Ken of http://okposo.blogspot.com/
Doug of http://islesofficialsoutlook.blogspot.com/
Mike of http://www.islesblogger.com/
Brian of http://www.islandersindependent.com

Doug has set up a live feed at www.coveritlive.com. Go there and find the event titled, "Live Event: 2009 NHL Entry Draft: Blog Box Live from Montreal" to follow along. There will also be a link for Saturday as well.


.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Garth and Public Opinion - Part II

Chris Botta posted yesterday on Islanderspointblank.com about the true fan. Try getting a word in edge wise over there and you have better luck ice skating on the Ottawa River (Its 30 degree Celsius) in Ontario.

He basically states if you are reading these blogs in June chances are you will still be around come October. His points about true fans are valid and obvious. The issue not stated is the lack of synergy with the Islander's franchise and the rest of Long Island.

My opinions here are not absolute through and through but more of a general feeling I get from when I come home to Long Island a few times a year. I guess I say this because I have two groups of friends from back home. There are my Islander friends. And there are the rest of my friends. They are two distinct groups and as hard as I have tried over the years the non-Isles friends just don't get the Islanders. They do get the Yankees. They do get the Mets. They do get the Giants and they do get the Jets. Islanders not so much. This is where this whole idea is born.

For years of missteps and bad luck, the general population really doesn't care. In order for the franchise and the Lighthouse project to succeed this all needs to improve. I mentioned my wayward non-Isles friends but in this case let me use my own parents as a barometer. A typical phone call from my paternal parent consists of a phone call that starts off with, "Did you hear what the Islanders did now?" After which we could discuss anything from Spano to Sanjay, Muller to Milbury, Smith to Smyth, or one of the multiple 7, 8, 9, 10 plus game losing streaks. The point being that my parents are casual fans. Without my ongoing and never ending corrections they would think that most of the articles in the news are true. While most of the stories have basis in fact, I am able to give them "the rest of the story." It has apparently worked because I have gotten them to show up at a few games the past few years. Although, mi madre refuses to ever go to a Islander-Ranger game again.

What about the casual fans that don't have the NHL Fan of the Year for a son? Who will tell them the real deal about the franchise? For this is why we need to make sure that we do the right thing this weekend.

WE NEED THE GOOD PRESS!!!!

The success of this franchise on Long Island depends on the Lighthouse Project. The Lighthouse Project is invariably attached at the hip to the NY Islanders. If the NY Islanders are perceived as inept so will the general public's view of the Lighthouse.

I do not agree that the two should be connected and wish someone would correct all the people that continue to use the team name and the Lighthouse project in the same sentence because in reality while they are closely related each should not have anything to do with the other. The Lighthouse is the lighthouse and the Islanders are the Islanders. The perception that most people have that the Lighthouse is for the Islanders is wrong. The Lighthouse project is needed for us the citizens and the community of Long Island. The fact that the Islanders will benefit from it is an added bonus for a die hard fan like myself. It still doesn't change the fact that my parents spend more in a month for their property taxes in a month in TOH that I do in a year in North Carolina.

The connection between the two is distinct regardless of how I may feel. The connection is why John Tavares needs to be the name that Garth says at the podium on Friday night.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Garth and Public Opinion

IMNSHO, the issue here isnt getting the best player or even the right player for that matter. The issue is the Islanders doing the right thing for a change - or perhaps better stated - the normal thing.

We have been through too many damn experiments, restarts and down right abuse. Garth needs to simply do the right thing. He needs to show the maturity of getting this done and in turn it will be the first step in turning this organization around.

I have been trying to figure how to put my thoughts into words about this and I think it comes down to this. The survival of this franchise depends on the lighthouse project. Public approval will be a big part of this. Right now there is a lot of apathy towards the whole lighthouse project. My feeling is that if those supposed 15,000 people leave the coliseum on Friday with a lot of bad feeling it will go a long way towards effecting local support for the coliseum.

If they can't make the right decision on hockey how can they be expected to make the right decision when it comes to something big, like the Lighthouse Project?

Another way to look at it is that we are pretty much the laughing stock around the league with all the issues we have had over the last 15 years. Friday is day 1 of a new generation and of new luck.

Do the right thing Garth and show the people you care about them. As I have said before, the Ryan Smyth trade was about saving the season, last year trading down for Bailey and all those picks was to save the franchise's empty prospect coffers, this year is to save the fans and the team.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

A Good Post from My Friend Doug

Garth Snow and his staff draft players. Mike Milbury and his staff drafted players. The "Islanders" do not do anything. A lot of fans talk about "the Islanders", as if they're the Wizard of Oz, like a Godzilla-sized logo that walks around destroying toy train sets- alright, I've seen too many crappy movies.

The point is this: Last year, Garth Snow decided that four extra players were worth the difference between Luke Schenn and Josh Bailey. The jury is still out on that, but it can't be deemed "a failure, because the Islanders always screw everything up". There is no such thing as "the Islanders". There are people, and some are better than others at what they do. I like Tavares myself, but if their staff thinks either Duchene or Hedman is better, all I can say is, that's what THEY get paid to do. Time will tell if they are correct.

"The Islanders" were ONE person, for 10 years. The reason Milbury gets strung up by his balls over Parise, for example, is not because it's Parise, it's because he'd already spent eight years prior doing stupid shit like that. These guys have not proven to have failed yet. Snow has been the GM for three years, and he inherited a steaming pile of crap. Ten years of stupidity is far too much rope, but I think you almost HAVE to give someone five, especially considering what was here when he showed up.

My prediction is this: They will not trade the pick. To do that, he would have to get blown away with an Eric Lindros style, "I'll trade you the Stanley Cup for a rockhead" offer of monumental stupidity. Being that, as Bob McKenzie says, Tavares is not a "generational talent", I don't think you're going to see that next weekend. By the same token, this is not last year- the first pick in the draft is the first pick in the draft. I just can't see him trading down for a couple of middling draft choices this time.

That said, this year, so far he's done the right thing, because he's seeing if someone is going to go to the Bob Clarke/Mike Milbury level of stupidity to acquire Tavares, and still leave him with the opportunity to take a player he really likes. Why would you not do that? He's not going to draft a goalie when we already have one, and then trade our goalie and a solid power forward for crap. He's not going to trade a monster defenseman and the second pick in the draft for more crap. It's not going to happen, because "the Islanders" didn't do that. Mike Milbury did that, and I'm pretty sure that Garth Snow's driver's license doesn't say Mike Milbury on it. Give the guy a chance is all I'm saying.

Doug

The Tavares Quest

One night from tonight is the NHL draft. Our New York Islanders have the first overall pick.

I will be there.

By saying being there I don't mean at the draft party at the coliseum but at the actual draft in Montreal.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Thoughts and prayers for the Boe Family

Thanks Roy for the memories and many great moments!!!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Stuff

So my blog page is misaligned. Argghhh.

The Islanders are playing like they should be playing but getting through it all is tough and I am bored. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Or should I say lighthouse at the end of the tunnel?

At times like this I enjoy the fall of the rangers. They have given up 22 Goals in the last five games. They have scored only 5 goals in the same period of time. They now sit a mere 5 points from 9th place. I cant wait.

The Islanders on the other hand can now only score 96 points total. It really means that we have 3 games that we can lose before we are not able to make the playoffs based on past performances.

To put this in perspective, The Bruins have 85 points. Which means we have 11 points to give before we are eliminated from the #1 spot for the season.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Stolen From Forever 1940

Joey MacDonald played his first game in over three weeks, and seemed a little rusty early.  Rusty enough to end the Isles 4 game win streak.  On to the trick:

1.  JAy Bouwmeester and Karlin Skrastins scored first period goals for the Cats, who had the game's first six shots, leading up to a long-range goal by Bouwmeester.

2.  The Isles benefited from 4 Panther penalties in the second period. scoring twice with the extra-man.  Josh Bailey and Trent Hunter had the goals --  it was the 2nd goal for Bailey and the 88th career goal for Hunter --with exactly 1/4 of them on the powerplay (22).

3.  Richard Zednik sandwiched the Isle pp goals with a beautiful goal of his own.  Another ex-Isle, Bryan McCabe, earned an assist on the game-winning tally as the Panthers improved to 9-2-3 in 2009.

and a few more...

4.  Kyle Okposo was on the ice for both pp goals, but did not record a point, ending his point streak at 5.

5.  MacDonald made 26 saves, but drops his 4th straight decision.  He's 1-13-2 in his last 17 appearances (1 no decision)'

6.  The Isles had only 22 shots on goal on Tomas Vokoun, but there were 18 shots blocked by Panthers and 16 others that missed the net

7.  The home team won all 4 games of this series.  The Isles have dropped 5 straight in Sunrise.for the first time in thier history.

8.  With Mark Streit out injured, Chris Campoli saw his time on the pp (5:08) and led the Ises with 24:24 of overall ice-time.  Nate THompson played only 2:33 and left with a shoulder injury.. Jack Hillen and Joe Callahan replaced the injured Streit and Pock and each played over 12:30

9.  Maybe it's the Islander-Ranger thing, but Soup's son Gregory Campbell always seems to play well against the Isles.  Tonight was no exception, winning 11 of 16 draws, with three hits and two blocks.

10.  Up next: the mini road trip concludes in Tampa on Saturday.  The Isles lead the season 2 games to 0 (4 points to 1).  Overall the Isles have won 5 of 6 from Tampa and earned points in 5 of the last 7 (5-1-1) between the teams.


Great Deals on Dell Laptops. Starting at $499.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Tavares Musical Interlude

The Musical Group, Tavares

"Heaven Missing an Angel"



"More Than a Woman"

RaRa Note: I prefer the #5 version from the movie Short Circuit.



"She's Gone"



"Never Had a Love Like This Before"

NHL Standings as of 01/02/2009!

Awwww, the Rangers are in 4th place. One more loss could find them in 6th place.
EASTERN CONFERENCE (42)
1. Boston - 62 [38] -------- vs. 8. Pittsburgh - 42 [38]
2. Washington - 53 [39] ---- vs. 7. Carolina - 43 [39]
3. Philadelphia - 49 [38] -- vs. 6. New Jersey - 47 [37]
4. NY Ranjerks - 49 [39] --- vs. 5. Montreal - 48 [37]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 41 [38] -1
10. Florida - 37 [37] -5
11. Toronto - 36 [38] -6
12. Ottawa - 31 [35] -11
13. Atlanta - 31 [39] -11
14. Tampa Bay - 30 [37] -12
15. NY Islanders - 28 [39] -14
WESTERN CONFERENCE (40)
1. San Jose - 61 [37] -- vs. 8. Columbus - 40 [38]
2. Detroit - 55 [37] --- vs. 7. Phoenix - 43 [39]
3. Calgary - 48 [37] --- vs. 6. Anaheim - 43 [39]
4. Chicago - 47 [35] --- vs. 5. Vancouver - 46 [40]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Colorado - 39 [38] -1
10. Minnesota - 38 [36] -2
11. Edmonton - 37 [36](17W) -3
12. Dallas - 37 [36](16W) -3
13. Nashville - 37 [37] -3
14. Los Angeles - 36 [37] -4
15. St. Louis - 31 [38] -9
564 games played - 137 into OT - 24.3%.
137 OT games - 76 end in shootout = 55.5% OR 13.5% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 40 goals scored in 6 games = 6.67 goals per game.
Total - 3,295 goals scored in 564 games = 5.84 gpg.
3,295 goals minus 76 SO goals = 3,219 = 5.71 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 69 shutouts = 1 per 8.17 games.
The eastern conference is 55-59-15 for 125 out of a possible 258
points against the western conference. That equates to 48.5%.
The Isles have scored 102 goals = 2.62 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 141 goals = 3.62 gpg.

Esoteric Attendance Report

Last night, there were 3 out of 6 games played with more than 2,000
empty seats, or 50.0%.
Out of 564 games played, there have been 150 played with MORE than
2,000 empty seats, or 26.6% of all games played.
There have been 34 east vs. west games out of 129 played on this
list, for a 26.4%.
There have been 36 divisional games played on this list, or 6.4%.
There have been 41 games played at less than 75% capacity, or 7.2%.
Out of 150 games, the Islanders appear 12 times on this list, or 8.1%
and 2.2% out of 564 games.
** = new statistic.

Team leaders at more than 2,000 HOME empty seat games (150):
18 - Atlanta.
17 -
16 - Phoenix, Carolina.
15 -
14 - Columbus.
13 - Tampa Bay, Los Angeles.
12 - NY Islanders, Florida.
11 -
10 - Nashville, New Jersey.
9 - Colorado.
8 - / 7 - / 6 - / 5 - / 4 -
3 - Dallas.
2 - Boston, St. Louis.
1 -

Team leaders at less than 75% capacity games (41):
6 - Columbus, Atlanta.
5 - NY Islanders, Florida.
4 - Nashville, Tampa Bay, Carolina.
3 - New Jersey.
2 - Phoenix.
1 - Los Angeles, Colorado.

Team leaders at more than 2,000 TOTAL (home and away) empty seat
games (300):
23 - Atlanta.
22 - Phoenix, Carolina.
21 - Columbus.
20 - Florida.
19 - Nashville.
18 - Tampa Bay.
17 - NY Islanders, Los Angeles.
16 -
15 - Colorado.
14 -
13 - New Jersey.
12 - / 11 - / 10 -
9 - Minnesota.
8 - Dallas, San Jose.
7 - St. Louis, Vancouver.
6 - Edmonton, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Toronto.
5 - Calgary, Boston, Buffalo.
4 - Montreal, Pittsburgh, Washington.
3 - Anaheim, NY Ranjerks.
2 - Chicago.
1 -
0 - Detroit.

smallest crowd:
15. 10/23 - I-Dallas @ NY Islanders-16,234 - 10,183 = 6,051 = 62.7%.
lowest % of attendance:
41. 11/2 - D-Florida @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 10,584 = 7,961 = 57.1%.

Stolen from Forever1940

Visit forever1940.blogspot.com
A pair of third period milestones, but in the end an 11th straight road loss. On to the trick:

1. Moments after ex-Isle Olli Jokinen had given the Coyotes a 4-1 lead, Josh Bailey struck for the first NHL goal of his career. It came in his 25th NHL game. Bailey also was _+2, had four shots on goal and won 12 of 15 draws.

2. The game looked out of reach, but Richard Park scored twice in the final 3:06 to make the final minutes interesting. Doug Weight assisted on both goals for the 1000th and 1001st points of his NHL career. It was his 6th two-point game of the season. Weight leads the Isles in both assists (25) and points (32).

3. Weight reaches the milestone in 1167 games. He did it against one of his favorite opponents; Weight now has 63 points in 58 career games against the Jets/Coyotes.

and a few more...

4. The Isles are now 1-6-2 all-time in Phoenix, winning only in 2004.

5. The Isles have now scored four 6th attacker goals and allowed 1 in the last four games.

6. Guerin and Okposo each recorded assists to extend their point streaks to 5, but Comeau's point streak stopped at four, while Comrie's goal streak ended at 3. Comrie wnet down fighting -- a game-high 7 shots on goal; it's the 2nd straight game he's had 7 SOG's.

7. Rick DiPietro made 28 saves in his 5th start of the season. He recorded an assist for the second straight appearance, extending his club records for assists and points by a goalie to 15.

8. Lots of crooked numbers on the Isles +/- tonight. Gervais, Park, Guerin and Campoli were all +3 while Bailey was +2. However, Meyer was -4, Witt, Jackman, and Comrie were -3, Comeau and Bergenheim were -2. Only two crookeds for the Yote's: Michalek was +3 while Morris was -2.

9. When all was said and done, the Isles dropped to 6-12 in one-goal games (includes 4 ot/so losses). The 8 regulation one-goal losses share the league lead.

10. Up next: the road trip doesn't get any easier as the Isles head to the Tank to face the Sharks. The Sharks are 18-0-2 at home this season and haven't been beaten in regulation at home in over 10 months (26-0-3). The Sharks are 28-4-5 overall. A difficult task to be sure. But that's why they play the games.

The Captains Game Report - Nassau Coliseum



Dec 31, 2008

Islanders 4 Florida Panthers 2 FINAL

Where do I begin?

Happy New Year to all !

Lets Go Tampa and Lets Go Atlanta tonight !!! We gained back two
of the points of the three point lead we have in the Tavares derby.

No wonder none of my "Mitch Fritz" text messages made it on the
scoreboard today. Mitch was waived today - and likely winds up in
Bridgeport. I am unhappy about this. We need a big time goon to go
up against Daniel Carcillo in PHX on Fri. Is Jackman going to be the
guy to get beat up again?

The ones that made it up ?


" Happy New Year"

"RaRa luvs the Lighthouse"

My theory - is that they take some early texts - those made early in
the night and loop them. Some guy named Tristan's name was up there
32 times. Then some attendant adds a few in - after scanning them
for things which might be offensive or not "Wang Approved" so
patience and an early arrival are key.

National Anthem singer - Alyssa Cavallano - a teenage girl who gave
a worthy effort - Happy New Year Alyssa !

Your State Farm Agent of the game ? Sandra Simpson of Wantagh.

Brithday of the day on the big screen ? Jason Sirianni - six years
old today and IN THE HOUSE!

Tuscan Dairy goal for first Comrie goal = Section 205 Row H Seat 7

The Scotto Brothers fan of the game - getting a certificate for
dinner for two at Fox Hollow Inn was in seat 6 Row C Section 124 x

Second goal by Comrie - SECTION 303 !!!! However, Row S seat 6 was
your winner - not us.

Bergenheim goal Section 337 Row F Seat 2 was the Tuscan Goal
winner of a Bergie autographed puck

The choice of songs for the Islanders to skate onto the ice to for
the third period

* Next to you - Buckcherry

* Tick Tock Boom - Hives

* Stay with me - Finch

GUess what won ? ( will disclose at end of report.)

Instead of the Lucky Puck Shuffle - with the three pucks ( one with
an Islander Logo) - having to guess which one has the logo after the
shuffle......was called the "Stonebridge Champagne Shuffle" tonight -
in honor of Stonebridge Golf Course in Hauppauge. There were 4
bottles. Will disclose winner at end of report.

The Ice Girl 50/50 raffle was won by ticket number 488597 $ 1,065
was the winning amount. Our friend Dave O had ticket number 488598.

Last goal was Sectoin 104 Row J - Mark Streit

Comic Book Characters in attendance: Spiderman, Wolverine, Captain
America, the Incredible Hulk and Iron Man.

Hall of Fame announcers to make the scoreboard - Jiggs McDonald
(Back from Thailand !)

Also, one of the NY Lottery ladies - sorry - forgot which one -
hosted the between periods on ice gig where they give out prizes for
those who shoot the puck in the net from center ice.

My son's potential last game of the year before he heads back to
Chicago - is a winner. Suppose that his record - combined with
Roger's (who was in attendance) - they canceled each other out.

The game ? Not such an interesting game. We had a goal disallowed
and Comrie's first goal had to be reviewed. I am more interested in
game operations than the game these days. Have to get Tavares and
today's result is not helping.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !!

Pat
********************************************

Winning Song - Tick Tock Boom.

Champagne Puck Shuffle - Bottle # 1 was the correct answer. The dude
in the stands picked Bottle 4 - but they gave the prize anyway.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Esoteric NHL Standings 12 / 22 / 2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (37)
1. Boston - 52 [33] ------- vs. 8. Buffalo - 37 [34]
2. NY Ranjerks - 46 [36] -- vs. 7. Pittsburgh - 40 [33]
3. Washington - 43 [34] --- vs. 6. New Jersey - 41 [31]
4. Philadelphia - 43 [33] - vs. 5. Montreal - 42 [33]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Carolina - 37 [34] -0
10. Florida - 34 [32] -3
11. Toronto - 34 [33] -3
12. Ottawa - 29 [31] -8
13. Atlanta - 26 [33] -11
14. Tampa Bay - 23 [32] -14
15. NY Islanders - 23 [33] -14
WESTERN CONFERENCE (35)
1. San Jose - 55 [33] --- vs. 8. Nashville - 35 [32]
2. Detroit - 48 [32] ---- vs. 7. Phoenix - 36 [34]
3. Vancouver - 41 [34] -- vs. 6. Anaheim - 39 [34]
4. Chicago - 43 [31] ---- vs. 5. Calgary - 40 [33]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Minnesota - 34 [32] -1
10. Edmonton - 33 [32] -2
11. Colorado - 33 [33] -2
12. Columbus - 32 [33](14W) -3
13. Los Angeles - 32 [33](13W) -3
14. Dallas - 31 [32] -4
15. St. Louis - 29 [33] -6
493 games played - 125 into OT - 25.4%.
125 OT games - 69 end in shootout = 55.2% OR 14.0% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 28 goals scored in 4 games = 7.00 goals per game.
Total - 2,887 goals scored in 493 games = 5.86 gpg.
2,887 goals minus 69 SO goals = 2,818 = 5.72 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 57 shutouts = 1 per 8.65 games.
The eastern conference is 48-51-15 for 111 out of a possible 228
points against the western conference. That equates to 48.7%.
The Isles have scored 81 goals = 2.45 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 120 goals = 3.64 gpg.



Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Captain's Coliseum Report

Game Report

Capitals 5 Isles 4 ( OT )

Halfway decent crowd for a snowy night. Positive Bruce was there
with his son - and my son enjoyed sitting with them.

Brashear chickened out of a fight vs. Mitch Fritz. I remember
Brashear getting suspended for inferring that one of the Isles who
did not fight him a few years back ( Cairns?) was a nasty
term........and made a gesture which was quite vulgar.

As far as the game went - the Isles could have won this one. Nice
comeback effort. THe Caps have a pretty good team. they should have
won big.

Both goalies had goals they might want back. Especially Laich's goal

Getting to the important part

* State Farm Agent of the game - Victoria Van De Ven of Seaford -
named so at 7:28 PM.

* 50 / 50 raffle = $ 783.00

I got a lot in the third - when everyone thought they were done.

# of times - "Everybody clap your hands" = three

Song highlights - " Way-O" - "I like it like that" - "Dance Dance
Dance"

Song voted by the fans for the Isles to skate onto the ice in period
three - I forgot - but it was by Nickelback

I am not sure on the last sequence if Ovie had scored twice on the
same sequence - like Campoli did or not.

Anthem Singer - NONE - This was my 4th game in a row with out a
singer. Is this a cost cutting move - no one want to do it ?

End of report



Monday, December 15, 2008

Esoteric NHL Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE (33)
1. Boston - 46 [30] ------- vs. 8. Buffalo - 33 [30]
2. NY Ranjerks - 42 [33] -- vs. 7. New Jersey - 34 [27]
3. Washington - 39 [31] --- vs. 6. Pittsburgh - 36 [30]
4. Philadelphia - 38 [29] - vs. 5. Montreal - 37 [29]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Florida - 31 [30](14W) -2
10. Carolina - 31 [30](13W) -2
11. Toronto - 28 [29] -5
12. Ottawa - 27 [28] -6
13. Atlanta - 22 [29] -11
14. NY Islanders - 22 [30](10W) -11
15. Tampa Bay - 22 [30](7W) -11
WESTERN CONFERENCE (31)
1. San Jose - 50 [29] --- vs. 8. Minnesota - 31 [29]
2. Detroit - 44 [29] ---- vs. 7. Nashville - 33 [29]
3. Vancouver - 37 [31] -- vs. 6. Calgary - 35 [30]
4. Chicago - 37 [28] ---- vs. 5. Anaheim - 37 [31]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Phoenix - 31 [30] -0
10. Edmonton - 30 [28] -1
11. Los Angeles - 30 [29] -1
12. Colorado - 29 [29] -2
13. Columbus - 29 [30] -2
14. St. Louis - 27 [29] -4
15. Dallas - 26 [29] -5
443 games played - 108 into OT - 24.4%.
108 OT games - 63 end in shootout = 58.3% OR 14.2% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 18 goals scored in 3 games = 6.00 goals per game.
Total - 2,580 goals scored in 443 games = 5.82 gpg.
2,580 goals minus 63 SO goals = 2,517 = 5.68 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 52 shutouts = 1 per 8.52 games.
The eastern conference is 40-48-14 for 94 out of a possible 204
points against the western conference. That equates to 46.1%.
The Isles have scored 76 goals = 2.53 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 110 goals = 3.67 gpg.



Saturday, December 13, 2008

Esoteric Stuff

We gave up 9 goals last night and the Rangers gave up 8 tonight. HaHa!!!

The Rangers have fallen to 7th place in the Esoteric Standings
Another lose by the Rangers and a win by the Sabres, Canes, and the Kitty Cats and the Rangers fall to 10th place in the Esoteric points attainable standings.
The Islanders on the other hand are now tied with TB for last in the entire league. Only problem is we have more wins to their ties, thus TB gets the tiebreaker.


Friday, December 12, 2008

100 Years Ago Today

I know I bust on Shaman a lot but a big part of this year he spent dealing with saying goodbye to his Grandmother. I know what he was going through as I was really close with mine as well. There were a bunch of reasons from a family perspective why but one of the other big reasons was that she allowed myself and Pat the ability to nurture our Islander Fandom when we were kids. Every now and then you may catch a glimpse of those great times spent with my grandmother, times of Stanley Cups and Victory Iced Tea.
.
She past away 8 years ago in October and it still feels like yesterday. One of the things that she was most proud of was that she was a resident of East Meadow for her whole life. I also suppose that is why I am so supportive of the Lighthouse project in making our home a better place to live.
.
I bring this all up because if she were alive today, we would be celebrating her 100th birthday.
.
Happy Birthday Grandma and to all the grandmas out there that were always there with a 50 pound pocket book full of those pink mint candies that were always covered in fuzz that you only see at a discount drug store on the bottom shelf. It has been 8 years since I had one.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Esoteric - I've got issues with the Rangers

I have talked about this before and I will talk about it again. Can the Rangers stop laying waste to extra points where ever they go?

It is really screwing with my esoteric predictions.

The Rangers have now played in 31 games. They have played in 10 "extra-inning" games. That is 10 extra points they have given because they couldnt just win or simply lose. 10 games of 31 is about a third of all ranger games have been 3-point games.

Another way to look at it is that 31 rounds up to 32 games and of the 10 games that went to OT or SO, 8 of them had conference implications. Simply stated, a quarter of all Ranger games have strewn extra points across the conference.

I for one don't like it. Especially when the rangers have won 8 of those 10 decisions again showing how they have given away extra points.

Tonights game versus the Thrashers they helped our quest in the Tavares Sweepstakes by giving Atlanta that point before the Blueskirts went on to win.

I still don't like it though. Am I the only one that this bothers?

Esoteric Standings 12/09/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (29)
1. Boston - 42 [27] ------- vs. 8. Buffalo - 29 [27]
2. NY Ranjerks - 38 [30] -- vs. 7. New Jersey - 30 [24]
3. Washington - 33 [28] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 34 [27](14W)
4. Montreal - 37 [27] ----- vs. 5. Pittsburgh - 34 [27](15W)
.
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Carolina - 29 [28] -0
10. Florida - 27 [27] -2
11. Toronto - 26 [28] -3
12. Ottawa - 25 [25] -4
13. NY Islanders - 22 [28] -7
14. Atlanta - 21 [26] -8
15. Tampa Bay - 20 [27] -9
.
WESTERN CONFERENCE (30)
1. San Jose - 46 [27] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 30 [27]
2. Detroit - 40 [26] ------ vs. 7. Minnesota - 31 [26]
3. Vancouver - 35 [29] ---- vs. 6. Chicago - 31 [25]
4. Calgary - 33 [28](16W) - vs. 5. Anaheim - 33 [28](15W)
.
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Colorado - 29 [28] -1
10. Edmonton - 28 [26] -2
11. St. Louis - 27 [26] -3
12. Phoenix - 26 [27](12W) -4
13. Los Angeles - 26 [27](11W) -4
14. Columbus - 25 [27] -5
15. Dallas - 24 [26] -6
.
405 games played - 101 into OT - 25.1%.
101 OT games - 58 end in shootout = 57.8% OR 14.4% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 23 goals scored in 4 games = 5.75 goals per game.
Total - 2,363 goals scored in 405 games = 5.84 gpg.
2,363 goals minus 58 SO goals = 2,305 = 5.67 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 46 shutouts = 1 per 8.71 games.
The eastern conference is 38-45-14 for 90 out of a possible 194 points
against the western conference. That equates to 46.4%.
The Isles have scored 73 goals = 2.61 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 98 goals = 3.50 gpg.



Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Esoteric Situation

Tomorrows rags vs atlanta game is pretty big.

We need atlanta to beat the rags for sure.

So you know, with tonights loss we are now tied for last place in points attainable with TB. We have 22 points and have played 28 games. They have 20 points but have played 27 games. Thus we can achieve the same point total as of right now which is 130 points.

130 points is all we can score for the total of the rest of the season. Get it? One hundred thirty. If you need a conservative 94 points to make the playoffs. (I normally say 90 but with the rags giving away 3 points games like Christmas candy I say 94 will be a safe bet to make the playoffs this year). That means we can only give up 36 points or lose 18 more games.

To put this in perspective, we have played 28 games so far this season. In those 28 games we have won 10 games. That means we have lost 18 games.

If we extrapolate this out we will be mathematically eliminated during game #57 on Feb 18th at MSG. Blech!!!!!

For this reason I say we let all our injured players stay out and heal. There is no reason why Ricky should come back at all. I also think that keeping Bailey up was a mistake as well.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Take a Moment to Remember

Stolen from Forever1940's Stat trick

Visit Forever1940's blog at forever1940.blogspot.com


Ten days and one period ago, all the Isles had to do was hold off the Penguins in the third period to get back to NHL .500. Four losses in five games suggest that NHL .500 may be a long ways off. On to the trick:

1. The Thrashers have outscored the Isles 8-1 in the last 4 periods, and 5-0 in the third period this season.

2. Atlanta has beaten the Isles in regulation in consecutive games for the first time since winning the first two games between the franchises in 1999.

3. Bill Guerin' first minute pp goal was the 397th goal of his NHL career.

and a few more....

4. The Isles have won consecutive home games only once since February.

5. The penalties started early and ended late. The Isles earned a power play only 19 seconds into the game; there was a scrum that produced 42 minutes of penalties with 19 seconds to play.

6. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists for Atlanta.

7. The Isles have allowed 24 goals in their last five games -- they haven't allowed more in a five-game stretch since December 2005.

8. Blake Comeau had three shots and three assists in his NHL season debut. He played Friday night for Bridgeport, where his game was reffed by Jamie Koharski. Jamie's dad, Don, was one of tonight's refs.

9. Josh Bailey led the Isles forwards in first period ice-time (7:16) but played only 9:20 the rest of the way.

10. Brendan Witt had eight hits and five blocked shots. Three of the blocks came on one shift, all on shots by Kovalchuk.

Up next: The Isles begin a 4-game trip in Toronto. The Isles won the series last year, 5 points to 4. They went 5-3-0 against the Leafs under Nolan; the Leafs are the only Eastern Conference team that the Isles have not played this season.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Captain's Nassau Coliseum report.

Atlanta 5 NY Islanders 1 FINAL SCORE

Nassau Coliseum report.

Brought my son to the game - suffering his second loss of the year -
and is now 0-2 since his return from college in Chicago.

We texted our daughter for her analysis of the game and she wrote back

"A team that just lost 5 games in a row skated into our building and
just wanted it more than our team did."

The game -as anticipated - had a physical edge to it. Jackman and
Thorburn had a fight early on that was asked for by Thorburn and
accepted by Jackman - who held his own.

The better fight was towards the end - when Chris Campoli and Joe
Crabb dropped em. The Isles took a bunch of penalties which did not
help them get back in the game - Andy Sutton just took major whacks
at people with the express purpose of hurting them.

Just a game that was not in the cards for us - we had one disallowed
when Sim and some ATL guy knocked the net off the mooring and one
sequence when Comeau and I think Park hit the post and then ATL comes
back the other way and Perrin scored from Kovy.

Kovalchuk did not dominate in this game - but sure made some plays.
A game we could have won - but got both unlucky and became unglued
and took undisciplined penalties ( like Sim getting in trouble with
his big mouth)

The most fun I had was texting the scoreboard and making note of the
return of some songs to the roster ( "Let's Get Loud" by J-Lo
and "Unchained" by Van Halen.)

Positive Bruce studied Comeau. says "He has to play Right Wing" -
Comeau played good. Went to the net and had 3 shots on goal - two
were tough - he went to the net and played well.

Adam Okula of Albertson, NY = State Farm Agent of the game.

$ 1,367 was the amount of the take on the 50/50 raffle.

Also, before the game - we were accosted by an Isles photographer.
Picture of me, Kevin and his friend Nick is in group 7 - pic 12 of
the "Photo store" icon on the Isles web page. Its like DISNEY or
Universal on a ride - when they take your picture and then try to
sell it to you.

NY Rangers in 6th Place in the Islanders Esoteric


Normally I do the Points attainable standings in the column on the right but I didnt feel like dealing with it so I just cut & pasted from my spreadsheet. With the loss the other night I noticed that there were teams that scored 5 plus goals.

The Islanders were not one of them.

Nor, for that matter, were the Rangers.

Both the "lowly" Islanders and the "unstoppable" Rangers scored 2 goals apiece.

Fo me part of being am Islander fan is my unadulterated pure hatred of the NY Rangers. Having come to grips with our station in life as Islander Fans as being the whipping block of the league and the media, I have taken solace in the trust I have for the vision of this rebuilding process. Since the last major memorable playoff event happened almost a decade and a half ago I have grown to also take solace in the futility of the NY Rangers.

It is something that I really don't understand but we have both really have done nothing spectacular for years and years. The difference is that the Islanders & their fans have done it by being dragged over the hot burning coals of Milbury, Spano, Muller, and Malonet (ETC.). The Rangers have done it by outspending everyone, losing nearly as much and still being the darlings of the league.

Blech!

For this is why I posted the above chart. Yes the Rangers are doing very well sitting atop the division and the conference. However, looks are decieving. My chart takes into consideration "Games Left". This makes my hockey world a little brighter.

The Rangers are in reality tied for 6th and are 4 ponts from ** NOT ** making the playoffs.

Esoteric Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. Boston - 38 [25] ------- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [26]
2. NY Ranjerks - 38 [29] -- vs. 7. New Jersey - 28 [23]
3. Washington - 31 [26] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 30 [25]
4. Pittsburgh - 34 [25] --- vs. 5. Montreal - 34 [25]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Florida - 25 [25] -1
10. Buffalo - 25 [25] -1
11. Toronto - 24 [26] -2
12. Ottawa - 22 [23] -4
13. NY Islanders - 22 [25] -4
14. Tampa Bay - 20 [25] -6
15. Atlanta - 19 [25] -7
WESTERN CONFERENCE (28)
1. San Jose - 45 [26] --- vs. 8. Nashville - 28 [25]
2. Detroit - 38 [25] ---- vs. 7. Chicago - 28 [23]
3. Minnesota - 31 [24] -- vs. 6. Calgary - 29 [25]
4. Anaheim - 31 [27] ---- vs. 5. Vancouver - 30 [26]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Phoenix - 26 [25] -2
10. Columbus - 25 [25] -3
11. Edmonton - 24 [24] -4
12. Colorado - 24 [25] -4
13. Los Angeles - 23 [23] -5
14. St. Louis - 22 [23] -6
15. Dallas - 22 [25] -6
375 games played - 92 into OT - 24.5%.
92 OT games - 54 end in shootout = 58.7% OR 14.4% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 64 goals scored in 10 games = 6.40 goals per game.
Total - 2,193 goals scored in 375 games = 5.85 gpg.
2,193 goals minus 54 SO goals = 2,139 = 5.70 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 42 shutouts = 1 per 8.93 games.
The eastern conference is 37-44-14 for 88 out of a possible 190 points
against the western conference. That equates to 46.3%.
The Isles have scored 67 goals = 2.68 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 85 goals = 3.40 gpg.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Esoteric NHL Standings for 12/01/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. Boston - 36 [24] ---------- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [25]
2. NY Ranjerks - 36 [27] --- vs. 7. New Jersey - 26 [22]
3. Washington - 29 [24] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 27 [23]
4. Pittsburgh - 31 [23] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 30 [23]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 25 [24] -1
10. Toronto - 24 [24] -2
11. NY Islanders - 22 [24] -4
12. Florida - 21 [23] -5
13. Ottawa - 20 [22] -6
14. Atlanta - 19 [23](8W) -7
15. Tampa Bay - 19 [23](6W) -7

WESTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. San Jose - 41 [24] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 26 [24]
2. Detroit - 36 [24] ------- vs. 7. Chicago - 26 [22]
3. Vancouver - 30 [25] --- vs. 6. Calgary - 29 [24]
4. Anaheim - 31 [26] ----- vs. 5. Minnesota - 29 [23]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Columbus - 25 [24] -1
10. Colorado - 24 [24] -2
11. Los Angeles - 23 [22] -3
12. St. Louis - 22 [22] -4
13. Phoenix - 22 [23] -4
14. Edmonton - 22 [23] -4
15. Dallas - 20 [23] -6

354 games played - 89 into OT - 25.1%.
89 OT games - 53 end in shootout = 59.6.0% OR 15.0% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 25 goals scored in 5 games = 5.00 goals per game.
Total - 2,060 goals scored in 354 games = 5.82 gpg.
2,060 goals minus 53 SO goals = 2,007 = 5.67 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 41 shutouts = 1 per 8.63 games.
The eastern conference is 37-42-14 for 88 out of a possible 186 points
against the western conference. That equates to 47.3%.
The Isles have scored 65 goals = 2.71 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 80 goals = 3.33 gpg.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Esoteric NHL Standings for 11/30/2008

How this is read: The Islanders are in 11th place. They have 22 Points. [Played in 24 Games]. And they are a minus 4 points out of the final playoff spot.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. Boston - 36 [24] ---------- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [25]
2. NY Ranjerks - 36 [27] --- vs. 7. New Jersey - 26 [22]
3. Washington - 29 [24] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 27 [23]
4. Pittsburgh - 31 [23] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 30 [23]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 25 [23] -1
10. Toronto - 22 [23] -4
11. NY Islanders - 22 [24] -4
12. Florida - 21 [23] -5
13. Ottawa - 20 [22] -6
14. Atlanta - 19 [23](8W) -7
15. Tampa Bay - 19 [23](6W) -7

WESTERN CONFERENCE (24)
1. San Jose - 41 [24] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 24 [23]
2. Detroit - 34 [23] ------- vs. 7. Chicago - 26 [22]
3. Vancouver - 30 [24] --- vs. 6. Calgary - 29 [24]
4. Anaheim - 31 [25] ----- vs. 5. Minnesota - 29 [22]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Los Angeles - 23 [22] -1
10. Columbus - 23 [23] -1
11. St. Louis - 22 [22] -2
12. Colorado - 22 [23](11W) -2
13.Phoenix - 22 [23](10W) -2
14. Edmonton - 22 [23](10W) -2
15. Dallas - 20 [23] -4

349 games played - 89 into OT - 25.5%.
89 OT games - 53 end in shootout = 59.6.0% OR 15.2% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 22 goals scored in 4 games = 5.50 goals per game.
Total - 2,035 goals scored in 349 games = 5.83 gpg.
2,035 goals minus 53 SO goals = 1,982 = 5.68 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 40 shutouts = 1 per 8.73 games.
The eastern conference is 36-41-14 for 86 out of a possible 182 points
against the western conference. That equates to 47.3%.
The Isles have scored 65 goals = 2.71 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 80 goals = 3.33 gpg.

Esoteric NHL Attendance Breakdown

There has been talk about the NHL attendance and how it will relate to the upcoming seasons. We have been breaking down attendance numbers here at the esoteric for some time.

When working with numbers and stats, trends just seem to jump out at you. For example, when I do the "On Pace For" stats it appears that a good point number this year will be in the 55 point range. With the attendance, the number of 2,000 empty seats stood out. One of the issues is that no two arenas are the same. What we believe is that by setting a quantifiable seat amount as opposed to a percentage shows the overall state of a given hockey market. If a community wanted 20,000 seats as opposed to 13,000 then that is their problem they never get sell outs. Lastly, it is after all just a gauge of how well things are going.

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THE ATTENDANCE ESOTERIC
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Last night, there were 2 out of 4 games played with more than 2,000 empty
seats, or 50.0%.
Out of 349 games played, there have been 96 played with MORE than 2,000
empty seats, or 27.5% of all games played.
There have been 26 east vs. west games out of 91 played on this list, for a
28.6%.
There have been 23 divisional games played on this list, or 6.6%.
There have been 31 games played at less than 75% capacity, or 8.9%.
Out of 96 games, the Islanders appear 8 times on this list, or 8.3% and 2.3%
out of 349 games.
** = new statistic.

Team leaders at more than 2,000 HOME empty seat games (91):
11- Atlanta, Carolina.
10 - Tampa Bay, Phoenix.
9 - Columbus.
8 - New Jersey, Nashville, NY Islanders.
7 - Los Angeles, Florida.
6 -
5 - Colorado.
4 -
3 -
2 - Boston.
1 -

Team leaders at less than 75% capacity games (31):
5 - Atlanta.
4 - Tampa Bay, NY Islanders, Columbus, Carolina, Florida.
3 - New Jersey.
2 - Nashville.
1 - Los Angeles.

Team leaders at more than 2,000 TOTAL (home and away) empty seat games
(182):
16 - Carolina.
15 -
14 - Atlanta,
13 - Columbus, Tampa Bay, Florida, Phoenix.
12 - Nashville.
11 - New Jersey, NY Islanders.
10 -
9 -
8 - Los Angeles.
7 - Colorado.
6 - Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton.
5 - Dallas, Ottawa.
4 - Philadelphia, Calgary.
3 - Anaheim, Vancouver, Toronto, Buffalo, St. Louis.
2 - Montreal, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, NY Ranjerks.
1 -
0 - Detroit.

smallest crowd:
15. 10/23 - I-Dallas @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 10,183 = 6,051 = 62.7%.
lowest % of attendance:
41. 11/2 - D-Florida @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 10,584 = 7,961 = 57.1%.

Here are all the games played with MORE than 2,000 empty seats.
96. 11/30 - I-Anaheim @ Carolina - 18,639 - 14,191 = 4,448 = 76.1%.
95. 11/30 - I-St. Louis @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 14,078 = 4,467 = 75.9%.
94. 11/29 - D-San Jose @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,007 = 3,792 = 78.7%.
93. 11/29 - Minnesota @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,990 = 3,123 = 81.8%.
92. 11/29 - Ottawa @ NY Islanders - 16,24 - 13,108 = 3,126 = 80.7%.
91. 11/28 - Colorado @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,031 = 3,768 = 78.8%.
90. 11/28 - I-Nashville @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 15,022 = 3,523 = 81.0%.
89. 11/26 - St. Louis Blues @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,568 = 3,439 = 80.9%.
88. 11/26 - NY Ranjerks @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,991 = 2,767 = 86.0%.
87. 11/26 - New jersey @ Florida - 19,250 - 14,932 = 4,318 = 77.6%.
86. 11/26 - Philadelphia @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,057 = 3,582 = 80.8%.
85. 11/26 - Phoenix @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,569 = 3,575 = 80.3%.
84. 11/25 - D-St. Louis @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,825 = 3,288 = 80.8%.
83. 11/24 - D-Carolina @ Florida - 19,250 - 11,117 = 8,133 = 57.8%.
82. 11/23 - New Jersey @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 14,222 = 5,536 = 72.0%.
81. 11/23 - I-Nashville @ Carolina - 18,639 - 13,042 = 5,597 = 70.0%.
80. 11/22 - I-Columbus @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 15,561 = 2,984 = 83.9%.
79. 11/21 - I-Nashville @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,444 = 3,314 = 83.2%.
78. 11/21 - I-Phoenix @ Carolina - 18,639 - 14,848 = 3,791 = 79.7%.
77. 11/20 - D-Calgary @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,536 = 3,471 = 80.7%.
76. 11/20 - Pittsburgh @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 13,391 = 5,154 = 72.2%.
75. 11/20 - Florida @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,291 = 3,334 = 81.1%.
74. 11/18 - Chicago @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,682 = 3,117 = 82.5%.
73. 11/18 - D-Florida @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,176 = 3,582 = 81.9%.
72. 11/18 - Montreal @ Carolina - 18,639 - 12,164 = 6,475 = 65.3%.
71. 11/18 - Edmonton @ Columbus - 18,144 - 12,689 = 5,455 = 70.0%.
70. 11/17 - I-Vancouver @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 11,299 = 4,935 = 69.6%.
69. 11/17 - San Jose @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,312 = 3,801 = 77.8%.
68. 11/16 - D-Tampa Bay @ Carolina - 18,639 - 13,781 = 4,858 = 73.9%.
67. 11/15 - Nashville @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 14,135 = 3,983 = 78.0%.
66. 11/15 - D-Dallas @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,508 = 2,291 = 87.1%.
65. 11/15 - Ottawa @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 13,722 = 2,512 = 84.5%.
64. 11/14 - D-Carolina @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 16,128 = 2,417 = 87.0%.
63. 11/12 - D-Washington @ Carolina - 18,639 - 14,261 = 4,378 = 76.5%.
62. 11/12 - Phoenix @ Columbus - 18,144 - 11,350 = 6,794 = 62.6%.
61. 11/12 - D-Tampa Bay @ Florida - 19,250 - 12,104 = 7,146 = 62.9%.
60. 11/11 - D-Dallas @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 13,823 = 4,295 = 76.3%.
59. 11/11 - D-Philadelphia @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 13,447 = 2,787 = 82.8%.
58. 11/09 - D-Atlanta @ Carolina - 18,639 - 12,398 = 6,241 = 66.5%.
57. 11/09 - D-San Jose @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,056 = 2,743 = 83.7%.
56. 11/09 - I-Edmonton @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,193 = 3,432 = 80.5%.
55. 11/08 - Calgary @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,088 = 4,056 = 77.7%.
54. 11/08 - I-Florida @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,807 = 3,192 = 83.2%.
53. 11/07 - Ottawa @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,206 = 3,433 = 81.6%.
52. 11/07 - I-Montreal @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,603 = 3,541 = 80.5%.
51. 11/06 - I-Florida @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 11,267 = 6,851 = 69.9%.
50. 11/06 - D-Minnesota @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,562 = 3,445 = 80.9%.
49. 11/06 - D-Toronto @ Boston - 17,565 - 15,391 = 2,174 = 87.6%.
48. 11/06 - NY Islanders @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 14,122 = 4,423 = 76.2%.
47. 11/05 - Edmonton @ Columbus - 18,144 - 11,228 = 6,916 = 61.9%.
46. 11/05 - Tampa Bay @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 11,619 = 6,006 = 65.9%.
45. 11/04 - D-Anaheim @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 14,327 = 3,791 = 79.1%.
44. 11/3 - Buffalo @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 10,567 = 7,058 = 60.0%.
43. 11/3 - I-Columbus @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 10,184 = 6,050 = 62.7%.
42. 11/2 - San Jose @ Colorado - 18,007 - 15,452 = 2,555 = 85.8%.
41. 11/2 - Toronto @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,635 = 3,004 = 83.9%.
40. 11/2 - D-Florida @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 10,584 = 7,961 = 57.1%.
39. 11/1 - Ottawa @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,104 = 3,654 = 81.5%.
38. 11/1 - I-Florida @ Nashville - 17,113 - 14,909 = 2,204 = 87.1%.
37. 11/1 - Minnesota @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,817 = 2,982 = 83.3%.
36. 11/1 - Atlanta @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,958 = 2,667 = 84.9%.
35. 11/1 - D-Chicago @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,680 = 3,464 = 80.9%.
34. 11/1 - I-Dallas @ Boston - 17,565 - 14,576 = 2,989 = 83.0%.
33. 11/1 - I-Edmonton @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,016 = 3,623 = 80.6%.
32. 10/30 - Vancouver @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 13,652 = 4,466 = 75.4%.
31. 10/30 - I-Pittsburgh @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,178 = 2,621 = 85.3%.
30. 10/30 - Ottawa @ Florida - 19,250 - 13,567 = 5,683 = 70.5%.
29. 10/30 - Edmonton @ Nashville - 17,113 - 11,294 = 5,819 = 66.0%.
28. 10/29 - Toronto @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,119 = 3,506 = 80.1%.
27. 10/28 - Philadelphia @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 13,207 = 5,338 = 71.2%.
26. 10/27 - Anaheim @ Columbus - 18,144 - 10,494 = 7,650 = 57.8%.
25. 10/26 - Calgary @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,038 = 2,761 = 84.5%.
24. 10/26 - Los Angeles @ Nashville - 17,113 - 14,704 = 2,409 = 85.9%.
23. 10/26 - I-San Jose @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,831 = 2,927 = 85.2%.
22. 10/26 - Carolina @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 11,219 = 5,015 = 69.1%.
21. 10/24 - I-San Jose @ Florida - 19,250 - 15,232 = 4,018 = 79.1%.
20. 10/24 - D-Philadelphia @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 15,529 = 2,096 = 88.1%.
19. 10/24 - I-NY Ranjerks @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,724 = 3,420 = 81.2%.
18. 10/23 - I-Washington @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,722 = 3,077 = 82.7%.
17. 10/23 - D-Edmonton @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,898 = 3,109 = 82.7%.
16. 10/23 - Calgary @ Nashville - 17,113 - 12,042 = 5,071 = 70.4%.
15. 10/23 - I-Dallas @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 10,183 = 6,051 = 62.7%.
14. 10/22 - I-Dallas @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 12,101 = 5,524 = 68.7%.
13. 10/21 - D-Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 13,922 = 5,836 = 70.5%.
12. 10/21 - Vancouver @ Columbus - 18,144 - 12,057 = 6,087 = 66.5%.
11. 10/20 - Colorado @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 13,891 = 4,227 = 76.7%.
10. 10/18 - D-Columbus @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,259 = 3,854 = 77.5%.
9. 10/18 - I-Minnesota @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 15,191 = 4,567 = 76.9%.
8. 10/18 - Buffalo @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 14,091 = 4,454 = 76.0%.
7. 10/18 - NY Islanders @ Florida - 19,250 - 16,087 = 3,163 = 83.6%.
6. 10/17 - I-Carolina @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 14,194 = 3,924 = 78.3%.
5. 10/16 - NY Islanders @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 14,420 = 5,338 = 73.0%.
4. 10/16 - I-Minnesota @ Florida - 19,250 - 12,106 = 7,144 = 62.9%.
3. 10/16 - New Jersey @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 11,293 = 7,252 = 60.9%.
2. 10/14 - I-Minnesota @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 11,843 = 6,702 = 63.9%.
1. 10/13 - Buffalo @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 13,523 = 2,711 = 83.3%.

Arena Capacities:
Anaheim - 17,174, Atlanta - 18,545, Boston - 17,565, Buffalo - 18,690,
Calgary - 19,289, Carolina - 18,639, Chicago - 20,500, Colorado - 18,007,
Columbus - 18,144, Dallas - 18,532, Detroit - 20,066, Edmonton - 16,839,
Florida - 19,250, Los Angeles - 18,118, Minnesota - 18,064, Montreal -
21,273, Nashville - 17,113, New Jersey - 17,625, NY Islanders - 16,234, NY
Rangers - 18,200, Ottawa - 19,153, Philadelphia - 19,536, Phoenix - 17,799,
Pittsburgh - 16,940, San Jose -17,496, St. Louis - 19,022, Tampa Bay -
19,758, Toronto - 18,819, Vancouver - 18,630, Washington - 18,277.