MyTop 5 Favorite Players

It's getting towards the end of August and closer to training camp, but it's still a slow time in the world of hockey. Sure there was just a World Hockey Summit in Canada hosted by my favorite beer company and a draft for a woman's hockey league (it's gotta be more watchable than the WNBA), but really nothing for us down here in the States (especially since my local cable company blocks the NHL network in the offseason. I hate Cablevision.) So I'm just gonna write about my favorite NHL players of all time and my most hated players of all time. I'll start with the positive ones.

5)Jeremy Roenick- How can you not like JR? Sure he cried when his former team won the Stanley Cup, but who cares. This guy was entertaining on the ice and off the ice. There was a reason why reporters always flocked to him and why all the various networks used to mic him during games. He was always good for a sound bite and he never held back what was on his mind. The fact that he's a hotel room wrecking American helps his case too. I'll always see him as a Blackhawk even though he played for numerous teams and I definitely like to ignore the time he played in Philly.



4)Brian Leetch- My favorite American born d-man. Watching him represent Team USA growing up was always exciting since he was a great puck mover and always had a knack to kick his offense into high gear. Since he played locally for most of his career I was able to watch the majority of his Hall of Fame caliber play. It was just a shame he had to play most of his playing time in that Rangers uniform. He was much more likable in his USA, Maple Leafs, and Bruins jerseys.





3)Mario Lemieux- In my opinion the greatest player to play the game in my lifetime. When he was healthy he was even better than Gretzky. He had a finesse game and a power game. Super Mario single handedly saved the Penguins franchise not once, but twice. He battled cancer, overcame it, and returned to his Hall of Fame form. I still can't take ESPN seriously after they awarded Michael Jordan the "Comeback Player of the Year" Espy for his return from baseball over Lemieux's return from battling a life threatening disease. I was fortunate enough to see Super Mario play (and usually defeat) the Islanders at the Coliseum many times and was always amazed by his skill level.

2)Scott Stevens- Now here was a player when he was at his best he was leaving a path of mayhem. His hits on players who would have their heads down coming into his zone really should've been greeted with an ECW Joey Styles "Oh My God!!!" upon impact. Whether it was Ron Francis or Paul Kariya or (my personal favorite victim) Eric Lindros or some mid talent no name on your favorite team, you knew that player deserved that hit for their lack of being aware of him being on the ice. When I played growing up he was one of two guys that I based my style of play on. Once again he played for a rival team, but I couldn't help but enjoy watching him play. To this day I still watch old clips of him on YouTube during the offseason when I need my hockey fix.

1)Darius Kasparaitis- My favorite player of all time. He was a pest. He was the guy on the ice that the other team hated. He even got physical with Gretzky and Lemieux. His hip check was a work of art and he was never afraid to play the body on anyone (Eric Lindros being one of his victims too). He was another player who other players had to be aware of when he was on the ice. Every kid growing up picks their favorite players number to be on their jersey and I had his #11. I still remember the old "Kaspar the Unfriendly Ghost" signs people used to have at the Coliseum. I was even fortunate enough to meet Darius at a local ice rink when he played on Long Island and he signed my sweat stained Caldor bought Islanders hat. I still have it laying around somewhere at my parents house. I even became a bit of a Penguins fan when he got traded from the Islanders and like Stevens he was a player that I based my style of play after. I was able to master Stevens' shoulder check, but could never quite get low enough to mimic Kaspar's hip check.

Well that's my list of my favorite players from when I was growing up. I'll eventually get to my list of most hated players (hint- Brett Lindros' brother being one of them) soon enough. Back to counting down the days til training camp begins. As usual, I'm Bill Elvis... Go fuck yourself San Diego.

Dammit, the Season is Over and Soccer Sucks

Wow, so it's been since the start of the 09-10 season since I wrote anything on here. Guess I was too entranced by the NHL season to find time to write... or I was lazy. Lazy sounds about right. What a year for hockey though. The Olympics saw the battle of North America (sadly the Mexican team didn't qualify again), the Blackhawks blasting "Chelsea Dagger" all the way to winning the Cup, and while at an Isles game at the Coliseum I got to watch the Rangers allow the Flyers to make the playoffs and have a ridiculous run (only time I ever cheer on the Flyers is when they play the Rangers). And now after all that excitement... it's World Cup of Soccer time. Boring! Is it October 7th yet? I mean for the time being I have the draft to look forward to on Friday and the July 1st Free Agent Frenzy! to keep me occupied, but after that it's a dull summer of baseball and preseason football. At least the Islanders planned trip to have their training camp in China got ruined and now they have to stay local, which will fill a few days when they allow the public to attend. Looks like I'll have to be hitting the ole X-Box 360 for some EA NHL 2010 and some NHL Hitz to kill time. There may even be a road trip to Toronto to the Hall of Fame, who knows?

Speaking of the draft this upcoming Friday June 25th, it brings myself and my girlfriend to our 2 year anniversary. Technically it's a day early that we're celebrating it, but we both have to work on the 26th so that was the logical thing to do. Last year I brought her, on crutches from a knee surgery, out to the Coliseum for the NHL draft party. I mean, we had the #1 pick that year and Garth Snow kept the Tavares pick under his hat pretty damn good. Since then shes actually become an Islanders fan and even watches games on her own. Now before any of you say she shouldn't have become an Isles fan because in recent history they've managed to be below mediocre (suck), just know this, she is a Yankees fan. So she has enough winning with her sports team from them. Not to mention that I could never date a Rangers fan. Oh, and with her being mobile this year we won't be attending the draft party at the coliseum. I mean the number 5 pick isn't quite has impressive compared to last season's first overall.

Who do I realistically want them to get with their first round pick? I'll answer the way a GM does to the media before the draft by saying they should take whom ever is the best available at that moment. However, I want Erik Gudbranson. I've been saying they need to get him since the Islanders imploded around the Olympic break. This 18 year old kid is a 6'3" almost 200 lb monster of a dman. The Isles have been lacking that strong blue line presence for a while and he'd more than fill that void. He's only 18 and he's that big. Imagine what he's gonna be wants he matures and grows into himself. Granted if they don't end up drafting him there will be plenty of other highly touted prospects left for them to choose from. I just hope not to have another Scott Scissons debacle.

Other off season things I'd like to see the Islanders do is sign at least one above average free agent, get a legit NHL tough guy who can also play the puck a bit, and finally come to an agreement with local government on getting a new arena. With Nassau County and everywhere else being strapped for cash I don't see why they wouldn't jump at this opportunity to make some cash off of Charles Wang. I don't mean to rehash my previous posts, but a new arena would create new jobs, more income for the county, and more income for the local towns. Then again, when has Nassau County made sense financially? Well that's it and in closing all I got is this... I hate this place and I hate all of you... Just kidding, I don't hate this place.

Lighthouse or Moving Trucks?

So the Town of Hempstead and the Lighthouse Project are playing a nice game of politics. Basically blaming each other for the holdout in the redevelopment of the Nassau Mausoleum and it's surrounding shitty area. One thing is for certain though, that Kate Murray and the Town Board are the bad guys here no matter what. I'm not saying this because she is inherently evil, but because there is no way for the Town to put a positive spin on their side. I mean it's been a good decade of political red tape and bullshit and I understand why Charles Wang and the rest of the people involved with Lighthouse Project are frustrated. Nassau County sucks. I know, I work for them. There are so many different governing bodies in the county it's ridiculous. Between the County itself, the different townships, villages, incorporated villages, community groups, and corporations with a lot of pull that nothing ever happens. This is why Nassau County sucks. At least in Suffolk the government has a history of corruption and the person with the highest kickback got things done.

Anyways, I mention this because the future of the New York Islanders is still in question on Long Island. I know there is now offers on the table from interested parties in Queens and Brooklyn, but to me that's not Long Island. Those are boroughs of New York City. Long Island is Nassau, Suffolk, and Peconic County. Oh right, Peconic County doesn't exist... yet. Now the question is what happens if the worst possible scenario happens and the Islanders move? Do I still cheer for the franchise in which I have had season tickets to for 3 seasons now and have watched/ gone to countless games during my 28 years of being alive? Or do I move on to a different franchise? If so, which one?

Obviously if the franchise was to move the best possible situation for myself and many other Long Islanders is if the team moved to a more centralized and easier accessible area of the island in Suffolk County. This would most likely never happen for no other reason than people in Suffolk County don't like to have anything built out here that would improve the community... other than more Wal-Marts of course.

Now if the team was to move to Queens, Brooklyn, Hamilton, Quebec, or any other municipality my answer is simply going to be a big fuck you to the franchise and at that point I'm becoming a free-agent fan. I know Hamilton and Quebec are understandable for me not to continue to follow the team, but for me so is Queens and Brooklyn. I know Queens is right next door to Nassau, but for anyone who has ever driven on the LIE during rush hour west of exit 39 you know that your commute gets, in a word, prolonged. Sure, you have the option of the LIRR, but then you're a slave to the train schedule and possibly delays that you have no control over and are stuck on the train for. Also, Queens is NYC, not LI. Then there is Brooklyn which has no easy or convenient way for people out on the island to get to. And once again, Brooklyn is NYC. If the team was to move into NYC they may as well just change their name to the New York Americans (NY's original professional hockey team).

This would leave me to then figure out which team would then get me has a fan... more on that later since I have a game at the rotting arena to go to... at least Tavares hasn't disappointed yet. Unlike Dwayne "I Can't Stop a Puck in a Shootout or Penalty Shot" Roloson.

I Need Hockey To Come Back.... Quick!

Well it's about a month til NHL Preseason starts and the dog days of summer have hit. No real news going on in the hockey world or at the very least no real news that really has an impact on me. I usually have baseball to watch, but the Mets aren't doing too well with their Double AA team playing in the MLB due to the majority of their opening day roster being on the disabled list. So that pretty much made my August to do list pretty lifeless. Not to mention baseball is pretty boring sport to begin with. If it wasn't for the ability to drink and people watch during the game it'd be real boring. Anyway, I digress. Since there is really nothing going on in the hockey world, I've been filling any down time in my life with some NHL 2009 on XBox 360. I still don't have fun on the game playing above Rookie level since it's just a defensive battle (Which the New Jersey Devils have proved time and time again makes for boring hockey). I basically just play my Franchise mode in which the Islanders have won 4 of the last 5 Stanley Cups and randomly screw around on Be A Pro mode, but that isn't much fun since I made myself a Stay at Home D-man/ Enforcer.

Needless to say, I can't wait for September 15th when the NHL Preseason is fully underway and NHL 2010 is released on Xbox 360. After that the next key date is October 3rd where the Islanders actually open their season at home against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburg Penguins. I'm not expecting much for this season, but it's gotta be better than last year. The other key dates for me this upcoming hockey season are November 6th when I'll be in Vegas to watch some ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers vs. Bakersfield Condors action and then in March I'll be heading out to California to watch the Islanders take on the Anaheim Ducks and LA Kings. I'll probably head out to a Rag$ game at the Garden and a Devils game at the Rock at some point too. Well that's it for now... back to playing some NHL 09.

Las Vegas Flying Elvises

So the NHL just approved a sale to a group that is willing to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona. Good for them, but if the old ownership couldn't make money there, why does this group think they can? Or is there a "Major League" type of scam that is going on here? You know, they have a clause in their contract with the city of Phoenix that states if the team finishes dead last x amount of times or fails to draw in x amount of fans to games that they are allowed to pack up the team and move. Now I know since I'm an Islanders fan I shouldn't be judging other teams financial statuses, but I am so fucking deal with it. The Islanders are in their current situation because of past poor ownership situations and Nassau County bureaucratic bullshit. There is a large fan base on Long Island and all they need is a winning season or two and some of those bandwagon Rag$ fans from 1994 will return to being bandwagon Isles fans. In Phoenix (like Atlanta and Nashville) the amusement of having a professional hockey team in waning. I'm not saying there isn't actual hardcore hockey fans in Arizona (one of the places I'd consider moving to when I retire), but there apparently isn't enough. Not that hockey can't succeed in the Southwestern United States though, since Dallas seems to do well and the California teams all have a decent fan base. The difference is though that Dallas and Anaheim have won a Stanley Cup in the past decade, San Jose has had plenty of good seasons in their history, and LA had some guy named Gretzky for a while. Apparently The Great One doesn't draw quite as well as a coach as he did a player. So the key for the Coyotes may just be to have a few exciting seasons to cure their monetary woes, but if that doesn't work and then it's time to pack up and head to...

And head to the desert oasis of beautiful Las Vegas. Vegas is home to pretty much everything but a professional sports team (and is also another place I'd consider moving to when I retire). Obviously Vegas' population is probably around 50% full time residents and 50% seasonal residents/tourists. So that may be a tough sell for the NHL, but I know I for one could always use another excuse to visit Vegas if the Islanders were to come to town. Not to mention Anaheim and Los Angeles is within driving distance. Las Vegas already has a minor league franchise in the Wranglers and they usually have one preseason game there involving the Kings that sells out. So even if the team wasn't that great the arena would still be drawing in the other teams fans from around the US and Canada. And until our economy went into a bipartisan shitter, Las Vegas was one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Not to mention there are these things called Casinoes that generate a lot of revenue. I already have my choice of a name for the team, the Las Vegas Flying Elvises. It just rolls of the tongue nicely, not to mention it's been my fantasy team name for years now. So let's go Islanders and let's go Flying Elvises!

More Goalies!

And the Islanders continue their off season acquisitions by signing yet another goaltender. This time it's former Flyer foe Martin Biron. They signed him to a one-year deal which reeks of Garth Snow's usual business offer in trying to help someone get back on track on the island, just to have them leave. The main thing I get from this deal is that DiPietro is nowhere near ready for the season. Last I heard he has yet to even skate on his surgically repaired lower body. So now the Isles technically have DiPietro, Roloson, and Biron at the NHL level, two second round draft choices, and another goalie down in Bridgeport. I think that they have enough depth there, but I could be wrong. Look what happened to St. Louis last year. I just hope Snow and Co. get their act together and get an enforcer to protect the young players on the team soon. Well, this helped with my offseason hockey fix for at least one more day. The madness of no hockey should settle in shortly though.

Tavares Saves and Everyone is Fleeing Jersey!

Well, I for one am fully stoked. John Tavares is officially a New York Islander. I will say that I was slightly disappointed that the organization actually did what the fans wanted. Hear me out on this. The Nassau Coliseum had between 8,000-10,000 fans there for the draft party. Most of whom had a few drinks in them (not that the Coliseum's management helped with that since only Doolin's Pub in the basement was open to serve beer). I figured, while sitting in my usual section of 315, that I was gonna hear something along the lines like "The Islanders trade their First Overall Pick to Toronto for Olaf Kolzig and a bag of pucks" or "With the Number One Pick the Islanders choose Brett Lindros, Jr.". Then after this announcement someone, probably from section 315, was gonna yell "LET'S TEAR THIS PLACE APART!!!" and an all out riot would commence. People from the Islanders and the Coliseum would be fleeing in terror while the fans fast track owner Charles Wang's plan for a new building by destroying the current one. Obviously this didn't happen and the fans are happy for now. It's the least we could get after a dreadful season. Let's just hope Tavares and the rest of the team can keep the fans happy. He already did a good job saving the Coliseum.

So apparently unless your first name is Martin and your last name is Brodeur you do not want to play in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils lost Brian Gionta, which is really no surprise cause it was obvious he was gonna get overpaid from somewhere and that somewhere being Montreal which gave him a $25 million contract over the next 5 years. The Devils also lost Michael Rupp and John Madden to free agency as well which is frightening since these two players seemed to be core players of the franchise. It can't all be about the money for all of these former Devils. Lou Lamoriello must have somekind of loyalty from his players. I mean it seems to work out well in Detroit, which is the only other consistent contender in the NHL in the past decade. There must be something in the water in Newark that makes everyone flee that ridiculously awesome arena. My main question being a non-Devils fan is this; when is Zach Parise going to be an UFA? And are the NY Rag$ not going to have enough room under the salary cap to not afford him? Well on the bright side the Devils did manage to sign one free agent... Yann Danis. I guess with as much playing time as he's gonna get behind Brodeur it didn't matter who they signed to fill that role. I guess the moral of the story seems to be that no matter how you clean the place up, it's still Jersey.

And coming back full circle to the Isles... I'm currently watching episodes from the first season of "30 Rock" and I noticed a nice shout out to the Isles. It's a conversation between Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) and her boyfriend Dennis.

Dennis: I wish the place would've burned down with me in it.

Liz: Why, what happened?

Dennis: My Islanders lost tonight.

Liz: Doesn't that happen a lot?

Well hopefully that conversation can be a thing of the past. At least on the brightside the Islanders still get some notice on national television (also see the NBC show "Life").