Wow, what a turn of events the past few weeks.  From the looks of things, it seems like the New York Islanders organization is moving in the right direction with the buyout of Alexei Yashin.  My thoughts…

Buying out Alexei Yashin was the only logical thing that could have been done in order for the Islanders to become a true viable contender next year.  I was discussing this with my dad a few days after it happened and he thought that Yashin just didn’t work out just like Michael Peca.  I’m sure this what some think, because I’ve actually heard that comparison from a few people.  But I don’t think that it didn’t work out, it was just that Yashin overstayed his welcome here on the Island.  Yashin, like Michael Peca and even Chris Osgood, were what the Islanders needed in order to get to that next level (ie: making the playoffs) after a last-place finish in the 2000-2001 season.  That trio arguably had their last best season in their careers here in the 2001-2002 season and the Isles succeeded made a great playoff run.

In the subsequent year, Osgood was traded to St. Louis to pave the way for Rick DiPietro to mature into the goalie he is now.  Michael Peca was traded for Mike York in order to make room for Miro Satan to come here.  From my perspective, Peca, Osgood and Yashin were only temporary placemats to make room for the Hunters, the DiPietro’s and the new blood like Sillinger and Smyth.  It was like “Thanks for your help guys, but we’re good now.”

But for now, the New York Islanders are moving forward into a positive direction, a direction without the shadow of Mike Milbury and Alexei Yashin looming over them.  A direction that exemplifies a hard working, gritty, never give up team.  I’m looking forward to it…

Hi all. I figure with the season over I’m going to do a weekly update for news concerning the Isles and Sound Tigers. This seems like a good format idea to me, and I’ll be open to suggestions if anyone doesnt think otherwise. Let’s get on to the news, and there is many…

~Sound Tigers Head Coach Jack Capuano has a new assistant, and it’s a pretty familiar face in the form of Pat Bingham. Bridgeport fans know Bingham best as assistant coach for Dave Bassegio during the 2005-2006 season.

~Some prospect signings to report on. The Isles signed Sean Bentivoglio and Andrew MacDonald to three-year deals. Bentivoglio was an undrafted free agent and got a shot with Providence this past year on an ATO and impressed greatly. He played at Harbor Yard late last season with the P-Bruins and really shined scoring a goal and two assists. McDonald signed an ATO with the Sound Tigers late last year and went scoreless in three games. I unfortunately did not get the chance to see him play since I was covering the Devils playoffs during that time, but I’ve heard good things about him.

~Welcome back ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies to the organization!

~Congrats to Kenny Morrow, who signed a multi-year deal and continuing his position as Director of Pro Scouting. Couldn’t go to a classier guy.

~The Sound Tigers ambassador program is underway. Great promotion to get fans more involved so all should sign up.

~Music of the week: Maroon 5, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” Great stuff and VERY long awaited by Maroon 5, since it’s been five years since 2002’s “Songs About Jane”. More dance-oriented than their previous outing, but it’s fun to listen to and great to have in the background when you need to relax.

That’s it for now. Maybe I’ll get that music-related post out soon…

~Bridgeport announced yesterday the hiring of new equipment manager, Michael Burkhead.

~It’s good to see Ottawa finally getting far in the playoffs. It seemed like every year was supposed to be “Ottawa’s year,” but it would always end very quietly in the post-season for them.

~On a related note, for Isles fans, how good is it to see Buffalo struggle this easily? (credit: Fantom)
~On a related note to the related note, I’m not that surprised Ottawa are owning the Sabres in this series. The Sens made the Devils and their defensive mastery look absolutely silly in Round 2.

~An Anaheim/Ottawa finals would be a lot of fun to watch.

~Dubie, you deserve the job. Good work.

~Linkin Park’s new album, Minutes to Midnight is incredibly solid. A huge departure from their previous works, but in a maturing kind of fashion with much stronger songwriting and less emphasis on the hip-hop/rap stuff. I’ll have a review up on Associated Content within the next few days once it gets published.

~Speaking of music, I think I’ll put up a music-related post in the next few days. I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while and now that hockey season for me is done, I think it’s due…

Thanks for now. Will be back in a few!

I just wanted to wish all the mom’s out there, especially my mom, a very Happy Mother’s Day.

And if you could, make sure to give your mom a special “I love you” and tell her how much she really means to you.

Love ya mom.

A quote from my favorite Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler song, “Sultans of Swing” basically says it all.  The Devils season is now over after what seemed like a lifeless 3rd period from  New Jersey.

It was kind of an emotional time for me, because I knew that this would be the end of my hockey-covering season.

I noticed something in the Devils locker room today, that probably will stick with me for a long time.  It was Zach Parise…he was sitting in his stall with all of his equipment on, head against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

I just looked at him for a minute, wondering what was going through his head.  He knows the season’s over.  He knows his chance at the Stanley Cup is over.  But he doesn’t want  to leave.  The game ended at 10:32.  It was now 11:00, and he still had his equipment on.  It’s not like he had the media constantly asking him questions and he didn’t have time to take off his equipment.  I think we all wanted to let him be, because that was the most dejected I’ve ever seen a hockey player so far after a loss.

I understand how he feels right now.  This was my first shot at a big time event like the Stanley Cup playoffs, I know it’s not going to be my last, but I didn’t want to see it end.  It was a memorable experience, I met some great people, and (my friend Maria would love this) it made me care about the Devils and change my opinion about them and their style of play.

But alas, a season is done.  That doesn’t mean this blog is done either.  I’ll try to update intermittently, and whenever some big hockey news (Isles, Devils-related) comes around.  But don’t worry, you’ll hear from me.

Thanks to all the readers out there wherever you are.  I’m very appreciative of every one of you who took the time out of your schedules to read this.

You’ll hear more from me soon.  Have a great weekend everyone.

The second period was an utter failure for the Devils.

The Sens have been making Marty look human rather than one of the best goalies of all time.  He should have no excuse on the Sens third goal scored by Alfredsson.

New Jersey better play for their lives in the third period, because with the way they’re playing, they won’t see Monday in Ottawa

Devs are leading 1-0 after one period of play.

They are definitely controlling the game both offensively, outshooting the Sens 11-3; and defensively, as expected.  Plus, they are playing a physical game, leading the hits department 9-4 despite having Oduya, Janssen, and Rupp scratched from the line-up.

Emery looks shaky again, and he’s giving up a TON of juicy rebounds.  It was evident on Gomez’s goal as he couldn’t handle an Elias wrist shot from the half-wall.

Back after the second…

There are a TON of Ottawa fans here and they are really making some noise tonight.

Unfortunately, the Continental Airlines Arena is not as filled up as it was for Game 2.  A bit disappointing, we’ll see how it is a ocuple of minutes after puck drops.

Back after the first…

Hi from East Rutherford!  Ok, so I lied.  It’s been a week since my last entry.  Chalk it up to me working (I work at a law firm just to pay the bills), sheer exhaustion, a ton of personal commitments this past week.  My friends are also getting married tomorrow so I am praying to the high-gods of hockey that this 8pm game does not go into overtime!

I will be sure to give everyone period by period updates tonight.

This is a crucial game for the Devils, being down 3-1 at home, I honestly see the Devils taking a win tonight because I don’t see the Devs losing a series at home.  For some strange reason, I think Devils might bring this to a Game 7.  Don’t ask why, just call it a hunch.

I’ll be back during the first intermission with my thoughts…

The above quote is exactly what Martin Brodeur said when approaching the media after what seemed like an endless day/night for me.

Honestly, I don’t blame him.

3-2 Devils victory in Double OT. I just finished my story and I’ll be heading home now, thank you very much.

I’m sure I will have much more tomorrow after a well-deserved good night’s sleep…