NY Islanders - A Team of Who’s Who

Isles 1 : Silladelphia 4

Foreshadowing to how the game was going to go tonight - two Flyers fans gave me and my friend Robin the thumbs down on our way into the Wachovia Center parking lot. For the rest of the game, Flyers fans continued to reinforce the fact that they are the worst part about the Flyer’s organization. Granted not all Flyers fans are fans of the jackass kind but too many are. The only consolation is that the Flyers will not go far in the post season – this was my response to one of the jackass kind Flyer fans who felt the need to yell at us from a distance as we were walking out of the game. Other comments said to us were met with a reply that started with an F and ended with you, you all, you and your team, and off. This seems to startle opposing fans - hearing a woman spew a curse word or two while being looked dead in the eye for impact (fight instead of flight response)...an approach that has been effective in maintaining a 'one stupid comment' limit with most fans - heck some even go the submission route and apologize. Not every female fan wears heels to the games.

Alrighty then, 10 minutes gone by...sooooo here I sit wondering how long I can avoid writing about the outcome of this game. Dogs have been fed and walked…hmmm…cat liter box cleaned…ummmm…email checked…guess there is no avoiding writing about the Isles securing their out of the playoffs spot tonight with their loss to the Flyers 4-1. Many Isles fans saw this coming, including Angie and my Isles mate Marc but of course I was in denial because as an athlete my work ethic was to never say die and play to the end no matter what the standings were or score was. I hated to lose but worse than that was giving up in the loss – that attitude can wreck an athlete and a team beyond the game because there is a difference between losing and being defeated.

Tonight the Isles were defeated AND self-defeating, both for the same reasons – the Isles thought taking penalties a) against a 2nd ranked penalty killing team and b) with Joey MacDonald in the Isle’s net for the first time (his 16th NHL game) would work out well for them. If you detected sarcasm just now, you are correct.

Three of the four Flyer’s goals were on the PP. In the 1st period Vaclav Prospal sailed the puck past MacDonald into the upper right hand corner of the net (12:01) while Josef Vasicek (cross checking) and Matthew Spiller (tripping) were in the sin bin. In the 2nd period Braydon Coburn drilled a shot off of a pass from Jaroslav Modry (9:36) while Sean Bergenheim was in the sin bin (hooking). In the 3rd period Daniel Briere’s wrist shot (5:34) pushed the Flyers ahead 3-1 while Jeremy Colliton sat in the sin bin (hi-sticking). Scott Hartnell scored the final Flyers goal at even strength (7:59), tipping the puck in after being fed a nice pass from Vaclav Prospal later followed by Miroslav Satan scoring the only Isle’s goal (15:33), his 15th of the season. Satan’s goal happened during one of the 7 power plays served up by the Flyers and about 2 minutes after I stated to my friend Robin how Satan has not nearly tapped into his talent this season. Guess Satan has good hearing or ESP.

Since the Isles vs. Rangers game on March 6th it has become more clear which Islander wants to be an Islander and which Islander responds to his overall responsibility to his organization and team starting with an F and ending with you, you all, you and your team, and off. All I ask is that the Isle’s organization figure out who's who when going forward into next season. For now other teams will be going to the playoffs…but fellas please don’t let them go without a fight.

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!