I Had A Dream...

last night...that I saw Rick DiPietro walk out of a funeral home wearing his Islander jersey. I thought it was a restaurant at first but then realized it wasn't or due to the nature of dreams, he was having lunch at a funeral home. Couldn't 'see' who he was with inside but he walked out alone.

Joey Lawrence Whoa!

Isles Anomaly, Junk Mail and Gifts for DiPietro

A post that is long overdue. Actually I started it last month but never finished it, sounds like ADD to me....right Angie? Anyway, it's not often that I see hockey being represented in general, with the marketing of sports products. Baseball, football, basketball, heck even soccer, all seem to have presence in stores (although one really can't bounce a puck) but this past Christmas season at the Union Square Holiday Market not only did I find a hockey ornament but dum dum dummmm an Islanders ornament! 

What are the chances of that? Uh, slim to none. Beyond its mere existence is the 'prestigious honor' of being sandwiched between a Yankees and Giants ornament, although the Giants guy looks like he's doing some kind of yoga pose and well the Yankees guy seems to be having an attachment issue with the ball. I say 'prestigious' because compared to those two teams, one would expect to have to whisper to the sales person who would then lead you down a long hallway into a dark cobwebbed room for Isles merchandise in NYC. And yes I cropped out the Rangers ornament. 

As fate, or my strong dislike for the Flyers karma would have it, I arrived home after leaving the market only to find this postcard in the mail! 

Guess I was on the naughty list this year and received the NHL version of coal. Seems when you buy tickets to see the Isles play the Flyers in Philly, you are somehow added to the list. 

Lucky me. 

Yes I could have used the paper shredder but knowing that tearing paper is a good sublimation of anger/aggression...VOILA!! 

And now onto the Isles...what can be said that every other Isles blogger hasn't already said and at this point repeated. Not much. Lots of changes going on, injuries galore and overall I see a team trying to make the best of it while 'livin' the dream'. The Lighthouse project rumor mill continues and has recently surpassed the Iphone coming to Verizon rumor mill that was shut down a few weeks ago. My prediction still stands - that a new arena will only be built when a new Islanders owner comes along. Maybe one of these days I'll have enough time to get into details about that prediction but for now it's a ongoing game of chicken between the Town of Hempstead and Charles Wang.

One consistency we've seen this season albeit not a great one, is the peek-a-boo drama of Rick DiPietro. In response to his on again-off again love affair with playing in the NHL I'd like to offer these pseudo-blog gifts which might contribute to his ability to show up on the ice consistently...

This first is a lovely invention that might help him stay in or around or near his net.

If the standard issue isn't acceptable to Mr. DP, perhaps one that is more user friendly would do:

And last but not least a gift for overall protection...bubble wrap. Perhaps this might fit nicely under his pads and such to provide some cushioning to his boo boos and prevent new ones. 

Ahh the things I could have done to this blog post if only I knew Photoshop. 

Nobokov gives the middle finger to the Isles, Moulson signs for 3 years...tune in tomorrow for the next episode of...As The Isles Turn.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!

Rick DiPietro Getting Ready for Tonight's Game

Rumor was he almost missed being in net tonight due to not being able to find his inhaler.



LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

The View from Section Blur

Ya so Angie is having computer issues so for now ya’ll are stuck with just me. Lucky you. Thing is, I’ve been uber busy so the Islanders and hockey in general this season have been a blur.

Brendan Witt has left the building. That sucks. What sucks more is too many Isles fans yapping about how #32 didn’t fit into the system (which may not have been a bad thing mind you), was too slow of a skater blah blah blah blah. How short of a memory some Isles fans have. When Ted Nolan left as coach it was Brendan Witt who was the glue that held the team together and dare I say the fan base. Everyone, meaning everyone collectively looked to Witt when Isles fans were like WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? It’s one thing for a player to be a commodity to management, but it’s a sad day when someone as dedicated to this team and a lover of Long Island becomes a commodity to a fan base that Brendan Witt served well both on and off the ice.

Moving on –

Let’s see…Angie covered Andy Sutton being traded, Isles win over Chicago followed by loss to Atlanta…uh hold on….ring ring…yes this is she who is this…Satan is that you? I thought you were in hell?...oh you’re on the Bruins now?...same thing?...what? Comeau? Hat-trick? Hell froze over? Excellent. Quite possibly Mr. “six goals in two games” figured it was better to play like he is able than to be right as I suggested some blog posts ago…or not as the case may be.

Islanders lost to the Bruins 3-2, Satan came to town for real, Mark Streit earned his 200th career NHL point, Josh Bailey scored his 14th goal of the season (you can do better than that though…stickwork stickwork stickwork) and Matt Moulson scored his 23rd goal of the season, excuse me Mighty Matt Moulson as I understand him to be…the dark horse coming from behind and now in front as the Isles leading scorer.

The Isles then tripped to Philly. Let’s get the most important point out of the way –
(Getty Image)

THERE WILL BE NO MORE OF THAT MARTIN BIRON! I don’t care if you played for that team, you are an Islander now so knock it off.

Although not at the Wachovia Center for this game, I was able to watch it on TV until sometime late in the 2nd period, once the energy of the Islanders shifted, I turned the game off to avoid the outcome - although my friend AJ was more than happy to text me updates. FlyerDork. Despite the fact that the Isles started off strong with goals from both John Tavares and Kyle Okposo in the 1st period, the Flyers won afriggingain! 15 in a row. What a way to ruin a game that started out so well for the Isles with three penalties in the 3rd period causing two goals for the Flyers. High-sticking and boarding were the penalties – will they ever learn?

Was able to watch most of the St. Louis game. To sum it up – ping pong hockey ending with Martin Biron looking completely unaware he was a NHL goalie in a shoot out. Where he ‘went’, only Biron knows…or not as the case may be.

Rick DiPietro out for who knows how long, Doug Weight out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder boo-boo and to make this rainy day darker – the Flyers beat Chicago today.

My eyes burn when seeing Phoenix that high in league standings? How the h-e double hockey sticks did that happen?

Tonight the Isles host the Devils (7pm) and then host the Maple Leafs tomorrow (5pm).

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!

ps. the WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? still stands.

Yes, Virginia, there is Sports Psychology

Ok so not Santa but well there is no Santa...however there is sports psychology although with hockey fans, many poo-poo it or are too busy focusing on stats to take it into consideration.  No matter how many times game announcers make mention of the mental aspect of hockey, no matter how many former players talk about their experiences with mindset - it rarely gets talked about in depth.

It’s good to see an article on nhl.com entitled DiPietro: Mental wear always tougher than physical where DP briefly offers insight into the mental strain of having been injured thus out of the game for a while and of course coming back in. From what I’ve seen so far since his return, this once sullen looking goalie seems to be smiling more often, which is not only good for the mind but also a good release for the body. He also seems to have a deeper appreciation for being able to play at this professional level which as a woman I gotta tell ya – you got that right mister.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

Tavares Supposedly in Slump, DP Supposedly in Net

Soooo while stopping by nhl.com I stumbled upon an article written by John Kreiser about John Tavares supposedly being in "the first prolonged slump of his brief NHL career". 

Really Mr. Kreiser? Are you in a writing slump? Seems to me that you are if you have to write about a prolonged (that word use slays me) slump of a 19 year old who has spent oh let's see...under three months in the NHL? Guess there would not be a slump to write about if he didn't score all those goals and if he wasn't, despite this awful PROLONGED slump, leading rookies in points and goals. 

One of the self-imposed guidelines I have for watching/writing about the Isles is that I don't focus a lot on/about team newbies.  Maybe it's a carry over from working with younger athletes as they transition from level to level in sports or watching poor transitions in the NHL (that drives me bonkers considering the resources available in professional sports). Rookies should be treated like the word is defined; mentored and nurtured (yeah even boys need to be nurtured people) and kept protected while they get their footing. It's a subtle process if an athlete is going for longevity in a sport and no matter what rookies expect of themselves, it's not worth burn out. Hey did you know that the change in sounds that surround a player while on ice can influence their performance? Everything matters, to what degree varies from athlete to athlete.  

In this article Tavares explains himself to a point, in my opinion that does more mindset harm than good, Scott Gordon addresses the issue, Kyle Okposo is quoted, good grief even Mike Bossy is quoted. Enough fellas. 

On an article side note - #91 & #21 if you keep calling something a 'grind', that is what it will remain...yeah that goes for you too #39. Try finding another word that authentically speaks to challenge, not pain.

As for Rick DiPietro returning to the net tonight in Dallas? Wait and see. If following his heart means he plays in the NHL, so be it. I would like to request that he stop publicly apologizing for getting hurt/being gone and am putting out an intention that he remains in his body while remaining in net. 

Cough you too cough cough #32 cough stay in body cough cough. 

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!! 

There's Something Special Brewing

Isles 1 : Lightning 0

Tampa Bay was tired. The Islanders, perhaps even more so. It came down to a practical stalemate, with an anxious goaltender, a skittish defense, and a seemingly disinterested superstar (Vincent Lecavalier) taking on one of the hottest teams in the East, with their own problems on defense, at Nassau Coliseum.

When all was said and done, the Isles came out on top.

Miroslav Satan scored the lone goal, which an excellent Rick DiPietro (32 saves) made stand up, giving the Isles their sixth straight win. Satan's goal came on an excellent play by Sean Bergenheim, who pulled up just near the blueline to feed the puck to him through the middle, where Satan shot it past goaltender Kari Ramo's pad.

The closest the Lightning got to tying up the game was on a shot by Lecavalier, which beat DiPietro, but, as the theme had been for the last few games, the post kept the score 1-0. Tampa would try to pull even, but broke down on a string of penalties, broken sticks, and increased feelings of frustration from Lecavalier.

The win brings the Isles closer to the playoff hunt, just one point outside of eighth place. It also brings back Chris Simon, who (unfittingly) was booed by the fans for his first two shifts on the ice. Jeff Tambellini, in turn, was sent back to Bridgeport.