WTF? and Just Plain Disgusting

WTF??  : (

and

Just plain disgusting.

Way to be classy Philly. It is no wonder why I can't stand your sports attitude in general. 

To those at Philadelphia Daily News who find what Michael Vick and his cohorts did to defenseless animals over the years as 'Top Dog', may you come back in your next life as a fighting/bait dog. Here's Vick's indictment just in case ya' wanna have an idea of the brutality which only stopped...wait for it...BECAUSE HE GOT CAUGHT. 

Vick_indictment.pdf

Leopards don't change their spots, neither will Vick. Now in the spotlight again with the pressure to perform...just give it time. Vick in the starting spot is not a 'shocking turnout' - this was the plan from the beginning but the slow ease-in was done to avoid pissing off too many dog loving season ticket holders and so on....'so on' meaning $$$$$$$$$$$.

This post co-written by our guest blogger Maddy

Oh Captain... Our Captain?

Now that yet another head of the ship has set sail for greener pastures- this one being Bill Guerin, who allowed for a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins just before the deadline last season- there's a vacancy in the captain's quarters for the New York Islanders, and one that can be filled by one of three people, in my opinion.

If you look at this poll on Islander Mania (members only, please) http://forums.newyorkislanders.com/index.php?showtopic=21135 you can see that the fans' choice, by quite a few votes, is defenseman Mark Streit. Streit is arguably the best player on the team and one of the best offensive defensemen in the league. He was also captain of the Swiss national team in the World Championships and has shown leadership ability, as well as a way with younger players on the blueline which is particularly evident in the late-season development of Bruno Gervais. Before Chris Campoli (Streit's former D-mate) was traded, Bruno was struggling with injury and with some inconsistency. Once some vacancies on D were created, however, and Gervais was able to get some time with Mark, you could tell that it suited him- he jumped into the play more often and also improved significantly in his defensive play. That kind of influence shouldn't be ignored.

Also a viable candidate for captain is another defenseman, Brendan Witt. Witt was a co-captain when he played for the Washington Capitals, and though sometimes one to move more to the beat of his own drum, he does have charisma, admirable spirit and love for the game. The one thing that counts against him is the fact that he may clash more with the coaching staff, at least if you want to hold against him the remarks he made last season concerning Scott Gordon's "Overspeed" system. All of that aside, I do think Witt could be another good choice for the captaincy.

Doug Weight, a center, would be a surprise choice- or rather, one that wouldn't make sense seeing as he's only got one more year on his contract and is likely trade bait, meaning he stands a good chance at getting the "C." :) In all seriousness, however, were he to stay a few more years, he would most likely be my pick- he leads by example, he's charismatic, he's good with the younger players and has the experience in the playoffs and the Cup to lead a team. Still, with the length of his deal I highly doubt this would be the right pick for captain. Streit's got four more years on his contract and is probably not going to get traded either.

Another option would be to just withhold the C until a point in the season where someone steps up and shows that they have what it takes to be a leader. This would be a good move- it pushes everyone to contribute and doesn't let any blame fall on one person. However, we shall see what happens when training camp starts in the fall. Whoever it may be... God speed.

Witness to a Tragedy : Penguins vs. Flyers

Ugh. What to say about the Penguins vs. Flyers game today. I was there, sitting up behind the Pens bench. Tragic. Maybe that's enough said for now.

St. Louis lost 3-2, and New Jersey tied with Carolina 2-2 in the third. Really looking forward to Ducks vs. Sharks later.

and this just in:
Double wammy - Boston's Milan Lucic suspended 1 game for wacking Montreal's Maxim Lapierre in the side of the face/head with his stick. Lucic followed his hit with stick with his fist. That had to hurt. Well deserved suspension.

Here are some pictures from the game. Click on picture to enlarge. Be back for games summary later on.








and my favorite! #13

Round 1 Continues: Friday, April 17

Philadelphia 2
Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Pittsburgh leads series 2-0
Guerin scored! and then he scored AGAIN! for the OT win. The Penguins HAD to win this game – they would not have wanted to play on Flyer home turf with the series tied 1-1. Out of frustration the Flyers strayed from their game plan and lost sight of their coach’s guidance and/or influence which is dangerous for any team unless the coach is off his/her rocker thus a team must fend for itself. All the Penguins have to do is stick close to their game plan which will disarm the Flyers because well it’s like this – if the Flyers were in a maze and hit a brick wall, instead of turning around and trying another way, they’d stand there trying to figure out how to get through the brick wall or just keep walking into it. Worse case scenario, or as it is for me the best case scenario…Flyers show up on home ice, play horrible and their fair weather fans turn on them – then, let the unraveling begin. GO GUERIN GO!!!

Carolina 2 (OT)
New Jersey 1

Series tied 1-1
Looks like Carolina found their way around the Devil’s defense but can they keep up that kind of offensive pressure enough to win this series? It can only help that they get to head home with some added confidence although they may be without their Captain’s presence on ice as Jamie Langenbrunner left the game at the tail end of the 2nd period with what has been reported as a lower body injury. New Jersey definitely not at the top of their game this time around, appeared to play soft and lack communication, so the fact that Carolina did not seal the deal before OT puts the Devils at an advantage going into game 3. Whatever ‘chatter’ is drowning out effective communication while NJ is out on the ice will need to be cleared if they want to win on Sunday.

St. Louis 0
Vancouver 3

Vancouver leads series 2-0
Thought it looked this way last night but needed another game to confirm – for whatever reason the Canucks are glowing – energetic wise. Shots on goal were St. Louis 30, Vancouver 27 and Vancouver’s 3rd goal was an empty netter - so it’s another win for them but not a convincing one to believe they will win this series – but their glowing aura is a different story and with Roberto Luongo in net, well St. Louis…good luck with that. Home ice advantage, dusting off the frustration that was visible on the team and coach, and not remaining stagnant in front of Luongo might yield a different outcome for the Blues in game 3, and for what it’s worth – game 4 is echoing as significant.

Where in the World is Bill Guerin?

At last night's Isles game vs. the Sabres Bill Guerin warmed up with the team but was nowhere to be found at the start of the game…and for the rest of the game. Quite possibly after removing the final Islander jersey he will wear, he headed back home to continue packing up moving boxes – where those moving boxes will wind up is anyone’s guess. So far the rumors include him being traded to New Jersey, Washington, Boston, Florida, Montreal, Pittsburgh…overall the main rumor is that Guerin will be heading to a team somewhere on the East Coast. If you have been following the Isles veteran saga then you were not shocked at the news. It was a matter of time before the other skate dropped and I think it’s safe to say the first skate dropped way before last night.

What I find interesting is in reading discussions about who will get traded etc… there seems to be a one sided view that it’s all about the Islanders organization and who they want to get rid of to make way for the youth that is going to set the team free from years of mediocrity. As we saw with Chris Campoli, reality may not agree with perception. My guess is, there are more on the roster who wouldn’t mind being traded…and not just the team elders.

And so to the Islanders organization I offer this quote:

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.
~Babe ruth

and to Scott Gordon I offer this one:

The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested players.
~Don Coryell, ex-San Diego Chargers Coach

Mark their words fellas. Re-building comes from the ground up or in this case, from the offices to the ice.