It's..... The 1994 NHLPA 4 on 4 Challenge!!!

Hi, everyone!!!! I'm back. How's summer? I know it's hard suffering from what us hard-cores call "Hockey Withdrawl", but there are some things that can help stave off the evils of a hockeyless period of the year. You can always watch NHL Network, (if you don't have it, order it), You can try to play as much as possible, ( get in a dekhockey league like I did if you can't roller-blade), and you can always scower YouTube for the best hockey clips, current and classic on the web, and so I figured I'd help with that withdrawl and share with you some awesome YouTubeness. Today's episode features some clips from the 1994 NHLPA 4 on 4 Challenge. As you may recall, the Players went on strike for half of the 1994-95, forcing the season to be cut roughly in half to 48 games. But during the time-off, the players wanted to stay fresh, being that at the time, it wasn't clear when the season would start again. And so, the NHLPA decided to hold a 4 on 4 tournament, in 4 or 5 different venues in Canada, and (I think) it was also for charity. A very interesting event. The teams were organized by Canadian region, with a US and European team. I thought these would be great to post, and very interesting to watch. ( oh, and if you haven't guessed by now, I have a thing for 90's hockey. Everything seems better in the 90s to me, what do you think?)

Clips courtesy of YT user Exprofesso
Play-by-play in French

Clip 1: Team Quebec vs. Team Ontario part 1




Clip 2: Team QUE vs. Team ONT part 2



There you go!!! More vids soon...., and Islander fans don't forget the big Lighthouse rally for the Town of Hempstead hearing August 4th!!! More posts soon.....

NY Post Hits NHL TV Nail On Head, Resurrects ESPN Rumors From Dead

And now, the best article you will read this month, or possibly this year, regarding the NHL's laughable TV situation in the states, and how it badly needs ESPN as a cable partner.


Larry Brooks always writes good stuff, and he is never one to shy away from bringing hockey malarkey and injustices to the forefront (ie: he lobbied for the Isles to be considered when the whole Yankee Stadium-Winter Classic stuff came up)


This time in particular, he echoes what myself, and almost everyone else has been saying from the start. THE NHL NEEDS ESPN. And that's the truth. You can't deny the NHL has been suffering from lack-of-exposure, ever since the lockout, and plain and simple, it's because they left ESPN. There was an interview with Jack Edwards on Puck The Media earlier this year, (it was all over the place, you may have read it) Anyway, I must say, and it's hard to believe, but regarding ESPN, he is dead wrong. For someone who was there, and worked inside the belly of the beast for a reasonable amount of time, he should know better than to say something like "I’m not a hero, I’m just telling you the facts. I mean, that’s what it is and you know, this whole idea that hockey will do better if you put it back on ESPN is a delusion. It is completely delusionary. It’s more convenient, certainly. But it’s not going to be better for the sport, because it’s going to be behind golf, it’s going to be behind women’s basketball and, you know, I’m not dissing those sports." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!! I'd write something in response, but it's too easy. Besides, Jason Brough of The Vancouver Province did it for me!





" Whoa, let's keep that case open a little longer, Jack, for we have but two questions:
1. Isn't it possible that ESPN might showcase the NHL a touch more if it was broadcasting the damn league?
2. Isn't there a chance that ESPN is showing women's basketball highlights because it happens to be featuring women's basketball on its main network?
That there snapshot of ESPN.com's home page from yesterday is what you get when you partner up with the greatest promotional power in sports. You're not just hiring a camera crew with announcers; you're getting your message distributed on an unmatched level across all possible media platforms.

Ignoring the network's TV, radio and print vehicles, how many sports fans in North America visit ESPN's website every day? The Kurtenblog does, which is the only reason we had any idea whatsoever that UConn's women's basketball team is pretty darn good. (Not huge women's basketball fans here.)



There. 'Nuff said. Kudos to former Isles goalie Glenn Healy for getting in the ESPN meetings! We still love you, Heals! (even though you played for the Rangers!)

THC Blurb Of The Week

CBC.ca/sports was all over the Coyotes' bankruptcy bonanza, the most fascinating angle however, was that of Scott Morrison, in which he discusses what Balsillie has to do to get the Coyotes to become a seventh Canadian NHL team. And that's not the best part of the page. Who says the Comments section is meaningless?! (I don't!) Anyway one of Morrison's page's commenters hit the nail right on the head regarding Gary Bettman, the NHL, and it's feelings about Canadian hockey, and just how screwed up the whole thing is. (Bettman would make a great Napoleon for Halloween, by the way.)

From user Bomberfan1971 on CBC.ca/sports:

"At what point do the NHL board of governors finally stand up to Gary Bettman and say enough is enough? Bettman has a classic case of little man syndrom. Napoleon had the same thing. Balsillie's wealth and at times arrogance can be overwhelming and intimidating and he just seems to not really care if Bettman is charge or not. No one will deny that and Jim does not play by the established old boys set of rules the NHL has had for more than 75 years. However - how much longer do owners of viable NHL teams continue to flush revenue into teams in American markets that Bettman assured would be financially sound? Nashville, Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, NYI, and several others are bleeding money. And 2010 will be a brutal season for American advertising revenue something the NHL avoided this year as most of their deals were signed in early 2008 prior to the market crash. Bettman's own arrogance continues to physically make me wince. His answer to the woes of cash strapped teams is not to talk about contraction or relocation to Canada....he talks about EXPANSION....to Oklahoma City and Las Vegas? Are you for real???? Why not put Hartford and Cleveland back on the list too while we are at it then??? The onus falls on the NHL owners and board of governors to set this little Napoleon commissioner straight. Get him in a room - read the riot act and explain that if he continues to pull stunts where wealthy prospective owners are thwarted while fly by night ownership groups like those in Atlanta, Tampa, Phoenix and Nashville are embraced....this little Napoleon's own Waterloo will be shorly at hand - and it will have nothing to do with Jim B's moving a team to the fine city in SW Ontario."

wow! Let's see if I were a medieval French dude in San Dimas, where would I go?.......

P.S. I know I'm gone for long periods of time, so for everything I don't or can't catch, check out my friends at Puck the media. I've spoken to some of the guys that run it, and they're real nice, and do a great job. Don't know how I forgot to mention these guys before, but they do a great job. Also, don't forget to stick around this neck of the woods as well, I'm not gone, just out to lunch a lot. (not literally) Also, for the latest happenings in Islander Country, don't forget to check out Islanders Point Blank for the low-down from the very awesome Chris Botta. More posts soon......

15 Years Ago: Gretzky Scores 802

15 years ago yesterday, Wayne Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal at the LA Forum against the Vancouverr Canucks. Here's the video, courtesy of user savoytruffle, whose entire channel is filled with 1990s Canucks vids. This version is the version from "Fire On Ice" on ESPN2, when it had hockey, and was "the deuce", by far the best version, featuring Bill Clement, and of course, Gary Thorne's amazing call. (as seen on ESPN Classic Canada),







This post is dedicated to my cousin Chip who scored a goal and an assist last week at the Coliseum for FDNY, en route to beating the NYPD in their annual game,5-3. Chip is not just one of my favorite people, he may be Wayne Gretzky's biggest fan, and I can only imagine what it was like for him to watch that game back in '94. I'll never forget going into Chip's room one time as a child one day and being blown away by his life-size cardboard cutout of "The Great One".

More posts later....

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Glow Pucks, Fox Trax and Robots. The American Hockey Fan's Fascination with NHL on FOX Part 1

It lasted for only 4 years, but the marriage between the NHL and FOX television seemed to have a lasting impact on hockey fans in America, forever changing the perception of the game and how to cover it. There is one main, overlying reason why the NHL on FOX was so popular during its time, and is still to this day cherished by fans: to put it simply, IT WORKED. For years the NHL struggled to find a solid platform to showcase its game, and it did not have a national network home in the states for some 20 years, until 1995, when FOX, the bold and daring network it has built itself up to be, took a chance on the frozen game, and dramatically changed hockey television in the states. With some creativity, and a whole lot of guts, FOX managed to almost put the NHL back into the conscious of die -hard sports fans, everywhere, and even grabbed the curiosity of the dreaded "fair weather fan", giving the NHL a solid leg to stand on in the US that some wondered how the league ever lived without.


It all started before the 1995 season. The NHL had been peddling itself to the national networks for about three years, after experiencing growing success under 2 stints with ESPN and a small love affair with SportsChannel America as national cable partners, the NHL was insistent on riding the wave of progressive American interest, and tried to grow (yes that's right, the whole "growing the game" thing again) by getting credibility with a national network. Initially, there were no takers, but in 1993, they were able to convince ABC, who was affiliated with ESPN, the NHL's cable partner at the time, to televise a few games on Saturdays late in the season. Although the coverage was extremely basic, and there were no initial intentions by ABC to commit to anything long term, but the reaction and the ratings were well received, and ABC decided to pick up all Saturday playoff games as well. The Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals bought added interest and success to both parties, and ABC and the league decided to repeat the experiment again the following season, and once again the results were promising. But ABC was still hesitant to take on the league on a full scale, and in summer 1994, the league, backed by a convincing 2 year stay on ABC, and a steadily growing fan base, once again searched for proper suitors as a national network partner, and this time they found one, in the unlikely place of the fairly new, but tremendously growing FOX network. FOX at the time was still very new to the sports television scene. They had only been televising games for the NFL for a season, and many considered the network disadvantaged, because of its' lack of experience, and what was then a lack of pro sports to televise. FOX, needing something to go along with their NFL coverage, seemed like the perfect fit for the NHL. Not only was FOX desperate for another sport, they were ready, willing and able to do something no one else would or even daringly could do: market the game not just as a legitimate major league sport, but market it as the original "extreme" sport, and give it a look and feel that would appeal to Generation X. FOX, after all, has made its way in TV by being the network that appeals to the younger demographic, and it has seen tremendous success with males ages 18-25. This could not have been better for the NHL, who began to market the new deal shortly before its' initial broadcast with snazzy, adrenaline pumped ads that featured a glimpse of things to come. Fast edits, with all the bells and whistles to catch fans' attention: players shooting pucks with fire trails, hard hits with players shattering into pieces, close-ups on crazed fans and bright red goal flashing goal sirens, and curious hockey playing, cartoon-like robots. The interest of the American sports fan was peaked, and on April 2, 1995, (in the midst of a strike shortened season), the NHL on FOX was born.







(video from YouTube user DudeGuyWho2, who has a ton of great hockey vids...)

The launch saw immediate success, as the original broadcast featured 4 primary matchups at 3PM, and a second game between San Jose and Anaheim at 6. The launch also saw many sponsors involved, including big deals with The New Dodge and Pizza Hut. By scheduling sometimes up to 6 games, and showing most games at the same time, localizing matchups to different regions, the NHL on FOX was able to attract viewers from almost every region, as they were able to offer many different teams on a weekly basis at the same time. The ratings were for the debut were deemed a success, as put by an archive article in SportsBusiness Daily," ... premiere of the NHL on Fox received a 2.5 rating and a 6 share in Nielsen overnights, according to Fox Sportsspokesperson Vince Wladika". For the first time in decades, the NHL had established a solid presence on American network television, accomplishing the league's initial mission, and acting as a launch pad for the games popularity in the states......

Part 2 coming soon...

THC Calls BS on Isles' New Promotion

Great heads up post by Dee Karl's 7th Woman Blog, in a post regarding a new promotion being held by the Islanders team stores, in which fans can trade in an old Isles jersey and receive a discount on a purchase, and the jerseys get donated to........charity?!! I call Shenanigans on the Islanders!! I know, I know I'm surprised I'm doing this to, but come on! I've scoured Amazon, EBay, even, up until a few years ago, scoured garage sales and thrift shops looking for any kind of Islanders jersey from at least 1998 or earlier. Even if they aren't named, I'd do almost anything for a vintage Islander jersey, and now, they're being given up for a less than half-off discount, and being given to some charities around Long Island. Please tell me what some kid involved with some charity is going to do with a fisherman jersey? or in that case, a Pierre Turgeon jersey? They probably don't know anything about that stuff, and chances are if they're with on the receiving end of a charity, I'm sure they want something more than an ice-hockey jersey that either was too hideous to be desired by someone to keep, or was given up because it was sitting some attic or basement somewhere. Please!!!! I'd do a lot for one of those jerseys, and I'm sure I could appreciate them more than some kid who probably doesn't want it in the first place, (I mean would you really want one if you were them?) It doesn't matter to me what kind of Isles jersey it is, or who's on the back, (I'll even take Brett Lindros), I'd be very appreciative if someone could please either hook me up with someone who doesn't want a jersey, or someone who can tell me how to get one!! PLEASE!!! I may even be willing to pay a small fee, so if anyone has anything they can give me, whether it's a jersey or information, please leave me a comment, and some way I can get in touch with you. This promotion is appalling and somewhat befuddling to me, and I call Shenanigans!! Why waste a perfectly good jersey when you can help a young die hard out?!!!!!

Kelly Hrudey Makes Al Arbour Cry (In a Good Way)

I know, I know, I'm putting off my Voices review. C'mon I'm off from school, give me a break, I'm just chillin'. I did however find this pair of very nice videos on YouTube from user sabcanada, who it turns out is an Islanders fan living in Canada. (What are the chances?) Anyway, he's also the one who posted the 1993 vids I showed you a while back. Some of his latest vids, shown here, are from HockeyNight In Canada the night Al Arbour came back to coach his 1,500th game and earn his 740th win. I was at that game, but I never saw any of the CBC stuff. It is one of my favorite Islander memories, and I am priveledged to have been there. I also worked doing the giveaways prior to gametime. I gave a whole box of stuff to one of Arobur's nieces from Alberta.
Elliotte Freedman did a very nice piece on "Radar" in the first vid, and in the second vid, Kelly Hrudey in his old "Behind The Mask" segment talks about playing for one of the greatest coaches in NHL history. The fact that Hrudey compares Arbour to something of a father figure, and makes Arbour cry speaks volumes. I was blown away. I hope you enjoy. More stuff soon.......






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NHL NETWORK'S VOICES: HOWIE ROSE EPISODE COMING Thursday 7pm est!!

Footage will be from Isles-Rags a few weeks ago..... Covering everything from Matteau to Shawn Bates PS and in-between and beyond!!!!! Preview it here!!!!

Remember That Time The Winnipeg Jets Visited Finland?

Really really interesting YouTube vid I've been meaning to post. (it's another from JHendrix70). It's an episode of a show called "Jets This Week" a pretty unique show for a hockey magazine show circa 1995. In this episode Kris King hosts (that's former NHLer Kris King, not Chris King), and some special guest hosts/players take you through the Jets trip to Finland in September 1994 for the short-lived NHL-International Challenge. Sellanne makes his first on-ice appearence in his native country since he had left for the NHL in 1992, (and proceeded to destroy Bossy's rookie scoring record). This tourney was an interesting idea, pitting 1 NHL team against a number of teams from another leage, kind of like what they do with barnstorming in soccer(not that anyone cares). It's broken into three videos. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past!

A Memo To Fans Regarding Mike Milbury

This is a long one so bear with me.

After Mike Milbury's latest meltdown during highlights on Boston's NESN, alot of after-the-fact stuff has been said about Mad Mike Milbury, especially from the Orange and Blue faithful from LI who have been more than outspoken about Milbury's tumultuous tenure in Uniondale. Many of my blogging colleagues have been saying how much, like everyone else, Milbury's term on LI was so bad, and he was horrivle at his job, and was a main reason the Isles didn't win for a very long time. Well, anyone who has read Fish Sticks the 2002 book by Peter Botte and Alan Hahn subtitled "The Rise and Fall of the NY Islanders", than you should know, and yes it should be known, that there was no one. NO ONE. That wanted the Isles to win more than Mike Milbury. I can promise you. Here is my reasoning.



It's not Milbury's fault that he had next to nothing to work with. I know many fans reason that because the Isles were so bad for so long, they should have had a bevy of good draft picks, but you need to remeber, the Isles not only had next to no money, they switched ownereship more than a diva switches boyfriends. It seemed everyone was owning the Islanders, I mean if John "No Money Bags" Spano could get his hands on the Isles, you know ownereship is a huge problem, and because no one had the right means to run the franchise, everyone was interested in ditching the team ASAP, regardless of how rich or poor the next guy was. You can make an argument that the "Gang of Four", who first bought the team from John Pickett in 1992, and owned them twice, and one of whoms sons also owned the team for a short while, were good intentioned, and had the teams best interested in mind, but as the book says, they were ultimately "overmatched" financially, which was probably the main motivation for doing such radical things as turning the Isles into green, orange, blue, and grey fishermen, which would become the imfamous symbol of their disgusting futility. But that would be how every owner would be from '92 to 2000. Financially overmatched. With no money, Milbury could not acquire the talent needed to build and maintain a competing product for much of his tenure on Long Island, and further more, no money also meant that he did not get the proper scouting needed to find the best talent in the draft. Remember the quote about Peter and Chris Ferraro? "I had to ride my bicycle up and down Long Island trying to track those guys down, unlike [the Rangers], I couldn't use the company jet." Despite having guys in the scouting department like Gordie Clarke and Kenny Morrow, Milbury simply could not compete with richer teams from around the league, (like the Lamegers), whether it was for pro talent or the farm system. Milbury could not get resources that would allow him to properly give the Islanders a competing product to put on the ice.

Also, again with the drafting and some of the moves Milbury was able to make, you cannot predict how some of these moves would work out. Though he did not draft Todd Bertuzzi, he waited for Bertuzzi as long as he possibly could to develope into a the scorer he would become almost immediately after he left Long Island, in a trade for Trevor Linden, (and who would have thought Linden would be unhappy and underproductive here, too?) Milbury even bouhgt in Clark Gillies to work with Bertuzzi.



Fact of the matter is, that for mch of those "dark ages", Milbury was between a rock and a hard place but still made the best moves possible, it is simply by chance that most of them didn't work out. In fact that's really how the whole situation the Isles have been over the last 15 or so years have seemed to have come about, simply by-chance. If things would just be a little different, the Isles would probably be in much better shape. I mean, come on, who could have predicted that many of the high draftees Milbury selected would not work out anyway? You can never assume who will be good and who won't and Milbury got bashed for drafting anyway, despite limited resources, and in-turn, an unimproving product.

One trade, however, that Milbury seems to get bashed for continuosly is Roberto Luongo. First of all, Luongo was only okay when he was with the Islanders, and seocnd of all, he, though he didn't come out and say it in so many words, was asking to be traded. It started with the comments to a reporter after he learned then-coach Butch Goring would not be selecting him as the starter for his sophmore season, then there's the incident in which he showed up to practice late one day because he was scowering LI for apartments, and was subsiquently fined. His overall attitude with the Islanders could have been better, and when Milbury saw the oppurtunity to trade him for a number-one draft pick in 2000, with a very studley goalie draft-eligable at Boston College named Rick DiPietro, Milbury jumped at the chance. I mean wouldn't you?

It's incidents like this that plagued Milbury until April 2000, when Wang, along with Sanjay Kumar purchased the team, allowing Milbury the thing he most desperately desired. Duckets. Moolah. Mad money for Mad Mike. Not only was Milbury finally able to birng in the best players availible, like Mike Peca, and Alexei Yashin, who were both signed to at the time, record contracts value wise, but he also was able to draft extremely well, too. Drafting guys like Cory Stillman, Sean Bergenheim, among others, and futher finding guys seemingly out of nowhere via free agency , or trade like Jason Wiemer, Oleg Kvasha, Eric Cairns, Trent Hunter, Shawn Bates, oh yeah signed Jason Blake after he went UNDRAFTED. That may be one of the most amazing and impactful signings in Islanders history. It should come as no surprise that 3 of the 4 playoff appearences in Islanders history came under Milbury, not to mention the 2002 Islanders pulled off one of the biggest single-season turn arounds in NHL history, going from around 50 losses to to nearly 50 wins. You can add Aaron Asham to the list of players out of nowhere.

Another reason peole bash Milbury is why the Islanders had begun to decline toward the end of his tenure, leading them into the situation the Isles face in the present. You have to remember, the Isles, well more particularly Milbury, had a lot of important decisions to make after the salary cap was imposed after the 2005 lockout. Milbury had to decide on which pieces of the puzzle he himself created, and put alot into, being forced to let go key players like Adrian Aucoin, Brad Isbister, Dave Scatchard, (more players Milbury plucked out of the sky), as well as Mark Parrish (acquired through trade) , to name a few, and also Milbury had to deal with the departures of key pieces Mariusz Czkerkawski, and Kenny Jonsson back to Europe (who Milbury also acquired through very good trades during the dark ages.)

The salary cap forced the Islanders to suffer, and they became in turn, a worse team, replacing guys like Aucoin with guys like Tom Poti and Alexei Zhitnik, the best best players Milbury could afford under the cap, and though they were decent, they were undoubtedly a downgrade. The Isles, after being transformed into a broken team, missed the playoffs in 2006, but thanks to great scouting, the organization is still being replenished thanks to Milbury drafting and trading for guys like Frans Nielsen and Sean Bergenheim. They made the playoffs in 2007 by the skins of their teeth, largely thanks to a backup goalie named Wade Dubliewicz, who the Isles picked up with Milbury still acting as a consultant for the team. The '07 team almost missed the playoffs due to a number of injuries, icluding the key one being DiPietro.

Milbury did so much for this team and he did everything possible to try to get themto win, There is nothing he wanted more. His pasion for the team and the Island itself is not hard to see. From saying things like "Screw the Devils. Screw the Rangers. I'm an Islander." , to the tears he shead in his box after the Shawn Bates Penalty Shot in 2002, to the sleepless nights he spent at his regular 3 bedroom house in Garden City scrubbing his kitchen floor, trying to scrub away his frustration, and thinking of ways to fix his weak hockey club. And who could forget the tirade in the locker room during the off -day before Game 3 of the Toronto series? Showing the press a 5 minute tape of blown calls from Games 1 and 2, all the while providing the press and fans alike with priceless vintage Milbury, spewing a tirade of swears and insults that still echos thorugh the walls at the Coliseum to this day. Tell me that's not a guy who knows what he's doing, and is doing the best job he can. That incident fueled the Islanders to three of the most excting home playoff wins the Coliseum has ever seen.

Let's also not forget that Miblury met his second wife through the Islanders, as she was working with media relations (or something like that), and they soon married and raised three children together. Let's also not forget how many times Milbury had to defend himself, especially during the dark ages, for losing key players (who Milbury again found out of nowhere) like Robert Reichel, and the Bryans (McCabe, Berard, and Smolinski), not to mention he simply could not afford to re-sign Zigmund Palffy. (Although he masterfully threw a lot of smoke and fire at the situation, especially during Palffy's hold-out that lasted though training camp '99.) And who can forget the story of how Milbury, during training camp in '96 made the players skate laps around the ice, as Milbury read words out of a dictionary such as "heart" "determination" "winning" and "spirit", and "character". And oh yeah, he made goalie Tommy Salo cry during arbitration simply by giving reasons why Salo's asking price should be driven down so he could get a more affordable contract.

Fact of the matter is, no matter how many things you have to say about Mike Milbury, wether it's about his days on Tv, or with the Isles, Bruins or even his odd time spent at Colgate Univ., you cannot say a bad thing abouut Milbury in regard to the Islanders. This man wanted nothing more than to see this team succeed, and he there was no one who tried harder to make it happen. NO ONE. I'm sure it was very difficult for him to leave the organization in 2007, and completely leave the reigns with Garth Snow, and I'm sure it eats him up inside to see the Islanders, who last year were playoff contenders until March when yes by chance, an inordinate amount of injuries plagued the team sending into a spiral of futility and embarassmnet, where if things turned out a little different, they may be much much better off and Milbury could possibly still be here. So I ask Islanders fans and hockey fans alike: Please give this guy a break, and please remember how passionate this guy was and still is for the game of hockey, and how hard he works in whatever he does. Don Cherry spent wto chapters of his book praising Milbury, the only other guy besides Bobby Orr he spent more than a chapter on. I know not everyone likes Cherry, but he did used to be an NHL coach, and when a guy works so hard he is remebered by a former coach years after he has retired, that says something. So please, I know Milbury scews up alot with some of the things he says, but he speaks from the heart, and there is no one more passionate out there. And there is no one who wanted the Islanders to win more. NO ONE. Milbury bashed Connolly on NESN because, let's face it, Connolly was a top Islander draft pick who greatly underachieved, and in Milbury's eyes was a softee, and a premadonna, and did not produce like originally projected. So please, everyone give Mad Mike a break. And when you get a chance read Fish Sticks. I promise you it's a great read.

By the way, mad kudos to Kevin Schultz from AOL FanHouse and Barry Melrose Rocks. The college senior is on a streak of fantastic post on his various sites, and is wrapping up being a guest contributor to PointBlank. Great job, Kev. I think it's safe to say you have arrived!

Here's To You, Doug Gilmour

There were few who were smaller,
few who faced more adversity,
few who people said no chance

there were many with more ability
more skill
more finess
more talent

but there were few who were more fearce,
more determined,
more possesed,
more gutsy, and gritty,

few who were more dedicated
to their team
to their family
to their community
to their city

and of course, there were very few who had more heart, and more soul

From every hockey fan who had the pleasure of watching you,
and for every blue blooded Torontonian who you bought so many great memories to, a very sincere, and dear thank you.

There were few who were as great as you, but in the history of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, there were none better. NONE.

......to that number 93.
It will never be worn again

Congrats, Dougie

and thank you.



"A man shows what he is with what he does with what he has".

-Doug Gilmour

NHL Not Returning To ESPN Anytime Soon

I participated in a live chat with Neil Best today,( you can catch the whole thing on his blog), and I asked him if the NHL had any chance of returning to ESPN anytime soon, and he said that "The president of Versus has no interest in [dropping exclusivity], and wants to continue to have [the league] locked up for the next two years." I also asked him what he thought of Versus' coverage of the All-Star Game, but he said he didn't catch it. Maybe I'll have better news next post, we'll see.......

It's My Birthday! This date in Hockey History- 1991

I'm no longer minor, yes! All- Star Game tonight on Versus, who did a decent job covering the Skills Comp last night. Pre-Game on NHL Network at 4:30.

Okay, here's what happened in the word of hockey on the day I was born, 18 years ago today.

1. Islanders lose to Winnipeg Jets, 8-1.

It was bad then, too. Game was in Winnipeg. Does anyone know who scored the Isles' goal that night? (Let me know in comments!)

2. Brett Hull Becomes 5th player in NHL History to score 50 goals in 50 games

Blues beat Wings in Detroit, 9-7, Hull scored twice (a-la Mike Bossy) to notch 50 in 50, in just 49th game, the second fastest in NHL history up to that point. The 50h cam in the third, as did Bossy's 50th against Quebec at the Coliseum, although it was Bossy's 50th game. (my dad was their too,..... 27 years ago yesterday, by the way) Hull and comp. lit up Tim Cheveldae, outlasting a very tough Detroit offense. Hull joined Lemieux, Gretzky, Bossy, and The Rocket, as players who scored 50 in 50 up to that point. Hull would score 50 in 50 the next season as well, at LA with Gretzky on the ice,...I think it's safe to say Ovechkin is in good shape for 50 in 50, eh?



Today at 8pm on NHL Network: NHL's Greatest Games: 1983 All Star Gme from the Coliseum, Gretzky scores 4 goals in the third period, my dad was there, too. He said it was pretty boring, except for Gretzky, of course. Moe posts later....

I'm Back! Did I Miss Anything?........

Well, truth be told, I never really left, I just extended my X-Mas vacation by a couple of weeks. At first I felt uninspired to blog with all the things going on in my life, and the fact that the Isles are really stinking it up, and then I just felt overwhelmed. First I have to give serious props to Chris Botta and his Point Blank blog for thoroughly covering the whole KC and Saskatoon incidents, and also for giving Islander fans piece of mind and trying to erase their fears of losing their franchise. A truly phoenomoinal job, and very well done. (Also good job on WFAN and MSG Plus, CB) I figure at this point there is very little that hasn't been said about the whole Lighthouse thing by now, but I guess I should say something, because I am an Islanders fan, and they need all the support they can get. Okay here's my piece on this whole thing. Have faith. In particular, have faith in Charles Wang. Like Botta said on Mike Francesa, Wang wants nothing more than to keep the Isles on LI and have them do well. The town of Hempstead needs to realize this, and I think in they are finally now going to see that, now that they've gotten a push from Wang. After all, as scared as everyone is, and I admit I'm a little bit scared, you have to have faith, after all isn't that what sports is all about? Faith and hope? You have to let the faith and hope outweigh the fear, because if everything goes alright nothing bad will happen. The Isles are also on the fast track to a top draft pick(I'm watching you, John Tavares), and who knows what could happen next season? CB said he thought the Isles would definitely not be respectable next season, but he didn't say he didn't think they'd be good. Anything can happen. It's actually pretty amazing, I went to my first game of the year against Boston Thurday with my cousin, and I spent the entire day having no idea what TSN's Darren Dreger had scooped out. (Notice how it was TSN in Canada not NYI in Uniondale that broke the news, and notice how perfectly timed it was to take attention away from the islanders comical goaltending fiasco with DP shut down for the year and Columbus snatching away Wade Dublewicz after a day of being an Islander because of some technical and stupid rule and oh yeah, who knows if Joey MacDonald will ever come back.) But I would soon find out Friday at school, and it really amazed me how many people cared enough to talk to me about it. ( Even my pricipal said something). Newsday, in a matter of three days got about ten pages of coverage out of it. (Ted Nolan's firing got about three total.)I just heard Bob McKenzie on NHL Live say that this may get things rolling now with the Town Of Hempstead, especially if the Isles are serious about moving. Hope he's right Just have faith Islander fans. Have faith. More media stuff .......

Your X-Mas Vacation NHL Network ViewPix

I know I said I was taking a vacation from blogging, and I'm still trying to, but I've been perusing the NHL Network schedule for days and I thought I should let you all know about some pretty good finds coming up soon, to give your hockey fix over the X-Mas break.





12/22 8PM Classic Series: 1998 Eastern Conf. Finals Sabers vs. Capitals



Ah, those '98 Caps. A truly classic series between 2 unlikely Eastern Champs over back-to-back years. Hasek and Kolzig, and Caps wearin' purple. Also includes highlights from ESPN AND FOX! (CBC as well)



12/23 8PM Classic Series: 1998 Stanley Cup Finals Red Wings vs. Capitals



"Win It for Vladey!" A truly emotional series for Detroit in which they steam-rolled the Cinderella Caps in 4 straight. A great memory for Red Wings fans, especially when they weel Konstantinov on the ice during the Cup celebration at MCI Center. Also includes more highlights from FOX and ESPN as well as CBC.



12/24 12PM Salute To The Red Wings Dynasty



That one's pretty self-explanatory



12/24 6-11:30PM



Vintage Games-NYR @LA outdoor exhibition game in Las Vegas, NV from 9/27/91



A true gem from the vault. It was the brain-child of then-Kings owner Bruce McNall, and it became one of the more peculiar hockey events of the 1990s. Who says you can't have ice in Las Vegas anyways? Played in front of the MGM Grant Hotel, It was Gretzky vs. Messier in Messier's first full month with the Rag$. This one's a must-see if you're a big nostalgic like myself.



Vintage Games- 2003 Heritage Classic



Another nice notsalgic fix.



The Making of a Classic- 2008 Winter Classic



I assume that's a documentary on last year's Classic in Buffalo.



This a good early Christmas gift for those hard-core fans on Christmas Eve.

Replay of the games early X-Mas morning.



12/25 3:30PM- 2008 Winter Classic

Can you believe it's already been a year?

12/25 6-11:30PM- VOICES MARATHON!

Catch any of the episodes you missed of a truly great show! How's that for a Christmas present, eh?!

Continues through the next day.

12/26 12:30PM Pioneers: Al Arbour

A well produced documentary/interview with NHL Productions Dan Moriarty. Arbour talks about everything from growing up in Sudbury, Ontario to coming back for his 1,500th game last year. I caught the premiere and I must say it was very very god. My favorite art is when he talks about beating the Penguins in '93 saying that for him it was "As big as winning the Stanley Cup". A must -see for Islander fans.

12/26 1PM Ultimate Gretzky

If you don't have the DVD, buy it, but you can also check it out on NHL Network. The Great One chats at length with John Davidson about his entire life, with special guest appearances by important people from his life, and Keifer Sutherland. Also has clips of every great moment from Gretzky's career. However, the Special Edition DVD features 5 of Gretzky's greatest games, including the '83 All Star Game at the Coliseum. If you consider yourself a hard-core fan, you gotta check it out.

12/26 3:30PM WJC on NHL Network kicks off

Germany vs. USA

I like the US's chances this year, especially now that Canada won't have Josh Bailey. (way to go, Garth Snow!)

I assume all the WJC games will be from the TSN feed. Pre-Game of the rest of the night's games immediately follows Germany and the US.

12/27 5PM Honor and Courage: Tough Guys of the NHL

I've already told you guys how highly I think of this one. I really love the Eric Cairns piece, and when they show him and Shawn Bates at the house they shared in I think East Meadow.

12/27 6PM All-New Voices: San Jose's Dan Rusanowsky

You know I'm checkin' that out

12/27 6:30PM-HNIC on NHL Network

Hockey Tonight
MTL vs. PIT
OTT vs. CGY
AfterHours

12/28 2PM- 1998 Red Wings Stanley Cup video

I love the old Cup vids.

That's all for now, maybe a part 2 later on. For full listings or to order NHL Network, which you should log on to nhlnetwork.tv today. Now it's back to vacation. Happy Holidays!
















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THC One Timers 12/14

Well, here's my last post before I take my X-mas vacation from blogging (we'll see how long that lasts) I also think I'm gonna take a break from the Isles for a while. I don't know how I can keep watching them lose, after last night(3-1 to CBJ, jeez) without going insane! So here's the THC One-Timers for today.



1. Gordon will stay



Now, in my second to last post I suggested that perhaps a movement might start with fans demanding Scott Gordon's removal. Now, don't get me wrong I like Gordo and I think he should stay with the Isles for the long-haul, but the whole inconsistency and no-heart thing really ticks not just myself, but a lot of fans off. But sure enough, PonitBlank says Gordon will stay. I think that is probably a good thing, especially long term. Gordon's system will work on Long Island, he just needs the right amount of time, and the right players.



2. Media Muses How to Fix Isles, What Went Wrong



PonitBlank and my local paper Newsday's Isles writers analyze the current situation, and what needs to be done for them to be a contender in the future. I hope Arthur Staple is right and we don't go back to the way things were in 1999, as much as I miss Ziggy Palffy.



3. Avery's Gone From Dallas



Yeah, yeah I'm not the first to break this, but it should be noted how ESPN dropped everything to break the story. They can make room for that kind of hockey news, but when Ovechkin has those monster nights, and Ryan Miller makes a game-saving save, it gets 5, 10 seconds tops. This is why I think it is inevitably good for the game that Avery may not sign with another NHL team for quite a while, if ever again. The NHL does not need Avery's unwanted, and infamous personality quirks that create unwanted attention, and distraction. Some of my friends who are Rag$ fans have been saying stuff like "Oh! If he gets released, or somethng we should sign him!" Seriously, I don't thnk even his male-groupies/ Broadway Blueshirt fanatics in the blue seats want him to come back. Goodbye, Sean, have fun with Claude Lemieux trying to earn a big league contract in Japan. (lol)



Happy holidays, and if you watch the Isles, try to hold down your egg-knog. More posts later.....

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Media Dude Gets Shot At The Pros

Awesome story from The Hockey News.com. I guess you should never give up on your dream.

For Scott Gordon's Isles, Rock Bottom Isn't Too Far Away

I had some free time during school so I started this post there,

Well, since the only real big media news is that NBC signed an extension with league through 2010, (which was highly expected, being as they are also carrying the Vancouver Olympics), and the fact that the NHL's All Star ballot is very flawed, not to mention they make you go through a riggerous sign-up process before you even see the online ballot, lets talk about that Islander game last night............



And now, a big speech I thuought up in the shower last night.



There comes a time in the career of every coach, and the history of every franchise when your back is against the wall, and it's gut-check time. Now that time may not be here for the Isles, but if Scott Gordon's team continues on the path it is going down now, it will be soon. With all the hooplah involving The Lighthous Project, and Charles Wang losing millions on the franchise each year, and all the other factors that have created a stew of uncomfort around the organiztion, the time may come when the strength and precervierance of the franchise will be tested, being as of right now, the Isles probably don't have even an ice rink's chance in H-E-double hockey sticks of making the post-season.



But for Scott Gordon, it may very well be that time to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself some questions about your life priorities. Now, I'm not knocking the guy as a person, but lets face it, after watching an over-a-month long stint of countless blown leads in the 3rd, countless instinces of exasperation due to un-motivated, and uninspired play, (especially after the Nielsen-Motteau incident in New Jersey), and capping it with a disgusting 9-2 loss in New Jersey where Billy Guerin actually got thrown out of a game, it seems that Scott Gordon just simply either isn't getting through to his players, or isn't doing enough to drive things home. The Isles hired Gordon to replace Ted "Philisophical Differences" Nolan with the idea that Gordon would not only have a better system, but having them play a more exciting, agreesive, and all-around more inspired style of play. As far as I'm concerned, right now, if Ted were in this situation instead of Gordon, I gaurentee there would be some gripes being made known and some messages being sent, after all Nolan was the only coach out of Alexei Yashin's three Islander coaches to have the kahounes to bench Yash for his underachieving play, even in the playoffs. Even Joey Mac was more vocal than Gordon, at least to the media, and he's the one whose GAA may take some time to come back down to earth. With the NHL coaching landscape the way it is, and head coaches seemingly being hired to be fired( some after slightly more than two months on the job), there is no reason why the upcoming Columbus shouldn't be a Judgement Day style game for Scott Gordon, and if the Isles continue, and the Isles are still finding a reason to hang to Gordon, I say it's never to early for "Scott Must Go, Scott Must Go......"

I'm gonna blow off some steam and play NHL 96

Vote In The Latest THC Poll!

Don't forget to vote in the latest THC Poll, "Who is the best hockey radio play-by-play man in NY?" Kenny Albert, Matt Loughlin or Steve Mears? (See left side of page)Vote early and often! Poll ends Dec. 26!

Give Em What They Want!

A nice lil' blurb in Andy Strickland's latest post on HockeyBuzz:


"NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly is aggressively trying to land the NHL back on ESPN television in the States. NBC will hang on to the NHL through at last next season in large part because they carry the Olympics. ESPN will not take the NHL back unless they get the Stanley Cup finals as part of the deal. As of now NBC has the rights to the Cup finals."

The '09 playoffs have always been in discussion for a possible date for the NHL on ESPN's return, and as far I'm concerned ESPN can have the playoffs, Finals, All Star Game, Winter Classic, The overseas games, and all regular and pre-season games. As consolation maybe NBC can take Poker off ESPN's hands, because that's such a big deal for ratings if ESPN decided to pick that up and drop hockey after the strike, right? Versus still has that option to drop exclusivity, which they have through 2011.If I'm Gary Bettman (and thankfully, I'm not) I'd give em whatever they want, because great things could start happening for the NHL back on ESPN or ESPN2. This should be a no-brainer (a quite ironic term when Bettman is involved, though)