The Last Gladiators screens at the Toronto Film Festival this week

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/last-gladiators-toronto-film-review-233129 has the review

The story deal with NHL enforcers, specifically Chris Nilan.  Other  NHL players appearing include Donald Brashear, Marty McSorley and Tony Twist.

More on the film here: http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/lastgladiators

Among the executive producers of this movie is Barry Reese, the father of the Islanders' Dylan.

(HT to @atari8bit (Glenn Birk) for the original tip on this.)

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

ex-Isles MacDonald KHL Story

All this week and next, you'll be hearing stories of people who survived 9-11 due to happenstance.  The surviving head of Cantor Fitzgerald wasn't at the World Trade Center that day because it was his child's first day of kindergarten.  One of my friends' father is still alive because the private Port Authority elevator from the 59th floor to Windows on the World was out of service, forcing him to go down to the concourse level, which is where he was at 8:46 am.

In a way, Joey MacDonald, who was the Opening Night goaltender of the Scott Gordon era just three years ago, is one of those people.  His story isn't about the Trade Center -- instead it's about the KHL tragedy.  A tragedy that he came very close to being a part of. 

Great piece here -- from Matt Reitz (@ViewFromMySeats) of ProHockeyTalk.com : 

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/09/09/joey-macdonald-could-have-been-playing-for-lokomotiv

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

"18" to get his night... FINALLY! Morrow-Flatley-Jonsson too!

The Isles have launched their 40th anniversary celebration .... complete details are here: http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=587764

Among the team's plans are 4 special nights to honor Isles from each of the last 4 decades with introduction into the Islanders Hall of Fame as well as an alumni night.

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The Islanders will celebrate "Decade Nights" throughout the year, in which they will honor an Islanders legend with induction into the Islanders Hall Of Fame. Each of the former players will have their names placed on the Islanders Hall of Fame banner that hangs in the rafters at Nassau Coliseum.  In addition, a brass plaque, depicting each player as well as a list of accomplishments and contributions to the organization, will be mounted in the team's dressing hallway.

Decade	Date	Opponent	Player
1970's	Nov. 19	Boston Bruins	Ed Westfall
1980's	Dec. 31	Edmonton Oilers	Ken Morrow
1990's	Jan. 14	Buffalo Sabres	Patrick Flatley
2000's	Feb. 11	Los Angeles Kings	Kenny Jonsson

On Saturday, Oct. 29, when the Islanders take on the San Jose Sharks, the organization will also have members of the team's alumni in attendance.

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In addition to being the original Captain, Westfall led the most overlooked team in Isles history -- the 1974-75 team that really started it all.  From Parise's OT goal to ex-Isle the Rangers to Westfall's goal to complete the 1-0 goal-post kissing comeback against the Pens to the Kate Smith-cut short rally against the defending (and eventual) champion Flyers, the Isles' playoff DNA was sewn in that spring of 1975.  After 18 years as a player, Westfall retired in the spring of 1979 before beginning a 19-year career in the Islander broadcast booth.

Morrow, of course, turned Gold to Silver in a 13-week span in 1980 and it was his empty-netter that cemented the 4th straight championship -- a feat not matched by any professional team in North America since.  The Lester Patrick Award winner was not known as a big goal scorer, but scored 11 in the playoffs including perhaps the most pivotal goal in franchise history -- in  overtime of game 3 of the best-of-5 first round against Los Angeles (1980) -- as well as the goal to defeat the Rangers in the decisive game 5 in 1984, considered to be one of the greatest overtimes ever played.

Flatley and Jonsson both captained the Isles; Flatley joining the squad in the Drive For Five and Jonsson being acquired from Toronto in what was perhaps Mike Milbury's best trade - a deal that also brought the Isles the right to draft Roberto Luongo.  In fact, only Denis Potvin captained the Isles longer than Flatley; Potvin and Bryan McCabe are the only defenders besides Jonsson to serve as Captain as well.

#isles40th

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Ex- Isles forward back in NHL

No, not that one...although Katie has tweeted today that Alexei Yashin is again skating  with many Islanders at IceWorks again today.

Richard Park, who played last season in Switzerland, has agreed to a 2-way deal with the Penguins, the team that drafted him (one spot ahead of Patrik Elias) in 1994.  Park played 316 games for the Isles over 4 seasons, with his most famous game being the final game of the 2006-07 season, when he scored the first two goals in what eventually became a 3-2 shootout win over the Devils that lifted the Isles into the playoffs.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=587923 has the story.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Joy of Life, The Agony of Death

I was quite young when I started to watch Wide World of Sports.  I was always fond of Jim McKay and one of my earliest sports memories were the 1972 Munich Olympics.  It was left to McKay to report on the massacre of Israeli athletes and words he said that day resonated with me this week. 

<<"When I was a kid my father used to say "Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized." Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said there were 11 hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone.">>

In the space of two days, hockey in the NY area went through our greatest hopes with the benefit for MSG's Jake Wisniewski, who is recovering from a double lung transplant in his continuing fight against cystic fibrosis.  Several people commented to me on what a great event it was --even more so because the past and present NHL players were all so approachable. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised on Jake's behalf as players, media members, and fans of all three local teams converged on a bar in midtown Manhattan.  Our hopes for Jake's recovery continue and you can still help at www.cotaforjakew.com  .

Then, less than 12 hours after the event ended, those worst fears came true when an entire Russian hockey team was wiped away with a tragic plane accident.  Three players with Islander ties were among the victims-- Brad McCrimmon, the former Isles assistant; Josef Vasicek, who scored 15 goals in 81 games for the Isles in 2007-08 and Alex Karpotsev, the former Ranger Cup winner who played three games for the Isles late in the 2003-04 season after being acquired at the trade deadline. In the matter of moments the Isles lost two alumni after having only three players in their entire history predecease them.  May their families cherish their memories and somehow find peace.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Deadliest day in Isles history

Almost every NHL team was touched by the tragedy in Russia today and the Isles were no exception.

Two former players (Josef Vasicek and Alex Karpovtsev) were killed in the crash as was former Isles assistant Brad McCrimmon.

According to records maintained by the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR), Vasicek and Karpovtsev are only the 4th and 5th deceased players in Isles history.

Prior to today, only three of the 462 players who had appeared in an NHL game for the Islanders were deceased (Bob Cook, Bryan Lefley and Brian Spencer) -- all were born in the 1940s and all played on the 1972-73 team.  

RIP Josef Vasicek (1980-2011) and Alex Karpovtsev (1970-2011).

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Ex-Isles Vasicek, ex Isles Asst McCrimmon Feared Dead in Russian Plane Crash

The story is still evolving but several sources are now reporting that at least two people with Islander ties, Josef Vasicek and  Brad McCrimmon are feared dead in a plane crash in Russia involving the KHL team Lokomotiv. 

Vasicek played in all but one game of the 2007-08 season for the Isles, scoring 16 goals and adding 19 assists. McCrimmon, an Islander assistant coach in the 1990's, was named head coach of the team just a few months ago after a 30+ year NHL career as both a player and assistant coach.

The team has confirmed that the entire 37-man traveling group was on the plane, which was headed to its season opening game.  Only 2 survivors are known at this time.  However the dead have not yet been confirmed.

<<In his address to the Ufa crowd (at the KHL season opening game) , the KHL President Aleksandr Medvedev stated that all players and staff of the Yaroslavl team except one survivor, whose name is not unknown as yet, died in a plane crash near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia.>> (http://rt.com/sport/hockey/khl-season-hockey-team-013/)

Perhaps the best known player to a North American audience on the team's roster is Pavol Demitra, who scored over 300 goals in the NHL and won the Lady Byng Award in 1999-2000.

The team roster is listed here: http://en.khl.ru/clubs/lokomotiv

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick