Turkey Eve

While the turkeys met in Manhattan today, game #18 of the season should have been played tonight.

Thanksgiving Eve has been a traditional home night for the Isles and based on results BTL (Between the Lockouts) let's just say it would be a good night for the Nets to play at home starting in 2015.

The Isles at played at home on this night 15 times since the 1994 lockout wiped Thanksgiving off the NHL calendar, missing only 1999, 2004 (lockout) and now 2012 (lockout).  After going 5-0-2 between 1995-2002  (losing in OT to Theo Fleury and the Rangers in 2000 and tying (remember those) Ottawa two years later), the Isles have gone 1-4-3 in the last eight (including 1-3-3 since the last lockout).  You'll recall last Thanksgiving Eve, when Daniel Briere scored the tying and winning (OT) goals after the Isles had an early 3-1 lead.  A locked-out Alan Hahn tweeted afterwards "DiPietro was loss for words (rare) for those ridiculous bounces that led to goals".

Game 18 is an interesting reference point, because that means the Isles were scheduled to play 64 games after tonight -- which is equal to the intra-conference games under the current schedule format.

Will we get anywhere close to those 64 games? Who knows.  The issue for the NHL and for the players should be the growing sentiment among fans and sponsors of "who cares".

At least there's football tomorrow.  Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Bruce Ratner to Rebuild Hub

...and what an interesting development this is.

According to LIBN http://libn.com/2012/11/19/monti-ratner-picked-for-nassau-hub-project/   Bruce Ratner, who helped lure the Islanders to Brooklyn, will be "selected to either rebuild the aging Coliseum at the site or construct a new sports/convention arena that will be designed by Populous, an internationally known arena architect".

Populous (formerly HOK sport) has designed premier sporting venues around the world, including the Olympic Stadium in London and CitiField.  Ironically, the company is headquartered in ... wait for it... Kansas City, Missouri.

The development rights for the 77-acre parcel will be awarded to Donald Monti of Plainview-based Renaissance Downtowns,according to LIBN.

The Ratner angle may help explain Charles Wang's rather gracious comments about Ed Mangano when the Isles announced their move 3 1/2 weeks ago.

Monti was interviewed by Islanders Point Blank over the summer http://islanderspointblank.com/news/exclusive-renaissance-downtowns-ceo-donald-monti-if-charles-wants-to-stay-here-i-think-we-can-help-make-it-happen/ and stated his intention to keep the Islanders on Long Island.

"I go back to the four successive years that they won the Cup and at that time I was a season ticket holder. To me it would be an absolute shame for any area to lose a professional franchise. What's going to keep the Islanders here is a positive momentum and we have to make sure that's the message that resonates constantly. I think I'm the only respondent that's committed to do that."

Monti wasn't right on one point: "Certainly Brooklyn beats Kansas City," Monti said when the subject of the Islanders moving in 2015 was broached. "But there's something that tells me if Brooklyn could have been done, it would have been done."

With Ratner involved in this project one has to wonder whether the Islanders' time at the Coliseum could end before 2015.  If the NHL could get an agreement done with its players anytime soon (and preserve a 64-game season), it would appear that there would be 114 games left on the Coliseum lease for the Isles.  

I wonder how many of those 114 might end up being played in their new home in Brooklyn.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Joensuu injured in Finland

From LighthouseHockey (which probably needs a new name):

<<According to the Ässät official site (h/t Francesca, he suffered an injured hand Saturday and is expected to miss approximately two months. >>

Joensuu's team is middle of the pack in the 14-team Finnish league but Joensuu was tied for 5th in scoring in the league (11-13-24) while banging out 67 penalty minutes. (his teammate, a Penguin draftee from Nova Scotia -- not Sidney Crosby, but Stephen Dixon, is 3rd in league scoring)

More from Lighthouse here: http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2012/11/19/3666946/jesse-joensuu-injured-hand-new-york-islanders-assat

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Niederreiter piling up the points

Had the NHL season started on time, many believed that Nino Niederreiter would have still opened the season with Bridgeport.

With the NHL locked out, there was no decision to make and Niederreiter has been a model of consistency at the AHL level.  The Sound Tigers have played eight games this month, and Nino has at least one point in all of them, going 5-6-11 in the 8 games and is now 9-8-17 in 14 games this season.

David Ullstrom had his second consecutive 2 goal, 1 assist game today, as Bridgeport pounded Providence 6-2.  Anders Nilsson picked up both wins as the Sound Tigers moved into a tie for the AHL league in team wins: 10.

Bridgeport will face the Phantoms in Glens Falls on Wednesday before hosting the Whale (Rangers) on Friday.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

DiPietro sit streak reaches 35 days

Rick DiPietro did not play again in today's SC Riessersee game.  It's now been 5 weeks (35 days) since he appeared in his only game.

Of course, as he told the Post's Brett Cyrgalis -- he's healthy.

I wonder if you could get odds in Vegas on whether DiPietro will get in a game before the NHL settles this silly lockout.  SC Riessersee next plays on Tuesday.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

DiPietro still can't get in a game

Rick DiPietro denied a report by a German newspaper that he was injured in a text to the Post's Brett Cyrgalis.  http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/islanders/dipietro_not_hurt_in_germany_PSm4PD74691zCABKewZLfN

Perhaps it is time for the follow-up question: why are you not playing?

DiPietro has now not appeared in a game in over a month...including Friday's 5-4 SC Riesersee win over Bietigheim.  Bietigheim is the team Josh Bailey joined and Bailey had a goal and two assists in the game, giving him 5 points in his first two games in Germany.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

8 Isles-Rangers games part of "New York’s Greatest Hockey Rivalries"

With the lockout continuing, MSG has put together a series of 16 regional rivalry games, including 8 Islander-Ranger games.

The series will debut on Monday at 9pm with game 5 of the 1984 Patrick Division Semifinals. Pretty sure Ken Morrow wins this one.  :)

Update: This broadcast utilizes original audio from the Islanders telecast on SportsChannel, with Jiggs and Eddie.

Stan Fischler's memories of that night are here: http://www.msg.com/blogs/stan-fischler/greatest-rivalries--rangers-islanders--april-10--1984.html

I drove home from college to work the SportsChannel telecast that night.  My most vivid memory -- passing Frank Brown -- then of the Daily News in the Coliseum stairwell that led to the press box in the overtime intermission.  I remember asking him who would win-- his response "we both know who SHOULD win" (the Rangers) -- my response "we both know who WILL win" -- 7:56 into overtime, Morrow made sure I wasn't a liar.

Update: Perhaps Dave Maloney said it best on the wrap-up of the game that he recently taped: "That Ranger team was as good a team as I probably played on.  There were so many times when you played the Islanders that you felt you were good enough to win...but you never won.  To me, that was the magic of the Islander franchise. They always found a way to win.  And that night, it happened to be Ken Morrow."

The other Isles-Rangers games in the series:

NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders – December 20, 1985    Denis Potvin Breaks Bobby Orr's Record for Most Points Scored by a Defenseman (Game ends 2-2)

NY Rangers at NY Islanders, Division Semi-Finals, Game 3 – April 9, 1990  Islanders Come Back from 3-1 Deficit to Win on Sutter's 2OT Goal

NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders, Division Semi-Finals, Game 5 – April 13, 1990  Rangers Beat Islanders in Playoff Series For First Time Since '79

NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders – April 2, 1993 -- Islanders Win, Rangers Miss Playoffs, Turgeon Scores 50th Goal

NY Rangers at NY Islanders – March 5, 1994 -- Rangers Win on Long Island for First Time Since '89

NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders – December 3, 2006 --Islanders Win 7-4 at MSG, Viktor Kozlov Scores Four Goals

NY Rangers at NY Islanders – December 2, 2010 --Rangers Win Game 6-5, Gaborik Scores Hat Trick

For the record, the Isles go 4-3-1 in the eight games selected for the series.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick