Garth's Island of Misfit Hockey Players
by Mark D on Oct 21, 2010 2:11 PM EDT
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PrintWho hasn't seen the classic stop motion puppet (s/t Nystrom) Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer? If you really haven't, then shame on you and watch it this upcoming Christmas season. To make things short, the Island of Misfit Toys is an Island for toys that don't fit in. There's a Charlie-In-A-Box which is a Jack in the Box with the wrong name, a spotted elephant, a bird toy that swims, a cowboy riding an ostrich among others. Rudolph ends up returning to the Island to pick up the toys with Santa and delivering them to kids on Christmas.
What does all this have to do with the Islanders? In Fanshots Anarcut mentions that PA Parenteau is leading the team in assists right now. That got me thinking about how many of Garth Snows FA signings and waiver wire pickups have been making good contributions to the team. It's pretty obvious that one of the reasons for the Islanders quick turn around has to be Garth's ability to bring in high quality low price players.
The New Toys
Matt Moulson
Previous NHL teams: Pittsburgh Penguins (Draftee) Los Angeles Kings (UFA)
Reason for moving on: Considered the type of player who could score in the AHL but not the NHL, despite not getting much work outside of the bottom two lines in LA.
Since coming to the Isles: First 30 goal scorer for the Isles in years.
P.A. Parenteau
Previous NHL teams: Anaheim Ducks (Draftee) Chicago Blackhawks (Trade) New York Rangers (Trade)
Reason For Moving on: Considered an AHL talent and one way player. The Rangers used him in some games as just a Shootout specialist.
Since coming to the Isles: 6 points in 6 games puts him 2 points behind his career high of 8 in 22 games last year.
Michael Grabner
Previous NHL teams: Vancouver Canucks (Draftee) Florida Panthers (Trade)
Reason for moving on: Truthfully I'm hard pressed to explain why the Panthers waived him
Since coming to the Isles: Grabner had 11 points in 20 games last year for the Canucks, and hasn't looked out of place in the NHL yet.
Rob Schremp
Previous NHL teams: Edmonton Oilers
Reason for moving on: Google Rob Schremp and Oilers and you'll find enough venom to fill a 10 gallon bucket.
Since coming to the Isles: He had one of the goals of the year last year, was key in shootout wins and proved why he was a former first rounder.
James Wisniewski
Previous NHL teams: Chicago Blackhawks (Draftee) Anaheim Ducks (Trade)
Reason for moving on: Was considered expensive and a bit of a loose cannon for the Ducks. Interestingly the Ducks replaced him with former Islander Andy Sutton.
Since coming to the Isles: Made national news for mocking Sean Avery, which is more then enough to put a smile on any Islander fans face.
The Old Toys
Mark Streit
Previous NHL teams: Montreal Canadiens
Reason for moving on: The Habs wanted to convert him to a winger and use him as a pointman on the PP.
Since coming to the Isles: He has pretty much proven that he can be a solid #1 pairing dman with the Isles. In his first season he finished +4 on a team that finished -100 in goal differential.
Mike Mottau
Previous NHL teams: New York Rangers (Draft) Calgary Flames (Trade) Anaheim Ducks (UFA) New Jersey Devils (UFA)
Reason for moving on: The Devils couldn't fit him under the cap
Since coming to the Isles: Along with Mark Eaton has proven to be a vetrean calming influence on the Isles Defense.
Mark Eaton
Previous NHL teams: Flyers (UFA) Nashville Predators (Trade) Pittsburgh Penguins (UFA)
Reason for moving on: The Pens got younger and better on D
Since coming to the Isles: Along with Mike Mottau, Eaton has been a leader on the D. Which is amazing since last season Mottau looked then Freddy Meyer while playing on a better team.
Dwayne Roloson
Previous NHL teams: Calgary Flames (UFA) Buffalo Sabres (UFA) Columbus Bluejackets (Expansion) St Louis Blues (UFA) Minnesota Wild (UFA) Edmonton Oilers (Trade)
Reason for moving on: The Oilers and the rest of the NHL decided not to give the 39 year old a 2 year contract.
Since coming to the Isles: Won the starting job in his first season on Long Island, and is the steadiest player in the crease since before DiP's infamous all star game.
Jon Sim
Previous NHL teams: Dallas Stars (Draftee) Nashville Predators (Trade) Los Angeles Kings (Waivers) Pittsburgh Penguins (Waivers) Phoenix Coyotes (UFA) Philly Flyers (UFA) Florida Panthers (Trade) Atlanta Thrashers (UFA)
Reason for moving on: Jon Sim was originally drafted as a scoring forward. In the OHL he had 312 points in 211 games. In the IHL he had 110 Points in 142 games and in the AHL he has 162 points in 164 games. But at 5'10 and listed under 200 pounds he never turned into a scoring forward in the NHL. Instead he turned himself into a grinder and a pest who is one of the best in the league at scoring penalties. He can also grind out some gritty goals over the course of the season.
Since coming to the Isles: Originally part of the bad core and punished with a trip down to Bridgeport in his first season, Sim has become a stable force on the bottom six for the Isles. This season while facing the reality that he might start the season in the AHL, he was impressive enough at camp to win his old job back.
That's 10 Misfits who have found their way to the Island, congrats to Garth Snow and signing these guys.
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And you have all the misfit toys on the assembly line
Think of all the prospects that fell to the Islanders late in the drafts but are now likely NHLers. Poulin (6th) Martin (5th) Hamonic (late 2nd) Petrov (3rd), Kabanov (3rd), Cizikas (4th), Anders Lee (6th) (yeah the last two might be an early call but they look very promising).
AMac is already off the line (6th).
Drink of the Month: Bailey's on Ice.
I have to respectfully disagree on 2 of your choices..
Very well thought out and written, especially about the defense. Could not be more spot on. 2 respectful disagreements I have are below….
1. Grabner had 11 points in 20 games last year for the Canucks, and hasn’t looked out of place in the NHL yet.
- What have you seen that I have not? LOL…He looks like he has all the gifts but cant figure out how to unwrap them (sticking with the Christmas theme! LOL)
2. He had one of the goals of the year last year, was key in shootout wins and proved why he was a former first rounder.
- Believe me, I LOVE RSH…but to say he proved why he was a FIRST rounder? I dont think he has come close to proving that yet.
Jury still VERY out on PA….There are times he looks real good and times when you can totally justify the Rags (a team that needs scoring badly) cutting him loose.
I'll admit
I really didn’t have anything to say about the newer guys and what they’ve added to the Islanders, but at the very Least Grabner, Parenteau, Eaton and Wisniewski have been good enough to help keep the Islanders afloat.
Look, on Schremp, here’s his gamelog from last season. http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/schrero01/gamelog/2010/
through his first 17 games he had 1 goal and 4 assists. In his last 27 he had 6 goals and 14 assists for almost a point per game. The big change was moving him from Wing back to Center. That 25 game run was just about as good as any of the time Blake Comeau went on a 20 game run to end the season. He also showed an ability to play defensively, as he only had one game in which his negative was more then 1.
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Sort of respectfully disa-disagree
Believe me, I LOVE RSH…but to say he proved why he was a FIRST rounder? I dont think he has come close to proving that yet.
I actually see it a bit differently. “First rounder” is sort of wide-open territory, but in terms of where he was drafted (25th overall), I think he has proven why he was selected there. 25th isn’t really fantastic territory, so he hasn’t lived up to the hype Edmonton created, but I think he does really look like a 25th overall pick.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
on these terms
Does this make Sim that train with the square wheels?
Suspended two games for excellence in commenting
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
I was thinking of adding Sim to the list, but didn’t feel like opening the can of worms.
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Webby...Excellent as usual!
For over two years I’ve been thinking about this. Somebody on NYIPB started calling them the Islanders of Misfit Toys back after the Exodus of 2007. Snow has done an excellent job with a glue gun and a shitload of duct tape.
Not sure why these guys didn’t make the cut, but:
ZEKE… Everything Zen does is working out. I admit there’s no sex in his violence (I hate the obligatory, passionless bout after a puck drop) but even teven his pugilistic sideshows go to the championship rounds. Garth essentially traded PhotoNat Thompson for a guy who may win 65% of his draws… plays tough, and can be trusted in critical situations…. AS A FOURTH LINER.
Sim: sim has passed through more waivers than a decade of rose bowl parades… and still the guy just does his job to the best of his ability. People forget the circumstances that brought us the man with the most efficient name in hockey, and his shity luck AND TIMING… but Simex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Doug Weight and see… it looks like this Leftover Addition (not an original leftover line guy) has played his way through some injuries and is REBORN. Let’s hope for a healthy season and possibly adding a name to the list of potential 20g/50pt guys on this team right now….
…and I just ran my laptop into LOW BATTERY MODE….
Iin Newsday I read, the islanders blew, and now I can't see for myself, cause they're on MSG+2... Thanks Dolan
Zen I felt like he didn’t have that much of a story. No idea why the Lightning gave up on him after last season, unlike some of the other guys that I listed who were chased out of town.
I was thinking of adding Weight too, since he was brought in to help catch the magic again between him and Guerin, and then Guerin gets himself traded. But Weight although older has always been a good player, at least when he’s not hurt.
I probably should have added Sim
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Weight is like the Hall of Famer Misfit Toy. Ask about his career: “Amazing!” Ask about him now: “He’s done, can’t believe they’re relying…”
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
Minor bone of contention
Rudolph was technically a stop motion puppet movie, not stop motion puppet (clay) e.g. Gumby, Chicken Run. Sorry for the geek interuption, carry on.
He was a boy of soft demeanor
And he loved his caburetor cleaner
Ahh, I was of the thought that the Puppers were clay.
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Don't be sorry
This kind of geekdom and pedantic clarification is quite welcome here (if I may step on Webby’s post). It’s stuff like this how I learn things.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
Schremp
Still unproven……… until he shows more toughness he could easily remind one of Tambellini. One of us is going to be proven wrong, I hope it is me, but if I was a betting man I wouln’t bet against myself!
Well put, Garth has pulled some nice strings.
We pretty much know what we have with everyone, but schremp, parentau, and grabner still have stuff to prove (but are off to a decent start in their isles careers). Wiz I’ll give the pass because he has produced solidly before and is continuing that here, but better.
Go isles or Go home.
I updated it
and forgot I had to publish it, not just save modified changes. Thank you SBN editor, that was done 4 hours ago, lol.
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Great article
Another great article, Webbard, thanks. So far as gm Garth has shown the amazing talent of turning other teams trash into gold. One of the greatest successes was Streit. He got limited minutes in Montreal and they had little faith in his shutdown abilities. I have an old issue of The Hockey News that previewed the 08-09 season and warned Islander fans not to get excited about Streit as he would be of little value beyond the power play. Matty Moulson was another coup for Garth. There is no science as to why some guys who tear up juniors/college and the AHL turn that success at the pro levels and other don’t. Signing Matt Moulson was a risk worth taking and paid off is spades. Michael Grabner and/or PA Parantau will hopefully be this years version of Moulson. I’m glad he went out and stocked up on good, seasoned defenseman. I’ve been especially impressed with Eaton and Wisniewski. I’m surprised I didn’t see Konopka on your list. I predict he turns out to be another great signing by Garth. My stereotype coming into the season was that he was just an ‘enforcer’ but I’ve been really impressed with his defensive play and of course his skill in the faceoff circle has been a blessing for us.
BUT
We are in last place………….along with the Oilers………….2 ex powerhouses still rebuilding for the last 30 years. Hate to be so negative, but jeeze, put any spin you want on it, my team is in last place………again
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
