Thank You NHL!!!

If the NHL shows Bobby scoring the GWG against Philly or Boss’s highlight reel job against Vancouver I will be thankful. Showing the bitter ending of the Drive for Five? That is just salt in the wound.

What if the NHL didn’t have amnesia about 1980-83?

There have not been many dynasties in NHL history. There have been the Canadiens and the Islanders. That’s it. The Oilers won only 2 in a row (2x). The Penguins only won 2. The Red Wings only won 2 in a row as well. I guess maybe we can throw the Maple Leafs in there, they won 3 in a row 2 times.

Honestly, I only count the 70’s Canadiens and our beloved Isles because the other dynasties existed when there were only 6 teams. I discount the Oil because they lost in ‘86 (Dynasties don’t end and then start again – - It’s not like the Ming dynasty ended, took a few years off, and then decided to be in charge again)

Therefore, the NHL’s blackout of 1980-83 is strange, because it’s only been done by 2 teams, and the Islanders did it in the US, where the NHL is trying to grow the game. Why not try to build on the great Olympics and show that American franchises are good too. Just a thought.

We can look at a dynasty many ways. Yes 75-83 is an interesting concept. I did notice that the Sharks are the Islanders of old with the 6 of 7 100+point seasons and the one they missed out at was 99 points. They could be considered a really good team of the decade. However their rep is the almost doesn’t count of the NHL. Reminding me of a college friend from Boston stating that the Bruins make the playoffs every year with my answer being but what is the outcome. Everyone on the east coast points to the Devils as a successful team in the past …hmmmm ….20 years give or take. What we have to realize is that the game has changed so much over the past 30 years and that, in my opinion, we won’t see many dynasties due to the cap and free agency. I could see why Wang attempted to sign Ricky and Yashin to such lengthy contracts because he wanted to establish a core that would be there for possibly 3 or 4 champions. This is my opinion why the islanders are keeping the spending down so when contracts like Tavares and Okie and the such come due and possible a FA here or there, there will be plenty of room to move. Another reason is not to dump money into kids that havent earned anything. In a recent article I had read on Yahoo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar felt that the entry age to the NBA should be raised to 21 because the increasing sense of entitlement among rookies. Now I understand that the NHL had put a cap on contracts for rookies, but the FA market sometimes is dominated by players that are looking for money while going through the motions. i mean i am all for a guy that can put the puck in the net making big bucks and the guy playing a consistent and steady game day in and out, but guys like Park, Sim, Weight etc need to be going nuts every night. Park shows amazing skills some nights and yet other nights I never hear his name. I realize that Martinek is a talented player but will he ever play a full season? Hopefully the group drafted (past few years and present) will feel that the Islanders believed in them and they should show allegiance to the team. Also I understand I ramble but sometimes the mind tends to wander. Lets just look at how many years it took the Penguins to win a cup. Those early 2000 teams were horrible. I give the Islanders 2 more years then there should be no reason why (unless a major celestial event happens) we can’t make a really good cup run. Just in time for a new building….hmmmm ….ok enough of that.

is to win 19 straight playoff series. No one else has ever done it…and I doubt anyone else ever will. And it gets really tiresome to hear Oil fans dump on Smith…just as it is tiresome to hear Sox fans kill Buckner. Happened the same year too. Neither Smith or Buckner are to blame. Their teams lost. Period!!!

and their Finals record for the cup winning years was 16-3

While I absolutely loved the streak and the 19 consecutive series wins will never be challenged, I don’t think 4-2, 4-0, 4-1 and 4-0 are finals results that the NHL really wnats to see again. Domination like that by anyone can’t be good for the game.

I’d probably have to tolerate it for the good of Isles nation, but the main reason I don’t want to see it is that I’d probably end up getting beat up too many times.