Dr. Strangeleague: How I learned to stop worrying and embrace the goon
by Dominik on Mar 11, 2011 3:54 AM EST
in Big Picture Musings
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PrintIf you don't know the game / Then you're still part of it
Because, out on the streets it's strange / To see the show
Knowing full well / That you're on the range
Dodge the bullet / Or carry the gun:
The choice is yours!~Killing Joke, "Pssyche"
I change the tagline of this site fairly often, and ironically the current one, "We take NHL suspensions so your team doesn't have to," was conceived and posted before the Zdeno Chara hit, and before the Milan Lucic crosscheck of Dominic Moore. I mention that not to impugn Son Of Campbell's team (I know one of their grinders was suspended four games earlier this year), but because it's just funny. Like many, I've nearly given up trying to figure any of it out.
We've rehashed the NHL's disciplinary circus a ton the last few days, so no need to do so again. I'm not going to pretend to understand or rationalize or even lodge accusations of conspiracy at a league that says prior offenses matter, but if you don't have a prior offense then you can't ever earn a present one because you never had a prior one. It's nice logic if you can get it. It'd make a good Terry Gilliam movie.
See, as every Wild fan and reporter will eagerly point out, Cal Clutterbuck didn't have a prior when he checked Justin DiBenedetto from behind. As far as I know, the league didn't even bother with a review. It's like their short attention span moved immediately to Trevor Gillies, who 1.5 seconds later checked Clutterbuck shoulder to shoulder -- with arm illegally following through -- but was penalized for checking from behind, and Clutterbuck stayed down, even though he was ready for his next shift and later earned himself a misconduct for again running his mouth without having the proper hardware to back it up. (This, after he again targeted DiBenedetto, this time late but at least not from behind.Meanwhile, Pavel Kubina did get a review, and a three-game suspension, which makes me think the league is using a narrow reading of Rule 48 as its only reason for doling out suspensions.)
As has been parroted all over hockey media in North America, Gillies did have a prior -- nine games for his first offense! -- so he was a predictable target. Brian Gionta is not, and I'm sure Gionta's crosscheck to David Backes's face last night will get the Lucic-on-Moore treatment from the league: Never happened. No lasting injury. And Gionta has no priors.
But riddle me this: Matt Martin didn't have any priors, but was suspended two games for this hit on Vernon Fiddler this season. I didn't raise a stink about it at the time because the league seemed suddenly serious about impacts to the head...until they again proved they're not actually serious about anything.
Now, Martin hits about as often as Clutterbuck does, only with a difference: When challenged for his frequent hits, he drops the gloves as asked, per tradition. The league sort of likes players to police themselves, although not too much, which is why they have an instigator rule. Of course, with Martin, they don't actually call the instigator -- otherwise B.J. Crombeen surely would've received one when he insisted Martin fight even though Martin had no reason to.
Suddenly, I'm a Fight Fan
Again, I'm done trying to make sense of this league, and I've had the unexpected personal hockey fan evolution from idealist and quasi-pacifist (in fighting terms) to resigned champion of fighting's role. If the league won't protect the Isles, then the Isles have to. I still think it's all rather absurd and too psychological for my tastes, but I'm resigned to its necessity.
Ah, its necessity: There is a delicious irony that Gillies only became an Islander early in 2010 because the league wasn't doing its job enforcing its rules or paying lip service to concern over player health. Before that point, whether it was the GM's choice or the coach's choice or even -- from some rumblings -- the owner's choice, the Isles in 2008-09 and the first half of 2009-10 had only tried part-time AHL-callup enforcers, but none proved able to skate or pick spots even better than Gillies. Worse, none proved a deterrent. The Isles young stars were getting hit in illegal ways that rarely caught the league's attention.
(Just one example: Last year Chris Pronger, the star with plenty of priors but still too few to match his actual history of offenses, railroaded John Tavares from behind well behind the play, chipping out a tooth -- and getting nothing but a laugh from Pronger's many admirers. I needn't point out it wasn't reviewed. "Oh, such the cheeky veteran, teaching the rookie a thing or two," the accolades went. Yeah, teaching him not to trust his "union brothers" to ever pass up a chance for a cheap shot behind the play. That's what the Isles were dealing with.)
I'd like to think if the NHL sacked Campbell and his staff and started over, maybe we wouldn't have stars like Henrik Sedin conceding that "players don't know where the limit is." But maybe not. So I'll just keep repeating to myself what I wrote the night Gillies hit Clutterbuck: That's the NHL for you, circa 2011.
So in 2011, the Isles are standing up for themselves where the league won't. Not just Gillies, but league PIM leader Zenon Konopka and recent callup Micheal Haley too. Other fans and media cry that Gillies doesn't take a regular shift -- "he's not a hockey player" -- but that grievance doesn't fly with me any longer. Considering the NHL's completely random supplementary discipline, why would you want a more important player to risk suspension while meting out the "policing" the NHL neglects? As best I can tell, the NHL's vast and inconsistent gray area is the biggest reason fighting still exists -- because players "don't know where the limit is." It's absurd and arguably barbaric, but is there any other explanation for fighting's most common defense being "it's part of the game"?
If other teams now fear the Islanders and dress an enforcer as a response, great. If other teams buy the media line and think the Islanders are gooning it up -- rather than responding to obvious transgressions -- that's great, too. Put on the foil, whatever works. Whatever discourages them from taking the liberties that had gone on for far too long, and frees them up to play more hockey. It's unclear how much player health is a true priority for the NHL. Its supplementary discipline regime can't be counted on to deter players from recklessly endangering each other. Maybe fists and big hits will. The image hit the Isles take and the stupid generalizations from hypocritical fans and media is just the cost of security.
For the Isles, it really was "dodge the bullet, or carry the gun. The choice is yours."
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Agree on all fronts here
Eloquently put, kind sir.
I had a short discussion about the Clutterbuck/Gillies incident with a hockey analyst at work (It’ll have to suffice to say he played in the league and you’ve seen him on the Mickey Mouse network before).
I asked him whether Clutterbuck should have been suspended (and this is paraphrased):
“Yes, he should have. It doesn’t excuse what Gillies did.”
me: “You’re probably right. But I still want him on my team to fill that role.”
“I don’t blame you at all; that’s the problem.”
Oh well. Fans and members of the media who don’t try hard enough can criticize the Islanders as subjectively as they want. They weren’t paying attention to the on-ice product on Long Island before, and they aren’t now. If the league addresses this in the off-season, I’ll be happy. I’m glad the Islanders have found a temporary solution to the problem.
What to expect for the next Pens game, I wonder? Will the league take steps to prevent the goon-ery?
by kfallon2 on Mar 11, 2011 5:12 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
They’ll probably send an top team of officials at the least.
On the Mike Weber bandwagon (Stupid penalties and all!)
Rob Niedermayer scored a goal. Your argument is invalid.
I suspect
that Campbell and Bettman will be in attendance; just to watchj of course. Nothing to do with the possibility of bad blood.
There's a mountain of buoyant nostalgia under this team and it's going to erupt like Vesuvius when the Islanders are back in playoff contention.... Count on it.
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Mar 11, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions
good news, bad news
The good news – Bettman and Campbell attending the Isles-Pens game for a first-hand look at the situation.
Bad news – they’re sitting in Mario’s luxury suite listening to the Pens broadcast feed.
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Because we know how well that works
They’ll probably send an top team of officials at the least.
Who?
Top. Men.
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
hahahahaha
Good god… that’s…. that’s DON KOHARSKI’S MUSIC!!!! Nooooooooo! Somebody stop this!
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Very interesting
Thanks for that, kfallon.
I really don’t know about the next Pens game, as I guess a lot of variables are yet to be determined. Probably good that it’s so far off from the previous one. The league may warn enough and it may be close enough to the playoffs that the Pens won’t want to risk being too stupid.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Well said, Dom.
I am, and have always been, a fan of the fighting. It’s barbaric, but it feeds that human need for aggression. We’re an aggressive species (it’s why we outlasted the Neanderthals). We had gladiator games in the past, wars upon wars, and now pay people to play full contact sports. We cheer big hits when the other guy stands back up, and we pause when it looks like he won’t. This isn’t the only reason I have been a fan of the fighting—it protects players when the league won’t. It’s necessary (perhaps disappointingly so), for now.
Hunter said he was just finishing his check.
slightly OT:
….headed down to LI in not much more than an hour for, among other things, the game tonight – hopefully we catch the B’s with their pants down a bit! Fingers crossed…..leaving a little early given the waterworks…..
Eh.
I have no problem with fighting, or hitting.
I do think Gillies is a problem though. Zenon, Martin, and Haley are all good enough to give us enough physical presence…..which is good, because Gillies is an idiot.
Great work Dom
As I was reading this I kept think Kafka should have written a NHL short story.
by Torch7 on Mar 11, 2011 8:01 AM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
"The Islander" does sound like an unfinished Sartre work.
I sat, the dead body at my feet, the small, balding Commissioner standing above it asking me what teak I played for and who this dead man was. I sipped my coffee and looked out the window and saw nothing. I told him I was an Islander and he said I would sit for 12 games. When I pointed out that the dead body was a teammate of mine, and in fact the killer was that guy over there in the Penguins jersey, he told me something about it being immaterial, but I was too distracted by the color of the blood to worry about it. I was looking forward to having 3 weeks off anyway.
I wasn't gonna say anything ;)
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
That sums it up
The medias portrayal of the Isles as a dirty, gooned up, team, will deter other teams from taking these liberties of which were perpetrated for the last 2 yrs under Scott Gordon…The Isles new reputation will serve us well…WGAS what everyone else thinks…Its us against the world!
by KO21 on Mar 11, 2011 8:26 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Well put, well written.
And this once again raises the question of when the league will finally get the major clean-up it so desperately needs. But will this require lawsuits? A rival league? Or will someone be able to sort things out from the inside? Only time will tell – and hopefully soon.
Every once in a while I hear someone say fighting will get another hard look once a pro player dies or gets a really horrible injury from falling and hitting his head on the ice. Which would be kind of a crazy indirect way to hit at the issue.
For player safety, I think the league is stuck partly in tradition and partly in figuring out how to handle the fact that players are bigger and faster, the rules allow them at each other unobstructed, and there are young ones who grew up on big fight and hit videos coming into the league all the time. That’s a lot of transformative factors at once.
You know what I’d love? Compulsory education on the proper purpose and form of bodychecking, from youths on up to the NHL. But even youth parents are out for blood when their kid’s playing, so I don’t know. Maybe it’s a 21st-century problem that goes beyond one sport.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
I seriously doubt it
I don’t think you are ever going to see a player die from a fight, especially now-a-days. In today’s fights what you will see is a lot of broken knuckles from punching visors and helmets. One is more likely to see a player seriously injured by a vicious check like Chara’s.
by Russel Ginart on Mar 11, 2011 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
Back in the Probert/Baumer/Vukota days
These guys seemed to land point blank punches allot more than this generation of enforcers…Nowadays, these guys rarely land a punch and when they do its to the back of a helmet…These fighters suck, these days, anyway
This will never happen, but should
Compulsory education on the proper purpose and form of bodychecking, from youths on up to the NHL.
Won’t happen for the same reasons that football players can’t tackle anymore…injury. Back in the day, this type of stuff was practiced against teammates. Now, that is deemed dangerous on both sides. So in vivo practice is out. There is no replicating game action anymore except in games.
"Gervais...he looks danger in the fist with his face!" JPinVA
Website: Lighthousehockey.com Twitter: @KeithLHHockey
Well done...
I’m sorry to see you coming around. I mean.. I think we hold the same beliefs about fighting in the game, and it’s value. In a perfect world there would be no fighting. But it’s a contact sport, and some people have a hard time defining “contact”… and we can’t have the league police every cheap shot and oft targeted size mis-match…. or can we.
I too, would rather have Clark Gillies manning LW, but we have Trevor Gillies (who is not an “idiot”, but a player who fills a role on and off the ice). In a world where the predators don’t feel the need to answer for their indiscretions, the answer often gets passed down the line to the guys who fill that role. If Haley was 1.5 seconds away from Clusterfutz none of this would have happened… he most likely would have exacted the same hit on Clusterfutz (which really wasn’t a suspendable offense) and then asked him to drop the gloves. Gillies wasn’t given that option because the refs immediatly got him off the ice. We saw what happens when somebody asks clusterfutz to be accountable (or vice versa) later on in the same game. Gillies… and by proxy, Konopka… need to be there… because it always gets passed on to the 220+ lb guy who’s hands were not made for saucer passes and millisecond releases…
Until the league actually gets HARDER on EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY will suffer. I like what Don Cherry says… give them 5, 10, 20 game suspensions and it will stop.. but give them to EVERYBODY and include the predatory hits as well…
When Phaneuf hit Okposo, I actually took a stance where I thought that Dion’s hit was within the scope of the game… it was unfortunate that Kyle had been hit before, left trying to gather his balance, and he NEVER straps his helmet(HE STILL DOESN’T).
Now I see how WRONG I WAS… It is those decisions by players that are in a position to exact EXTREME injuries (see Chara) that make bad decisions. I agree with a lot of players that say what Chara did was a hockey play gone bad. BUT, I say that he didn’t make any effort to control the situation (let up) when that choice was offered… even though it was a split second decision. Maybe giving him 5 games deters others from hitting guys around the bench, which seems to be a SHOWTIME STRATEGY. If Pac gets knocked over the boards everybody laughs and says, “man, it’s a good thing that didn’t happen two feet further down the boards, he could have broken his neck”… well it did.. and to say that Chara didn’t know that eventually the 4 foot boards end, is just as irrisponsible as saying, “Phaneuf didn’t realize that Kyle was vulnerable”
It’s these blatant displays of PREDATORY VIOLENCE that need to be punished… and that will change the culture. Will it change the game to something we don’t like? Well.. lets try it and see… and if it is, we can change again… Just like the INSTIGATOR RULE… that needs to change. The league tried to do something, and it had the reverse affect… and if EVERYBODY AGREES that it’s a FAIL… why can’t they get rid of it?
It’s time for a change… and that change needs to start at the top.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
by JPinVA on Mar 11, 2011 10:15 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
The Culture
To me there are 2 separate issues here. Firstly the culture of the sports “fan” that demands violence. Look at NASCAR that glorifies crashes. Loook at the NFL that loves the hits defensive backs put on receivers executing crossing patterns. look at the NHL with the hits on the boards and the fights. I guarantee you that examples of all these are headliners on SportsCenter and the sports reports on local news almost every night.
Just spend 5 minutes reading responses on that other Islander blog site to see what I mean.
The fan demands violence, The owners and the leagues provide it ‘cos it puts fannies in the seats and fattens their wallets. Its been that way since the Roman Galdiators and will stay that way until RollerBall.
I learned back in ’78 or ’79 when the Islanders were first favorites to win a cup and came up against a Toronto team who’s main claim to fame was a goon named Tiger Williams who proceeded to beat the crap out of Mike Bossey all game long and thoughout the entire series.
In subsequent years they took care of that but thats one of the reasons each team has to have a tough man and why players like Sidney Crosby get the reputation of being dirty players. Guarantee you by this time next year JT will be in the same boat.
If the league did a better job protecting its players a lot of this would go away.
There should be far greater use of video replays on hits that would otherwise go unpunished. I for one favor the international rule regarding icing – that causes a lot of incidents.
But as you say it comes from the top and that ain’t going to change.
That's an interesting point on Crosby, and JT
We haven’t seen JT lash out hard at anyone yet (though Pens fans tried to say his retaliatory slash on Letang was uncalled for). I bet you’re right, and we will see that by this time next year. You can only take so much ILLEGAL ABUSE before you decide you have to bend the law too.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
That's were the problem lies!
Player (a) get’s vicious a cross check in the back of the neck: THERE is NO call. Player (a) now looks to protect himself for the next time and slashes the leg of the offensive player. WHO is going to be penilized? NOT the offending player, player (a) gets called for a slash. Had the official made the first cross check call, all would be fine with the world!
by Russel Ginart on Mar 11, 2011 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
And if the refs miss it
This would never happen, but if they started punishing players for uncalled infractions like that, via video after the fact, then I bet players would chill out there.
Then again, there’s a huge contingent that thinks whatever you can get away with during a game is all “part of the game.” So if I don’t like it, I should watch figure skating, etc.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
I hear what you are saying
Back in the day, my coach preached the same thing, whatever is not seen by the refs is good. a Non-chalant getting in the way interference, a sly hook with the stick, and undetected hold of the jersey is what my coaches preached not the hack to the face, type of infraction.
by Russel Ginart on Mar 11, 2011 1:05 PM EST up reply actions
This happened to me in Roller Hockey
A guy tripped me behind the play and I fell head first in to the boards. No call. I got real pissed and slashed the guy above his skate the next shift. Got a game misconduct for that one.
You mean to tell me shooting the puck from 70 feet out doesn't earn us extra goals?
Fan demand for violence
I think that’s a very real thing, too. It’s harder for me to judge, because I do feel like I’m in a minority in that I really really love hockey but could take or leave fighting — or at least hockey has never drawn me to a game.
And that’s not a judgment (like Turgeon1992 said, as a species violence is within us). It’s just I know I’m more like Ned from Slapshot — more likely to do a striptease to mock the absurdity of it all than to start a fight myself. It takes a real threat to get me to snap.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
I can take or leave the pointless fighting
Like two guys agreeing to square off after a face off or starting a fight to get the team/crowd into it. Those are garbage fights and they happen way too often.
I also don’t like to see enforcer go after enforcer in retribution for a cheap shot from a different player. If someone cheapshots a player on the Isles, an Islander needs to challenge that guy and if he refuses to fight, you punch him anyway.
I watch hockey because I love the game...I watch the Islanders because I hate myself. ~JPinVA
Staged fighting is pointless even when presented by Don King
I agree with you on that one, I don’t need to see two designated fighters to waste time after a faceoff to get their teams excited. Why not have them fight at Center Ice during the pre-game skate and get it over with?
Sarcasm is my permanent font.
And this is why I don't really count a bunch of Konopka's fights
It seems like a bunch of his, if not the “staged variety,” have been the “So what’s going on? Nothing? Should we dance? It’s five free PIM.” variety. Not the kind that make a team think, “Oh crap, the big bad Islanders are coming to town.”
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
one thing about NASCAR
I have friends in “Go fast, turn left” country… and my brother is a race fan (he’s lived down south too long, gotta rescue that boy). The way they explain it to me is that the crashes aren’t the point – they admire drivers for their nerve in a highly competitive and dangerous environment. And NASCAR has mandated tons of rules to help cut down on the crashing. The cars have physical modifications to make them far safer, the drivers have enough gear to go up on the Space Shuttle. In other words, the crashes aren’t the thing they revel in.
For hockey, the big hits are much more part of the attraction than crashes are for a race fan, but for a lot of the same reason – the danger of getting crushed at any moment is part of what makes it so exciting to watch Crosby, Ovechkin, and other great players work their magic. Think of the All-Star Game: hey, no pluggers, no goons, and no hitters! Pure skill! Finally – except it’s boring as hell, isn’t it? If the regular season games were like that, it wouldn’t hold a lot of interest.
But this is where the NHL lags behind NASCAR… because NASCAR responds to crashes with a seriousness that shows they know the stakes the drivers face. They make it legitimate for fans to enjoy the risks because those risks are minimized. They punish rule breaking very sternly. The NHL is far off, because their response to the crippling of the players is unserious and capricious. It’s much harder for a hockey fan now to enjoy watching the skill of the game as a result. It’s tougher to enjoy big hits knowing that they can kill a player – especially when the league doesn’t curtail reckless play effectively. And it’s tougher to enjoy physical play when it’s not the result of skill (such as a great hip check or a clean knockdown in open ice), but malice.
And in a way I really regret the fighting part of it. I believe in The Code as such when ALL OF IT is followed. Fights would be rare, between people who are prepared and know the risks, because The Code also means respect for opponents – keeping your elbows in and your stick down, playing clean as well as hard. And the league should do its part by punishing dirty play harshly, because those things happen when players are unprepared and far more liable to severe injury. IOW, it would be legitimate to enjoy the game, and admire the players’ nerve, because the needed steps would be in place to minimize the consequences.
If fighting serves to protect players from dirty play, thus reducing it from fear of retaliation, then it serves a moral purpose and should stay. As it stands, it’s hard to stomach. If the league was an impartial enforcer, then “gooning it up” would be unnecessary, and wouldn’t happen nearly as much. Some on-ice enforcement would still exist because there’s always going to be illegal hits and missed calls that require some sort of response, and there will always be reckless players who need correction and containment. But it wouldn’t be the disgrace and spectacle it’s been lately. It’s possible to do this right without going back to the all-out brawling of the 60’s and 70’s.
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Mar 11, 2011 1:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
So well put
All of it. I’d say that’s the rationale that has me throwing up my arms at this point, in terms of no longer trying to sort out what’s moral and what’s not, what’s extreme and what’s justified. It’s a crazy game out there, no one knows the code, do what you will.
On Nascar, I think you’re right (though I don’t watch): It always seemed like the appeal was the threat of danger, of risk-takers doing amazing things left turns at high speeds. Like the thrill-seeker, the rock climber, the bungee jumper — nobody wants a tragedy, but it’s hard to get the rush they’re seeking if the threat of one isn’t there.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
First Dom, and now you JP
You are giving the NHL a bad image with your truthful writting, you should also expect a hefty $100,000 fine and a 10 game suspension!
by Russel Ginart on Mar 11, 2011 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
Indeed
I’m sorry to see you coming around. I mean.. I think we hold the same beliefs about fighting in the game, and it’s value.
Yeah, it’s been a funny evolution for me. I used to hope that one-dimensional enforcers would be phased out, especially since they’re so rarely on the ice with the stars who receive the cheap shots. I wanted only Gillies (the Clark variety) and Nystroms. But there aren’t enough Gillies and Nystroms to go around, and the league’s attempt to cut out the one-dimensional enforcers and failure to establish meaningful supplementary discipline has just enabled the Cookes of the world to do their thing.
Cherry’s point for bigger suspensions for EVERYONE is one of those times where I actually agree with him. It’s great that they have the guts to suspend someone for 9 games, but…they only had the guts because it’s Trevor, and not someone who plays and contributes more.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
by Dominik on Mar 11, 2011 12:49 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
damn straight
The whole post is brilliant, Dom, and this comment is a nice impromptu summary of the problem right now. In fact they did it to Trevor precisely because they have no guts – otherwise Lucic and Chara would have gotten some time, seriously affecting Boston’s playoff push and drive for a top-three seed. THAT would take guts.
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!
You cannot stop Jeremy Colliton. You can only hope to recall him. --Dom, LHH
by isles732 on Mar 11, 2011 10:39 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Has anyone noticed...
How everyone in Montreal is totally freaking on the Chara hit? The Montreal Police are investigating and want to press criminal charges. Air Canada (based in Montreal) is going to pull its sponsorship of the NHL. Just like Mario, they need to look in the mirror here.
It is the game THEY invented, they developed, they protect and love, including all of the senseless violence in the league. If this incident occured in Boston, they would have more of a case to complain, but it didn’t. It happened in their newly designed state of the art arena which is located in one of the most socialistic and overprotective societies in the western world. All Chara did was finish a check, perhaps a bit late, but not unlike so many other physical actions in the league. Does anyone think he said to himself just before the hit, “Oh great, I’ve been dying to get Pacioretty over here to this exact spot, which I’ve scoped out in advance, so I can run his head into this poorly designed stanchion”?
C’mon Montrealites, grow a pair and realize it for what it was. A typical NHL play with an unfortunate result.
I'm freaking in New Jersey about it
Not that Chara had any malice, nor that it doesn’t happen a lot – but it was cheating. Chara was committing a penalty. When you do that you’re responsible for all that follows, because it wasn’t an innocent little play to begin with. Once you break the rules you’re in, and if that foul results in a serious consequence to the other guy, the consequence should be worse for you as well.
If I run a red light and luckily nobody else has started into the intersetion, I get a fine and some points. If I do it and plow a minivan and kill two people, I get vehicular manslaughter and fifteen years. It’s the same infraction… but I’m responsible for all that follows.
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Mar 11, 2011 1:16 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I don't agree with your analysis or analogy
Had that been in any other part of the rink…It would have been nothing more than a semi late hit and perhaps a 2 minute penalty and no injury. Instead it was an unfortunate check at a very poorly designed spot in the rink.
Yes, but it wasn't any other part of the rink.
And Chara was reckless and careless, and ended up breaking a guy’s neck. He should have known better and acted accordingly. If it had been any other part of the ice he would have gotten 2 minutes, not 5 + a misconduct, and no one would call him names, and that would have been that. But that’s not what happened.
I don't think we can isolate it like it's just "one spot" on the rink
For one, the benches go more than a whole zone’s length of one side of the rink. When you ride someone that hard at the bench, you know you’re sending them over (another thing I think is dangerous and douchey, but that’s for another day). When it’s not right at the beginning, you know you risk sending them into a post, even though Montreal’s is worse.
Two, while Montreal is a little unique, players including a former Bruin said everyone in that division knows about that rink. A crosscheck is just a two minute penalty at any other spot of the rink…except near the boards. Players should be held to that responsibility of situational awareness, I think. When they commit a penalty and the result is awful, not punishing them sends the wrong message (if in fact suspensions are intended to send a message of deterrence).
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Pretty much agreed
I relish in the Islander’s goon image. I’ve always liked the “wild west justice” that seems to be meted out nightly and I think the Islander’s got away from that too much. This doesn’t mean that I liked Chris Simon’s brand of enforcement with the slew foot. What it does mean is that I enjoy watching these Islanders, even Gillies who to me always has this pissed off “you just killed my favorite puppy and now I have to hurt you” look on his face, stand up for their team and protect themselves.
I don’t think there is a grand conspiracy to discredit the Islanders or make it so they get the short end of the stick, except from maybe Toronto where they seem to be royally pissed off that Tavares chose, and reportedly continues to choose the Islanders over the Leafs. However, I can understand how it would appear that way, and I’ve tried to figure out what it could be on my own. Is it a lack of respect for a team that was once a dynasty and had a fall from the top? Is it because the Rangers and Devils are close and the Islanders don’t get that much press, that the league feels like it can do whatever it wants because the Islanders are so far outside the hockey consciousness that they fear no reprisal from fans or management? Or is it simply because the Islanders are a young team, that they have little to no respected veteran presence, like Doug Weight? I personally think all three have some merit.
The major problem is that the league is hypocritical with how it hands out penalties. When a star like Crosby, or Ovechkin, gets run it seems like it’s the worst incident in hockey history. The league, the press, even the fans, all lash out at the perpetrator of the act. However, when it’s guys like Okposo, Pacioretty, etc. the league couldn’t seem to care. I realize these are not prime examples and maybe subject to some exaggeration to prove a point but the point remains. It’s past time that the Islanders have started protecting themselves and making it so players like Pronger, Clutterbuck, think twice about running that kid into the wall.
This idea that hockey is a softer, more offense oriented sport is fine, but when the young players of the league have to continually look over their shoulder in case Clutterbuck, Pronger, Phaneuf, Avery, et al are coming at them to “welcome them to the league” can the NHL sustain the image?
The league doesn't like us because of nearly 20 years of bad press
By constantly doing dumb, dumb things (Fisherman jersey, Spano, DiPietro’s 15-year contract, Milbury, backup goalie-turned-GM, Neil Smith firing, Lighthouse Project, Botta, Cryin’ Ryan, suspension after suspension after suspension, etc.), the only time we draw national news is when we “embarrass” ourselves and thus, the league as well. Nobody was talking about the Islanders this season until the Night of the Penguin Slaughter, and all of a sudden we’re a goon team for taking out the team with the most PIMs?
That, to me, is the only reason why we draw the ire of league management. The NHL is such an old boys club that they can’t get beyond their own personal prejudices and police the league fairly.
So, if the Islanders need to employ Martin and Haley and Konopka and Gillies to win some games and defend themselves, then so be it. Fuck the league and fuck the teams that won’t give us any respect.
by Fabtraption on Mar 11, 2011 11:18 AM EST up reply actions
Right after the National Anthem...
…we should all repeat this mantra before every game…
Fuck the league and fuck the teams that won’t give us any respect.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
I think IDC and Fab are right
All three, four of those are factors. It will take time for that perception to change. I won’t be sending thank you cards when it finally does.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
The NHL has called: Dom you are to meet with the disciplinary committee
You sir, are giving the NHL a bad rap with your truthful article, Expect a hefty $100,000 fine and a 10 game suspension!
Dom does not get the suspension
The league will give Moulson 3 games for it.
Off Subject but Bottas stirring the pot as usual regarding Konopka
I rarely go to IPB anymore because I always come away from there feeling negative…No wonder why he lost his press creds…Hes a blogger with an agenda..
http://www.islanderspointblank.com/2011/03/agent-no-contract-talk-yet-for-konopkaothers-extended-but-fanteammate-favorite-waits/#comment-187223
by KO21 on Mar 11, 2011 11:05 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I saw that, thought the same thing.
Botta Flow Chart:
Story → NO → MAKE ONE FROM NOTHING? → YES.
The other day management didn’t like him. Now it MUST be true because they haven’t resigned him yet. If management didn’t want him, they would have traded him for anything they could get. And if they really did hold out for a 2nd rounder for him, I’d say that was holding him in pretty high regard.
It’s nonsense like this that got his credentials pulled. He wants to be as “respected” as a reporter, but as “opinionated” as a blogger. You can’t have it both ways.
by Les Beaver on Mar 11, 2011 11:20 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
As with most Botta stories, my response is
“Yeah….and?”
by Fabtraption on Mar 11, 2011 11:24 AM EST up reply actions
I wonder if he's trying to breed discontent in the the locker room.
rubs hands I will be an EVIL GENIUS and ruin them!!!
by Les Beaver on Mar 11, 2011 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm pretty sure the team doesn't give two shits about what Botta says.
The guys are tight, yo. I’m sure they leave whatever contract discussions up between their agents and management and, come the offseason, then they deal with it. Most hockey players just want to play hockey. That’s why they pay agents and whatnot thousands and thousands of dollars.
by Fabtraption on Mar 11, 2011 11:32 AM EST up reply actions
EXACTLY
If you’re in that locker room you understand what all the media types are trying to do. If Snow made decisions based on what Botta wrote we’d be in a world of hurt… becasue as vast as THE BOTTADEX is, he didn’t know who the hell Matt Moulson was (nor did he know the other four AHL players that were signed at teh same time). He is no longer in the room with Wang and Garth whe they discuss team business… though he sometimes thinks he is.
He is a great connect for us… but you have to read his blog with both eyes open.
I value his insight, but the obvious pot stirring is just part of the game. If you want rah rah rah all the time, write your own blog(that is not a personal directive to anybody in particular, just a general statement).
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
by JPinVA on Mar 11, 2011 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
When I responded to one of CB’s stories with this comment I got banned:
Opinions, Rumors and innuendos, no story here
by Russel Ginart on Mar 11, 2011 11:34 AM EST up reply actions
Hmmm...
I know a few ten year old girls that would block you from their twitter accounts for that…
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
That coment was made before the Moulson signing
CB, was fueling the fire with his opinions, about how Garht was going to let Moulson walk away and not sign him. I told him “it’s just your opinion so why should I belive you?” BANNED!
by Russel Ginart on Mar 11, 2011 12:14 PM EST up reply actions
and as is oft the case...
HE WAS WRONG!
…or is he just using reverse psychology on our feable minded GM…
Let’s get him to do an article about NEVER GIVING FANS $100 BILLS AT THE GATES
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
Two biggest ISLES Stories right now..
1. Jack. I don’t know what more you could ask for. In Scott Gordon you gave a guy from another organization a chance to build something from the start. He was faced with some unfair disadvantages, but he never really got the best out of what he did have. Jack has righted the ship, and whether you think he is the best coach available or not, he is definitely the most risk averse selection. He was charged with changing the culture, and he has done that for 40+ games. If the cream of the coaching crop starts a line outside Charles’ door, then you’d have to consider them… but when the job was open the last time some of the unemployed even refused an interview… just to take a job a few weeks into the season. I vote for Jack to be back… though I agree with Botta, if there others with stanley cups on their resume, I’d implement a process.
2. Zeke. You know he wants to be here. You know he is a fit. Big Question… did he cause the $100K fine, and did that piss Charles off (not the money, just drawing attention to the attitude). I hope not, because the FANS love the attitude… and we need to re-connect that dis-connect between owner-gm-players-fans. I also vote for Zeke to be back… but tread lightly, because if there are centers that Snow has in mind …a 3A type guy (like let’s say Lee was ready for his rookie year) might be a BETTER option. That’s debatable.
Both can be handled after the season. It would be nice if both were done now… but both should get done.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
Isn't that what he's supposed to do?
I don’t think he’s making stuff up… like some guys do. Just making a “pointed” point. I think a lot of us are thinking the same thing.
Zake has been great the last 20 games or so.. but I’m not sure I would have jumped on the bandwagon before that. I never disliked his style of play. He wins faceoffs, can cover 8-10 responsible minutes with PK time in there…. and he always gives good interviews.
(This is not a hit on Gordon)… but… During the Gordon saga, which was a very small sample with Zeke… Mr. Konopka fought, IMHO, at all THE WRONG times. They were the showcase fights against the other pugs… and Zeke was a better player than some, so teh penalty box trade off didn’t do us any good… though when he did it with Stewart and guys at that level…BRAVO!
I think that since Cappy took over, and that could have just been a timing issue… who knows… Zeke has played it straight from the book… now most of his encounters are as PROTECTER, not PROJECTER.
Back to the article at hand… I would hope that Snow has Zeke in the Isles future… it’s nice to have that guy around. But Haley is making a Steve Webb Plus kind of statement, and that woudl give them a younger RH center in the bottom six mix.
In response to Botta’s article, I’d just say, let’s see how all this shakes out. EVERY TEAM will have these kind of decisions, and questioning them is what Botta is SUPPOSED TO DO. I have no problem with it.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
by JPinVA on Mar 11, 2011 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I read almost every post...
but I haven’t commented there since I started here. It’s a completely different forum. I honestly don’t care what people have to think there because it’s not about them, or me or anybody that posts in comments…it’s about Chris… and that’s the way it should be. If he was to say something particularly outrageous I might cast a vote… but that’s all it is… a single vote.
Here, Dom (well everybody) puts their ideas out there to be discussed and debated. the fact that Dom (or any of the posters) gets knee deep in the conversation should be enough for you to see that he/she is prepared to defend their ideas. .. not by exclusion, but by open discussion
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
Thats why Im happy to have fallen into LHH
Dom started something that cant be stopped and will continue to grow because fans can actually discuss their thoughts instead of being banned…Also, if its about Botta, over there, then he should be able to take it when fans disagree with him…He has thin skin
by KO21 on Mar 11, 2011 12:08 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I haven't posted there in months either. Don't check it everyday anymore either, though I do recognize it as a good source for Islander's news. Might still be the best...
My problem with him is that he tries to create stories, and there’s a jump to conclusions that borders on outright dishonesty, and then, if addressed at all, is met with, “Well, no one from the organization has told me differently….” or something that sounds like self pity.
It his blog and he can do whatever he wants with it. I just think you can be critical of a team without being bitter at the same time.
And the comments section is scary. :(
I only check it out once in a while
and I find that when I do, more often then not, I come away with a sick feeling in my stomach but I come back here and am refreshed, lol
I haven’t posted there in months either. Don’t check it everyday anymore either, though I do recognize it as a good source for Islander’s news. Might still be the best… My problem with him is that he tries to create stories, and there’s a jump to conclusions that borders on outright dishonesty, and then, if addressed at all, is met with, "Well, no one from the organization has told me differently…." or something that sounds like self pity.
It his blog and he can do whatever he wants with it. I just think you can be critical of a team without being bitter at the same time.
And the comments section is scary. :(
Agreed!
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 11, 2011 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
problem I have with saying it could be the best source for isles news
is the fact that you mentioned about dishonesty…Cant have be both dishonest and a good source for news since it cant be trusted thus ruining creditability
Yes, you're right. It doesn't make sense when you put it that way.
I suppose what I should have said is that it’s a good source for “scoops” and up to the minute happenings with the Islanders, ie indisputable facts. But the “speculation” aspect he throws out at times leans a bit, to me, towards dishonesty.
yea I still go there and read
and some of the negative comments there make me sick. I really feel that a majority of the people who post there would get pissed if JT held the Stanley Cup wrong.
James T Paulson
by Jtpdolphins2009 on Mar 11, 2011 1:16 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm with you here.
This is what journalists do. He’s not claiming that Snow has to sign Konopka or else. He’s taking a potential point of interest on a slow day and writing a post on it.
What’s the big deal?
He can do what he wants but that doesn't mean I have to like it
Bottas a pu55y when fans play Devils advocate so who wants to be part of a one sided forum???Not me, thank you
Agreed
So the team has cut him off but he still has the rolodex and contacts with agents. You gotta run with what you have. And when an agent is wanting to build demand for his client, he’s going to put that word out there that his client wants to be back. My own read is that Konopka is a spiritual leader/presence but not an absolute must-sign, and not one that you have to re-sign before you’re clearer on your other options (e.g. What if there is a better center available and Martin and Haley prove they can handle the justice?). When it comes to enforcer types, I always keep in mind that making themselves popular is part of their job security.
As for discussion, obviously there are a lot of factors but I think one huge one is purely technical: SBN’s comment interface makes the opportunity for discussion/replies/clarity a lot easier (blockquotes, collapsing long comments when you’re done reading them, FanPosts when you really need to state your case). How many of us are able to get our point across in less than 100 words?
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Helleva..
job.
The only prob is, I’m afraid the more clearly and convincingly you point out their* idiocy and hypcrisy, the more they will react with continued and increasing imbecility.
It’s the ‘Isaiah paradox’ – wherein someone does the opposite of what should be done, simply because everyone is telling him or her what should be done.
- chiefly the stooge Campbell
From the NHL Preview of the game tonight, NOW he's a Former Islander....
Defenseman Zdeno Chara, who was not suspended by the NHL for his hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty earlier in the week, got plenty of support from the home crowd.
“It’s something I very much appreciate,” the former Islander said. “I don’t see any reason to change my game or my style of play. I’m going to continue to play physical and play hard.”
Haha, WTF!?
You seriously can’t make this shit up. He hasn’t been an Islander in 10 FUCKING YEARS and now he’s a “former Islander”? Now the Islanders are synonymous with “dirty players”.
NHL, look in the fucking mirror.
by Fabtraption on Mar 11, 2011 11:21 AM EST up reply actions
but cLOLin Cambpell
will always be a d-bag
AND A FORMER RANGER!!!!
Youth WILL be served!!
The REBUILD marches on!!
LHH: Where venting your spleen is not just encouraged but expected...
by upstateislesfan on Mar 11, 2011 11:55 AM EST up reply actions
OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im flabbergasted!!!!
I don't think it was a swipe at the Isles' situation this season
Perhaps I am being naive. But they often phrase things that way when a player plays against a former team. Besides, it wouldn’t be consistent for the league to make such an implicit association – recent events have made clear that they have been trying to make a distinction between the Chara’s and Gillies’s of the world.
by IslesFanInNJ on Mar 11, 2011 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed
I was just about to make the same point. It is standard fare in talking about games against former teams.
I was wondering why he wasn't a "former Senator"
but of course, it is because they play the Isles tonight.
Mustn’t get too outraged by the perception of unfairness that permiates to League.
There's a mountain of buoyant nostalgia under this team and it's going to erupt like Vesuvius when the Islanders are back in playoff contention.... Count on it.
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Mar 11, 2011 12:18 PM EST up reply actions
I dont think its a swipe, either- since its true.
But it is really funny timing that the first time he is ever in any kind of seriously negative situation people are pointing out hat he was indeed an Islander lol.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 11, 2011 12:28 PM EST up reply actions
From the NHL Preview of the game tonight, NOW he’s a Former Islander…. Defenseman Zdeno Chara, who was not suspended by the NHL for his hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty earlier in the week, got plenty of support from the home crowd.
"It’s something I very much appreciate," the former Islander said. "I don’t see any reason to change my game or my style of play. I’m going to continue to play physical and play hard."
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!! Are you serious?????
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 11, 2011 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
I didnt even notice that- and I read it lol!
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 11, 2011 12:25 PM EST up reply actions
corrected
“It’s something I very much appreciate,” the former Ottawa Senator said. “I don’t see any reason to change my game or my style of play.”
Those reckless former Senators!
Fast strikers, give the defenders difficulty!
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Mar 11, 2011 1:20 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The instigator rule is the opposite of effective
The instigator is supposed to be the guy who perpetrated the fight, right???They allow these dirtbags, who are afraid to fight, but will attempt to hurt other players, run away from answering the bell but they penalize the guys who stand up for their teammates like honorable men…This league has NO HONOR, Dominickson!
Great Post Dom
Only thing I take issue with is I don’t see having the tough guys play as a suitable deterrent. I take satisfaction that someone will have to answer to Gillies or Z. I highly doubt that this will limit the head shots we get in the future. I don’t see cause and effect here. Only the league can do that with strict suspensions (20 games +).
Agreed it's not suitable
To me it’s sort of last resort. I campaigned for legal, devastating checks, but those are hard to pull off and sometimes get you suspended anyway. I campaigned for “you gotta punish them on the powerplay,” but of course that takes much longer and there is no powerplay when there is no call.
The league and players would have to agree to more serious suspensions to more important players, but I think both have too much short-term interest in mind to make that leap.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Considering the NHL’s completely random supplementary discipline, why would you want a more important player to risk suspension while meting out the “policing” the NHL neglects?
And amazingly the one Penguin suspended for the Isles/Pens brawl was Godard, who is nearly as useless as Gillies. I wonder what Staal would have gotten if he had jumped off the bench.
"Wonder where Botta will go from here?" "to work for the Ministry of Truth?" ~ Original Rob
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
I think we've already seen...
the Staal imunity policy.
Lighthouse Hockey: where "you better check yourself before you rec yourself" -bobl
If your life isn't pathetic enough already, follow me on twitter @JPinVA
The only problem with that thought is...
…the ten gamer for leaving the bench to engage in a fight is written into the rules. There is no discretion there.
There's a mountain of buoyant nostalgia under this team and it's going to erupt like Vesuvius when the Islanders are back in playoff contention.... Count on it.
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Mar 11, 2011 12:19 PM EST up reply actions
except that it’s also supposed to be an automatic 1 game suspension for the coach and an automatic fine for the team, which the NHL waived because “Bylsma told him not to leave the bench”
"Wonder where Botta will go from here?" "to work for the Ministry of Truth?" ~ Original Rob
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
The thing is, Pittsburgh has already gotten out of automatic penalties before. Ask Malkin.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 11, 2011 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
Thats fucked up, excuse my french...
But that fact that Staals suspension was rescinded is outragious…The NHL is a sad state of affairs…they call this a professional sports organization???Bullshit
Staal, Malkin, the coach, methinks I see a pattern.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Mar 11, 2011 2:06 PM EST up reply actions
Methinks the NHL does not know what "mandatory" means and someone gave them a thesaurus for "rescind".
Sarcasm is my permanent font.
Seems like they are going by the definiton in their book
Mandatory \Man"da*to*ry\, a. [L. mandatorius.]
1. Containing a command; preceptive; directory. [1913 Webster]
2. containing or constituting a command : obligatory [Merriam Webster]
3. Obligatory; compulsory; required by authority. [PJC]
4. (Law) Not optional; not able to be modified or disregarded unless the mandate in question is supposed to be applied to a person or persons affiliated in any way with the Pittsburgh Penguins Ice Hockey team. [NHL]
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
heads
Gillies got ten for “blow to head” Chara steers Pacioretty face first into turnbuckle with hand/wrist and gets nothing. Hmmmmmmm! If the Islanders have to protect players by any means possible then that is what they have to do since the league has decided to ignore the situation.
by original72fan on Mar 11, 2011 3:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
We've got another '72 in the house!
Welcome, original72fan – thanks for joining.
Lighthouse Hockey: Send us your cold, your poor, your healthy goalies.
Nice piece Dom
But PETA is pissed. They said Micheal Haley is a Penguin killer, and by no means should you have used his picture for this story.
"We can't get pushed around," Haley said. "What commentators say about us, that's their job. My job is to try and limit as many people who want to take liberties with our guys as possible."
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Mar 11, 2011 5:10 PM EST reply actions
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SBNation.com Recent Stories
1979-80
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
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.
