Islanders Grades: Micheal Haley, enemy of spellcheck

That’s too close to Frans-land. So I gave him a 9, mostly for his sweet goal, his taking on Johnson, Talbot and Godard, and make Avery bleed.

because I never expected him to see NHL ice…ever. Then he got here, skated well, and well, that fight, (and the others), I will cherish forever. I think he honestly has more ‘crazy’ than Gillies, Konopka and Martin combined, but he is smarter than all three when it comes to timing.

He also has better wheels and hands than all three (right now, I expect Martin to be better) at least in a stickhandling/speed sense. To be honest, the only people I saw have sweeter speed on breakaways this year were Frans and Grabs. If he can do that and finish, go for it. Sometimes strange things happen, and “fit” becomes more important than ability. I’m not sure anyone would have really thought Stevens or Tocchet would have been as good as they were with Lemieux (and that is not what I predict for cousin Mike), but he doesn’t even fit too well on his 4th line because he out speeds those guys. I could actually see him keeping up with some of our better players and being not so much of a liability in a protective role (for a few shifts, let’s not get crazy).

Because we did get a little somethin’-somethin’ out of the guy – and the highs were wonderfully high. But let’s face it, 2-1-3 in 27 games, a minus rating, against just about the weakest competition of the forwards? I can’t give him top marks in all good conscience. I love you, Mike, and that goal on MAF was sweeeeeeet (made Letang look Campolian, didn’t he?). Hope you’re back next season.

Haley was a combination Shawn Bates and Steve Webb for me. Like Bates he looked like he had 25 goals in him somewhere… then disappeared for a week. With Bates you wouldn’t see him until you were shopping for milk one day and WHAM… “hey that’s shawn bates on the carton…I waas wondering what happened to him”. Though I’m sure he has more all-around value on the ice than Webbie, and he won his fights overwhelmingly… he was little more than INSTANT ADRENALINE for the fans. That was more than I expected… maybe I could have given him an 8. I’ll give him a 8 next year if he has more than 7 goals, and continues to do the good teammate stuff…if he’s an Islander.

On your assessment: Coming out of last year I had Haley penciled in as the fourth line center going into camp. I assumed that he was not used on the dot because the guy to his left was better. I don’t expect them to sign Zeke for next year. Losing either would be a disappointment I could recover from, but losing Haley might actually hurt the hockey team more.
Haley seems to be a good bridge to guys like Cizikas and eventually Lee who should initially fill the bottom two center roles with a little more skill and size. But having Haley there raises the bar from Zeke, who played hurt most of last year and that doesn’t bode well for somebody who does the work of Sisyphus.
I like going into camp with Haley between Martin and Hunter. That’s a line that can bang with some bang. If Hunter comes back in reasonable health there’s no reason not to believe that he will contribute under The Cap. With a little speed up the middle and a guy like Martin who can make some space for his somewhat above average shot we could expect to see some good mismatches for a fourth line. If Hunter fails, the size and toughness on that fourth line is EXCELLENT cover for the Rakh.
It’s so easy to be optomistic in May…

I thought we were only talking about zoning grids, referendums, and bonds.

He came in and filled a role well. He is a tough little guy and the rest of the league found that out the hard way. He has a decent amount of skill but given his role of a 4th line checker, he doesn’t get to use the skill often. I’d like to see him resigned for sure.

Just because there is no clever comment attached to 9.

People also forget that Johnson was the one that left the Goal Crease and was chirping at the Isles Bench and then Haley. But hey, the Penguins were the ones that had their players under control.

And that Avery fight is so classic. If Haley has 2 more inches Avery leaves him alone. Even better is that Avery was about to do his douchebag move of pretending he’s not interested and then throwing down the gloves and catching the guy offguard. There’s no doing that to Haley.

Had to, never heard of him and reminded me of Steve Webb. Every time Webb got on the ice he was like a pinball going from hit to hit as he made his way down the ice. Haley reminds me of that kind of player. He “plays bigger than his size” which means that even though he’s a middle weight he plays and fights like a heavy weight (I’ve watched some of the videos on hockeyfights.com where he took on some pretty big guys and still came out pretty well in the end). He’s one of the ones that I would like to see back in an Islander sweater, and I’d like to see a larger sample size in the NHL. The only thing that worries me about him is complacency. Players in all sports seem to have the problem of having to prove themselves then getting a roster spot and then get complacent. It’s not such a pronounced problem in hockey only because of the nature of the healthy scratch. For Haley it seems like even less of an issue but an issue none the less.

Maybe not right out of training camp, but he is a great 4th liner. He does have skills, and did score some great goals. He was only a minues 4 too. Also his fighting is great. I love how guys see him as a small guy then get their asses kicked and wonder what happend. Loved the “Don’t f#$% with me, I’m crazy” line. Made me smile cause its funny, and true. I became a huge fan of his after the game against the penguins, and i really do hope to see him back

Didn’t expect him in the nhl, and he came in with fists and skates a blazing. He left his spot in isles history and showed he has the skills to be a competent physical 4th liner with above average fighting prowess. What’s not to like about him being on your 4th line?

all i knew was that he lead the soudn tigers in scoring, then he come sup and in his first game scores a goal against the pens, effectively starts 3 brawls, and then bloodies sean avery…what more can you ask for in an undrafted guy

Is he a long-term solution for this team? My guess is no
Is he going to be a useful part of a Stanley Cup contender? I’m still doubtful
Would I even have expected to see him in the NHL this year? Yeah, about that…

For right now, for this season, for where he came from and what he brought to the ice in such a short time, there’s no other grade. If his entire career were to just be the 2/11/11 and drilling Avery, well, he’ll never have to buy a drink in the Nassau Coliseum (gloriously unsponsored or otherwise) again

What arena proposal? ;)

I gave Haley a 10 for his effort against the Pens. Superb goal (see you later Letang), fighting Talbot, heck even wanting to go at Johnson. That made my season.

I could see Haley playing a role on the 4th line in the future. as you say, he was producing ok at BPT before being called up so obviously got some skills.

The photo of him destroying Adams, complete with the ‘eyes that pierce your soul’, was my desktop background photo …… until he destroyed Avery. That stayed on until Seal Team Six destroyed bin Laden. Now it’s a waving US flag.
He is a useful player who might find more chances with the right line. Look how Grabner blossomed with Nielsen, and skyrocketed once Okposo came back. He has the things you can’t teach- speed, hands, and willingness to fight. Get him the right linemates and who knows? I think 20G, 25A, 190+PIM (padded with 10-min misconducts from Penguin games) given enough minutes is the highest expectation you can honestly have.

I gave him 10 simply for the Penguins game, all of it, and beating up Avery. I would like to see him back as a fourth-liner next year because, as much as the Isles have a pipeline of younger, more talented forwards, no body is as crazy as Haley. And the Isles need some crazy, someone who will go after anyone, pop in the occasional goal, throw his body with reckless abandon and make the opposing team think twice about going after Frans, JT, etc.

I too wanted to give Haley a 10. Gave him a 9. He makes Gillies expendable. We’re not doormats of the league anymore, to quote Konopka. Haley proved it on that great friday night. Gillies on the other hand embarrassed himself and our team.

Martin, Konopka and Haley can enforce.

The obsession with Gillies is just plain ridiculous.
I understand what his role was, but let’s move on. There’s no room for him on this team, even if there’s an injury to a starter. He’s a goon you call up.

He takes up roster space better suited for a talented young forward.

Because at hockeyfights.com one Pens fan posted:
“i hate Micheal Haley with every fiber of my being”

That and the fact Isles fans were chanting his name 20 minutes after he had been kicked out of the Killing of the Penguins.

His play comes in a close second to how he made us all feel.

For a non- native English speaker. How the hell do you pronounce this guys name then? If it isn’t MichAEl.

I was trying to be the sober, neutral moderator here, but hot damn if all these 10s and great recollections of Haley didn’t warm my belly like a nice glass of scotch.

Very fun thread, people.