12 Drafts, 4 GMs and 20 Years
by Mark D on May 28, 2011 5:41 PM EDT
in This, That & What-Not
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PrintIt's always tough breaking down how GMs did, especially from different periods of time. Today you not only have youtube and much larger media coverage of prospects, but there are fans dedicated to following the ups and downs of youngsters year round. We're beginning this trek in 1990 when there were only 21 teams in the league. That would be like giving whoever holds the first overall pick today the 22nd pick too. It means in 1990 Chris Simon would have been a first rounder today, while Doug Weight and Geoff Sanderson would have still been picked in the 2nd round.
We are going to be covering the last 3 drafts by Bill Torrey, the only 3 drafts by Don Maloney, the last 3 drafts by Mike Milbury and the first 3 (including 2006) drafts by Garth Snow. I'm including 2006 because as Milbury proved, you can have all the talent in the world in your prospect system, if you can't develop youngsters right it doesn't matter. Since the draft has changed length over the years, we will only be going through the 7th round.
What we are going to be looking at is games played, games played for the Islanders and when they left the Islanders. We'll total that up and see how the GMs compare. If you are drafting talented youngsters, then they should be playing some games for other teams beyond your own.
Bill Torrey
1990 Draft
6th Overall Scott Scissons: 2 NHL games both for the Islanders. Bust Left after 93-94
27th Overall Chris Taylor: 22 Games for the Islanders, 127 NHL games for others. Left after 97-98
48th Overall Dan Plante: 159 Games all for the Islanders Left after 97-98
90th Overall Chris Marinucci: 12 Games for the Islanders, 1 NHL game for the Kings. Traded in Dec 96
Rest of the Draftees never made the NHL.
Totals: 195 games for the Islanders, 128 games for other teams
1991 Draft
4th Overall: Scott Lachance: 450 games for the Islanders, 369 games for Others Traded in 1999
26th Overall: Zigmund Palffy: 358 games for the Islanders, 326 games for Others Traded in 1999
48th Overall: Jamie McLennan 56 games for the Islanders, 198 games for Others Not Resigned after 95-96
70th Overall: Milan Hnilicka: Incomplete. Played a handful of games in the minors for the Islanders. Returned to the Czech League in 96-97 and then was signed as a Free Agent by the Rangers in late 1999, 8 years after he was drafted.
92nd Overall: Steve Junker: 5 games all for the Islanders. Left after 94-95
114th Overall: Rob Valicevic: 193 games, none with the Islanders. Don't think he was signed after graduating.
136th Overall: Andreas Johansson: 18 games for the Islanders, 361 games for Others Traded in 1996
Rest of the Draftees never made the NHL
Totals: 887 games for the Islanders, 1447 games for other teams
1992 Draft
5th Overall: Darius Kasparaitis: 232 games for the Islanders, 631 for Others Traded in 1996
56th Overall: Jarrett Deuling: 15 games for the Islanders, left after 96-97
104th Overall: Tomas Klimt: Never left Europe
105th Overall: Ryan Duthie: Re-Entered 94 draft, never made NHL
128th Overall: Derek Armstrong: 70 games for the Islanders, 407 for Others Left after 96-97
Later Draftees Jason Widmer and Andrei Vasilyev combined to play 23 games for the Islanders
Totals: 340 games for the Islanders, 1038 for other teams
Bill Torrey Total: 1422 games for the Islanders, 2613 for other teams
Don Maloney
1993 Draft
23rd Overall: Todd Bertuzzi: 192 games for the Islanders, 830 games for others Traded in 1998
40th Overall: Bryan McCabe: 220 games for the Islanders, 915 games for others Traded in 1998
66th Overall: Vladimir Chebaturkin: 27 games for the Islanders, 35 games for others Left after 99-00
92nd Overall: Warren Luhning: 19 games for the Islanders, 10 games for the Stars Left after 98-99
118th Overall: Tommy Salo: 187 games for the Islanders, 339 games for others Traded in 1999
144th Overall: Peter Leboutillier: Re-Entered 1995 draft, 35 NHL games for the Ducks
170th Overall: Darren Van Impe: Not signed by the Islanders, later traded to the Isles. Played 14 games for the Islanders and 397 games for Others
Rest Of The Draftees didn't make the NHL
Totals: 659 Games for the Islanders, 2178 games for Others
1994 Draft
9th Overall: Brett Lindros: 51 games for the Islanders, Retired after 95-96. Bust
38th Overall: Jason Holland: 12 games for the Islanders, 69 games for others Traded in 1998
63rd Overall: Jason Strudwick: 18 games for the Islanders, 656 games for others Traded in 1998
90th Overall: Brad Lukowich: traded before playing a game for the Islanders in 96, was later signed as an FA by the Islanders. 57 Games for the Islanders, 601 games for others.
None of the remaining Draftees made the NHL except for 11th round pick Dick Tarnstrom. He finally made it to America in 01-02, played 62 games for the Islanders and then was claimed off Waivers by the Pens in 02. Played 244 games over the rest of his career.
Totals: 200 games for the Islanders, 1570 games for Others
1995 Draft
1st Overall: Bryan Berard (since they traded Berard for Redden) 242 Games for the Islanders, 377 for others Traded in 1999
28th Overall: Jan Hlavac: traded in 98 before he came over from Europe. 436 games for others.
41st Overall: D.J. Smith: No games for the Islanders, 45 for others Traded in 96
106th Overall: Vladimir Orszagh: 34 games for the Islanders, 255 for others Left after 99-00
None of the remaining draftees made the NHL
Totals: 276 games for the Islanders, 1140 games for others
Don Maloney Totals: 1135 games for the Islanders, 4888 games for others
Mike Milbury
2003 Draft
15th Overall: Robert Nilsson: 53 games for the Islanders 199 games for others Traded in 2007 Bust
58th Overall: Jeremy Colliton: 57 games for the Islanders
182nd Overall: Bruno Gervais: 331 games for the Islanders
It should be noted that with 3 2nd round picks, only Colliton made it to the NHL. No other draftees have made it to the NHL
Totals: 441 games for the Islanders, 199 games for others.
2004 Draft
16th Overall: Petteri Nokelainen: 15 games for the Islanders, 174 games for others Traded in 2007 Bust
47th Overall: Blake Comeau: 245 games for the Islanders
115th Overall: Wes O'Neil: Not signed out of college, played 5 games for the Avalanche
148th Overall: Steven Reiger: 18 games for the Islanders, 8 games for the Blues Left after 07-08
227th Overall: Chris Campoli: 228 games for the Islanders, 169 games for others Traded in 2009
No other draftees made the NHL
Totals: 506 games for the Islanders, 356 games for others
2005 Draft
15th Overall: Ryan O'Marra: 24 games for the Oilers, Traded in 2007 Bust
46th Overall: Dustin Kohn: 22 games for the Islanders
144th Overall: Masi Marjamaki: 1 game for the Islanders Left after 06-07
No other draftees made the NHL
Totals: 23 games for the Islanders, 24 games for others
Mike Milbury Totals: 970 games for the Islanders, 579 games for others
Garth Snow
2006 Draft
7th Overall: Kyle Okposo: 192 games for the Islanders
60th Overall: Jesse Joensuu: 60 games for the Islanders
100th Overall: Rhett Rakhashani: 2 games for the Islanders
126th Overall: Shane Sims: 1 game for the Islanders
160th Overall: Andrew MacDonald: 109 games for the Islanders
No Other Draftees have made the NHL yet
Totals: 363 games for the Islanders
2007 Draft
62nd Overall: Mark Katic: 11 games for the Islanders
No Other Draftees have made the NHL yet
Totals: 11 games for the Islanders
2008 Draft
9th Overall: Josh Bailey: 211 games for the Islanders
53rd Overall: Travis Hamonic: 62 games for the Islanders
126th Overall: Kevin Poulin: 10 games for the Islanders
148th Overall: Matt Martin: 73 games for the Islanders
156th Overall: Jared Spurgeon: Unsigned out of College, 53 games for the Wild
175th Overall: Justin DiBenedetto: 8 games for the Islanders
Totals: 364 games for the Islanders, 53 games for others
Garth Snow Totals: 738 games for the Islanders, 53 games for others
| Torrey | 1422 | 2613 | 4035 |
| Maloney | 1135 | 4888 | 6023 |
| Milbury | 970 | 579 | 1549 |
| Snow | 738 | 53 | 791 |
Obviously this is somewhat unfair to Garth Snow, since there are still a lot of youngsters in the Islanders system that were drafted by him. Even so, the fact Snow's 3 drafts nearly as many games played by Islanders draftees for the Islanders as Milbury's 3 drafts shows just how bad Milbuey was drafting at the end. You can also see that Maloney left the Islanders system in good shape by the fact that he averaged 1,629 games played for other teams over his three drafts.
Snow is also halfway to matching Torrey's last three drafts already. With players like Kyle Okposo, Andrew MacDonald, Josh Bailey, and Travis Hamonic looking like they are long term pieces this number will only go up. Snow is also halfway from the total amount of games played by Milbury draftees.
Don Maloney gets a lot of heat, and while trading up to get Brett Lindros wasn't the brightest idea, he did have a rather good three drafts during his stay on the Island. At the same time if you look at the New York Rangers, a lot of draftees from Maloney's time are a big part of the reason the team is a playoff contender. The Coyotes meanwhile already have an NHL regular on the team from the 07, 08 and 09 drafts.
The Islanders might finally have a GM who can not only develop youngsters, but can dig through other teams trash and find treasure. The combination of both makes sure that the youngsters aren't just thrown to the wolves. As we've seen with both Calvin De Haan and Nino Niederreiter spend more time in the Juniors getting their game up to snuff instead of being forced to learn on the fly in the NHL. Let's hope this trend continues and the Islanders will be a power.
Post loosely inspired by this breakdown of all Milbury draft selections from the 3rd round on.
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The big suprise here
Is Maloney wasn’t that bad at drafting talent, and his picks probably would have played a lot more games for the Isles if he wasn’t succeeded by a trading mad man.
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
Who owns 2006?
This is a great story line Webby. This was my line of thinking last year when I started following hte 100 Point race which was CRUSHED in 2010-11. It was CRUSHED because Garth has retained TALENT that he played with, that he managed and that he drafted. I was a little skeptical at the very guarded Snow due to the whole Nolan to Gordon transfer (and the New England Goaltending Mafia), but Snow has done an OUTSTANDING job at putting humpty dumpty back together again…
As for the 2006 draft, I think that had little to do with the Snow, or Smith for that matter… and if you start Snow in 2007 (comittee year), then add 2008(autonomous year 1) and 2009(autonomous year 2) it looks as though Snow (and Jankowski) is a draft a draft table wizard.
2008 alone may be some of the best draft day management in franchise history. 2009 and 2010 are too early to be judged in any capacity, but the fact that the ship has turned with little to no help from the UFA market is simply amazing. I’d challenge anybody to question what Garth has done with ONE free agent signing over three years that played more than 100 games outside the Islander organization.
OKAY… back to the neighborhood kegger…. Happy Memorial Day LHH!
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
Agreed, 2006 makes it hard
Interesting approach to put it under Snow for the theory that developing the prospects you have matters. Looking at that 2006 list, I don’t see anyone who’s been mismanaged. (Maybe you can argue KO was rushed, but that’s worked out pretty well.)
Happy Memorial Day!
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
Little Unfair to Say Brett Lindros was a Bust (and Maloney)
Yes, he was not the “better Lindros,” but the kid sustained a career-ending concussion, only a lot sooner than his brother. We’ll never know whether he would have found a niche for himself as a bruising third-line type player, which is where I thought he was going to fit in.
As far as Maloney, I know some think he was an even bigger villain than Milbury, but he was no “Mad Mike” and was working under the first years of bad ownership issues. The worst move he made was trying to consolidate his goaltending (Healy and Fitzpatrick) into one elite netminder (Hextall) knowing that he was going to lose a goalie in the expansion draft, but it backfired. And then trying to re-start things and light a fire, he made another bad move with Turgeon for Mueller.
You also make a good point about the expansion lengthening the first round. Islanders drafted Gilies and Trottier with first and second rounders. Today, you’d only get one of them. Same with Bossy and Tonelli. First and second rounders in the same year with fewer teams. That’s why so many teams are real thin on skill level througout the lineup today.
My fear with the upcoming draft is that we take Couturier and he becomes Scott Scissons or Hamilton and he becomes Scott Lachance. It’s so important to get those top picks right.
Maloney will always be a villian in Islander country
Because he gave us “He who shal never be named”. As for the quality of second round picks, the draft pool is world wide now, not just Canada and northern U.S.. Getting it right is as important as ever, which is why after Milbury our cupboard was bear. But I think today a second round pick has as good a chance of being a quality NHLer.
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
I thought it was the Owners
who wanted Milbury?
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
As G.M. you wear resposiblity
even for decisions you didn’t make. Don’t try to confuse me with the facts! My minds made up.
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
by since70too on May 28, 2011 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not only am I not smart enough to use correct english
the potential “slip” eludes my humour ;)
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
Even if Lindros would have found a niche for himself as a 3rd line grinder, we traded up to get him. 9th overall your usually not looking for the 3rd line grinder types.
Just look at the 5 picks that followed Brett:
1 10 Washington Nolan Baumgartner D Kamloops Blazers [WHL] 143 7 40 47 69
1 11 San Jose Jeff Friesen L Regina Pats [WHL] 893 218 298 516 488
1 12 Quebec Wade Belak D Saskatoon Blades [WHL] 549 8 25 33 1263
1 13 Vancouver Mattias Ohlund D Pitea (Sweden) 909 93 250 343 885
1 14 Chicago Ethan Moreau L Niagara Falls Thunder [OHL] 900 146 137 283 1090
3 of 5 had nearly 900 game careers, Wade Belak had a strong career and Baumgartner although he only played 1 full season, had a strong career in the AHL.
Until I checked, I forgot we traded Uwe Krupp to Quebec to switch draft spots.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
And if I remember correctly....
All Krupp did after being traded was score one of the biggest goals in Que/Col history.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on May 28, 2011 9:10 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm Not Defending the Lindros Pick
I’m just saying that Brett Lindros can’t be labeled a bust because he didn’t produce. The kid got hurt. As a 3rd line type, I was thinking along the lines of Mike Rupp. Also should not have been a top ten pick, but a contributor on good teams as a tough guy type who can play a regular shift. Had he not gotten injured, Lindros was projected to be better I think.
THAT was how we dumped Krupp?!
I’d forgotten that too. Bollocks.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
selective sample
not to defend milbury,but there were more veterans on the big club which prevented advancement of draftees.as opposed to snow,who took over a team that was bare and as such had plenty of room for kids to fill spots. unless i have my facts wrong
by Lakewood Islander on May 28, 2011 10:25 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
That definitely gooses Snow's total
Mostly through Bailey’s 211. The others for the most part got their chance through injury rather than being blocked by vets, I think.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
except
If Milbury drafted well, he’d have more then 579 games played for other teams by players he drafted. Not only that, but look at the timelines of these guys.
Robert Nilsson was drafted in 03, he doesn’t come over to America till 05-06. The other Centers on the team that year were Mike York and Shawn Bates. Snow traded him in the Smyth deal, and after 4 years in Edmonton he’s playing back in Europe.
Petteri Nokelainen was drafted in 04, he came over to America in 05-06. The Islanders that year had traded both Parrish and Weinhandl. The following year he was on Bridgeport with 16 points in 60 games at the same time Comeau put up 43 points in 61 games on the Bridge. Last season he too was out of the NHL, although the Coyotes just signed him again after a strong WC.
These two had time to develop their games outside the NHL, joined an Isles team that had fired it’s coach mid-season and finished the year 36-40 with 78 points and out of the playoffs. The Penguins that year had 14 less wins, but had 14 more goals.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
2003 Draft...must...contain...the...RAGE!!!
Takes El Busto Nilsson at 15, while leaving AHEM
17. Parise
19. Getzlaf
24. Mike Richards
28. Corey Perry
on the table.
2004?
Mike Green went 29th…truthfully, the first round was pretty thin that year. Would it have killed him to trade down?
2005?
Bergfors, Rask and Steve Downie (I’m a fan. He kinda reminds me of Rick Tocchet. In a good way.) Another year that would have been good to trade down in.
Know what the irony of the 2006 draft is?
We’ve currently got 3 of the first 16 players taken that year, Oko, Grabs and Wiz and, at the moment, Grabs is looking like a better pick at 14 than Oko was at 7.
Think about it. Grabs has played almost 100 fewer games than Oko…yet has scored only 5 fewer goals. Also, one of the best (if not THE best) short handed forwards in the game today.
Not to knock Oko, he played on worse teams than Grabs was playing for this year and Grabs may very well be fueled by a belly full of “I’ll show YOU!”, plus he’s paired with The Frans while Oko’s paired with a rotation of centers, plus the injury and of course, one breakout season does not a career make…BUT, Grabs has at least has HAD a breakout season and plays at a level I don’t think Oko ever will.
Of course, I hope I’m completely wrong and that next year, Oko comes out and becomes the big story of the season. (If not him, JB…or better still both, but that might be pushing it.) but watching a guy ding the posts that much leaves me wondering if he’s got “it”.
Speaking of Bailey, what makes him intriguing isn’t just whether or not he develops into the talent he was projected to be, but just how shrewd trading down twice really was in ’08.
The trail of trade coming off that is too thick to follow at 4 in the morning, but it might make for an interesting column in and of itself. Ness comes out of that trade and…well, I was trying to follow the bouncing picks on prosportstransactions.com but it’s a tough trail to stay on at this time of night.
Depending on what we got and how they all shake out, Bailey could end up a bust (Although I’m still sticking with “Make it your goal to put one on net every night and things WILL happen.” with him…) and the trade STILL might have been worth it if the other picks end up winners OR the sum total of the trades ends up amounting to quality depth in the long run. (Not one spectacular player in the bunch, just a bunch of solid players who play quality hockey and give the team depth. That can be worth a first round phenom in it’s own way.)
Ya ever seen Frans Nielsen’s eyes, Chief? Those…cold…black…lifeless eyes, like a dolls eyes…
Help! Tried to follow the trade down to get Bailey
The easey part, 7 to 9 netted us Ness.
The picks that came from T.O. were swaped/ tied in many times, so
We trade 5 to 7
+ Luke Schen
+ Mike Comrie
+Chris Campoli
+ Jyri Nieme
+2009 #56 pick (Kevin Lynch)
+2009 #181 pick (Eric Haula)
+2011 pick #155
For:
+Josh Bailey
+ Aron Ness
+ Calvin DeHann
+ David Ulstrom
+ Atlanta’s 2011 5th round pick
I THINK !!?
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
I think Hamonic came out of the Bailey stuff
Not deHaan. We drafted deHaan in JT year.
When the Isles make us drink, we curse Milbury through a monocle and with our pinkies out. Lighthouse Hockey & Chivas-All Class.
Website:Lighthouse Hockey Twitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on May 29, 2011 8:47 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
deHaan
was from the Campoli trade
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Oh, okay
I see what we’re doing now…te draft picks were over 2 years?
When the Isles make us drink, we curse Milbury through a monocle and with our pinkies out. Lighthouse Hockey & Chivas-All Class.
Website:Lighthouse Hockey Twitter: @KeithLHHockey
by Keith Quinn on May 29, 2011 12:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, the picks were traded, reaquired and some traded agin
I just tried to net out who went out and who came in. tried to follow WebBards “later traded” picks to their conclusion
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
Here's the roundup from Islesinfo.com
06/20/08: NYI trade 2008 Entry Draft first round pick (fifth overall – D Luke Schenn) to TOR for first round pick in 2008 (seventh overall – later traded) and, at NYI option: either PIT’s 2nd round pick in 2008 (60th overall, previously acquired) and TOR’s 3rd-round pick in 2009; or TOR’s 3rd round pick in 2008 (68th overall – later traded) and TOR’s 2nd round pick in 2009 (later traded) (NYI selected option two).
06/20/08: NYI trade TOR’s 1st round pick in the 2008 Entry Draft (seventh overall – C Colin Wilson, previously acquired) to NSH for FLA’s 1st round pick in 2008 (ninth overall – C Josh Bailey, previously acquired) and FLA’s 2nd round pick in 2008 (40th overall – D Aaron Ness, previously acquired).
06/21/08: NYI acquire CHI’s third round pick (72nd overall – D Jyri Niemi) and fourth round pick (102nd overall – W David Ullstrom) in 2008 for TOR’s third round pick in 2008 (68th overall – D Shawn Lalonde, previously acquired).
I think that helps clear things up a bit more?
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
The Campoli trade ended up tying in
Because Garth packaged Toronto’s 2009 2nd rounder with the 1st rounder we got from Ottawa to move up to get DeHaan. Uuugghh, my mind hurts.
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
Okay, so, from trading down in '08...
We got Bailey, Ness, Ullstrom and a fifth round pick this year [Niemi > the Rags for a 2010 6th round pick (Tanner Lane) > Thrashers Jets for the fifth rounder this year]?
I think I got that chain right.
Ness seems to get a lot of positive vibe around here but I don’t hear much about Ullstrom.
What’s the skinny on him?
Ya ever seen Frans Nielsen’s eyes, Chief? Those…cold…black…lifeless eyes, like a dolls eyes…
by BrassBonanza10 on May 29, 2011 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Swedish 2 way center
like frans nielsen lite im guessing
"Mario Lemiuex… I used to respect you."- Turgeon1992
Ullstrom MIGHT
be heading back to Sweden though. There’s rumors about it.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Where'd Ullstrom play over here, Bridgeport or elsewhere?
Ya ever seen Frans Nielsen’s eyes, Chief? Those…cold…black…lifeless eyes, like a dolls eyes…
by BrassBonanza10 on May 29, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
He was in BP this year, 41 points in 67 games and only a -10
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Not bad, considering how the big club's injury problems depleted the little one.
Also, for his first season in North America, that’s not bad at all.
Kinda hope he sticks around and we can get a better look at him.
Ya ever seen Frans Nielsen’s eyes, Chief? Those…cold…black…lifeless eyes, like a dolls eyes…
by BrassBonanza10 on May 30, 2011 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions
From th article that inspired you to write this one...
Frans Nielsen
Borderline NHL talent, has been back and forth with Bridgeport and the Islanders. Still on Islanders today.
LOL!
Only half a year 'til Opening Night! ... *Sigh!*
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on May 29, 2011 10:20 AM EDT reply actions
yes, Dom busted my chops about that
I was only going by Hockeydb.com, and I had started running out of steam by the time I got to 2001.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on May 29, 2011 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Thought Police
Fortunately this sort of thoughtcrime is no longer tolerated, and WebBard has been rehabilitated.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
Garth Snow is the "anti-Milbury"..
I think most of us cringed when the back up goalie was placed in the all important role of GM. Most outsiders laughed and still do laugh at us. But I think this was a blessing in disguise. Garth has been doing the things we needed Assbury to do and thats develop our young draft picks and when they were ready, sign them so they are here when they hit their primes…Garth might not be perfect but hes doing a bang up job!!
Speaking of cringing
I cringed when I clicked “continue reading this story” and the first name I saw was “Scott Scissons.”
It is the nightmare that will never go away…
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
What's funny
that sort of was a weak draft. But those next two picks after him… Ugh.
by afrosupreme on May 29, 2011 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I know...ugh
And to be fair, hindsight’s always 20/20 and all that. It’s not so much the selection itself as how it fits into more than a decade of misfortune.
Thinking about Getzlaf and Richards in the Nilsson draft reminds me of the top 20-30 in 2011: Just about every kid has a case for “he could be something special if X or Z works out.” There’s going to be guys in the teens or 20s who five years from now fans of teams in the top 10 are going to say “if only.”
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
And Nilsson had plenty of talent...
Good hands and vision. Just couldn’t put it all together… And for the 4 or 5 great players taken after him, there were 7 or 8 more duds, right?
by North Dakota Red Eagle on May 29, 2011 2:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The disparity between the amount of games played for the Isles and for other teams is cringe worthy.
So far Garths doing the opposite…Hes signing the young guns for the future…
Please, Dom...stop mentioning that name. I'm beggin' ya...
Ya ever seen Frans Nielsen’s eyes, Chief? Those…cold…black…lifeless eyes, like a dolls eyes…
by BrassBonanza10 on May 29, 2011 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Greetings from NJ & Thank You...
Just wanted to say that i’m a huge fan of the site. i love reading everyone’s comments and seeing passionate, rational islanders hockey fans come together on a site that is far superior to other sites. I’m from the jersey shore, been an isles fan my entire life since i was born in 86, and just generally love the beauty of hockey.
on the subject at hand, great article webbard. i believe garth is doing everything right and i’m on board with the plan to bring winning hockey back to the island. hope the new building comes to fruition. word.
by gukid17 on May 29, 2011 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Welcome!
Thanks for the kind words for everyone. Glad you enjoy.
“The beauty of hockey” indeed.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
fyi
i think there is a typo in the article, you mentioned that it would be the first 3 drafts by he shall not be named when in reality it was the last 3. he was the mastermind who got us dp in the 2000 draft, passed up on spezza and gaborik…also for those of you who are old enough to remember this was kasparitis any good and what exactly happened to him…i see it says traded…same thing for palffy…dont hate on me, i was only a few months old when kasparitis was drafted and dont remember ever hearing about both of those players
SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK!!!
much appreciated
Fixed
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Kasparaitis
Yes, he was good. Perhaps more importantly, he was an intimidator in an era where that was really highly valued. He is credited with occupying Lemieux’s nightmares in the 1993 upset series you’ll hear many of us go on and on about, in part through tactics that would not be tolerated today.
It’s said that his second season he kind of let some of the success go to his head, didn’t stay as fit, and had to bounce back from that. Maybe some of that factored in when he was eventually traded to Pittsburgh for Brian Smolinski. For Pittsburgh, he filled the “dangerous D-man who might hurt some one” role for about five years. He also added a Game 7 OT goal that eliminated Buffalo and still causes discomfort between me and my Sabres fan buddy.
For being such a physical player, Kasparaitis wasn’t that big. He eventually did very unnotable time with Colorado and the Rangers, too. I tend to assume his decline was related to using his body as a wrecking ball so much.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
Two other things
…. I’d like to add is that he loved delivering hipchecks and he gave some really great quotes in his broken English the first couple seasons.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on May 29, 2011 2:11 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yes and yes
And DarthDoyle: definitely don’t take my brief as the complete works of Kasparaitis. There was so much more (most of it fun).
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
The Smolinski deal
Was supposedly because John Spano owed a favor to the Penguins owner who vouched for him, and Spano repaid the favor by trading them Kasparaitis.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Ha!
The timeline isn’t what I remember, but that wouldn’t surprise me. Spano golfed with Mario and the Pens owner (I think) — he was a made man!
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
1996-Nov-17 Traded from New York Islanders with Andreas Johansson to Pittsburgh Penguins for Bryan Smolinski
In October 1996, Spano agreed to buy the Islanders from longtime owner John Pickett
The Sale wasn’t approved until February of the next year, but he had also forced Milbury to step down by the following January.
I think he was basically running the team from October till the checks started bouncing.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
The bastard
The bastard.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
thanks dom
It really sucks not getting a chance to see all of these great players in their time on the island. However, on the upside I will get the chance to say that I watched this young core of players overcome all the negativity surrounding them and win a stanley cup
SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK!!!
by DarthDoyle on May 29, 2011 4:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Kasparitis
When I first saw him in the Olympics, I thought, that sounds like a disease. I pretty quickly realized opposing players felt the same way. He was a superb agitator, classic love him on your team, hate him on the other guy.
The facewash on Lemeiux still a favorite Islander memory.
Kaspy
was my favorite Islander when I first became a fan in 92-93. Master of the hip check. Lotsa fun to watch. Great, great interview as well. “I don’t care eef eez Gretzky, Lemieux, Boston, Peezburg…guys have to keepa they heads up.”
"Seriously that's the last time you guys f#@%ing won?" -RSH (about beating the Penguins in '93)
Another sour note when looking down the list was the whole Berard affair— how we shipped him to the Leafs for Felix the cat who seemingly had to ditch his skills in order to be admitted at the border, then Berard almost list his eye, you wonder how things could have been different there.
I think it’s fair to that Scissons and Lindros were to our 90s playing staff as Milstein and Gluckstern were to our 90s ownership—- gratuitous? Yes, but I havent said Milstein and Gluckstern in more than ten years, so well worth it.
Claude LaPointe didn't make as good a pun, sadly.
by LaChance at Glory on May 30, 2011 4:43 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
you know what's funny:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milstein
Lists him as “Buyer of the Islanders”
but if you follow through to the article, it’s clearly a PR fluff piece put out by someone in his organization. The Islanders aren’t even mentioned in the article. Or his attempts to buy the Redskins.
"Milbury said he was at the Winter Classic and he was getting heckled by an Islanders fan. He couldn’t understand why an Islanders fan would show up in an Islanders jersey at a non-Islanders game just to heckle him." My New Hero
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
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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.
