I know we've all seen this movie before, but since my first year passionately following the Islanders, which was 05-06 (I was a late hockey bloomer) I really, really feel good about the coming season. People can bitch and moan and decry our owner and general manager all they want, but there seems to be something special brewing in Long island, and I feel that fans should be looking forward to good things this season. A Cup is more than a huge stretch, but this team will be tons of fun to watch and will make some serious noise.

The first thing which struck me, as well as most fans is the assurance that Evgeni Nabokov will be our opening day no. 1 goaltender, and our highly-touted impressive young goalie prospects will be vying for a backup job, with Ricky D finally needing to prove to management that he can indeed play the game rather than being shoe-horned into a role he cannot handle.

Also, I feel that the team is clearly aware of its issues and will seek to remedy them specifically rather than just add random junk pieces (PROVEN WINNERS11!!!) and hope for the best. I am looking forward to the draft and Free Agency and expect NYI to make some important, albeit not sexy, moves that will be key down the road.

With a crop of fresh young talent pushing their way into the NHL with their impressive talent, the NYI will have some fresh young legs and faces to make the on-ice product exciting and compelling, as well as give us a good picture of what our Isles will be looking like for years to come.

And last but not least, we get to marvel in the beast that is John Tavares and I for one cannot wait to see how he will continue to dazzle and impress us as well as the rest of the unsuspecting hockey world.

And that's piece....Don't hurt me!