Today is the 32nd anniversary [oops, make that the 31st] of 7:11 OT, the Bobby Nystrom goal, the Islanders' first Stanley Cup and fourth of 19 consecutive playoff series wins.
Partly thanks to the sense of community built up from those glory days, business and union leaders rallied for the Coliseum proposal yesterday (video after the jump), and many more will rally this morning before the Nassau County legislature discusses the proposed Aug. 1 referendum. One organizer expects 1,000 people there this morning.
More on that below, but first an overview of our LHH Mock Draft thus far:
- EDM selected Nugent-Hopkins;
- COL went with the big Swede;
- FLA took the other big Swede;
- NJD went with Couturier, and
- Fabtraption explains his Islanders pick. Love how everyone's handled this so far; OzzyFan is next on the clock.
Yesterday's Rally/Press Conference
Sorry to be a PR dork about things, but I was pretty intrigued by the approach here in the union and business leader press conference yesterday. It starts with a heartfelt speech from the Brooklyn-born (and recovered Rangers fan!) director of the Long Island Restaurant Association and continues from there...
Pretty sharp show. The only thing that made me slightly uncomfortable was the mascot nodding in agreement in the background.
- All of this comes at a dicey time for County Exec Ed Mangano, who has fires on multiple fronts.
- Botta shares a moving story about a longtime fan.
Oh, But We're Talking Hockey?
- The Cannon reads the potential for playoff format changes in a recent NHL survey. For me, it's simple: Go back to 16 Eastern teams, 14 Western teams, four divisions. Restart divisional playoffs. If you need to do cross-conference brackets for the final spots (since it would be easier for the smaller conference teams to make the playoffs), I'm fine with that.
- Interesting insights into all the challenges for the Flyers. (I like how it's a big deal that they can't put together two long playoff runs in a row. This league is hard, people!)
- The list of NHL coaching candidates isn't as impressive as its length would have you believe.
- Doug Weight isn't the only NHLer expected to retire. Add Brian Rafalski to the list.
- Looks like the cap will go up to between $60.5 million and $63.5 million. Yeebus. Quisp examines the range.
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Owen Sound lost to Saint John's in OT, so they really need another win against the St. Mike's Majors Wednesday.
Bummer to hear Dwayne Roloson didn't get the start last night after being pulled in consecutive games. It is kind of fun to see goalie assignments treated more like they were in the '80s though. Anyway, you know who's good? Tim Thomas. This save was insane:
For an opponent, how frustrating is it when you've spotted a vulnerability and the guy still shuts the door? That's the Tim Thomas Experience.
And Now for Something Completely Different...
How many of you are Eastside Hockey Manager (EHM) geeks? Go on, be honest. If you are, you might enjoy when mikb and WebBard get going in EHM shop talk. It's not a game I've ever tried, but it certainly appeals to the fantasy GM in me who tracked records and stats in NHLPA 93 (before the game did it for you) and spent my childhood running a table hockey league (with player stats) with my father, who graphed weekly standings in the real NHL and our fake house league.
To that end, mikb is embarking on an EHM project. See, in his world, it's already 2021. He's been GMing and simulating through a "decade" of -- get this -- mostly successful Panthers seasons, and now he's going to test and report a few theories as the game carries forward from here. A bit about the game and the project is here. And this intro is the first chapter. If you're into this sort of thing, look for future chapters about actual roster decisions and such (EHM can get pretty involved) and give him feedback. And if you're not, no worries; like Mike said, he's just not one to let a good waste go to waste.