Islanders Bits: Returning to work stinks

I am an editor by trade, so I'm much more of a jerk in my day job about how people write than I am here at Lighthouse Hockey. That said, I've received some complaints and questions from valued longtime readers about the quality of some of the FanPosts posted this summer. With more traffic comes more people who feel they absolutely must be heard -- regardless of whether they bother to proofread their own submissions and keep their audience's needs (the #1 rule of writing) in mind.

After a relaxing week on the beach, returning to work -- and returning to such complaints -- puts me in a foul mood. Lighthouse Hockey exists to stir discussion and enable the sharing of intelligent, diverging opinions about our favorite hockey team. That's why we have not traditionally been hard-line strict about policing FanPosts for every English law or AP Stylebook rule. (And to be sure, we authors here make our share of typos.)

However, if you have a wonderful opinion or question worthy of a separate FanPost, you owe it to your fellow reader to help them understand what you're trying to say by being clear and precise. So if you can't be bothered to expend the energy to proof your post, don't be shocked when others ignore it or criticize its content on multiple grounds. As one longtime member told me, "I value Lighthouse Hockey because it's a thoughtful, literate community of Islander fans - something in depressingly short supply on the internet." That sentiment and appreciation for literacy is reflected in our LHH community guidelines.

As community members, it's your job to self-police -- so by all means, ignore (or publicly shame) the FanPosts that strike you as gibberish. As moderators, it's our job to keep an eye out for repeat naughty or juvenile behavior and to incorporate your feedback as much as possible into our moderation without being too overbearing.

Certain exceptions are sometimes made for longtime members who have a valuable schtick that might, to the new user, seem over the line. Like comedy and porn, you just have to know that when you see it.

Finally, if you haven't read the community guidelines to see what we're about, you should. To many, those guidelines are common sense. But if they are too much for you to read and yet you stil feel entitled to whatever the hell you want to do because it's your Internet, then fine. But don't be shocked when this behavior gets you treated as a hostile visitor here. We reserve the right to edit FanPosts to make them readable, to dress them up for front-page featuring, or to hide/delete them when they're simply obnoxious. I trust you understand.

As always, thanks for reading and participating. We don't seek to lecture. We do seek to enable a fun community where people are happy to return.

Islanders Links

• If you missed it, the official site will stream Saturday night's Blue vs. White prospect scrimmage in HD. Last time I watched a stream of something like this, I ... well, let's just say I haven't seen Mark Streit play since. But we won't talk about that right now.
• Also from the official site: Kevin Poulin wants to solve your goalie needs.
• LHH Navel Gazing, Part 1: DP's[...joints] has been on a role with Arena/Referendum posts. Here's a thought-provoking one about how to argue with referendum skeptics. | On that note, here's the official site's arena complex FAQ.
  
• LHH Navel Gazing, Part 2: The awful Knicks drove this poor fella to focus on the Islanders. Here's his plea, and how many of you (in comments) helped him with the necessary Isles status updates.
• More Areener, old and new: The $4 million in needed Coliseum repairs as told by Newsday, by Chris Botta, Legislature has approved the repairs, apparently so. | Speaking of which, a minor league ball tenant announced? | Areener talk and links from the Community Alliance blog. | And more on all of the above at Save the Isles.
  
• Still think the Islanders should dump money into a big free agent? With the exception of Teemu Selanne (who will only play for the Ducks or retire), there simply aren't any. Funny that my favorite on that list is an Islander.
• Boston's Brad Marchand is an RFA, but not the arbitration kind of RFA. I mention this only because his contract talks will be worth watching after a 20-goal rookie year.

Hockey Links

• This is from last week and you may have seen it, but Derek Zona did serious work ranking the NHL's TV broadcasting teams. I'd love to see a radio ranking, but I only hear them here and there (Calgary's radio PBP guy is fantastic).
• Brooks Orpik, your favorite turtle, is fossil fuel.
• On Hype, Hope, and Reality: Or Why Optimists Hate Stats - SB Nation Philly
• Another take on Brooksian paranoia: The NHL Had To Break Itself In Order To Be Fixed - Orland Kurtenblog
• Oh, and about that topic: Rodriguez and Granderson Are Dead: Winning and NHL Salaries: The Passion of the Cap
• Stealing from Puck Daddy links: Riveting story about Clint Malarchuk, who didn't realize until much later that skate cut to the throat qualified as a trauma incident. | And an interesting piece about the NHL/NBC ad sales deal. | mc79hockey on faceoffs and the PK. | On Angelo Esposito, drafted the year after Kyle Okposo and in the draft where Snow punted the first round pick for Ryan Smyth.
  
• Important only to me, Part 1: Both NHL teams I favor have a history of checkered ownerships. Maybe the guy who tried to save the Coyotes will save the Blues. I now must reflect on how Charles Wang is the longest serving owner of either team in my lifetime.
• Important only to me, Part 2: Jaroslav Jiřík was the first Czech player in the Communist era to play in the NHL. He was a Czech hockey hero before that, and only showed up to the NHL on his last legs, playing three games for the Blues. That was enough for my Czech immigrant father to rate him a hero in our household. Jiřík has died at age 71 in a single-person plane crash.
• Old, but I was on vacation so I missed them: On the NCAA hockey conference realignments. | Leafs blog PPP and I talk Scott Gordon.

Finally, and completely off topic, a question for our Nova Scotia members (and any others that qualify): Alexander Keith's -- "Nova Scotia Style" beer -- showed up in my local distribution channel. Should I bother? And if so, which kind? The Brown Ale did not impress me; too sweet for my liking. I'm suspicious of brewers that suddenly find distributor deals, but sometimes you find gems this way. Let me know if you care.