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I know no one's in the mood to read this, and will probably skip the links to gripe in the comments. But it is Thanksgiving, so here's what I'm thankful for:
I'm thankful for Lighthouse Hockey, the best Islanders blog out there, even when I'm afraid to read it after losses. And in between losses. And before expected losses. Thanks to everyone for letting me pollute this place with my nonsense and sometimes reading it.
I'm thankful for the Dynasty Islanders' majesty and the impossible standard they established.
I'm thankful the current Islanders don't have the Avalanche's broadcast crew. JFC.
I'm thankful, sincerely, for John Tavares and every moment he spends in an Islanders uniform. The list of Islanders problems right now is longer than a Thanksgiving dinner menu, but Tavares is a treasure. No matter who you hate, who you want fired or traded or hanged, please cherish the Tavares. Don't let this time slip away like another wasted Islanders power play.
/End soapbox
Islanders Entrees
- Arthur Staple recaps missed opportunities and dwindling time, which are both big problems for the Islanders. [New$day]
- Brett Cyrgalis on another November to un-remember [NY Post]
- In his recap, Kevin Schultz at Islanders Point Blank boils it down: whatever the Islanders are doing, it ain't working.
- Video: Man, even the Islanders anthem singer gets a "close but no cigar." [Puck Daddy]
- Eric Hornick's Skinny from Wednesday's Jet malfunction. [Hornick]
- November slumps and Islanders go together like peanut butter and bacon. (Seriously, try it. It's really good) [Eyes on Isles]
- John Tavares and Curtis Joseph talk superstitions. Don't mess with JT's sticks, man. [Slam! Sports]
- Bryan Trottier was on the Butch Goring radio program on Tuesday, probably to talk mustaches with his old teammate.
- Snakes on a Plane with some tips for NHLers visiting schools.
- Reminder: The Islanders next game is Friday versus Detroit at 4 pm. Plan your Black Friday accordingly.
- Prospect news: if Griffin Reinhart makes the 2014 Canadian Junior Team, there's a small matter of an international suspension to deal with, dating back to an incident at last year's tournament. [Yahoo! Canada]
Side Dishes
- Last night's NHL scores. The Maple Leafs blew a 4-1 lead (with zero shots in the third period) to lose a wild one to the Penguins, Montreal's Douglas Murray decided, against all common sense and good reason, to fight John Scott, and the Sharks beat the Kings in a good one with an epic shootout.
- Eliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts. Much on the Rogers TV deal, the Caps and Ben Scrivens.
- Poor Cory Schneider wants more starts but is still trapped behind
Roberto LuongoMartin Brodeur. [PHT] - Kris Letang is also a sad monkey. [Pittsburgh Tribune]
- What's TSN going to air without NHL hockey? Don't worry, I found out.
- But no, seriously, what's going to happen to TSN and the good folks that work there? [Toronto Sun]
- NHL Concussion Lawsuit: Since the original 10 former players filed suit against the NHL on Monday, the number of plaintiffs has ballooned to 200, including Dynasty member Bob Bourne. If you have any questions about it, Down Goes Brown offers a well-written primer on the case prior to the new additions.
- Pat LaFontaine went to Cam Neely for some advice on how to actually run an NHL team. [NHL.com]
- But LaFontaine can scratch Rick Dudley off his list because he's staying with the Habs. [EOTP]
- Hockey Abstract looks at PDO, or teams' luck, this season. Someone must have broken a lot of mirrors in the Islanders dressing room.
- Testing how well advanced hockey stats can PREDICT THE FUTURE...future...future... [Boys on the Bus]
- How to Ruin an NHL Prospect in Five Easy Steps. No, it's not about the Islanders. [The Hockey Writers]
- And Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov talks to Russian Machine Never Breaks about the difficulty of shuttling back and forth from the AHL to the NHL but not playing.
- Awful Announcing spirits away Doc Emrick for a podcast about all things NHL.
- Warning: DO NOT be fooled by Nikolai Khabibulin's good numbers in a contract year. This is either an unbelievable coincidence or Khabibulin is one cagey SOB. [Jonathan Willis at Bleacher Report]
[insert from Dom, because this in the Denver Post is hilarious and Patrick Roy remains a whining sore loser, still offended that Hitchcock criticized his glass-smash attack on Bruce Boudreau in his first NHL game behind the bench]:
Roy's post-game news conference was unremarkable until he praised winger Patrick Bordeleau, the Avalanche enforcer who scored the only goal against the Blues, and used that as a jumping-off point to add: "You know what, I was very mad at the end because I have been jabbed by different coaches around the league, especially Hitchcock when he said that was junior stuff, talking to players, talking to the referees. But I saw a guy on the other side who was talking to players and then was also talking to the referee and got the referee (mad).
"Seems to me that there's different rules for everybody in this league. I guess the old guys are allowed to do whatever they want and I guess us, because we are younger, we are not allowed to say anything. I am a little (mad) about that."
Did Roy say anything directly back to Hitchcock?
"I can't say that here, I'm sorry," said Roy.
Outside the visiting locker room, when Hitchcock was told of the gist of Roy's comments, the St. Louis coach responded: "Oh, give me a break. Tell Patrick to shut the (bleep) up."
Dessert
This video is ostensibly Rob Schremp talking about Thanksgiving. In reality, it's a hilariously awkward, unintelligibly awful video of pucks bouncing off the boards and sideways glances. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
