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[Bits] Enough Brooklyn Islanders Camp Coverage to Burn Your Morning

Hockey's back. HOCKEY!

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Future game nights, except for the Finley jersey part.
Future game nights, except for the Finley jersey part.
Bruce Bennett

Hockey! Training camps have opened around the league. Beat reporters have awoken from summer slumber and cottaging.

And of course for the Islanders yesterday, it was both the opening of real training camp and the opportunity for a Brooklyn media blitz. For the organization, mission well accomplished:

  • The seating capacity for hockey in Brooklyn has changed from original reports of 14,500 to yesterday's reports of 15,800, including a few hundred obstructed view. That includes box seating, but every building's capacity includes box seating: Newsday | Islanders Point Blank
  • Bruce Ratner -- who, I mean, he is a promoter and ringmaster at heart -- praised the arena's intimacy, saying it's laid out "vertically, not horizontally" so it will have great intimate views even from the high seats. Theoretically, this should be the happy benefit of a place designed for basketball.
  • That "vertical" perspective is backed up in this Eyes on Isles report, which also describes the scoreboard location (a burning issue for some of you OCD sufferers) and other things.
  • And the photo used in this Times recap of the day tends to underline the "vertical" sight line theory.
  • NY Mag has a great overview of the whole seating setup. I'll be honest, ever since this move was announced the idea of a quirky but intimate setting intrigued me. Cookie-cutter arena this is not, and that's not a bad thing. But we'll see.
  • In the Daily News recap, Casey Cizikas recalls the playoff atmosphere for basketball and says it will "probably be louder for us."
  • NHL.com: Improving Isles could get even younger.
  • The official site has the players praising the Brooklyn arena experience, and Jack Capuano saying camp is open for prospects to win jobs.
  • As promised, these colors don't run. I mean change. And as hoped, the Isles will deal with the Brooklyn branding through a new third jersey, says Brett Yormark: "A second home jersey, and that is where we are going to get a little creative. That is where we will speak to Brooklyn in an authentic way."
  • Hometown boy -- Long Beach, not Brooklyn -- Joey Diamond says his Isles opportunity is a dream come true.
  • Tank-tastic: USA Today surveyed 29 players and 16 said the Oilers were most likely to become a powerhouse. The Isles were next with 5 votes. Columbus and Toronto also made the list. I don't like that company.
  • Penn State players (including Isles pick Eamon McAdam) talk the excitement of entering the major conference scene.
Elsewhere

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