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[Bits] NBC Cancels Isles, Leafs Hire Learning, Coyote Endangerment, Upcoming Retro Thread

Like Community, Revolution and Sean Saves the World, NBC has seen enough of the Islanders and has pulled the plug.

By Dan Saraceni

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Good work, boys
Good work, boys
Bruce Bennett

Islanders Links

  • TONIGHT! RETRO GAME THREAD: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE VOLEK. Join us here around 8 pm tonight for a viewing of the legendary Game 7 of the 1993 Patrick Division Final between the Penguins and Islanders. Watch again as David Volek, Ray Ferraro, Darius Kasparaitis and Glenn Healy topple a budding dynasty.
  • The NBC and NBCSN broadcast schedule was released [Kukla] and the Islanders have a grand total of zero appearances on The Peacock Network this season. [Point Blank] If I'm supposed to be outraged, I'm sorry to report that I don't care. No games on NBC means no uninformed opinions from "experts" who never watch the Islanders, no Mike Milbury criticizing players he never would have drafted or would have eventually traded for nothing, no counting and comparing the number of mentions of the Islanders and their opponent and, most importantly, less chances for a big loss on national TV that leaves everyone extra cranky. Pass. I'll stick with Howie, Butch and Jiggs.
  • Remember Jaroslav Halak? The free agent who signed with the Islanders a  month or so before July 1st? He could turn out to be the summer's biggest addition. [Islanders Insight]
  • What to expect when seeing the Islanders at Barclays Center this preseason. [FanPost by hockeyboy]
  • Next time someone tries to give you a free copy of AM NY, take it. You might find John Tavares on a list of the best New York athletes under 25. (h/t to DP'sKnees)

Who Let The Nerd In?

When the Maple Leafs make a couple of firings and a hiring, it's news. When they do it in the offseason with no other events going on, it's bigger news. When they hire a guy with a deep analytics background and bring him into the den of GOOD ONTARIO BOYS, it's some Godzilla-sized huge goddamn news.

  • 28-year-old Sault St. Marie Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas is now the Leafs assistant GM, bringing the old school club into the 21st century. [Chris Johnston and Tyler Dellow at Sportsnet]
  • Dubas was called in this 2010 Cam Charron profile, the "Theo Epstein of Hockey." He's also been called the "Billy Beane of Hockey" in a few stories. No word yet on if he's ever been called the "Morris Buttermaker of Hockey."
  • Meanwhile, the dinosaurs who roam Toronto's Jurassic Park face evolution or extinction. Kevin McGran of the Star makes it sound as if Dubas speaks only Martian to us Earthlings, and Hot Take Hall of Famer Steve Simmons pines for the "good hockey men" like Dave Poulin and Claude Loiselle that have been trampled by the "overly sensitive analytic community."

Anything Else?

  • Oh god. The mayor of Glendale wants to revisit the city's lease agreement with the Coyotes. You know, the one that pays the team a lot of dough to stay in Arizona. Please. Leave these people alone. Haven't they suffered enough? [AZ Central]
  • Sullestan co-pilot Mats Zuccarello avoids arbitration and sticks with the Rangers for one more year. [Pro Hockey Talk]
  • The Leafs also signed roving tracker of animals David Booth to a one-year deal. [NHL.com]
  • The Subban Family is building a Sutter-style dynasty. [Color of Hockey]
  • The latest on Thomas Vanek and the gambling investigation. He was just being questioned. [USA Today]
  • Former teammates will honor the late Pavol Demitra with a series of games in Slovakia. [NHL.com]
  • An NHL team comprised only of native Californians would suck. [Battle of California]

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