Lighthouse Hockey - Jack Capuano Fired: New York Islanders reactions, quotes, next stepsLighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50729/lhh-fav.png2017-01-19T10:30:01-05:00http://www.lighthousehockey.com/rss/stream/140702152017-01-19T10:30:01-05:002017-01-19T10:30:01-05:00Cappy’s Final Pre-Gamer: Say goodbye to the Prime Timeline
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<img alt="Cappy pre gamer heat map" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-S_l9g7TOJvIvM-Q2JUryEWwLUk=/0x0:2310x1540/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52822717/CappyPreGamer_HeatMap.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Beam us up, Mahty.</figcaption>
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<p>The now-fired Islanders coach makes an epic final speech that makes <em>Inception</em> look like <em>Weekend at Bernie’s</em>.</p> <p id="bkBVpg"><em>(Ed. Note: Over the last few seasons, Lighthouse Hockey community member Les Beaver has been posting completely fictitious, dramatized Jack Capuano pep talks that have delighted readers no matter how the team was playing. Sometimes, we’ve front-paged them to highlight the awesomeness. With </em><a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14306174/jack-capuano-fired-new-york-islanders-reactions-quotes-latest"><em>Capuano now fired</em></a><em> by the Islanders, this stands as the spectacular conclusion to a grand tradition and character that </em><a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/lhh-zeitgeist"><em>could only exist at this site</em></a><em>. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess. Thanks to Les and “Cappy” for all of the laughs.)</em></p>
<p id="AJkZcm"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Hey, what are you doin’ here, I was just about to stath the pre-gamah.</p>
<p id="Eo7NHW"><strong>Clutterbuck:</strong> <em>(from down the hall)</em> PREGAMER!</p>
<p id="wQyTO8"><strong>Snow:</strong> Jack – I don’t know how to say this, but I’m sorry, you’re fired.</p>
<p id="V5ij9f"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Damn right. I’m fired – FIRED UP. Let’s do this.</p>
<p id="PVxDLU"><strong>Snow:</strong> No – like, I have to let you go.</p>
<p id="5jdhpr"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Let me go? This ain’t no sappy love story, Gahth. It’s hockey. What are you talking about?</p>
<p id="BpEc5V"><strong>Snow:</strong> No, dammit, you don’t… You don’t work here anymore. You’re not the head coach.</p>
<p id="qJgC4f"><strong>Cappy:</strong> So I don’t gotta be behind the bench tonight?</p>
<p id="D6zDEV"><strong>Snow:</strong> No, you don’t.</p>
<p id="FD2jNE"><strong>Cappy:</strong> How about tomorrow?</p>
<p id="RwnDgB"><strong>Snow:</strong> No, Jack. I’m sorry, but –</p>
<p id="mMOJUr"><strong>Cappy:</strong> So basically, I ain’t got a job?</p>
<p id="a9wzTO"><strong>Snow</strong>: Correct.</p>
<p id="mczSSI"><strong>Cappy:</strong> <em>(Talks into watch)</em> OK boys, Plan A is happenin’. I repeat, Plan A is a go. Mahty, get the arrangements for Vegas and grab some cold ones. Johnny, make an appointment with that doctah that’ll write you a note for the rest of the season. Matty – bring the time machine out front of the Coliseum, I’ll be out in two. OK Gahth, well, thanks for the job and all that. Gotta admit, didn’t think I’d make it this long. I gotta go collect from a bunch of guys that bet against me. Also gotta pay a few that had faith in me, but that’s life, right? Ah dee oss, pal. <em>(Cappy runs out of the office and down the stairs, puts on a hard hat to get through the construction.)</em> Hey – Kevin – lift that end about 5 inches, your scaffolds crooked.</p>
<p id="JGLNKM"><strong>Kevin the Construction Guy:</strong> Thanks Jack!</p>
<p id="RKehzg"><strong>Jerome the Foreman:</strong> Hey Gunz – we’ll have the finishing touches on "Gunz’s Hang Out Bar and Grill and Office" down by Friday.</p>
<p id="qHEiEb"><strong>Cappy:</strong> No worries. Probably won’t need it any more. I just got fired. Save those plans though. I’m headin to Vegas.</p>
<p id="6YKH2j"><strong>Jerome:</strong> Nice! Good luck.</p>
<p id="u59n5D"><em>(Cappy runs outside.)</em></p>
<p id="OtnuTO"><strong>Cappy:</strong> OK Matty, let’s get this pahty stahted.</p>
<p id="pQ0gez"><strong>Matt Moulson:</strong> All right, man, let’s do this. Where we going?</p>
<p id="CqkYVk"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Let’s go to that alternate timeline where the Sox, Pats, Celtics and Bruins all win the Championships for a decade straight.</p>
<p id="JVv1wf"><strong>Boychuk:</strong> And make sure I’m still on the Bruins in that timeline.</p>
<p id="vVOLHw"><strong>Moulson:</strong> All right, we can do that. Let me just punch in those coordinates…</p>
<p id="rV4ejY"><strong>Tavares: </strong>Hey! Wait – coach – I just wanted to – </p>
<p id="gZLJUq"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Don’t worry about it, John, I was fired back in 2013 but Gahth let me stay on. Well, not so much let me stay on as much as I just didn’t leave, but whatevah. </p>
<p id="P4dqYu"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Oh…ok. I just wanted to say, that I would have liked to have won it all with you as the coach and I’m sorry it ended this way.</p>
<p id="ln2VgZ"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Only way it could end, John. Plus, if I waited any longah, they might have filled that Vegas position. But don’t worry John, I don’t regret no decisions we had to make since we changed this timeline. It was for the good of humanity, right?</p>
<p id="8s57LG"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Right…wait…what?</p>
<p id="Y2OYaw"><strong>Cappy: </strong>You tellin’ me you don’t remembah?</p>
<p id="17JTTb"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Remember what? I remember we beat Florida in the playoffs, and that was great, but I don’t know how it was for the good of humanity.</p>
<p id="s6PyWa"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Well, Matty – looks like his memory is gone. We knew this would happen. He was too young when we made the time change.</p>
<p id="nbKo5P"><strong>Moulson: </strong>That sucks, bro. You were a hero, John.</p>
<p id="1SSN3P"><strong>Tavares:</strong> What are you two talking about?</p>
<p id="SEj3GX"><strong>Cappy:</strong> OK, now don’t freak out – but – in the original time line, we win, like nine straight cups...</p>
<p id="A4MfrM"><strong>Moulson:</strong> ...Five.</p>
<p id="X9DDFu"><strong>Cappy:</strong> From 2014 to 2018, then a few more after that, here and there. You, Matty, Vanek was there for a bit, Hamonic, Johnny, Leddy, Kevin. Strome was actually good. Trevor Hall was there for a little while. Some Swedish kid or something.</p>
<p id="LT3dFJ"><strong>Moulson:</strong> Nino. He was Swiss. John. you won 4 Conn Smyths. Would have been five, but you gave one to Thomas Hickey after he missed the 2014 finals cause he got knocked out by James Neal’s elbow – defending you.</p>
<p id="rYh2l7"><strong>Tavares:</strong> What?</p>
<p id="Zr9Bn8"><strong>Cappy:</strong> You made the Hall of Fame first time eligible – I voted for Brian Strait, but whatevah. Then you came back out of retirement to show you could play with a pig’s heart.</p>
<p id="x2K8Ly"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Huh?</p>
<p id="aDq3iV"><strong>Moulson</strong>: Yeah, you volunteered your heart to save some young kid, but said you’d also be willing to try an experimental procedure where they put a pig’s heart in you. </p>
<p id="0izXLa"><strong>Justin Bourne:</strong> People said it wouldn’t work, but you said you believed in the science, John. You started a trend. Pretty soon millions of lives were saved by pig hearts.</p>
<p id="ySicz3"><strong>Boychuck:</strong> The Rangers tried to say your Game 7 fourth overtime goal that knocked them out shouldn’t count cause it wasn’t scored by a human, but you went to Law School and spoke in front of the Supreme Court to say –</p>
<p id="2YnOvS"><strong>Tavares:</strong> American or Canadian Supreme Court?</p>
<p id="MhvaRP"><strong>Boychuk:</strong> American – NHL is based in New York. Does Canada even have a Supreme Court?</p>
<p id="7CqHKg"><strong>Tavares:</strong> I dunno, doesn’t matter, I was just picturing the scene. Go on.</p>
<p id="eBtcx3"><strong>Boychuk:</strong> Anyway, you stood in front of the Supreme Court, proved you were human, Cup stays on Long Island – </p>
<p id="Wk3Pdj"><strong>Bourne</strong>: We forgot about the part where John ran for office in New York and brought the Islanders back to Long Island.</p>
<p id="OAe9Sn"><strong>Moulson</strong>: My bad, bro.</p>
<p id="7Q0kSt"><strong>Boychuck:</strong> So Cup stays on Long Island, Rangers still suck – cause really, fuck those guys. </p>
<p id="9HXSmI"><strong>Bourne:</strong> In 2024 the "NINE-TEE FOUR-UH" Chants started. Those were the best. Lasted decades.</p>
<p id="bsi2AP"><strong>Boychuck:</strong> – and then you retire from hockey but go on to win 4 more cups as a head coach, 5 more as a GM.</p>
<p id="iH0CAv"><strong>Cappy</strong>: Yeah, and then some crazed Supah Fan of yours, builds a John Tavares robot. Goddamn robot goes sentient, kills most of humanity.</p>
<p id="cVhcwE"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Wow….huh?</p>
<p id="77s7dE"><strong>Moulson:</strong> Yeah, it got ugly. Butchie led the resistance. You, me, Jack and Bourne met up with him in Tucson. He sent us back to 2013 and had us tell you to lay off the gas a little. You weren’t happy about it, but it was the only way to save humanity.</p>
<p id="ybgcYb"><strong>Cappy:</strong> I knew it would cost me my job at some point, but I nevah really liked it to begin with, so what the hell did I care?</p>
<p id="hOQUYv"><strong>Boychuk:</strong> Got me traded from the Bruins, but Jack explained it all to me, and I was cool with it. Kinda.I don’t think Leddy ever got over it though.</p>
<p id="FErs9P"><strong>Tavares:</strong> This doesn’t make any sense. </p>
<p id="XWhwL7"><strong>Butch Goring: </strong>Makes perfect sense, John. Time travel can play havoc with a man’s sensibilities, Jiggs. All I know is that if you hadn’t gone back and not scored nine goals against the Leafs in the ACC, in front of friends, family, the Prime Minister and the Royal Family to win the Eastern Conference Championship, the chain of events that leads to the fall of man would have started like it originally did.</p>
<p id="ypYo0S"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Nine goals? In one game?</p>
<p id="7ug0Cq"><strong>Moulson:</strong> 2 in the first. 2 in the second. 5 in the third.</p>
<p id="iIYudT"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Ain’t that like 6?</p>
<p id="icFCDr"><strong>Tavares:</strong> No empty netters, right, cause I feel like those are cheap. I mean, I take ‘em, but, you know…it’s better when there’s a goalie.</p>
<p id="aIxV5e"><strong>Bourne:</strong> No. 2 were on a power play, one was shorthanded. Rest just straight up goals.</p>
<p id="XBLRiw"><strong>Cappy: </strong>So thanks for saving the world, Johnny. Hopefully this timeline is kind to you. Me, I got a date in Vegas, baby.</p>
<p id="BR8MK2"><strong>Tavares:</strong> Yeah, OK. Good luck, coach. I’ll mis…I mean, I look forw….I, uh, I hope things work out for you. <em>(gets in his car, drives away.)</em></p>
<p id="76wKDp"><strong>Marty Reasoner:</strong> <em>(walks over)</em> All right, boys, I got the Natty Lite and some Rollin’ Rocks. Where we headed?</p>
<p id="sW6aiy"><strong>Bourne:</strong> Jack wanted to go to the timeline where Boston wins all the championships for like ten years straight.</p>
<p id="asVMcc"><strong>Marty:</strong> Set coordinates to "Heaven", Matty. Let’s get rollin’. </p>
<p id="V1yWsC"><strong>Cappy:</strong> <em>(looking at the Coliseum)</em> You’d never know there’s a train underneath this place.</p>
<p id="sDYmpe"><strong>Moulson:</strong> There isn’t. You guys don’t play here anymore.</p>
<p id="XdI5t9"><strong>Cappy</strong>: Where we play now?</p>
<p id="887Liq"><strong>Moulson: </strong>Brooklyn.</p>
<p id="F7eekz"><strong>Cappy:</strong> Oh, that’s a whole different island.</p>
<p id="S1NPjb"><strong>Bourne:</strong> Same island, just– </p>
<p id="hnF4b7"><strong>Boychuk:</strong> -Don’t bother. It’s been explained a million times.</p>
<p id="0u8Uhf"><strong>Cappy:</strong> I don’t know about you, but this is the best day of my life….You guys think John bought that whole time travel timeline stuff?</p>
<p id="qejwHX"><strong>Moulson:</strong> Totally. He’s good like that. He’d never forgive himself otherwise. All right, coordinates are set, everyone start making the whirring and beeping sounds.</p>
<p id="4MprTs"><em>(Everyone starts to make electronic sounds, flashlights and lighters go on and off. Suddenly, a silver box with five men in it, sitting in a decrepit parking lot on Long Island, lights up, flashes brightly and disappears.)</em></p>
<p id="94B7w8"><strong>Marty’s voice:</strong> Holy shit, this thing is real?</p>
<p id="l3ZuRZ"><em>(Ten Minutes later, on the Southern State Parkway, heading West towards Brooklyn.)</em></p>
<p id="6gsq8y"><strong>Tavares: </strong>He called me "Johnny…" <em>(smiles)</em></p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/19/14323088/islanders-cappy-final-pre-gamer-jack-capuano-john-tavares-humorLes Beaver2017-01-18T21:40:50-05:002017-01-18T21:40:50-05:00Schrodinger’s Islanders: After Capuano fired, so many possibilities in the box
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<img alt="Buffalo Sabres v New York Islanders" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Iqv2UrJXxv4rCGtjqTf44dD-PwA=/0x975:3296x3172/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52815521/630476212.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Where to next? | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Firing the coach was the easy first move. From here, the possibilities are many and complicated.</p> <p id="Ma6Qsa">Schrodinger’s Cat: A famous thought experiment about different options . A cat is in a box. It may be alive or it may be dead. As long as the box is unopened, both possibilities exist. Once the box is opened, those possibilities collapse into one reality.</p>
<p id="N6KoEA">The <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a>: An infamous thought experiment about how much misery a fanbase can endure while hoping the future will be better.</p>
<p id="cN1Y8g">On Jan. 17, 2017. The New York Islanders fired Jack Capuano. On Jan. 19, 2017, the team will play its first game with interim coach <span>Doug Weight</span>. For one day, the box remains closed. </p>
<p id="1TY0uu">Islander fans were overjoyed when Jack Capuano was relieved of his duties. The fanbase, always divided on a variety of things, were united in this one desire. Now, what the fans want get more complicated. There exist a myriad of possibilities:</p>
<h3 id="PtOuqz">What some fans want: The Draft Choice</h3>
<p id="IqEgBl"><em>The rationale:</em> In an NHL era where it seems that young players rule, having elite young talent is a prerequisite for long-term success. And while canny trades and signings always help, the best way to get this talent is to draft it, preferably as high as possible. To that end, it is beneficial to finish as close to the bottom of the league as possible, to try to maximize odds of getting an elite player.</p>
<p id="vCegWl"><em>How this happens:</em> Despite claims that there may be minor tweaks to the system, either Weight makes no discernable changes, or the changes he makes have no effect on the team routinely getting out-possessed. </p>
<p id="QicOiv"><span>Jean-Francois Berube</span> plays more, and proves himself to be below replacement-level. Greiss either regresses, or his current play isn’t enough to elevate the team’s fortunes. They finish near the bottom of the standings.</p>
<h3 id="uNLBdI">What some fans want: For the Franchise</h3>
<p id="QzpL0n"><em>The rationale: </em>This team’s priority must be <span>John Tavares</span> and doing everything possible to get him to stay. The best way to have that happen is a strong second-half performance and a playoff spot.</p>
<p id="JVukcv"><em>How this happens: </em>The tweaks Weight makes to the system are massively successful. The Islanders are able to enter the opposition’s zone better, stand up at the blue line, and play a game more suitable for modern NHL hockey. Either underperforming players like <span>Jason Chimera</span> are benched in favor of better players like <span>Anthony Beauvillier</span>, or the new system helps the team as a whole realize its potential.</p>
<p id="VPH1Qg">Berube plays well, and Greiss continues his impressive netminding. The team goes on a roll, a few of the teams they’re chasing luckily fall out of the race, and the Isles sneak into a playoff spot.</p>
<h3 id="naIvjG">What some fans want: An Established Coach</h3>
<p id="7MMnGU"><em>The rationale:</em> Doug Weight has no NHL experience and is reflective of the poor management this franchise has had. The Isles need an established coach to come in right now and whip them into shape.</p>
<p id="EAC7Mg"><em>How it happens:</em> The team, having talked to Gerard Gallant, hires him quickly. Alternatively, Claude Julien is fired from the <a href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Bruins</a> in the near future, and the Isles pick him up.</p>
<h3 id="FyRfim">What some fans want: A Whole New World (STATS edition)</h3>
<p id="CVrHzu"><em>The rationale: P</em>art of the issue with this front office was they were too behind-the- times. We need smart people who think outside the box and challenge the status quo. Look at Toronto!</p>
<p id="nh0UHl"><em>How it happens: </em>Either Weight’s adjustments aren’t successful, or the team does better but not well enough to make the playoffs. Ledecky hires a new President of Hockey Ops who cleans house. They decide to go in a new-school analytically-inclined direction, bringing more advanced stats people into the org.</p>
<h3 id="XmH1io">What some fans want: A Whole New World (EXP edition)</h3>
<p id="q2QvE4"><em>The rationale: </em>Part of the issue with the front office was they lacked actual hockey experience. We need a GM who has done it before and knows their stuff. Look at Los Angeles!</p>
<p id="OyW4bj"><em>How it happens: </em>Either Weight’s adjustments aren’t successful, or the team does better but not well enough to make the playoffs. Ledecky hires a new president of Hockey Ops who cleans house. He decides to hire a GM who is more old-school, and who has done the job before. Alternatively, the president and new GM may be one and the same.</p>
<h3 id="Q8Rbr9">What some fans want: Continued Winter</h3>
<p id="WQeLp8"><em>The rationale:</em> Snow made some flaws this offseason but he’s still a decent GM. He just needs someone to watch over him.</p>
<p id="MpgEd9"><em>How it happens: </em>Either the team makes the playoffs or ownership decides the coaching is the major concern. The new president of Hockey Ops keeps Snow on board as GM, and they work together on roster changes and finding a new coach.</p>
<p id="EKrydo">A myriad of potential possibilities. Tomorrow, the Isles take the ice and we’ll see what the new changes bring. Today, any of these options are possible. Tomorrow, the box opens.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/14319640/islanders-capuano-coach-general-manager-president-optionsDavid Shear2017-01-18T18:17:13-05:002017-01-18T18:17:13-05:00Islanders Look to Doug Weight for ‘spark,’ puck management decisions
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<img alt="New Jersey Devils v New York Islanders" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kLFqJ3Jk-T9NootnV6I4QSXUPpM=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52812275/460514932.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>“THIS IS THE PUCK. WE WANT IT.” | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The players prep for a different voice after Capuano</p> <p id="5ggnqU">There’s going to be a lot of talk and a lot of interpretation as we try to figure out what, if anything meaningful, will change with the <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a>’ switch from Jack Capuano to <span>Doug Weight</span> as (interim) head coach.</p>
<p id="pvCVq2">Today’s post-practice media interviews, the first with players since the firing, produced the expected emotions of remorse as well as optimism. These moments always do.</p>
<p id="7os5pO">A few nuggets worth pulling out, and one to file away as the rest of the season plays out:</p>
<h4 id="LmRJYf">Does Weight See the Isles’ Puck Management Flaws?</h4>
<p id="Qek7uB">General manager Garth Snow had said he didn’t expect much to change with the Isles’ systems, and maybe that is true in the broadest sense of the word. But you wonder if there will be territorial areas of emphasis, such as the neutral zone that has been a black hole for the Isles much of the season.</p>
<p id="rX8wUe">The Isles concede too much space on defense and don’t sustain enough attacks on offense. Maybe there is a hint in Doug Weight’s comments, first from Newsday’s Arthur Staple:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Weight: "I want us to play less in our zone. And we will."</p>— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) <a href="https://twitter.com/StapeNewsday/status/821762273706393601">January 18, 2017</a>
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<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p id="KQOyJq">...and as reported <a href="http://www.sanluisobispo.com/sports/article127303309.html">by the Associated Press</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p id="EldHnv">"I'm certainly not going to reinvent the wheel," Weight said. "We're going to tweak some things in certain systems. ... We're going to play the right way, we're going to win games ... We're going to have a little more discipline in managing the puck in certain areas, making some decisions."</p></blockquote>
<p id="b5Awlb">That’s of course ultimately general speak — we don’t have a whiteboard here and Weight isn’t about to explain — but a difference can be made in some tweaks in when the Isles hang on to or safe-dump the puck (“managing”) and the decisions they make (i.e. when to do those things).</p>
<p id="4IjnPZ">Weight also spoke of discipline in this area, and rather than “not taking penalties” that likely has to do with the discipline of offering support to the puck carrier and making sure he has better options than the last resort of dumping it.</p>
<h4 id="0iSYAR">Weight and Capuano Spoke for Hours</h4>
<p id="p0y8TR">As reported <a href="http://islandersinsight.com/uncategorized/islanders-ready-to-push-forward-under-doug-weight.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=islanders-ready-to-push-forward-under-doug-weight">by Christian Arnold at Islanders Insight</a>, the two former colleagues, now fired coach and successor, spoke a lot before parting ways last night:</p>
<blockquote><p id="x6UduO">“It’s a tough business and certainly I got to sit with Cap for two, three hours last night and had a great chat. As everything, he’s handled it awesome.”</p></blockquote>
<p id="BahboY">Can just imagine those conversations.</p>
<h4 id="574LMq">Tavares Looks Back, Looks Forward</h4>
<p id="VOASf3">The captain, <span>John Tavares</span>, also spoke of regret, feeling for Jack Capuano, who to the end never seemed to have players quit on him. <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/new-york-islanders-doug-weight-eyes-stanley-cup-playoffs/c-285836386">Via nhl.com</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p id="3efJdp">"I've got a ton of respect for him," Tavares said. "It was a tough day, because you really feel that burden of him being the guy taking the fall with the way we've played and the way I've played (32 points in 42 games), which just hasn't been good enough. It's tough to see him go with how much he's given to a lot of the players in here, the team, the organization over his tenure. It's been a long time. It's not an easy thing, I think we all felt that.”</p></blockquote>
<p id="TE3xZY">But Tavares spoke of what always happens here — looking for a new voice — and since Tavares lived with Doug Weight his rookie year and Weight has been around ever since, he has particular insight on what to expect:</p>
<blockquote><p id="OVhZZz">"I think just as a personality, Dougie's a different type of guy," Tavares said. "I don't think that means in a negative or positive way; I think he's just his own person. He's obviously been through a lot, he's accomplished a lot as a player. He's probably been in a lot of our shoes of our careers during his career, so I think there might be some understanding as a player to that aspect. He's very articulate, understands the game and he's very intense. I think that's what we're looking forward to seeing from him."</p></blockquote>
<p id="r2HB9Z">A bit from Josh Bailey, <a href="https://www.nhl.com/islanders/news/doug-weight-isles-players-react-to-coaching-change/c-285841746">via the team site</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p id="46KH2z">"I've always had a lot of respect for Doug and his mind for the game," Bailey said. "He's been a guy that personally I've relied a lot on over my time here, so I think he's going to make a great coach."</p></blockquote>
<h4 id="GR1jtg">Strome: Let’s Do This</h4>
<p id="6iorz6">One guy who’s also looking forward with hope is a player who <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/islanders-ryan-strome-perplexed-by-second-straight-healthy-scratch-1.12681183?utm_content=bufferc6fdc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer">never could seem to please Capuano</a>. <span>Ryan Strome</span>, here quoted <a href="http://islandersinsight.com/uncategorized/islanders-ready-to-push-forward-under-doug-weight.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=islanders-ready-to-push-forward-under-doug-weight">at Islanders Insight</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="wliCsX">“I thought Dougie’s message this morning was real inspirational, real lifting,” Ryan Strome said. “Hopefully that can light a spark to our team that for whatever reason we couldn’t find.” </p>
<p id="m2WNGh">Strome added: “Guys were pretty lifted. Just his passion… Maybe a different voice behind there. Maybe some who sees the game a little differently and he certainly he has a lot of emotion. He cares a lot, so it will be good to have a different voice back there. Not that Cappy wasn’t good or anything like that in any means, but just something new for the group.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="ewfwRD">Something old, yet something new.</p>
<h4 id="syggps">Strome vs. de Haan</h4>
<p id="JB8n49">Strome was also, you may have heard, part of a scuffle during practice with Calvin de Haan. </p>
<div id="Mvllvi">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Strome and de Haan drop the gloves during a drill. Not much fighting, but a few hard slashes before.</p>— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) <a href="https://twitter.com/StapeNewsday/status/821756913998249985">January 18, 2017</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="4zLVWb">From the AP:</p>
<blockquote><p id="4x1hR5">"Just in the heat of the moment, we're doing a lot of battle drills, you know emotions get high," Strome said. "That's where you want them. We're trying hard, we're trying to win. He's a guy that cares, I'm a guy who cares and we're trying to get better. When you put a bunch of grown men on the ice with weapons in our hands, that stuff is going to happen."</p></blockquote>
<p id="qkOYrk">Okay. Got that out of your system then.</p>
<h4 id="uPpCCE">Hamonic, Ladd, Clutterbuck Still Out</h4>
<p id="RcMlqg">We’ll see how it goes from here on out. The injured <span>Travis Hamonic</span>, <span>Andrew Ladd</span> and <span>Cal Clutterbuck</span> were still out of today’s practice.</p>
<p id="alMZVp">Once they return and there are bodies to scratch, lineup decisions will be parsed: Does Anthony Beauvillier escape rookie scratch purgatory? Does Ryan Strome escape the same...and does he play wing or center? Which forwards draw the first scratches? Are there any changes on the defense, which Weight did not run as assistant coach?</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/14316552/doug-weight-systems-players-reactions-strome-tavaresDominik2017-01-18T13:00:02-05:002017-01-18T13:00:02-05:00Zeitgeist: Affleck to direct & star in movie about Jack Capuano
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uHj5lt5y7QSQtiFhDtBDIxW0QfI=/11x0:1268x838/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52805751/Affleck_Cappy.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The New York Times says the movie is packed with “Battle Level.”</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>EXCLUSIVE! The two-time Oscar takes on his most dynamic role yet: coach of the Islanders</p> <p id="8dd73K"><em>[Ed. Note: The following article appeared in the print version of Variety Canada this morning. It is being re-printed here with permission.]</em></p>
<p id="D8TXM2">Oscar-winner Ben Affleck is in talks to direct and star in a film based on the extraordinary life and career of hockey coach Jack “Cappy” Capuano, who <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14306174/jack-capuano-fired-new-york-islanders-reactions-quotes-latest">was recently fired</a> from his position with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.</p>
<p id="hiFLep">No screenwriter is attached to the as-yet untitled project, and no start date has been announced for the production. But Affleck plans to begin working on the movie right away and is aiming for a 2018 release date to coincide with that year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.</p>
<p id="UQ2mRr">“A lot of people might not know this, but I’m from the Boston area and a big sports fan,” Affleck revealed. “And the story of a man rising from humble beginnings to become a coach in the pros really speaks to me.”</p>
<p id="4MksXg">Capuano, originally from the hardscrabble streets of Cranston, R.I., was a player and coach in several minor leagues for over a decade before getting the call from the NHL in 2010. He went on to become the second-winningest coach in Islanders history, as well as a <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2014/7/26/5397624/jack-capuano-book-new-york-islanders-satire-absurd">published author</a>, <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/3/23/4133982/jack-capuano-battle-level-islanders-parody">motivational speaker</a> and <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/1/11/10745532/zeitgeist-sean-penn-secret-meeting-with-el-cappy-jack-capuano-islanders-humor-fake">cultural icon</a>.</p>
<p id="LR7o4D">Affleck, who won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (<em>Good Will Hunting</em>) and Best Picture (<em>Argo</em>, which he directed), told <em>Variety Canada</em> that he sees a lot of himself in Capuano and that the coach’s story is a natural fit for a prestige motion picture.</p>
<p id="kkJBsC">“Like Jack, I also worked my way up from the bottom to the pinnacle of my profession. I went from being a kid actor in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_the_Mimi"><em>Voyage of the Mimi</em></a> to giant tentpole films where I save the world as either a meteor driller, a superhero or just a lovable lug from Boston who’s trying to do the right thing.</p>
<p id="FAj0OT">“I know I can tell Jack Capuano’s story as it should be told.”</p>
<p id="g1biFd">Affleck also said he expects to play Capuano, whose weight loss, wardrobe and signature hair style became hallmarks of his tenure with the Islanders. </p>
<p id="RmpGJF">“It’ll be a little like <em>Raging Bull</em>, with me wearing different elaborate costumes and prosthetics to show the many sides of this fascinating man. I’m excited for this.”</p>
<p id="gC1Raa">The director would not discuss whether longtime friend Matt Damon would play Capuano’s assistant coach (and eventual replacement) Doug Weight, or if his brother Casey would play Islanders captain John Tavares.</p>
<p id="rSaLEp">Affleck’s most recent movie is <em>Live by Night</em>, which he also directed and stars in. <em>Live by Night</em> tells the story of a jazz band of Boston-based vampires who move to New Orleans to open the city’s first lobster roll stand.</p>
<p id="hg5JDP">Affleck is also attached to direct and star in a standalone Batman movie, reprising the role he has played in <em>Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice</em>, <em>Suicide Squad </em>and the upcoming<em> Justice League.</em> </p>
<p id="ZlvwsN">But the Capuano movie comes first.</p>
<p id="bm7b7g">“People keep asking me about this whole Batman thing, but the Capuano project is way more interesting,” Affleck said. “Who cares about a guy who punches lunatics in crazy outfits when you have a movie about a guy who once coached the Islanders. That’s much, much scarier than anything Batman has to deal with.”</p>
<p id="WTKp9v">___<br><em>This is obviously not real in the slightest. We all know Affleck isn’t from Boston and isn’t really a big sports fan.</em></p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/14311778/islanders-zeitgeist-ben-affleck-direct-and-star-in-movie-about-jack-capuano-fake-not-realDan Saraceni2017-01-18T11:00:01-05:002017-01-18T11:00:01-05:00Garth’s next boss: What does a team president actually do?
<figure>
<img alt="2015 NHL Draft - Round One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/03qeaEcQlyoJv_D1H5W-U3oHLfM=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52797001/478685118.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Hm. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Firing Jack Capuano is only the first step in the Islanders’ restructuring. Next might be a person to oversee the whole operation.</p> <p id="0M1wIY">The <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a>’ firing of Jack Capuano has, rightfully, put more even focus on the guy who did the firing, Garth Snow.</p>
<p id="nFAfKI">The GM constructed the team’s current roster from top to bottom, including <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/mark-herrmann/islanders-are-garth-snow-s-team-and-that-s-the-problem-1.12972398">some real head-scratching</a> decisions like letting <span>Kyle Okposo</span> walk away, dragging his feet on signing <span>Frans Nielsen</span>, waiving <span>P.A. Parenteau</span>, keeping <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/12/30/14126340/jaroslav-halak-waivers-islanders-goalie-rotation">three goalies</a> on the roster for a year and a half, and breaking camp with two rookies only to see one get playing time and one go back to junior after two games played. It’s all added up to a roster of mismatched parts still trying to find the slightest sign of chemistry.</p>
<p id="DzFCZS">Even before Capuano’s surprise post-win firing, word was out that Snow’s job description might be changing. After 10 years of almost complete autonomy at the top of the team’s food chain, Newsday’s Arthur Staple <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/12/2/13826088/report-isles-owners-seeking-president-position-garth-snow-pat-lafontaine-brad-richards-pat-brisson">reported in early December</a> that the Islanders were searching for a “big name” to take over a president’s role above Snow. Names included former general managers, agents, hockey legends and Islanders alumni. </p>
<p id="GNcPJs">Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and TSN’s Bob McKenzie have also corroborated the report and added <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/12/6/13858372/islanders-executive-search-friedman-dreger-mike-gillis-laurence-gillman-jon-ledecky">some tidbits and other names</a> in the intervening months. Not all of the names were up for the job (or even candidates), but the idea was that Islanders owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin wanted to gather all of the information they could on what was expected from an NHL team from folks that had been in the league longer than they have.</p>
<p id="tvkC37">Now in the wake of Capuano’s firing, the question becomes: what exactly does a Team President even do and how does it affect Garth Snow’s future with the club?</p>
<p id="YqrKgn">In a totally non-comprehensive, half-assed bit of research, I have come to the determination that what the president does depends on what team we’re talking about.</p>
<p id="dXsaOr">Here’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:NHL_team_presidents">a list of NHL team presidents</a> as of now. In a few cases - Snow being one - the GM is also the president. David Poile, Dean Lombardi and Doug Armstrong also pull double duty.</p>
<p id="19D1si">But not every team president has a say in how the organization is built and run on the ice. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Morehouse">David Morehouse</a> has been the <a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/">Penguins</a>’ team president since 2007, and handles the marketing, branding, youth hockey initiatives, community outreach, television coverage and bunch of other things unrelated to who’s skating next to Sidney Crosby. <a href="http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/13326098/russ-brandon-replace-ted-black-buffalo-sabres-president">Russ Brandon</a> is the president of both the <a href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/">Sabres</a> and Buffalo Bills and also oversees the business end of things.</p>
<p id="aqm3Bk">Columbus actually has two presidents. The one you know is former <a href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/">Rangers</a> goalie and broadcaster <a href="https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/team/hockey-operations#davidson">John Davidson</a>, whose official title is President of Hockey Operations/Alternate Governor. Davidson works closely with GM Jarmo Kekalainen and directly helped hire <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/john-davidson-says-john-tortorella--was-our-guy--to-help-struggling-blue-jackets-033942546.html">coach John Tortorella</a>. The <a href="https://www.jacketscannon.com/">Blue Jackets</a>’ other president is <a href="https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/team/ownership#mcconnell">Mike Priest</a>, who is called the team’s “top business executive” in his bio and “oversees all aspects of the franchise operations.” That sounds like a big job, but he probably leaves the roster up to JD and his hockey ops guys.</p>
<p id="Gl3pl1">Brian Burke has been the <a href="https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.com/">Flames</a>’ president of hockey operations since 2013 and Ken King has been the team’s president and CEO forever. Both do a lot of talking on the team’s behalf, and seem to have at least some input into how GM Brad Treliving does things. Cam Neely, the <a href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Bruins</a> <a href="https://www.nhl.com/bruins/team/exec-hockey-ops-cam-neely">president and alternate governor</a>, “oversees all of the club's hockey and business operations” and clearly<a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/steve_buckley/2017/01/buckley_charlie_jacobs_says_firing_claude_julien_is_all_on"> makes decisions</a> alongside GM Don Sweeney.</p>
<aside id="MmF8fA"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data="{"stories":[{"title":"Who should Isles' fans play close attention to now that Cappy is gone? A quick Analytics look","url":"http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/14305302/new-york-islanders-analytics-capuano-firing-player-decline"}]}"></div></aside><p id="JHtk3b">From what Staple, McKenzie and Friedman have reported, it sounds like Ledecky and Malkin might be looking for someone in the mold of Brendan Shanahan. The former winger was named the <a href="https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/">Maple Leafs</a> president and alternate governor in April of 2014 and has gone about building out the team’s front office with stats-focused talent like assistant GM Kyle Dubas and old school hockey minds like actual GM Lou Lamoriello. </p>
<p id="08k8aM">Our friends at <a href="http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2014/4/11/5603540/brendan-shanahan-named-toronto-maple-leafs-new-president">Pension Plan Puppets were unsure</a> of how Shananan would do in the job, since he had no experience running a team at any level to that point. Three years later, they probably feel a lot better about the direction of the franchise (having <span>Auston Matthews</span> and <span>Mitchell Marner</span> helps, too).</p>
<p id="TMjjUT">In a report for NBC Sports after Capuano’s firing on Tuesday, <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14305942/capuano-firing-reactions-mckenzie-tavares-gomez-roenick">McKenzie said that who the owners hire and what their actual position is </a>will determine much of the Islanders’ future, including that of captain and soon-to-be-free agent John Tavares. Ledecky and Malkin continue to talk to “everybody in the hockey world” and search for “a model that works for them.” Whoever ultimately does end up coaching the team would be hired based on a collaboration between the prospective president, ownership and Snow. So that first decision is <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14305942/capuano-firing-reactions-mckenzie-tavares-gomez-roenick">the most important one</a>.</p>
<div id="bQ2nNM"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="//vplayer.nbcsports.com/p/BxmELC/nbcsports/select/media/oQVQR9BID0n7" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<p id="cVjwdl">In his reports, Friedman has said that some of the folks Ledecky and Malkin have talked to are wary of stepping into a situation in which they’d be the boss of a guy who’s been in his seat for over a decade. And that’s kind of a major problem.</p>
<p id="5vH3vj">With the trade deadline a month and a half away, the owners may be trying to give Snow one last shot at redemption. But the most fair decision might have been to let Snow go along with Capuano and let a new president start fresh. Of course, that would be easier to do if they had already hired said president, but it doesn’t look like they’re ready to do that just yet. Shanahan fired GM Dave Nonis and interim head coach Peter Horachek a <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2015/04/12/maple-leafs-fire-gm-dave-nonis-coach-peter-horachek.html">year after taking over the Leafs</a> so you never know.</p>
<p id="N0kY7W">Still, leaving the guy who created the mess in charge of fixing it isn’t encouraging.</p>
<p id="UNq2t9">Right now, in last place in the conference and with an interim coach in <span>Doug Weight</span>, everyone in the Islanders organization is <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14304298/capuano-snow-islanders-doug-weight-next-steps">under the microscope</a>. Who’s squinting into that microscope is going to be of the utmost importance.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/13829464/islanders-garth-snow-jack-capuano-what-does-a-team-president-doDan Saraceni2017-01-18T09:00:05-05:002017-01-18T09:00:05-05:00What to Watch: Will Isles be Better Post-Cappy?
<figure>
<img alt="Two Islanders whose play is most worth paying attention to now that Cappy is gone" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bbeWS_KiXKEPd6OSu-lII6dRHsQ=/0x173:2001x1507/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52794439/usa-today-9279374.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Two Islanders whose play is most worth paying attention to now that Cappy is gone | Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A look at which Islanders players fans should pay attention to, particularly in their advanced numbers, now that Jack Capuano has been removed from behind the bench.</p> <p>The ousting of Jack Capuano marks the end of an era for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">New York Islanders</a>. Others have already posted plenty of words about that here and elsewhere. But with the ousting of Cappy, we should probably expect at least <i>some</i> change in systems to occur for the Isles, even if <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14302746/garth-snow-quotes-capuano-firing-systems-neutral">Garth Snow acted like not much</a> would change in that department.</p>
<p>After all, even if <span>Doug Weight</span> and the rest of the bench bought into Cappy's schemes, they're hardly likely to want to keep them the <i>exact</i> same when those approaches got Cappy fired and no one left has much job security.</p>
<p>This doesn't mean things get better, of course. To use the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Capitals</a> as an example, they followed up that jerkwad Dale Hunter with Adam Oates, who...was at least as bad as Muller in tanking the Caps for a few years.</p>
<p>That said, the key thing here is that we'll get to see how certain players in particular do when not in Capuano's exact schemes. And that's pretty important going forward - you see, pretty much every Islander is performing worse this year in corsi (Shot%), meaning more time in the defensive zone, less time in the offensive, and less chances to score:</p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s4wyKYAmDwAuTsOJNsKR0JlIoN4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7826369/CorsiChange.0.jpeg">
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</p>
<p><graph></graph></p>
<p><i>Figure 1: A Graph Showing Islander Players' Corsi the Last Two Years. Note that <span>Shane Prince's</span> 14-15 # is solely his time playing with <span>Thomas Greiss</span> behind him, as a way to separate out his #s with Ottawa. </i></p>
<p>Here are a few Islanders to keep an eye on going forward as the new regime gets its' schemes in place:</p>
<h4>Shane Prince</h4>
<h4></h4>
<p>Shane Prince was somewhat of an analytics darling in Ottawa last year - he had some of the best possession #s on the team and reasonably solid scoring #s, but was rarely given any chances to get prime minutes. So for a few people who paid attention, the <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/3/1/11137070/shane-prince-analytics-stats-report">Isles' acquisition of Prince seemed like a coup</a>.</p>
<p>Except Prince's numbers with the Isles...were poor. Easily the worst Islander in terms of possession in the regular season, Prince seemed like a failure by the same metrics that cheered him previously. And then he improved massively in the postseason and a thought was that maybe it was just adjusting to a different system that caused the problem.</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="pullquote">This is basically why Cappy should've been fired long ago -- when even your best players aren't putting up good numbers, the problem isn't personnel<span></span>
</div>
<p>Well, while he has shown glimpses of that great speed and skill this year, the numbers once again have him at the bottom of the team in corsi. But really, Prince's entire time with the Isles has come under a Jack Capuano team that has seemed to get worse over time in possession.</p>
<p>Maybe Cappy was the real cause here? We're about to find out.</p>
<h4>Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson</h4>
<h4></h4>
<p><span>Brock Nelson</span> broke into the league with a rookie year where he was a clear force in terms of driving play - as I wrote at the time, he made EVERYONE he played with better. And then.....that possession driving disappeared completely - he wasn't a drag on the team's corsi, but he didn't have a positive impact either, <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2016/2/15/10986106/brock-nelson-anders-lees-ny-islanders-analysis">particularly the last two years</a> (and his numbers this year are poor). The scoring has been good, but the possession poor.</p>
<p><span>Ryan Strome's</span> first three years were also strong in terms of driving play. The scoring collapsed last year, but you could explain that by bad shooting luck and again, he WAS driving play. And this year's he's one of the worst possession drivers on the team.</p>
<p>In short, both "kids" have showed huge potential in underlying numbers only to collapse the last year or two in those same numbers. If the Isles want to get back to the playoffs quickly, this needs to course correct.</p>
<p>Perhaps Cappy was ruining their developments? We have enough games left this season to see if maybe that is the case.</p>
<h4>Nick Leddy/Travis Hamonic</h4>
<h4></h4>
<p><span>Travis Hamonic</span> - in the midst of constant trade talk - had a career year last year in terms of corsi, being basically the best Islander on the team all year. <span></span></p>
<p><span>Nick Leddy</span> had a "down" year last year, but was still one of our best defenders last year after putting up elite #s in his first year with the Isles.</p>
<p>The pair of these defenders SHOULD have the best results of any Islander defensive pair, even against tough competition, and if not, it should be because of other players overperforming.</p>
<p>Instead, both players are in the bottom 10 in Corsi IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE this year. As the graph above showed, this is a HUGE collapse even from last year. And there's no reason for this decline I can think of -- Leddy is still carrying in the puck quite a bit, and both players are both still in their primes.</p>
<p>This is basically the big reason Cappy should've been fired a long time ago -- when even your best players aren't putting up good numbers they have in the past, the problem isn't personnel, it's that something has happened to the personnel. And the obvious thing was coaching.</p>
<p>If these awful numbers persist, well, the Isles are in MUCH bigger trouble than could ever have been anticipated. This should be priority #1 for the team to fix, and we should pay great attention to whether it actually happens.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/14305302/new-york-islanders-analytics-capuano-firing-player-declinegarik162017-01-18T08:02:17-05:002017-01-18T08:02:17-05:00[Bits] Adios, Cappy; Weight of the franchise
<figure>
<img alt="Behind you!" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/idcsMx0b5BvdfbJL5bBHDa9W978=/0x0:2306x1537/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52800015/usa-today-8409141.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Behind you! | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fingers everywhere!</p> <p id="UTQ6Dp">Hey, did you hear? The <a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Islanders</a> did a thing yesterday.</p>
<p id="esKnh6"> </p>
<h4>Jack Capuano’s Farewell</h4>
<ul>
<li>Man, Dom wrote a lot: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14301336/jack-capuano-fired-new-york-islanders-coach-doug-weight-interim">Original story</a> | <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14301974/capuano-firing-theories-speculation" target="_blank">The Final Straw</a><span> | </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14302746/garth-snow-quotes-capuano-firing-systems-neutral">Garth Snow's quotes</a><span> | </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14304298/capuano-snow-islanders-doug-weight-next-steps">Doug Weight incoming</a><span> </span><span> | Uncle Bob and a few ex-jocks </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14305942/capuano-firing-reactions-mckenzie-tavares-gomez-roenick">give their takes</a><span> | Isles </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14306824/new-york-islanders-gerard-gallant-permission-coach-panthers">talking to Gerard Gallant</a><span>? | Yours truly on </span>Cappy, an <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14302836/islanders-jack-capuano-fired-uncommon-coach-common-player">NHL coach like no other</a> </li>
<li>From the usual suspects: At Newsday, <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/islanders-fire-jack-capuano-as-head-coach-1.12970339" target="_blank">Staple has the main story</a><span> and Mark Herrmann </span><a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/mark-herrmann/islanders-are-garth-snow-s-team-and-that-s-the-problem-1.12972398" target="_blank">points the finger at Snow</a><span>. | Cyrgalis on </span><a target="_blank" href="http://nypost.com/2017/01/17/islanders-fire-coach-jack-capuano/">Cappy the scapegoat</a><span>. | Michael Fornabaio has the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ctpost.com/soundtigers/article/Islanders-fire-Capuano-former-Sound-Tigers-coach-10863057.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">Bridgeport perspective</a><span>. | Brian Compton </span><a target="_blank" href="http://710wor.iheart.com/media/play/27616172/">talks to 710 WOR</a><span> | Eric Hornick</span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nyiskinny.com/2017/01/the-skinny-on-coaching-change.html"> with The Skinny</a><span> on all of the team's previous coaching changes. | <a href="http://www.msgnetworks.com/2017/01/17/weight-is-on-weight-after-islanders-coaching-change/" target="_blank">The Maven on</a> the reasons why and the new guy.</span> </li>
<li>And from outside the echo chamber: Cotsonika: Islanders <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/islanders-have-opportunity-to-start-fresh-after-firing-capuano/c-285792116" target="_blank">can build a new identity</a><span>. | </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/six-potential-replacements-capuano-head-coach-islanders/">Sportsnet</a><span> on potential (and underwhelming) replacements. | </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/43330/firing-of-jack-capuano-has-everything-to-do-with-keeping-john-tavares">Burnside and Murphy at ESPN</a><span> are all doom and gloom. Shocking. | </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fanragsports.com/news/friedman-inability-get-stamkos-listen-domino-effect-islanders/">Elliotte Friedman</a> <span>says it all goes back to missing out on <span>Steven Stamkos</span>. | Puck Daddy says </span><a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/capuano-firing-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-garth-snow-220150128.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw">Snow is next</a><span>.</span> </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<h4>Non-Cappy Notes</h4>
<ul>
<li>The Islanders still get good marks for their prospect system. [<a target="_blank" href="http://www.espn.com/blog/craig-custance/insider/post?id=8628">E$PN IN$IDER$</a><span>]</span> </li>
<li>The <a href="https://www.sny.tv/islanders/news/point-blank-podcast-leddy-for-duchene/213694976" target="_blank">Point Blank Podcast</a><span> talks about fantasy trade scenarios (before all hell broke loose).</span> </li>
<li> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.msgnetworks.com/2017/01/17/a-week-ill-never-forget/">Shannon Hogan blogs</a><span> about an eventful week, even before Tuesday.</span> </li>
<li>Jaroslav Halak's goalie coach stops by the Sound Tigers. [<a target="_blank" href="http://blog.ctnews.com/fornabaio/2017/01/17/early-on-tuesday-notes/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">Soundin' Off</a><span>]</span> </li>
<li>On January 24th, Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson will unveil a new coach's show streaming live on Facebook every month, co-hosted by Sound Tigers announcer Alan Fuehring. Cool. [<a target="_blank" href="http://www.soundtigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=22700&ATCLID=211414418">BST</a><span>]</span> </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<h4>Other league notes</h4>
<ul>
<li> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/scoreboard/nhl" target="_blank">Last night's NHL scores</a><span> including a defensive battle between the <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Stars</a> and <a href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a> at MSG.</span> </li>
<li>All about amateur scouting with former <a href="https://www.pensburgh.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Penguins</a> scout, Scott Bell. [<a target="_blank" href="http://letsplay.pointstreaksites.com/view/lph/news-1147/news_467961">Let's Play Hockey</a><span>]</span> </li>
<li>Everybody wants the <a href="https://www.milehighhockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Avalanche's</a> players at the deadline. [<a target="_blank" href="http://www.tsn.ca/all-eyes-on-the-avs-as-trade-deadline-approaches-1.652111">TSN.ca</a><span>]</span> </li>
<li> <span>Patrik Elias</span> weighs his future. [<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnhl%2F2017%2F01%2F17%2Fpatrik-elias-new-jersey-devils-knee-surgery-retirement%2F95991980%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lighthousehockey.com%2F2017%2F1%2F18%2F14308798%2Fislanders-news-jack-capuano-fired-doug-weight-prospects" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">USA Today</a><span>]</span> </li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p id="yvB2lC"> </p>
<p id="mG6Tae">An hour or so before his coach was fired, <span>Anders Lee</span> answered fan questions via the Edward Jones FaceOff show:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.nhl.com/video/embed/faceoff-anders-lee/t-281748732/c-48463703?partnerId=as_nhl_20170117_69462246&adbid=821463362785591297&adbpl=tw&adbpr=50004938?autostart=false" width="540" height="360"></iframe></p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/18/14308798/islanders-news-jack-capuano-fired-doug-weight-prospectsDan Saraceni2017-01-17T23:13:50-05:002017-01-17T23:13:50-05:00Reports: Isles Had Permission to Speak to Gallant
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<img alt="New York Islanders v Florida Panthers - Game Two" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/P_tMb6QrYZAKE6SL9xb8r4q7JnU=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52797081/522078978.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>“Are we actually talking about this, or are we just talking...as an idea.” | Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So says the respected corners of Canadian hockey media.</p> <p id="ZTcZms">The New York Islanders have asked for and received permission to talk to former Florida Panthers coach Gerard Gallant at least a week or more ago, according to tweets by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and TSN and NBC’s Bob McKenzie, the same day <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14306174/jack-capuano-fired-new-york-islanders-reactions-quotes-latest">Jack Capuano was fired</a> as Islanders coach.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hearing NYI have permission to talk to former Florida coach Gerard Gallant. He was an Islanders' assistant from 2007-09.</p>— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) <a href="https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/821542712662982662">January 18, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">As <a href="https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC">@FriedgeHNIC</a> initially reported, NYI have asked for and received permission to talk to ex-FLA head coach Gerard Gallant.</p>— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/821549152656039936">January 18, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Worth noting on NYI permission request to talk to Gerard Gallant, it was made some time ago. Not hours/days, believed to week(s) or more.</p>— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/821571894390484993">January 18, 2017</a>
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<p id="0XqBy2">The detail about it being weeks ago would be interesting given some comments Gallant recently made about his hockey-watching habits, and which games he watched recently:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Again, this is what Gerard Gallant said last week, around time Isles were playing Panthers. <a href="https://t.co/CHasnANkf9">pic.twitter.com/CHasnANkf9</a></p>— Rookie Example (@KeithLHHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithLHHockey/status/821549685160677378">January 18, 2017</a>
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<p id="ETj4VD">The Isles, you might recall, just played a back-to-back against the Panthers.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">What I gather from LRT: Gallant would have been hired already. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Isles?src=hash">#Isles</a></p>— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BComptonNHL/status/821573247586201602">January 18, 2017</a>
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<p id="1GUxJJ">Gallant, who was <a href="http://deadspin.com/florida-panthers-fire-coach-gerard-gallant-make-him-ca-1789422119">fired in November under the cover of night</a> (okay: on a road trip where local media was not present), is still under contract with the Panthers — precisely why they’d be all too happy to release him from that contract to go coach someone else.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's unclear at this point whether Gallant is a current candidate to be NYI next head coach or was a prior and now former consideration.</p>— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/821574416987471872">January 18, 2017</a>
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<p id="FIwpLz">The former NHL player is also a former assistant coach with the Isles under general manager Garth Snow during the Ted Nolan-Scott Gordon years. Between the Islanders and Panthers stints, at the NHL level he was also a <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/canadiens-feeling-former-coach-gallant-firing/">revered assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens</a>.</p>
<p id="265yIX">Perhaps as importantly, he was coach of the Panthers for their division title last season and their hard-fought playoff series loss to the Islanders, after which he repeated that he thinks the Panthers, based on how they played overall, would win that series if it were played over again. </p>
<p id="1jCMo8">(We think he’s right: Thomas Greiss stood on his head all series, John Tavares was a beast, and the Islanders won three games in overtime, the telling sign of a coin flip.)</p>
<p id="gZovbt">Ever since the Panthers canned him — to the outrage of many in NHL circles who thought they did him wrong — Gallant has been a popular option among some segments of the Isles fan base. Not that that matters, nor should matter.</p>
<p id="CTh1Vj">The Islanders named as interim coach Doug Weight, who was already the assistant coach and assistant to the general manager, which could mean he’s in on a trial basis or he’s just a caretaker until someone else is hired. There is some rather rational thought, <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14305942/capuano-firing-reactions-mckenzie-tavares-gomez-roenick">including from McKenzie</a>, suggesting the Isles would name a new president/hockey operations head above Snow before selecting a long-term coach.</p>
<p id="BqdU1P">But maybe not.</p>
<p id="LwYH04"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y06on1JgXLs">To channel Glengarry Glen Ross</a>, are the Islanders actually talking about this? Or are they just speaking about it, as an idea? </p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2017/1/17/14306824/new-york-islanders-gerard-gallant-permission-coach-panthersDominik