Since we have time to kill before training camp, I get to follow a few other things.  We all know about how good the local baseball teams are doing.  My Mets are walking away with the NL East.  The Yankees are taking care of the East on the AL side.  And the Ducks won the first half of the Atlantic League.  So all of baseball for a New Yorker/Long Islander is just fine.

However, a few years ago, on a trip to see my friends in England, I got my first taste of the premiership.  The top league in English Soccer is the best in the world.  The top players and the toughtest competition in the game play all over the British Isles, in search of one of the most coveted trophies in the world of soccer.

On a cold day in February of 2004, I took a two hour drive with my friend Peter, and his two sons, from Doncaster to Liverpool.  Everton, the other team in the city, has been in the premiership for over a century.  The stadium, Goodison Park, has been around for nearly 100 years, seats 40,000 crazy screaming fans.  The game I witnessed was a FA (football association) CUP draw between Everton and Manchester United, the New York Yankees of Soccer.

The game saw the return to Liverpool for Wayne Rooney.  The 20 year old phenom, was signed to the Everton Academy at the age of 11, I believe.  He grew up through their schools, and made the first team at 17.  He was the youngest scorer in the history of the team.  After two years with Everton, he signed a long term deal for over 30 million pounds (about $55 million) with Manchester United.  This would be similar to a player with the Red Sox, signing with the Yankees.  As soon as Rooney stepped onto the pitch at Goodison Park, nearly 40,000 in unison were calling Mr Rooney, a fat $%&#$ing bastard!

Have a good game, Wayne!

He really didn’t.  However, his teammates did the job, and scored a 2-0 victory, thus moving on in the tournament and knocking Everton out.  This FA Cup is basically a tournament for every soccer club in the UK, unfortunately, out of hundreds of clubs, both professional, and pub leagues, one winner gets to hoist the cup.

This season, Everton has started quite well.  Especially on Saturday.  In a match against Tottenham Hotspur, midfielder Kevin Kilbane got his second Yellow card for a serious foul within the first 30 minutes of the match.  In soccer, when you get two yellow cards in a match, it is determined to be called a red card, and you are thus removed from the match.  In the case of Kilbane, Everton’s manpower have been reduced from 11 to 10.

In this scenario, especially when a team is on the road, this is an extreme disadvantage. However, starting the second half, Everton was in TOP FORM.  An own goal, gave the visitors a 1-0 lead.  Then twelve minutes later, an excellent pass from Phillip Neville to a sliding Andy Johnson put the ball past the keeper to secure a 2-0 victory at White Hart Lane. 

Right now - only three games into the season, the Toffees of Everton are in second place in the premiership, with only the undefeated Manchester United ahead of them with a perfect three wins in three tries.

If you see me on a weekend, another indicator to know if I am in a good mood, is to find out if Everton won over the weekend.  If they did, I will be happy.  Just like the Islanders affecting my moods they do too.

C’mon you EVERTON… Go TOFFEES!  Andy Johnson, you da man!

Gary

Garth Snow made the announcement that longtime goaltender consultant Gilles Lefebvre has been hired as the Islanders Goaltending Coach, replacing “Sudsie” Maharaj.

Lefebvre, a long time consultant to many Quebecois goaltenders, such as Martin Brodeuer, Jose Theodore, and Martin Biron, has been working as the “instructeur de gardien de but” for over two decades.  It will be his job to provide expertise to Rick DiPietro, to take him to the next level of the NHL elite. 

Sudsie had been with the Islanders for a number of seasons, and according to many fans around the coliseum, seemed to have Ricky work on his meditation more than his goaltending.  Many of these fans just did not get Sudsie and wanted to see the return of #31 to the Islander coaching staff.

In my opinion, Smitty seems to enjoy his ‘doing nothing’ just fine, and did not seem to want to return.  I think Lefebvre will do just fine.  If he can bring his expertise to Ricky and “Dubie”, that can make the Isles stronger defensively.  Combine that with the stronger defensive presence this year (Hill and Witt), and this team could make strides in the East this season.

More to come…. Gary

Well - it was leaked in the Post a few days ago.  Joe Micheletti, for the last 6 years, the color analyst for Islander telecast on FSNY, is moving across the Midtown Tunnel to work on 33rd and 8th.  He will replace John Davidson on NYR telecasts on MSG.

I am surprised by this move.  I simply figured that they would keep within.  Dave Maloney is a life long Ranger, and figured he worked hard enough to make the move from radio to TV.  Maybe he has a face for radio? 

Well - he is IRISH!

Well, in a typical MSG fashion, they take the good guy and move them to the top team (well - at least in their opinion).  In my opinion, Joe is one of the top analysts in the league.  He tries to give the viewer a teaching perspective of the game.  His style may tick off a few people, and I have had some arguments with friends about it.

So who will the Isles have as a replacement?

Chris King?  - The long time color analyst on the radio is a great choice.  He is one of the most knowledgeable guys I know.  Yes, I am biased, but he does his homework, and is always able to give a good opinion.  The “King of Long Island” should get it.  However, the lack of TV experience would be a factor.

Mike Bossy?  He has always wanted to get involved with the Isles, if the right deal would happen.  However, would he want to leave Montreal and be on the road for long stretches?  I really dont think this will happen.  If it was a hockey operation related position, then maybe….

Patrick Flatley?  I think this would be a good move, but again, it is the travel and leaving Toronto to come back to New York.

My guess is that we will get a new face.  Stay tuned… 

From the New York Islanders Web Site:

The New York Islanders bolstered their blue line today by agreeing to terms with veteran defenseman Sean Hill on a one-year contract. The 36-year old Hill has played 760 regular season games over a 12-year NHL career, scoring 59 goals and adding 205 assists for 264 points. He was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes team that went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002 and, as a rookie, contributed to the Montreal Canadiens’ Stanley Cup victory in 1993.

“I spoke with Sean a lot over the last two weeks because we felt he would be an excellent addition to our blue line,” said Islanders general manager Garth Snow. “We’re very happy that Sean is coming to Long Island. He has been a very good defenseman in our league for a long time, a consistent player in all zones, a strong competitor and a leader”.

The Islanders’ defense now includes veterans Hill, Alexei Zhitnik, Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek, Tom Poti, Joel Bouchard and second-year defenseman Chris Campoli, coming off an impressive rookie season in the NHL. The Islanders’ top prospect on defense is Bruno Gervais, who was 16-25-41 in 56 games last season with Bridgeport (AHL) and 3-4-7 in 27 games with the Islanders.

Last year, as a member of the Florida Panthers, the 6-0, 205-pound Hill was 2-18-20 in 78 games. In 2003-04, while with Carolina, he 13-26-39 in 80 games. His best offensive season was with Carolina in 1999-2000, when he had 13 goals and 31 assists for 44 points in just 62 games. Originally Montreal’s ninth pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Hill was a member of the 1992 United States Olympic team.

Well - they addressed the need.  A strong veteran presence.  Garth is definitely working on the point of protecting the goalie, and securing strong defensive players.

I am sure that Hill is not a large salary to move either, which will help with getting Ricky’s deal done.

Moving on…

Gary 

So - back to hockey talk…..

 Latest rumor coming around the Eklunds Blogs….

Mike Komisarek to the Islanders.

A little homecoming, if you will.  Mike is from the Islips, but grew up a Habs fan.  How?  Well - a lot of kids were not Islanders fans in the 90’s — for reasons we will not bring up here….

However, the U of Michigan player was a first round pick of Montreal in the 2001 draft.  He is a big boy (6′ 4″ - approx 235 lbs).  Likes to hit and create havoc in the defensive zone.  A definite need that we could always take.  Brendan Witt is also of that type, but the other two lines that we would have, would be short of the target for a physical presence.

I know that he lost his mom recently to cancer, I believe, and he has a very strong family bond.  Maybe a change of scenery could be a good thing for him, especially when it would be a homecoming of sorts.

Tune into the blog for more info - as it comes…

Gary

Just returned home from the convention.  As I stated in an earlier post, this convention is a great way where fans from all over the US and Canada get together in a great social environment, spreading the love of hockey and the addition/enhancement of friendships.

Friday night, was the start of the activities.  Since the theme of this convention was “Buffalo - feel the warmth!”, the theme is a POLAR BEACH PARTY!  People were dressed in ‘cold’ themes.

There are many people that don’t like to get in costume (myself included… I embarass easily).  However, some people take this to the extreme!  It is usually the QUIET ones, well, you know what I mean.

After some “Buffalo Themed Buffet food”, conventioneers were dancing the night away, as well as ‘hanging’ in hospitality rooms, getting to know each other, as well as bidding on some silent auction and chinese auction items (ask me to see my Josh Harding puck). 

I also had the opportunity to get interviewed on Channel 2 in Buffalo on Friday afternoon.  You will see that when the season starts, the Sabres are changing their uniforms.  From the looks of the logo, it seems to be the St. Louis Rams logo on Quaaludes!  Since the Islanders have had that type of situation before, (remember that lovely logo!!!) the TV station asked for someone from the Islanders Club to talk about it.  And since I just happened to be walking by the Sabres convention room, well, there I was…

They (Channel 2) did two pieces, one on the logo, and one about the defunct clubs that attend convention.  Since their teams have left the NHL, fans from the Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons and Atlanta Flames, attend the convention.  Even though some places got new teams (i.e. Minnesota, Atlanta and California), the old clubs still exist and perform vital functions to their respective communities.  It is great that they still represent themselves in a classy manner.

Saturday was for actual ‘convention business’…  A representative from each team spoke about their club, what things they do, and what they intend to do for next year.  Since my wife Claire is now the President of the NY Islanders Booster Club, she gave our speech.  She told all about the great charity work that they do, as well as even made a joke about the recent moves that the team made.  She even brought ‘Charles Wang’s sorcerer to the speech (see picture).

After the meeting, some went on a trip on the “Miss Buffalo” - heading on a trip on Lake Erie.  Some had a delegates meeting, to discuss convention business.  If a city wants to host this convention, it needs to be approved two years prior.  Philadelphia bid to host 2007 and was approved last season.  Chicago bid for 2008 and was subsequently approved by the delegates.

Saturday night theme was a ‘pajama party’.  In past conventions, we have had theme nights where we had to get dressed in semi-formal attire.  Although these functions were nice and well presented, many people just do not feel that getting a suit or dress on, is just the way to go.  So wearing pajamas or a night gown is not such a bad thing (even the pictures will give it justice).

After some pomp and circumstance (the passing of the gavel from Buffalo to Philly), and the award for the most members attending convetion (tie between the Rangers and Red Wings).  It was dancing the night away and more socializing.

Also - the last thing that happens at convention is the annual SURVIVOR NIGHT.  Basically, it means hanging out in a room, staying up ALL NIGHT.  Not a problem for most, some can not handle it (like myself), but I believe over 50 did.  Playing games, doing stunts, and basically just being themselves.  It makes for the end of a great weekend.

Such friendships are created from this convention.  Believe it or not - many fans from teams that hold serious rivalries have good friendships.  Rangers - Islanders, Philly - Pittsburgh, LA - Anaheim.  In the case of this convention, Hartford - Carolina. 

Sunday means saying goodbyes, wishing each other well, and hopefully seeing each other during the season.  If not then, Philadelphia next summer.  In my personal experience, I have attended 18 consecutive conventions.  From Chicago to Vancouver, to today, I have had 18 wonderful weeks, meeting all sorts of people.  I feel sad that I am missing out next year.  My nephew is getting married on that weekend and I have to go to Cedar Rapids Iowa.  Anyway, it was a great week, that usually begins to get me excited and ready for the upcoming hockey season.

The Islanders sent 17 to convention.  We all had a great time in Buffalo.  We will be looking forward to attending the next one in Philly next year.

 Next week - we will finally get down to HOCKEY business. 

Gary

As with any convention, there are many trips that are done/planned to provide people with a view of the city.  As with this NHLBCC Convention, we did a few trips before the actual convention, which started on Friday night.

The first trip that we went to, was the ERIE CANAL.  We travelled along the locks that would eventually connect the Western part of New York State from Albany, which would then connect to New York City.

It was really cool how inside this closed up ‘tube’, the water comes up to lift the boat in some cases nearly 40 feet to connect to the next body of water.  Hundreds of years ago, that kind of trip would take weeks to do, where it now would take days.

Here is a picture of a view from the canal.

Later in the day, we visited the Herschell Caroussel museum in North Tonawanda.  You many have noticed that I spelled the word Carousel wrong.  According to Mr. Herschell, a early 20th century pioneer in the business.  This is the way that it should be spelled.

He was an innovator in the way that the carousel was brought to the public.  There were hundreds of craftsmen carving and shaping the animals. The 5 cent ride that many of us got to take on a vintage refurbished carousel that was built in 1917 brought back many memories for the conventioneers.  I have included a picture of my wife Claire on one of the horses.  

For the next entry, I will talk about the POLAR BEACH PARTY - yes a polar beach party…

See ya,

Gary

It is a beautiful day on the western end of New York State.

And hockey is on the minds of over 200 people at the Adams Mark Hotel, as the 37th Annual National Hockey League Booster Club convention is being hosted by the Buffalo Sabres Booster Club.

For nearly four decades, fans from across the United States, Canada, and some from Europe, have gotten together to celebrate the game of hockey, the friendship of fans representing dozens of NHL teams, and the social enjoyment of all that attend.

I, for the past seventeen years, have attended this annual event.  I have had the privilege of meeting thousands of great people, and learning a lot about the game I love from them.  The convention has been a way for fans to know that there are friendly faces when someone makes a road trip to see their team play.  In many cases, in my personal history, it has made a sojurn to see our team play, a little more easier to handle.

Claire and I checked into the Adams Mark today, after a few days visiting friends.  As soon as you get into the hotel, it is like a family reunion.  In many cases, you may not see people any other time in the year except now, it is always such a joy.  There are many people that I know from this, that I absolutely enjoy spending time with.  We can talk about our teams, joke, and engage in friendly banter; the kind that you would have with a mate at a pub or bar.

Tomorrow - we have a trip planned to visit the Erie Canal.  Will talk about that, and some other interesting things tomorrow. 

Gary

For those of you that do NOT know me, I have been a member of the New York Islanders Booster Club since 1988.

What is a Booster, you ask?

Well - to make it simple, we are the Only Official Support organization recognized by the Islanders.  Since 1972, thousands of fans have been involved with the Islanders in so many ways.

1.  Trips.  The club supports the team on the road.  Every season, the club goes on at least 3 trips a year to see the Islanders play the rest of the NHL.  For example, this season, we are looking to go to Pittsburgh, Montreal, Washington, and Carolina, among others.  It is always fun to see the team before the game, and let them know that we drove up or down to see them.  I really think they appreciate it.

2.  Meetings - we have a meeting every month during the season, where we have someone from the organization visit us.  Last season, we had Brad Shaw, Brent Sopel, Brad Lukowich and Alexei Yashin visit us.  It is a nice way to get to know the guys outside of the uniform.

3.  Charity.  This is one of the least recoginzed, but most important factors.  We (the club) get involved with a lot of charitable endeavors.  We collect school supplies, cleaning products for needy groups, money for organizations, as well as do Chinese auctions.  These are great ways to provide money and services for Long Island companies. 

The Islanders give us a table on the concourse at home games (see us at Gate 3), and they have been extremely helpful to us.  Being a booster does not mean you are better than any other fan.  It doesn’t mean that you love the team any better than anyone else.  It just means that you support an organization that will do whatever it can, to support the Islanders organization, whether on or off the ice.

For four years (1997-2001), I had the privilege of serving as President of this organization.  I am proud of that time, and the things that we have accomplished.  Currently, my newlywed, Claire, is now starting her second of four years as President.  She is a passionate supporter who will do anything possible to make this organization succeed and thrive.

If you are interested in joining the club, you can visit our website, which is www.nyiboosterclub.org.  Stop by the table at Gate 3 and say hello.

As of Sunday, August 6th, I am heading to Buffalo to attend the National Hockey League Booster Club COnvention, which is being hosted by the Buffalo Sabres Booster Club.  During the next week, I will be talking about the convention, the interaction between other booster/fan club members and just what goes on in a social event like this.

Talk to you in Buffalo.  I will be ’shuffling’ along soon.

Gary

I hope you are all survivng this heat.  I know that thousands are suffering in many ways, and my heart goes out to them.

Thank God that as I write this, that the end of the heat wave is near.  Tomorrow should be significantly better.  Well, if you want to call 88 better.  At least your shirt will NOT stick to your skin.

Not much going out on the Islander front.  Well, with the exception of this…

The New York Islanders have named Ryan Jankowski as Assistant General Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting. The 32-year old Jankowski, born and raised in Calgary, had been the Islanders’ chief European scout for the last three seasons. Jankowski joins pro scouting director Ken Morrow as general manager Garth Snow’s top scouts.

Very interesting… I see the Islander doubters are already lining up for this one….  The constant nagging about moves that are not the big blockbuster items, just drives me to the tequila bottle.  Again, why get to bothered about the front office stuff.

Let’s start talking about the coach and the team, please…. We got about 40 days or so before camp opens up in N.S….. Then maybe, just freaking maybe, we can get into the HOCKEY stuff!

Intersting pic… Well, good luck Ryan!  Hope you and Kenny help Garth dohis job well.

Well back to work….. Next topic is being a Booster - and what it means….

See ya,

Gary