Nice signing by the Isles…. We need a real QB on the PP, and he fits the mold. Not the best defensive guy, but I believe that he will be better than MAB was.

Wonder what else Garth has up his sleeve.

Hmmm, Mr. Avery is gonna be a cowboy…. Insert any smart alick remark here… Good riddance. When we were listed on some of the rumor sites, as a possible destination, I almost wanted to hurl!

Will write some more on the weekend. I am staying at my Mom’s this weekend and helping her out, so I will have some free time at the keyboard…

It seems like everyone in this building last night, knows 100x more than the people that represent the team at the draft know.

How much video have they seen, how much writeups have they read… I did not realize that we had so many freaking geniuses out there…

If any of you listened to to xm204 last night, you would hace heard that comments were made about teams trying real hard to rebuild their teams via drafting…

Garth and their staff have a feeling about a player. If they do - believe in them - trust them. Do you think they are out there to ’screw the fans?’

Folks, get off your high horses.

I am so tired of hearing how you are all such “EXPERTS”. I am not necessarily thrilled about not getting players that I thought we should have, but people that have more expert knowledge about the game of hockey that us ‘fat arsed fans’, feel another way….. Get over it and support this team…. If you can not get past this, then just go away. Good fans dont need you!

I am sorry that I may pissed people off, but so be it.

Yes - I have linked to a couple of articles lately. It is good for people that read this blog (and I know I get a few hundred hits a day…), to get information that I feel is either pertinent, or interesting.

I have been so busy working that I have not been able to devote time to writing. I feel bad about that, but that’s the way it goes.

Well - great game in MTL last night. Just when I thought that HABS would be down and out. Poof. Kovalev wakes up the boys and Kostopolous puts in the winner. That will definitely DEFLATE the Flyers.

Detroit… yea whatever. At least Colorado made a game out of it. What a save by Ozzie at the end of the game on J.M. Liles.

Looking forward to the Penguins feasting on some chum! Bwhahahahaha!

I see a photoshop job coming on this article soon…

With credit to abc.com, check this out…

Ranger Wears Prada: Hockey Player to Intern at Vogue Magazine
Sean Avery Loves to Intimidate Opposing Players, and He’s Into Fashion!
By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES
April 23, 2008

Macho man and provocateur Sean Avery — by some accounts the most hated player in the National Hockey League — will be joining the estrogen-infused world of fashion as an unpaid intern at Vogue magazine.

Sean Avery, the aggressive left-wing for the New York Rangers, will take his hockey bruises and his talent to a summer internship at Vogue.

More PhotosJust last week, Avery helped the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the NHL play-offs with his usual in-your-face tricks: agitation, verbal taunts and fighting.

In his 14 months as a Rangers left wing, Avery has tallied 212 penalty minutes, which makes many wonder if he can handle editorial collaboration and taking orders as an intern.

“We are going to have to see how far the Rangers go to determine when he will start, but he will certainly be here and get an internship with a variety of editors,” Patrick O’Connell, director of communications for Vogue, told ABCNews.com. “I don’t know if he’ll be writing yet, but he will be doing regular tasks.”

That means the stocky, 28-year-old athlete — who is in the midst of the NHL playoffs — will be “answering phones, working photo shoots, getting samples, contacting people, working the gamut,” according to O’Connell.

The magazine internship is not without precedent. Matt Chatham, the starting linebacker for the New York Jets, was a writing intern at Esquire in 2004 and, according to one inside source, “was a really nice kid and did well.”

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Avery, who makes $2 million a year with the Rangers and has cavorted with starlets since his days with the Los Angeles Kings, initiated the contact with Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

“He is ridiculously obsessed with fashion,” Avery’s publicist Nicole Chabot told ABCNews.com. “He loves it more than anything in the world. It’s something he has always wanted to do.”

Chabot admits Avery is an agitator in the “old-style” of hockey and a “blabber mouth,” but off ice the player is “surprisingly articulate, creative and savvy,” she said.

He’s also charming, she noted. “There is not a woman that doesn’t fall in love with him in five minutes.”

Though his assignments are “evolving,” Avery will go to Paris Fashion Week with international editor-at-large Hamish Bowles, according to Chabot.

Avery, who never earned a college degree because he was drafted into the NHL right after high school, has said he wants to be a fashion magazine editor.

Rangers’ fans are well familiar with Avery’s fashion sense. He may be the first hockey player ever to sport a pair of trendy glasses in the Rangers official yearbook.

“He is serious about learning the fashion industry and to that end, we are happy to give him a chance,” said O’Connell. “He certainly has a demonstrated history. It makes sense.”

Does it?

Avery is widely known for his brutal antics on the ice and was ranked second on the team last season in penalty minutes.

He is “what hockey people call an agitator,” writes The New Yorker’s Nick Paumgarten. “His job, which seems to have no analogue in sports — or in any line of work, except maybe terrorism — is to annoy his opponents so intensely that they cannot resist retaliating. He goads foes into losing their focus and, in theory, the game.”

OK Isles fans - let’s make fun of this……………………

This article came from the Canadian Press this morning. I know that Canadiens are passionate about their hockey, but it seems that their passion is a bit too much. Check this out:

MONTREAL - The burnt-out shells of at least five Montreal police cars littered the city’s downtown early Tuesday morning after vandals torched and smashed vehicles and damaged businesses to punctuate a first-round NHL playoff victory celebration.

A massive crowd celebrating the Canadiens seventh-game victory Monday over the Boston Bruins filled downtown streets Monday and had started to disperse just before midnight when smaller pockets started the violence. There were no initial reports of injuries.

Jean-Francois Hotte said the incident degenerated quickly as police started chasing people.

“One minute we were all hanging out and celebrating and then all hell broke out,” Hotte said.

Hotte said he watched as a Foot Locker store was ransacked by looters. A liquor store was also hit.

“It didn’t take five minutes before everyone was up on Ste-Catherine Street. It went really fast.”

While the initial celebration was relatively peaceful, small groups milled around on several street corners even as riot police surrounded burning vehicles to allow firefighters to douse flames.

Television helicopter footage showed one instance where a pair of vandals on a darkened street set ablaze the interior of a damaged, abandoned police car while a third person recorded the act with his cellular telephone. A handful of others stood by watching.

Police spokeswoman Const. Anie Lemieux could not confirm the number of arrests but several men were taken away in handcuffs, including some wearing Canadiens jerseys who pounded a car with cement blocks. Several stores were also damaged.

“Police officers are still on the scene trying to control these people,” Lemieux said just after midnight in Montreal.

“Fortunately no one seems to have been injured so far. Police have had things thrown at them, bystanders too.”

Lemieux said it would be impossible to tell the extent of the damage until the downtown area calmed down.

Ava Ball was advised by police to keep her car underground as the tension continued to escalate.

“I had to take my car back into the underground because police advised me they’d trash my car,” Ball said.

“I had to go back and wait it out to go home,” she added, as she debated whether it was safe to leave as the situation appeared to calm down around 1:30 a.m.

Police were on edge as they patrolled in helmets and with batons.

“It’s not how you’d want the night to end,” Ball said.

“I think we’re all a bit sad about the result of the evening considering we had such a tremendous win.”

Montreal recently had a spate of so-called anarchist violence, including the torching of six police cars in a station parking lot in March.

Earlier in the evening, moments after the Canadiens won the seven-game series, thousands of Montrealers descended on the city’s downtown core to whoop it up and soak in the Canadiens series win over the Boston Bruins.

A large contingent of Montreal police was waiting for the raucous crowd including the police riot squad. The bulk of the crowd was clearing out when the trouble started.

Fans who held vigil outside the Bell Centre earlier on Monday night were jubilant, erupting into cheers for every good play by their heroes inside.

“A great game, well played, total control,” said Sebastien Boulet. “I’ve got a really good feeling about this team”.

Arjun Aravinthan and hundreds of others broke into a spontaneous “25″ chant. The Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups in their history.

“We’re gonna get it this year, this is our year,” said Aravinthan, who claims to be a Habs fan since exiting his mother’s womb.

“We believe.”

Interesting, eh?

Well - Game 7’s tonight - I think Washington will pull it off, as will San Jose.

Unfortunately, I arrived at this presentation late, but I still got a nice glimpse of the future of the franchise’s new home.

The Lighthouse! When can I start the fan club!

Seeing the brochures (will be coming out very soon), it brings the whole package into a little better focus. However, at the Reckson Building, myself, and some other Booster Club Board members, got to see the 3-D version of the package. This makes the whole picture of the project just spring into life.

How the arena will look, all the amenities, shops, restauraunts, all the things that fans have seen from other arenas around the NHL. Now, hopefully, in a few years time, those can come to us!

We were even quoted on the www.lighthouseli.com web site (well, at least my WIFE was!)

“After seeing the presentation and the site from the Lighthouse office we were able to get a better perspective on the project,” said Claire Harding, President of the New York Islanders Booster Club. “The Booster Club does a lot of charity work that is valuable to the community and a place like the Lighthouse would help us increase our membership and host very exciting fundraising events. We support the Lighthouse, the benefits of the project to Long Island are too significant to let slip away and a project like this is long overdue to the area. We came out of the meeting anxious for the project to begin.”

My wife - the media darling!

Now the Hempstead town has put this on the fast track, this project now seems much more than just a dream in the heads of Islanders/Reckson management. It now has a piece of reality on it, and the vision of better things to come.

Nice - now - let’s move forward… Garth - your turn to shine, and improve the team.

The season is over. In the weeks from now - I will talk about this further. I have not written in a while, because I was on vacation, and the beginning of the month is a little tough for me.

I am very proud of the guys, and the way that they handled themselves through the difficult time of the season.

And I will get to that - I promise - as the weeks go on.

However, I have to comment of the Hummer Metro Ice Challenge. The fact that the Isles and Rangers ended up tied in points, but according to Sam Rosen, did not win because the tie breaker is the position in the overall standings instead of head-to-head competition, is one big load of CRAP!

1. The Isles had 11 wins over the competition, as opposed to the Rangers 10
2. The Isles won 5 of the 8 games in the head-to-head series.

If that alone does not solve a tie-breaker, then what does…..

This just looks like a bully organization that the MSG is. They were tied, but DO NOT DESERVE the victory of the challenge!!!!!

Just add another obnoxious item to the list of things that they have done. From the folks that think Isiah Thomas is the next coming of Moses….

C’mon Dolan and MSG. Admit you were beaten by the 26th place team in the NHL and move on. That charity money should be going towards the Islanders children’s foundation. Stop being such babies and do the right thing!

We had a Booster Club meeting last night. Billy Jaffe was a great guest. One of the best that we have probably had. And in some cases, thank goodness that the ITV cameras were not there, because some comments would not make some people happy… (Not seriously, but… )

Got a lot of information about the team, players, and how Billy became a broadcaster. He loves Long Island (his wife is from the East End), and wants to be here for a long time to come.

Thanks Billy - you are doing a great job, and we are glad you are here!

I will be leaving tomorrow for a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. The ship I am on, is the Carnival Triumph. This is my first cruise that does not having me swab decks, and peeling potatoes. (I was a Cadet at the Coast Guard Academy when I was 19). I am looking forward to recharging the batteries, forgetting about the office (that’s the fact, jack!), and just relaxing in general! I may write, if the spirit moves me. However, I do not think I will see any Islander info.

Have a great week, all! I know it is a tough time, as our team gets eliminated, but this was a injury filled tough time for our team, but next year is coming soon….. Better luck next year, is what Brooklyn Dodgers fans always heard… I guess we should take that expression over.

Although I still believe that Kyle should have stayed in Bridgeport and help that team make the playoffs, I will not refuse to welcome his presence.

This is our future, and it is a good thing to give him a taste of the NHL life. A life that we all hope will be filled with promise, great expectations and lots of goals and assists for Islander blue and orange.

Should be an interesting game, with Toronto playing still for their playoff lives and without the services of Captain Sundin and goal scorer Andropov, who are out nursing injuries.

It should be a little relief for the D to not have to worry about those players. However, you are going to have guys that are going to try and fill big shoes, because as faint as it still is for the Leafs, they can win some games in a row and make some interesting fights for the 8th and final playoff spot (remember last year>????)

It should be fun tonight… I will miss the home game on Monday, as I will be in the Caribbean soaking sun and recharging batteries. Win one for me, Isles!

I knew this was going to happen…

The Isles are not going to make the playoffs, so many people are now begging and pleading to see the kids up now. While in most instances, I might agree with that assessment, this time, I do NOT feel that way.

Write this down on a rock…

DO NOT BRING KYLE OKPOSO UP THIS SEASON!

Garth, are you listening?

I can understand wanting to see Kyle get a taste of the NHL, but now - is not it. You want to get Okposo as much exposure to the professional game as possible, and since the Isles are out of the playoffs (in all reality), the AHL team is on the cusp of the post season. The Tigers are 3 points out of a spot with a game in hand. Once some players get healthy on the big club, it is Garth’s job to send the kids BACK to the “A” to get the team to the playoffs. There is a good shot, and that should be the focus of the hockey organization at this time. I would rather see Kyle, Franz, Jeff, Blake, and the other kids, keep playing in the playoffs and getting more experience, than going home early and working on their short games.

As fans, we need to stop being selfish and resign to the fact that players need to develop and grow, as opposed to having the player be brought up too soon. We all know of Kyle’s abilities and how well he has done at the Port, but folks, be realistic, he has been a professional for about 30 games… He is not the next Wayne Gretzky? He will be good, but he is not a guaranteed Hall of Famer now!

Get real!

Get the kids back, get into the playoffs, and play your butts off to get a chance for the Calder Cup!

The Isles will survive, and let’s find a better opportunity to celebrate the NHL Debut of our former first round draft pick!

Sheesh!