As the world turns....and turns....and turns...

The past few months have been rife with rumours, innuendos and political shenanigans on Long Island. As fans we should be excited about our team’s number one pick. We should be counting the days to the upcoming draft extravaganza, but the ongoing soap operas that continuously surround the team just seems to be sucking the life out of what should be a renewed time for hope.

I have been quiet over the last little while, because as most fans, I have been mesmerized by the Lighthouse saga, and the political hot potato it is turning out to be. As intriguing as the fight for the Lighthouse has been, the saga surrounding the will he or won’t he pick Tavares, has been as nerve racking.

I do not live on the Island, so I cannot fully understand the ins and outs of the local politics, but as a fan of the team, that wants nothing more than a good product on the ice, and a place that will be attractive to players, I remain speechless, and what appears to be a short-sighted, unwillingness to see the big picture stance of Mrs Murray and her band of merry men. Without a major league team occupying the Coliseum, it will be flattened within 5 years and the area will not have any other venue to attract, well….anything. If that is the will of the people of Hempstead and area, then so be it, (do not shed a tear when the team is moved), but if the local fans want to keep the team, they need to make a serious move and cause the powers that be to worry about the upcoming election, as of this date, I still do not see that happening. I read a lot of talk, but I see very little action.

If I could say one phrase to Garth Snow right now, it would be “please, make the right call, for all the right reasons.” Personally, Tavares is my choice, having seen him play in juniors and at the world championships; he has no equal within this draft class. He can be a marketing dream as well as a valuable asset on the ice. He is no Crosby, but he can easily be the Isles version of Danny Heatly. If Garth is interested in building the Isles faster, Tavares will be his choice, if he is choosing the slow boat approach, look for Headman to be the man. Regardless, the clock is ticking and a whole lot of fans are waiting for it to chime… One false move by the GM, will result in a marketing backlash and even rougher seas for next season.

...Tuesday Tidbits...

With thoughts of Tavares dancing in our heads as fans and with all the drama surrounding the Lighthouse Project development, improbable injuries, and possible moves, this season has been anything but boring. As the team continues to take its lumps, it is evident that this year was going to be a tear down year, as all first years are in a rebuilding process. All good contractors will tell you... “ya gotta tear it down before ya can build er’ back up”!

As “trade deadline day” looms closer ever more, fan opinions seem to be flying all over the place (thoughts of Edward Scissorhands trimming the neighbours hedge keeps coming to mind) and yours truly is no different in this regards. Rumours will be the soup du jour from here on in, as trade slurps will be found on every hockey site until the clock will strike on the March 4th deadline. The closer teams get the more feverish the anticipation will become. Fans of teams that will be buyers seem to think they can get a veteran for next to nothing and fans of teams that are sellers seem to think they can get the moon for a 3rd line over priced toss away. One thing is for certain, all fans love this unofficial holiday. Hockey fans across North America will have their Computers, laptops and blackberries tuned into the various live news feeds, videos streams, or however else they can get their fix of up to date information.

Islanders fans are no different in this regards but with Comrie and Campoli already gone to other pastures, Doug Weight injured and a limited amount of healthy bodies that can at least attempt to compete at this level, the options are limited to say the least.

As most bloggers and reporters are predicting, Brendan Witt will most assuredly be the next Islander to get kicked off the Island, with opinions split down the middle on whether Guerin will be far behind?? From my point of view, there will be serious interest in the Islanders captain, so it will be interesting to see whether he decides to go or if he will inform Garth Snow that he will stay....again, time will tell.

Agree or agree to disagree with what Snow and his dwarves are doing in regards to the rebuilding of this organization, but from my perspective it was long overdue and hopefully, we are on the right path. There is still plenty to cheer about and plenty of reasons to watch the Islanders from now until the end of the season, Okposo is showing signs of coming into his own, Comeau is giving it his all, and I am really enjoying Neilsen out there, showing us why he belongs in the long term plans of this team. I will be curious to see how Hillen will play from now until season’s end.

December update on 2008 draft class...

The link below to Hockey's Future website, has a December update on the top draft picks from this past draft, along with an update on how they are doing....

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/10739/islanders200809_junior_prospects_update/

For all the fanfare that the "quantity"over "quality" approach to this past year's draft, the waters are still as muddy as ever.

The boys are back in town...

FINALLY!!!....The New York Islanders are in town. I know, they may be lagging slightly behind in the standings but it will be the first time that I get to see them live this season, so I will be there with bells on. Tonight’s game will be an interesting one for sure. From the Islanders perspective, the Isles seem to be ready to start Bailey at center with Okposo and Hilbert. I will be looking forward to seeing these two youngsters together to see how they mesh. I am also primed to see Bergenheim create some havoc on the ice.

From the Senators perspective, it will be an intense one as they are on a two game losing streak and also lagging in the standings. There were quite a few blow outs at yesterday’s Senators practice...with players supposedly not putting any effort. Alfredsson busted a glass along the board and a few others got into shoving matches. After such a practice, tonight’s game will go one of two ways....a 5-0 blowout by the Sens or a 3-2 squeaker by the Isles... time will tell.

One thing is for sure, I will be there with my Isles jersey cheering them on....Let’s go Isles!!