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This years best
Topic Started: Apr 4 2011, 07:45 AM (698 Views)
Webb20
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Godfather
Without a doubt the good news story this year has to be Michael Grabner and his Rookie of the year considerations for his 30+ goal season.

Al Montoya is also a plus in my opinion. So I guess Garth gets a thumbs up for those two signings.

Seeing what Poulin can do was a nice surprise. Moulson proving his 30 goal season was not a fluke rates up there too. And certainly the emergence of Tavares as the player we were hoping he'd be, and getting there at just 20 with an amazing future in front of him.

There are plenty of other good stories about this year Islanders and I'm sure many will be pointed out here.

I sold it all, retired and moved to Fabulous Las Vegas!
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Ben Franklin
"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."-Ronald Reagan
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puckhead
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All Star
Webb20,Apr 4 2011
07:45 AM
Without a doubt the good news story this year has to be Michael Grabner and his Rookie of the year considerations for his 30+ goal season.

Al Montoya is also a plus in my opinion. So I guess Garth gets a thumbs up for those two signings.

Seeing what Poulin can do was a nice surprise. Moulson proving his 30 goal season was not a fluke rates up there too. And certainly the emergence of Tavares as the player we were hoping he'd be, and getting there at just 20 with an amazing future in front of him.

There are plenty of other good stories about this year Islanders and I'm sure many will be pointed out here.

Grabs definitely tops the years best category------I mean who expected it?

And Moulson too showing it was no real fluke. And definitely an exciting glimpse of Poulin in the future.

Those would be the best for me with a lot of other mentions.......PAP getting 50 points, Montoya's surprise emergence, and the good development of our young d-men in Hamonic and A-Mac.
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3POTI
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Bring back...PRIDE OF THE ISLAND
obviously the most impressive was the cupcakes..they deserve a mention..
Today Is A Great Day To Be An Islander Fan!
Live For The Moment!

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stevedepot
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WISENHEIMER
Grabner wasn't exactly signed, neither was Montoya.
Grabner was plucked off waivers and we were one of many teams that put in a claim
but thanks to our standing as league worst we got first crack.

Montoya, was not even on Garth Snow's radar. Don Maloney called Snow up and offered him along with praise because he felt he needed a fresh start.

The best part of this year was seeing this team stand up for itself.
To a man, they said, no more. Konopka, Haley and Martin led the charge in that Pens game and Gillies provided us with an embarrassment but he too had a good fight.

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sybo
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Resident Wiseass, Neighborhood Candyman, Master Drunkard
JT, Mouls, Grabs, Franz, Amac, Zenon, HAMONIC

Poulin & Montoya

Cappy

Pitt game

Avery Bleeding

Isles on TWITTER

Rob Carlin

Jiggs

penalty kill


Garth Snow circa 2006:
Quote:
 
but how can you not be excited about DiPietro…Robert Nilsson…Ryan O'Marra…Petteri Nokelainen…Jeremy Colliton…Kyle Okposo…Blake Comeau…Sean Bergenheim…Chris Campoli…and so many others.
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rifleman22
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All Star
Moulson 30 goals
Grabs 30 and his breakaway speed
KO returning from injury
Cappy
Tavares growing up and getting the "A"
No more Jon Sim
Young and restless
Big Al
Going to the Pittsburgh game as one of my few journeys to hempstead with my boys
Hamonic's potential showing
A Mac
Avery getting wiped
THE RIFLE

Sometimes you're the windshield,
sometimes you're the bug.
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Webb20
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Godfather
Quote:
 
No more Jon Sim

:punk:
I sold it all, retired and moved to Fabulous Las Vegas!
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Ben Franklin
"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."-Ronald Reagan
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LEDZEP
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The Best That Ever Skated 80-81-82-83
dp's fight................. :torrey:
Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do... Posted Image

What puckhead says is Islander law
Posted Image
Come in with the milk

"A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one,
must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough."

Ronald Reagan
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Jackace
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2nd line
Quote:
 
Avery Bleeding

Was great to see!

2nd half of the year with much less controversy.
Tavares starting to be the play-maker dim-wit Zep said he wasn't
Wanger silenced since the lighthouse project was scrapped
another high draft pick that looks to be good if we can move into the 3rd spot!
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Man in the Box
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The Godfather of Online Hockey
our second half was a sign for things to come... if we could only sign some solid free agents we are a playoff team.. ( with dp as a back up)
HELLO BROOKLYN, MY NAME IS JOHN TAVARES
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ronski631
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Stubborn Polish Maniac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puMana_bq1o

Haley :punk:

Slaughtering the pens :punk: :punk:

Posted Image

:punk:
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bumpkin
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1st line
To me the #1 best is JT's development from year #1. Especially if you remember the stuff being said about him earlier in the season. I am excited to see what next fall brings, he had a short summer last year with an injury.
Grabner has had an exciting run, he gives us a dimension we need.
I am not surprised Moulson got 30-he is no fluke and is getting better at other parts of the game.
Parenteau is better than I thought he would be. Not sold on his first line status, but most of his goals have been better than the first couple. Room for improvement in the turnover department.
Hamonic proved he belonged here. Good thing, because he was staying anyway.
Gordon's departure and his bringing the Overspeed fiasco to an end is up there.
Capuano seems like a good coach to me. I am not in the locker room, but he gets a lot out of the guys most nights.
Montoya, who I hated the idea of at first, has been good.
Haley can actually play.
Where in the World is Sebastian Collberg?
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19!
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1st line
Grabner

Hamonic

Haley
John Tavares was 2 years old the last time NYI won a playoff series
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stevedepot
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WISENHEIMER
Getting our beautiful, classic jersey's back and putting those ugly pajama arm things to rest.

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4CUPZ
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HEAD OF SECURITY
Quote:
 
"As the NHL and its teams try to control the message with their own websites and broadcasters, it's becoming more difficult to find independent voices and it's wrong when one is silenced by an incompetent like Snow. The Islanders are the worst-run organization in pro sport on and off the ice. If Snow did a better job, he wouldn't have to worry about criticism."
- PAT HICKEY, The (montreal) Gazette


THE YEARS BEST :thumbsup: :yes: :yea:
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lynskyn12
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Wearing my authentic game worn Radek Martinek Jersey #24
Easily.....Gillies instantly pounding the guy (Buffalo?) who laid the cheap shot on Tavares early in the year. JT appreciated and so did I. I just wonder how was Gillies on the ice with Tavares? Must have been a bad line change from heaven.
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SniperGod22
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3rd line
lynskyn12,Apr 6 2011
08:39 AM
Easily.....Gillies instantly pounding the guy (Buffalo?) who laid the cheap shot on Tavares early in the year. JT appreciated and so did I. I just wonder how was Gillies on the ice with Tavares? Must have been a bad line change from heaven.

That sure was a positive.... teams need to know they can't touch our guys.
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25yearfan
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You can call me Joe.
Rob Schremp's game winning goal...



for Atlanta against the Rangers tonight shuould get honorable mention.
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Posted Image
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Webb20
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Godfather

Season Highlight: Making it look mean? Some might not see it as a highlight, and the NHL certainly did not, but the Islanders will most be remembered this season for a brawl-filled bloodbath right out of “Slapshot” at Nassau Coliseum against the Penguins on Feb. 2. Nine days after winger Blake Comeau(notes) was concussed on a blindside hit by Max Talbot(notes) and Rick DiPietro(notes) had his face split open in a goalie fight with Brent Johnson(notes), the Isles exacted some revenge, but it came with a price in both dollars and reputation. Fourth-line goon Trevor Gillies(notes) was suspended nine games—one shy of another ban he was slapped with later in the season. Rookie Matt Martin(notes) also received a four-game sentence and Bridgeport call-up Micheal Haley(notes) engaged in three fights—including with Johnson. The Isles also were fined $100,000 for not controlling their players.

Turning Point: The youthful Isles opened the season with nine points in their first six games (4-1-1) and appeared poised in the opening weeks to accelerate GM Garth Snow’s rebuild. But then the massive injuries the team endured—beginning with serious ones to key components Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo at the end of training camp—became too much to overcome. The Isles couldn’t stem a 1-17-3 slide through mid-December until it was too late to save coach Scott Gordon’s job or salvage the season. A second-half push got the Isles back within single digits in points of a playoff spot, but despite many individual improvements, they finished again with a bottom-5 record in the league. They also finished with the most penalty minutes in the NHL, with more than 1,500.

NOTES, QUOTES
• Interim coach Jack Capuano reportedly is expected to have that title lifted with a new contract as the Isles head coach for next season after posting a 26-29-10 record after replacing fired Scott Gordon following a 10-game losing skid on Nov. 15. The Isles won just once in Capuano’s first 11 games, but went 25-21-8 their final 54 games.

“I’d love the opportunity to be back behind the bench with a team that, I feel, has a bright future,” Capuano said.

• The Islanders were swept in the six-game season series against Atlantic Division nemesis Philadelphia, including a 7-4 loss in the regular-season finale on April 9. This is nothing new, of course, as the Isles have won just one of their last 22 games (1-17-4) against the Flyers since 2008.

“They’re four lines deep and with their six defensemen, they are a dangerous team, no question,” Capuano said. “They have all the elements to be a Stanley Cup Champion. … I thought we responded okay, but they were a little too much for us to handle down low.”

Quote To Note: “We didn’t come out as hard as we should have, obviously. It was our last game of the year. There is nothing else to leave it for, no more days to make it up. It’s going to be a long summer. We just have to improve in the offseason.”— John Tavares, after the Isles’ 7-4 season-ending loss to Philadelphia on April 9.

ROSTER REPORT
Most Valuable Player: John Tavares took the next step toward stardom with a 29-goal, 67-point campaign in his second NHL season. Beyond increasing his offensive numbers across the board, interim coach Jack Capuano has praised the 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick for improving his body strength, skating ability and play away from the puck, while taking on more of a vocal role in the Islanders’ locker room.

Most Disappointing Player: Josh Bailey(notes), the Isles’ first-round pick (ninth overall) the year before they selected Tavares, hasn’t made the same strides. Bailey, 21, spent several weeks in the minors with AHL Bridgeport, and posted just 11 goals, 28 points and a minus-13 rating in 70 NHL games—a decline from his 16-19-35 season in 2009-10.

Biggest Needs: The return of injured blue-line veterans Mark Streit, Mark Eaton(notes) and Mike Mottau(notes) will complement emerging first pairing Andrew MacDonald(notes) and Travis Hamonic(notes), dependable Milan Jurcina(notes) and possibly recent first-round pick Calvin de Haan(notes) on a strong backline next season. The Isles still need at least one more top-6 forward, preferably a center to slide defensive forward Frans Nielsen(notes) to the third line. Also, 2010 first-rounder Nino Niederreiter(notes) could challenge P.A. Parenteau(notes) for a first-line spot on John Tavares’ flank in training camp.

Free Agent Focus: Captain Doug Weight(notes), who is leaning toward retirement after playing just 18 games before suffering a back injury, injury-prone veteran defenseman Radek Martinek(notes) and fourth-line tough guys Zenon Konopka(notes) and Trevor Gillies are headed for unrestricted free agency. The Isles signed two-time 30-goal scorer Matt Moulson(notes), 50-point man P.A. Parenteau and useful defenseman Milan Jurcina to contract extensions during the season. But several others will be looking for salary bumps as restricted free agents, most notably Michael Grabner, Kyle Okposo, Blake Comeau and Jack Hillen(notes).

Player Notes:

• LW Michael Grabner, claimed by the Isles off waivers from Florida during training camp, is a top contender for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie after scoring 34 goals, second most by a rookie in Isles history behind Hall of Famer Mike Bossy (53 in 1977-78). Grabner also became the fifth rookie in team history to lead the team in goals, joining Billy Harris (28 in 1972-73), Bossy, Trent Hunter(notes) (25 in 2003-04) and Kyle Okposo (18 in 2008-09).

• LW P.A. Parenteau, a career minor-leaguer who entered this season with three NHL goals in 27 games over parts of four seasons, reached 20 in the season finale and finished with 53 points, tied with Matt Moulson (31-22-53) for second most on the team. Parenteau also became the fifth Islanders player to score at least 20 goals this season, the first time the Isles have boasted at least five 20-goal scorers since 2006-07.

• C Zenon Konopka finished with 307 penalty minutes, eclipsing Mick Vukota’s club record for forwards (293). Konopka and Trevor Gillies (165) also became the first Isles teammates since 1996-97 (Rick Pilon and Bryan McCabe(notes)) to each reach at least 155.

Medical Watch:

• D Mark Eaton (hip surgery) underwent season-ending surgery Jan. 11 to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.

• D Bruno Gervais(notes) (foot injury) missed the final six games after taking a shot off his skate March 26 against Philadelphia.

• D Jack Hillen (shoulder) missed the final three games with a shoulder injury.

• RW Trent Hunter (left knee) suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear Nov. 24 against Columbus and missed the remainder of the season.

• D Milan Jurcina (hip flexor) didn’t return after suffering a strained right hip flexor March 31.

• D Andrew MacDonald (hip surgery) underwent season-ending surgery after the Isles announced March 25 that he had a torn labrum in his left hip.

• D Mike Mottau (hip surgery) missed the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery in late December to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.

• C Frans Nielsen (concussion symptoms) didn’t return after suffering a head injury March 31.

• G Kevin Poulin(notes) (dislocated kneecap) missed the remainder of the season with a dislocated kneecap suffered Feb. 8.

• D Mark Streit (left-shoulder surgery) missed the entire season after having a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff repaired on Oct. 1.

• C Doug Weight (back spasms) suffered a back injury Nov. 17 and missed the remainder of the season.
I sold it all, retired and moved to Fabulous Las Vegas!
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."-Ben Franklin
"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."-Ronald Reagan
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