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By admin, November 9, 2009 5:39 am

I still remember the excitement I had the day Mike Milbury got hired as GM. Don Maloney had just gotten done running the team into the ground. Brett Lindros, allowing Glenn Healy to leave, His proclamation that Turregon was done and a defensive Islanders squad anchored by Kirk Miller was the future. It seemed that the Islanders with Maloney had hit rock bottom. Miller refused to even play for them despite being only three years removed from a Canadians – Islanders conference final. The Miller embarrassment was the last straw as it cost Maloney his job.

Enter Mike Milbury. He was already head coach, but everyone knew he was hired to take over as GM. With some impressive youngsters already on the Island and in the farm system (Ziggy Palffy, Todd Bertuzzi, Tommy Salo) it was going to be all about the future. A five year plan meant that by 2001 the Islanders would be ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. Finally the rudderless ship that seemed to be the Islanders had some direction.

As my Ranger friends let me know, every year their newest expensive addition to the roster was going to bring them the cup. But I could always strike back with just wait till 2001. The Islanders are going to get to their first  Stanley Cup finals in 20 years in 2001. I can not underestimate the excitement I felt. I even somehow managed to convince my dad to take me to the 96 Islanders Draft Party. I remember cheering as we got JP Dumont, another piece of the future championship team.

I probably should have known nothing was going to go according to plan pretty early, when Milbury traded Dumont for the worthless bust Dimitri Nabokov. But I stayed calm, Milbury would eventually bring us to the promised land in 2001. The Islanders organization was continually rated as having the best prospects in hockey. A number of deals had finally given us our Goalie of the Future in Eric Fichaud.

The Goalie position had been a mess. Since the Islanders decided NOT to reward Healy with a contract after his 93 Run, the Islanders went through a laundry list of mediocre starting goalies. Ron Hextall, Jamie McClennan, Tommy Soderstrom all started and weren’t the answer.  The top goalie in the Islanders system at the time, Tommy Salo, hadn’t exactly been spectacular during his NHL stints. So the future was in Fichaud. I remember I even got a Fichaud replica goalie stick.

Other trades slowly but surely got rid of older Islanders and brought in a large number of first round picks and young prospects. The future was looking bright, and I knew that in time the Islanders would be back in the playoffs and pushing for the Cup.

Obviously that didn’t work out. But I’ve been playing around with the idea of trying to write a book based on the 96-01 Islanders under Milbury. Interviews with some of the Isles players who were “In The Doghouse” and coaches who had to deal with Milbury’s insanity (Rick Bowness) and this looked like it might make a good forward. I just wanted to show that I didn’t always hate Milbury, and once thought he was going to help lead the team to the Stanley Cup.

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By admin, August 28, 2009 12:04 pm

Just a quick look at the 2010 Playoffs and the possibility the Islanders might make it. First off what the Islanders need to do it.

1. Stay Healthy. Islanders have lead or been close to the lead in man games lost to injury nearly as long as I’ve been a fan.
2. Biron and Roloson have to have career years. They both have the motivation to get it done. Roloson surprised the Oilers by not resigning because he wanted a 2 year. Biron after a heroic run to the conference finals a year ago is let go because of salary demands and ends up signing for 50K more then his replacement.
3. The young forwards have to step it up as they have a year or two under their belts, and Tavares has to have a Stamkos type point season.

Then it comes to the competition. Team by Team based on confrence standings.

Boston: Automatic to be in unless Thomas fades
Washington: Near Automatic unless Ovechkin gets injuried or their goalies can’t get it done
New Jersey: Automatic even with questions about Broduer
Pittsburgh: Automatic, young team might be a dynasty.
Philly: The season is in the hands of Emery, whose best years were with a much more talented club and he’s a head case.
Carolina: Borderline. Despite getting to the confrence finals, the Southeast should be better this year.
Rangers: Added almost nothing in the offseason, but still have Redden! Team lives and dies by Lundquist and might be less talented then last year.
Montreal: Should miss the playoffs this year. Should have missed them last year as well. The only tiebreaker they had over Florida was an OT shootout victory over them.

Thats it for last years playoffs team. Four teams should most definitely be returning to the fold, leaving four spots for the next seven teams

Florida: Losing Bouwmaster should kill this teams playoffs hopes early.
Buffalo: Would have made the playoffs last year if not for Miller’s injury. Should make them this year.
Ottawa: With the Heatly mess and goaltending mess this team might come in the top 6 in the confrence or bottom out.
Toronto: Can’t expect much from a Rookie Goalie from Sweden, no matter how big he is and how good he looks.
Atlanta: This is a do or die season for Atlanta in more then one way. If they can’t get to the playoffs they probably have to trade Kolachuk and start rebuilding again in a town which doesn’t care about them. This might be their season to make some noise in the playoffs and get Atlanta excited.
Tampa Bay: If it wasn’t for Phoenix, people would realize how much of a mess this team was.

So at the very least two teams should be out of the Eastern Confrence Playoffs and two should be in. I’d say that the Rangers and Flyers are my choices not to return to the playoffs. Buffalo should make it with a healthy Miller. That leaves Atlanta, Tampa, Toronto, Ottawa and Florida. If Ottawa can get an equal value for Heaty or if Atlanta plays with determenation either team should have enough talent to get in.

But just in case you want a glimmer of hope as an Isles fan, as I do, Leclaire and Lehtionen, the starters for both teams have had a tendency to miss half seasons due to injuries lately. Roloson and Biron can be starting for just about any team in the league, so lets cross our fingers for some injuries to finally kick some other team in the ass.