Patience. Fortitude. Perseverance. Grim Determination. Take your pick. Put ’em all together and you have Josh Bailey‘s story, a slow climb to stardom. But eventually, he made it. And if you don’t believe me, check Josh’s arithmetic book. During the 2017-18 season, the 28-year-old delivered a career-high in goals (18), a career-high in assists (53) […]
What can be said about Barry Trotz that already hasn’t been said? Plenty. For one thing, he’ll revive the Islanders. For another, the Stanley Cup-winning coach won’t be shadow-boxing in the dark. He knows his onions, knows his hockey and relishes the idea of a good challenge. It happened in Nashville, where he turned the […]
Pain And Progress — Title of Devils Book When Lou Lamoriello Became New Jersey GM In 1987 Nobody in the hockey world knows better than Lou Lamoriello that pain and progress are inseparable. The new Islanders boss applied that lesson orchestrating three Stanley Cup champions in the Garden State. More recently, he experienced that […]
Lou Lamoriello has plenty of experience with players who had been in his fold but bolted in search of greener pastures. Lamoriello just shook them off like a pitcher knowing the next one would be a strike out. Having covered the Islanders new hockey boss since Lamoriello’s Devils debut in 1987, I’ve admired the manner […]
Is the Free Agent Frenzy (FAF) over, just three days after its frenetic John Tavares opener? If nothing else, JT’s headline-grabber has left a fallout of fan fury; at least in Islanders Country but that will diminish along with the free agent list. Still, there’s more FAF ahead but with diminishing returns and some compelling […]
Freshly-minted as a Maple Leaf, John Tavares faced-off with some of his critics — mainly me — late Sunday afternoon in a conference call. Whether the ex-Islanders captain won the draw — or lost it, as the case may be — depends on where your rooting interest lies. John took the third-degree well, even got […]
The Island Has Been Home, It’s What I Know; It’s Part Of Me. — Part of John Tavares’ Farewell Message To Islanders Fans. Likewise, in a positive statement, Isles hockey boss Lou Lamoriello thanked Tavares “for everything he has done for the franchise,” wishing John and his family “all the best.” In addition, Lamoriello added, “John […]
The great Winston Churchill once said: A Pessimist Sees The Difficulty In Every Opportunity; An Optimist Sees The Opportunity In Every Difficulty England’s Churchill, the iconic hero of the Second World War, could have been talking about Lou Lamoriello today. Now that John Tavares has bid the Islanders adieu by signing with his hometown Toronto […]