December 18, 2010, HockeyPrimeTime.com NHL Atlantic Division Notebook focusing on the Islanders rebuilding plan

Snow job on Long Island

Northeast

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, December 18, 2010 04:00

Leave it to Garth Snow to put a positive spin on Quebec fans protesting his team's existence. The Islanders own the league's worst record, attendance is lagging – but hey, the lounge is new. The sideshow began at 5:30 on Dec. 11. A cold wind swirled outside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Inside, Garth Snow tried to muster a positive spin when reporters asked about a group of 1,100 Quebeckers using that night’s home game against Atlanta as a referendum on Quebec City’s worthiness as an NHL city. Snow repeatedly proclaimed the strength of the NHL product during his pregame press conference. AROUND THE ATLANTIC He also reiterated the organization’s belief that Long Island has “great hockey fans” while tap-dancing around the real issue: The New York Islanders’ irrelevancy. The Islanders rank 29th in the NHL in average attendance at 10,710. That’s a direct reflection on a team that owns the league’s worst record (6-18-5) and has lost 20 of its last 22. The team has been roundly criticized for firing head coach Scott Gordon and rescinding Chris Botta’s press credential. In short, it’s been a hellish season in Uniondale. Grasping for positives in an empty jar has become a nightly ritual. Take last Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Atlanta, in which Rick DiPietro surrendered an off-the-draw goal to Bryan Little and John Tavares engaged in his first NHL fight. “Good thing is we never quit,” Rob Schremp said. “It's deeply frustrating. We played really hard,” Travis Hamonic said. “We've got to make sure we're prepared and make sure we keep battling.” “We worked so hard and we kept coming,” offered Matt Moulson. “We generated some chances,” suggested interim coach Jack Capuano. And those points are inarguable. So, too, is the fact that the Islanders do not have the capability, as constituted, to compete at a NHL level on a nightly basis. Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks aside, this will be the case for the foreseeable future. “We’re obviously in a rebuilding mode here. We’re in a situation where we rely heavily on some young players. The one thing I’m proud of, since I became general manager, is our prospect pool has been replenished. Whether it is Nino Niederreiter playing for Portland of the WHL (or) Calvin de Haan, who could be the captain of the Canadian World Junior team (or) Matt Donovan at Denver (University), we have a situation where we’re going with young players and I’m not going to deviate from the plan to rebuild through the draft. I’m not going to trade the young prospects, whether (they) are in Bridgeport or junior hockey (or) college hockey or Europe for a quick fix,” Snow said to HockeyPrimeTime.com Saturday night after he was asked about the possibility of making trades to improve the product. “If there’s something that makes sense for us, not just the short term but in the long term, we’ll look at it. There (have) been several occasions where we’ve added players via free agency, trade, through waivers.” But what has the plan accomplished? The Islanders are 135-152-41 in Snow’s tenure as GM. The Islanders qualified for the playoffs in his first year and were eliminated in five games by Buffalo. That was followed by back-to-back-to-back fifth place finishes in the Atlantic Division. Snow and owner Charles Wang blame the Town of Hempstead for its unwillingness to green light the long-proposed Lighthouse Project. While the Lighthouse Project would be an economic boon to Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead, the response from Wang and his employees to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray has caused both sides to dig in their heels. Wang, Snow and Gordon met with reporters during training camp. It was in this press conference that Snow compared the Coliseum to “an Auto Lodge." The Islanders’ GM was reminded of his words as part of a question whether the influx of Quebecois fans could be the start of fans from non-NHL markets using the Islanders and their home as a stage to beg the league and commissioner Gary Bettman for franchises. “We’re here through 2015. We’re going to honor the lease. I know we’re not going to play one day longer than we have to in this arena. That being said, we have, fortunately for us, an owner in Charles Wang who has put over $250,000 in our locker room to make it more comfortable for the players: The players’ lounge, the kitchen, a renovated training room,” Snow said. “For us, as a hockey team, we’re here to win hockey games. We try to make it as comfortable for the players as possible. I’ve played in several different cities as a NHL hockey player — many different venues — (and) when it comes to the players’ lounge and the players’ area, it’s first class all the way,” Except on the ice. Notes Chris Pronger underwent surgery Friday on his right foot and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Oskars Bartulis, a healthy scratch since Nov. 1, will probably play regularly while Pronger is sidelined. … Flyers enforcer Jody Shelley was suspended for two games Monday for shoving Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid from behind into the end boards. … The New Jersey Devils placed 37-year old left wing Brian Rolston on waivers Tuesday. Rolston went unclaimed and played the following two games, picking up an assist Friday. …The Rangers’ 7-0 win over the Capitals Sunday night marked the first time in nearly 37 years that the New York beat Washington by seven goals. … Sidney Crosby stretched his point streak to a career-high 20 games on Wednesday night. He drew an assist on Evgeni Malkin's 11th goal of the season in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers. … The Penguins’ winning streak ended at 12 a night earlier in a 3-2 loss to Philadelphia. Photos by Getty Images

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