September 23, 2011, New York Islanders outlook column for HockeyPrimeTime.com
| Islanders focus on playoffs and not on youth |  |
| Columns | |
| Written by Denis Gorman | |
| Friday, September 23, 2011 02:13 | |
The Islanders say they have enough experience to be a playoff team. Will words translate into results on Long Island? The scene played out in similar fashion to those in 29 other practice facilities. Fifty-five athletes were split into two practice groups. The first grouping drilled in the morning while their counterparts worked in the early afternoon. Players and coaches spoke confidently afterward about what the upcoming season holds. In this case, the team in question is the New York Islanders and they expressed their collective belief that Nassau Coliseum would host at least one playoff game for the first time since April 18, 2007. "Being young, that's not a concern for us anymore," coach Jack Capuano said in a post-practice press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Nassau Coliseum. Capuano was joined at the dais with GM Garth Snow and owner Charles Wang and reiterated his mentality. "We have nothing on our mind but winning hockey games," Capuano said. "There (are) no excuses from here on out. "We're going to win hockey games." The caustic would respond to Capuano by asking him if he knew which NHL franchise he was employed by. Let's be honest, it has not been an overwhelmingly successful two decades in Uniondale on or off the ice. The Coliseum has long outlived any usefulness, there have been ownership issues and decision makers have made dubious choices that have been met with condemnation and condescension dating back to Mike Millbury's era of incompetence. In the last 17 years since making a surprising run to the conference finals in 1993, the Islanders have just five playoff appearances. All have been first-round losses. Perhaps trading Zdeno Chara, Roberto Luongo and Todd Bertuzzi, among others, wasn't such a hot idea but, presently, it is hard to find fault with the decisions made by Wang and Snow over this summer. Yes, Wang's hope for a new, county commissioned-and-paid-for Coliseum did not come to fruition as residents voted against authorizing the county to use public funds to build a new arena But that was more about County Executive Ed Mangano misreading the public support - or lack thereof - for his vision of what he has termed Nassau's "hub" than an organizational public relations gaffe. Furthermore, Wang and Snow spent to improve their team, which has been an area in which the owner and executive have absorbed criticism in the past. While the Islanders were not hugely active in free agency - Marty Reasoner was the only UFA signing - Wang and Snow committed 19 years and $71.4 million worth of contracts to what the organization fervently believes are its core mainstays: Matt Moulson, John Tavares, Michael Grabner and Kyle Okposo. Besides signing Reasoner, Snow also was able to supplement the Islanders' young corps by acquiring Brian Rolston in a trade along and convincing Jay Pandolfo and Steve Staios to attend training camp on a tryout basis. The quartet has 56 years combined NHL experience, including 275 playoff games and three Cups. "It's always good to have a veteran presence. It's no secret that we're a young team," right wing P.A. Parenteau said "To get these guys (brings) the average age (up). It's always a good thing to have some experience especially if you want to have a winning hockey team. Guys like that they can speak up from Day One. They've been around; they're well-respected around the league. "I think Rolston and Marty Reasoner are unbelievable guys. I haven't gotten to know Steve that much yet but they're great guys. The younger guys and (I) already like them. These guys have a big say around this team right now. They're part of the team."
The Islanders' success under Capuano - especially post-All Star Weekend - at the end of last season had the team excited for this year. The Islanders posted a 26-29-10 record in Capuano's 65 games after he replaced Scott Gordon as head coach, including winning 15-of-34 in the final three months. Parenteau, specifically, had vowed at the end of last season that the Islanders would be a playoff team in 2011-12. He was reminded of those words Wednesday afternoon before being asked for his analysis of the team after a handful of practices. "We're exactly where I thought we'd be at after a couple days," Parenteau said. "Guys are in great shape. Guys are motivated, looking forward to Opening Night. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves but we know if we stay healthy we're going to surprise a lot of people." His words echoed Tavares' following last week's press conference to announce his six-year, $33 million extension with the Islanders. "We have a great organization and a great staff and great group of guys, a hell of a locker room that have fun each and every day and play for one another and do anything for one another," Tavares said. "For sure we're excited about it. We've all made these commitments and we've talked about it, what we could possibly do here, if stuff like this can prove a point to a lot of people, hopefully we can send that message. For sure the next step for us is to get in the playoffs. "There are not much more excuses of gaining experience. We're still young but a lot of us have played in the league two, three years now, so it's time for us to get to that next level as a hockey team. If we can stay healthy, which I believe we will, and we keep making the progress that we have, we're going to be a team that will be in the playoffs year in and year out." You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photo of Mark Streit by Getty Images | |
| Last Updated on Friday, September 23, 2011 18:42 |
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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 7:02 PM
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