Another year, another lottery for the Isles.
Year after year, Islander fans start the season with hope. The
young defense is going to prosper, the forwards are going to fill
the net, and the goaltending will be spectacular.
In 1999, the young defense was traded, the forwards are scoring
less than Monica Lewinsky at a Republican fundraiser, and the
goaltending? Well, okay, it hasn't been bad, but it sure has
been cranky.
The symbol of the Isles lack of consistency over the last few
years would certainly be the debacle that was the Bryan Berard
for Felix Potvin deal, but it's not the main reason. Chalk that
up to questionable ownership that came riding into Uniondale last
season wearing a white hat and promising to restore the glory,
and in reality refused to pay the team's top player for a third
of the season, gave the captain a take it or leave it offer, has
refused to sign any free agents, and oh yeah, is willing to spend
$800 million to buy the Washington Redskins.
And while we're pointing the finger at ownership (actually, it's
only me...we media types like to use the pronoun "we" to pretend
we speak for more than our own ego), how about management? Mike
Milbury has made almost two dozen trades in his tenure as
Islanders coach, and while some of them were good (getting
Kenny Jonsson and Mike Watt), and some of them questionable
(Trevor Linden for Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe), some of them
have been really, really bad (basically losing Travis Green for a
used skate bag and a 9th rounder, and the Berard deal).
It boils down to one question: Has Milbury made this team better
from his deals, using almost 100 players over the last few years?
No. And since he stepped down as coach, he's been pulling a JD
Salinger, and has disappeared from the media. For a guy who used
to relish his spotlight on ESPN, that means he's either
shellshocked from his failure as coach and GM, or practicing
the black arts. My bet is on the former, but you know those
Boston guys.
With Toronto coming to town this week, the Isles have been forced
to look at just how bad Felix Potvin has been for them. Potvin
has a 3.86 goals-against average and has a 1-6-1 record as an
Islander. He's given up a lot of soft goals and, after sitting
out for a month before the trade, strained his groin and missed
several games.
"This hasn't been easy," Potvin has said. No kidding.
The ironic part is that the guy that Milbury decided wasn't good
enough to play goal for a last place team, Tommy Salo, has been
very good since the deal. New coach Bill Stewart, without saying
so, certainly prefers to have the Swede in net.
"I didn't think I'd still be here," Salo admitted. "The way Mike
handled it was hard for me. He should have traded me before he
had two of us. I felt like he pointed the finger at me [for the
team's failings]. Now that Mike's not here [coaching] any more, I
think it's more relaxed. I think everyone feels that way. Players
are just more confident. They're holding the puck longer, making
plays. They're less afraid of screwing up any more."
So add one more question to the Isles' clouded future. Whether
Mike Milbury will be around next season.
*****
The Isles' Jeckyl and Hyde season continued last week with a
typical stretch of games.
They played one of their best games this season on Saturday,
overcoming a third-period 2-1 deficit to beat the New Jersey
Devils, 3-2, at Continental Airlines Arena, running their modest
unbeaten streak to 2-0-2. Then, they had one of their worst
games of the year (a tough call, there have been a lot) losing to
the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, on Sunday at Greensboro Coliseum.
"Unfortunately, things like this happen," Islanders coach Bill
Stewart said. "It's a learning process and we're certainly going
to keep everything in perspective. There's a simple fact that
over the course of the last seven games we've lost just twice --
and, I thought we, for the most part, competed very well. You do
have letdowns over the course of the season, but consistent
teams always show up and we have to learn that as a group."
The Islanders are 5-5-4 since Stewart took over as coach on
January 21.
Without physical defenseman Rich Pilon, who had left the team
after the game Saturday to attend the funeral of his grandmother
back home in Canada, the Islanders were physically punished by
the Hurricanes.
Stewart called it "our B game." He said, "You have to answer the
bell. I am not going to beat them up over it. They've been beat
up enough."
The team now faces its fifth straight season without a postseason
berth. That will become the longest streak in the league if the
Hurricanes -- formerly the Hartford Whalers -- end their
six-season drought with a postseason appearance this year.
*****
John Spano, awaiting sentencing after admitting in federal court
he had committed fraud in order to obtain an $80 million loan
from Fleet Bank to purchase the Islanders in 1997, was arrested
last week in Philadelphia on charges he violated the terms of his
bail -- because he allegedly passed bad checks for business and
personal dealings.
The arrest was announced by federal officials on Long Island.
Neither Spano nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
Which means that he definitely learned something in his time as
pseudo-Isles-owner.
