head coach: Rick Bowness

roster: C - Robert Reichel, Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski, Mark Janssens, Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Hough, Paul Kruse, Ken Belanger, Kip Miller, Tom Chorske. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Joe Sacco, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dan Plante, Steve Webb, Vladimir Orszagh, Warren Luhning. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Richard Pilon, Kenny Jonsson, Jason Holland, J.J. Daigneault, Zdeno Chara, Jason Strudwick, Dennis Vaske. G - Eric Fichaud, Tommy Salo, Wade Flaherty.

injuries: Dennis Vaske, d (concussion, indefinite); Ken Belanger, lw (surgery, out 10 weeks).

transactions: Traded Bryan McCabe, d; Todd Bertuzzi, lw; and a draft pick to the Canucks for Trevor Linden, rw. Traded Travis Green, c; Doug Houda, d; and Tony Tuzzolino, rw; to the Mighty Ducks for Joe Sacco, rw; Mark Janssens, c; and J.J. Daigneault, d. Recalled Jason Holland, d; and Warren Luhning, rw; from Kentucky (AHL). Recalled Kip Miller, lw, from Utah (IHL).

standings:

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division   
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
New Jersey   56  34  16   6    74  158  110
Philadelphia 55  29  17   9    67  160  123
Washington   56  26  19  11    63  156  143
NY Rangers   57  17  24  16    50  140  154
NY Islanders 57  20  29   8    48  148  158
Florida      57  18  27  12    48  138  160
Tampa Bay    56  10  37   9    29  104  185

game results:

1/28 Philadelphia   W 6-1
1/30 Carolina       W 2-0
2/01 Boston         T 2-2
2/02 at Pittsburgh  W 4-2
2/04 Montreal       W 4-2
2/07 New Jersey     L 3-2

team news:

by David Strauss, NY Islanders Correspondent

While the Isles crashed through a 1-13-2 stretch that compared with the wretched 1972 team for worst ever slump by an Islander team, rumors were rampant that coach Rick Bowness would be fired, that GM Mike Milbury would make a flurry of deals, and that the team had hired a witch to call Georges Vezina out of retirement. (Well, rumors are rumors, you know?)

So, when the team broke out of their slump by going 4-0-1 against some of the top teams in the East, including Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Boston, it was thought that the crisis had passed. After all, the team was back on the right track, right?

Not so fast.

In one of the busiest days in franchise history, Milbury was real busy as he tried to beat the NHL's Winter Break trading deadline. He traded five players, received four, and recalled three from the minors.

The Islanders traded defenseman Bryan McCabe, right wing Todd Bertuzzi and a third-round 1998 draft pick to Vancouver for center/right wing Trevor Linden.

Then, right before the NHL's midnight trade moratorium, Milbury traded center Travis Green, defenseman Doug Houda and minor-league right wing Tony Tuzzolino to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for three veterans: right wing Joe Sacco (29), checking center Mark Janssens (30) and defenseman J.J. Daigneault (32).

And, just in case you thought he wasn't busy enough, the team also promoted three players from the minor leagues to fill out the roster: defenseman Jason Holland and right wing Warren Luhning from Kentucky of the AHL and left wing Kip Miller from Utah of the IHL.

The moves left the Islanders with a number of veterans and a season-high $21.6-million payroll. And most definitely made them an older team with more leadership, a quality that had been lacking.

While Linden was once one of the NHL's power forwards a few years ago, he's been injured often the last few years, and was recovering from a knee injury which had forced him to miss the past six games before the deal. He did, however, pass an Islanders physical examination which was required to complete the trade.

He expects to play for Team Canada in Nagano and to play his first game with the Islanders on Feb. 25 against the Dallas Stars at the Coliseum, the expected "Opening Night" for the new ownership group led by Steven Gluckstern.

In his first eight seasons, Linden played 611 of a possible 618 games. In seven non-lockout years, he averaged 30 goals and 36 assists a season. He has been beset by injuries the past two years and has 16 goals and 45 assists in his past 91 games.

"He'll certainly play his way back into shape over there," Milbury said of the Olympics. "Trevor's a guy we gave up a lot to get. We want him back in as quick as possible . . . I think we're adding a guy with a lot of leadership . . . I only hope this'll be a catalyst to help us make up some of the points we lost in the early part of January."

Linden said of his knee: "It feels a lot better. It's coming along well . . . I made it pretty clear to [Team Canada GM] Bobby Clarke I'll be healthy for the first game."

Rumors (there they are again) speculate that Milbury intends to include Linden in a trade offer to the Detroit Red Wings for unsigned free-agent center Sergei Fedorov.

"It's reasonable to speculate that way," Milbury said, "but the deal was not done for that reason."

Linden had been the Canucks' captain for seven years until they signed Mark Messier this fall and Linden gave up the "C." It's not a big leap to assume that, if he stays, Milbury and Bowness will expect him to take over the leadership role in Uniondale.

That's because they just lost their current captain. McCabe, 22, had been given the letter in September, when Milbury painted him as the cornerstone of the team's defense for the next decade. "I'm heart-sick at moments over losing McCabe. I don't think my daughter will ever speak to me again," Milbury said. McCabe had a goal and three assists in his first 48 games but was 2-6-8 in his past eight and his plus-9 rating for the season was the club's best.

"I don't know what's going on," McCabe said. "I'm shocked. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm sad to leave the boys. I've been with these guys my whole career."

Bertuzzi, 23, was the subject of trade rumors for two seasons and incurred the abuse of fans for not living up to his potential. Although he had size (6'3", 220), he preferred to play a perimeter game and never played as physical as the Islanders wanted him to. He had 35 goals and 45 assists in 193 games.

"I'm shocked," Bertuzzi said. "You know how it is. You don't hear anything. There was nothing in the air [lately]. But I'm excited to get another shot. Things weren't panning out here."

Milbury said: "If I ever felt [Bertuzzi] was going to fulfill his potential, I'd be a fool to make the deal - because his potential is so vast . . . We tried everything short of bamboo shoots under the fingernails . . . He's been hugged and kissed and stroked and educated . . . It just hasn't come around for Todd. It's a project Mike Keenan is looking forward to."

In exchange for Green, the Islanders feel they gained experience and toughness.

Milbury announced the second deal with Sacco, 29, as the centerpiece, a fast skater, good penalty killer who has eight goals and 19 points this season. Janssens probably was the Ducks' most consistent winner of important faceoffs. He certainly was their best fighter.

"Sacco's got great wheels, good character guy, works hard every night," Milbury said. "We were a little loaded at center after the Linden trade. We needed help on power play and we think J.J. can help."

Anaheim was looking for a creative center such as Green to put between Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.

[ issues | web extra | stats | nhl archive | home | chat | mailing list | about us | search | comments ]

1998 © Copyright LCS Hockey All Rights Reserved