Who stole my Islanders?

A packed Nassau Coliseum, a penalty kill unit that works hard, skaters who crash the net, and a team that toils in unison up and down the ice for 60 minutes. Who are these guys?

Joking aside, as I search for something to be critical of in this new season, these Islanders are not allowing me that indulgence. Last night, in what can only be described as an amazing night for myself and fellow Isles bloggers, the Islanders defeated Buffalo again, this time 3-2.

While it's only 2 games, Mike Comrie has been a spark that this team has sorely missed in past seasons. Fueling the fire has been the the play of new captain Bill Guerin, and the scrappy play of Ruslan Fedotenko. While those guys are getting the glory and the share of the headlines, kudos to Chris Campoli for not only netting his second goal of the year, but for taking the time to speak with us after the game.

You see, last night was the first-ever behind-the-scenes tour for New York Islanders Blog Box members. Being that this blog is a charter member of that new and innovative program, we and our fellow bloggers were led on an all-access tour of the bowels of the Coliseum. We visited the lockerroom (smaller than expected), spoke with on-air personality Deb Kaufman (shorter than expected), and were granted access to Chris Campoli and Ted Nolan for unrestricted questioning (cooler than expected). In all it was a great night and many thanks go to Deb, Chris, and Isles execs Chris Botta and Corey Witt for having the foresight to make this happen.

My fellow bloggers-in-arms also seem very cool to a man (and one woman) and I look forward to enjoying games with them in the future and reading their takes on this special night.

The New Islanders

Opening Night versus Buffalo was a success, with the Islanders recording a 6-4 victory at HSBC Arena. While I would have preferred a little more defense in the effort, it is hard to find fault with their performance.

The game recaps are emphasizing how well the squad played together on opening night, especially the newly-minted top line of Comrie, Guerin, and Fedotenko. Let's not forget about Josef Vasicek either, who netted the first Islander tally after the Orange and Blue quickly fell down 1-0. Honorable mention also goes to "The Rick," who saved 22 of 26 shots, but made some dazzling stops to keep this contest in hand and let The New Islanders go to work.

Game 2 of 82 is tomorrow night. Same teams, different venue (our place), hopefully the same outcome!

UM is getting ready. Are you?

Fans, the University of Minnesota's regular season begins October 12th with the IceBreaker Invitational (Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN). And while we can't get up there to see that tournament, we are making plans to see Okposo in person sometime this season, with a trip to the Twin Cities.

While we are pretty much the only independent site for Kyle Okposo info on the web, we are limited in what we can bring you. But soon that is about to change. Thanks to a generous offer from the NYI organization, we'll have the chance to ask some things we want to know about Kyle and their future plans for him. But, we'd also like to know what YOU want to know about Kyle. If you read and enjoy this blog, have a relevant question, or even if you hate this site and just want to let us know, please feel free at any time use the comment button located beneath each entry. We'll answer you promptly or relay your question to the Isles if we can't answer it ourselves.

Now, to give you a taste of what a special talent we think Kyle is, have a look at this goal from last season. The clip runs about 1 minute.

Let the 2007-08 Season Begin

For Yankees fans like me, it'll hopefully take until the end of October to get fully involved with the Islanders, but for Mets fans, welcome to the 2007-08 NHL season!

Hi, I'm Dr. Hook. You might remember me from such blogs as ... well, none actually. I did work on sports webpages about 10 years ago where I wrote some semi-regular editorial copy (sort of a forerunner of blogs), but this is my first true blog post. First off, thanks to Ken for the opportunity to join this blog - it should be a fun ride this season, and I look forward to Ken's eventual postings from the Isles' new Blog Box, where I hope he is able to break several exclusives, such as which show does Ted Nolan watch -- Grey's Anatomy, CSI or The Office? Inquiring minds want to know.

By way of quick background, I've been an Isles fan for about 25 years - first watching the Isles during the Stanley Cup dynasty, following them through the Easter Epic, going crazy in Bayville after Volek's goal, cringing through 1995-2000, and finally glad to see playoff hockey back making more regular appearances on the Island. The Isles still have some work to do (and a new building wouldn't hurt either - I love the Coliseum, but as we've learned in recent months, free agents do not), but at least one thing seems guaranteed: with Ted Nolan at the helm, these guys will play their asses off.

So once again this year, the Isles are expected by the "experts" to finish out of the playoffs. Personally, with the additions of Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko and Andy Sutton, and the return of Sean Bergenheim, I believe the Isles could surprise once again this season. And if they show as much fight during the season as they did during that preseason brawl with the Rangers (poor Al Montoya never stood a chance), it should make for a very fun season.

I'll be checking in every so often with various thoughts on the Isles, the Coliseum, the Atlantic Division, etc. -- but until then, I'm looking forward to October 5 at a much weaker Buffalo.

Ted makes way for Al

This story has been picked up by several media outlets and fellow bloggers, but in case you missed it Al Arbour is returning! On November 3rd, the finest coach in Islanders history will get behind the bench for his 1500th game. We think it's a great move by Ted Nolan and Isles management, not only for the publicity that surrounds the event, but as a nod to history. In the current sports landscape, too many teams are quick to discard their history. The current Islanders, clearly living in the shadow of former glories, are at least acknowledging and displaying pride in their far-too-distant dynastic era. The newer, younger fans will get a chance to see (and hopefully meet and speak to) the great coach later this season. If you're an Islander fan, someone wrote, that game is a "must attend."

One question though: If the Isles win the game, are they going to change the banner in the rafters to read "740?"

We're All Islanders (Bloggers)

Welcome NYI Blog Box readers! We're so excited that the Isles have decided to make Okposo Net part of their new BLOG BOX feature. We hope to bring you all of the fresh Kyle Okposo news as it rolls in.

We must correct an injustice, though. If you found this blog through the aforementioned Isles website, you'll see a picture (unflattering) and bio of Ken Dick, known here as 'Okposo Island.' But not pictured, and deserving equal or more credit for his effort is Brett Schmitt (Okposo Nose). He's an experienced blogger and runs another Isles blog, Former Islanders Watch (http://formerisles.blogspot.com).

Brett has recently packed up his bags and moved to Beverly (Anaheim, actually) and he and his wife are expecting their first child any second now. No, I'm not joking, it could be happening right now. Or now. Anyway, he'll still be contributing to both blogs and when not juggling school and family you'll find him screaming himself hoarse for his beloved Islanders on the road versus the Kings or Ducks.

Before the season starts, we may be able to get some pictures of the Hockey Hall of Fame up for your viewing pleasure. It was a great experience, and we took lots of Isles-related pictures while there. I suggest it to any hockey fan who finds themself in Toronto.

A New York State of Mind

Hello hockey fans!

Well, it's our favorite time of the year -- hockey season! Okay, sure it's in the 70's outside and the Mets and Yanks are still doing their thing, but in this part of cyberspace we're focused on ice, vulcanized rubber, red lights, and twine...

Yours truly has been hanging out in Canada most of the summer, and have hardly had a chance to put down the Molsons and write something. But no more...The good news is that Okposo starts playing meaningful games again on October 12th...and the Isles are already working the legs in those preseason games. Sure, they dropped the first two contests, but I don't think anyone is putting too much stock in that. We're just glad that the Zamboni is oiled up and the leaves are ready to turn. Before you know it the snow will be flurrying and the pucks will be a-flyin' for real.

One minor note, last week the Isles traded former first round pick Petteri Nokielainen to the Boston Bruins for Ben Walter and a conditional 2nd round draft pick. Walter is regarded as a prospect and at 23 years old here's hoping we get to see him in Uniondale sooner rather than later.