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A remarkable thing happened on Long Island yesterday. Over 10,000 fans showed up to a decrepit arena, to cheer for the NHL's worst team, over two weeks after the Stanley Cup was awarded. Don't believe me? See for yourself:
Unless you follow hockey closely, it's hard to understand just why Isles fans are so jubilant about bagging Tavares. There are three reasons:
1. Tavares is generally considered to be the best recruit to enter the league since Sidney Crosby, perhaps even better. His junior hockey numbers are positively mind-boggling - when you break scoring records held by a guy with the last name of Gretzky, people tend to notice. In an era where offense wins championships, a team like the Islanders getting a guy like Tavares is like a third world country spontaneously developing nuclear weapons.
2. The Islanders have a long, sad history of doing face plants in the draft. Whether it's trading away a semi-established goalie to draft another one first, or drafting high and then trading that pick away for multiple second-round picks, time and again the Isles' management has chosen ... poorly. For once, the management made the right choice, and judging by the new front page of the Islanders website, they're not planning on doing anything stupid between now and October.
3. There is still a big elephant in the room, and that's the state of Nassau Coliseum. The Isles' owner has flatly stated that if there is no deal between the Town of Hempstead and the Lighthouse Development Group by November, he will ask the NHL for permission to move the team. The most likely candidate is Kansas City, which has been begging for an NHL franchise for years and already has the arena to house one. Given that, the move would probably happen very quickly, meaning that the 09-10 season could be the last one on L.I. Tavares' name on the marquee will sell tickets and merch like wildfire, and that's an awful big bargaining chip for Wang to bring to the table. It's also more reason for Isles fans to continue their already moderately successful efforts to bully the local pols into giving the OK for the new arena. (That's a fun story in itself, but this post is too long already.)
Five years ago the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like they would either contract or move. One lockout, one uber draft pick, and four seasons later, they've got the Cup. Will John Tavares save the Islanders like Sid saved the Pens? Beats me. But it sure is a reason to hope, and that's been a rare commodity on the Island these days.
Click to viewUnless you follow hockey closely, it's hard to understand just why Isles fans are so jubilant about bagging Tavares. There are three reasons:
1. Tavares is generally considered to be the best recruit to enter the league since Sidney Crosby, perhaps even better. His junior hockey numbers are positively mind-boggling - when you break scoring records held by a guy with the last name of Gretzky, people tend to notice. In an era where offense wins championships, a team like the Islanders getting a guy like Tavares is like a third world country spontaneously developing nuclear weapons.
2. The Islanders have a long, sad history of doing face plants in the draft. Whether it's trading away a semi-established goalie to draft another one first, or drafting high and then trading that pick away for multiple second-round picks, time and again the Isles' management has chosen ... poorly. For once, the management made the right choice, and judging by the new front page of the Islanders website, they're not planning on doing anything stupid between now and October.
3. There is still a big elephant in the room, and that's the state of Nassau Coliseum. The Isles' owner has flatly stated that if there is no deal between the Town of Hempstead and the Lighthouse Development Group by November, he will ask the NHL for permission to move the team. The most likely candidate is Kansas City, which has been begging for an NHL franchise for years and already has the arena to house one. Given that, the move would probably happen very quickly, meaning that the 09-10 season could be the last one on L.I. Tavares' name on the marquee will sell tickets and merch like wildfire, and that's an awful big bargaining chip for Wang to bring to the table. It's also more reason for Isles fans to continue their already moderately successful efforts to bully the local pols into giving the OK for the new arena. (That's a fun story in itself, but this post is too long already.)
Five years ago the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like they would either contract or move. One lockout, one uber draft pick, and four seasons later, they've got the Cup. Will John Tavares save the Islanders like Sid saved the Pens? Beats me. But it sure is a reason to hope, and that's been a rare commodity on the Island these days.