To forget maybe.

For all those Blog Box detractors wondering if any of us would be critical of the team after a loss – you may have your first opportunity to find out, as the Islanders got manhandled by the Maple Leafs 8-1.

The power play only generated one goal, despite multiple chances, and also gave up a short handed goal to boot.

I am sure all those who are on the fence about Bergeron and Berard will have plenty of ammo after tonight, as both players were less than stellar in their own end defensively.

The Isles were unable to generate any shots from the money areas in front of the net, as Toronto did a great job keeping the shots to the outside. When a shot comes from the perimeter, it has a very high percentage of getting blocked or getting deflected wide through traffic. The one goal that they did score – they had a man in front of the net for a deflection, so I am sure Nolan will address this.

Unfortunately for Dubie, this was one of those games where he had a chance to come in for his first start – but appeared to be off his game a bit.

Lastly, when are they going to learn to stop taking so many dumb, unnecessary penalties? I don't consider this part of the "Ranger Hangover", but more on the fact that this was the second game of a back to back. By the time we left the press room last night, if was after 10 P.M. so by the time the team got on the plane and got to Toronto it was very late.

Hopefully they got the bad – whatever, out of their system and come back strong against Philly.

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I just want to apologize ahead of time for the short post tonight – I am extremely overtired and just wanted to get a few things off my mind in order to sleep.

In a night that marked the return of U.S. Olympian Bryan Berard to the New York Islanders, one would think that a player of his type would come in and blend with the current roster defenseman. Luckily for the Islanders and Islander fans alike – Berard is not your typical player.

If coming back to a team that gave you your first real shot at the NHL wasn't enough, Berard also came back against a former rival and team in the New York Rangers. Being brought in to quarterback the power play, it was no surprise to see Berard out there in those types of situations tonight – and there were plenty of them. During the regular rotation, Berard threw his weight around and was generally in position – although he did turn the puck over a handful of times and made an errant pass or too. It was after all his first regular season appearance, so I can definitely cut the guy some slack.

When he was finally given the extra time and room the result of a power play, Berard came through in a big way – notching the game winning goal on a 5-on-3 power play during the second period. Berard’s first goal of the season was enough of a cushion for the Isles to maintain the lead throughout the rest of the game, and two Rangers 5-on-3 power plays of their own.

It is hard not to argue with the logic of a GM and Coach when they bring in a player that could be viewed as questionable in terms of value to a team – but when they perform at such a level as we have seen in the preseason and in his Islanders debut, what's not to like?

Welcome back to New York Bryan, I hope you make the best of your time back here on the Island – make us proud!

Remember, I may have missed some spelling and maybe even something that makes no sense – but my eyes are literally fluttering from exhaustion this very moment. If I did miss something, I will correct it tomorrow!

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Just wanted to post a quick update as I walk out the door, Bryan Berard will dress for tonight's match against the rival New York Rangers – per the Islanders Website.

Just have to note this quote from Nolan:

"His commitment to the team by paying his own way while he was here, showed that he really wanted to be here," said head coach Ted Nolan, following today's morning skate. "We never gave him any guarantees, but he worked hard and really seemed to enjoy being here. That's what really sold us. He's a guy who is going to improve our power play."

I know there are still some people on the fence about Berard's play, but we can honestly use a player of his nature on the blueline. I will give my full report and latest opinion after tonight's game!

PS: T-minus 1 game until Simon returns!

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It is really nice to have a different perspective of what goes into reporting sports news. For the past two games, myself and a number of the other blog box participants have had an inside look as to what goes on behind closed doors once the game is over.

There was a period of about 10 minutes this morning when I was reading Greg Logan's latest article in Newsday, when I realized – “Wow, I was standing beside him yesterday and heard him ask these very questions”. It was no surprise to see what he was writing about mind you, but it was definitely an eye opener to the whole situation.

One of the biggest things for me is the amount of work and preparation that goes into writing. Up until this point, I had just been writing about some recent news or what was on my mind – today, it is a little different. I mentioned that I was armed with my trusty Canon Digital SLR so I can document the whole “show”, but I also picked up a digital voice recorder yesterday. This is one of the most valuable tools for a journalist next to his trusty notepad and pen I learned.

Here's why; when we got the chance to interview Campoli on Saturday, I was without any way to record the questions I might have asked – so I kept my mouth shut and watched. When Monday's game ended and they brought in Darryl Bootland for us – I actually stepped up (with Tom and Jim) and asked some questions. Darryl was very accommodating and seemed genuinely interested in what we were asking him.

When asked on what he thought of the blog box and if he had gotten the chance to view the different blogs, Darryl responded by saying “I haven't yet, I'm still living at the hotel” as he chuckled, and understandably so – the lack of computer access and down time is good enough of a reason. He then went on to give his opinion, “I think it's a great idea, you get to hear a little bit from everybody and I'm sure there are people reading those who will take a little input from the fans and try to help them out. It's a great thing for everybody”.

I also asked Darryl what type of effect an injury to a player such as Sim has on the team so early in the season, “It's tough because he's been on that line since the start of training camp, he is a great guy to have around the dressing room, he's a gritty guy – one of those guys that does the dirty jobs that a lot of guys don't want to do so it's tough to fill in for him. But its part of hockey, its part of the game and you've got to keep your head up and keep going”. Not really knowing much more about Darryl other than his style of play prior to this interview, I really came away with a higher respect for him – due to how well spoken and friendly his is off the ice. It's a great thing to see, and it is definitely one of the reasons why Snow and Nolan brought him in.

I really need to admit, this was a new experience for me – it is definitely a tough task to go through recorded audio and incorporate it into a story. Thankfully, the work is enjoyable and rewarding, so it works out in the end.

That's it for tonight, I have two hockey games tonight – 9pm and 10pm, at two different rinks. Looks like I need to leave the first game mid-third period.

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According to several sources*, defenseman Freddy Meyer was claimed by the Phoenix Coyotes today.

Updated 5:06 P.M. Tuesday

The Berard signing is now officially, official per the Islanders Website.

It is a one year deal, and terms were not disclosed (Logan says its around $725k in his BLOG). I think this is the a great signing, because Berard had shown all through camp that he still has a bit of game left. I look forward to seeing a true power-play quarterback on the point.

Updated 6:53 A.M. Tuesday

Berard is now listed as part of the Isles roster on NHL.COM.

*Sources:
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/blog/

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=10027

And with this news, it is almost a certainty that defenseman Bryan Berard is now an Islander. Berard has played great during the preseason and will certainly be a boost to the Islanders powerplay.

In other news, we learned during the press conference today that ex-Islander [url=Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia]Jason Blake[/url] has been diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, and despite ongoing treatment will not miss any time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Islesblogger just wants to wish the Blake family all the best in his recovery from this disease – especially being cancer awareness month. I am no stranger to the effects of cancer, having lost my mother in 2003. Jason, I wish you all the best – it matters not that are you no longer part of the Islanders.

To slow things down a bit, I just wanted to say that the blog box as a whole has already begun to adapt to the whole media atmosphere. We interviewed Daryl Bootland and Ted Nolan which was a big difference over Saturday’s game – so look for this update soon.

More after the Yankees attempt to force game 5.

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While I was at the game today, a few of the guys told me that our interview with Sports Illustrated was online already. I read the article in the middle of the second period and if anyone wants to check it out here is the link:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/richard_deitsch/10/08/islanders.bloggers/index.html

Just wanted to say a quick thank you again to Richard Deitch of Sports Illustrated for the interview!

Updated: 12:11am

The power of the internet and blogs, Richard has since corrected my last name in the article! Thanks again!

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Despite the fact that the Isles outshot the Capitals, by a margin of more than 2-1 they lost by a score of 2-1.

I felt that they played a very good game, they took a few too many penalties and defensively they seemed a bit soft at time.

I am about to watch the Yankee game, so I will update more on tonight a bit later or tomorrow.

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An email from the Isles just came across my inbox; Richard Park has been signed to a 2 year contract extension!

Park who was signed to a two year contract after coming to camp last year on a tryout, has been a steal of a player in role situations. He is a quick skater who despite his size has no fear to go to the front of the net or grind it out in the corners. He is also great in odd-man situations, and has been one of the most successful penalty killers for the Islanders.

If you don’t already know that Park is the type of player Snow and Nolan love, here is a quote from the Islanders Website: “Richard exemplifies the type of character players we want to be New York Islanders,” said general manager Garth Snow. “He’s a team-first guy who plays with his heart on his sleeve and battles every shift.”

This marks two solid, important players that have been given contract extensions in the past several days. Snow has really been making sure we are not going to lose many players to UFA this summer – it is a nice thing to see.

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WOW, what a night!

I know its 2 A.M. and everyone is probably saying – Mike, why are you still up? To give you some perspective – I am still on a high from my experiences tonight, and there is no way I can sleep just yet. Chris Botta, Corey Witt and the rest involved really did right by us tonight, even though I did not have a seat in the actual blog box (My own fault…..).

Where to begin? The Isles played a similar game as they did Friday night in Buffalo, a bit sloppy defensively at times, some unnecessary penalties and lots of heart and grit. In the end, the boys got the job done and held onto that all so important third period lead. One big downside – Jon Sim has a sprained knee and will be reevaluated soon.

I really want to go into what went on, but IT IS LATE and this post would be ridiculously long.

I will however say this – I enjoyed meeting my fellow bloggers, and it was great speaking to Richard Deitch of Sports Illustrated and also Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Journal. Thank you both for your insight and advice, it is truly priceless!

Here are a few teaser pics from the night:

High resolution larger images tomorrow, when I break down and get the gallery going!

Have a good night guys!

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From a little birdie at Cablevision:

Center Ice is available as of RIGHT NOW and The NHL Network will be available by the end of the month.

Great news for us hockey fans, I know I can't wait to order!

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Just wanted to post up before I head out for the game, so here’s a quick starter!

Moving into tonight's game, the Islanders are looking to continue their forward momentum and really bring it to the Sabres here on Long Island. There were times last night where sloppy defensive play cost the Isles a few goals, so hopefully the first game jitters have since dissipated.

Speaking of first game jitters; I am completely nervous about the start of the Blog Box tonight. While details have been given out to the lot of us, I still have no idea what to expect. I know where the box is (Section 201) and I know who else will be around, but what exactly will we experience?

I am told that Richard Deitch of Sports Illustrated is writing a story on us, and may even interview us for the story. Go figure, the bloggers (press-lite) are getting interviewed by a main-stream sports magazine!

I had debated back and forth about bringing my camera in, and I know I will regret not doing so – so it's all packed and ready to rock. I will spend some of tonight getting a gallery online for whatever photos I take, so look for a post directing you how to use that later.

I look forward to watching hockey back at the Coliseum tonight, I know this will be the best home opener I will ever attend – and I am sure it will be a memorable one. I hope the boys can really bring it tonight and start the home season off on a strong foot!

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!!

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At just around noon today, Hockeybuzz reported that the Islanders placed defenseman Freddy Meyer on waivers. Yesterday afternoon, I posted that we should be expecting a move to free up a roster spot for Bryan Berard – now that Martinek signed an extension. If this report from Eklund is true – there is your roster spot. Unfortunately, Meyer is a victim of circumstance right now, he’s a great young defenseman – who would be a great depth guy in any organization with one or two less defenseman than the Isles.

How long until Berard is signed now?

Updated: 4:30pm -

Greg Logan posted over in his blog, that Meyer was indeed placed on waivers today. He says that Berard may or may not be signed after Meyer either passes through waivers or gets claimed – and that the team could even try Johnson out instead.

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