Isles add scoring threat

With the season starting very soon, the Islanders, lacking in all categories but in goal, decided to add a scoring threat to the roster.

They claimed former first round draft pick Rob Schremp off waivers from the Oilers yesterday. Schremp, 23, was chosen in the 2004 draft, but has never made the big club's roster. In junior hockey, he was a major offensive threat and the Islanders are hoping he can turn his game around.

"He's a highly skilled, offensively gifted player with great vision. He's at an age where he is still maturing as a hockey player and a person, so there's upside there for our organization," Islanders general manager Garth Snow told Newsday. "To take a chance on a player like this, it seemed like it was a no-brainer to claim Rob."

"It's exciting. It's a new situation and I can't wait to get back on the ice," Schremp said by phone to Newsday. "I'm not expecting anything. I'm going in with open arms and am ready to learn. I just want to stick around and see what happens."

During his final season in the OHL (2005-06), Schremp scored 145 points in 57 games. Don't expect him to put up those numbers in the NHL - or anywhere near them - but he is in a fresh situation on a beautiful island that seems ready for some strong hockey.

(Photo courtesy NHL)

Isles weak by NHL.com preview standards

The NHL.com staff has been previewing teams for the past couple of weeks and when it came time for the Islanders to get some love - they got anything but that. Could you expect less? No, because that's how bad they really are.

The Isles were almost dead last in all major offensive categories in the Eastern Conference last season. Writing previews that hold John Taveres on a pedestal is nice for the fans, giving them hope for the future, but will he really make a difference? Let's hope so Islanders faithful.

The Canadian scoring prodigy, who broke Gretzky's records at one point in junior hockey, has the weight of the world on him - and that's no pun since Doug Weight has been his mentor with the Isles through training camp.

The Isles need to improve on face-off percentage, road wins, defensive scoring, power play and penalty kill efficiency, and just about everything in between. With thousands of tickets still available for the season-opener this Saturday against the Penguins, nothing has really changed on the island. The Lighthouse hasn't been agreed upon, the Islanders are still the bottom-feeders of the NHL and John Tavares hasn't done anything yet. Call me a pessimist or feel the pain of being an Islanders fan. Maybe things will change on Saturday.

(Photo from FanHouse)

Long Island's Scuderi brings Cup home

This might be old news, but since the Thin Ice blog did not exist over the summer when this occurred, I felt it would be good to mention ...

Rob Scuderi became the first Long Island native to bring the Stanley Cup to the island and have his name engraved on the trophy. It was raised at the Coliseum when the Islanders won in the early 1980s, but this was unparalleled when Scuderi, who hails from Syosset and attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, brought the Cup all over the island, including Newbridge Park in Bellmore, where he played recreationally.

"We'd have three-minute shifts, then the buzzer would sound and that was the end of the shift -- even if you were on a breakaway," he told Newsday in July. "This is where I'm from, where I started playing hockey. I wanted to bring it back here."

Scuderi won the Cup with Pittsburgh last season, but signed with the Los Angeles Kings this past off-season.

Hockey in KC - not a good idea

It was only a pre-season game, but by the looks of the crowd in Kansas City last night when the Islanders came to town, the 9,000-plus fans in attendance is a good benchmark for what it would be like in the regular season.

Ironically, the Coliseum looked awfully similar last season and by mid-season this year, will probably look the same. On a day when Islanders fans stormed the Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University to support their team and the Lighthouse initiative, the Isles were hundreds of miles away losing to the Kings, 4-2, in a foreign land.

A few days earlier the Islanders were in Saskatchewan - also far and foreign to Long Islanders. Let's hope that's the last time the Isles play in K.C. - aside from pre-season tune-up contests.

Okposo hurt in pre-season

Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf knocked Kyle Okposo out of a pre-season game with a vicious hit the other night. Phaneuf left his feet at the Credit Union Centre to land the hit.

Okposo doesn't even remember the incident and was rolled off the ice on a stretcher.

"I don't want to get into whether it was dirty or not," Okposo told Newsday. "It's part of the game and it's an unfortunate situation. Obviously, it's frustrating. You want to play--I'm a competitive guy and I want to be on the ice--but in this circumstance that can't happen."

There is no room for hits like that in the pre-season and the league should review film from that game.

(Photo courtesy NYI)

Isles close practices to public

For the first time Islanders fans will not be able to attend team practices at Iceworks in Syosset. As a young fan I can remember attending practices multiple times and leaving very happy having met all of the former top players and getting autographs like they were going out of style.

I understand the team wants to take a different approach since they had the top draft pick and want to move in a more positive direction, but leaving the fans out of practices will not help that cause. It's just going to make people angry. Maybe once they start winning they can change their policy. Why is it, that the Islanders always seem to do things backwards?

Training camp underway

The Islanders are holding training camp in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a foreign land to Long Islanders, but a quiet respite to fine tune the dormant game of Islanders players anxious to begin a new season.

John Tavares has seemed comfortable thus far, Rick Dipietro is taking shots in net for the first time in over a year and everyone seems to be having a good time, according to reports from multiple news sources.

On Wednesday night, the rookies will take an hour bus ride to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to play the local university there.

On another note, don't forget about the Lighthouse Zoning hearing Sept. 22 at Hofstra University's Adams Playhouse. It starts at 9 a.m.

Murray gives Wang mandates for Lighthouse

In possibly her best move yet, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray gave Islanders owner Charles Wang a list of mandates regarding the Lighthouse situation.

Last Friday, she sent him a letter saying she does not care for the October 3rd deadline, which Wang set. "As is always the case in town board decision-making, getting it done right is more important than getting it done fast," Murray told Newsday.

The mandates are:

-Making sure the Islanders play only at the Nassau Coliseum

-Prohibits Wang from seeking tax abatements, which affect the millions of dollars in taxes the project would generate

-Wang has to employ local workers and pay them prevailing wages

-Wang can not sell his development rights after winning zoning approval

Although many have painted a picture of Murray being the bad person in this mess, after stating these mandates, she clearly grabbed the hearts of Islanders fans by making sure the team stays on the island and that the initiative favors the needs of Long Island and its citizens.

(Photo Courtesy NYI)

Webb riding for good cause

When I was growing up, watching the Islanders of old in the early part of this decade, there were a handful of players that I admired. One was Steve Webb, who fought hard every shift, and played with a blue-collar attitude with which so many Long Islanders could relate.

I was not surprised when I saw the main story on the Islanders website this morning. Webb, the founder of the W20 Foundation, is going to bike from Petersborough, Ontario Canada to Uniondale, NY - a 650 mile journey.

With a goal of riding about 65 miles a day, Webb, who works in the Islanders player development department, will raise money and awareness for Long Island youth hockey players and "give them the ability to receive a partial scholarship towards either a specialized high school program and/or an undergraduate course of study at an accredited college or university," according to the team's website. He also teamed up with the Baycrest Foundation for Alzheimer's care and research awareness and part of the money will go to the cause. Well done, Steve.

(Photo Courtesy NYI)

Isles Streit meets Federer at Open

Fans wandering around Arthur Ashe at the U.S. Open the other night probably walked right past Islanders All-Star Mark Streit. He didn't care. He was there for the same reason they were - to see Roger Federer. His native Swiss countryman took time from his busy tennis schedule to meet and greet the Islanders sharp-shooter.

"He's a king," Streit told the Islanders PR staff.

Streit has been playing tennis since he was a toddler. He and Federer spoke about the differences between their sports.

(Photo Courtesy NYI)

The tale of three goalies

Most Islanders fans are anxious to see what will happen with the goaltending situation this season. Rick Dipietro, the first overall pick in the 2000 NHL Draft, and a fan favorite on the island, has been plagued by injuries conveniently after signing a record 15-year, $67.5 million contract in 2006. General manager Garth Snow - a former Islanders goalie himself - brought in two viable candidates to fill the spot between the posts until Dipietro can actually play consistently. It is unknown when he'll be back full-time after rehabbing his knee.

For insurance, Snow brought in Martin Biron, 32, and Dwayne Roloson, 39. Biron is 199-162 in 12 NHL seasons and sports an impressive 2.59 career Goals Against Average (GAA). He played for Buffalo from 1995-2007 and Philly from part of the 2006-2007 season until last year. Roloson is 167-198 since he broke into the league in 1996 with Calgary. He's played for the Flames, Sabres, Blues, Wild and most recently the Oilers and has a career GAA of 2.62.

Both goalies will help answer any questions about depth at the position and give the team a much-needed veteran presence in the locker room and on the ice. Dipietro or not, the Islanders will be set in net.

(Photos courtesy NYI: Biron (l.), Roloson (r.))

Journeyman Sillinger retires

Mike Sillinger is the epitome of the journeyman hockey player. Last week, Sillinger, after 17 seasons in the NHL, retired. He played 141 games with the Islanders and finished his career on the island.

He was drafted by the Red Wings back in 1989 and played with a record 12 teams: Anaheim, Vancouver, Philly, Tampa, Florida, Ottawa, Columbus, Phoenix, St. Louis, Nashville and New York. He played in 1,049 games, scored 240 goals and assisted on 308 others.

Had the Islanders not been in such a devastating state, his final seasons in the league may have been more fruitful, but that was not the case.

(Photo Courtesy Islanders)

Lighthouse zoning hearing same day as KC game

Is it a coincidence? I think not. After waiting over 25 days for the Town of Hempstead to schedule a date for the Lighthouse zoning hearing, Town Supervisor Kate Murray finally chose Tuesday, September 22 as the day. It will consist of three sessions (9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.). They will be held at Hofstra's Adams Playhouse in the middle of campus.

The catch? September 22 is also the day the Islanders are scheduled to play their pre-season game in Kansas City - also a city rumored to want an NHL team. Thank you very much Ms. Murray for pissing Islanders nation off, once again. If this Lighthouse proposal does not go through, don't expect Ms. Murray's political career to advance any further than it already has. While it's commendable that she is the first woman to serve as Town of Hempstead Supervisor, let's hope for her sake that she gains another re-election when this term is up. Only the vote will tell.

There is also a "yes or no" time stamp scheduled for October 3, for which the team needs an answer about the project. That's also opening night for the Islanders, who host the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

(Photo courtesy LighthouseLI.com)