If this opening playoff between the Penguins and the New York Islanders has not said anything about the parody in the NHL, then people must not be watching the same series. The Penguins have found themselves in a tighter battle than they might have expected but many do not seem to be surprised.
The New York Islanders have been the forgotten franchise in not just the Atlantic Division but the whole New York sports scene. A franchise that has four Stanley Cups in their history and great Hall of Fame players numbers hanging from the rafters, but it is the last decade or so that have sunk them to the bottom.
This can date back to the year 2000 when the team was under new ownership and gave Mike Milbury, a name Pittsburgh Penguins fans know well and who was the general manager at the time, the money to make moves. Looking back now, the Islanders could have been a competitive team throughout the 2000’s if not for the moves Milbury made.
The first move he made was trading future All-Star Olli Jokinen and All-Star goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers. One of the biggest mistakes he made as GM was selecting goaltender Rick DiPietro first overall in the 2000 NHL entry draft, who eventually signed a 15-year deal and has had a long string on injuries. He was selected over future NHL stars Marian Gaborik and Dany Heatley. Last but not least maybe one of the more memorable moves made during this time was the trade with the Ottawa Senators that sent Alexei Yashin to the Islanders for future all-star defenseman Zdeno Chara and a first round pick, which the Senators used to draft Jason Spezza.
Despite these moves, they were able to get back on the right track drafting talented players such as John Tavares in 2009. Tavares is on his way to being a star and Penguins fans are getting a front row seat here in the playoffs. He finished this season in the tops in scoring, a possible MVP candidate, and maybe most importantly is the type of player you build a team around. That is something the Islanders have not had for a long time.
This is a young talented team that reminds many people of the 2007 Penguins. This team is making its first trip to the playoffs in years and the first time getting a taste of playoff hockey for many of them as well. Not many people gave them a chance in this series against the Penguins but they are showing why they were such a tough team down the stretch. Expect the Penguins to still come out on top but keep the Islanders in your rear view mirror if you are a Penguins fan because this team will be good for a while. They may be the biggest threat to win the Atlantic Division besides the Penguins moving forward.
The future for this team is really bright and the league should take notice. Maybe the biggest factor for a good future is finally moving out the old barn that is Nassau Coliseum. This season they were only playing in front of an average of 13,306 people at home for a team that has been competitive all season is a shame. People say it is because of how bad the Coliseum is but that didn’t stop Penguins fans going to Mellon Arena all those years. With the Islanders moving to Brooklyn in 2015, this will be huge for the team and help them get a better awareness in New York. This is well drive revenue and gives them stability for the first time in a long time. With stars like Tavares, Okposo, and Grabner they will shine in the spotlight in New York City.
Photo Credits: Hockey’s Future
