RIP - New York Islanders - 1972-2006

The NY Islanders died today after a long illness. There had been hope for the past month that new life would be breathed into it, and that respectability would return. Alas, it was not meant to be. The franchise was 34 years old.

After a seemingly blessed early life, with 4 Stanley Cups from the years 1980-1983, and numerous playoff appearances, the franchise had fallen on hard times since the 1990’s. The first wound was the change from the famous original logo to the Fisherman logo, which looked like a cross between Stan Fischler and the Gorton’s fisherman, earning derisive laughter and taunts from Ranger fans.

During this time, Don Maloney was hired as GM. Maloney uttered the infamous “We got the better Lindros” after drafting Brett Lindros, the younger brother of NHL star Eric, with the #9 overall pick in 1994. Alas, Brett was prone to concussions from simply laying his head down on a pillow, and failed to become even a remotely talented hockey player.

The franchise went through a series of ownership groups in the late 1990’s, including John Spano, who had as much money as a 5 year old, yet was able to con the prior owner and the NHL into thinking he had as much money as Donald Trump. He was followed by Howard Milstein, who had the money to try to buy a baseball team and a football team, but not enough to run the Isles, leading to trades that haunt the franchise to this day.
It was Milstein who made the hire of Mike Milbury, who dealt away prospects for “talent” which only he saw, such as Oleg Kvasha. While the prospects he drafted and traded blossomed, the Isles languished. While Milbury tried to ingratiate himself to Isles fans when hired by loudly proclaiming $&^% the Rangers, he made poor deals, many in an attempt to dump payroll at the behest of ownership, but others due to his poor eye for mature talent.

In the early 2000’s, things picked up, as the team returned to the playoffs following the acquisitions of, among others, Michael Peca, Adrian Aucoin, and Alexi Yashin. Alas, Peca was traded after a couple of years, Aucoin left as a FA, and the Isles are stuck with Yashin, thanks to the ridiculous 10 year, $90 million contract new owner Charles Wang signed him to.

Hope picked up for the continued life of the franchise in early 2006, as the coach Steve “not so” Stirling was fired, and Mike Milbury announced he was to leave his GM job when a suitable replacement was found. In June, the team announced the hiring of two lost NHL souls, Neil Smith and Ted Nolan as GM and coach respectively. Smith had been out of the GM role since being fired by the Rangers several years prior. Nolan as well had been out of the NHL since a contract dispute 1998.

Today, it was announced that Smith would no longer be GM, sounding the death kneel for any hope the franchise would be respectable again. The hiring of Garth Snow as new GM does not give any sense of hope either.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that fans remember the good times, and try to forget the bad.

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As a fan, I am quite upset. I was never thrilled with the hiring of Smith, but had accepted it. It is not the fact that he is gone that bugs me, it is the fact that once again, this franchise is a laughingstock. Of course, people will blame Nolan, who had a reputation as a GM killer. If anything, Charles Wang is to blame. His idea of a board to run the team has obviously failed. Someone needs to be the boss. Milbury should have been shown the door.
Garth Snow is a nice guy, and was a good goalie. He has NO GM experience. This is a panic move on their part. And one that is sure to piss off all fans. Shit.