Giving the Devil Its Due

For years the New Jersey Devils were critized by thier fans, the media and other teams in the NHL when "fans" weren't one or two on their priotiy list. "Win at any cost" was one through ten.

And with three Stanley Cups in nine years, you really couldn't blame them. But even as a perrenial powerhouse and winner, fans didn't flock to the Devils because of it.

But over the last few years, that has changed.

Under the leadership of Chairman and Managing Partner Jeff Vanderbeek, the Devils have become a more fan-friendly operation. The Prudential Center is a great arena, one which is continuously improving. It's also a great place to watch a hockey game from on-ice action to entertainment in the stands.

I was perusing their website today and I found this article. In case you didn't make the jump to the article, it was about two of their prospects getting into a fight at their prospect camp. Sometime when this happens, teams will try to act like it didn't happen -- especially if it happened without the media present (I don't know if that was or was not the case with the Devils fight today).

But the article on their website is an example that a franchise who once seemed isolated with thier fan base is becoming much more transparent with them. And if the Devils can combine winning the Stanley Cup with being fan-friendly, then they'll become a real ellite team in the NHL.

NYI: Pick ‘N’ Win

On Friday morning, the Islanders launched a new online game. It’s a Pick ‘N’ Win game and if you’re not familiar with it, click here to find out.

Anyway, t’s been a huge success so far!

As of 3:15 PM on Sunday afternoon, over 15,000 picks were made. There are almost 8,000 fans signed up. And on the first day, we nearly 30,000 page views – that’s more then the Montreal Canadiens had.

If you haven’t played yet, click here to check it out!

NYI: A First for Everything

There really is a first for everything. Literally moments ago I was watching the warm-ups and as all the players were getting off the ice I notice Andy Sutton was standing on the Islanders bench.

No he wasn’t hanging out or soaking in the pre-season atmosphere here at the TD Banknorth Garden. He was signing autographs for kids by the bench. I counted at least a dozen signatures jotted down. And it all happened minutes before the start of the game.

Ok, I know what you’re going to say. It’s only pre-season. But still, it’s the Isles final tune-up for the regular season and built up as a pretty important game.

I asked assistant equipment manager Richard “Shakey” Krouse if he has every seen that before – pre-season or otherwise – and he said he couldn’t remember.

So, I guess that just shows you what type of guy Andy Sutton is.

BLOG: Jiggs' Magic Number is Still 4

As a Mets fan, it hurts me to write this...

Last year for a handful of games, Islanders fans got a special treat when Hall of Fame broadcaster Jiggs McDonald came out of retirement to fill-in for Howie Rose with the New York Mets in the MLB Playoffs. And for a long time, it looked like that was going to happen again this season. Or so we thought.

As another Orange and Blue team from New York is on the edge of one of baseballs biggest collapses of all-time, we Islanders need to support them. Even if you’re a Yankee fan, you want the Mets to win just so Jiggs to have another turn as an Islanders broadcaster.

Hopefully this becomes an annual thing with Jiggsy coming back. But right now, Jiggs and the Mets need your support to get in the playoffs.

And if case you don’t know, the Mets only have a one game lead in the NL East and their “magic number” is four. Meaning they need to win four games or get four losses by Philly or any combination of that adding up to four to make the playoffs. Both the Mets and Philly have four games remaining.

So… Lets Go Mets!!!

NYI: Where are the Goal Judges?

As some of you already know, the NHL has moved the goal judges away from the boards this season. There are many reasons why and each team has their own, too.

And let’s be honest… It’s sort of an archaic thing as this point. In the olden days, the goal judges were the referee’s backup for goals. They could make the difference in a game. Now, video replay has been around for years and despite whether or not it works all the time, the goal judges don’t have a say anymore. Even when they turn the light on by accident, play continues.

The position hasn’t been eliminated altogether, but the goal judges aren’t up behind the glass anymore. In each arena they’ll be in a different place. At the Coliseum and in Montreal and Carolina for an example, the goal judges will sit in a section located behind the each net. All goal judges now have a remote which will control the red light behind the glass.

So hockey purists, don’t worry, you won’t lose the red light.

Some teams like the Philadelphia Flyers are installing more seats. Some teams might not remove the goal judges from their traditional position. It’s up to each team.

But for the goal judges, their position is now about holding up the tradition that is the red light.

NYI: A Great Day at the Coli

It was a beautiful morning and it was great to see so many Islanders fans back at the Coliseum. Bruno, Dubie and Richard Park were awesome with the Orange and Blue supporters and you can really see each patron become a huge fan of each guy as they moved up and down the line talking to each and every one of them.

Looks like Islanders TV got some good stuff with Bruno, which should be very funny. So you’ll want to look out for that in the next few days.

Weirdest story of the day: A San Jose Sharks fan from Philadelphia drove up I-95 to purchase tickets to the Sharks/Islanders game on February 18th. Only problem was that only first-half tickets went on sale today. Fret not, the NYI ticket staff took his information so he won’t have to make the drive back up when second-half tickets actually do go on sale.

Thanks to all the fans who came down.

NYI: New Jerseys/Saturday Morning

Just as a no-duh FYI, the Islanders will indeed wear their new jerseys for all pre-season games. They've been numbered and washed and are ready to go. The Islanders locker room is filled with the new threads right now. Two were made up for for each of the 60 players (one white, one blue) coming to camp (more on that next week).

Here's a little joke I heard, but I'll warn you, it's bad. The Vancouver Canucks new jersey says "Vancouver" above the logo on the front. Will the Devils' new jerseys say "New Jersey" on them, too? Sorry for that one folks.

Back to business... You won't want to miss tomorrow morning's single-game ticket on sale event. Come down, buy a few tickets, have some fun and get some autographs. At least one or two more players not on the original list are set to join the party at the Coliseum.

FANS: IslanderMania Is Now Up

As Chris Botta alluded to in his blog earlier in the day, IslanderMania is now the official message board of the New York Islanders.

It's funny in a way, because fans have always wanted an official message board and the Islanders always wanted to have one. We feel our partnership with the good folks at IslandersMania will only benefit Islanders fans around the Internet.

Part of any good message board is moderation. That's not to be confused with censorship. Moderation keeps off the people who only write with foul or abusive language. At IslandersMania, you'll see that their team of moderators are top notch.

We at the Islanders feel extremely comfortable with our new message board. From the people who run it to the people you use it to express their passion for the Orange and Blue (both positive and negative).

Thank you to Lisa and everyone else at IslanderMania for making this a reality.

Click here to share you Islanders opinions on IslanderMania.