Catching up from Moncton

Here are some much belated notes and thoughts from training camp so far:

As I alluded to last year, from a media standpoint, Training Camp is used to get the major in-studio sit-downs out of the way for MSG-Plus, Islanders TV and Game Ops.

For instance, MSG-Plus gets a lot of their sound and video for the season-preview show in camp. All those videos you see at games with players answering questions gets recorded by Game Operations in camp. Islanders TV also records a plethora of video that appears on the website and also on the scoreboard. Game Ops and MSG-Plus also recorded their video headshots the night before we left for camp – which seems like forever and a day by now.

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I’ve been really impressed with Scott Gordon so far – but I’m not talking about his presence on the ice. Dealing with media, Flash has been confident, honest, endearing and open. It’s a great combination and a PR guy’s dream.

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The news of Jussi Markkanen’s son passing away has hit the team hard. Few Islanders know Jussi personally, but goalie coach Mike Dunham does. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Islanders family goes out to Jussi and his family.

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I for one am really excited for Chris Botta’s blog starting tonight/tomorrow at Midnight. I’m sure he and Greg Logan will keep each others on their toes from time to time. And that will be great for the fans.

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One player who has surprised me in camp so far is Mike Haley. He played in the rookie game against the University of Moncton and was a player who really stood out. You could really notice him on the ice and he might get a look in an upcoming pre-season game.

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Jack Hillen has showed the same poise he showed in those final two games versus the NY Rangers last season – and not just on the ice, but off it as well.

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You don’t really appreciate Mitch Fritz’s 6-foot-8 frame until you see him standing next to 6-foot-3 Trent Hunter and 6-foot-6 Eric Cairns. I’ve never seen Hunts appear as small as he did then at that time.

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At 37-years old, Doug Weight’s youthful enthusiasm makes me feel like I’m 50. I’m really in my 20s.

CAMP: Not Just for Practicing

Moncton, NB – Training camp isn’t just for practices and scrimmages. It’s an opportunity to get the players to do an onslaught of interviews for our FSN NY, Islanders TV and Game Operations crews, or as I like to call them F.I.G..

All the veterans and some rookies take 45 to 60 minutes of their time to do the three-stop circuit. Why is it so important? FSN NY gets a lot of the interviews done for their one-hour pre-season preview show in addition to some spots for in-season vignettes. Islanders TV is planning some big stuff for this season and a lot of it comes from these interviews. And every time you see a player on the scoreboard during a game for trivia or announcements? Well, that gets done here too.

All of these interviews are done when the guys are at the rink and it’s all done in a short amount of time. Yeah the guys rib the staff for doing these interviews, but it’s worth it in the end, even for the players. They just don’t want to admit it yet.