MORNING SKATE: Ducks at Isles

With the fresh faces up from Bridgeport, there will some changes tonight. Here are some notes from the morning skate…


- According to Ted Nolan, Bryan Berard and Marc-Andre Bergeron are out tonight and Aaron Johnson is in. Only six defensemen will dress.

- With that, don’t be surprised if you see Radek Martinek, Miroslav Satan and Brendan Witt getting power play time at the points. Said Nolan: “We need to put guys there that will get the puck through traffic and on net.”

- Richard Park (flu) is a game time decision. If he doesn’t go, Jeff Tambellini will skate on the left side of Josef Vasicek and Bill Guerin.

- With the chance of Teemu Selane making his season debut for Anaheim tonight, the Finnish media was in full force this morning. While in town, they also took the opportunity to talk to Sean Bergenheim.

- Mike Sillinger spoke to the media this morning about his hip injury. Greg Logan will have a more substantial report, but Silli said: a) He has battled through the injury since the beginning of December and b) He loves playing and wants to contribute, but at this point he can’t perform that he knows he can and that’s it better for some young guys to get an opportunity.

- If the match-up in goal is anything other than Rick DiPietro versus Jean-Sabastien Giguere, we’ll be surprised.

ISLAND SNAPSHOTS: Silli, the Early Years

I tried searching for a photo of Mike Sillinger when he played for his first team, the Detroit Red Wings. But a quick search in the NHL's photo database and Google didn't turn up anything. So here's a photo of Silli when he was with his second team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He looks pretty young back then in 1995.

BLOG: My Thoughts on Silli

Granted, I haven’t been around hockey too long, but this is my sixth season with the Islanders already. And I can say for certain that Mike Sillinger is one of, if not THE, best guys I’ve worked with so far in my short career.

I stressed the words “worked with” because Silli is the type of guy who will simply work with you. Fans hear stories of how some players don’t get along with their teammates, team employees and/or media – but that’s the exact opposite of Mike Sillinger and what he represents.

For one, he’s never turned down an interview request for me. And for a media relations person like me, he can’t do any wrong in that case! But if something is bothering him or if he sees something is bothering one of his teammates, he’ll simply (and politely) walk over to you to discuss the issues at hand to make the situation better for everyone involved. Team. Staff. Media. Everyone.

And he’s a fun guy to be around, too. He’ll keep the mood light even in tough situations. He’ll always step up to the plate after a bad loss. Sometimes I think that Greg Logan only talks to Silli after a stinker. That’s not the case. But the point is, Silli never backs down when the tough gets going. I’ve never seen him represent the team in anyway other then positive.

Mike is playing in his 1,000th NHL game tonight. It’s only his 92nd as an Islander, but he’s already made a lasting impact on the Island and on me. He’s shown me how true professionals act on and off the ice. And I kind of wish he played all 1,000 games in the Orange and Blue.