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: Thanks Moncton!

Moncton, NB – Training camp is winding down and I don’t think you can find an Islander who wouldn’t say it was a great success in Moncton.

Thanks to everyone up in Moncton for a great ten days. We look forward to seeing you again.

From the media side, I would especially like to thank Larry Haley for all of his help and hospitality with us New York media types.

LINE-UPS: NYI Rookies vs. U of Moncton

Moncton, NB – On Thursday night, the Islanders Rookies will take the University of Moncton at the Moncton Coliseum. Here’s the lineup, subject to change. Expect Ouellet, a former first round draft pick of the Capitals, to get the start in net.

Goaltenders: Mike Mole, Maxime Ouellet

Defensemen: Drew Fata, Jamie Fraser, Martin Frechette, Jordan Hart, Dustin Kohn, Simon Lacroix

Forwards: Sean Bentivoglio, Justin Bourne, Derek Damon, Robin Figren, Chris Gaudet, Maxime Gratchev, Tyler Haskins, Tomas Marcinko, Masi Marjamaki, Jason Pitton, Steve Regier, Trevor Smith

GAME: What I Learned From Tonight’s Game

Moncton, NB – Here are some things I learned from tonight’s 3-1 win over Montreal…

1) With increased ice time, Jon Sim will be the best bargain in the NHL.
2) I don’t care what TSN SportsCentre says, our new jerseys are great and certainly not the ugliest in the NHL… Can anyone say Vancouver?
3) The great people of Moncton haven’t realized that Andrew MacDonald and Chris Gaudet were only away from the city for a few days before camp, not the decade they seem to make it out be. But the boys appreciate the “homecoming” attention nevertheless.
4) The Islanders have never seen as special of a player off the ice as Bill Guerin. With the fans or media, he’s a standup guy.
5) Andy Sutton can hit. H.I.T. Can’t wait to see what he brings in the regular season.
6) There’s plenty of heart, grit and character on this team, which will go a long, long way throughout the entire organization.
7) That Ruslan Fedotenko-Mike Comrie-Bill Guerin line might be something worth keeping together for a while.
8) Rick looked sharp in net.
9) Ted loves to coach. And loves to coach in Moncton.
10) Islanders TV continues to set the bar even higher. What a great night for them. Live telecast with Steve Mears and Billy Jaffe from Moncton. They also answered questions from IslandMania and Islanders Country. Great job by Josh Bernstein and his crew as usual.

GAME: Gaudet & MacDonald Ready for Tonight

Moncton, NB – Chris Gaudet and Andrew MacDonald return to the Moncton Coliseum tonight. Both played on the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL for the last two seasons. Tonight’s lineup is veteran heavy, but this will be a very special game for the two rookies. Both were coached by Ted Nolan in 2005-06.

MacDonald played in an exhibition game in Moncton last season, but he knew he was going to be sent back to juniors following camp. So it had a different feel to it for him.

Tonight will be different and I can’t wait to hear the standing-room only crowd go nuts when their names are announced.

And who knows, maybe Teddy will start both of them.

LINE-UPS: Isles/Montreal at Moncton - UPDATES

Updated: 2:45 PM - Blake Comeau will replace Jeremy Colliton in the lineup. Nothing to read into here and I wouldn't be surpsied if JC played in Montreal on Friday.

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Moncton, NB – Here’s Wednesday night’s for the Islanders versus Montreal. The game will be held at the Moncton Coliseum. Game time is 7:00 Atlantic Time, 6:00 Eastern. The Islanders are 0-1-1 so far in the pre-season, while the Canadiens are 1-1-0.

Goaltenders: Rick DiPietro, Wade Dubielewicz

Forwards: Blake Comeau, Mike Comrie, Gordie Dwyer, Ruslan Fedotenko, Chris Gaudet, Bill Guerin, Tim Jackman, Trent Hunter, Richard Park, Miroslav Satan, Mike Sillinger, Jon Sim

Defensemen: Bryan Berard, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Bruno Gervais, Andrew MacDonald, Andy Sutton, Brendan Witt

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Just wanted to take a minute to clarify something... Chris Botta posted a neat little note on his blog about one of his colleagues getting rejected in North Bay, ON in grand fashion. I read it, figured out who it was rather quickly and almost fell off my chair laughing. I also wanted to point out that it wasn’t me! Nevertheless, a great, great story!

GAME REPORT: NYI Rookies 1, U of NB 3

Moncton, NB – The Islanders Rookies fell to the University of New Brunswick Red Devils 3-1 Monday night at the Tim Horton’s 4-Ice Centre. Martin Frechette scored the Islanders’ lone goal, which was also the first of the night. Tyler Haskins recorded the assist.

For the defending CIS (Canadian Interuniveristy Sport) champions, Robert Pearce, Kyle Baily and Joshua Hepditch each scored. Hepditch also recorded an assist.

Mike Mole played the entire game in goal for the Islanders and stopped 29 of 32 shots. For the Red Devils, Michael Ouzas and Derek Yeomans split the game facing a total of 34 shots.

The stand out player for the Islanders was Jamie Fraser. The smooth-skating defenseman, who played for Bridgeport last season, was the best player on the ice for either team. Justin Bourne also continued his strong camp by staying in the play on every shift.

The difference in the game was team chemistry. Most of the Red Devils have played with each other for a few seasons, while the Islanders Rookies only first skated as a 20-man unit.

LINE-UPS: Rookie Game vs. U of N.B.

Moncton, NB -- Here’s the roster for tonight’s rookie game versus the University of New Brunswick. Basically this is a game for a lot of the younger guys in camp play against a local University team. Tonight’s game is at the Tim Horton’s 4-Ice Centre where we have practiced for the entire week. ** CORECTION ** There’s another rookie game against the University of Moncton and that will be played at the Moncton Coliseum on THURSDAY NIGHT.**

Forwards: Sean Bentivoglio, Justin Bourne, Marc Cavosie, Jeremy Colliton, Derek Damon, Robin Figren, Chris Gaudet, Maxime Gratchev, Tyler Haskins, Tomas Marcinko, Masi Marjamaki, Jason Pitton, Steve Regier, Trevor Smith

Defensemen: Jamie Fraser, Martin Frechette, Jordan Hart, Mark Katic, Simon Lacroix, Andrew MacDonald

Goaltenders: Mike Mole, Maxime Ouellet

CAMP: A Moncton Rock Star

Moncton, NB – We saw this a little last season when we were here. And we definitely see it up in Buffalo every time we’re there. It’s Ted Nolan and his rock star status. Teddy not only changed the culture of his Moncton Wildcats team back in 2005-06, but put Moncton back on the map. The people of Moncton certainly haven’t forgotten Ted.

Two years ago, he mingled with the locals and went all over the place to get people to support the Wildcats and it showed with a huge boost in attendance in the 2005-06 season.

But what we have seen so far this week is that the Nolan-effect that’s being felt all over Long Island is still resonating here in Moncton. Not a time goes by when Teddy walks down the street where he doesn’t stop for a picture or for a quick chat.

The folks up here in Moncton love Teddy and the feeling is mutual.

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Tonight is also the Wildcats home opener and former Islanders assistant coach Danny Flynn is behind the bench. Before the game, Nolan will drop the ceremonial puck. Should be another fun night in Moncton.

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Also, check back late tonight for the rosters for the first pre-season game.

CAMP: A Moncton State of Mind

Moncton, NB – For the non-Canadians – and I’m talking from an American standpoint – it definitely takes some getting used to being up here in Moncton. For me, I don’t have my own bed and pillows and I’m away from my newly engaged to fiancée on Long Island. But don’t get me wrong, it’s a great experience to be up here. And I'm glad we're here.

Moncton is a big town and the locals say it’s the biggest in New Brunswick. It’s certainly not Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa. My New York-style driving definitely doesn’t fit in and I still can’t get used to a blinking green arrow after a few days. And I don’t think I’ll ever get used to not getting served ice with my soda at fast-food joints. Moncton is certainly different then life on Long Island.

I’ve spent my fair share of time in Canadian cities. From the major cities listed above, to Vancouver and Halifax, St. John’s, N.S. and Yarmouth. But Moncton is a town unlike I have ever been too before. The locals give off a big-town persona. Hey, they have a QMJHL team here, an arena and a skating facility that would put any in New York to shame. The streets are clean and the people are friendly. Plenty of restaurants and local watering holes.

If Moncton was on Long Island, it might be a stop in between Melville and Huntington on Route 110. But it’s the differences from everything I know about living on Long Island all my life that gets me to appreciate what seems like a less-complicated Moncton life style.

Moncton is perfect where it is and how it is. And the Islanders are happy to be here.

Thanks, Moncton.

NYI: Must be Training Camp

Well, it finally and official arrived. Islanders Training Camp is upon us. Players have taken their physicals, filled out their paper work and taken their head shots. All that’s left is hockey.

Skating starts tomorrow at the Tim Horton’s 4-Ice Centre in Moncton, NB with the players broken up into three groups aptly named Team Bossy, Team Gillies and Team Trottier.

Let the hitting begin!

NYI.com: Berard Back to Islanders

From the Islanders website:

{{{ Bryan Berard, the 1996-97 Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year as a member of the Islanders, has agreed to re-join the team as a training camp invitee. The 30-year old Berard will battle for a spot on the Islanders’ blue line when camp opens on Sept. 14 in Moncton.

The native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island was the first selection overall in the 1995 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators and was traded to the Islanders in January, 1996 for Wade Redden. Behind an 8-goal, 40-assist season with the Islanders, Berard edged out Jarome Iginla for the Calder Trophy in 1996-97. }}}

Click here to read on.

NOTE: RFA's are A-OK

Not much has been said in regards to the Islanders restricted free agents this summer. The team didn't have too many and the ones we did have, well, have all been signed. And the last piece of that sentence is what matters the most.

Last year, Sean Bergenheim and Denis Grebeshkov were two holdouts for the Islanders. They didn't sign a contract before camp and were not allowed to come back once the team started training. In 2005-06, Mark Parrish almost sat out the season because of his contract. But this season there won't be any talks of holdouts because there isn't anyone to hold out. All of the Islanders RFA's for that matter have been signed and will be in camp this season.

On September 13th when the team flies up to Moncton, you wont hear of talk of which side will blink first or what will happen if the player isn't signed. There will be no RFA distractions. And that's great news for everyone.

Oh... And it helps when no one makes ridiculous offer sheets to your RFA's, too!

NEWS: Training Camp Start Date

The Islanders are heading up to Moncton, NB for training camp this year. Players report to Long Island on Thursday, September 13 for physicals and then we charter up north.

Ted Nolan returns to the city that gave him a chance to prove he can still coach. This should be good.