New York Islanders: Pros and Cons for ASD Adoption

Oh Puckman, how aptly named you are. It is time to look to the second choice of our NHL quartet of possible teams that the ASD will adopt and cover as its own. The Islanders are a sentimental favorite for me since I have family with roots in New York and Long Island, but we must weigh the options before we act quickly. The good and the bad of the Isles after the break.

PROS

New York, New York: The Islanders have the advantage of being located in the Big Apple(or in the vicinity) and having it on their namesake. New York sports teams may be putrid sometimes, but they always have the attention of their fans. The thing I like about the Islanders is that they are not always the main attraction in the city. The Rangers play at MSG and are usually thought of first when it comes to New York hockey. Being a Mets fan, I can appreciate the position the Islanders are in.

Trust the Gordon's Fisherman: The logo in a word: awesome. From 1995-1997, this was the logo of the Islanders:



There is nothing quite like a crazed, old fisherman in teal slickers holding a hockey stick to inspire confidence and support for your team. It was truly a unique logo in the world of sports even though its stay was brief. The logo should not be confused with this one, however:



Between the pipes: The man in goal for the Isles is Rick DiPietro. He has shown the ability to be a top goaltender in the league and the Isles obviously have faith in him, they signed him to a 15 year deal. Yes you read that right, 15 years, the longest in professional sports history, take that A-rod! The problem has been keeping DiPetro healthy which will be the challenge for him in 15 years, when he begins collecting social security. His health might not be certain but the sweetness of his goalie mask is:



Gimmie a dime!: As I mentioned before the Islanders would be my sentimental pick if that was the sole basis for a decision on which team to cover. My father worked security at Nassau Coliseum in his younger days when he was jacked up with muscles. He once told me of a story of when some all-american football players came to the coliseum for some event and apparently one of them (I think he said he was from Louisville) went up to my dad and utterd the words, "Gimmie a dime!" What makes this story memorable is the random nature of it and my father's clear dissapointment with the lack of manners the young man showed. This, according to my dad, was the genesis of his discontent with the modern athlete and their "selfishness". Again, random, but struck a chord with me anytime I heard the coliseum referenced.

CONS

Basically, you're not that good: The Islanders were 35-38-9 last year and will be featuring some young players next to well-paid(some would say over-paid) defenseman Mark Streit. They have been consistently picked to finish last in the Atlantic division, and have a rookie head coach in Scott Gordon. Their offense was only able to muster a paltry 2.3 Goals per game last year which was good enough for 30th in the league.

You're so Yesterday: From an attention-getter point of view, the only glitz has been the fact that Hillary Duff is dating center Mike Comrie. On the excitablity scale it is no under-age Kournikova/Federov story. Besides, what has Hill-duff done for us lately after "So Yesterday" and "Coming Clean"?