by Puneet Singh
Over the last eight years, there hasn't been much to be proud about for a New York Islander fan. Actually, over the last 15 years, its been a torrid time if you follow the Isles. Few playoffs runs or even .500 years and a lot of mediocrity sums it up best.
Trading away young players such as Roberto Luongo, Olli Jokinen, Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Spezza and Zdeno Charra to name a few, has been one of out major problems.
The other? Horrible contracts. Trevor Linden, Alexai Yashin and Rick DiPietro are the 1st three that come to mind.
Couple this with poor management, instability within that management group and a dull stadium and no wonder there are rumors of the Islander's possibly being moved away.
The Islander's are scheduled to play a few preseason games in Kansas City with a move within four to five years possible if a new stadium cannot be constructed and setup within the next two to three years in Nassau County.
Moving the Islander's out of New York would be nothing short of a catastrophe.
Whether people realize or appreciate it, the Islander's have GOOD history. They won the Stanley Cup for consecutive years in the early 1980's, forming a dynasty. They had All-Star players in Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Bobby Nystrom, Steve Tambellini, The Potvins and The Suters. It would be one thing if they were like the Vancouver Canucks with no Stanley Cup titles or too many good players, but the Islander's are a staple of the NHL.
As bleek as the past has been, the future is bright. The drafting of John Tavares is a huge start.
Call it the Sidney Crosby effect. Within three days of his jersey printing, 10,000 NY Islanders jerseys with the printing of #91 Tavares on the back of it were sold. He has given new hope to Islander fans, new and old. Season ticket purchases have gone up by 40%. People want to see Tavares and want to see him succeed.
It's the same effect Sid had on Pittsburgh; in the Pens first year of the "Crosby Era" they finished under .500, but Crosby topped over 100 points as a rookie and made some powerful noise out of Pittsburgh helping to put the Pens back on the map. Tavares doesn't even need to put up 100 points as a rookie, just getting the Islanders close to .500 and making entertaining highlights would be enough to draw a crowd to the Coliseum.
But like I said, the future is bright for the Isles. There is a lot of talk going around that the permit and approval for the new stadium will be given by winter. This is bigger than Tavares. A new stadium brings in more revenue and attracts bigger name players. Face it; no one wants to play in the Coliseum, it's the Kingdom, The Vet and The Penguins old stadium rolled into one. It just needs to go.
Think about this; By 2011 with a new stadium in place and Tavares settled in and hopefully for the Isles sake, established, the Islanders would be a hot market similar to how they were in 2000 when they wooed Michael Peca, Alexai Yashin(when he still had something to offer) and had a stacked defense of Roman Hamerlik, Kenny Johnnson, Adrian Aucoin and Chris Osgood in net. That was the last time the Islander's were relevant. I hold that mini-era close to my heart because that was the last time we would see a solid run by the Islanders deep into the playoffs.
Three years. Three years will make or break the New York Islanders. I don't want to put any pressure on John Tavares but the entire Islanders franchise is now on his shoulders. It's up to him to make hockey relevent and powerful on Long Island again. Hopefully he'll get the help he needs in some good players and most importantly, the new stadium.
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