I’m Beginning To See The Light — Frank Sinatra hit tune After three years as Rangers‘ majordomo, Jeff Gorton is beginning to see the light — and loving it. Not that the Blueshirts’ general manager hasn’t relished his role since replacing Glen Sather in July 2015, but there’s something titillating about being the mastermind of […]
Haste Makes Waste — Proverb Not Coined By Ray Shero That’s right, the New Jersey Devils general manager didn’t originate the above bromide; he just follows that bit of advice to the letter as he builds an NHL contender. Which explains why New Jersey’s hockey boss doubled as Mister Cool during the recent Free Agent Frenzy […]
Pain And Progress — Title of Devils Book When Lou Lamoriello Became New Jersey GM In 1987 Nobody in the hockey world knows better than Lou Lamoriello that pain and progress are inseparable. The new Islanders boss applied that lesson orchestrating three Stanley Cup champions in the Garden State. More recently, he experienced that […]
Lou Lamoriello has plenty of experience with players who had been in his fold but bolted in search of greener pastures. Lamoriello just shook them off like a pitcher knowing the next one would be a strike out. Having covered the Islanders new hockey boss since Lamoriello’s Devils debut in 1987, I’ve admired the manner […]
Is the Free Agent Frenzy (FAF) over, just three days after its frenetic John Tavares opener? If nothing else, JT’s headline-grabber has left a fallout of fan fury; at least in Islanders Country but that will diminish along with the free agent list. Still, there’s more FAF ahead but with diminishing returns and some compelling […]
Freshly-minted as a Maple Leaf, John Tavares faced-off with some of his critics — mainly me — late Sunday afternoon in a conference call. Whether the ex-Islanders captain won the draw — or lost it, as the case may be — depends on where your rooting interest lies. John took the third-degree well, even got […]
The Island Has Been Home, It’s What I Know; It’s Part Of Me. — Part of John Tavares’ Farewell Message To Islanders Fans. Likewise, in a positive statement, Isles hockey boss Lou Lamoriello thanked Tavares “for everything he has done for the franchise,” wishing John and his family “all the best.” In addition, Lamoriello added, “John […]
The great Winston Churchill once said: A Pessimist Sees The Difficulty In Every Opportunity; An Optimist Sees The Opportunity In Every Difficulty England’s Churchill, the iconic hero of the Second World War, could have been talking about Lou Lamoriello today. Now that John Tavares has bid the Islanders adieu by signing with his hometown Toronto […]
With the Free Agent Frenzy just days away, it marks just about 365 days since the first question about a certain Islander was uttered: Where will John Tavares wind up on July 1, 2018? Egad-What-A-Cad. (And I don’t mean John either). The F-A Madness is just around the calendar with the chief protagonist none other […]
Now what — for the Rangers, Islanders and Devils? Secure in the knowledge that they obtained the best possible draftees, the three locals are looking ahead to the ever-heart-throbbing Free Agent Frenzy beginning on July 1. In a rather unique situation, our trio of teams are confronting dilemmas in the crease. All are solvable but […]