RIP Luc Bourdon

The Vancouver Canucks announced defenceman Luc Bourdon passed away in a motor vehicle accident on Thursday morning. Bourdon was 21 years old.

Yes, I know it is not Isles news, but anything like this is just terrible to see. The Canucks GM made a statement:

“We are deeply saddened by today’s news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc’s family,” said Canucks General Manager, Mike Gillis. “Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice. He will be greatly missed.”

He was a guy who I thought could have a great career. Today is a terrible day.

Huselius on the Isles' Radar?

A few reports have come in that the Islanders are looking to sign UFA winger Kristian Huselius this offseason.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal believes the Islanders could be the front runners for Huselius, and given their lack of first line depth it wouldn't be surprising. He might also thrive playing for Ted Nolan, who has a way of getting the most out of his players, even those with reputations as underachievers like Huselius.

He has only missed 2 games in the passed two seasons, making him a very durable guy who can come in to play night in and night out. He is coming off of a 25 goal 41 assist season, and a 34 goal 43 assist season the year before.

Overall, he has remained pretty healthy throughout his career, and can score and pass. Frankly, that is what the Isles need.


Let's Go Isles!!!

Islander Zone Articles to be Featured on Bleacher Report

This has been news I've known for a while, but I believe it is time to announce it to all.

In mid-March, I was invited to write on a new and popular sports fan site, Bleacher Report. http://www.bleacherreport.com/

I accepted the offer, signing up right away. Starting next week, I will be writing articles on Bleacher Report. I had to think over how I'd do that, since I have this blog going strong already.

So, I figured I would write the articles here on Islander Zone first, like normal. I would then transfer the ones I specifically want onto my Bleacher Report account. (I'll give that info at a later time)

Most articles on Bleacher Report get at least 500 reads and some can go up to 30,000. This will be a great opportunity for myself, and it will spark more hits on Islander Zone. Bleacher Report has also very recently become affiliated with Fox Sports. Some articles from BR have already reached the front page of www.foxsports.com.

To see a few articles from other writers at Bleacher Report that have already made it to the Fox Sports website, go to http://msn.foxsports.com/search?sp_q=bleacher+report.

Like I said, this is a great opportunity for me, and just to clarify once again, this will NOT make me slow down posting on Islander Zone. In fact, it will actually increase the amount of posts, and hopefully increase popularity.

Let's Go Isles!!!

Conference Final Predictions

It's once again that time, time for me to show my knowledge of playoff hockey. Wait, what knowledge?

Yeah, if you read that post I had a little while back about the playoffs being unpredictable, you'll know what I mean. Go ahead and read that again, because you won't find any of that in this post.

So, anyway....


EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh in 6. Umm, nothing much to say with this one.


WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) Dallas Stars

Dallas in 7. Yeah, I know. Detroit seems unbeatable, but if the Stars can beat the Ducks and Sharks in 6, why can't they do it again?


I had a pretty good showing last round, with getting the Pens/Rags series 100% correct, missing the Stars/Sharks series by one game, and...yeah, the rest isn't so good.

We'll see what happens....


Let's Go Isles!!!

Chris Botta Says Goodbye to the Isles

The Isles' VP of Media Relations for the past 20 years, Chris Botta, has resigned. "It was my dream job, and it's been an incredible ride," Botta said yesterday. "But it's time to end it."

According to Greg Logan's blog, Botta resigned for personal reasons. He now feels he needs to pursue other interests.

I personally am not happy with this, and mostly everyone who knew Botta is shocked. The Blog Boxers I've talked to seem very suprised and wonder what the fate of the Blog Box will be now. Chris Botta started the Blog Box last year.


Today is a sad day in Islanders Country...


Let's Go Isles!!!

Isles Sign Joel Rechlicz

The Isles have signed RW Joel Rechlicz (Wreck-Lidge) to a 3-year entry level contract.

He was given the nickname "The Wrecker" by fans of the Albany River Rats, where he played 25 games last year. The 6-4, 220 pound RW could be the next big goon on the Isles. Don't expect points from him though, he only picked up 1 goal and 1 assist in 50 games he played, split between the IHL and the AHL.

"We've been looking at Joel for some time now and he was a player we targeted for his toughness and energy," said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. "He's someone who will help our organization be stronger in those areas."

He is only 20 years old, turning 21 in June, and could have a spot on the Isles for a long time to come.


Get ready for a long offseason, folks.


Let's Go Isles!!!

It's a Waitin' Game

I never thought I'd be this stuck in the middle of nothing. Sure, I said I was going to post more often, but if I have nothing to post, then what do I post?

I absolutely love writing on this Islanders blog that I have. It, well, gives me something to do when I don't have something to do. Now, during playoff time, I'm really just waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Waiting for what? The playoffs to end? The draft? To get some stunning news on the Lighthouse Project? Hell, I don't even know. I'm just waiting until the time has come that I don't need to wait anymore. To clarify, I am waiting for nothing right now.

The playoffs are as exciting as ever. Or not. Honestly, these playoffs have been pretty boring. Remember that this is an Islanders blog. I'm not here to post about what's happening around the NHL, so don't expect it. I see that hits on the blog are starting to decrease, and that makes sense. I honestly feel bad for the readers that come here and get nothing lately. That, I want to change.

Come the beginning of June, things will change. I will be all out posting again. I'll try to do the best I can to give a full preview to the NHL Draft, and cover the Islanders' picks in it. Obviously, I have a lot to talk about considering the draft already, but that does not fit in this post.


I'm not sure how many people understood everything I just said. It's alright, I don't understand either. But my whole point is, and it seems that I have said this the whole season, is that posts will come. They will come at appropriate times. The offseason is the best part of my blog. If you have read posts from when I started Islander Zone last August, you'll know what I mean. The offseason is my time to shine. I always to my best to give completely up-to-date rumors and news. I will usually make 3-4 posts a day giving notes on that day's occurrences and the following day's possibilities.

If you want to be getting REAL Isles during the offseason, you can probably get a lot right here. But you'll have to stick with me until the offseason comes.



It's a waitin' game......



Let's Go Isles!!!!