Top Shelf – Islanders Daily 8/11/13

Good morning from South Florida, Isles fans.It’s interesting to me how excited we all are for the new season to begin and here I have not heard a single thing about hockey. No one  cares. Why? Maybe because it’s 90 degrees every day and it’s so humid you could plotz (as my grandmother would say).  Oh and they have the Dolphins here. Yes, they are eternally optimistic about the franchise that has not won a title since the Nixon administration.

The best thing though is the price of tickets. Wanna go to a game? How does $5 sound? The local sports bar chain here, Duffy’s has a $5 ticket deal for Panthers games. Maybe that’s what would have kept us on LI, $5 tickets Yeah, right.

Of course the arena is a good 45 mins plus from where I live here in West Palm Beach, but I will definitely go to some games. After all, it’s hockey! Last year when the Isles came down here, I happened to be visiting at the time. It was a mad house-of Isles fans! John Tavares and Mike Bossy jerseys everywhere! If you recall that was the game the Isles took a big lead, and like many other games last season, slowly but surely gave it all back, just to win in exciting fashion.

You know it’s almost hockey season when the kids are going back to school here next week, back home in NY I know it’s not for a few more weeks, but the time is nearing for hockey season to get underway. I know we all go into every season with any of our favorite teams and want one thing-a title. That may not be i the cards for the Isles just yet, but who knows? That’s why they play the games. 2 years ago the Kings shocked everyone. In 1993, the Isles made an improbable run that may have continued if not for Dale Hunter‘s uncalled for cross checking of Pierre Turgeon. As the saying goes, titles are not won on paper.

Another thing I wanted to mention. The Vegas odds are out for the Stanley Cup. The usual suspects are up there. Blackhawks are favored to repeat, followed by the Pens, Bruins, Kings, Blues, Wings (now in the East) and the Canucks. Really? So the Canucks, who couldn’t win the Stanley Cup if they had Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky in their primes, are a 16-1 favorite to win it all.

Then we have the Rangers at 20-1. No way Dolan stands for that. He will have to buy someone in Vegas and change those odds.

Isles are middle of the pack at 33-1, right behind the Flyers who played the Rangers’ role this offseason and bought er signed every player with a pulse. With some of their acquisitions, that point is debatable.

Who brings up the rear at 150-1? The Florida Panthers. Something tells me I will be scouring the internet for hockey coverage. I don’t think they will pay too much attention to the Panthers here. NHL Network will be my best friend.

We also eagerly away the decision by Ed Mangano on which way he will go with the Nassau Hub Project. I think I speak for most Isles fans when I say NO WAY to letting MSG take over the Coliseum site. I stand firmly behind Forest City Ratner!

Oh and before I go, Happy Birthday to Lubomir Visnovsky. He turns 37 today.

Have a good one Isles fans!

-EB

In Case You Missed It

John Tavares Leads By Example (Newsday-Subscription Required)

New York Islanders: 1975-1980, The Rise Of An Unstoppable Force (Eyes On Isles)

Bruce Ratner Presents Plan For Nassau Coliseum (Garden City News)

How We’d Fix The NHL (Grantland)

NHL Takeover of New Jersey Devils Looming (Forbes)

What Does Selanne Have Left To Accomplish? (Pro Hockey Talk)

Will The Russian Hockey Player Soon Be Extinct In The NHL? (Hockey Talk)

Two Minutes For Tweeting

Let’s just hope that there are no issues and they get Moulson re-signed. He is a vital part of this process.

  I am very interested in seeing this guy develop. You know who else is small? Martin St. Louis. I rest my case.

No one is saying we don’t like football, but come on. The Isles are starting soon!

This is fantastic. Let the player countdown begin!

Us too JT, us too.

As always, thanks for reading us at EyesOnIsles. Keep it right here for all of your NHL offseason coverage and up-to-the-minute Islanders news. Be sure to check the menu bar at the top of the page for ways to connect with the EyesOnIsles staff; we’re always happy to talk hockey.