Top Shelf – Islanders Daily 8/29/13

May 11, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; The New York Islanders celebrate a goal by New York Islanders right wing

(13) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period of game six of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’ll dispense with my usual lede about how I’m slowly losing my mind courtesy of the sports morass that is the end of August.

In light of the recent news announced by the New York Islanders media relations office concerning this site, I’d like to formally address what this site will be providing by way of Isles coverage during the upcoming season…

It’s official: EyesOnIsles.com has been selected as the newest member of the Isles Blog Box, meaning we are now a fully credentialed media entity with press access to all levels of the Islanders organization. Here’s how the Isles publicly welcomed us to the family yesterday:

Beginning with training camp in September and throughout the regular season—and hopefully, the postseason—we will be reporting on any and all team news straight from the source.

We were afforded seats in the Coliseum press box; we’ll have access to the locker room after games; we’ll be sitting in on head coach Jack Capuano’s postgame press conferences; and we’ll be at the rink for preseason training camp and in-season practices.

With in-person access to players, coaches and management, EOI will be able to keep Isles Nation well informed on all topics concerning the team. You can expect player quotes, insight from the coaching staff, pregame and postgame write-ups on-site from the Coliseum, and player profiles as the Islanders play their way through the 2013-14 NHL season.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who’s supported us along the way; we couldn’t have done this without you. It was the level of fan interaction and online traffic on this site that played a major part in the Islanders’ media relations staff deciding to credential us for the upcoming year.

So to everyone who’s read our posts, shared our articles with friends, participated in our live blogs and fan voice segments, liked us on the Facebook, and retweeted our tweets on the Twitter: the entire staff of EOI thanks you for your continued support and interaction.

Believe us when we say that we’re as excited to bring you the best New York Islanders news on the Internet, as you are to read it.

-Mike (@MichaelWillhoft)

In Case You Missed It

What to Expect Heading Into the Islanders 2013-14 Season (Eyes On Isles)

Wednesday Poll Question: Starting a Franchise (Eyes On Isles)

Isles X-Factor: Travis Hamonic (Eyes On Isles)

Evgeni Nabokov Will Be Ready, Motivated as Olympics Near (Isles Optimism)

Caps Face Challenge In New-Look Metropolitan Division (Pro Hockey Talk)

Dynamic Hockey Duos We Can’t Wait to See at 2014 Winter Olympics (Bleacher Report)

Is Kichton Draft Day Steal? (Winnipeg Free Press)

Two Minutes For Tweeting

Along with welcoming EOI to the Isles Blog Box, the team’s Twitter account released this picture of the Coliseum ice, freshly prepared for the upcoming season. We’re sure the logo at center is enough to get fans to picture themselves in the building for the home opener Oct. 5.

Rules for talking about Isles tailgating: 1) It’s never too early to talk about Isles tailgating; 2) See rule no. 1

Then again, no one’s ever accused the LIRR of being “on top” of things. Hopefully someone tells them Mark Streit no longer holds a New York Islanders roster spot, otherwise knowledgeable commuters might have some awkward train rides this season.

Quite the prediction for all you fantasy hockey players out there. Ryan Strome will have to prove himself in training camp just to get a roster spot, but there’s no reason to think that a Moulson—Tavares—Strome line wouldn’t be a dominant scoring combination at some point this year.

After New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, it prompted the fans to wonder what type of retaliation would be in order. It seems like Jeff’s solution is the simplest; if only the Yankees could borrow Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck from the Islanders for a few games…

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.