I missed seeing Josh Bailey on breakup day at the NY Islanders. But my buddy Christian Arnold was kind enough to sneak in two questions for me. You can hear them at about the 3:14 mark of the video.
But let's talk about Josh. In 2008 the Coliseum was packed for the NHL Draft party. The media was stationed where the penalty boxes are, on the floor. When Garth Snow started moving the Isles pick DOWN in the draft there were rumbles from the attendees who were seated almost half way up the bowl.
When Garth finally announced his selection of Josh Bailey, those rumbles turned into a group roar and a stampede down the aisles began. Some of us actually gathered our things quickly and took cover in the locker room hallway. It was an interesting night to say the least.
But far more interesting for the newest Islander Josh Bailey. He would actually arrive at the Coliseum knowing that he wasn't the fans first choice. Did he care? Probably not. But in that first interview with the press, you could see that he was nervous and young -- very, very young.
He was thrown into the NHL right away and not really given a chance to grow his game slowly. He never played for Canada in the World Juniors. Something that seemed to bother ME a lot more than it bothered HIM. He was also sent to Bridgeport in his third year to regain his confidence.
Josh had 25 points in 68 games his first NHL season, then 35 in 73 games and 28 in 70 the year he played 11 games for Bridgeport where he earned another 17 points. In the 2011-2012 season, Josh played 80 games and managed 32 points. Good, but not great.
Bailey played in Europe during the lockout and came back with an injured knee which took him out of the line-up and on suspension for the first few games of the shortened season. But the 23-year-old must have learned a lot while playing in Germany, because when he finally did get back in the line-up, you knew it.
Josh hasn't quite reached his full potential, but boy has that fresh-faced kid grown up to prove that 2008 draft choice wasn't exactly a bad idea.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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