Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Isles 2014-15: “The Most Talented”

September 9, 2014, 12:04 AM ET [27 Comments]
Dee Karl
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The annual NHL Media Tour began today with interviews and photos of 34 NHL players from all 30 teams began in New York today. It’s a big deal to hockey fans while there is so much hoopla about football invading from TV and newspapers. Yeah, yeah… football.

John Tavares spoke with the media, including ESPN’s Katie Strang and NHL.com’s Brian Compton. He was assuring when questioned about his season ending injury. He was cleared in May and had the Isles been in playoffs, he would have been playing. He trained as usual this summer and said the “injury was out of his mind.” As I was reading that in Bcomp’s article, I thought “nah… you don’t’ forget something like that.” But JT said he had played in some ‘intense scrimmages” over the summer and he’s over the injury both physically and mentally. (BComp's article: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=729803)

There were “definitely a lot of things that need to get better” on the Islanders and Tavares told the media this is the most talented team he’s been on in his six NHL seasons. Well, okay then. Maybe those “whispers” of discontent aren’t that far-fetched.

Oddly, Kyle Okposo said the same thing during his interview. Is that a knock on past team mates or on the organization itself? Surely that’s not what they thought they were saying. Media day is the build up to the season, so certainly the comments are meant to build excitement. It does, however, come off a little sour.

“You play to win the Stanley Cup,” Tavares continued. The pressure is on the Isles and their management. KO just wants this season to be the best it can be for the fans.

@JohnLaneNHL
"We want to give the fans that opportunity to be proud of their team and be loud again the last season there." - Okposo on Coliseum #Isles

Back on Long Island, more players showed up at IceWorks and so did a smattering of media.


Arthur Staple ‏@StapeNewsday · 12h
IceWorks is packed with #Isles today. New additions: Bailey, Grabovski, Lee, Pokka, C. Johnson, Strait, Skille, Cizikas. Halak here as well.


Jaroslav Halak, the 5’ 10” 29-year-old also told the media the Islanders are only going to get better and that it is good to have two good goalies to push each other at practices and games.

Tavares did mention the Islanders past goalie issues -- in a round-about way. So Halak and Johnson are a tandem giving JT and Okposo hope for the season. Johnson just hopes for a similar amount of games that he played last year.

Today Mikhail Grabovski was surrounded by the cameras and microphones in the locker room and told the media the first day is always hard. He is looking to prove himself and was happy to find “a good team.” Not having the coaching staff on the ice gave him a chance to introduce himself to his new teammates as he professes that he is “a shy guy.”

Let’s see how shy he is by week three.
Join the Discussion: » 27 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Dee Karl
» Boychuk for Seven
» Good Ain't Good Enough NYR 2 - NYI 1
» The Return of Isles' Capt. America
» The JT Show in TO in OT
» Kennedy's Debut