11:56 pm: Okay Tomorrow I will try to put the first poll up for the All-Time Islanders team. Although if we're starting fromt he goal net out, there should only be ONE choice!
I was hoping that attending the Bridgeport Sound Tigers practice this morning would bring back my passion for the sport I love that has been drained from me with this pathetic lockout. It was like putting a Band-Aid on a shark bite.
It seems that many fans feel the same. The Islanders graciously opened their doors to the public and invited the first 250 fans into the building to watch the practice and walk away with a few autographs after the practice. About half that amount took advantage of the opportunity.
The NHL and the NHLPA should take that as a statement that even the die-hard NY Islander fans have had just about enough. Brent Thompson and Jack Capuano were watching from the balcony with General Manager Garth Snow and Doug Weight. Each time any of them descended the stairs, fans rushed over to ask for autographs and photos. While Christian Arnold and I stood by the glass, one young man walked away from Capuano checking the photo in his phone and sympathetically saying “I feel so sorry for the guy.”
While the new Bridgeport Sound Tiger head coach Scott Pellerin was on the ice running drills on day two of camp, Jack was in shorts and boat shoes. “I’d rather be out there on the ice.” He chirped at one fan who asked how his ‘extended summer’ was going. Another casualty of the NHL Lockout; NHL coaches not doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
Out on the ice, Travis Hamonic was noticeable. Very noticeable. But then again, Travis Hamonic was half the rookie team that made veteran defenseman James Wisniewski expendable. On the other hand, I had to ask where Nino Niederreiter was.
I was a little surprised to find out that the goalie in net who let the first three shots he saw hit the back of the net was not Ken Reiter but Kevin Poulin. It could be shaking the rust off or it could be there are some snipers on this BST team.
There was no rust evident on Sean Backman who was flying down the ice during every drill. He said he felt really good on the ice, "First day, I was excited to be out there so there was probably a little extra energy." They have a little less time at camp due to the lockout and there are some new faces on the roster and behind the bench. But Sean said he likes Pellerin's energy and knows he is excited. "I feel he is going to get a lot out of us as players." He will again room with Matt Donovan and Aaron Ness so the Three Amigos will probably set Twitter on fire. I think we will see good things from Backman.
Kirill Kabanov has certainly matured. Gone is that gangly kid looking to make reporters cringe with goofy answers. He was thoughtful and quiet in his answers as he stood in the middle of the locker room with microphones in his face. However, I couldn’t help but think that especially for Kabanov, this training camp was a little disheartening. He yearned for the NHL, as they all do, and was probably looking forward to fighting for a spot on the big club’s roster. Instead, he will be a cornerstone in Bridgeport hoping to make a big enough impression on Jack Capuano to be called up should the opportunity arise.
Here are the video interviews from ITV from the Islander website. Because I really didn’t have much to ask since they had only been there for one day, I opted not to really interview anyone. Sure, I made small talk with Nino and Sean, but there was nothing really in my bag of tricks to ask - so I left.
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