Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Are you tired of talking about last season?
Me too. So are the Isles.
“I really don’t know why we keep talking about last year at this point. I think we’re all in here now looking forward.” - Josh Bailey
Looking forward while reflecting back on the history of this franchise. Making history and remembering history. That’s what this 50th Anniversary New York Islanders season will be about.
Last year was a season to forget. But a fresh start offers hope under a new head coach preaching a faster, more aggressive style. The group Lou Lamoriello doubled down on now has an opportunity to once again prove people wrong and return back to Stanley Cup contender status. It all starts tonight.
Coming up, the opening night lineup comes into focus, and a stalwart on D hangs up his skates. Plus, a story on Bossy delivering a message, @IslesTerritory lives up to the hype, and the Isles get into the win column for the first time in history.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: Wednesday’s morning skate provided some clarity as to how tonight’s lineup could unfold versus the high-scoring Florida Panthers:
◾️ Lane Lambert stated he’s confident that Scott Mayfield will be ready for tonight’s home opener.
◾️ Oliver Wahlstrom, Cal Clutterbuck, and Ross Johnston all took the ice on Wednesday morning, however, remain in gray “non-contact” jerseys, a pretty clear indicator that the trio will be out of the lineup tonight.
For Wahlstrom, while he returned to practice on Monday, being out of the lineup is more about Kieffer Bellows earning the first chance on the third line. The better Bellows plays, the harder it will be for Wahlstrom to crack the lineup early in the season.
◾️ Anders Lee returned to practice yesterday after missing Tuesday’s morning skate. Nikita Soshnikov is likely to make his Islanders debut tonight, skating alongside Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin on the fourth line.
🏒 GOTTA ADAPT: Matthew Barzal spoke to the NY Post’s Ethan Sears and sounded thrilled to have the chance to play a different style than under Barry Trotz. “Look at Colorado. Everyone’s up in the play, skating fast, said Barzal. “Carolina’s so hard to play against cause everyone is up and aggressive and in your face. That’s kinda how other good teams play now. We gotta adapt.”
🇨🇭LOANER: As Lamoriello promised, the team has loaned forward Richard Panik from AHL Bridgeport to Lausanne HC of the Swiss league.
Panik who is in the final year of his contract, will continue to count against the Islanders cap at the buried amount while in the National League (NL).
Former Islanders and long-time New Jersey Devils defenseman Andy Greene announced his retirement on Wednesday afternoon. Greene (39) signed a one-day contract with the Devils in order to retire as a member of the team he suited up with for 14 seasons and captained for five seasons between 2015 and 2020. In 923 games with the Devils, Greene scored 49 goals and 197 assists.
The Islanders acquired Greene at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, and he proceeded to remain on Long Island for the following two seasons. In 134 games with the Islanders, Greene accumulated three goals and 15 assists.
In a letter written by Greene posted on NHL.com, he thanked everyone he could think of, including the Islanders. Greene will be acknowledged by the Devils for his time with the organization during the club’s home opener on October 15 versus the Detroit Red Wings, Greene’s hometown team. He and his family will participate in the ceremonial puck drop.
👏🏻 RESPECT: Greene’s Islanders teammates, including a pair that played next to him in New Jersey, gushed about the 16-year veteran defenseman:
Kyle Palmieri: “I can go on forever about how good of a teammate he is. He was undrafted and went on to play 1000 games. It's an awesome career, and there's nobody more deserving of people celebrating his career than Andy. It's sad to see him step away from the game, but he was a great teammate, great friend, great role model for us.”
Zach Parise: “To start with him and then be able to end on the same team with him, I thought that was pretty neat. He had such a great, underrated career and for him to kind of play 1000 games and be a captain in the league, it was such a special honor for him. You can't say enough about the guy.”
⏭ NEXT UP: The waiting is over. The Islanders are set to open their season tonight at home against the Florida Panthers. Puck drop is at 7:30 PM, EST.
📊 STANDINGS:
🎸 DON’T CROSS THE BOSS: During a 32 Thoughts tour stop this week, Elliotte and Jeff were joined by musical artist Hawksley Workman who in 2010 released a song called Warhol’s Portrait of Gretzky. It includes the line, “Hello Immortal eyes, Mike Bossy shoots it wide.”
Workman brought with him a framed, autographed Bossy jersey, which was sent to him by the Hall-of-Famer, who we lost last April at age 65. Bossy heard the lyrics and wrote, “To Hawksley, I never shoot wide.” He is missed.
🧱 HYPE MAN DELIVERS: If you’re ready to run through a brick wall today, it’s likely because Nick Persaud, aka @IslesTerritory, once again delivered on yet another hype video. After teasing the video on Tuesday, Persaud’s latest video broke #IslesTwitter on Wednesday with some help from Journey.
If you missed it, beware of any nearby brick walls:
📚 SOUND SMART: When the Islanders opened up the 1980-81 season (with Jiggs McDonald in the booth for the first of 18 seasons), it was the first of 399 consecutive games played (320 regular season, 79 playoffs) as reigning and defending Stanley Cup Champions.
🗓 THIS DATE IN ISLANDERS HISTORY: After losing their NHL debut to the Atlanta Flames, the Islanders were back at it on Oct. 12, 1972, hosting the Los Angeles Kings at the Nassau Coliseum. Germain Gagnon broke a 2-2 tie to give the Islanders a late lead. The Nassaumen hung on for the final 69 seconds to earn their first-ever win in franchise history.
PSSSSST… a credible source tells me you might want to remember this tonight.
After their first win, not many more followed. After beating LA, the Islanders went 0-5-1 in their next six games and wound up with a record of 12-60-6.
🔗 Will the Islanders’ offense actually be better this season? by Kevin Kurz, The Athletic: “…the biggest question surrounding the Islanders headed into the season is a simple one. Will this team, which finished tied for 22nd in the NHL in goals last season, score enough in order to be considered a Stanley Cup contender?”
🔗 Islanders Weekly: 23-Player Roster & Preseason Finale Notes, by Jon Zella, The Hockey Writers: “Overall, there were not a lot of surprises as the Islanders wound down the preseason and announced their final roster. Without many offseason moves, fans and media alike seemed to be torn on where the Islanders will fall at the end of the season. For now, though, it’ll be one game at a time for a battle-tested yet aging roster on Long Island. They kick things off at home this Thursday against the Panthers.”
And we leave you with this…Make sure you’re in your seats by 7:30 PM tomorrow night for a special 50th Anniversary opening ceremony featuring special celebrity and alumni appearances, new pregame ice projection, and Ed Westfall dropping the puck for the ceremonial face-off.
Oh, and every fan is going home with a 50th-anniversary commemorative scarf!
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