Good Morning, Islanders Country.
It's a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).
This time, the Isles’ GM search was supposed to be different, or at least normal. They would cast a wide net, speak to a variety of candidates, and have multiple rounds of interviews. Then, they would narrow their list before choosing the new President of Hockey Operations and/or GM.
Thus far, it’s been anything but normal. There have been some stumbles, and on Thursday, Arthur Staple reported that Lou Lamoriello could stay on as an advisor to a new General Manager. What? How? Why?
Lamoriello, under contract until June 30th, was expected to gracefully exit and make room for a fresh face and a new direction. Now, there’s at least some consideration that the Islanders are pivoting to a most unconventional setup in the wake of not having Plan A or B pan out, or at least that’s the perception.
The idea of having Lou stick around to guide a new, young GM may sound reasonable in theory, but it’s not practical, and sounds less than ideal for Mathieu Darche or anyone else stepping into the job for the first time.
This GM search has been amusing, confusing, and befuddling, but it’s also been fascinating, and we don’t know what will come next.
Listen and enjoy!
Quarter-Century
The NHL unveiled the first group of players on the NHL Quarter-Century team on Thursday. The group comprises the six players voted onto the team who made their NHL debuts before 2000, including former Isles defenseman Zdeno Chara, who started and ended his record-breaking career on Long Island. The other five, of 25 names, released on Thursday were Jarome Iginla, Nicklas Lidstrom, Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne, and Joe Thornton.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On May 10, 1980, the Islanders advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history with a 5-2 win over Buffalo, as they clinched their semi-final series, four games to two. “We were a little too nervous at the start, and the crowd’s noise didn’t help us get going in the right direction. We were too hyped up already”, Mike Bossy told the NY Times.
Bob Lorimer scored the series-clinching goal, with his first goal of the playoffs, to make it 3-2 midway through the second. “I went into the slot, and Butchie (Goring) got the puck to me. I had a foot of open net, and I quickly put it in.”
🔗 Islanders President & GM Search: Why Holland Seems to Have Said No to NYI by Russ Macias, NYI Hockey Now “It’s been over two weeks since the team let Lou Lamoriello go. Since then, the search, led by John Collins, has forged ahead. Publicly, a lot more has leaked out about who the Islanders are targeting and what specifically New York is looking for.”
🔗 NY Islanders owner Jon Ledecky announces Draft Party and special UBS Arena events via Eyes on Isles “Fans of the New York Islanders have been waiting to hear from ownership about who will be the next President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. They're still waiting. However, season ticket holders did receive an e-mail from co-owner Jon Ledecky on Thursday night announcing details of a few special events that will be held at UBS Arena in the coming months and beyond.”
And we leave you with this…Calum Ritchie scores in the OHL Finals
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