The End of the Line

By now, everyone has read the great post by Chris Botta on his own site...which is coming to and end this week. Seriously, since the guy left the Islanders, Chris Botta has probably been the single most important person out there for breaking news on the team and giving us the straight talk we are not getting from the team's management. He is so going to be missed.

Anyhoo, for those wondering, the post I am referring to is regarding the relationship (or lack thereof) between Garth Snow and Ted Nolan. Despite everything they say publicly, it would take a complete moron with a frightening blind faith not to realize that there is a real problem there.

Botta makes many points to illustrate when he thinks each man has gone wrong. Suffice to say that Ted has been guilty of biting the hand that fed him and Garth has been guilty of imposing his will on the players and team that Nolan has to coach without asking/getting/receiving input from the man directly responsible for trying to get the group to pull in one direction.

Botta recognizes that both guys are in the wrong and that the longer this goes on, the longer and more painful the divorce is going to be. You could see it at the end of last year and you just know that it has been simmering all summer.

I mean, come on, who didn't say WTF?? when Garth and Ryan Jankowski went up to announce the Josh Bailey pick at the draft? Did you notice that Ted Nolan was at one end of the table and that Mr. Wang, Chris Dey, Garth, and Jankowski were all at the other? The COACH OF THE ISLANDERS WAS AT THE KID'S TABLE, for Pete's sake, while the grownups at the other end were spinning, dealing, and deciding for the entire organization. I mean, Bill Guerin was seated half-way in between management and the coach. Does that mean he had more input in the pick than the head coach did? The head coach that no one conferred with?

Are you a big believer in body language? I am. Ted Nolan was sitting there, shoulders slumped forward, head about a foot off the table, looking every bit like a kid who didn't want to sit down for dinner. You know why? Because no one bothered asking him what he wanted to eat!

Does that mean I think Teflon Ted is the wronged party in this crumbling marriage? Nope. I sure do not. I don't because as Botta mentioned, Ted more than once gave the old "you play who they give you" defense as the team limped to the spring. I mean, that is almost as bad as blaming the players for playing badly even though you think you're coaching well!

And Garth Snow is not absolved of blame in the rift. He's not exactly been the most accommodating manager either. He's ripped guys in the press like Dubie when maybe he didn't have to...

....which by the way is the PERFECT illustration of the breakdown in communication. When Dubie was allowed to walk (all the way to Russia), Garth was in Newsday saying that he had showed up to the previous camp out of shape and that the coaching staff (Nolan) had lost faith in him and that was the reason Rick DiPietro was overplayed until he was injured.

Shortly thereafter, Nolan is asked about Snow's comments and he denies ever losing faith in his backup goalie. He also kind of tossed Rick into the fire by casually mentioning that DiPietro wanted to play a lot (he repeatedly expressed the desire for Brodeur-numbers last summer) and that he admired Dubie for how he played and got the Isles into the playoffs the previous spring.

Um, conflict? Conflict resolution, anyone? Am I the only one who thinks this he said/he said crap is just a little too "High School" for the NHL? How is anything positive going to come of this?

I guess what I am saying is this: we're going to miss Chris Botta's posts and that yes, it's gonna be a long year. This thing is just heating up and unless somebody in power either grows up or makes a decision one way or another, the 2008-09 season is not going to be positive for the New York Islanders or their long suffering fans.

And I think I just threw up in my mouth.