Back to the Island

Sorry about the lack of Islander-related updates during the Comcast episode. Suffice to say that as of right now, things are still not settled. I would advise anyone looking into doing business with the company to take a good look at all of your other options before making your decision.

So, back to the Islanders. Got a lot going on. This week Gerard Gallant and Marc Crawford are to be interviewed. Crawford is an interesting choice. Reports out of Canada are that he's already agreed to become part of Hockey Night in Canada so the guy already has a job for next year. Plus, let's not forget that Crawford is the guy who ordered "the hit" by Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore back in the day. Do we want that kind of element leading the Islanders of the future?

There were also many reports saying that Joel Quenneville turned down a chance to interview for the position. Our friends in the Canadian press speculated that Quenneville didn't want any part of the Long Island Circus but some other news closer to home say that he had decided to take a year off to recharge and declined to interview because of that decision.

Right now, I guess the speculation is that Bob Hartley and Scott Gordon are the clubhouse leaders. The Boston fans and press seem to think Gordon is leaving Providence and that it is a foregone conclusion that he will be the next coach of the Islanders.

I'm bummed out because I can't find the article that was sent to me by one of my friends who is a big Bruins fan and is totally plugged in to the message boards thing unlike me. The article had quotes in it from a Providence player who said some incredibly good-to-hear things about Gordon. The one I liked reading best was that he was the kind of guy who realized that all of the young players were stars growing up and that he would take them aside early on and tell them what their role was going to be and what they needed to do to become successful at the AHL and NHL level. To me, that sounds not only like a teacher, but also a leader. You also can't argue with the fact that the Bruins would bring up young guys all the time last year and they were always prepared to play important roles and big minutes.

The Hartley thing is a bit dicey. Let's never forget that when he was the coach of the mighty Thrash that he was always accused of not playing young players like (oh, I don't know) Braydon Coburn and then the kids would get traded and grow into players like (oh, I don't know) Braydon effing Coburn!

Of course, just like we saw with Nolan, coaches who are paid to "win now" have to "win now" or they become "unemployed quickly". Still, Braydon Coburn? You couldn't find room for him?

Crawford is probably looking for some kind of professional redemption; just as Greg Logan speculated in Newsday over the weekend. Gerard Gallant may have been ignored by Ted Nolan at times last year, but there is no denying the fact that he was in charge of the power play and that power play sucked hose water for most of the season. To me, this sounds almost like a courtesy interview for the former coach of the Blue Jackets.

Finally, let's wrap it up with the news that Hilary Duff reportedly consults a psychic regarding her future with Mike Comrie. Um, Hilary, if that's true, next time can you ask her who the next coach is gonna be and if Comrie will break 60 points this season? Thanks.