What a night!

First off, we need to say that the Islanders know how to throw a party. Second, we need to say that all Islander fans had to be super-happy to see Miro knock home the game winner for Al Arbour's 1500th game as coach of the Islanders.

It seemed a little dusty at times in the old barn for Radar, and who could blame him. The event was classy and reverential right from the beginning. The fans were outstanding and I was very pleased to see many younger people in the stands who had a great grasp of what kind of coach Al Arbour had been for the organization even though many of these fans may not have even been born the last time the Isles won the Stanley Cup.

I don't know about the pre-game stuff on TV for FSNY because it's all blacked out for those with the Center Ice package, but I can tell you that on Hockey Night in Canada they aired an excellent feature with Coach Arbour and his wife, Claire. For those who don't know, Elliotte Friedman is a very good reporter who has a feature or interview before the HNIC broadcast and his interview with Arbour was just outstanding. "Radar" even got a bit choked up when Friedman told him that fellow HNIC staffer Kelly Hrudey told him that Al had been like a second father to him.
You no doubt have read the Newsday accounts of the game or watched it for yourselves. It was a super game. Anthony Reiber in Newsday is reporting that Rick DiPietro was examined after getting clipped in the eye (through his mask) by Sidney Crosby and that he has not suffered any major eye damage. It isn't know, however, whether he'll make the start Tuesday when the Isles host the Rangers. Dubie played well and made more than a handful of key stops after relieving Ricky in the second period.

Ben Walter made his Islanders debut wearing #29 and playing on the fourth line with Chris Simon and Aaron Johnson.

The Coach Comes Back

A lot of stories will be told about coach Al Arbour Saturday night. Rightfully so. You rarely find someone so admired that it's difficult to find someone that nobody has a bad word about. All of his players loved playing for him. We know that. We also know that our coach, Ted Nolan, respects the man so much that he went to Islanders management about whether or not they could have Coach Arbour behind the bench one last time so that he'd have coached an even 1500 games for the franchise.

I'm just feeling a little like piling on. Everyone has such kind words for the man known as Radar that I feel like adding one of my own.

It was 1994 NHL Entry Draft in Hartford. Yes, this was the draft immortalized to my circle of friends as the day when my buddy Vic asked, "Who's that old guy?" while Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie freaking Howe, was signing autographs.

I've never been to a draft before that (or since) and I didn't know what to expect. I did know, however, that I was nerd enough to stay for the whole thing unless the boys got bored and wanted to leave. So, with my trusty Hockey News Draft Issue on my lap, I sat down and waited to see who the Isles were going to choose to turn the ship around. (It was Brett Lindros and if he had turned his head around he may have had a few less concussions.)

Coach Al Arbour had just led the team to a fourth place finish and a 4-0 whitewash out of the playoffs. Old hand Lorne Henning was driving the ship and Don Maloney was the new GM. Coach now was at the Islanders draft table as an advisor. Truth is, as I people watched the draft floor, no one was really consulting with Arbour. He seemed to be out of his element a bit, uncomfortable, and fidgety. Maloney and his people were walking around, grinning, shaking hands, and slapping backs.

After a while, I was feeling kinda froggy, so I went down to the boards where Coach Arbour was standing. We began to chat a little bit. It wasn't much, believe me, but the nerd in me was practically exploding over the fact that I was shooting the breeze with Coach Al Arbour. And you know what? He was a heck of a nice guy. He told me that the draft had gotten to a be such a big deal and that it used to be more of a closed-door conference room-kind of thing. I asked him about retirement and being an advisor to the team and whatnot and he said that he figured he was happy enough to help out when he could. All I could think--but I never said it--was that one of the greatest coaches in sports history was at their disposal and yet Al Arbour was standing there, bemused, talking over his shoulder to a kid from Connecticut.

After I was sure I had bothered him enough, I extended my hand and said, "Thanks, Coach." Al Arbour looked at me with a bit of a confused look on his face. "Thanks for everything," I said. I knew right then and there that he had no clue as to what I was talking about and that is what makes Al Arbour such a great guy. He treated all of his players well, all of the media members well, and even random dudes at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft well. He has his name on the Stanley Cup six times and yet, it still a regular, humble guy. Al Arbour is worthy of our admiration.

So, again, thanks Coach. Thanks for everything. I learned a ton about people in the three or four minutes we spent chatting. And good luck against those Penguins. We are all incredibly happy and proud that you're coming back for another kick at the can.

Reaction to The Coach Arbour News

I know everyone reading this is just as excited as I am about the man known as Radar coaching his 1500th game on November 3. And wow, it won't exactly be an easy game as the Isles will be taking on the Penguins and some guy named Crosby. But you know what? I can't freaking wait. I was grinning like an idiot at my job after hearing about it yesterday. Just outstanding news.

Just another supremely classy move by Mr. Wang; Ted Nolan; and Garth Snow. The best thing about it is that the Penguins are already a draw so this isn't exactly one of those PR moves made by a team that is trying to sell a few more tickets. I read that Chris Botta said that if this were truly an attempt to sell tickets that Al Arbour would be coaching the Islanders on a Tuesday night against Carolina and not a Saturday night vs. Pittsburgh.

Remember after Coach Arbour was let go and he had that ceremonial front office position with the organization? I seems to recall an article where Arbour said that no one ever asked him for his opinion of asked him to do anything and that frustrated him. Well, there is no chance of that happening with the present management team. Why the jokers who ran and owned the team back in the day would not consult one of the best coaches in league history is beyond me. When you have an asset like that Al Arbour in your organization, man, you need to pick his brain and utilize all of his experience. Ted Nolan has shown to have a great understanding and respect for the history on Long Island. After years of people who shunned the legacy, it's damn refreshing to have a coach and a GM who understand the importance of history to the fans and the entire organization.

Let me close with a quick personal recollection of Coach Arbour. At the 1994 Entry Draft in Hartford, I was fortunate enough to meet the guy. I am not one who gets real starstruck and to be honest, I rarely am interested in meeting so-called famous people...but Coach Arbour was something else. I spied him down on the floor with the rest of the Islanders management of the time and I went down to shake his hand. He had just stepped down from his second tour of duty behind the bench and I just wanted to say something to him. I quickly introduced myself as a long-time fan and told him I just wanted to say thanks. Coach Arbour seemed a little surprised and just said to me, "Sure. No problem." I have never really known if he knew what he was being thanked for but it didn't matter. He just took it in stride and was polite about the whole thing. Then Don Maloney hooked him under the arm and led him over to a group of other people on the floor. As I left, he turned and gave us a bit of a wave. It was just a pretty cool moment for me.

I plan on being there in the Coliseum on November 3 to see the greatest coach in Islanders history make his one-game return behind the bench. It's going to be a heck of a night for the players, fans, Coach Arbour, and most assuredly, Ted Nolan.

AL ARBOUR RETURNS TO COACH 1,500th

Great news from the Islanders Insider: AL ARBOUR RETURNS TO COACH 1,500th GAME

Legendary coach accepts invitation from Ted Nolan to lead team and reach Islanders milestone against Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 3.

Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour will return to Long Island to coach his 1,500th regular season game with the Islanders on Saturday, November 3 when the team hosts Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Nassau Coliseum at 7:00 pm. The legendary coach celebrates his 75th birthday on November 1.

Earlier this week Arbour accepted an invitation from Ted Nolan to run the team for one last game and reach the milestone of 1,500 games coached with the franchise he led to four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 - 1983.

Arbour will sign a one-day contract on Friday, November 2 and lead the team the following night against the Penguins.

"This is an incredible gesture by Ted and the Islanders," Arbour said this morning from his summer home in Ontario. "I am flattered that Tedthought of me and I wouldn't miss this night for the world. I told theteam that I do not want any pre-game fanfare. I'm there to coach thegame and help Ted and my Islanders try to earn two points against a very tough team."

Nolan explains why he extended the invitation to Arbour: "Every day last season I would walk by that big board outside our locker room at the Coliseum that lists the franchise's award winners and milestones," saidNolan. "And every day it would kill me when I'd see Coach Arbour made it to 1,499 games.

I asked (GM) Garth Snow if we could bring Coach back for one more game and to ask the NHL office to recognize it. They did, Coach Arbour emphatically said he was on board and now I can't wait. It's going to be an amazing night, I can guarantee you that. To me, Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman are the two greatest coaches in NHL history."

Arbour's games coached and victories with the franchise are the most by any coach with one team in NHL history. His regular season record with the Islanders over 1,499 games is 739-537-223. In the playoffs, Arbour had a 119-79 record with the Islanders. He is the second all-time winningest coach in NHL history with 781 career victories, behind only Scotty Bowman.

"Ted Nolan has shown a great deal of respect for the tradition and history of the New York Islanders and Al Arbour by stepping aside andhaving Al coach his 1500th game," said Mike Bossy, Arbour's Hall of Fame right wing from the dynasty era. "As a former player of Al's I am looking forward to seeing him adjust his glasses and brush his hair aside one more time.

"Al Arbour put his stamp on what the New York Islanders are all about -- heart, grit and character. It's perfect that he'll be sharing the bench with a man in Ted who believes in the same philosophy. Anyone who's close to Al knows he's taking this very seriously and won't allow himself to soak it all in and enjoy the fan support until the game is over. He's probably already breaking down Pittsburgh game tape."

Check out Islanders TV and watch Al Arbour's Banner Raising Ceremony and hear Al's former players talk about their Hall of Fame coach.

AL ARBOUR Facts & Figures

Born: November 1, 1932 in Sudbury, Ontario
Four Stanley Cups: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Hockey Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1996
739 Retired by Islanders: Al Arbour Night on Jan. 25,
1997 NHL Coach ofthe Year:
Jack Adams Award winner in 1979
Seasons Coached: 22 (3 with St. Louis, 19 with Islanders)
Islanders Coaching Record (Regular Season): 739-537-223
Islanders Playoff Coaching Record: 119-79
1,499 games coached with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
781 regular season victories: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
739 victories with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
209 playoff games coached: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
198 playoff games coached with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
123 playoff victories: Second-most in NHL history (Scotty Bowman)
119 playoff victories with the Islanders: Record for most with one team in NHL history
19 Consecutive Playoff Series Victories from 1980 - 84: NHL Record