End of the Season

The season is over, but I witnessed the true end of the season. This came when the Rangers visited the Coliseum, not this past time, but the time before that. The Isles were only a point out of eighth and were a little banged up, but playing very hard. This was the controversial game in which Ted decided to start Dubie over Rick, for his second straight game against the Rangers. The plan backfired and Dubie was shaky in net, although the offense also did not help him. This was a horrible game for numerous reasons, 1) the Isles got smoked by the Rangers and, 2) I wasted a ton of money on a terrible game. The Isles started falling apart after this game, with injuries and just a steady decline in overall play. Can anyone remember how many 40 + shot games there were since after that Ranger game? Here is a simple answer: Too many.

So now that the season is over and the last game has been played and the Isles are not enjoying playoff hockey, what are Islander fans supposed to look forward too? While we have seen a whole young slew of players wear the Isles uniform in the last few weeks, I would not expect to see them all on the team next year. This is because of a couple of reasons, 1) most need more time to fine tune their game in the minors, and 2) there just are not that many open roster spots. You also have to factor in the Isles at least signing a few free agents this offseason to further cut down on roster spots.

Biggest Surprises This Year:
- Josef Vasicek's offense
- Blake Comeau looking very promising
- Richard Park playing very consistent
- Injuries
- Seeing 19 year old Kyle Okposo playing in the NHL
- The invention of the Long Island SoundTiglanders

Biggest Dissapointments:
- Miro Satan's lack of offense
- Dipietro's hip
- Injruies
- Mike Comrie even though he lead the team in points
- Lack of fights
- Islanders not making the playoffs

So my fellow Islander fans, it has been a fun season, but a season that ended in disappointment again. The future looks bright and I'm excited to see this team grow, as should all of you. Goodbye 07-08 season.......