Midseason Report: The New York Islanders

Although the New York Islanders continue to be winless in 2009, I felt it was an appropriate time to look back at the first half of the season, give out some awards, and discuss some memorable moments from a season that is not very memorable.

Most Valuable Player:

When the Islanders entered this season, it was made clear that the team was entering a rebuild, and the focus was going to be placed on younger players. While this may be true, none of these younger players are competing for my MVP award. The competition here truly lies between Doug Weight and Mark Streit. While it may be a close competition, Mark Streit takes the win in my book.

He is currently among the top leaders in point production by a defenseman with 33 points. What is even more astonishing is that as the Islanders number one defenseman, he is logging over 25 minutes per game, and is only a -2 in the plus/minus category. For a team that is awful defensively, these are some pretty impressive numbers!

Most Disappointing Player:

There are a few names that could be juggled around, however, I am going to say the winner, or loser, is Jeff Tambellini. Although he has been a nice spark of intensity since his conditioning stint in Bridgeport, Islander fans had higher hopes for this young sniper. With only two goals in 34 games, Tambellini is truly underachieving. Last year alone, Tambellini registered 38 goals, 38 assists, for 76 points with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Could he be experiencing Jason Krog fever?

Exceeded Expectations:

For a team that is playing terrible hockey all around, there are still some exceeding expectations. The two players exceeding expectations the most in my mind are Doug Weight and Mark Streit. Doug Weight finished last season with an abysmal 25 point campaign. For a player of his reputation and quality, that definitely hurt a tremendous amount. After signing with the Islanders, he vowed to prove he was not washed up, and he has done just that.

As our top center, Weight has registered 32 points through 37 games in his turnaround campaign. As for Mark Streit, he was considered the 7^thdefensemen in Montreal, and sometimes a fourth line winger. Now, he is logging over 25 minutes a game, and performing tremendously in all three zones. Streit has truly surpassed all expectations placed upon him!

Most Memorable Win, Loss, Goal, and Coaching Decision

It is sad to admit, but the Islanders only have 12 wins to choose from when discussing their best one. In my opinion, the shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks was the sweetest. After spending all day reading Vancouver newspapers, and seeing how they felt the Canucks were going to win easily, it felt very good for the Islanders to prove a Canadian media outlet wrong.

The most memorable loss of the season (one of the 28) comes against the Atlanta Thrashers on Dec. 6, 2008. In a match of the two worst teams in the league, the Thrashers blew the Islanders out in embarrassing fashion, winning 5-1. This was the point in the season when Islander fans realized just how tough this season was going to be.

The most memorable goal of the season goes to Josh Bailey’s first goal. It is not that Bill Guerin’s 400^th wasn’t special; it’s just that Bailey is the future, and we pray there are many more of those to come.

Lastly, the most memorable coaching decision of the season is very easy to decide. When DiPietro was named back-up to Joey MacDonald on Oct. 13, 2008, many were curious as to why he was there. When MacDonald got peppered with seven goals and Gordon refused to use the back-up, it became obvious that DiPietro was truly not healthy.

Even though the Islanders season continues to plummet faster then the price of gas, it is still fair to give out some awards to those who deserve, even if the awards are not good ones. Only time will tell if the second-half is going to be as enjoyable for Islander fans, but I look forward to the ride!