Sports World Closing Up Shop Over COVID-19

CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19

Shuts Down the Sports World

Basketball both college and pro lead the way insofar as proactive measures.  March Madness is essentially canceled.  The NBA, NHL, and MLS, are putting their respective regular seasons on hold.  In baseball, Spring Training is suspended effective immediately.  For the moment the MLB regular season is being pushed back two weeks.  Arena wrestling appears no less safe, and the XFL finally announce the suspension of their regular season.

* mural, Bushwick, Brooklyn

N.Y. Islanders: Game One Loss Apparently No Big Deal

From the desk of:  THE BARRY TROTZ PAJAMA PARTY

ISLANDERS RETURN TO BROOKLYN

GAME TWO

Carolina Hurricanes (1-0)

vs.

New York Islanders (0-1)

FROM

FLATBUSH AVENUE ICE RINK

New York Islanders hit pothole upon their return to Brooklyn.

I'm buying into the consensus take within the Islanders locker room that game one's loss is no big deal.  All is well - there's nothing more to see here.  You can all go back to your homes and get some sleep.  We're on it.

Famous last words ... look how many favorites have already been booted from the tourney.

Make no mistake, Carolina is a very good emerging team.  Young and somewhat inexperienced, they're a more gamely bunch than their seventh place conference finish suggests.  As such they're not necessarily weighted down by over expectations and therefore get to play relatively free of undue pressure.  That makes for an extremely dangerous opponent.  Underestimate them at your own risk.  Just ask Alex Ovechkin and the former defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.

In the Islanders case, I believe the effects of rust are a very real matter where it concerns the speed of playoff hockey.  Entering round two, I would have rather been the team coming off an extended series than the one waiting around for an opponent as the Islanders were made to do after sweeping the Penguins.  Coach Trotz after game one eluded to mental rust more so than physical.  Game one may or may not have proved that out.  But like round one the burden of expectations again weighs on the shoulders of Carolina's opponent.  That said, the Islanders were far more sharper than I thought they would be after a ten day layoff.  Thus, despite Carolina's game one victory it is with great confidence I say the Hurricanes are in trouble.

The box score says the Islanders were shut out.  In fact, each team had their power play opportunities and came up empty.  That could turn into a problem for the Islanders.  But outside of returning from a ten day layoff, when has even strength scoring ever been their problem?  Lest we forget the Isles outscored Pittsburgh by a 14-6 margin through four games.

Instead, defensive shortcomings, net minding - and in hindsight coaching - have always been the Islanders undoing.  These days, limiting goals is what the Islanders do best.  And for all intent and purpose Friday proved no different.  The Hurricanes scored 245 regular season goals, while the Islanders tallied 228 goals, but at the same time allowed the fewest in all the NHL.  The Islanders have been relearning hockey under Barry Trotz.  Just as he did at Washington, Trotz gave the Islanders blue liners and his forwards a system and a sense of urgency and turned them into the stingiest unit in the league.  Lou Lamoriello in turn secured goalie Robin Lehner who is in the midst of a hockey epiphany.  Fine performances from the Islanders defense and Lehner were on full display Friday evening at Barclays Center.  Through sixty minutes of regulation time Lehner and Carolina's Petr Mrazic performed superbly matching each other save for save - pitching shutouts if you will.

Overtime be damned ...

GAME ONE

Hurricanes  1

Islanders     0

overtime

I'm quite certain the Hurricanes will encounter a very different Islanders team come game two at Barclays Center on Sunday.  Islanders forwards out shot Carolina forward lines by a 26-22 margin.  However, the Hurricanes got ten shots on goal from their defense; the Islanders just five.  That tells me the Isles blue liners are staying home, while the Canes are not averse to taking risks.  A big question is can the Islanders capitalize on Carolina's over aggression.

Now that the home team has lost a game there is a genuine series to be played.  I know this: ten days of practice simply can not replicate the speed and urgency of playoff hockey.  And so in game two I believe the series narrative begins undergoing a dramatic shift.

N.Y. Islanders: Tell League Lou You and Go Trotz Yourself

From the desk of:  NO SLEEP TILL BELMONT

MATHEW BARZAL~C

22 Goals; 63 Assists; 85 points

2018 NHL TOP ROOKIE

CALDER TROPHY

Lou Lamoriello, hired by the New York Islanders ownership group in May was charged with restoring a once proud franchise back to prominence.  He may by 75-years old but he is still sharp as a sickle and knows how to wield it.  And on Tues, June 5, 2018, he whacked both former general manager Garth Snow and former head coach Doug Weight.  In turn, he agreed to pay the suddenly available Barry Trotz' asking price, and hired him on the spot to be next handler of the Islanders.

Lou Lamoriello looked around, and it said was good ...

This past weekend, he addressed two glaring team needs during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.  Knowing the Isles have long lacked an impact defensemen, he drafted three: Noah Dobson, Bode Wilde, and Christian Krygier.   Together they average 6'2" 190lbs., in size.  And knowing he needed an upgrade at goalie, Lou selected Jakub Skarek in the 3rd round and 72nd overall.  Among four forward selections, two are centers: smallish 5'8" 152 lbs Ruslan Iskhakovc, and the considerably larger Jacob Pivenka who weighs in at 6'0" 201lbs.  Lou selected two wingers as well who average 6'2" 204 lbs.

Then Lou Lamoriello looked around, and said it was good ...

On July 2, 2018, the franchise player, John Tavares, becomes an unrestricted free agent.  He turns 28-years old in September.  Various reports list the Sharks, Golden Knights, Stars, Lightning, and Maple Leafs as being interested parties.  Odds are he will agree to a contract with the Islanders, and finish out his career as an all-time Long Island favorite.  If in fact that happens, Brooklyn had better continue appreciating this opportunity for watching a great hockey player representing the Borough until the team's planned move to Belmont.

There's reason to believe Lou Lamoriello will take another look around, and make good with John Tavares, as well.

Road Trips 2018: Back to Boston, TD Garden

Road Trips 2018:
Back to Boston ~ The Garden II

Road Trips 2016: Cy Young and Huntington Avenue Grounds
Road Trips 2018: Back to Boston ~ Braves Field and South End Grounds 

1928 ~ 1997

OPENING NIGHT at BOSTON GARDEN

BOXING

November 17, 1928

APRIL 15, 2018

NHL PLAYOFFS ~ GAME TWO

Maple Leafs  2

BRUINS        7

N.J. Devils: Where The Wild Teams Are

From the desk of:  THE BRICK CITY STYX

Home Sweet Home

New Jersey Devils: A Triumphant Return To The Rock.

Catch your breath Devils fans.  This is your last two-day break in the regular season.

Starting Tuesday, they'll have thirteen days left with which to squeeze in their final seven games of the season.  That means they'll be playing every other night from here on out, including a back-to-back set at the turn of the month.

All this leaves little time for reflecting upon their team's achievements to date.  When in truth, they have already embarked on something special.  The rebuilding Devils finished last season with 70 points, and weren't expected to be much better entering this season.  Player development was supposed to be their primary focus.  But a funny thing happened on the way to Spring.  They won their 39th game of the season on Saturday, their most since 2011-2012 when they last qualified for post-season play.  They are also only two points shy of matching their 88 points of 2013-2014.  The last Devils team to achieve ninety points in a season were, again, the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup contenders.  Therefore, with regard to the rest of this season the only lingering question is how far can these young new breed demons take this?

After jumping out to an 8-2-0 start in October, they were still 22-10-6 by New Year's Eve.  However, a 3-6-2 record through the dog days of January suggested the time had arrived for Newark to finally find its true level in this year's standings.  Instead, the Devils regrouped to post an 8-6-0 record in February.  They opened March with an overall 33-22-8 record, and are 6-6-0 to date.

But what a month it has been.  Only now are the Devils finally getting a breather after skating through a gauntlet of top Western Conference contenders, and having to play the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Eastern Conference top seed Tampa Bay Lightning on back-to-back nights.  And they damn near defeated them all.  After consecutive victories at Nashville, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, they sustained humbling back-to-back losses at Anaheim and San Jose.  On their way back east, the Devils stopped off in Pittsburgh where they defeated the Penguins in overtime on Friday.  Then, after seventeen days away from the Rock, they finally returned home and short circuited the Lightning on short rest.

With 86 points, Newark leads ninth place Florida by three points, but with nine games left on their schedule the Panthers have two games in hand.  And so if the Devils are to stave off Florida, they must open and maintain at least a four point lead before they're done.  Their season ends on April 7, while the Panthers close out their season a day later.

DEVILS

• Home (5): Penguins, Maple Leafs, Rangers, Islanders, Hurricanes.
• Away (2): Capitals, Canadiens.

PANTHERS

• Home (4): Bruins, Predators, Hurricanes, Sabres.
• Away (5); Bruins(2), Maple Leafs, Islanders, Senators.

In any event, this much is clear: The New Jersey Devils are back on top of the three-team NYC metropolitan area division.

They have the best head coach (John Hynes) of the three teams.  And until Jeff Gorton's rebuild at MSG garners similar results, Ray Shero is arguably the better general manager (Garth Snow is easily last).  The Islanders John Tavares is the best center in town, but for how much longer?  Okay, the Isles also have Mathew Barzal.  Otherwise, rookie Nico Hischier is neck and neck in points with the more experienced NYR top center Mika Zibanejad.

Just saying ...

N.J. Devils: The Ides of March

From the desk of:  THE BRICK CITY STYX

It's Now a Twelve Game Season

New Jersey Devils did not survive the Ides of March unscathed, but have emerged alive and well, and remain Wild as ever.

Some of these young demons couldn't grow beards even if slapped in the face with seeds and fertilizer.  If they start now, maybe over the next 23 days they at least develop a representative five o'clock shadow.

Because on April 7 the NHL regular season comes to an end, giving the upstart Devils exactly twelve games left to either establish themselves as a worthy post-season participant, or end up as just another team that fed off a great October harvest but in the end ultimately came up one serving short in Spring.

The latter would be an unfortunate narrative for a team that, after all, is in the midst of a full-blown rebuild.  But when you're this close to the end, and can see the finish line, no one wants to hear about rebuilding.  Apparently neither did Ray Shero, and that's why he fortified the team before the trade deadline.

That being said, the Devils playoffs started in earnest the day they fell out of sixth place of the Eastern Conference standings.  Since then, they've maintained a precarious grip on the Wild Card.

Indeed, two losses against Las Vegas and Winnipeg at the Rock chimed ominously like bells suggesting the time for turning into a pumpkin would soon arrive.

However, the Devils obviously have a different ending in mind, and so far have hit the road like bats out of hell.  Facing off against the league's best of the West, Newark first took a huge bite out of the menacing Predators at Nashville, then doubled-down at Las Vegas with an 8-3 victory over the President Trophy candidate Golden Knights.

Next on their itinerary is Los Angeles, where a desperate Kings team will host the Devils this Saturday afternoon.  After which, the Devils travel to Anaheim, San Jose, and back to Pittsburgh for another showdown against the Penguins, then must host the Tampa Bolts the very next night.

The Devils opened this road trip achieving two huge victories.  But the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Flyers Thursday, bumping the (inactive) Devils down a notch  into eighth place of the conference standings.

To date, Newark is 36-26-8, and their 80 points are a dwindling three points better than ninth place Florida.  The Panthers have 77 points, but have two very important games in hand.

Newark and Florida do not face off against each other again, and so the Devil's are effectively engaged in a battle against time.

This is a photo finish in the making.

The Other Ghosts of Flatbush: Brooklyn Americans Hockey Club

As part of their celebrating the New York Islanders inaugural season in the Borough, the Brooklyn Historical Society recently concluded a Winter long exhibit featuring the former NHL Brooklyn Americans Hockey Club.

The New York Americans were established in 1924, two full seasons before Tex's Rangers laced up their first pair of skates.  Although both teams played in the same building (old Madison Square Garden), competitively speaking, by 1941-1942 they were leagues apart.

Ownership attempted to gain a foothold in Brooklyn, and played as such during the 1941-1942 season.  However, the outbreak of WWII (particularly Canada's initial participation) took a heavy toll on their roster which necessitated the Americans to suspend operations the following season.  When ownership applied for reinstatement in 1946, the NHL denied them in favor of retaining a balanced six team circuit, but more precisely, because the junior member Rangers claimed eminent domain.

Under head coach Art Chapman, the 1941-1942 Brooklyn Americans placed last with a 16-29-3 record in a seven team circuit.  The New York Rangers finished first in the standings, but it was the Toronto Maple Leafs whom captured the Stanley Cup that season.

British born defenseman and Brooklyn All-Star Tommy Anderson was Team Captain.  He led the Amerks with 41 points and won the 1941-1942 Hart Trophy.

Left winger Norm Larson led the team with 16 goals.

After appearing in 12 games as a rookie (1940-1941) with the New York Americans, goalie Chuck Rayner played his first full NHL season for Brooklyn.  When the team suspended operations, he went on to enjoy an eight year stint with the New York Rangers, for which he was elected to Hockey's Hall of Fame in 1973.

In truth, owner Red Dutton only moved team practice to the old Ice Palace on Eastern Parkway, and merely re-branded them as Brooklyn.  The Americans, however, continued playing their home games as tenants at Madison Square Garden.

They made a total of five playoff appearances while branded as New York.

In their last ever home game, the Brooklyn Americans defeated the eventual Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs by a 6-3 final score.  The last game in the New York/Brooklyn Americans 17-year history came two days later on March 17, 1942, in which they lost 8-3 to the Bruins in Boston.