I'm two dollars richer.

Last night around 12:30 am I got home and took a quick look at James
Dolan's sports stations and they were promptly shutoff as promised.

That's Msg, Fox and Metro.

And yes, I fully support Time Warner Cable. Dolan wants to charge
them a lot of money they do not deserve.

If they pull the plug on the Mets and it holds the rest of the
baseball season forget any urgency for these people to show hockey.

Cablevision kept the Yankees off their stations for a full year, now
that the plug is pulled (as it almost was during last season) I
expect both sides will dig in.

Time for me to come up with a new plan if there is hockey.

TWC does offer the out of market games. I wonder if I can purchase
the plan and get the broadcast from the opposing side? Usually Isles
games are blacked out in other markets during those free previews.

Bill

http://tsf.waymoresports.thestar.com/thestar/hockey/news.cgi?notebook

NHL teams dealing with uncertainty...
MID-SUMMER REPORT

August is just around the corner, and the NHL's top unrestricted free
agents are virtually all still at large. Restraint has been the key
word of the summer, so far, though a few clubs have continued to use
the free-agent market as a means to improve the roster (namely
Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Phoenix and Florida). Also, there have
been precious few trades this off-season (11 in total, involving only
16 players), which has led to one of the most stagnant NHL summers in
recent memory. Most clubs seem content to take care of their own
pending free agents and leave the market flooded with name talent.
This is largely due to the expiration of the current CBA in
September, and the prospect of a lengthy lockout. With a little more
than a month to go before the scheduled start of NHL training camps,
here's a division-by-division look at organizational activity
throughout the league (Re-signed and Un-signed categories refer to
unrestricted free agents only)...

New York Islanders
Comings: None
Goings: Eric Cairns (D), Alexander Karpovtsev (D), Eric Manlow (C),
Alan LeTang (D)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Mariusz Czerkawski (RW), Cliff Ronning (C/LW), Steve Webb
(RW), Garth Snow (G), Derek Bekar (RW/LW)
What's left to do? Change team chemistry. The Isles continue to be
strong in mobile defensemen but weak in overall depth. One of Roman
Hamrlik or Janne Niinimaa should be moved at some point this off-
season. Also, the Islanders could use a backup for Rick DiPietro--
though they like Wade Dubielewicz a lot--and a shakeup up front. It's
time to get busy.


  NORTHEAST DIVISION

Boston Bruins
Comings: Tom Fitzgerald (RW/LW)
Goings: Mike Knuble (RW/LW), Brian Rolston (C/W), Sean O'Donnell (D),
Andy Delmore (D), Ted Donato (C/LW), Rich Brennan (D)
Re-signed: Ian Moran (D)
Un-signed: Glen Murray (RW), Dan McGillis (D), Michael Nylander (C),
Felix Potvin (G), Jiri Slegr (D), Travis Green (C), Rob Zamuner
(LW/RW), Michal Grosek (RW/LW), Doug Doull (LW)
What's left to do? Everything. Top-six forwards are needed to replace
Knuble, Murray and potentially Nylander (the Bruins may get him
back). A checking-line center is required to replace Rolston, Green
and Donato. Added defensive depth and a veteran backup goalkeeper are
also on the to-do list. If there's still time, an enforcer to replace
Doull would be nice.

Buffalo Sabres
Comings: None
Goings: None
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: James Patrick (D), Alexei Zhitnik (D)
What's left to do? Not much. The Sabres are a young, up-and-coming
franchise with plenty of young talent. With the potential loss of
Patrick and Zhitnik, a veteran defenseman may be required to help out
in the leadership department (Zhitnik has hinted he is interested in
returning to Buffalo). Signing 2003 first-round pick Thomas Vanek is
also on the agenda.

Montreal Canadiens
Comings: Radek Bonk (C), Cristobal Huet (G), Gavin Morgan (C), Raitis
Ivanans (LW), Kyle Chipchura (C)
Goings: Stephane Quintal (D), Mathieu Garon (G), Joe Juneau (C),
Andreas Dackell (RW), Darren Langdon (LW), Benoit Gratton (C)
Re-signed: Niklas Sundstrom (RW/LW)
Un-signed: Alexei Kovalev (RW), Jim Dowd (C), Yanic Perreault (C),
Eric Fichaud (G), Patrick Traverse (D), Gordie Dwyer (LW), Jean-
Francois Damphousse (G)
What's left to do? Find Kovalev's replacement. Unless Kovalev's
contract demands come way down, he's probably played his last game in
a Habs jersey. Therefore, Montreal GM Bob Gainey must address the
situation by adding at least one (and preferably two) top-six
forwards. Belarusian rookie winger Andrei Kostsitsyn could be one of
the missing pieces, if signed.

Ottawa Senators
Comings: Bryan Murray (coach), Dominik Hasek (G), Pat Kavanagh (RW),
Danny Bois (RW), Kelly Guard (G)
Goings: Radek Bonk (C), Serge Payer (C), Brad Tapper (RW), Peter
Smrek (D)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Peter Bondra (LW/RW), Curtis Leschyshyn (D), Shaun Van
Allen (C), Rob Ray (RW), Todd Simpson (D), Jody Hull (RW/LW)
What's left to do? Add more grit--again. Hasek fills Ottawa's need
for a playoff-proven netminder. Now, GM John Muckler must tinker with
the lineup just enough to add the missing ingredients: Size, physical
presence and character up front. He may also look for defensive depth
and locker-room leadership. Otherwise, the Sens simply need to
unleash their young talent.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Comings: Roman Kukumberg (RW/LW)
Goings: Tom Fitzgerald (RW/LW), Mikael Renberg (RW/LW), Josh Holden
(C), Mike Minard (G)
Re-signed: Ed Belfour (G), Gary Roberts (LW), Joe Nieuwendyk (C), Ken
Klee (D)
Un-signed: Ron Francis (C), Bryan Marchment (D), Robert Reichel (C),
Trevor Kidd (G), Drake Berehowsky (D), Calle Johansson (D), Sebastien
Centomo (G), Aaron Gavey (C/W), Jamie Hodson (G)
What's left to do? Incorporate youth into the equation. The Leafs
brought four veterans back into the fold early on in the off-season--
much to the surprised dismay of their naysayers. Now, it's time for
the likes of Matt Stajan, Carlo Colaiacovo and Mikael Tellqvist to
become regular contributors in Toronto. Will the burden of
expectations allow it this time around?


  ATLANTIC DIVISION

New Jersey Devils
Comings: Richard Matvichuk (D), Krzysztof Oliwa (LW), Darren Langdon
(LW), Ray Schultz (D)
Goings: Turner Stevenson (RW), Tommy Albelin (D), Igor Larionov (C),
Raymond Giroux (D), Craig Darby (C), Stephen Guolla (C)
Re-signed: John Madden (C), Grant Marshall (RW)
Un-signed: Sergei Brylin (C/W), Corey Schwab (G), Scott Clemmensen
(G), Mike Matteucci (D)
What's left to do? Wait on captain Scott Stevens. The grizzled
defenseman is still a question mark to resume his playing career
because of post-concussion syndrome. While Matvichuk is a great
addition, don't be surprised if Devils GM Lou Lamoriello adds more
defensive depth before the start of training camp. Also on the menu:
Backup goalkeeper.

New York Rangers
Comings: Tom Renney (coach), Jason Strudwick (D/LW), Jeff MacMillan
(D), Trevor Gillies (D), Lauri Korpikoski (LW), Alvaro Montoya (G)
Goings: Jamie McLennan (G), Cory Larose (C)
Re-signed: Richard Scott (LW)
Un-signed: Pavel Bure (RW), Eric Lindros (C), Sandy McCarthy (RW),
Mark Messier (C), Boris Mironov (D), Joel Bouchard (D), Jan Hlavac
(LW), Josh Green (LW), Jeff Heerema (RW), Dan LaCouture (LW), Benoit
Dusablon (C), Jamie Pushor (D), Chris McAllister (D/LW), John Jakopin
(D)
What's left to do? Preach patience to Rangers season-ticket holders.
The foundation for massive rebuilding is in place, but will the
Blueshirts finally carry it out to the fullest? The Rangers could
still be on the lookout for a top-six forward (possibly Ziggy
Palffy), but have enough quantity along the blueline and in goal to
pull off a trade--if that is GM Glen Sather's preference.

Philadelphia Flyers
Comings: Mike Knuble (RW/LW), Turner Stevenson (RW)
Goings: Mark Recchi (RW), Kirby Law (RW), Andre Savage (C), Eric
Meloche (RW), R.J. Umberger (C), Tony Voce (C), Josh Gratton (LW)
Re-signed: Keith Primeau (C), Sean Burke (G)
Un-signed: Vladimir Malakhov (D), Alexei Zhamnov (C), Steve Gainey
(LW/C)
What's left to do? GM Bob Clarke is always looking to improve his
team, but this time he may first need to address a few hefty
contracts on his current roster: Burke and wingers Tony Amonte and
John LeClair. If any of the three are bought out, look for Clarke to
replace them with another top-six forward (possibly the re-signing of
Zhamnov) and/or defenseman.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Comings: Mark Recchi (RW), Ryan Vandenbussche (RW), Evgeni Malkin
(C), Johannes Salmonsson (LW)
Goings: Landon Wilson (RW), Tom Kostopoulos (RW), Eric Meloche (RW),
Patrick Boileau (D)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Jean-Sebastien Aubin (G), Dan Focht (D), Toby Petersen
(C/LW), Steve McKenna (LW), Jon Sim (LW/RW), Kelly Buchberger
(LW/RW), Reid Simpson (LW), Pauli Levokari (D), Martin Brochu (G)
What's left to do? Secure a new arena. Mario Lemieux's off-ice
efforts should continue to exceed his on-ice exploits in the coming
months. To help with public relations, look for the club to make
another pitch to former Pen/free agent Alex Kovalev. Kovalev would
serve as a complement to Recchi--who is already on board as a blast
from the past. Stay tuned.


  SOUTHEAST DIVISION

Atlanta Thrashers
Comings: Jaroslav Modry (D), Scott Mellanby (RW), Niclas Havelid (D),
Travis Roche (D), Cory Larose (C), Adam Berkhoel (G)
Goings: Frantisek Kaberle (D), Randy Robitaille (C), Shawn Heins (D),
Mike Weaver (D), Brian Swanson (C), Eric Healey (LW)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Yannick Tremblay (D), Zdenek Blatny (C/W), Byron Dafoe
(G), Chris Tamer (D), Bill Lindsay (LW)
What's left to do? Add another center. Modry and Havelid--along with
the signing of top prospect Braydon Coburn--should solidify the
blueline. Mellanby will provide a ton of leadership and grit to the
forward ranks. Now, GM Don Waddell needs to address his situation up
the middle. A center for either the second or third line is still
missing from the equation.

Carolina Hurricanes
Comings: Martin Gerber (G), Frantisek Kaberle (D), Andrew Ladd (LW)
Goings: Sean Hill (D), Jamie Storr (G), Jaroslav Svoboda (LW/RW
Re-signed: Glen Wesley (D)
Un-signed: Kevin Weekes (G), Craig Adams (RW), Brad DeFauw, (LW),
Brett Lysak (C), Tomas Kurka (LW), Damian Surma (LW), Patrick
DesRochers (G), Joey Tetarenko (RW)
What's left to do? Add depth. After letting several young players go
before July 1, the 'Canes need to replenish their farm system. Look
for Craig Adams to return to Carolina, if the price is right. Also, a
veteran netminder capable of pushing new starter Gerber would be a
wise move, as it would give prospect Cam Ward more time to develop
down on the farm.

Florida Panthers
Comings: Mike Keenan (GM), Jacques Martin (coach), Sean Hill (D),
Jamie McLennan (G), Alexander Karpovtsev (D), Eric Cairns (D), Joel
Kwiatkowski (D), Burke Henry (D), Serge Payer (C), Rostislav Olesz (C)
Goings: Andreas Lilja (D), Byron Ritchie (C), Lee Goren (RW)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Matt Cullen (C), Mikael Samuelsson (RW), Pavel Trnka (D),
Lyle Odelein (D), Steve Shields (G), Donald Audette (RW), Eric
Messier (LW/D), Kristian Kudroc (D), Simon Lajeunesse (G), Paul
Healey (RW), Kent Huskins (D)
What's left to do? Get better acquainted. The Panthers have been
among the busiest NHL teams since the end of the 2003-04 playoffs, so
they need time to mesh together. Keenan may still be looking to
acquire a top-six scorer, and may dangle disappointing Swedish winger
Kristian Huselius as trade bait. Otherwise, it's time to let the kids
take charge in Florida.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Comings: Craig Darby (C), Steve McLaren (LW), Jarrod Skalde (C), Andy
Rogers (D)
Goings: Jassen Cullimore (D), Sheldon Keefe (RW/C), Evgeny
Konstantinov (G), Pascal Trepanier (D/RW), Jimmie Olvestad (LW/RW)
Re-signed: Nikolai Khabibulin (G)
Un-signed: Dave Andreychuk (LW/C), Ben Clymer (RW), Stan Neckar (D),
Darren Rumble (D)
What's left to do? Bring back "Captain Andy". Andreychuk was a major
part of Tampa Bay's Stanley Cup championship victory this past
spring, and has already indicated a preference for playing one more
season. It'll most likely be with Tampa Bay. Otherwise, GM Jay
Feaster faces a busy month of negotiations with key restricted free
agents already on the roster.

Washington Capitals
Comings: Alexander Ovechkin (LW), Sami Lepisto (D), Jeff Schultz (D),
Mike Green (D)
Goings: Joel Kwiatkowski (D), Ivan Ciernik (LW/RW), Roman Tvrdon (C),
Andrej Podkonicky (C)
Re-signed: Josef Boumedienne (D), Darcy Verot (C), Trent Whitfield (C)
Un-signed: Bates Battaglia (LW/RW), Sebastien Charpentier (G), Craig
Johnson (LW), Jean-Francois Fortin (D), Rick Berry (D), Todd Rohloff
(D), Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (D/RW), Kip Miller (LW/RW), Colin Forbes
(LW), John Gruden (D), Brad Norton (D/LW), Chris Hajt (D), Matthew
Yeats (G), Mel Angelstad (LW)
What's left to do? Find NHL talent to support Ovechkin. The Russian
wunderkind is expected to play in the NHL immediately--provided the
Capitals are able to secure his rights away from mother Russia.
However, who will help him in Washington? The Caps currently have
holes everywhere, so look for a few free-agent signings before the
start of the 2004-05 campaign.


  CENTRAL DIVISION

Chicago Blackhawks
Comings: Matthew Barnaby (RW/LW), Curtis Brown (C), Jassen Cullimore
(D), Cam Barker (D)
Goings: Ryan Vandenbussche (RW), Jason Strudwick (D), Brett McLean
(C), Igor Korolev (C/W), Burke Henry (D), Johnathan Aitken (D)
Re-signed: Steve Poapst (D), Jason Morgan (C), Ajay Baines (C)
Un-signed: Deron Quint (D), Steve Passmore (G), Theoren Fleury (RW)
What's left to do? Start the season. The 'Hawks added much-needed
role players in Barnaby, Brown and Cullimore, who should help the
bevy of young players in the system win more hockey games down the
road. There's also the matter of the team's 'official' general
manager: Bob Pulford is still the title-holder, but Dale Tallon is
calling the shots.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Comings: Geoff Sanderson (LW), Arturs Irbe (G), Radoslav Suchy (D),
Andre Lakos (D), Matthias Trattnig (C), Brandon Sugden (LW), Alex
Picard (LW)
Goings: Fred Brathwaite (G), Donald MacLean (LW/RW), Derrick Walser
(D)
Re-signed: Kent McDonell (RW), Mark Hartigan (C), Karl Goehring (G)
Un-signed: Anders Eriksson (D), David Ling (RW), Brian Holzinger (C)
What's left to do? The Jackets are still too left wing heavy, but
lack quality natural right-wingers behind David Vyborny. Therefore,
either Sanderson or Nikolai Zherdev must convert to the right side on
a full-time basis, or force GM Doug MacLean to address the situation
via trade. Also, another defenseman for greater big-league depth
would be a welcome addition.

Detroit Red Wings
Comings: Bryan Helmer (D), Johan Franzen (C/LW), Eric Manlow (C),
Eric Himelfarb (C), Brett Lebda (D)
Goings: Dominik Hasek (G), Boyd Devereaux (LW/C), Marc Lamothe (G)
Re-signed: Kris Draper (C), Brendan Shanahan (LW), Chris Chelios (D),
Jamie Rivers (D)
Un-signed: Brett Hull (RW), Mathieu Schneider (D), Steve Yzerman (C),
Steve Thomas (RW/LW), Anders Myrvold (D), Ryan Barnes (LW), Kevin
Miller (RW/LW)
What's left to do? The Wings are expected to officially announce the
return of Yzerman and Chelios soon. Following that, they may still be
on the lookout for a top-six winger (preferably for the right side)
and another defenseman. Despite the NHL owners' plea for a hard cap,
Detroit owner Mike Ilitch will continue to spend money in order to
bring the Wings another Cup.

Nashville Predators
Comings: Andreas Lilja (D), Cam Severson (LW), Jerred Smithson (C),
Greg Zanon (D), Alexander Radulov (RW)
Goings: Greg Classen (C), Wade Flaherty (G), Robert Schnabel (D), Ray
Schultz (D), Curtis Murphy (D), Mathieu Darche (LW), Jonas Andersson
(RW)
Re-signed: Jeremy Stevenson (LW), Jason Allison (D/LW), Tony Hrkac (C)
Un-signed: Brad Bombardir (D), Sergei Zholtok (C), Andreas Johansson
(C/W), Jason York (D), Rem Murray (C), Jan Lasak (G)
What's left to do? Add another center. Radulov is the team's home-run
threat of the future, but the Predators lack a legitimate No. 1
center. Neither David Legwand nor Denis Arkhipov is capable of
handling the role. Unfortunately, the Preds don't appear to be in any
hurry to add salary to their payroll. That said, Smithson is not the
answer at the center position.

St. Louis Blues
Comings: Patrick Lalime (G), Jason Bacashihua (G), Jon DiSalvatore %
28RW), Andy Roach (D), Dennis Wideman (D), Patrick Wellar (D), Marek
Schwarz (G), Carl Soderberg (C)
Goings: Scott Mellanby (RW), Christian Laflamme (D), Jame Pollock
(D), Steve McLaren (LW)
Re-signed: Mike Sillinger (C), Dallas Drake (LW/RW), Eric Weinrich
(D), Alexander Khavanov (D), Reinhard Divis (G)
Un-signed: Pavol Demitra (C/RW), Al MacInnis (D), Chris Osgood (G),
Pascal Rheaume (C/LW), Murray Baron (D), Jeff Finley (D), Steve
Martins (C/LW), Scott Pellerin (LW), Mike Danton (C/W), Cody
Rudkowsky (G), Levente Szuper (G)
What's left to do? Find another scoring threat. So far, the Blues
have done a nice job of re-tooling the system. Also, Lalime should
help settle things down in the St. Louis crease. However, the team
may have trouble scoring goals in 2004-05 without Mellanby and
(probably) Demitra. Therefore, it's time for GM Larry Pleau to go
shopping for scoring bargains.


  NORTHWEST DIVISION

Calgary Flames
Comings: None
Goings: Craig Conroy (C), Krzysztof Oliwa (LW), Dave Lowry (LW)
Re-signed: Chris Simon (LW)
Un-signed: Dean McAmmond (LW), Dany Sabourin (G)
What's left to do? Adding more scoring depth. The Flames are set
between the pipes and along the blueline, but could use another
secondary scoring threat. They are expected to move a defenseman
(Denis Gauthier?) at some point this off-season in order to secure
another forward. Also, Calgary will attempt to lock up captain Jarome
Iginla to a long-term contract.

Colorado Avalanche
Comings: Joel Quenneville (coach), Ian Laperriere (RW/C), Antti
Laaksonen (LW), Brett McLean (C), Andre Savage (C), Mathieu Darche
(LW), Jeff Ulmer (RW)
Goings: Matthew Barnaby (RW/LW), Tommy Salo (G), Andrei Nikolishin (C)
Re-signed: Steve Konowalchuk (LW), Chris Gratton (C), Bob Boughner
(D), Darby Hendrickson (C), Chris Bala (LW), D.J. Smith
Un-signed: Paul Kariya (LW), Teemu Selanne (RW), Steve Moore (C), Jim
Cummins (RW), Travis Brigley (LW), Mikhail Kuleshov (LW/RW)
What's left to do? Wait on "Foppa". Peter Forsberg has not yet made a
decision regarding his NHL future, though he's expected to return to
Sweden following the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. If true, the Avs will
need more help at center. They may also seek a veteran backup
netminder to spell David Aebischer and more offensive depth on the
wings.

Edmonton Oilers
Comings: Robbie Schremp (C), Jason Platt (D)
Goings: Adam Oates (C), Jason Chimera (LW), Mikko Luoma (D)
Re-signed: Igor Ulanov (D), Dan Smith (D)
Un-signed: Petr Nedved (C), Scott Ferguson (D), Michael Henrich (RW),
Bobby Allen (D), Jan Horacek (D)
What's left to do? Find a scoring center. Nedved remains very much in
Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe's radar, though former Kings pivot Jason
Allison is also a possibility. The Oilers could also use more
defensive depth--especially another power-play quarterback candidate.
Up front, there's more quantity than quality so a multi-player move
for another scorer is possible.

Minnesota Wild
Comings: Brian Rolston (C/W), Raymond Giroux (D), Kirby Law (RW),
Ryan Stokes (D)
Goings: Antti Laaksonen (LW), Travis Roche (D), Mika Hannula (LW)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Jason Wiemer (LW/C), Bill Muckalt (RW), Jason Beckett (D),
Frederic Cloutier (G)
What's left to do? Let youth be served. Rookie centers Rickard Wallin
and Mikko Koivu, converted winger/defenseman Brent Burns and two-year
veteran Pierre-Marc Bouchard should all be given important roles with
the Wild going into training camp. The play of these four youngsters
could determine whether or not Wild GM Doug Risebrough needs more
help.

Vancouver Canucks
Comings: Dave Nonis (GM), Lee Goren (RW), Wade Flaherty (G),
Johnathan Aitken (D)
Goings: Brian Burke (GM), Nolan Baumgartner (D), Pat Kavanagh (RW),
Sean Pronger (C), Jaroslav Obsut (D), Sergei Varlamov (LW/RW), Dallas
Eakins (D)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Magnus Arvedson (LW), Johan Hedberg (G), Mike Keane (RW),
Marc Bergevin (D), Sylvain Blouin (LW), Chris Nielsen (C/RW)
What's left to do? Deal with the Todd Bertuzzi situation. If the
season began today, the Canucks would not have enough offensive
support to effectively replace the suspended power forward. Sooner or
later, new GM Nonis must address the situation. Also, more depth on
defense and between the pipes wouldn't hurt. This is an important
summer for Nonis and the 'Nucks.


  PACIFIC DIVISION

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Comings: Al Coates (GM), Tomas Malec (D), Kurtis Foster (D)
Goings: Bryan Murray (GM), Martin Gerber (G), Niclas Havelid (D), Cam
Severson (LW)
Re-signed: Garrett Burnett (LW)
Un-signed: Petr Schastlivy (LW), Jason Krog (C/W)
What's left to do? Cut more salary. The Ducks will likely continue to
reduce spending in the months ahead, largely due to Disney's urgency
to sell the franchise. Forwards Vaclav Prospal and Petr Sykora--and
possibly center Sergei Fedorov and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere--
are the most likely candidates to be shipped out for prospects and/or
draft picks.

Dallas Stars
Comings: Shawn Belle (D), Jaroslav Svoboda (LW/RW)
Goings: Richard Matvichuk (D), Lubomir Sekeras (D), Jarrod Skalde
(C), Gavin Morgan (C), Jeff MacMillan (D), Marcus Kristoffersson (RW)
Re-signed: Jon Klemm (D), Don Sweeney (D), Rob DiMaio (RW), Aaron
Downey (RW)
Un-signed: Valeri Bure (RW), Teppo Numminen (D), Scott Young (RW),
Ron Tugnutt (G), Chris Therien (D), David Oliver (RW), Shayne Corson
(LW/C), Blake Sloan (RW/LW), Barrett Heisten (LW), Bubba Berenzweig
(D)
What's left to do? The Stars will probably retain either Numminen or
Therien for greater defensive depth. Aside from that, they're
probably done--though another veteran netminder wouldn't hurt. Owner
Tom Hicks and GM Doug Armstrong are finally exercising fiscal
restraint this off-season, though Mike Modano's next contract could
be a tricky situation for all.

Los Angeles Kings
Comings: Mathieu Garon (G), Craig Conroy (C), Stephane Quintal (D),
Lauri Tukonen (RW), Tom Kostopoulos (RW), Mike Weaver (D), Brad Smyth
(RW)
Goings: Ian Laperriere (RW/C), Jaroslav Modry (D), Pavel Rosa (RW),
Milan Hnilicka (G), Jerred Smithson (C), John Tripp (RW), Maxim
Kuznetsov (D), Steve Kelly (C), Bryan Muir (D)
Re-signed: Luc Robitaille (LW), Derek Armstrong (C)
Un-signed: Jason Allison (C), Zigmund Palffy (RW), Adam Deadmarsh
(LW), Anson Carter (RW), Jozef Stumpel (C), Mathieu Chouinard (G),
Chris Schmidt (LW)
What's left to do? Everything. The Kings' entire projected first line
(Deadmarsh-Allison-Palffy) will soon be history (Deadmarsh is
expected to retire), so at least one top-six forward is required in
Tinseltown. Because of Palffy's imminent departure, Kings GM Dave
Taylor may need to make a big splash in the off-season--in order to
appease angry, yet loyal fans.

Phoenix Coyotes
Comings: Mike Ricci (C), Sean O'Donnell (D), Boyd Devereaux (LW/C),
Jason Chimera (LW), Brian Savage (LW)
Goings: Bryan Helmer (D), Goran Bezina (LW), Tom Koivisto (D), Frank
Banham (RW)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Zac Bierk (G), Todd Reirden (D), Mike Wilson (D)
What's left to do? Add a head coach to the mix. The Coyotes are the
only NHL club that has yet to name its 2004-05 bench boss, and
interim coach Rick Bowness is one of several candidates at this stage
of the off-season. Once the coaching is settled, Phoenix will
probably look to bring in a name player (Brett Hull?), and finally
settle its goaltending situation.

San Jose Sharks
Comings: Lukas Kaspar (RW)
Goings: Mike Ricci (C), Curtis Brown (C)
Re-signed: None
Un-signed: Vincent Damphousse (C/LW), Todd Harvey (C/W), Jason
Marshall (D/RW), Seamus Kotyk (G), Willie Levesque (RW), Jesse
Fibiger (D), Tavis Hansen (RW)
What's left to do? Look for veteran help. Since losing Ricci and
Brown--and probably Damphousse--the Sharks have to replenish the
lineup by sprinkling in the right veterans to replace the departed
talent. It may not be easy, since the San Jose system is predicated
on speed and fore-checking ability. However, look for GM Doug Wilson
to seek added depth.

Islanders payroll as of 8/1/2004 for eleven players:
23.684 million according to NHLPA.com

http://www.nhlpa.com/Content/THE_PLAYERS/player_search.asp

Asham Arron         $750,000.00
Bates Shawn       $1,100,000.00
Butenschon Sven     $550,000.00
Dubielewicz Wade    $450,000.00
Godard Eric         $450,000.00
Jonsson Kenny     $3,150,000.00
Martinek Radek      $750,000.00
Papineau Justin     $484,000.00
Peca Michael      $4,250,000.00
Scatchard Dave    $1,750,000.00
Yashin Alexei    $10,000,000.00

For a little perspective:

To bring back exact same team next season with all unsigned players
agreeing to: 43.7245 million.

Many of these players are due some raises also and they need to make
a few signings for some of these players who will not return.

Garth Snow         $ 1,313,000.00
Rick DiPietro      $ 1,182,500.00
Roman Hamrlik      $ 3,600,000.00
Adrian Aucoin      $ 3,250,000.00
Janne Niinimaa     $ 2,900,000.00
Mark Parrish       $ 2,350,000.00
Mattias Weinhandl  $   900,000.00
Jason Blake        $   800,000.00
Trent Hunter       $   495,000.00
Mariusz Czerkawski $   800,000.00
Justin Mapletoft   $   850,000.00
Oleg Kvasha        $   800,000.00
Cliff Ronning      $   800,000.00 1/2 season salary.

This does not even take into account Bergenheim/Pettinen (who are
signed) Webb or what now must be replaced in the veteran department
for Bridgeport.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=93241&hubName=nhl

Kubina, Gonchar go to arbitration

TSN.ca Staff
8/1/2004

The change of the month means the start of salary arbitration in the
NHL.

Two players are scheduled to have their cases heard today, unless
they can come to some last minute agreement with their respective
teams.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will put their perfect salary arbitration
record on the line when defenseman Pavel Kubina makes his case
Sunday. General manager Jay Feaster tells the St. Petersburg Times he
does not expect a deal to get done before the hearing.

"We don't see him being awarded that," said Feaster of the $3.7-
million a season Kubina has been asking for as part of a two year
deal. "If he gets it, it'll be through arbitration because we're not
going to negotiate that. I'll do two years but not at ($3.7-million a
season)."

Kubina, who set career highs for goals and points this past season,
earned $2.5-million last year. The Lightning have offered a three
year deal worth $9-million.

The Lightning also have four other players scheduled for salary
arbitration this month, Ruslan Fedotenko, Cory Sarich, Fredrik Modin
and Cory Stillman.

In the arbitration process, arbitrators award a contract sought by
either side or anything in between. Decisions come within 48 hours,
and if the team decides to walk away from the decision, the player
becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Despite winning the Stanley Cup, Feaster indicated he is prepared to
walk away if he feels the decision is not financially viable.

"I don't mind paying players," Feaster tells the Times. "I'm not
prepared to overpay players.

"We have a budget we have to work within.

Joining Kubina on the arbitration docket Sunday is Boston Bruins
defenseman Sergei Gonchar. He is coming off a four year, $13.95-
million deal which saw him earn $3.65-million this past season.

Agent J.P. Barry says Gonchar will be present at the hearing even
though he has the option not to attend the proceedings.

"If that's the approach that's taken (by the team), then that's part
of the process and (the players) should hear it," Barry tells the
Boston Herald. "If (the team is) prepared to say it, then they should
be prepared to mean what they say."

Dolan is the Devil.  He torpedoed the Yankees, but now he has a bigger problem. 
Whereas Steinbrenner was setting up a network, the Mets/Isles etc are
not............but will they?  Put the Knicks/Devils/Isles/Mets together and
make a network, and you get another dagger in the head of Dolan.  He can take
the pain, so I hope he does.  Watching the YES network makes me long for a
hockey channel of a similar style.  We all miss our Isles, and I would love to
be able to see classic games, non-classic games, docs, etc.  about the Isles.  
Economically, the other teams would need to be included.  So we get Knicks at 9.
Mets at 8.  Isles at 11 two nights a week.  Rags monday and friday night,  you
get the idea.  Time for a true Metro sports network.

billbarrisles <billbarrisles@...> wrote:I'm two dollars richer.

Last night around 12:30 am I got home and took a quick look at James
Dolan's sports stations and they were promptly shutoff as promised.

That's Msg, Fox and Metro.

And yes, I fully support Time Warner Cable. Dolan wants to charge
them a lot of money they do not deserve.

If they pull the plug on the Mets and it holds the rest of the
baseball season forget any urgency for these people to show hockey.

Cablevision kept the Yankees off their stations for a full year, now
that the plug is pulled (as it almost was during last season) I
expect both sides will dig in.

Time for me to come up with a new plan if there is hockey.

TWC does offer the out of market games. I wonder if I can purchase
the plan and get the broadcast from the opposing side? Usually Isles
games are blacked out in other markets during those free previews.

Bill







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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mike wrote:
>>>
In addition, the fact that we continue to sign guys like Scatchard is not
a good sign.
<<<

Depends how you look at it. I for one have been worried that they'd let a
lot of guys just plain walk until a new CBA was met. Getting our own guys
signed is of course just a first step - and in a normal summer, something
that's considered a must-do. Now however, we fans have gotta just hope
that players aren't allowed to walk simply for financial reasons.

That is a realistic possibility. Yikes!!!

>>>
We need to grow and move to the next level. I'm not happy making the
play-offs. I rather see us miss the play-offs and get some good young
players. If we are going youth then lets go. Unload some of these guys and
let the kids play.
<<<

I can hardly foresee the team going into a rebuilding mode. After the
seven years of non-playoff hockey and bad ownership, Wang took on the team
and within two seasons added no less than 7 core players. Now it appears,
everything we do now will be geared at keeping that core and allowing the
kids grow alongside it. It could mean another few seasons of 8th place
battles unless Yashin returns to previous scoring heights, Dipietro
continues making a huge upwards curve and fellas like Papineau, Weinhandl,
Bergenheim and Mapletoft start making the kind of impact Hunter did last
season!

So, in a way, you're getting your youth movement.... just it ain't like
what the Rags and Craps did to end last season.


<<<
Save some money, so then when the young stars emerge we can lock them up
for long term deals. I'm tired of looking at the NHL box score and seeing
the names of former Islanders. We need a change and we need it now.
<<<

Well, look on the bright side...... we won't be seeing the names of
ex-Isles in ANY boxscores any time soon!

Chapin

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, William Estes
<zambonicus@y...> wrote:

> You are a class act and merely say what you think.
No one could ever accuse you of junk here and in fact, you carry all
of us through the year with your hard work and insight.

Thank you.
Zambonicus>>>

   Thank you for the kind words, William.

   Bill

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, William Estes
<zambonicus@y...> wrote:

> Dolan is the Devil.  He torpedoed the Yankees, but now he has a
bigger problem.  Whereas Steinbrenner was setting up a network, the
Mets/Isles etc are not............but will they?  Put the
Knicks/Devils/Isles/Mets together and make a network, and you get
another dagger in the head of Dolan.  He can take the pain, so I hope
he does.  Watching the YES network makes me long for a hockey channel
of a similar style.  We all miss our Isles, and I would love to be
able to see classic games, non-classic games, docs, etc.  about the
Isles.   Economically, the other teams would need to be included.  So
we get Knicks at 9.  Mets at 8.  Isles at 11 two nights a week.  Rags
monday and friday night,  you get the idea.  Time for a true Metro
sports network.>>>

   Dolan is a lot of things, one of them is owner of the Islanders
cable television deal until 2030. Because he gives them about 300
million over the life of the contract the team will likely never move
because it comes to about 13 million a year, which is great when you
consider what the league got from Espn.

   The downside? James Dolan owns his competitions television rights,
which means he can bury the Islanders in terms of marketing,
advertising and media.

   Playoff games on metro, no preseason games televised, no special
programming. Howie, Joe and all announcers are Msg employees and do
not owe the Islanders the time of day.

   Bill

http://www.newyorkislanders.com/news/parrish080204.html

http://www.nhlpa.com/Content/THE_PLAYERS/player_bio.asp?ID=6217
$2,350,000.00

THE SNIPER IS IN
Parrish Signs On For Fifth Season

(August 2) Clutch goal scorer Mark Parrish, who scored 17, 30, 23 and
24 goals in his first four seasons as an Islander, has been signed to
a one-year deal by the team.

Parrish scored his 24 goals last season despite playing in only 59
games. He missed a quarter of the season with a major ankle injury.
Nevertheless, the sniper proved he is one of the game's grittiest
goal scorers, getting so many of his tallies by standing in a crowd
in front of the opponent's net.

The 27-year old Minnesota native has scored 94 goals and 173 points
in four seasons for the Islanders. In his career, he has tallied 144
goals and 110 assists for 254 points over the course of six seasons,
his first two sepnt as a member of the Florida Panthers.

Parrish's best season came in 2001-2002 when he scored a career-high
30 goals and 60 points. During that season he netted his first two
career hat tricks and also represented the Islanders in the NHL All
Star Game.

Three part article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/02/sports/02tax.final.html

Bill Would Raise Franchise Value of Sports Teams
By DUFF WILSON

Published: August 2, 2004

wners of professional sports teams stand to gain tens of millions of
dollars in the values of their franchises because of a single
sentence buried deep in a sprawling piece of export-tax legislation
now before Congress.

The benefit to sports franchises is contained in a small part of an
enormous bill introduced originally to settle a trade dispute with
the European Union. But the legislation has since become laden with
add-ons for interests ranging from tobacco farmers to Oldsmobile
dealers.

The bill, which has been approved by both houses, is expected to go
before a conference committee to resolve the differences. The final
version is expected to be put before both houses in September, when
Congress returns from vacation.

The proposed change affecting sports team owners, which has been
passed without hearings or debate, would allow the owners to write
off the full value of their franchises over 15 years. Existing law
generally limits teams to writing off only the value of player
contracts over three to five years. The biggest items subject to the
expanded write-offs would be television and radio contracts.

The benefits would apply to newly acquired assets, so current owners
would not actually pocket more money, but they could command higher
prices when they sell.

Two directors at Lehman Brothers, the investment bank, who specialize
in sports banking and tax policy said the change could add 5 percent
to sports franchise values. If so, it would represent a $2 billion
windfall to franchise values, which totaled $41 billion in 2002,
according to Forbes magazine.

"They're doing very well in this," said Robert Willens, a managing
director at Lehman Brothers.

The Jets, who were sold for $635 million in 2000, might be worth an
additional $55 million under the proposal, Willens estimated. Robert
Caparole, chairman of Game Plan, a Boston investment bank, which has
been an adviser on the sale of many professional sports teams, agreed
that the change could boost purchase prices.

The proposed change appeared in separate export-tax measures in the
Senate in October and in the House of Representatives in March. The
two bodies recently passed markedly different versions of the bill,
which grew to 960 pages, but each version has the identical language
that is of special interest to owners of professional teams.

The prime sponsors, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa,
and Representative William M. Thomas, Republican of California, did
not return telephone and e-mail requests for comment last week.

Willens predicted the bill would become law in October.

Benefits for Larger Teams

Write-offs like those proposed for franchise owners sometimes reduce
taxes not only on sports teams but also, in some cases, on owner's
other earnings. For example, if Donald Trump bought the Yankees for
$1.5 billion, he could deduct about $100 million per year for 15
years on profits not only from the Yankees but from his other
companies that made a profit.

The precise effects of the measure cannot be calculated without
knowing each team's financial details and each owner's tax situation.
But in general, according to nine professional sport bankers,
accountants and lawyers interviewed last week, the new law would be
of greatest benefit to sports teams with higher values, longer-term
ownership plans, and larger broadcast contracts.

"The benefits are going to vary depending on how long you're going to
hold the team and the size of the deal," said Michael E. Rapkoch,
president of Sports Value Consulting in Dallas.

Shawn McCarthy, director of the League of Fans, a program of the
Center for Study of Responsive Law, which was founded by Ralph Nader,
said, "Naturally I'm skeptical when professional sports leagues are
lobbying Congress for changes that benefit them financially,
especially considering all of the taxpayer handouts these leagues
have received over the past 15 or so years."

A report by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation says the
measure would actually increase taxes for sports owners by $381
million over 10 years. Mark Prater, chief tax counsel for the Senate
Finance Committee, said in an e-mail message that the change would
also end disputes over allowable write-offs between the teams and the
Internal Revenue Service.

"There's nothing nefarious about it," Prater wrote.

Rob Vandenheuvel, a spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee,
said the proposal had popped up twice before in other bills "as a
revenue raiser."

Lower Taxes for Owners

But most of the sports bankers and accountants interviewed said they
did not believe sports owners in the long run would pay more taxes
under the proposal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/02/sports/02tax.final.html?pagewanted=2

Bill Would Raise Franchise Value of Sports Teams

Published: August 2, 2004


(Page 2 of 3)



Major League Baseball actively lobbied for the change and the
National Football League supported it. The National Basketball
Association and the National Hockey League were neutral. Willens said
he was mystified by the Congressional claim that the measure would
raise taxes on sports owners. Robert E. Leib, former lead tax partner
in the professional sports industry group at Arthur Andersen, said
that claim was misleading. Leib said the proposal would generally
lower taxes and raise the capital values of sports franchises,
especially in the N.F.L.

"The effect will differ franchise to franchise and league to league,"
added Leib, a lawyer and accountant who founded The Leib Group in
Wisconsin. He also represented the Boston developer Frank McCourt in
his $430 million purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers this year.

Leib warned, however, that minor leagues of professional sports may
find the new tax rule "very disadvantageous." He said that the minors
had virtually no media contracts to figure into the proposed new
accounting and that they probably would pay more taxes.

Owners of professional sports team have been trying for years to
persuade the I.R.S. to allow them to amortize their increasingly
lucrative media deals, but the I.R.S. has ruled that those are
continuing assets, and nondeductible under special tax rules
established in 1993 for professional sports.

The Canadian Press, a news service, has estimated that the average
N.F.L. team received $77 million a year from national broadcast
rights in 2002. The average in the N.B.A. was $26 million, according
to the agency, Major League Baseball teams averaged $12 million and
N.H.L. teams averaged $5 million. The bill under consideration would
allow them to write off the value of those broadcast rights from
their income, while stretching out the write-off on player contracts.

Values Up by 5 Percent

"At the end of the day, this should add to the current value of
franchises," said Aaron Barman, a sports investment banker with the
public finance department at Raymond James & Associates.

Allen R. Sanderson, associate chairman of the economics department at
the University of Chicago, who teaches and writes about sports
economics, agreed.

"This is clearly something that would benefit them," Sanderson said.

Willens said the change would add about 5 percent to major league
franchise values "across the board."

Sal Galatioto, the managing director in charge of Lehman Brothers'
sports advisory and finance group, said that the change would lower
taxes for most franchises, depending on their size and other factors,
and that it would add up to 5 percent in value.

"But personally, I don't think it's going to be enough to change
someone's determination on whether or not they want to buy one of
these things," Galatioto added. He is an adviser on the pending sale
of the Nets this month and said that the deal should not wait for a
possible tax law change in October.

"Deals that are done are going to have to close now," Galatioto said.

An Expensive Disagreement

The change also means that owners are certain to save millions of
dollars on the teams of lawyers and accountants they have had to hire
to battle the I.R.S. in the continuing argument over franchise write-
offs.

When Bud Selig, now commissioner of Major League Baseball, bought a
bankrupt Seattle team and moved it to Milwaukee in 1970, he assigned
$10.2 million of the $10.8 million price to player contracts and
wrote off the salaries. The I.R.S. challenged the move. Selig won the
dispute in court, but in 1976 Congress limited player contracts to 50
percent of franchise values.

In 1993, Congress set a simple 15-year rule for most businesses to
write off intangible assets, but it carved out a special exclusion
for sports franchises that allows them to more quickly write off
player contracts .

In 1997, the I.R.S. set up a team of specialists based in Florida to
scrutinize a wide range of professional sports' tax claims,
especially the write-offs. Audits, appeals and litigation followed.

An I.R.S. spokesman, Anthony Burke, declined to comment last week on
the proposal before Congress.

"If it's pending legislation, we don't discuss it," he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/02/sports/02tax.final.html?pagewanted=3

Congress's stated reason for changing the sports tax law now, in
addition to raising taxes, is to end argument between owners and the
I.R.S. "The committee believes expending taxpayer and government
resources disputing these items is an unproductive use of economic
resources," the House report on the legislation says.

The Senate version of the bill passed by a vote of 92-5 on May 11.
The House version, called the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004,
passed by a vote of 251-178 on June 17, but not before a raucous
debate on other special-interest items in the bill.

Representative Pete Stark, Democrat of California, called the bill "a
Christmas tree of special interest giveaways."

Some Call It Pork

Representative Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin,
complained, "Instead of creating jobs, it creates tax cuts for cruise-
ship operators, foreign dog-race gamblers, Nascar track owners,
whaling tribes, bow-and-arrow makers, Chinese ceiling-fan
manufacturers, Oldsmobile dealers, and beer and liquor wholesalers."

Republicans disagreed. Representative Thomas, chairman of the Ways
and Means Committee, said the measure would primarily create jobs and
incidentally fix some unfair or out-of-date tax laws.

"People deserve a day at least once every 20 years," Thomas said in
floor debate, "to try to correct the horrible, horrible condition of
many areas of our economy under our current tax code."

Nowhere in the hours of debate in the House or the Senate was a word
uttered about professional sports franchises.

Greg Aiello, N.F.L. vice president for public relations, said the
sports write-off proposal was not controversial because the
government said it would collect more taxes and the I.R.S. and owners
would spend less money fighting each other.

"It was agreed it makes sense to simplify the code and eliminate all
the hassles," Aiello said.

The N.B.A. remained neutral on the bill, said league spokesman Mike
Bass, because some N.B.A. owners would benefit from the change, but
others would not, because they had larger ratios of player contracts
already being written off.

William H. Schweitzer, a managing partner of the Washington law firm
of Baker & Hostetler, promoted the tax change on Capitol Hill for
Major League Baseball. Schweitzer said the change would have a
slightly positive impact, varying from club to club, by eliminating
I.R.S. disputes, without significantly changing taxes. He said
baseball had not specifically evaluated how the new tax law would
affect franchise values.

Hedberg signs with Swedish team

Associated Press
8/2/2004

STOCKHOLM (AP) - Johan Hedberg, a former goaltender with the
Vancouver Canucks, signed a contract with the Swedish team the
Leksand Stars on Monday.

``My goal is to bring Leksand back to the Elite League,'' Hedberg
said in a statement. ``There's no other team in Sweden or Europe that
I want to play for.''

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Hedberg, who spent most of last season as Dan Cloutier's backup for
the Canucks, won't play until at least December because of scheduled
surgery on his shoulder.

In 21 games with Vancouver, he went 8-6-2 with three shutouts and a
2.51 goals-against average. Before that, Hedberg spent three seasons
with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hedberg grew up playing for Leksand's youth squads and then for the
team in the Swedish Elite League.

Leksand, one of Sweden's most popular sports teams, was knocked out
of the Elite League last season.

The players who filed for arbitration will have contracts, maybe the
Isles walk away or make a trade at some point by August 15th those
situtations will be settled one way or another.

Players like Hunter, DiPietro, Weinhandl and Mapletoft are the key
because they can hold out.

Considering what the Isles have in goal after DiPietro the Isles
cannot let him hold out (nor is it best for him) but he is going to
want an increase above ten percent. After last year Hunter is due a
huge raise when you look at his salary last season. Weinhandl makes
almost a million dollars and really has not played to that contract
at this point. Mapletoft is not signed and and makes close to a
million dollars also, a lot has been invested in him the last few
years.

After that a decision is needed in goal. Kochan is signed for
Bridgeport. I think that one comes down to Dubielewicz and how he
plays in camp. There should be no rush to consider Garth Snow, if he
signs elsewhere there are several alternatives.

The unrestricted free agents among the group I am in no rush to see
sign or return.

Bill

http://www.prohockey.de

http://www.msgnetwork.com/

Deb Kaufman
Going one-on-one with Isles GM Mike Milbury

Aug 02, 2004

So, it may have taken offseason knee replacement surgery, but
Islanders General Manager Mike Milbury says we should expect a much
cheerier GM from now on.

Not that he hasn't been cheery at times before... but he is hopeful
now that the only thing keeping him up at night will be thoughts of
winning a Stanley Cup, not chronic knee pain. When we caught up with
him it was after one of his now daily 2- 1/2 hour rehab sessions
under the watchful eye of Islanders' Head Athletic Trainer Rich
Campbell. Three knee surgeries during his playing days in Boston
basically left the long-time Bruin without cartilage in his right
knee and so like many of his players have had to do over the years,
Mike has spent some quality time this summer in the weight room.

And ... that's where our conversation started-In the weight room-
with who's doing what with the new offseason training program,
instituted by newly promoted Strength and Conditioning Coach Garrett
Timms.

RUSSIAN TO GET BACK

So how important is it to Milbury that Alexei Yashin have a big
summer?

"Very," said Milbury. "I thought we kind of dropped the ball with him
when he came back from the forearm injury last spring . We didn’t get
him right back in the lineup and put him back with his linemates that
he was comfortable with. And he had really worked his tail off. It
looked to me like he was in the best shape of his career. And we sort
of played little head games with him and we didn’t have much time
with him at the end so I never felt like he had caught his stride.

"But I think he finally "got it " in terms of how hard he has to work
with his conditioning. It showed, but he came back and Steve
[Stirling] had him with different linemates and fooled around with
him on the wing for a little bit. It’s tough to come back after a
long layoff but I don’t think we ever tapped into what he could give
us by the end of the season. I hope he knows that that’s how hard we
went him to work. I've talked to him about it and he’s going to have
a running start on a lot of guys simply by playing in the World Cup.
"I know he went away for awhile . He has sort of a routine that he
gets into (not sure it’s the one I want him to be in!) but he’s doing
it now for the World Cup. He goes to Zurich to work out with a group
of Russian players under a Russian coach that he trusts and that he’s
familiar with. And then, of course, he’s playing in the World Cup so
he’s at it already."

Speaking of the World Cup, Milbury added, "Ricky (DiPietro] has got
to scratch his way to winning a job, I hope. And that’s a great honor
for him and Jason Blake as well. I was disappointed that Mark Parrish
didn’t get a chance to play, I think he deserved a spot on the team
as well."

ON BEING ARBITRARY

Milbury and I then ran down the status of just about every player
he's making a decision on this summer - from the veterans who need
new deals to the rookies down on the farm. Initially there were
conflicting reports whether or not Dave Scatchard would go the
arbitration route after an early shoulder injury limited him to 61
games, but it sounds like the Islanders understood his decision.

"Arbitration is a funny animal," said Milbury. "As much as you would
have to agree that Scatch had to fight through his shoulder problem
and didn’t have a great year, still statistically he could make a
case that he deserves much more than he’s making, much more being six-
figures more. He's a good soldier but he sees what some guys are
getting and I see him as a valuable player, but also a player that’s
coming off a very average year... though I also appreciate his
playing in pain for a good portion of it."

The two sides obviously did work things out, as last Friday night
Scatchard avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75
million dollar deal.

Jason Blake is due to get a big raise at arbitration and so it's no
surprise the Islanders are interested in signing him to a long term
deal before then.

"We’re negotiating. I had a conversation with Blake. I wanted to talk
with Charles [Wang] about where he stood because when we get to the
multi-million dollar levels, it’s not my money. We’d like to do
something long-term with Jason, but we'd like to do it at what we
think is the right price."

I asked Mike if he was surprised that Adrian Aucoin had not been
mentioned as a potential replacement for injured defensemen Rob Blake
on Team Canada for the World Cup -- not to mention the fact that the
Isles' Assistant Captain wasn't selected in the first place.
"There are some guys there that he’s better than," proclaimed
Milbury. "With all of those associations comes politics and
familiarity with certain players and I don’t need to go into any
deeper details. It just is what it is. There’s only so many spots,
but he’s played awfully well since his tenure here and it’s probably
going to be recognized at the arbitration table."

As for Janne Niinimaa, one of the other Isles' top-four blueliners
who has yet to be signed, "His agent owes me a call, I think we kind
of know where he’s going to end up if he ends up in arbitration, so
it kind of behooves us to have a conversation about him that makes
some sense in the next little while. I think we have a chance to
strike a deal. It could be either way, long-term or short-term. I’m
hoping now that we’re getting close to the arbitration dates that
we’ll have some serious conversations."

Then there's hulking forward Oleg Kvasha, in whose case, the
Islanders seem convinced they are bound for arbitration.

"The numbers being suggested by the Kvasha camp are not in line with
what we want for him right now. We haven't come together on a value
level, so it hasn't seemed worth it to negotiate. We're prepared to
go to the arbitrator but we'll still try to work something out. "

ONTO THE PROSPECTS ...

Milbury then shared his thoughts on an assortment of youngsters
waiting on the wings in the Isles' system:

Sean Bergenheim: "I know that Bergenheim has decided that he wants to
be in North America one way or another. That was an issue. It’s in
his contract that if he wants to go back to the Finnish Elite League
he can if he doesn’t make our team but he feels that he developed
much better here under [Bridgeport coach] Greg Cronin at the end of
the year and he hopes obviously to make our team. But if there’s a
problem with the CBA, he’ll be in Bridgeport.

Justin Papineau: "Papineau has been a goal scorer wherever he’s been,
and I think we really gave him a little bit of a raw deal. I don’t
think he had the opportunity, in the playoffs or the regular season.
We needed goals and we were looking at a guy that could score him and
we didn’t use him. He was an easy guy to sit out I guess. Steve and I
have talked about it and we’ve decided that that isn’t going to
happen again .We gave Papineau a one-way contract which we didn’t
really have to do. He behaved admirably, waiting patiently, kept his
mouth shut, worked extra hard in practice. And to show him we weren’t
kidding that we’re serious about giving him every opportunity to be a
solid offensive competitor."

When given the chance Papineau has scored, but he's had a tendency to
get knocked off the puck from time to time. Steve Stirling thought
even at first glance he looked like he'd put on 15 pounds and is
working hard every day.

Mattias Weinhandl: "I’m counting on both of them (Weinhandl and
Papineau) to step up and play. I’m counting on them to take up much
bigger roles. I think they both can both be in power play situations.
Weinhandl needed time because strength was an issue and we’re hoping
that he comes back a bulkier player without losing a step because I
think he’s got some good offensive qualities about him."

Justin Mapletoft: "We haven't signed Justin to a new contract, yet,
but I hope to. There’s some funny issues as to who can and who can’t
go to Bridgeport but I’m hoping that he’ll wind up there. I know he
was disappointed with the way his season ended. He didn’t last the
whole year, he didn’t get as much ice time as he wanted and he wound
up getting hurt at the end of the season and missing the playoffs in
Bridgeport so that was a problem for him. But from all I’ve heard and
I’ve heard first hand from Steve Stirling and Garrett Timms when they
went out to see him in Calgary, he’s really working hard and they
said he looks like he’s ready to go."

Ryan Caldwell: "I’m in the process of negotiation with Ryan. [He's] a
character kid, someone that most all of our scouts think will take
him a little time but that he will play. He really was instrumental
in [Denver's] run at a Frozen Four championship. The scary thing was
he came in at just 178 pounds after the season was over, and I
couldn’t believe I was seeing a kid that light. But he’s now up to
over 190. That’s the only thing that concerned me was his size. But
he came in for rookie camp and worked his tail off. But that gives me
some hope and I’m working on trying to get him signed."

Bruno Gervais: "Bruno came in and stayed to work after having a tough
injury to his knee last year. He came in for a solid month and half
and worked out with us here on Long Island and you can’t ask for more
than what he’s given us."

Other prospects: "We’ve re-signed Graham Belak who’s made some big
strides as a tough forward. Blaine Down is back for another year,
he’s a role-utility player. We’re trying to sign our draft pick
Steven Regeir who’s a rugged up and down winger. Ryan Kraft is back
after an up and down year. We’re hoping he resumes his position as a
premier scorer. We’re trying to find out how to get Jeff Hamilton
back in the fold. He just wants a chance to play at the NHL level and
I think that given our depth and the way he scored last year, he
could get here."

STIRLING'S SUMMER VACATION

When you ask Steve Stirling in September what he did for fun this
summer he'll be able to tell you he saw 95 percent of his players in
their own hometowns... and in their own environment.

"I had told him to go," revealed Milbury. "I think it’s nice to see
people first hand. He went with Garret Timms, our new strength and
conditioning guy. They 've instituted a new computerized workout
program. Steve wanted to go over to see what they looked like, take
them out to lunch, talk about their role. It’s nice to see somebody
in their hometown so he did that with Papineau first and then he was
going out to Western Canada. He saw Arron Asham, he saw Jeremy
Colliton, Mapletoft, I believe he saw Hunter as well. He’s also
headed for Europe. He’ll see Weinhandl, Kenny Jonsson, Kvasha, Roman
Hamrlik, and Radek Martinek. There are a couple of guys that we don’t
need to be concerned about for conditioning â€" Adrian Aucoin being one
of them and Shawn Bates basically lives in his (Boston)
neighborhood... so he’s trying to get to just about everybody just to
make sure they’re on track."

OTHER FREE AGENTS STILL NOT FREE

So was the Islander GM surprised at some of the big UFA's are still
out there, as players around the league are accepting less money than
in years past and even taking paycuts in some instances to sign
multiyear deals?

"It has been slow, and there’s been a subtle recognition that a curb
is coming and is necessary, and some of the smarter ones are
saying 'That’s a lot of money. I should take this, it's still a lot
of money.' The maxing out levels are different now and they will be
much different once we get a new CBA. I’m not shocked at the names
out there. There hasn’t been a
renegade team to reveal itself and nobody’s gone goofy, without
naming names."

But with such names like Glen Murray, Pavol Demitra, Paul Kariya
still out there, are the Islanders tempted to snag a little more
firepower?

"I’ve had conversations with a number of free agents," revealed
Milbury. "I haven’t had any really serious conversations in a while
on free agents but I’ve made my inquiries and I think that
everyone's’ still taking their time, and so am I. I’d like to pick up
a forward if I could somewhere along the line. This year, we’re going
to be committed to Papineau and Weinhandl and getting them into
situations that they can handle now, but offensively, I think we can
use another winger with skill and speed. That’s what we’re looking
at, whether it’s free agency or trade. If we can get good value for
somebody out there we’ll look at it.

"If you heard the dollars being thrown around originally they weren’t
great values, but maybe as time goes by there may be some recognition
on their part, but for them there’s no sense in hurrying because it
only takes one team to bite."

AND FINALLY...

Two last things ... will free agents Mariusz Czerkawski or
Garth Snow be back?

"I told Garth Snow’s agent that I wasn’t going to be looking for any
goaltenders or doing anything with goalies until there was a new CBA."

"With Mariusz I had an early summer conversation with his agent. He
said, 'What’s up?' I said, 'I’m not really sure where we want to go
with Mariusz right now.' He said, 'Well, you know Mariusz likes it
there. He's had good luck with you and the Islanders,' and and he
said they won't be doing anything unless they get back to us first."

Stay tuned, Isles fans!

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?page=04arbitration

Interesting link where some scounts make the case for players winning
or losing their upcoming arbitration case. Kvasha, Blake, Aucoin and
Niinimaa all were considered players who could win their hearings
based on their stats, I had to say I agreed with what was said.

All players w/updates as to who settled are included.

Bill

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spisles0803,0,3175941.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines

Islanders re-sign Mark Parrish
Productive forward doesn’t go for arbitration, may get paired with
Yashin

BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF WRITER

August 3, 2004

The Islanders re-signed Mark Parrish to a one-year contract
yesterday, as the consistent 20-goal scorer surprisingly opted to
accept his one-year qualifying offer of $2.35 million instead of
going for a potential raise through arbitration.

On Thursday the Islanders will have to contend with defenseman Adrian
Aucoin in arbitration, with forward Jason Blake and defenseman Janne
Niinimaa scheduled to follow next week.

Parrish, 27, who has scored at least 20 goals in four of his past
five seasons and the past three straight, certainly had a case in
arbitration this summer. He had 24 last season despite playing only
59 games because of an ankle injury that kept him out for nearly two
months.

With 144 career goals, Parrish is the top goal scorer among the draft
class of his 1996, which includes San Jose's Marco Sturm (122),
Buffalo's Daniel Briere (105) and J.P. Dumont (101), all first-round
picks. A third-round selection that year, Parrish's 254 points is
second only to Sturm's 257 among the 1996 draftees.

With that production in mind, the Islanders search for a winger to
play with Alexei Yashin might involve Parrish. The two have rarely
played on the same line, but there have been discussions within the
organization to pair Yashin, a shooter, with Parrish, who is one of
the best deflection and rebound goal scorers in the game.

Last week the Islanders managed to avoid arbitration with Dave
Scatchard when they signed him to a one-year deal at $1.7 million.
Mike Milbury still has 11 restricted free agents to sign, including
Oleg Kvasha, who opted for arbitration, and goalie Rick DiPietro, who
is seeking a long-term deal. Forward Mattias Weinhandl is close to
signing his qualifying offer.

As for the team's goaltending situation behind DiPietro, Milbury last
week said he informed unrestricted free agent Garth Snow, 35, that
he's "not pursuing" a new deal until after the collective bargaining
negotiations are settled. Milbury said he wouldn't rule out bringing
Snow back. If Snow signs with another team, Bridgeport standout Wade
Dubielewicz would be the favorite to backup DiPietro next season.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/islanders/26116.htm

PARRISH RE-UPS WITH ISLANDERS

By EVAN GROSSMAN

August 3, 2004 -- The Islanders yesterday announced the re-signing of
Mark Parrish, a Group II restricted free agent, to a one-year deal.
As they did last summer, the Isles have been announcing completed
deals in a flurry, with the Parrish news coming right after Dave
Scatchard was inked before the weekend.

Parrish and Scatchard are represented by the same agent, Brian
Lawton, and both accepted offers rather than take their cases to
arbitration, as they did two summers ago when they won significant
raises.

Parrish, one of the team's few gifted goal-scorers who is unafraid to
go to the front of the net, is going into his fifth season with the
Islanders. Last year, despite playing in just 59 games after
suffering a high ankle sprain midway through the season, Parrish, the
streakiest of scorers, netted 24 goals. The 27-year old Minnesota
native, acquired by GM Mike Milbury in the infamous Roberto Luongo
trade, has scored 94 goals as an Islander.

With Scatchard and Parrish locked up, the Isles will turn their
attention to getting Roman Hamrlik and Rick DiPietro under contract
for the upcoming season (whenever that may be). DiPietro is seeking a
long-term deal that will keep him on the Island for years, while
Adrian Aucoin, Jason Blake, Janne Niinimaa and Oleg Kvasha will have
their contracts decided in arbitration hearings later this month.

Bill wrote:
>>>
Players like Hunter, DiPietro, Weinhandl and Mapletoft are the key because
they can hold out.
<<<
And Hamrlik too?
I seriously doubt any of the youngsters will hold out, although DiPietro
could really make things bad for the Islanders if he decides to - he's the
most important.

<<<
After last year Hunter is due a huge raise when you look at his salary
last season. Weinhandl makes almost a million dollars and really has not
played to that contract
at this point. Mapletoft is not signed and and makes close to a million
dollars also, a lot has been invested in him the last few years.
>>>
I think this team is gearing up to give Papineau and Weinhandl lots more
ice-time in key situations and special teams. Both MUST bulk up, and the
reports up to now are that at least Papineau has been doing so. This is
CRITICAL for Weinhandl, who I've always felt was only 20 pounds away from
becoming a 50+ point man. Don't know what the plans are with Mapletoft,
but it sounds like they're hoping to sign him and either lose him on
waivers or have him spend the majority of the season in Bridgeport. I
think if this team has him there and he can be a 60+ point center in the
AHL, it'll be his mealticket to the NHL.
>>>
After that a decision is needed in goal. Kochan is signed for
Bridgeport. I think that one comes down to Dubielewicz and how he
plays in camp. There should be no rush to consider Garth Snow, if he
signs elsewhere there are several alternatives.
<<<
I truly, truly believe this team is gonna go with Dubie.  There are those who'll
say, "No, get a bonafide back-up and let Dubie
develop properly down on the farm!"   We should not forget that Dubie
ain't a kid, he's 26.  In addition, does anyone truly think WE are
developing him to be a future starter or something???   Of course not,
Dipi is and will remain our man.  We don't owe Dubie anything in relation
to his "grooming".   In addition, if Dubie can be a 20-30 game back-up and
put up a winning record, that is good for us and all that is gonna do is
get other GMs thinking...... that's good come the trade deadline. Back-ups
have become VERY hot trade items.

Then again, if Dubie - who has EARNED the chance to dress in the NHL -
proves quickly not to be adequate as a back-up, I suspect there'll be
plenty of 'Snows' out there on the cheap, and then Dubie can be sent to da
Port where he can strengthen their line-up.

Thus, the back-up issue seriously *ain't no thang* at the moment.  The
team can rest comfortably and save those dollars for elsewhere!
>>>
The unrestricted free agents among the group I am in no rush to see
sign or return.
<<<

Honestly, I just won't be surprised to see Czerkawski resigned.  I really
wouldn't be!

Chapin

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS TODAY RE-SIGNED FORWARD STEVE SULLIVAN TO A
ONE-YEAR, $3.6 MILLION CONTRACT AND THUS AVOIDED SALARY ARBITRATION.

-THE MONTREAL CANADIENS TODAY ANNOUNCED THE SIGNING OF GOALTENDER
CRISTOBEL HUET TO A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT.

- THE DALLAS STARS TODAY RE-SIGNED FORWARD STU BARNES TO A TWO-YEAR
CONTRACT EXTENSION.

- THE NY ISLANDERS TODAY RE-SIGNED FORWARD TRENT HUNTER TO A ONE-YEAR
CONTRACT.

- THE DETROIT RED WINGS RE-SIGNED DEFENCEMAN JIRI FISCHER TO A THREE
YEAR, $5.2 MILLION CONTRACT AND RE-SIGNED FORWARD JASON WILLIAMS TO A
ONE-YEAR CONTRACT.

- THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS RE-SIGNED FORWARDS SIMON GAGNE TO A ONE-
YEAR, $2.6 MILLION CONTRACT AND BRANKO RADIVOJEVIC TO A ONE-YEAR,
$560k CONTRACT AND GOALTENDER ANTERO NIITTYMAKI TO A ONE-YEAR, $500k
CONTRACT.

- THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS RE-SIGNED GOALTENDER MAXIM OUELLET, FORWARD
STEVE PEAT AND DEFENCEMAN DWAYNE ZINGER.

- THE ATLANTA THRASHERS RE-SIGNED FORWARD MARC SAVARD, DEFENCEMAN
TOMAS KLOUCEK AND FOUR MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS.

- THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS RE-SIGNED DEFENCEMAN STEVE McCARTHY AND
GOALTENDER CRAIG ANDERSON

- THE NY ISLANDERS RE-SIGNED FORWARD MARK PARRISH TO A ONE-YEAR,
$2.35 MILLION CONTRACT.

- THE PHOENIX COYOTES RE-SIGNED FORWARD LADISLAV NAGY TO A TWO-YEAR
CONTRACT, THUS AVOIDING SALARY ARBITRATION.

ROENICK WANTS OUT OF PHILLY?

EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE/910 AM XTRA RADIO: reports Philadelphia Flyers
forward Jeremy Roenick claims he's willing to rip up the remainder of
his contract (2 years, $13 million) with the Flyers to return to the
Phoenix Coyotes. The Tribune's Jerry Brown noted Roenick apparently
isn't happy with the direction of the Flyers (cutting Mark Recchi and
looking to dump Tony Amonte and John LeClair, the coaching of Ken
Hitchcock, with whom Roenick has clashed on occasion). However, Brown
points out Roenick's injury history, his salary and the fact the
Coyotes are already set at centre as factors that would make a "JR's"
return to the desert impractical.

THE LATEST COYOTES NEWS.

ARIZONA REPUBLIC: David Vest reports Brett Hull is waiting to speak
with Dallas Stars GM Doug Armstrong later this week before making a
decision on which club he'll sign with. The Stars are offering a one-
year deal worth $2.5 million, while the Phoenix Coyotes are offering
a two-year deal worth $2.25 million in the first year, with the
second season to be determined by performance in the first. Regarding
Roenick, Coyotes GM Michael Barnett declined to comment as he could
be fined for tampering, while speculation the Coyotes offering former
captain Teppo Numminen a contract aren't true. Barnett admits to
holding talks with Numminen but said no offer has been made.

PENGUINS COULD ADD MORE SALARY.

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW: Karen Price reports Penguins GM Craig
Patrick said slashing payroll over the past several seasons has
allowed the club room to add a bit more this season. Patrick is also
hoping a salary cap of $31 million will be in place in the next CBA.
The club has roughly $20 million committed to salaries for next
season and have money committed to paying out bonuses to goalie Marc-
Andre Fleury(if he hits those bonuses) and $2.35 million to pay the
remainder of Martin Straka's salary. That leaves some room to add
another UFA, and it's believed Patrick has inquired about Brett Hull,
although his agent says he's had no further contact with Patrick in
nearly a week.

HURRICANES OFFER TWO YEAR DEAL TO VASICEK.

RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER: Luke Decock reports the Carolina
Hurricanes have made "a solid two year offer" for centre Josef
Vasicek, who led the club in scoring with 45 points last season.
Vasicek had previously rejected the club's qualifying offer worth
just over $420K.

ZUBRUS REJECTS QUALIFYING OFFER.

WASHINGTON TIMES: David Fay reports forward Dainius Zubrus rejected
the Capitals qualifying offer. It's unknown if Zubrus believes a new
CBA will work to his advantage or if he feels next season will be
lost thus rendering any contract moot.

SCHULTZ REJECTS WILD'S OFFER.

TSN/ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS: reports defenceman Nick Schultz rejected
the Minnesota Wild's qualifying offer, instead seeking a contract
worth between $1 - $1.5 million. His agent approached the Wild about
a long-term contract but they're not interested at this time.

NO OFFER TO SNOW UNTIL AFTER CBA.

NEWSDAY: Alan Hahn reports Islanders GM Mike Milbury has no plans to
make an offer to UFA goalie Garth Snow until after the next CBA is in
place. Milbury didn't rule out bringing back Snow as Rick DiPietro's
backup.

http://www.newyorkislanders.com/news/hunter080304.html

GOODWILL HUNTER
Calder Trophy Finalist Signed

(August 3) Islanders rookie sensation Trent Hunter, one of three
finalists for the Calder Trophy last season, has agreed to a one-year
contract.

The 24-year old Hunter is coming off one of the most impressive
rookie seasons in Islanders history. He finished the 2003-04 season
tied for first on the Island with Mariusz Czerkawski in goals scored
with 25 and tied with Oleg Kvasha in overall scoring with 51 points.
Hunter was the only rookie in the NHL to lead his team in those
statistical categories. He also finished with a strong +23 rating,
appeared in the NHL Young Stars Game during All Star Weekend and was
named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team.

The Alberta native first made his impact with the Islanders in the
2002 playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Appearing in the
last four games of the seven-game series, Hunter scored a goal and an
assist to make his mark on the franchise's first playoff series in
seven seasons.

Hunter was originally drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the
sixth round, 150th overall, of the 1998 draft. In May of 2000 the
Islanders acquired Hunter from Anaheim for a fourth-round draft
selection.
***********************************
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=93438

Islanders re-sign Trent Hunter

Canadian Press
8/3/2004

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CP) - Rookie-of-the-year finalist Trent Hunter has
re-signed with the New York Islanders.

Hunter 24, of Red Deer, Alta., is coming off one of the most
impressive rookie seasons in club history. He tied with Mariusz
Czerkawski for most goals, 25, and with Oleg Kvasha for most points,
51. He was the only rookie in the NHL to lead his team in those
statistical categories.

He had a plus-23 plus-minus rating, appeared in the NHL Young Stars
Game during the all-star weekend and was named to the league's all-
rookie team.

He salary was $495,000 US last season. He has accepted a qualifying
offer. Players paid less than the average league salary, which was
$1,830,126 last season, get an automatic increase of 10 per cent when
a qualifying offer is made. Thus, Hunter's pay goes up $49,500 to
$544,500 in the new contract.

Hunter was originally drafted by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the
sixth round, 150th overall, of the 1998 entry draft. The Islanders
acquired him in May 2000 for a fourth-round draft pick.

Islanders acquired him in May 2000 for a fourth-round draft pick.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=93481&hubName=nhl

Arbitrator awards Gonchar $5.5 million

Canadian Press
8/3/2004

TORONTO (CP) - Boston Bruins defenceman Sergei Gonchar has been
awarded a pay raise of 51 per cent in salary arbitration.

Gonchar, 30, one of the NHL's premier blue-line scorers, deserves
$5.5 million US next season, the ruling indicated. The Russian got
$3.65 million US last season. Boston acquired him from Washington
near the March trading deadline.

In 669 regular-season NHL games, Gonchar has 148 goals and 277
assists. In 1998-99, when he scored 21 goals, he became the first
Russian defenceman to score 20 goals in a season. He was on the
bronze-medal team at the 2002 Olympics.

His case, the first on the summer hearings schedule, was heard Sunday.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=93458

NHL-NHLPA talks to resume Wednesday

Canadian Press
8/3/2004

TORONTO (CP) - Collective bargaining between the NHL and the NHL
Players' Association resumes Wednesday.

The sides last met July 21 in New York for four hours, during which
the league submitted outlines of six concepts furthering its stated
need for cost certainty. The union subsequently turned thumbs down
because ``each one of them begins and ends with a salary cap and that
doesn't provide any basis for any progress,'' said senior director
Ted Saskin.

Bill Daly, the league's chief legal counsel, said at the time it was
a hopeful sign that the union asked for additional information on the
concepts.

The CBA, twice extended in the last 10 years, expires Sept. 15 - the
day after the World Cup championship game in Toronto.

The league says that 75 per cent of total revenues in 2002-03 went to
player costs, leaving only 25 per cent to pay for coaches, travel,
building costs, marketing and advertising.

The NHLPA proposed a system last Oct. 1 that included revenue
sharing, a luxury tax, a one-time five per cent rollback in salaries
and some changes to the entry-level system.    Before the meeting two
weeks ago in New York, the two sides hadn't met since May 25. The
meeting Wednesday is at 10 a.m. EDT at the NHLPA offices.

Just thinking about this, but if we were only to include our under-27
agers AND those with long term contracts, there is NOTHING (other than the
logic of NHL moves) saying that the Isles couldn't look strangely like
this within 4 seasons:

Dipietro - Dubie
(Heck, looks like that already!)

O'Neill - Gervais
Caldwell - Axelsson
Butenschon - Tukio
Blanshan
(Strange thought, but other than Butenschon, none of our current Dmen are
27 or younger or have long-term contracts?)

Papineau - Yashin - Hunter
Nilsson - Tunik - Weinhandl
Bergenheim - Nielsen - Colliton
Blaho - Mapletoft - Comeau

Chernyhk, Godard, Ogrodnikov....
(Uhhhhh, hello, any Americans hanging around???  Wow, only 5 North
Americans at all in that line-up)

Now, obviously things won't necessarily turn out this way, but just felt
like jotting down the thoughts.
C

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, chapin_landvogt@l...
wrote:

> And Hamrlik too?
I seriously doubt any of the youngsters will hold out, although
DiPietro could really make things bad for the Islanders if he decides
to - he's the most important.>>>

   Of course Hamrlik too. His holdout would not be as disasterous as a
DiPietro holdout but would signal an end to his Islander career if
the rules of Wang law are in play (no trade/negotiation) and leave a
hole in the defense. He would simply sit home and wait for
unrestricted status, which may come with a new cba sooner than later.

   From what I have read the Isles and Hamrlik are 400k apart, I do
not see a holdout. If things were not that close I would guess he
would have opted for arbitration also.

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, chapin_landvogt@l...
wrote:

> I think this team is gearing up to give Papineau and Weinhandl lots
more ice-time in key situations and special teams. Both MUST bulk up,
and the reports up to now are that at least Papineau has been doing
so. This is CRITICAL for Weinhandl, who I've always felt was only 20
pounds away from becoming a 50+ point man. Don't know what the plans
are with Mapletoft, but it sounds like they're hoping to sign him and
either lose him on waivers or have him spend the majority of the
season in Bridgeport. I think if this team has him there and he can
be a 60+ point center in the AHL, it'll be his mealticket to the
NHL.>>>

Milbury gave us plenty of info yesterday, there is little guesswork
from here. It's up to these players and they are not making low
salaries. It's time for Weinhandl/Papineau to step up. I'm not
expecting a first line break thru but a lot more visibility nightly
and consistent scoring. Honestly my version of par for both these
players would be something statistically close to Asham's season in
2002-03.

I could be dead wrong but I do not see Mapletoft clearing
waivers. Folks remember what he did in Red-Deer and his first year in
Bridgeport. They also see what Torres and Hunter have done, his
defensive game looks like NHL-caliber and from what I have seen has
some composure. Maybe he does not like being in the minors and is not
as motivated as he should be, but I think unless he stays with the
Islanders he will be out of the organization, at this time I think
losing him would be a mistake.

> I truly, truly believe this team is gonna go with Dubie.  There are
those who'll say, "No, get a bonafide back-up and let Dubie
develop properly down on the farm!"   We should not forget that Dubie
ain't a kid, he's 26.  In addition, does anyone truly think WE are
developing him to be a future starter or something???   Of course
not, Dipi is and will remain our man.  We don't owe Dubie anything in
relation to his "grooming".   In addition, if Dubie can be a 20-30
game back-up and put up a winning record, that is good for us and all
that is gonna do is get other GMs thinking...... that's good come the
trade deadline. Back-ups have become VERY hot trade items.>>

   I agree with most of what your saying. My only reservations are if
there is a work stoppage you want this goalie playing as much as
possible and this is a goalie who has not been a number one starter
since his junior year in college. But he has some potential that
several teams wanted, if DiPietro struggles he could just help.

> Then again, if Dubie - who has EARNED the chance to dress in the
NHL - proves quickly not to be adequate as a back-up, I suspect
there'll be plenty of 'Snows' out there on the cheap, and then Dubie
can be sent to da Port where he can strengthen their line-up.>>>

   No doubt.

> Thus, the back-up issue seriously *ain't no thang* at the moment.
The team can rest comfortably and save those dollars for elsewhere!
> >>>

   I'm in no rush to see Snow, Osgood, Dafoe, Potvin or that crowds. If
I had to pick a goalie right now I would sign Zac Bierk from Phoenix.

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, chapin_landvogt@l...
wrote:

> Honestly, I just won't be surprised to see Czerkawski resigned.  I
really wouldn't be!>>>

   50/50 at best. The right side is loaded with goal scorers, he
brings skills this group still lacks but is not a first line player,
just the most productive in a bunch of players who have not stepped
up to this point. I think another team will find some interest
because of his numbers and he will come with a low pricetag.

   With each day we get more answers. What's needed most, however are
games and right now that's not looking promising.

   Bill

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, chapin_landvogt@l...
wrote:

> Just thinking about this, but if we were only to include our under-
27 agers AND those with long term contracts, there is NOTHING (other
than the logic of NHL moves) saying that the Isles couldn't look
strangely like this within 4 seasons:

> Dipietro - Dubie
> (Heck, looks like that already!)>>>

   Should be.

> O'Neill - Gervais
> Caldwell - Axelsson
> Butenschon - Tukio
> Blanshan (Strange thought, but other than Butenschon, none of our
current Dmen are 27 or younger or have long-term contracts?)>>>

   That has to change. Alexei Stonkus also will return to playing
according to reports in Russia and someday the team will take some
early round defenders. O'Neill is a great gamble where they got him.

> Papineau - Yashin - Hunter
> Nilsson - Tunik - Weinhandl
> Bergenheim - Nielsen - Colliton
> Blaho - Mapletoft - Comeau

> Chernyhk, Godard, Ogrodnikov....
(Uhhhhh, hello, any Americans hanging around???  Wow, only 5 North
Americans at all in that line-up)>>>

   You forgot the #1 pick in this year's draft. I guess
Kvasha/Mapletot do not make the cut.

   I do not think teams like to admit this (as Milbury talks about
having his European prospects in North America) but financially
speaking it makes more sense to take a European prospect and not be
forced to commit to signing him in two years or losing the player if
it's close when comparing who you want to take in a draft.

> Now, obviously things won't necessarily turn out this way, but just
felt like jotting down the thoughts.>>>

   Not bad at all, just need a few higher grade defenders and some
impact from the players in Bridgeport like Blaine Down.

   Bill

http://newyorkislanders.com/news/weinhandl080404.html

MATTY RETURNS
Weinhandl Inked for 04-05

(August 4) The Islanders can check off another name from their
restricted free agent list as forward Mattias Weinhandl has signed a
one-year contract, the team announced today. The 24-year-old right
wing from Sweden is coming off his second season with the Islanders,
going 8-12-20 with a +9 rating in 55 games.

Weinhandl was selected by the Islanders in the third round of the
1999 draft, 78th overall. His first season in North America came in
2002-2003 when he appeared in 47 games with the Islanders and 23 with
the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. In his rookie season of 2002-
03, he was selected to play in the NHL Young Star game that took
place during the All Star Weekend.

Before coming to North America, Weinhandl played three seasons with
MoDo of the Swedish Elite League. In 130 games, he tallied 49 goals
and 41 assists for 90 points.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=93576&hubName=nhl

Survey finds fans support owner lockout

TSN.ca Staff
8/4/2004

As NHL owners and players gather in Toronto for the latest round of
collective bargaining talks, a new poll finds the majority of
Canadian hockey fans would support a lockout if it meant creating a
financially level playing field.

In a poll conducted by Decima Research Inc. last month, 83 percent of
those surveyed said they would stand by the NHL even if a lockout
wiped out more than half a season as long as it results in a
reduction of player salaries and a better deal for smaller clubs.

As well, 56 percent of fans believe the players association needs to
be the one to compromise when it comes to a new deal while only 14
percent believe both sides need to compromise in the dispute.

The survey of 928 Canadians also found that most fans believe most
NHL teams are in financial trouble.

During the last contract talks two weeks ago in New York, the league
submitted several proposals outlining its need for "cost certainty".
The NHLPA rejected them, claiming that each one "begins and ends with
a salary cap" - something the union has been unwilling to negotiate.

The collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA is
set to expire on September 15.

http://newyorkislanders.com/news/blake080404.html

BLAKE AN ISLE FOR 3 MORE YEARS
Team Goes Long-Term with "Heart and Soul" Player

(August 4) Jason Blake, the speedy sparkplug who has transformed
himself from a fourth-liner to one of the Islanders' most valuable
players, has signed a new three-year contract with the team. With the
new deal, Blake and the Islanders avoid an arbitration hearing.

"Jason wanted to remain an Islander for a long time and we wanted to
keep Jason an Islander for a long time," general manager Mike Milbury
said this morning, moments after sealing the deal. "Both sides worked
hard at putting together something fair. Everyone's delighted we were
able to keep him for at least three more years and hopefully beyond.
Jason is undoubtedly a big part of the heart and soul of our
franchise."

Blake was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 3, 2001 for a
mid-round draft pick. Soon after his arrival, he became a fan
favorite for his relentless play and fiery personality. After
spending most of his first full season with the Islanders on the
fourth line and penalty killing unit, Blake asked for and earned more
responsibility. Over the last two seasons he has played on every
line, with just about every Islander forward and in all situations,
including the power play. In 2002-03, the former North Dakota
University star had his NHL breakout season, scoring 25 goals and
adding 30 assists. Last season the 30-year old Blake was 22-25-47 in
75 games.

Perhaps most impressively, he returned earlier than expected from a
serious ankle injury for Game 2 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs
first round against Tampa Bay and was First Star, scoring two goals
in a 3-0 Islanders win. As a result of his increasingly effective
play for the Islanders, Blake was named to Team USA for the World Cup
of Hockey beginning this month.

"My family and I are so happy to know we're going to be on the Island
for a long time," Blake said. "The Islanders are the team that
acquired me, believed in me, gave me a chance to prove what I can do.
This is the team I want to win a Stanley Cup with."

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spisles0805,0,3307015.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines

ISLANDERS
Blake, Weinhandl ink new deals

From staff reports

August 4, 2004, 11:43 AM EDT

The Islanders and forward Jason Blake avoided arbitration today by
agreeing to a three-year deal, Newsday's Alan Hahn has learned. The
team also announced that forward Mattias Weinhandl had accepted his
one-year qualifying offer.

Financial terms of both deals were not announced.

Blake, 30, was among the Islanders scoring leaders last season with
22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points. He led the team with his
hustling, hard-working style that earned him significant playing time
on both the power play and the penalty kill.

There was some concern that Blake, who stood to earn a healthy raise
if he had gone to arbitration, might price himself off the Island.
This would have forced the Islanders to trade their pesky sparkplug.
But the Isles gave him the long-term deal he was seeking, ensuring he
would remain a key element on the team.

Blake, a veteran of six NHL seasons, has accumulated totals of 59
goals, 73 assists and 174 penalty minutes in 268 career games an
Islander.

Weinhandl, 24, is coming off his second season with the Islanders,
going 8-12-20 with a +9 rating in 55 games.

Weinhandl was selected by the Islanders in the third round of the
1999 draft, 78th overall. His first season in North America came in
2002-2003 when he appeared in 47 games with the Islanders and 23 with
the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. In his rookie season of 2002-
03, he was selected to play in the NHL Young Star game that took
place during the All Star Weekend.

Before coming to North America, Weinhandl played three seasons with
MoDo of the Swedish Elite League. In 130 games, he tallied 49 goals
and 41 assists for 90 points

Things are getting very interesting, very quickly.

In eleven days arbitration is over and we will know who makes what.

In sixteen days hockey returns as training for the world cup begins.

Were going to get an idea if we will have hockey or not. I suspect no
but anything can happen.
*********************************************
That was a very good interview on Msg with Mike Milbury that gave us
some very good updates and answered a lot of questions. Hahn, Botte,
Grossman and Ron Dicker should be providing us with this content.

Even Pittsburgh has better coverage of hockey than New York.

Sather/Milbury and many players have had knee replacement surgery
from that generation. Milbury now has had it about a decade eariler
than Sather did. Reading that I cannot blame any player who demands
every dollar they can get from a team.

Nor can I blame any owner who says thanks, but no thanks.
**********************************************
Aucoin, Niinimaa, Hamrlik are the major players with the biggest
salaries not under contract. Two go to arbitration and based on
Gonchar's decision I would bet Aucoin get's his five million or
better, which means the Isles have a decision to make.

Do they sign them all or keep them until they can get something for
them at a lesser price or do they bring back the same team at a much
higher price?

I kind of subscribe to the thiking that this defense overall gives up
too many goals and is soft in front of it's own goal. I think it's
time for a change and it may come down to who makes the most.

And let's not kid ourselves, this team cannot lose any more money
unless they finally get an agreement for a new/renovated arena. Wang
I feel has done all he can.

A lateral move for a player to help Yashin works for me, the trade
may not happen until a new cba so for now it would not be a bad idea
to sign all the defenders and see what they can get later on, but
really at this point I'm not going to be annoyed if they lose anyone
who has priced themselves off this team.

It was a marginal defense with these players, it can marginal without
them. No one is running out to buy tickets to see these players.
********************************************************
I'm thrilled Jason Blake got a three year deal and felt he said all
the right things in his statement. So much for Dean Blais. I'm very
curious as to how much he will make over the 800k he made last year
because this will be an overall increase to the teams payroll.

Weinhandl was resigned and I would guess he took his qualifying
offer. Hunter was a solid signing as was Parrish and Scatchard.

That leaves DiPietro/Kvasha/Mapletoft among the younger players with
whoever has to be signed for the Tigers. In no way should the
organization sign fringe AHL veterans to replace Manlow, LeTang.

Whoever comes in has to have some respectable outside chance at being
on the NHL radar. If not, go sign sign Rob Brown or Ken Gernander or
the Ferraro twins and try and win the calder cup as the Admirals did
with former Islander Wade Flaherty.
******************************************************
I thought the survey was interesting with the canadian fan viewpoint
about a work-stoppage and how they support it but it was less than a
thousand fans.

I do agree with the majority and support a lockout, but that's me.
******************************************************
Forgive me but until Brett Hull and Jeremy Roenick sign or are moved
to other teams I'm going to give myself and our list (unless other
members here post articles they are interested in discussing about
them) a break and lighten up on the spector's newspapers rumors when
it comes to them.

Less is sometimes more.
*******************************
Here's a good question. If I were to buy a direct tv package from my
cable company would the local blackout restrictions that seem to be
in place during their free previews apply to the Islanders to a point
I could not see the games anyway?

In other words, if I cannot see the home coverage will buying this
get me the road coverage?

Time Warner eliminates that metro channel, Islander fans lose the
place Msg put's their playoff games and several other games. Of
course this is a station tri-state area fans cannot see games on but
I can and it's not available on other systems.

Once folks get used to no Msg for the Mets, I do not see any urgency
to settle this for hockey. I think the next window is the Knicks
because that's the garden's meal-ticket.

Bill