Episode #19 Recap: Roarke Wows with Free Agency Views

Hockey Night on Long Island's nineteenth episode was clearly one of the best yet. After updating listeners on the ongoing Islanders Prospects Camp and Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, hosts Alex and Steve were joined by Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. Shawn shared his views on everything from Ryan Smyth to Jason Blake to the rest of the free agent market. The trio discussed the holes that the Isles need to fill in free agency and who could possibly fill the voids. In addition, Shawn shared his thoughts on last week's NHL Draft and the new salary cap. In addition, Roarke shared his feelings about an HNLI favorite, James Marcou, who Shawn has been watching since Marcou's junior hockey days. This wide array of topics made for an incredible episode of HNLI.

To listen to today's episode, go to www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com and click on the archived segments.

Saturday Show 3 PM EST: Free Agency Special with Shawn P. Roarke

Be sure to tune in to Hockey Night on Long Island on Saturday, June 30, at 3PM EST. On the eve of an exhilarating free agency period, hosts Alex and Steve will be joined by Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com to preview all the madness that July 1st will surely bring. We'll talk about Smyth, Blake, Gomez, Drury, and a whole bunch more. In addition, Alex and Steve will share their thoughts on the Islanders Prospects Camp and take calls from listeners about everything hockey.

Be sure to tune in at: show.hockeynightonlongisland.com.

Prospects Camp Update: Okposo Impresses, Marcou Hits his Stride

The New York Islanders Prospect camp has been underway for 2 days now at Iceworks in Syosset and there are still 4 more days to look forward to. Aside from being a great place to hang out with fellow Islanders fans, the camp is a great chance to see the progress that the Islanders' young guns have made and to see the future of the franchise. So far, we've only seen drills as scrimmages don't start until Saturday, but there is still plenty to report.

Kyle Okposo, the Islanders' 2006 1st round pick, has looked great through the first two days. Kyle's skating ability was surprisingly impressive for such a big guy. He is clearly a strong guy and has a great wrist shot. While Okposo has decided to play at the University of Minnesota for his upcoming season, he could be lighting it up for the Isles in the near future.

As expected, Jeff Tambellini also impressed me. Tambs looked more polished than any of the other prospects, most likely due to the advantage of having a lot more pro experience. He showed his sniping ability by hitting the top corners on just about every shot. His skating was superb. After seeing him perform at this camp, I'd be shocked if he didn't make the big club in the upcoming NHL season.

Max Gratchev, the Islanders' 2007 4th round pick, was very impressive at the camp, particularly on Day 2. He shot the puck very well and hustled through every drill. His skating ability was very good as well, especially his ability to quickly turn and change direction.

As a group, the 4 goaltenders that attended looked extremely unimpressive. On Day 1, it was a rarity to see anybody stop anything. Day 2 was a bit better, but still nobody stood out as a reliable option if DP or Dubie should go down to injury.

Finally, HNLI favorite James Marcou attended as an undrafted and unsigned prospect. While he looked very jittery on Day 1, Marcou found his groove on Day 2. Despite his size, Marcou is very skilled and pulled off plenty of nice moves. And I wasn't the only one who noticed. Isles' prospect Jeff Tambellini agreed that Marcou stood out.

When asked which of the younger players stood out in his mind, Jeff Tambellini responded by saying James Marcou, the 5-7 camp invite from Kings Park. "He's more like 5-5, but he has incredible hands," said Tambellini. "He was making some impressive moves around guys out there."

Remember that the Islanders' prospects camp is still going on. Just come down to Islanders' IceWorks in Syosset to see the future of the New York Islanders.

Marcou Update: James at Islanders Prospects Camp

One of the sad substories of the 2007 NHL Draft was the fact that local boy James Marcou went undrafted. We have talked on several occasions about maybe seeing Marcou in Orange and Blue. But it looks like despite passing over Marcou in the draft, the Islanders are going to give this hometown kid a shot. Today the Islanders announced the forwards that will be attending the Islanders Prospects Camp this week at IceWorks. On the list is Marcou, the undrafted and unsigned forward.

I'm sure that our good buddy Steve from Setauket will be thrilled to hear this and I for one am very excited to see James Marcou make an appearance at the Prospects Camp. Here's what the Islanders Prospects Camp Primer had to say about Marcou.


James Marcou (C/W)
Born: Feb 19, 1988 -- Kings Park, NY
Height: 5'7
Weight: 150

A local boy from Kings Park, Long Island, Marcou comes to Syosset as an unsigned, undrafted invitee. Marcou's point totals with Waterloo of the USHL jumped from 32 in 2005-06 to 71 the following season. During the 2006-07 season, Marcou led Waterloo in assists with 47 and in points with 71.

Everyone here at HNLI is really pulling for James Marcou and hoping that he can really impress the Isles at the Prospects Camp.

To check out James Marcou and the rest of the Islanders' Prospects, head down to IceWorks in Syosset this week:

Wed. June 27: On ice from 10:30 am-1 pm
Thu. June 28: On ice from 10:00 am-12:20 pm
Fri. June 29: On ice from 11:15 am from 1:45 pm
Sat. June 30: Scrimmage from 11:15 am to 1:15 pm
Sun. July 1: Scrimmage from 11:30 am to 1 pm
Mon. July 2: Scrimmage from 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Vote: New Islanders Jersey?

As Steve and I mentioned on Sunday's episode of Hockey Night on Long Island, a picture is currently circulating the internet showing what is supposedly the new Islanders jersey for the 2007-2008 season. Remember that there has been no official announcement from the team about the jersey and that this could very well be a prototype. Knowing that, check out the photo below and let your opinion be heard in the first HNLI poll.

Episode Recap: Draft Recap Special

Hockey Night on Long Island hit the primetime airwaves on Sunday night to recap the NHL Entry Draft. It turned out to be a very enjoyable episode with help from our very special guest Tom Mascioli of islesinfo.com. Tom, Steve, and I discussed everything from the fall of Cherepanov and Espositio, to the Islanders' picks, to Ryan Smyth and Jason Blake. And of course....there would be no episode of Hockey Night on Long Island without some comic relief, which came when I attempted to pronounce "James van Riemsdyk". I can imagine I'm going to hear about that mistake for a long time. In addition, we had plenty of great callers and some interesting ones.

Anyway, if you missed the Draft Recap Special, be sure to check out show.hockeynightonlongisland.com and download it under the Archived Segments tab or CLICK HERE TO LAUNCH IT!

NHL Draft Recap Special: Sunday Night at 7:30 EST

Hey everyone. Be sure to tune in to Hockey Night on Long Island on Sunday night in primetime for the Islanders NHL Draft Recap special. Steve and I will recap the events of Friday and Saturday in Columbus. We will be joined by Special Guest Tom Mascioli of islesinfo.com, who will share his thoughts on the NYI Draft Class of 2007. Of course we will take your calls and IMs and look ahead to the looming free agency period.

Be sure to tune in Sunday at 7:30 PM EST at show.hockeynightonlongisland.com.

A Wild Night in Columbus

As I watched the NHL Draft tonight, and hoped that maybe the Islanders would do something to at least earn a mention on the telecast, I realized a common theme tonight....All of the teams around us keep getting better.



The Top Five
But before I get to that, I might as well recap the first few picks. It began with Pat Kane from the London Knights going first overall to the Chicago Blackhawks. The American was followed by his fellow countryman James van Riemsdyk, a strong power forward who went to the Flyers. This left the door open for Wayne Gretzky's Coyotes to select Kyle Turris, a highly skilled forward. It was the fourth pick, however, that shocked the league. The Kings, who were attempting to trade down in the draft selected Thomas Hickey. This pick was seen as absolutely bizarre as Hickey was ranked at #17 by International Scouting Services and as low as #29 by McKeen's Hockey. Washington rounded out the top five with Karl Alzner, a solid and strong defenseman out of the WHL.

Cherry and Espo: Missed Chances for the Isles?
Two guys who we didn't see in the top five, or the top ten for that matter, were Alexei Cherepanov and Angelo Esposito. The freefalls began with Cherepanov of Russia, who was ranked in the top five by most scouting services and is regarded by some as the most talented player in the draft. The big hazard that came with Cherepanov, however, was the lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and the Russian Federation. Nobody, however, expected him to drop as far as he did. Like the Brady Quinn of the NHL, "Cherry" fell all the way to the 17th spot where the New York Rangers scooped him up. As and Islander fan this was a heartbreaker. The Rangers nabbed a great prospect that could be a big part of their future. Between van Riemsdyk and Cheraponov, there were already two extremely impressive prospects entering the Atlantic Division. It didn't end there, however, still available was Angelo Espositio, who last year was considered a consensus #1 overall pick. However, Espo will find himself playing with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who scooped up Espositio with the 20th pick.

What a depressing night to have to sit back and watch. Seeing Esposito and Cherepanov there at #15, which the Isles had traded, was sickening. Also, when it was time for a trade to be announced for the 18th spot, I was nearly positive it would be the Isles after Esposito. I had the feeling that the Isles might trade the rights for Smyth to Calgary if the Isles thought they might not be able to resign him. On the Isles Website, Chris Botta had this to say about the possibility of trading Ryan Smyth rights:

Seems Garth made it clear to one of the Big Market GMs yesterday that he wasn't even considering moving Ryan Smyth's rights to him or anyone else in a trade, a la Hartnell/Timonen to Philadelphia. Now normally I wouldn't be able to share this info, but guess what? Turns out Garth reiterated his stance to every reporter in Columbus yesterday. He even said it to Greg Logan over the phone. Logan has it in today's Newsday.

If the Islanders can't resign Smyth, it's going to be even more heartbreaking now that we could've had either Esposito or Cherpanov with a first rounder.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, things might get interesting for the Islanders. Botta had this to say:

I know absolutely nothing. Seriously. But if the draft starts at 10:00 am tomorrow, I would suggest you don't wait until 11:00 to see how the Islanders did with their first pick in the third round. I repeat: I know nothing. I'm not even at the draft table, Corey is. Simply a hunch.

Remember, the draft isn't on TV for Day 2, so check out the live stream on NHL.com.

Time Crisis: Hockey Night Debate

Today, the New York Islanders announced that they will be moving the start times of weekday home games back to the traditional 7:05 PM face-off. Last season, the Islanders had changed the start time to 7:35 PM. Islanders fans from all around are divided in their opinions on the issue. Two fans that have varying opinions on the issue are HNLI hosts Alex and Steve.
Let Operation "Time Crisis" begin:

7:05 PM: Longer Games, Earlier Start (by Steve): Personally, I liked it when the games used to be at this time. As a fan that likes to watch the weekday games on television, it is very favorable. I agree with the Islanders opinion of that the games are getting longer with the possibility of Overtime and then a Shootout. Also, now the younger children can have an opportunity to watch a majority of the game. However, for the attendance factor, I don't see this improving the attendance at the games since it is hard for people to get to the games from work. Let's see what Alex has to say about 7:35 face-offs....

7:35 PM: (by Alex): One of the biggest problems that the Islanders had this season was filling the seats on weeknights. Changing the puck-drop time, however, is not the way to better attendance. By pushing the start time up 30 minutes, the Islanders are making it nearly impossible for their working fans to get to the game on time. I would not be at all surprised if the Islanders lose season ticket holders over this change. People aren't going to want to go to the game if they know they won't be able to show up until the end of the first period. In addition, the move from 7:35 to 7:05 takes away the pre-game experience. The diehards that go to the games can always be found hanging around the Coliseum at Doolin's and watching warmups before the game. As impossible as it will be for fans to even make the game's start, it will be even worse for the pre-game experience. While you may get a few more young fans at the game, the hockey season still runs right through the school year and very few parents are going to schlep their kids out to the Coliseum during the week. They may bring in a few more young fans, but that's not worth neglecting the diehard fans.

Guest Alert: Roarke Guest Appearance (Take 2)

Those of you out there that listened to Episode #17 on Saturday in anticipation of Shawn P. Roarke's guest appearance should be very happy to know that we have rescheduled the Roarke interview. Shawn had some "family issues" to deal with on Saturday that were truly unavoidable.

Being the nice guy that he is, Shawn P. Roarke will be joining us for the June 30th episode.

Now, we all know what June 30th means....THE DAY BEFORE FREE AGENCY! That's right....Shawn will help us kick off the free agency period here at Hockey Night on Long Island with an in depth preview of the HUGE free agency period that awaits.

-Will Blake and Smyth be back?
-Can the Isles sign Chris Drury?
-Where will Scott Gomez wind up?

Find out all this and much more on the June 30th episode of HNLI with Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com at 3 PM EST.

Steve's notes for the week...

*First of all, sorry I missed the show on Saturday. Although our originally scheduled guest was unable to attend, Alex, Andy, and Tom did a great job. Thanks a lot to Andy for filling in for me!

*My thoughts on Bergie coming back to the Island: This is great. I think it was very unexpected for the deal to occur this week considering the other things that the Islanders should do such as prepare for the Draft on Friday and Saturday and sign Smyth and Blake. But still, Bergenheim is a young, important player in the Islanders system and it is nice to have him back. He should definitely be an asset for the team next season.

*Website Updates: I have been working very hard on improving the website and make it more efficient. I'm sorry if you were having trouble accessing the website this afternoon but it was undergoing maintenance. Also, the Blogtalkradio button at the top of the page should be fully functional on all browers now. The "talk show" site can now be easily accessed at: www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com. This should be easier to remember for all.

*Islanders.nhl.com: Late last week, the Islanders released their new website. It is expected that the NHL is going to make the team website layouts uniform like MLB. After navigating the site, it looks to be an improvement from the previous website. The most notable change in the site was in the color scheme where royal blue is being used as a replacement to the navy blue that was used. This could lead us Islanders fans the hint that the Islanders are sending a message on what the team colors will be for next year, especially since there will be changes in the layout of the jerseys.

*Upcoming Schedule: We will be having our much-awaited "Draft Recap Special" on Sunday at 7:30 PM EST (Please note the special time change). Tom Mascioli of islesinfo.com will have all of the info on all of the players that the Islanders draft. Who knows, maybe they will trade up picks??

Remember to tune into the NHL Draft and then tune into HNLI on Sunday. Have a good week!

Welcome Back Bergie!

Big news for the Islanders today after an eerily quiet week. The Isles have signed Sean Bergenheim to a contract that is reported to be a one year deal worth about $500,000. In addition, the Newsday report says that it is a one-way contract.

Last summer, the one-way vs. two-way contract controversy was a big sticking point in the stalemate between the Islanders' management and agent Mark Gandler. After a superb year in Sweden in '06-'07, it is clear via the one-way deal that Bergenheim is in the immediate plans of the organization.All I can say right now is Hallelujah. I had heard that we might have another negotiation issue between Snow and Bergie might occur again this year. I am very glad to see that this all worked out and look forward to seeing how Bergenheim has progressed in his development. Bergenheim is a Ted Nolan type player and should fit in very well with this Islanders squad.

I will leave you with a very promising Bergie quote from the New York Islanders report: "I'm very happy and proud to be an Islander again," Bergenheim said this morning from Finland. "My friends back home know that I consider Long Island my second home. I followed the team a lot last season when I was in Europe and I love our style of play. A lot of people have told me my play should fit in with this year’s team, but Ted Nolan doesn’t know me yet. My goal is to show him I’m a Ted Nolan-type player. I can't wait to get back to Long Island."

Marcou-Flatley Connection?

You know...the Islanders had better draft James Marcou because it seems that every week he is a topic of discussion on both our show and blog. This week, Steve from Setauket called and spoke with Tom Mascioli from Islesinfo.com about Marcou. Like usual, we all talked about how nice it would be to see this hometown kid in Orange and Blue when draft day rolls around. Tom mentioned that somewhere he read about Marcou having some kind of connection to former Islander Patrick Flatley.

So, with all the free time that I do have on my hands, I decided to do some research. Ok...maybe I just typed "Marcou and Flatley" into Google, but nonetheless, the answer has been found. I came across a McKeen's Hockey Interview with Marcou from June of 2005.

The truth on the Marcou-Flatley Connection:

McKeen's: What is your favourite NHL team? Favourite player?

James Marcou: My favorite NHL team is the New York Islanders and my favorite player is Martin St Louis.

McKeen's: What got you interested in hockey and where and at what age did you start playing organized hockey?

James Marcou: My mom used to cut former New York Islander Patrick Flatley's hair and my dad became good friends with him. He would always take me to games and I started playing at the age of six.

OK...so there you have it. Marcou's mom cut Patrick Flatley's hair. If that doesn't prove that he deserves to be an Islander, I don't know what does.

Another Hockey Mystery Solved by Alex...HNLI P.I.

Episode #17 Recap: Tom Saves the Day, Trio Triumphs

Wow. What a crazy show we had today on Hockey Night on Long Island. With Steve not available to assume his usual co-hosting/co-producing role, Andy Facini of the Islanders Castaway Blog filled in brilliantly in his first time as a host.

The big surprise, however, came when it was 3:25 and we still hadn't heard from our Scheduled Special Guest, Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. Hopefully Shawn is ok and I'll let you all know when I do. Despite my concern for Shawn, I realized still that we were guest-less for the show and called upon our great friend Tom Mascioli of Islesinfo.com. Within a minute, Tom generously dropped what he was doing to join us for some great hockey talk.

Tom, Andy, and I discussed everything from the upcoming NHL Draft, to Free Agency, to NHL scheduling, even down to the Islanders' color scheme. It was an interesting day to say the least. With contributions from some regular callers, Steve from Setauket and the infamous Vin, we managed to have a blast on Episode #17 of Hockey Night on Long Island.

The Islanders Castaway Blog, Islesinfo.com, and Hockey Night on Long Island teamed up for a spectacular episode. Thanks to Andy and Tom!

If you missed today's live episode of Hockey Night on Long Island, the archived version can be heard by clicking here!

Hockey Night on Long Island Episode #17 Saturday

Be sure to tune in to Saturday's episode of Hockey Night on Long Island at 3PM EST. Unfortunately, my co-host Steve will be unable to join us tomorrow, but coming into save the day is Andy Facini. Andy, who will be co-hosting with me tomorrow, writes the Islanders Castaway Blog.


Not only will we have a very special guest host, but we also have a very special interviewee. We will be joined by Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Writer at NHL.com. We will talk to Shawn about the upcoming NHL Draft, the NHL Awards, Free Agency, and the state of the New York Islanders. And of course, Shawn will gladly take questions and comments from both callers and instant messagers.



Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a can't miss episode!



Remember, to tune in to our show as well as download previous episodes, just go to our talk show page here!

NHL Awards Broadcast...Versus Mishap Unfolds

As I blogged about less than 2 hours ago, I was planning on tuning in to the NHL Awards Show on Versus tonight at 7:30 PM EST. Unfortunately, the NHL and their stupid Versus network managed to once again screw it up. Due to some kind of technical or scheduling screw up, Versus was forced to move the NHL Award Show to an 11PM EST tape delay tonight.

WHAT A JOKE! I have heard a few rumors so far about what is causing this delay, and none of them are a good enough excuse. Honestly, the NHL should go to ESPN and beg, and beg, and beg until they agree to take the NHL back. I don't care what it costs the league...they have to get off of this POS Versus Network.

Anyway, here is the main rumor that I am hearing, brought to you by jkrdevil of HFBoards:

From what I read from someone on the Versus message board the problem is that Versus is using the transmission of the CBC signal from Toronto. However CBC is tape delaying the Award show in Toronto and airing it at 8. That means that broadcast will run to 10 which interrupts the Hasim Rahman vs. Tyrus Skyes fight that is live at 9. Thus the award show got bumped to 11. So part of the problem is CBC tape delaying the award show.

I'll update you guys when I find out if this rumor is true or not. If it is, I will be furious. If it comes down to having to tape delay the fight or tape delay the NHL Award Show, you have to tape delay the fight. Seriously, as much as Hockey is in the cellar as far as ratings go, I can guarantee that a lot more people were tuning in for the Awards Show than the stupid fight.

Also, what good is an award show on tape delay?! Honestly, now that I already know who won the awards from Canadians who were able to view it and the internet media, what good is it to me? As far as I am concerned, this kind of mishap epitomizes the state of hockey in the USA.

I will keep updates coming because I am assuming that either the league or the network will release a statement at some point tonight or tomorrow.

Update: Here is the latest report brought to you by B.D. Gallof of HfBoards. You can read his full blog entry about the mishap on Hockeybuzz.

Evidently, putting together a couple of seperate reports, here is what I surmise to be what transpired:One of the CBC trucks overheats, causing CBC delays in the transmission to US outlets...or in this case, our drooling fool of an outlet...VS. VS freaks, having scheduled 7:30 through 9pm for that telecast, having a live boxing match promptly at 9pm. So, instead of running it delayed, they make an executive decision to move the whole thing to 11pm, when their precious boxing match is over. US NHL fans lose their minds, and yours truly makes a blog.

Just as Alex wrote about the Awards Show...

Breaking News: The NHL Award Ceremony scheduled for 7:30 PM EST on Versus is apparantly having some kind of technical difficulties or something. They are now showing it on tape delay at 11 PM EST tonight. More info as this story unfolds. Alex did call Versus and they apologized for the inconvience. We'll see what happens...

NHL Award Show Tonight.....No Isles Representation

My good buddy and co-host Steve just reminded me that the NHL Award show will be getting underway tonight at 7:30 PM EST on the Versus Network (in the U.S.) and CBC (North of the Border).






As I'm sure you all know, not one New York Islander is up for an award this time around. While I agree that no Islanders players proved themselves elite enough for consideration, I believe that coach Ted Nolan truly has a case for a Jack Adams nod. He is certainly more deserving than Buffalo Sabres nominee Lindy Ruff. Ruff, who won the award in 2006, coached an absolutely STACKED team. Meanwhile, Ted Nolan took a team that was projected to finish dead last and took them all the way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If that isn't deserving of a nod, I'm not sure what is. I'm not saying that he should win, because Therrien of Pittsburgh and Vigneault of Vancouver are both deserving, but Nolan is certainly more deserving than Ruff and should be the third nominee. Or at least make him a fourth like they conveniently did for Henrik Lundqvist, the undeserving Vezina nominee!

Some more updates...

Last night we were able to make it so that this blog can be accessed at an easier to remember location. Now on, all you have to do is go to: www.hockeynightonlongisland.com to see this blog.

Also, our e-mail has changed to: show@hockeynightonlongisland.com.

Every day this blog is improving and it has been great putting this blog together with Alex. Have a good weekend watching Mets-Yankees. Remember: HNLI on Saturday at 3 PM EST.

Jason Blake: Keep Him or Let Him Walk

According to TSN, Jason Blake is "all but gone from Long Island". According to the article, negotiations appear to be at a standstill between Blake's agent and the Islanders.

Of course in Jason Blake the Islanders might lose 40 goals, 65 points, a fan favorite, and a real energy player. At the same time, however, Blake isn't worth what he's asking for. At the age of 34, it would be unreasonable for the Islanders to offer Blake the 5 year contract that he is seeking. To one of my favorite Islanders ever I say..."there's the door". If Blakey expects a 5 year contract, he should look for it elsewhere.
If he decides that he'll settle for 2 or 3 years, however, I'd love to see Jason in Orange and Blue for a few more years.

New Feature: Join the HNLI A-List

Hey! I just added a new feature to the site that will be very helpful for many of our readers. It is called Feedblitz, and allows you to receive nightly e-mails with our newest posts right in the e-mail. To sign up, simply enter your e-mail address on the "Feedblitz" spot on the right column and once you confirm the subscription, you will get all of HNLI's latest posts (FREE, of course). It looks to be a great improvement to the site. Enjoy reading your HNLI e-mails in the morning.

Alex to make appearance on the Sports Docket

Just wanted to let you all know that I will be making a brief guest appearance on The Sports Docket tomorrow. The show starts at 6PM EST and you can expect to hear from me at around 6:10 PM. I will be sharing my latest opinions on free agency, the NHL Draft, and anything else that callers send my way. I'm sure that by this point in the week, some of you are going through Alex withdrawl :)....so get your dose of me tomorrow evening on The Sports Docket.

Find the Sports Docket at: www.blogtalkradio.com/ksn

Hockey Night's Awesome Upcoming Schedule

Hockey Night on Long Island's upcoming schedule promises to be a great stretch of Islanders and NHL talk. The next two episodes will feature two very impressive guests ready to share their opinions on some of the most important topics in the world of the Islanders.

Remember that to listen to any of our episodes live, just click on the talk show page on the right navigation bar!

6/16, Saturday 3PM EST.



Episode #17: Alex and Steve will be joined by NHL.com Senior Writer, Shawn P. Roarke. The guys will preview the upcoming NHL Draft, discuss free agency, take questions from callers and Instant messagers, and much more. This is a can't miss episode with one of the best hockey writers in the business.







6/24, Sunday 7:30PM EST.



Episode #18: DRAFT RECAP SPECIAL! Hosts Alex and Steve will recap the 2007 NHL Draft in primetime on Sunday evening. Special guest Tom Mascioli of islesinfo.com will join in the banter and give us the scoop on all of the prospects that the Isles select in the draft. In addition, callers can jump in via phone, IM, or e-mail.

Episode 16 Recap: Gary Harding Comes up Big

First of all, I am so excited about writing this blog and look forward to a great future for HNLI.

For episode #16 of Hockey Night on Long Island, Alex and I were joined by Gary Harding of viewfromsection317.com. Gary was extremely opinionated and insightful on every topic that we discussed. There was plenty of banter between the three of us and a few callers even chimed in. We talked about everything from the Yashin Buyout, to Free Agency, to Kyle Okposo, to Sean Bergenheim, and so much more. If you missed yesterday's episode, I urge you go to our "Talk Show Page" and download it or simply listen to it on the media player on right column.

We thank Gary for his appearance on the show and look forward to having him back on the show in the future.

James Marcou Update for Steve from Setauket (and everyone else I guess....)

On two occassions, a very knowledgeable caller from Setauket named Steve has mention James Marcou as a possible draft pick for the New York Islanders. Marcou received special mention from Steve as Marcou used to play in Long Island youth hockey with his son. Recently, our good buddy Tom Mascioli included Marcou in his Islanders draft preview. Here's what he had to say:


Unfortunately, unlike in previous years, there are not many Long Island products eligible for the 2007 Draft. There is one possibility: C James Marcou of Waterloo in the USHL. The problem with Marcou? He's small. VERY small. At 5'8" and 150 lbs. there are not many teams in the NHL who are going to take a stab at a player that small. I don't care how much one believes the NHL has turned into a game of speed and skill, no one can last in the NHL, let alone pro at 150 pounds. NHL Central Scouting had Marcou, a former NY Bobcat from Kings Park, rated in their preliminary rankings back last November 2006 as a 'B' list prospect. By the mid-term rankings, he was nowhere to be found. The same goes for the final rankings last month. Marcou put up decent numbers in the USHL finishing tied for fourth in the league in scoring with 24 goals, 71 points in 58 games played. He will attend UMass-Amherst next fall.
To read Tom's full draft preview, go to his website here: http://islesinfo.com/DraftCentral.html#draft07


And speaking of Tom Mascioli, remember that he will be joining us on June 24th at 7:30PM EST for our NHL Draft recap. He'll fill us in on all of the players that the Isles select (maybe Marcou).


Steve from Setauket, I hope you appreciate this quick James Marcou update.

Welcome to Hockey Night on Long Island

Hockey Night on Long Island (also known as HNLI) is the one and only Internet Talk Show dedicated to the New York Islanders Hockey Team. The show is hosted by my good buddy Steve and myself, Alex. Every week we try to bring you the best in Islanders banter.

We have had plenty of engaging Islanders guests from a few great bloggers, to NHL.com writers, to Greg Logan of Newsday, and many more!

In addition, we always love to hear from our callers through a phone call or an instant message.

To check out our latest episodes, see our schedule, and listen live, click on the Listen Live button on the right navigation bar. Until the next show, enjoy our ramblings here.