No Respect for Clemmensen?

While reading HNLI Guest Chris Botta's UFA Preview on Islanders Point Blank this morning, I was shocked to see the lack of respect for former Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen.

Said Botta:

Scott Clemmensen…really? Besides watching him back-stop the cautious Devils in a pinch for a few months last season on MSG Plus, has anyone really looked at what the 32-year old has done in his career? Give a look and let me know if this is the man for the Islanders.

Clemmensen, who played in only 28 NHL games before his 31st birthday? Clemmensen, who was average-at-best for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL in 2007-08?

Through my work as a hockey photo editor last season, I had the opportunity to watch a ton of New Jersey Devils hockey and a ton of Scott Clemmensen. Despite the fact that Mr. Botta seems to slight his performance last season, there is no denying that Clemmensen is the major reason that the Devils managed to survive their injury plagued season. Mr. Botta points you at Clemmensen's numbers in an effort to knock him, but I say look at his numbers from last sesaon.

2.39 GAA
.917 SV %
25 Wins (only 13 losses)

Clemmensen was invaluable for the New Jersey Devils and he should definitely be given a serious look by the Islanders. While Marty Brodeur was injured, Clemmer was phenominal. Should Rick Dipietro take his annual fall this season, Clemmensen will be able to step in and keep the Isles firing on all cylinders. Scott Clemmensen was a savior for the New Jersey Devils last year and could be even more valuable as an Islander.

Youtube video comment says it all:

"they are just flat out blessed that they had him, if they didnt their season would be over."

Draft Coverage Archives

With just days leading up to the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, be sure to catch up on the last few weeks of Hockey Night on Long Island's coverage by checking out the show page. Only after listening to an hour with Michael Oke of International Scouting Services and an hour with Chris Botta of Islanders Point Blank can you say that you a truly ready for this Friday's events.

Chris Botta Joins HNLI Saturday

This Saturday at 3:30 PM EST, Hockey Night on Long Island's coverage of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft reaches a climax as hosts Alex and Steve are joined by Chris Botta of Islanders Point Blank. Botta, called the "blog father" by many in the Islanders fan community, is also the former head of public relations for the Isles and is considered the source for Isles news, commentary, and analysis. Make sure to be listening when Botta joins HNLI to discuss the ins and outs of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, the Tavares/Hedman/Duchene debate, the goaltending situation, and everything New York Islanders. HNLI will also be taking your calls, IMs, and chatter in the HNLI chatroom. Don't miss Chris Botta this Saturday on Hockey Night on Long Island!

HNLI Announces Draft Coverage: Kicks off Saturday!

Ladies and Gentlemen...Alex and Steve of Hockey Night on Long Island are proud to reveal what we have in store for our official coverage of the 2009 NHL Draft. Over the next 3 weeks, starting this Saturday at 3:30 PM EST, HNLI will feature several guests that are among the best in the business. The lineup is as follows:

June 6th at 3:30 PM EST: Special Guest Scott Cullen of The Sports Network (TSN)
Mr. Cullen is a well-known columnist and blogger for TSN.ca and has a vast audience from across both Canada and the United States. He has guested twice on HNLI before and has provided excellent insight on both the NHL as a whole and specifically the Islanders. We were particularly impressed last time with his in depth knowledge of the Islanders' prospect pool.


June 13th at 3:30 PM EST: Special Guest Mike Oke, Chief Scout for International Scouting Services (ISS)
This marks the third year that HNLI will be teaming up with ISS to provide an exciting NHL Draft Preview segment. ISS is considered an elite scouting and consulting firm and is consulted by every NHL team. This year, with Chief Scout Mike Oke, HNLI will take an in depth look at the top prospects in the draft, discuss who might be sleeper picks, and learn about the entire pre-draft scouting process.

June 20th at 3:30 PM EST: Special Guest Chris Botta of Islanderspointblank.com
Mr. Botta is the former Public Relations President for the New York Islanders and now runs an independent blog covering the team. After just one year of blogging, his work is known around the league for being one of the first to break news regarding the Islanders and being one of the best hockey reads on the internet. On one March day, in fact, his blog received over 1 million hits as he "live blogged" about the Bill Guerin trade hysteria.

All of our experts will be ready to field your questions and comments! So, be sure to tune in for some can't miss hockey banter that all leads up to the 2009 NHL Draft!

Exciting Greg Logan Piece in Sunday's Newsday, Guerin Trade "In Place"

Update (Monday 9:50 PM)
I am finally back on Long Island after a long day in the deep south. On my flight, I was tuned into the NHL Home Ice channel on XM radio where Guerin talk was in full force. Still, despite the talk, there is little new information. Both my co-host Steve and I are predicting that Guerin will not be dealt until Wednesday (aka Deadline Day). He was out of the lineup again tonight during the 4-2 victory over the Avalanche and has likely played his last game as an Islander. With Chris Botta officially ending his live Guerin updates, I expect bits of information to be few and far between until Guerin is actually dealt. So, I guess that means this blog post must come to an end as well. Still, be sure to keep checking back here for commentary and analysis as the trade deadline approaches.

Update (Monday 1:10 PM)

I am currently sitting stranded in Atlanta, GA due to the inclement weather in New York that is delaying my return flight. Needless to say, I have had plenty of time to keep up on all things Bill Guerin over the last 48 hours or so. So (also needless to say), I am as frustrated as the rest of the Islanders faithful with the lack of developments since Guerin was pulled from the lineup against Buffalo on Saturday night. And according to a recent TSN.ca story, Guerin is as irked as the rest of us. The article states that "sources tell TSN that Guerin has become frustrated by the ongoing uncertainty and has done nothing to complicate, or stall the trade from going through." Speculation by Chris Botta, among other hockey pundits, points to the Washington Capitals as the Islanders' trade partner. Still, there is very little certainty about that or anything else in the Guerin situation. Assuming I'm not lucky enough to get on a plane back to New York anytime soon, I'll have commentary and analysis here as it breaks on islanderspointblank.com or tsn.ca. Stay tuned!


Update (Sunday 10:27 PM)
When I wrote my last update just over 12 hours ago, I truly believed that I would have an update a few hours later at most with commentary on the Bill Guerin trade. The entire day, however, has been nothing more than an over-hyped period of silence. The most sickening "development" came just hours ago when Chris Botta reported that according to the team "there will be no news tonight" and "there is no timeline for any announcements". While Botta still is holding out belief that we'll know about the deal tomorrow, I'm growing more and more pessimistic. While some seem to believe the delay is being caused by some kind of bidding war or finalization of terms, I'm starting to lean towards the notion that the deal simply fell through. I'm hoping some news tomorrow will prove me wrong. In the meantime, I'll be checking Botta's blog for the latest.

Update (Sunday 10:26 AM)
The Greg Logan story is up on Newsday.com and it was certainly worth the wait. The piece reveals an incredible deal of turmoil between Scott Gordon and his veteran players. The details outlined by Logan certainly do not bode well for this organization. As Logan alludes to, it is going to be even more difficult than usual for the Islanders to sign veterans if the team has a reputation for treating the vets poorly. I encourage you to read the article. After reading it, my views of Scott Gordon have certainly changed.

Meanwhile, there is still no further information (of substance) on the ongoing Bill Guerin trade saga. Chris Botta at islanderspointblank.com has a great "live blog" going on for this saga that I currently recommend as the primary source for the latest updates. Once the deal is done, be sure to check back here for commentary and analysis.

(Saturday 10:45 PM)
Those who tuned in for today's episode of Hockey Night on Long Island expecting to hear from Greg Logan were unfortunately disappointed as he was forced to cancel the appearance due to intense work on a major piece for tomorrow's paper. With the fury of news and speculation going on in Islanders Country tonight, it appears Logan's absence on today's HNLI will be well worth it.

According to Greg Logan's blog on Newsday.com, the piece will feature details of the "rocky relationship" between Bill Guerin and head coach Scott Gordon. The story is said to be a feature regarding tensions between the Isles' veterans and Gordon. Logan's foreshadowing of the story comes with the news that Bill Guerin is said to be contemplating a trade that is "in place".

For the latest on the Bill Guerin trade situation, I highly recommend checking islanderspointblank.com as often as possible and heading back to Hockey Night on Long Island for commentary and analysis. It is sure to be an exciting evening and early morning for the Islanders!

Guerin Waiving No-Move Clause Would Be Beyond Classy

REMINDER: This latest Guerin development will be the latest of many topics that HNLI will be covering on this Saturday's episode with Greg Logan of Newsday. Be sure to tune in for what is going to be a great episode.

After a lot of talk that Bill Guerin's no-move Clause would contribute heavily to a quiet deadline day for the Islanders, it appears this may not be the case. According to tonight's update on Chirs Botta's Point Blank blog, it appears that Bill Guerin is willing to waive his no-trade clause under certain conditions.

Time and time again throughout both his NHL career and his stint with the Islanders, Guerin has proven himself to be one of the classiest players in the game. Waiving his no-move clause in an effort to help out the Islanders would, in my mind, go above and beyond expectations. So many veteran players refuse to budge in this type of situation because it is simply too much of an inconvenience for them (i.e. the 2008 Toronto Maple Leafs). Still, Guerin clearly wants both to be as accommodating to the Islanders as possible and to be a contributer to a team in a stretch/playoff run.

I'm sure I speak on behalf of the Islanders' organization and its fans in saying that I will not be upset if Guerin is still with the Islanders on March 5th. But if he does waive the no-move clause, I wish him the best of luck wherever he ends up. For the sake of the future, it is in the team's best interest to try and deal Guerin for a pick/prospect package. Besides, maybe Bill will be an Islander once more come July 1.