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."