Matt Moulson has been named a finalist for the Lady Byng
Memorial Trophy. The Trophy is awarded
to a player who exemplifies sportsmanship and gentlemanly play while being an
impact player for his team.
Moulson was 36 (over 30 goals for 3rd consecutive season) and 33 for 69 points in 82 games for the Islanders this season while serving only 6 minutes in penalties. If he wins the award on June 20th, it will be his third honor awarded this season.
Per Islanders press release, “Moulson has already received
a pair of Islanders awards this season. On Thursday, April 5, during the
Islanders home season finale, he was honored with both the Islanders Community
Service Award and the Islanders Good Guy Award. The Islanders Community Service
Award is presented annually to the player who makes the strongest impact on the
Long Island community throughout the year. The recipient is selected by the
Islanders organization and serves as the team’s nomination for the NHL
Foundation Player Award. The Islanders Good Guy Award is presented annually to
the player who best displays professionalism, courtesy and cooperation with the
media.”
Michael Grabner and Team Austria lost to Slovenia in the
Gold Medal Game of the 2012 IIHF Division 1A World Championship Saturday in
Slovenia. Grabner, the only NHL level
player able to represent his country in the tournament, finished with four
assists in five games. Just making the Gold Medal Game, Austria earned a
promotion to the top Division in the 2013 World Championship.
Per the Associated Press, “NHL commissioner Gary Bettman
says Brooklyn may not be a viable potential destination for the New York
Islanders because it's hard to reach for the team's fan base in Long Island and
Queens.
Bettman reiterated Friday that the league ideally wanted the
club to remain in Nassau County. The Islanders plan to leave outdated Nassau
Coliseum after their lease expires in 2015.
Nassau voters rejected a $400 million referendum last year
for a new arena.
Bettman said at an Associated Press Sports Editors meeting
that the league was helping the Islanders explore their options "in the
metropolitan area" and that moving the team to outside New York was not
currently being considered.
The Islanders will play the New Jersey Devils in an exhibition
this fall at the new Barclays Center, the future home of the NBA's NewJersey
Nets. January's announcement of that game sparked talk of the club relocating
to Brooklyn.”
B.D. Gallof proposed, “I'd expect NHL/Isles to be knocking
on Suffolk's door to see if anyone home. Same with Queens, while playing coy
with Brooklyn .”
The issue of the Islanders and their new Arena pursuits has
been one of paramount importance to Ownership and fans for quite some
time. After the referendum failed in
August, the rumors of Suffolk, Queens and Brooklyn have been rampant. The destinations of Kansas City and Quebec
have been whispered in the background.
I agree with B.D.
Why not turn up the heat on Brooklyn to improve the incentive for the
Islanders to play there? After the
recent “Asbestos” issue, the Isles may need somewhere to play next season, even
for the short term. Why not
Brooklyn? This could escalate both the
NHL and Islanders to push for a real offer from all possible suitors of the
storied franchise. If a more in depth
lawsuit investigation reveals that the problem is worse than first anticipated
and the arena deemed unsafe to inhabit, the team could be free to pursue other
options sooner than the expiration of their lease in three years.
At any rate, the Islanders will be staying until 2015 right
where they are barring a miracle. But
then again, any leverage or urgency to finish the never-ending Arena search in
the New York area, the better.
In other news:
The New York islanders AHL affiliate, Bridgeport Sound
Tigers finished the 2011-12 AHL season with a record
of 41-26-3-6, earning themselves the number three seed in the Eastern
Conference and the Northeast Division title.
It was their first division title since their inaugural 2001-02 season
when they went to the Calder Cup Finals and lost to the Chicago Wolves.
Brent Thompson’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers were swept
in the first round of this year's Calder
Cup Playoffs by the New York Rangers top affiliate and rival, the Connecticut
Whale. The Sound Tigers fell by the
score of 3-0 in games 1 and 2 of the series and 4-3 in O.T. of game three. Sound Tigers Goaltender, Kevin Poulin made
50 saves in the final loss.
FORWARDS
McNeely – Cizikas – Rakhshani
Ullstrom – Mouillierat – Haley
DiBenedetto – Frischmon – Backman
Howes – Romano - Riley
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
Donovan – Oleksy
Ness – Landry
de Haan – Wishart
GOALTENDERS
Poulin
Reiter
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