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Saturday, 02 October 2010 00:00 |
By Michele D.Altorio
After finishing the 2009-2010 season with a 34-37-11 record, the Islanders knew they worked hard and did the best they could. But with some hard work, new additions to the team, and a positive attitude, the Islanders are confident that this year, they’ll go even further.
“I think that the guys we have and the character we have will find a way to get through it,” says Head Coach Scott Gordon. “In the meantime, there are some areas we want to get better in, as far as specialties, goals against goals scored. We made some improvements in those areas last year and we just want to kind of build on them.” John Tavares, Center, who put up some impressive numbers last season (he had 24 goals, two of which were game-winning, and 30 assists) has some similar aims for himself. “You just strive to get better and improve on what I wasn’t able to accomplish last year,” he says. When asked about his thoughts on whether or not this season will be his breakout season, Tavares, who was selected first overall by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, simply says, “I don’t really put too many numbers up for myself. Mostly it’s just seeing what I did last year and improving on that and going from there.” Helping the team on its journey to the playoffs are some new additions, including Nino Niederreiter, Right Wing, who was selected fifth overall by the Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. “It was an unbelievable feeling,” says Niederreiter of being selected by the Islanders in the draft. “In my first game … I was a little nervous, but [the preseason game] against New Jersey was just fantastic. I really feel I played a little bit better because I was more confident.” Clearly, Niederreiter is not the only one who thinks so—the Islanders have named him as part of their 23-man roster to open this season. If 18-year-old Niederreiter is selected to play in the opening night game, he’ll be the youngest player in Islander’s history to play on opening night. “We made some great acquisitions in the summer,” Gordon states. “Those additions are hopefully going to allow us to be a lot better in a lot of areas, from an experience standpoint and ability.” Also contributing to the team’s morale is Captain Doug Weight, Center. “I think people do their best in a comfortable environment when they’re confident,” Weight says, “and that’s what we try to do, especially with a team as young as ours.” Weight admits that sometimes the payers lose confidence, but he has his ways of improving attitude. “I try to lead by example,” he says. “I think we have some great things coming this year … but I expect to be a playoff team, that’s what we’re hoping for.”
In addition to having Weight to look up to, perhaps the rebuilding the team has been known for of late has something to do with the newfound confidence the players are sporting. “It’s not so much that we’re not still rebuilding,” Gordon says. “We are still doing that. But there comes a point where [the players] don’t want to talk about it anymore because they feel that we’re beyond that now, and we’re moving forward in the direction where we want to be able to compete on an every-night basis.” The players certainly plan to compete. “I think any time you enter a season you’re pretty optimistic,” Tavares says. “I think we want to fly under the radar and surprise some people and hopefully make the playoffs this year.” Also important, according to Weight, is that the guys on the team have fun on their journey this season. “Enjoy yourself, work hard,” he says. “Keep the room loose … keep working hard and feeling good.” The New York Islanders kick off the season on Saturday, October 9, at 7:00 PM against the Dallas Stars.
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