I still firmly believe that the firing of Neil Smith had a lot to do with not wanting to be the GM handing DiPietro a 15 year contract. Look how well that worked out of the team.
Wang Decisions:
Buy the team (Thank god otherwise there would be no Islanders)
Keep Milbury
Fire Smith DiPietro 15 year contract
Fire Jaffe
Not renew Jankowski's contract and not even telling him about it
Blacklist Botta
Blacklist Lafontaine
He make so many horrific decisions but never seems to learn.
With hindsight and the injury history, it's easy to pinpoint the DiPietro contract, but he never really should've been drafted in the first place. They already had Luongo in the system, but somebody convinced the org that a stickhandling goalie was this valuable new asset that they just had to have. Add in the facts that things could've worked out differently with Bertuzzi, Brewer, Redden (OK, had to make that trade) and Chara, the franchise might've been on the right course much sooner than starting to build a team around Tavares.
With hindsight and the injury history, it's easy to pinpoint the DiPietro contract, but he never really should've been drafted in the first place. They already had Luongo in the system, but somebody convinced the org that a stickhandling goalie was this valuable new asset that they just had to have. Add in the facts that things could've worked out differently with Bertuzzi, Brewer, Redden (OK, had to make that trade) and Chara, the franchise might've been on the right course much sooner than starting to build a team around Tavares.
The choice for the Isles was between Gaborik or Rick.
When Milbury scouted Gabroik personally, apparently Gabroik didn't score in any of the games. So he didn't think he would be the goal scorer they needed right away.
Milbury loved Rick in the interviews. So his plan was to draft Rick and trade Roberto to get the immediate goal scoring which he needed.
I'm not defending him. I'm just telling you his thought process which he explained (whether you all believe it or not) several times over the years.
I think the big turning point in the Milbury era was losing the lottery for Kovalchuk. If we keep the 1st pick overall. Do we make the trade for Yashin? Truthfully I don't really care. What's done is done.
This whole topic is from 6 years ago. And Mr. Bitter has to rehash it all up again.
The choice for the Isles was between Gaborik or Rick.
When Milbury scouted Gabroik personally, apparently Gabroik didn't score in any of the games. So he didn't think he would be the goal scorer they needed right away.
Milbury loved Rick in the interviews. So his plan was to draft Rick and trade Roberto to get the immediate goal scoring which he needed.
I'm not defending him. I'm just telling you his thought process which he explained (whether you all believe it or not) several times over the years.
I think the big turning point in the Milbury era was losing the lottery for Kovalchuk. If we keep the 1st pick overall. Do we make the trade for Yashin? Truthfully I don't really care. What's done is done.
This whole topic is from 6 years ago. And Mr. Bitter has to rehash it all up again.
It's not really a question of believing Milbury or not. Conventional wisdom states that goalies just aren't selected with #1 overall picks. Without verifying, the only star goalie in the last several years taken with the #1 pick was Fleury.
Can't understand why Heatley wasn't on the radar though.
Raffi Torres was probably all right at the time. If MM really felt that he just had to have DiPietro, unless one of the other teams was salivating as much, RD might've still been around at #5.
Last edited by Badger Bob: 04-03-2012 at 03:40 PM.
LaFontaine forced a trade when Pickett was playing hardball with him.
i understand that, but bolting isnt the right word. he wanted out bc he put up a ton of points and the team was 20 games UNDER .500. My point was, we got quality back for him. Turgeon was a great hockey player until that night in '93. The part of the puzzle that screwed us for years, is what happened with Pierre.
It's not really a question of believing Milbury or not. Conventional wisdom states that goalies just aren't selected with #1 overall picks. Without verifying, the only star goalie in the last several years taken with the #1 pick was Fleury.
Can't understand why Heatley wasn't on the radar though.
Raffi Torres was probably all right at the time. If MM really felt that he just had to have DiPietro, unless one of the other teams was salivating as much, RD might've still been around at #5.
Mike never saw Rick play. That's the fun of this whole sordid tale. Heatley, Gaborik, Klesla, Hartnell, Torres.....Rick would have been there at five. He jumped late in rankings after the beanpot but no one would have taken him over those guys above who were all well regarded. If they did? We have Torres or Hartnell.
Just end the debate. The bottom line is this is the owner's team, the same one that stocks our fourth line every year and coaching staff with New Englanders.
The choice for the Isles was between Gaborik or Rick.
When Milbury scouted Gabroik personally, apparently Gabroik didn't score in any of the games. So he didn't think he would be the goal scorer they needed right away.
Milbury loved Rick in the interviews. So his plan was to draft Rick and trade Roberto to get the immediate goal scoring which he needed.
I'm not defending him. I'm just telling you his thought process which he explained (whether you all believe it or not) several times over the years.
I think the big turning point in the Milbury era was losing the lottery for Kovalchuk. If we keep the 1st pick overall. Do we make the trade for Yashin? Truthfully I don't really care. What's done is done.
This whole topic is from 6 years ago. And Mr. Bitter has to rehash it all up again.
Milbury wanted DP because after watching Brodeur he thought DP would revolutionize the game with his stickhandling skills (until the trapezoid was put in to kill it - typical NYI bad timing and bad luck). And you're correct, Mildew loved DP's outgoing personality. Imagine Gaborik on NYI.
Mildew up until this day is a buffoon as just a day ago he said Bylsma should take off his skirt.
I have to admit... If I set something up and hire someone for it, who then decides after a month that he doesn't want to work under those conditions, then it's clear that we part ways - whether my set-up has its setbacks and is non-traditional or not.
If then another person in the group decides to leave of his own accord just to show solidarity for the guy who didn't want to work under the conditions under which I hired him, well then I simply bid that guy adieu as well and move on.
I wouldn't see any reason to need to associate with him again though and I would definitely feel 'slighted' by his need to compound the negativity of the situation rather than show the support for not so much my set-up, but the franchise itself.
I'd also then feel the need to put in folks I trust or have a good feeling about, conventional or not.
And Lafontaine was a long time favorite of mine.
Once any part of "the plan" changes, Pat LaFontaine is no longer getting what he signed up for, and therefore, is well within his rights to bolt.
Mike never saw Rick play. That's the fun of this whole sordid tale. Heatley, Gaborik, Klesla, Hartnell, Torres.....Rick would have been there at five. He jumped late in rankings after the beanpot but no one would have taken him over those guys above who were all well regarded. If they did? We have Torres or Hartnell.
Just end the debate. The bottom line is this is the owner's team, the same one that stocks our fourth line every year and coaching staff with New Englanders.
Not to defend the a$$hat called Milbury, but the rumor was that Columbus was eyeing Dippy.
Either way the Luongo deal is the 2nd worst in Isles history besides the Muller one.
Mike never saw Rick play. That's the fun of this whole sordid tale. Heatley, Gaborik, Klesla, Hartnell, Torres.....Rick would have been there at five. He jumped late in rankings after the beanpot but no one would have taken him over those guys above who were all well regarded. If they did? We have Torres or Hartnell.
Just end the debate. The bottom line is this is the owner's team, the same one that stocks our fourth line every year and coaching staff with New Englanders.
Twelve years later, I'd be taking Hartnell first overall. He competes, scores, stays out of trouble, and is generally healthy.
Not to defend the a$$hat called Milbury, but the rumor was that Columbus was eyeing Dippy.
Either way the Luongo deal is the 2nd worst in Isles history besides the Muller one.
I could be wrong, but I seem to recall Atlanta wanting him.
As for the Luongo/Jokinen vs Kvasha/Parrish. I don't see it too badly as Luongo/Jokinen never went to the playoffs during their time in Florida (plus Jokinen requested a trade). While Kvasha/Parrish balanced out our scoring which helped us get in to the playoffs 3 years in a row.
Trading Turgeon was a dagger to the heart!
Trading Bertuzzi and McCabe plus a 3rd for Linden is up there.
I could be wrong, but I seem to recall Atlanta wanting him.
As for the Luongo/Jokinen vs Kvasha/Parrish. I don't see it too badly as Luongo/Jokinen never went to the playoffs during their time in Florida (plus Jokinen requested a trade). While Kvasha/Parrish balanced out our scoring which helped us get in to the playoffs 3 years in a row.
Trading Turgeon was a dagger to the heart!
Trading Bertuzzi and McCabe plus a 3rd for Linden is up there.
You are right, it was Atlanta, forgot they had a team.
Kvasha and Parrish were 1/10 of the value of Luongo and Jokinen. We made it to the playoffs despite Kvasha. Parrish did contribute but no one would trade Parrish fro either Jokinen or Luongo straight up.
As for Florida not making the playoffs that is their team issue. Luongo seems to have at least a Stanley Cup final in his resume.
Yup the Linden trade was bad, so was the Potvin for Berard.
A couple things (and I'm not tying to make this a DP and Milbury thread.)
-I think the Wild said they would've taken DP at 4, so he wouldn't have been there at 5.
-I remember hearing it was McCabe who "bedded" one of Milbury's daughters.
-With respect to the trapezoid and DP, IIRC Milbury voted for the trapezoid after he drafted DP (for his amazing stick handling skills.)
A couple things (and I'm not tying to make this a DP and Milbury thread.)
-I think the Wild said they would've taken DP at 4, so he wouldn't have been there at 5.
-I remember hearing it was McCabe who "bedded" one of Milbury's daughters.
-With respect to the trapezoid and DP, IIRC Milbury voted for the trapezoid after he drafted DP (for his amazing stick handling skills.)
Probably true about Minny, all I remember it was an expansion team.
I could be wrong, but I seem to recall Atlanta wanting him.
As for the Luongo/Jokinen vs Kvasha/Parrish. I don't see it too badly as Luongo/Jokinen never went to the playoffs during their time in Florida (plus Jokinen requested a trade). While Kvasha/Parrish balanced out our scoring which helped us get in to the playoffs 3 years in a row.Trading Turgeon was a dagger to the heart!
Trading Bertuzzi and McCabe plus a 3rd for Linden is up there.
All Three of these trades were horrible!!!! Milbury destroyed this team just as it was turning a corner with some good young players/prospects for three lousy first round exits in the playoffs. As one who witnessed the four Stanley Cups, first round losses mean nothing to me especially when they come at the expense of building a true long term contender, which the Islanders of the early to mid 2000's never were. As far as the Loungo/Jokinen vs. Parrish/Kvasha debate it is not even close!!Luongo/Jokinen are still very productive NHL players and Kvasha has not been in the NHL since the lockout and was never very good and Parrish has been nothing more than a minor leaguer for the last three to four seasons with only a couple of good seasons to his credit.
All Three of these trades were horrible!!!! Milbury destroyed this team just as it was turning a corner with some good young players/prospects for three lousy first round exits in the playoffs. As one who witnessed the four Stanley Cups, first round losses mean nothing to me especially when they come at the expense of building a true long term contender, which the Islanders of the early to mid 2000's never were. As far as the Loungo/Jokinen vs. Parrish/Kvasha debate it is not even close!!Luongo/Jokinen are still very productive NHL players and Kvasha has not been in the NHL since the lockout and was never very good and Parrish has been nothing more than a minor leaguer for the last three to four seasons with only a couple of good seasons to his credit.
I know Milbury had big problems with Luongo's agent....
As for Jokinen, I sure as heck wish he had shown SOMETHING indicating he'd be an offensive player capable of 60-80 points. He not only did little in LA, but bombeddddd offensively while on the Island. I mean, the kid showed next to NO offensive upside while here.
I know the setting was anything but ideal, but he was looking like an offensive bust.
The big problem I have with this deal is that Milbury felt he had found a smaller Andreychuk in Parrish and that Kvasha would, like the Kozlovs and Yashins of the league, be another former Soviet giant whose soft hands and creativity combined with a big body would catapult him into being a scoring star. Milbury truly believed that. He thought he had a future juggernaut in Kvasha.
I guarantee folks that MM really felt like he made out like a bandit that day, getting a kid who he thought would be a poster boy for not only the franchise, but for the goaltending world, while adding two players he fully expected many years of 60+ points from while dishing off a goalie whose agent he couldn't stand and another kid who was looking like bustville. He topped it off by getting Raffi Torres to boot, who he thought would be an excellently diverse kid for the NY market.
I could be wrong, but I seem to recall Atlanta wanting him.
As for the Luongo/Jokinen vs Kvasha/Parrish. I don't see it too badly as Luongo/Jokinen never went to the playoffs during their time in Florida (plus Jokinen requested a trade). While Kvasha/Parrish balanced out our scoring which helped us get in to the playoffs 3 years in a row.
Trading Turgeon was a dagger to the heart!
Trading Bertuzzi and McCabe plus a 3rd for Linden is up there.
Trading Turgeon was Maloney's move. I'm not defending Milbury, because he sucks, but this was Maloney's doing.
A couple things (and I'm not tying to make this a DP and Milbury thread.)
-I think the Wild said they would've taken DP at 4, so he wouldn't have been there at 5.
-I remember hearing it was McCabe who "bedded" one of Milbury's daughters.
-With respect to the trapezoid and DP, IIRC Milbury voted for the trapezoid after he drafted DP (for his amazing stick handling skills.)
The Wild picked 3rd, Columbus 4th.
It doesn't matter who would have gone where, DiPietro shouldn't have gone first.
I hope Milbury's daughter got her looks from her mom. Otherwise, Bryan McCabe must have been wasted.
