The Islanders and Their Bungling Ways

The New York hockey media came out with guns blazing after Tuesday's gong show on Long Island.

Why wouldn't they? It certainly looks like Islanders' owner Charles Wang is setting a new gold standard for the meddlesome, bumbling, franchise-killing sports baron. From Mark Herrmann at Newsday:

The Smith episode is so bizarre that it is tempting to take Wang's side just for the heck of it. On one level, it even makes sense. Wang had made it clear how he wants to do business and he got rid of an employee who didn't go along....

But his new "business model" collapsed at the first sign of stress. It isn't all that visionary, either. Basically, it is a committee. Remember the line from author Elbert Hubbard, "A committee is a thing which takes a week to do what one good man can do in an hour."

From John Dellapina at the Daily News:

At the NHL draft... Smith raised some hackles at the Islanders' table by telling scouts that, having done their jobs, the decision-making was now in his hands. Sources close to the team say that Smith was upset that Nolan's two assistant coaches - Nolan's assistants in junior hockey Daniel Lacroix and Dan Flynn - and the club's minor league coach, Dan Marshall, were not his hires.

Wanting to beef up the Islanders' scouting staff, Smith also was rattled when Wang told him the team didn't need scouts.

From Toronto, Allan Maki at the Globe and Mail (reg. required) ponders the state of the Islanders today:

Snow will be asked to do his part for an organization that lacks experience at almost all the key management positions. Although Nolan coached the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season, he hasn't handled an NHL game since 1997. His two assistants, Dan Flynn and Daniel Lacroix, have never worked behind an NHL players bench.

And how about this for a parting shot:

Under the new collective labour agreement, Snow's contract (two more years at $750,000 per year) will still count against the club's salary cap because he was 35 when he signed it.

Postscript: Perhaps for his next move, Wang can bring back the famous and short-lived "fish sticks" logo of 1996-97.