Shockingly the New York Islanders did win the draft lottery I’ve been occaisionally blogging about for the last few months.
I suppose now I should go back to the normal bit with movies and television. While I was on air tonight my brother Joey unexpectedly called in and put the phone up to the television while they read the lottery results. So basically everyone heard me acting like an idiot when the results were read.
Okay, on to the draft in June.
The New York Islanders did it. They were the worst team in hockey this season and finished dead last. That was the easy part.
Now comes tonights drama, the draft lottery. A I’ve been writing, it’ll be worth it if they can get the number one pick the draft the year and land potential superstar John Tavares.
However there’s this lottery business at hand. So now after months of losing, the Islanders now have to win something. As it stands they have a 48% chance of winning the lottery. That’s a 52% chance of losing.
And somehow the Colorado Avalanche have snuck into the bottom as well. They could actually win the lottery and wind up being first overall. Now, Tampa Bay is second worst overall but I don’t think the NHL cares about them. And I know they don’t care about the Islanders. Can’t say I blame them much. Being the number 3 team in a crowded marketplace makes them a prime candidate for relocation, forgetability and general indifference.
This is where John Tavares comes in. If he’s as good as advertsied and and Islanders get him, then suddenly Nassau Colesium becomes relevent again.
Of course I will be on air when the lottery takes place. I will try not to look at the results until 9pm. I wouldn’t want to cry during a show.
The Islanders have done something quite shocking. They’ve won three games in a row. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of winning a game here and there, but people let’s not forget the objective here: First overall draft pick.
So after three wins where does this leave us?
Standings 2/1/09 GP W L OT Pts
28 Ottawa Senators 48 17 24 7 41
29 Atlanta Thrashers 51 17 29 5 39
30 New York Islanders 49 15 29 5 35
Sure a few wins are nice and the Isles are still entrenched by a nice four points, but let’s get back on track here. Atlanta and Ottawa are still losing on a pretty consistent basis. They’re not going to make this any easier. So sure some wins, especially at home, are good. Good for the fan base. Kyle Okposo scoring some goals is great. So instead I say let’s lose some 5-4 games. Score a few but still come up short. I know we can!
However what will really help this team is John Tavares and we only get to see him in blue and orange if those losses keep piling up.
Still seeing this goal by Bill Guerin on Saturday was pretty damn cool.
When you root for a sports team that stinks, you have to find other interesting ways to wade out the season.
So this year for fandom of the New York Islanders I determined early on that the one thing that would make the season worth something is if they get the first overall draft pick. So pretty much be the worst team in hockey.
Yeah, I know there is a lottery system in place. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this here is how it works.
“The first 14 picks of the 2008 Entry Draft are determined by the NHL’s annual Draft Drawing, a weighted lottery system that is used to determine the order of selection. The 14 teams that do not qualify for the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, or clubs that acquired those clubs’ 2008 first-round draft picks, participate in the drawing. The Club selected in the drawing may not move up more than four positions in the draft order, thus only the five Clubs with the fewest regular-season points have the opportunity to select first overall. No Club can move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Drawing.”
You got that? So if the Islanders finish last overall they will have the best chance of winning the lottery and won’t move down more than one spot.
So looking at the top two draftees available we have John Tavares (a super stud goal scorer) and Viktor Hedman (a super stud defensemen). Either one is a win, but Tavares has been talked about for the last couple of years and one thing the Islanders could use is someone who can score.
Which means that this NHL season has essentially become Tavares Watch 2009. And how are we doing in Tavares Watch 2009? Well let’s check the bottom of the standings.
Standings 1/7/09 GP W L OT Pts
27 Ottawa Senators 38 13 19 6 32
28 Tampa Bay Lightning 39 11 18 10 32
29 Atlanta Thrashers 41 13 23 5 31
30 New York Islanders 41 12 25 4 28
Right now looks like by being last in league by three points means we are first in Tavares Watch 2009! I have been told that rooting for my team to lose is a horrible thing and this may be true. However I find that I cannot actually watch a game and root against the Islanders. It’s only when I check the scores.
And with 41 games in the book this means we are halfway to our goal of last overall. Listen, the truth here is that I’m hoping Tavares can have an impact like Alex Ovechkin is having in Washington or Sydney Crosby in Pittsburgh. And really there’s nothing wrong with that.
Tavares Watch 2009 continues next when the Islanders visit the Calgary Flames. Go Flames!
