And I'm sure that's just what Mike was thinking too. He was reportedly cheesed to find out that Stewart was still using Salo after Felix Potvin had finally proved his mettle after a win against the Bruins. And for good reason! Mike brought the Cat here to clean up Salo's mess, and instead he's sitting in Stewart's doghouse, waiting for his coach to suddenly come to the realization that Tommy Salo is not a reliable goaltender. (And on that note, Mike has been dodging the press for three weeks as he continues to shop Salo around the NHL)
After last night's loss, players and press alike were somehow shocked to witness an emotional eruption from Stewart in the locker room. As The Odd Couple's Oscar Madison said, "What's this? A display of temper?" Well, Mr. Stewart was described right off the bat as a no-nonsense type of guy; someone who'll get in your face if you don't play up to expectations. Gee...hmm...does that sound like anyone else we know? And somehow this guy is a step UP from Mike Milbury? As one reporter commenting on last night's game put it, the team looked like the same team that quit on Mike before he resigned. Well, DUH!! They just changed the coach, not the players!
So, let's get this straight. With Mike, the Isles were lackluster and Tommy Salo was inconsistent. With Bill Stewart, the Isles are....lackluster, and Tommy Salo is...inconsistent. Now wait a minute; I thought Mike's resignition was supposed to part the heavens and let in a ray of glorious light or something - isn't that right, Ian Browne? Larry Brooks? Marc Berman? John Valenti? Bryan Smolinski? Numerous Islanders fans? Gee, I guess you all were wrong. But of course, you'll never own up to it, so I'd sure like to see what kind of excuses you'll come up with now. How about the one where you finally blame the PLAYERS for being BUMS?? }:-/
