Our Mike finally broke his 6-week silence yesterday after practice before the Isles got shalacked in overtime by the Dallas Stars. He was calm, cool, and collected as he praised Bill Stewart, defended the Potvin/Berard trade, and demanded apologies from a couple of people.
Mike still seems in a hockey Wonderland as to where the team is headed. He insists he has a plan, but the thing is that he has to wait and see what the ownership is willing to give. I'm assuming he means he has a plan prepared for any scenario that may occur. He stated, "Two years in a row, we were at .500 for long stretches of the season. Then, somewhere in the middle of the season, we disappeared. I want to know: Does that mean we need one more player? Or, does that mean the .500 thing is an illusion and the crummy part is real?" Boy, I hate it when he waxes philosophical, cuz it means that there are no certain answers!
As for why Mike went into hibernation, he said it was because he wanted to give Stewart room to grow without any distractions, and that he had to deal with "some things" that needed his attention, and he insisted that he will be low-key for the rest of the season. Boy, I hate it when Mike waxes vague. And I hate it even more when he pulls a Saddam Hussein (in that he disappears without a trace....no firearms included in this analogy). Most people (including me) would have guessed that he was hiding out because he was bitter at the public for the way they've been treating him. Indeed, Mike knows the heat he's been getting, especially about the Potvin/Berard trade, but when asked about it, he simply said, "I don't really care." He later added, "We just move on, the trade is done, it's history." So there! >:-P
John Valenti stated in his column: "In little more than three seasons, Milbury has had about 100 different players dress for the Islanders." You know what, Johnny? That number gets bigger and bigger every time you write it. Just get over it, okay pal?
Mike just can't please anybody. Everyone says, "Mike sucks as a coach, he should just be GM." So, he adheres to their wishes, but what's this? The team STILL sucks? So, now they say, "Mike sucks as GM, we should just can him altogether." I guess since they can't blame him directly for the Islanders's recent downward skid since his resignation, and God forbid anyone should say a word against Bill Stewart, everyone has decided to blame the funk on every trade Mike has made in the last 5 years!! Captain Trevor Linden has been rumored to be on the trading block. Much speculation is going around as to what will happen to him. Face it, folks; no matter what Mike does - keep him to continue rebuilding or trade him for more experience - it's gonna be the wrong move either way, so WHO CARES?!
And speaking of trades, that's partly where Mike's apology binge stemmed from. We all know how Mike likes his trade talks to be hush-hush, so when Ottawa GM Rick Dudley blew the lid off the Linden talks, Mike "demanded an apology." And when discussing Sergei Fedorov's near-decapitation of Zdeno Chara last week, Mike said that "Fedorov owes Chara an apology." I love it when Mike waxes fatherly.
To wrap up Mike's soliliquy (I don't say monolugue because usually someone has to be listening to you for that, and we all know how Mike always ends up talking to the brick wall known as the media), he stated, "I'm really thankful to be working. I've been around the National Hockey League for 25 years. Honestly, if not every day, once a week I think how lucky I am. Right now, I'm not happy with the results of our work here. It's been under difficult circumstances, yes. But, we've got to make it work somehow." *sniff* I love it when Mike waxes sentimental...
