Rosner: Islanders Fans, Lets Address a Few Things

The New York Islanders season has played out in a roller coaster fashion, so the fan base has moved similarly. Frustration and passion brings out the worst in people.

For someone who is in the midst of their first full season in the New York Islanders beat, there are a few things I’d like to address. There’s value in having conversations and reading everyone’s perspectives, which makes sports great.

READ MORE: Islanders Recall Durandeau, No Update on Barzal

But I’ve also learned a few things that will help you understand the reporting side of the game.

Let’s start with injuries.

Injury Reporting

The Islanders and many NHL teams share little to no information about player injuries or expected timelines for return to action.

Yes, there are sports league’s like the NFL and MLB, where injuries are reported in detail, with timetables, and are updated accordingly when asked about a player’s progression.

Quite frankly, despite fans wanting to know, I don’t see why teams share any injury updates at all.

Again, I understand why you all want to know, and as a reporter who wants to fill you guys in on that specific information, I want to know too.

That being said, like Saturday night when I asked Islanders head coach Lane Lambert about the status of Mathew Barzal, who left just six minutes into the game against the Boston Bruins, if there was an update.

I knew what the answer would be–no update.

We know that Lambert had an update and gets updates right after the game regarding all injured players, but he doesn’t divulge.

Whether that’s “fair” or not to us reporters or the fan bases doesn’t matter—that’s operations under general manager Lou Lamoriello.

I was asked yesterday in the comment section why I even asked the question if I knew the answer.

It’s simple. When the face of the franchise goes down with an injury or anyone, frankly, it’s our job to ask.

Had we not asked the question to Lambert, that would have been a failure on our part, even if we knew the answer.

Asking Questions

Whether before games, after games, or after practice, you guys have questions you want asked.

The Islanders have struggled often this season with the same issues, and the same players have been at the forefront.

Under Barry Trotz, who was fired following the 2021-22 season, he used to talk a lot about what was going wrong, what he was seeing, which players he needed to see more from, and all that good stuff.

But under Lambert, whether from upper-management pressure or just his way of doing business, that’s not how he’s gone about it in his first year as a head coach.

“Why don’t you ask this” or “media is too scared to ask ___” fills the comment sections daily.

Differently from asking a question about an injury where we know the answer is going to be, there are some questions that we can ask that not only won’t get a response but will take away from others asking questions that will provide more meaningful answers.

Yes, you can say that NYI Hockey Now rivals other sites that cover the Islanders. But if one of us asks a good question, it benefits all of us.

That’s something I learned this season, thanks to a tremendous conversation I had with MSG’s Shannon Hogan.

For example, let’s use player x. He’s struggled. He knows it. Lambert knows it. But there are specific questions that you guys want asked that wouldn’t provide an answer and could have lasting effects on relationships.

It’s one thing to type negative words about a player. It’s another thing to ask a head coach about a player, trying to get him to speak negatively about someone he has to see in the room daily.

And it’s another thing for a reporter to not only ask negative questions and write negatively about the player but then have to go face-to-face with that player the next day.

This is not to say that we should stop writing negatively so we can hold hands with players, sing Kumbaya and skip out of the locker room.

Players that have struggled deserve criticism, and here at NYI Hockey Now, we have certainly put the proverbial pen to paper numerous times regarding players’ struggles during this mediocre season.

But it’s something to remember as a fan that tarnishing a player in the media isn’t just a simple question to get a simple answer.

Like Donkey said in Shrek, “Layers.”

NYI Hockey Now values all questions, comments, and concerns and will address anything you ask regarding the New York Islanders. Hopefully, this article sheds some light on the situations at hand.