NY Islanders Fans Protest Their "Inept" Front Office
Posted 2:51 PM ET | Comments 4
Islanders fans, here’s your chance. A well-organized fan protest has been put together by the spirited group from Isles Nation ([url]http://islesnation.net/). Here’s a quick look at their game plan for this evening’s match-up between the visiting Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders:
Isles Nation Founder and Owner, Pete Truszkowski
If you’re anything like me, you love this team to no end. You love the logo, you love the guys wearing the jersey, and you love what the New York Islanders are. However, especially as of late, you just cannot stand Isles management and the overall fraud this organization has become.
Since the news of Vanek declining an extension, this team has gone through a free-fall and I find myself more and more disgusted about this organization everyday. Whether it’s Snow’s comments about Tavares’ injury trying to take blame off himself, the blown third period leads every night under an inept head coach, awful trades that set this team back, lack of accountability with roster decisions (Bailey), media having a field day with this circus of an organization, or any of the other things that plague this franchise, I’m nearing my breaking point.
Don’t get me wrong, I will never give up on this team and will be a lifelong fan. However, I have a lot of built up frustration and anger directed towards this organization and I believe myself and parts of this fan base are ready to express our feelings. Some people will not agree with the approach, but in my world it is better to stand for something you truly believe in and are passionate about, rather than sit on your hands and watch passively and hope and pray something happens.
WHAT WE ARE PROTESTING
We are protesting the inept Isles organization and management, led by owner Charles Wang and GM Garth Snow. We are protesting the lack of progress of Garth Snow’s rebuild that has dragged out for way too long. We are protesting the lack of accountability surrounding this organization. We are protesting the constant salary of this team being at or near the NHL mandated cap floor.
WHEN WE ARE PROTESTING
We will be protesting before, during and after the Islanders/Sabres game next Saturday (March 15th)
HOW WE ARE PROTESTING
We will be buying tickets to the game on the secondary market, meaning Stubhub or EBay or something of the like. Note: Not Ticketmaster or the box office. This ensures that we do not give Wang extra money since these tickets were already purchased and Wang would have this money either way. As for parking, if you can find somewhere to park near the Coliseum, park there. If not, try to park in the $7 lot to give Wang as little money as possible. Do not buy pretzels, hot dogs, beer, jerseys, or anything that will give Wang money at the game. We will be meeting in the parking lot between the Marriott and the Coliseum sometime late Saturday afternoon, around 4:30-5 PM. If you guys want to tailgate during the protest, that is fine with me. We will be wearing our Islanders jerseys INSIDE OUT. Paper bags over the head are also fine by me. Signs are welcome as well. We will protest in the parking lot by starting chants, holding signs, and potentially handing out flyers to inform people about the Isles organization. We will then make our way in to the Coliseum a few minutes before puck drop. We will try to stick together as a group, but if we get broken up, try and stay with at least 4-5 fellow protesters. This way, our chants pick up steam and you will not look like a lunatic screaming alone. Please be respectful during the national anthem as well.
With 16:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
WANG MUST SELL
With 12:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
SNOW MUST GO
With 8:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
FIRE CAPPY
With 4:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
WE WANT ANSWERS
I am not a huge fan of a walkout as I believe it sends the wrong message to the players and is not the most effective ways to make our voices be heard. I do not want players getting a bad vibe, so the final chant is for that cause.
After the game, we will all re-convene as a group outside Gate 11 and take a lap around the Coliseum, much like Section 329 does and chant the above mentioned chants. When we get back to Gate 11, I have an idea to put all of the SPARE CHANGE we can bring into the place without looking suspicious in a pile and leave it with a note saying “WE CARE, HELP OUR TEAM, OR KEEP WASTING OUR MONEY. YOUR CHOICE.” After this, we will return to the plaza right outside the box office and continue chanting with our signs.
(source: http://islesnation.net/20.../07/isles-nation-protest/)
Here are the two schools of thought, both of which are extremely fair:
1) A fan protest demonstrates exactly why other NHL players and free agents will not come here to stay, sign long-term contracts, and think a viable, winning product can be sustained on Long Island. Dysfunction, disorder, and disbelief are usually the words that are synonymous when free agents think about New York Islanders management. Why else would these fans be protesting? Some of these very same NHL players have skated in the old barn during playoff games, so they know what its like when the marriage is healthy between franchise and fan on Long Island. Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins from last year. Garth Snow and his cronies must really be failing here and there’s no possible way I am signing with this “joke” of a team. No way. This fan protest just demonstrates how far this team is from winning.
2) We’ve had enough. There is absolutely zero accountability within the confines of the Nassau Coliseum, and the acceptance of a losing culture permeates through the front office and coaching staff. This team’s rebuild has lasted too long with too many laughable, comedic, and predictably inept blunders along the way. This owner spends the bare minimum every year, the GM cannot manage his assets, and this coach does not belong in the NHL. Here are the real questions: If Garth Snow and Jack Capuano were “free agents,” is there any way in hell they would possibly get another GM or Head Coaching position? Would either one of these guys have been hired on any other team other than the Islanders in the first place? NO and NO WAY IN HELL. This teams management is an endless cycle of awfulness, and quite frankly, we’ve had enough.
Simply put, there is no other sports franchise in the world that operates this way. You know which school of thought I support, so I say this to Pete Truszkowski and the boys at Isles Nation: Godspeed and good luck. I support you, I support the New York Islanders fans whom have endured through decades of ineptitude and unaccountability, and I praise the work you have done to get the word out. This event has been publicized in every American and Canadian journalistic medium that I have researched, so at the very least, our voices have been heard. In the words of Isles Nation: WANG MUST SELL, SNOW MUST GO, FIRE CAPPY, and WE WANT ANSWERS!
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!
Isles Nation Founder and Owner, Pete Truszkowski
If you’re anything like me, you love this team to no end. You love the logo, you love the guys wearing the jersey, and you love what the New York Islanders are. However, especially as of late, you just cannot stand Isles management and the overall fraud this organization has become.
Since the news of Vanek declining an extension, this team has gone through a free-fall and I find myself more and more disgusted about this organization everyday. Whether it’s Snow’s comments about Tavares’ injury trying to take blame off himself, the blown third period leads every night under an inept head coach, awful trades that set this team back, lack of accountability with roster decisions (Bailey), media having a field day with this circus of an organization, or any of the other things that plague this franchise, I’m nearing my breaking point.
Don’t get me wrong, I will never give up on this team and will be a lifelong fan. However, I have a lot of built up frustration and anger directed towards this organization and I believe myself and parts of this fan base are ready to express our feelings. Some people will not agree with the approach, but in my world it is better to stand for something you truly believe in and are passionate about, rather than sit on your hands and watch passively and hope and pray something happens.
WHAT WE ARE PROTESTING
We are protesting the inept Isles organization and management, led by owner Charles Wang and GM Garth Snow. We are protesting the lack of progress of Garth Snow’s rebuild that has dragged out for way too long. We are protesting the lack of accountability surrounding this organization. We are protesting the constant salary of this team being at or near the NHL mandated cap floor.
WHEN WE ARE PROTESTING
We will be protesting before, during and after the Islanders/Sabres game next Saturday (March 15th)
HOW WE ARE PROTESTING
We will be buying tickets to the game on the secondary market, meaning Stubhub or EBay or something of the like. Note: Not Ticketmaster or the box office. This ensures that we do not give Wang extra money since these tickets were already purchased and Wang would have this money either way. As for parking, if you can find somewhere to park near the Coliseum, park there. If not, try to park in the $7 lot to give Wang as little money as possible. Do not buy pretzels, hot dogs, beer, jerseys, or anything that will give Wang money at the game. We will be meeting in the parking lot between the Marriott and the Coliseum sometime late Saturday afternoon, around 4:30-5 PM. If you guys want to tailgate during the protest, that is fine with me. We will be wearing our Islanders jerseys INSIDE OUT. Paper bags over the head are also fine by me. Signs are welcome as well. We will protest in the parking lot by starting chants, holding signs, and potentially handing out flyers to inform people about the Isles organization. We will then make our way in to the Coliseum a few minutes before puck drop. We will try to stick together as a group, but if we get broken up, try and stay with at least 4-5 fellow protesters. This way, our chants pick up steam and you will not look like a lunatic screaming alone. Please be respectful during the national anthem as well.
With 16:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
WANG MUST SELL
With 12:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
SNOW MUST GO
With 8:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
FIRE CAPPY
With 4:00 remaining in every period, we will chant:
WE WANT ANSWERS
I am not a huge fan of a walkout as I believe it sends the wrong message to the players and is not the most effective ways to make our voices be heard. I do not want players getting a bad vibe, so the final chant is for that cause.
After the game, we will all re-convene as a group outside Gate 11 and take a lap around the Coliseum, much like Section 329 does and chant the above mentioned chants. When we get back to Gate 11, I have an idea to put all of the SPARE CHANGE we can bring into the place without looking suspicious in a pile and leave it with a note saying “WE CARE, HELP OUR TEAM, OR KEEP WASTING OUR MONEY. YOUR CHOICE.” After this, we will return to the plaza right outside the box office and continue chanting with our signs.
(source: http://islesnation.net/20.../07/isles-nation-protest/)
Here are the two schools of thought, both of which are extremely fair:
1) A fan protest demonstrates exactly why other NHL players and free agents will not come here to stay, sign long-term contracts, and think a viable, winning product can be sustained on Long Island. Dysfunction, disorder, and disbelief are usually the words that are synonymous when free agents think about New York Islanders management. Why else would these fans be protesting? Some of these very same NHL players have skated in the old barn during playoff games, so they know what its like when the marriage is healthy between franchise and fan on Long Island. Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins from last year. Garth Snow and his cronies must really be failing here and there’s no possible way I am signing with this “joke” of a team. No way. This fan protest just demonstrates how far this team is from winning.
2) We’ve had enough. There is absolutely zero accountability within the confines of the Nassau Coliseum, and the acceptance of a losing culture permeates through the front office and coaching staff. This team’s rebuild has lasted too long with too many laughable, comedic, and predictably inept blunders along the way. This owner spends the bare minimum every year, the GM cannot manage his assets, and this coach does not belong in the NHL. Here are the real questions: If Garth Snow and Jack Capuano were “free agents,” is there any way in hell they would possibly get another GM or Head Coaching position? Would either one of these guys have been hired on any other team other than the Islanders in the first place? NO and NO WAY IN HELL. This teams management is an endless cycle of awfulness, and quite frankly, we’ve had enough.
Simply put, there is no other sports franchise in the world that operates this way. You know which school of thought I support, so I say this to Pete Truszkowski and the boys at Isles Nation: Godspeed and good luck. I support you, I support the New York Islanders fans whom have endured through decades of ineptitude and unaccountability, and I praise the work you have done to get the word out. This event has been publicized in every American and Canadian journalistic medium that I have researched, so at the very least, our voices have been heard. In the words of Isles Nation: WANG MUST SELL, SNOW MUST GO, FIRE CAPPY, and WE WANT ANSWERS!
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!
you know that the money generated by the parking lot, beer and food sold inside the coliseum does not go to wang because he does not own the coliseum....the county does.
Incorrect to the ranger fan. Good job. I wish it was more of a success though but what can you do. Hopefully more fans catch onto the BS that this management and owner spews.
Join the club. We can give you Lowe?
Good luck.