Islanders News: Roy skates ‘em hard; Okposo retires
Skate here, skate there, skate everywhere. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Also: Scott Mayfield says he’s back to 100%. The Islanders began the on-ice part of training camp yesterday with some very hard skates, just as Patrick Roy forecast at the end of last season and just as players anticipated.
The old days of working players back into shape during camp are long gone, as today’s players take care of their bodies throughout the summer and resume skating well before camp. But Roy and his peers of a similar mindset use this early time to instill some intensity and standards of effort to the proceedings.
Islanders News
Here are the groups from day one (and here’s the full camp roster), along with interviews from several players and Roy. [Isles]
Matt Martin (whose interview is in that above link), is eager to show he’s still more than a PTO. [Newsday]
Putting them through the paces right away, Roy wants to “raise the bar.” [THN]
Projecting the opening night roster. Barring injury, there’s only a couple of questions. [Athletic]
Scott Mayfield is a wild card. He looked off all last season, then was shut down midway with what was revealed to be an ankle injury he’d been battling since the opening games. He says he’s 100% now. [Isles] So often, unreported injuries mask what looks like precipitous decline; the flip side of that is that decline does come with age — so which version of Mayfield will we see at age 31, coming off a season-ending injury?
Anders Lee on NHL Network about the first training camp with Patrick Roy: “His energy, his passion, we’re gonna get a nice dose of that in camp.”
The @NYIslanders will have a full year of Head Coach Patrick Roy in a wide-open Metro Division. Captain Anders Lee joined #NHLTonight to talk about the opportunity in front of them next season. @JamieHersch | @asgrimson | #Isles pic.twitter.com/aeJwos2FlN— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 19, 2024
Elsewhere, but Yesteryear
Kyle Okposo, one of the sincere nice guys in the game, goes out on top. It started with a helmetless one-timer past Martin Brodeur and ended hoisting the Cup.
An open letter from Kyle Okposo. pic.twitter.com/wb5UC6yL4l— CAA Hockey (@CAAHockey) September 19, 2024
One of the best moments from Kyle Okposo’s career was in 2014 when he got the GWG in OT against Chicago after he was snubbed from the Olympic team despite having a tremendous season. Whole crowd erupted in USA chants! #Isles pic.twitter.com/CvSI26rVWT— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) September 19, 2024
Some early camp injuries around the league, including Jason Robertson missing camp after having a cyst removed from his foot. (Man, I had one of those removed at a point of contact with my skate and it took me a full year to skate close to normal.) [NHL]
Some Friedman thoughts, mostly on RFAs, like Jeremy Swayman, who is still a distance from the Bruins. [Sportsnet]
On Johnny Gaudreau: Matthew Tkachuk says it’s hard every day. [NHL]
Fellow ex-Flames teammate Sean Monahan is still dealing with the shock, but pledges to put his best foot forward for a season of grieving and coping. [NHL]
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