Message from the great Bossy

From NYI.com:

The Hall of Famer sent the following email this afternoon to forward to fans throughout Islanders Country

There comes a time in an organization when you have to stand up for what you believe. There comes a time also when fans have to believe in who is at the helm of that organization.

I don't think there is 1 fan who was not pleased to see the direction the Islanders took last year. There were ups and downs but I believe more ups than downs. Everyone was truly excited when Dubie performed his miracles toward the end of the season and helped us earn a playoff position. Everyone was truly excited when we really gave Buffalo a run for their money in the playoffs. Yes, we fell short but we all had the satisfaction that everything had been done to go as far as we could given the circumstances.

We believed that Garth made the right moves and that Ted got everything he could out of the players sitting in front of him on the bench and when he couldn't, well, those guys didn't play or received significantly less ice time. We believed that Garth and Ted had a plan for the future and weren't going to waiver from that plan.

Since July 1st the plan hasn't changed. We want players that want to play on Long Island and who will show what we all think Long Island deserves. A team that goes out every night with the right attitude, grit, character and dedication, to themselves, their teammates and fans. We tried to sign 2 of those players who fit exactly that mold. Unfortunately those 2 players chose to play out West instead of here. Whatever their reasons were, it does not matter anymore. What matters is that Garth and Ted are sticking to their guns and will not change their course of thinking.

There are others players who fit that mold. Garth asked us to be patient. Let's give Garth and Ted our support. Let's not succumb to panic or frustration. It's the easy thing to do. I truly believe that their thinking is the right long term approach to building a team that we will all be proud of. No one closed the books yesterday and no one has gone on vacation. Everyone is diligently working on doing the right thing for the organization and you, THE FANS.

It was Garth and Ted's first year last year. Let them continue their work and in the meantime let's continue to support everyone in the organization, from the hockey staff to my colleagues doing everything they can so the Islanders play in front of a full house every night.

Let's do this all together. If in the end I am wrong, you can tell me so – loud and clear. Let's all stick together.

We all want a Stanley Cup, right? And WE'RE ALL ISLANDERS, right?

Have a great 4th of July everyone.

Mike

Note: This message vividly defends the Islanders' front office. This is exactly what any team needs after losing some big pieces of its core to another one, a voice of the past and present sticking with the Team and its management. These words are much more efficient than Sabres' GM Darcy Regier's "One way..." speech, which basically blamed the Market for Drury and Briere's loss, which, weren't the only reasons for losing the pair. No GM can equal these words.