Michael Petersell

I'm Mike Petersell. I have previously written on workplace learning for Many Ways to Learn. Now I'm covering the NY Islanders for The Hockey Writers.

Author's Posts

Isles' Rookie Barzal and His 3 Big Nights

August 14th, 2018 At the beginning of the 2016-17 season, the New York Islanders took the opportunity to see how their two first-round picks from the 2015 draft would perform at the NHL level. Mathew Barzal, drafted 16th, and Anthony Beauvillier, drafted 28th, were both 19 years old at the time. Barzal was slightly favored to make the team, although...

Isles Counting on Trotz to Be a Winner

August 10th, 2018 Will Barry Trotz become the New York Islanders' most successful coach since Al Arbour? That's what Lou Lamoriello had in mind when he signed Trotz to a five-year deal in June, and that is certainly what the fans are hoping will happen. With all the coaching wins he has under his belt, along with a Stanley Cup victory in his back pocket,...

3 Islanders We Love to Hate On

August 5th, 2018 When things aren’t going well for a team, their fans get frustrated. Scoring droughts, short-side goals, and losing streaks drive fans crazy, leaving them looking for targets onto which they can vent their frustration. They need villains to blame so they create scapegoats, or if you prefer, they find players to put into the...

Isles Not Likely to Reunite Cizikas, Martin & Clutterbuck

July 29th, 2018 On July 3, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded forward Matt Martin back to the New York Islanders in exchange for minor-league goaltender Eamon McAdam. This move generated some joy and excitement in Islander country as Martin was a very popular player on and off the ice during his time on Long Island. He was drafted by the Islanders in 2008...

In Defense of the Islanders’ Defensemen

July 25th, 2018 Last season, the New York Islanders totaled only 80 points in the standings ending up with a seventh-place finish in the Metropolitan Division and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. Despite a respectably strong offensive showing with 264 goals for, they were unable to keep enough pucks out of their own net to avoid...

Islanders at Home – A House Divided

July 19th, 2018 Being a New York Islanders fan is not easy. Since the early 1980s when the team won four consecutive Stanley Cups, playoff appearances have been few and far between, making it difficult for fans to find anything to cheer about for an extended period of time. The news that they will finally be building a state-of-the-art, permanent home...

How Losing John Tavares Hurts the Islanders

July 14th, 2018 It has been nearly a two weeks since the start of free agency. July 1 was the day that the New York Islanders lost John Tavares, their captain and star player for the last nine years, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over the course of the last two weeks, Islander fans have been sharing their feelings about the signing through social media...