Islanders Bring in Assistant Coach, Dump Radio Team

The New York Islanders have hired longtime minor league coach Scott Allen as an assistant coach. The Islanders move to hire someone with this type of background actually makes a lot of sense. Their head coach has mainly only coached in the minors, most of their players belong in the minors, their arena is fit for the minors, and their games draw like those for the minors. At least the Islanders are being consistent when it comes to mediocrity.

Allen leaves the AHL's Quad City Flames (now Abbotsford Heat) where he spend two seasons as an assistant coach, aiding the team to a 74-63-9-14 record. He has more AAA coaching experience, spending time as both head and assistant coach with the San Antonio Rampage in addition to his tenure as an assistant coach with the Lowell Lock Monsters. He also has been both a head and assistant coach with the AA ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs. Before coaching, Allen played ten years in the minor leagues.

While the doors of the crumbling Nassau Coliseum open for Allen, they close for Chris King and Steve Mears. The Islanders have decided to not renew the contracts of their radio broadcast duo as they will now simulcast the signal of their television broadcast to save some cash.

I can honestly say that I have never listened to King and Mears call games, as I am a huge Howie Rose fan and turn on the television when I want to know whats going on out on the Island. Nevertheless, I cringed when I heard this news. First, as a broadcast journalism student hoping to someday announce hockey games, I became fearful of the fact that those opportunities may be dwindling. Second, as a hockey fan and follower, I realized that the Islander faithful will be getting the short end of the stick. Currently Howie and Billy Jaffe do an amazing job at calling games, but their descriptions of the action on the ice are geared toward television.

If Howie and Billy change their style to make things less difficult for listeners, it will then be less television friendly and will be of a lesser quality for viewers. One way or another, the Islanders will have low quality and confusing broadcasts of their games.

Anyone who has ever watched a hockey game on television and listened to one on the radio knows that the broadcasts are quite different. Apparently the Islanders do not. Or they do, and don't care, as long as it saves a buck or two.