Speculation: Does Streit wearing the C and Okposo wearing an A hurt this team?

[xECK29x]

No. Stop this madness

 

[LedHammer]

No. Stop this madness

This madness is my opinion. And I do believe when putting a letter on a player, espically in Okposo's case, there needs to be accountability from that player. Okposo loafs around the rink and barely finishes his checks. I'm sorry but I believe players do look around for others to lead them, espically when things aren't going well. If you have a passenger wearing an A that's not good for your team.

 

[JetsMetsIsles]

This madness is my opinion. And I do believe when putting a letter on a player, espically in Okposo's case, there needs to be accountability from that player. Okposo loafs around the rink and barely finishes his checks. I'm sorry but I believe players do look around for others to lead them, espically when things aren't going well. If you have a passenger wearing an A that's not good for your team.

Okposo is one of the hardest working players on this team. He is probably the best conditioned player next to Tavares. Talent does not equal leadership. You have no idea what happens in the locker room and behind the scenes. Talent wins games before leadership. I want Okposo off this team and its not because of his work ethic and leadership.

 

[LedHammer]

Okposo is one of the hardest working players on this team. He is probably the best conditioned player next to Tavares. Talent does not equal leadership. You have no idea what happens in the locker room and behind the scenes. Talent wins games before leadership. I want Okposo off this team and its not because of his work ethic and leadership.

Okposo at one point was one of the hardest working players. The past year or so I have not seen that on the ice durring games. And just like I'm not in the locker room I doubt you're at practice to see who is putting in the most work. I have been one of Kyles biggest fans, but he has really disapointed me. His game has progresivly gone backwards, and I don't see how that translates into being one of the hardest workers on the team. He doesn't even deserve to be dressing right now.

 

[JetsMetsIsles]

Okposo at one point was one of the hardest working players. The past year or so I have not seen that on the ice durring games. And just like I'm not in the locker room I doubt you're at practice to see who is putting in the most work. I have been one of Kyles biggest fans, but he has really disapointed me. His game has progresivly gone backwards, and I don't see how that translates into being one of the hardest workers on the team. He doesn't even deserve to be dressing right now.

No I'm not in the locker room. But I can clearly see the A on his chest and do the simple math that suggests that he has been a leader on the team and helpful in practice. Its the same as Streit with the captain. Its clearly for leadership and not talent.

 

[LedHammer]

No I'm not in the locker room. But I can clearly see the A on his chest and do the simple math that suggests that he has been a leader on the team and helpful in practice. Its the same as Streit with the captain. Its clearly for leadership and not talent.

I disagree, which is the basis of my point. But we're both entitled to our opinions so I respect yours. I just don't see the on ice accountability with Kyle to deem him worthy on an A. We just see it two different ways.

 

[JetsMetsIsles]

I disagree, which is the basis of my point. But we're both entitled to our opinions so I respect yours. I just don't see the on ice accountability with Kyle to deem him worthy on an A. We just see it two different ways.

You're question was it it hurting the team. I don't see how its hurting anyone.

 

[LedHammer]

I think when players are put into leadership roles when they havent earned/deserved it, it sends a bad message to the rest of the team. If Kyle is given an A, and then, in my eyes at least, he doesn't bring the effort shift in shift out, to lead by example, which is what a leader really needs to do, it can and will trickel down to the rest of the players. If a player is given an A, and rewarded with a regular shift every night, but probably deserves to be in the press box, it's mixed signals as to what is expected from every body else. The letters are symbolic. They don't need to be given to the most talented players, but they should be given to the players who play every shift with fire and passion, and I haven't consistantly seen that from Kyle in a while.

Believe me, I'm not a Kyle hater. I've been a huge fan of his, hence my screen name. I'm just very down on him because I don't think, for what ever reason, he's done whats needed to reach his potential.

 

[LedHammer]

In all honesty I really hope you can refresh this thread in a month and make me look bad because of how consistant Kyle has been. I really do want to see him succeed. I just dont see that fire on every shift, and sometimes for whole games. And it's for that reason I don't see him as a leader. It's not simply about results. It's just about seeing him play his a** off every shift and not being a passenger.

 

[Islander Prophet]

absolutely hilarious how some people here persist on bashing down Streit because he had a bad few games into the season even if he has been rock solid for us for now almost 10 games and continues to prove his worth...

Streit haters won't ever change it seems...

 

[Isles Junkie]

absolutely hilarious how some people here persist on bashing down Streit because he had a bad few games into the season even if he has been rock solid for us for now almost 10 games and continues to prove his worth...

Streit haters won't ever change it seems...

I'm sure if Streit was playing #4/5 minutes, like he probably should, then people would be a lot more patient with him. He really isn't a top pair Dman anymore.

 

[blinkman360]

Ya right..another soft spoken ..soft on the ice guy Tav is a leader with an A not C.He may score goals and work hard but I am not following him to war sorry

Martin=C Tav=A Ham=A...theres no need for your captain to be holding his head in his hands on the bench

The team will put the C on Tav for only one reason, you fill in the blank-------

Because he is the face of the franchise? Because he's one of maybe 3 players who give 100% effort every shift of every game? Because he's the guy that every player on this team looks to when they are down and need to make something happen?

Maybe you should fill in the blank on why you want Martin as the Captain. Because he's big, hits people and has the occasional fight? So basically your Captain should be your best goon?

 

[Quicklime]

Look at the Pens versus Caps "24/7." - they brought Knuble in the room because he's vocal and a solid vet and to help motivate. The Isles need the same, and it was supposed to be Rolston, but he "wears too much pink".......or black and gold for the part. Snow brought in Smyth for the same reason, but he obviously wasn't the guy to dig in as such.

The Isles need a mean vet to take the load off of the two people who are the most fit for any kind of captaincy in JT and Hamonic. They'll have Pelech and Reinhart up in time, both of which have been recognized as captain material.....but they need a vet in the top-6 - BADLY......even after tonight's win.

That's not Okposo, and it's Streit less and less, and one victory doesn't detract from this. The sooner Okposo has his role diminished, the sooner he can work on what he needs to work on, regardless of whether this means pumping trade value or returning to form to stick with the Islanders.

 

[Levi Walking Bear]

C on his jersey or not, this is JT's team. Cizikas has letter potential down the road.

 

[DanNYI2191]

The absence of a patch on the chest shouldn't defer any other true leaders from stepping up and saying what needs to be said.

Still, Tavares should have the C with Streit and Hamonic/Martin wearing the A's.

 

[beach]

No I'm not in the locker room. But I can clearly see the A on his chest and do the simple math that suggests that he has been a leader on the team and helpful in practice. Its the same as Streit with the captain. Its clearly for leadership and not talent.

While I don't know what goes on in the room, there is no way Okposo should wear an A. It is this acceptance of mediocrity that leads to thinking the status quo is okay. In the Islanders pre-cup years, Bob Lorimer and Pat Price did not wear the A, even if they contributed to the team. To me, in order to have the C or A, you must either be proving yourself on the ice consistently, or be a veteran that has done so in the past and has earned the reverence and respect. Okposo has done neither.

 

[PK Cronin]

No. All good/great teams give the impression that they have great leaders. Whether or not it is true is something that fans have no idea about. If a team wins, people will always find a great leader on that team to anoint. That's just the way it works.

I'll say this every single time any discussion of captaincy is involved: Joe Sakic may have been the biggest ********* in North America, his whole team may have hated him, and we (the fans) would not know any better. If a reporter goes up to Player A on the Avs in 1999, asking him how great a captain Joe Sakic is, what is Player A going to say? He's going to give the same canned response every single time, "Ya, Joe is great, he's an amazing leader." Its the reporters that make the stories with the questions they ask. Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman are always among the "greatest leaders" this game has known, and the reason for that is because of the stories reporters have generated.

I'm not saying that reporters are falsifying stories (they're not), I'm just saying just because a sports reporter gets a few quotes backing a theory up, doesn't make it true.

While I don't believe the C or A makes you a leader, most of the greats are recognized as good leaders because they were. There are plenty of athletes who speak out against other players who they don't feel led their teams properly or put in enough effort. You'd at the very least hear a rumbling.

Guys like Sakic lead by example, played injured, and made sure they did everything they could to help the team win. When you have guys like that on a team it is very inspirational, whether they are captains or not. But what is bad is when your captains are lazy and don't put in the work, especially for a young team. Giving the appropriate players the roles as leaders is more of a culture thing and helps breed a winning attitude/effort. It's true at every level of sports.

 

[Poliz24]

I think the captain is the guy who the team looks to when spit hits the fan. We don't have that 1 figure that leads a team through adversity. And I don't think this is just players. I think Capuano doesn't do it either. So when the blind leads the blind things don't go well. Streit cares, he is calm and cool which is good for a young team. Streit isn't a natural leader, Cappy isn't either, so Cappy had to find the best "leader" on the team with experience in the league and Streit was the guy. Okposo does not deserve an "A". JT should be captain, he works harder than everyone. If I had it my way, I would name game captains. Meaning the "C" changes hands, if you think about it, it can make guys EARN the "C". Call me crazy, I don't care but, competition breeds competition. When you compete, your use to it and when games come you don't stop competing.

 

[periferal]

Every body who is an Isles fan knows this. Every body who watchs hockey knows this. But at the same time I'm kinda getting sick of this as an answer to questions where the scenario can be changed. If we're talking about needing to bring in better leaders then this is a correct answer. However, if we're discussing trying to make the best of the current situation, whether Kyle deserves an A, and if that has any negative affect on the time as of today, this isn't the right answer. Wang's not going any where, at least not this season. So while Wang is the obvious cancer that kills this team, that's not what I was talking about.

I hear you my friend. I really do, but this topic, like so many others, just doesn't keep it's eye on the ball. Arguing if Okposo deserves a letter is like opening a casino on an aircraft carrier in the south pacific, and when no one can get there to bet debating if the reason is becasue the slot machines are gold instead of silver.

No...The reason is Becasue you opened a casino where no one can get to! Nothing else matters but that.

Same concept here with wang. He is the locomotive of this train wreck, and as long as he's the owner of this team, all the cars behind he's leading are going to be headed in the wrong direction.

Ownership is everything. Without good ownership it doesn't matter who has a letter or anything else.

 

[Sheva7]

Does Streit and KO having letters on their chests hurt the team?

I think so.

Fire cappy, hire a legit experienced NHL coach, make JT captain, give Hamonic an A and watch how much better this team plays.

Look at the leafs...Randy Carlyle is making a heck of a difference with them. Jay McClement is brought in and has an A on his jersey right away! I don't think that's a coincidence. He plays with balls, plays the right way and guys respect him. Others see it and feed off it.

How about the Sens? Missing their best players and still winning! Neil, Phillips and Alfie...all great vets that demand respect.

Leadership!

 

[islandermaniac]

This madness is my opinion. And I do believe when putting a letter on a player, espically in Okposo's case, there needs to be accountability from that player. Okposo loafs around the rink and barely finishes his checks. I'm sorry but I believe players do look around for others to lead them, espically when things aren't going well. If you have a passenger wearing an A that's not good for your team.

he doesn't even do that, actually. he is absolutely afraid of any body contact. it is rather sickening. one would think this would reduce what his teammates think of his leadership capabilities. i know if he was my captain, i would think him to be a pansy.

 

[Sheva7]

he doesn't even do that, actually. he is absolutely afraid of any body contact. it is rather sickening. one would think this would reduce how others see him. i know if he was my captain, i would think him to be a pansy.

It's cause it's always the same play with him. His entries have just become so predictable. He's making it way too easy for defencemen to keep him on the outside.
Carries the puck into the zone and bolts straight into a corner lol

I don't know what it is, but it's like he refuses to chip the puck in. Like he's too smart to play simple dump and chase (puck pursuit) hockey

I just wanna see him put in a soft dump, chase it down, hammer the d and try to get it back.

You're 210lbs for frig sakes! Use that size! He could be a real handful for opposing dmen if he really wanted to be. But instead he CHOOSES to plays like a fairy.

 

[islandermaniac]

It's cause it's always the same play with him. His entries have just become so predictable. He's making it way too easy for defencemen to keep him on the outside.
Carries the puck into the zone and bolts straight into a corner lol

I don't know what it is, but it's like he refuses to chip the puck in. Like he's too smart to play simple dump and chase (puck pursuit) hockey

I just wanna see him put in a soft dump, chase it down, hammer the d and try to get it back.

You're 210lbs for frig sakes! Use that size! He could be a real handful for opposing dmen if he really wanted to be. But instead he CHOOSES to plays like a fairy.

but that would require some measure of physical play...and we know he refuses to do that! haha! seriously, the guy is a flat out pansy.

 

[Sheva7]

but that would require some measure of physical play...and we know he refuses to do that! haha! seriously, the guy is a flat out pansy.

lol agreed...watching him this season makes me wanna pull my hair out.

All he needs to do is simplify his game and be physical. Get pucks deep and try to keep it there.

He's talented enough that the points/chances will eventually come. He'll find his game again.

 

[HyeDray]

Hard to strip someone of the "C." I think that Streit keeping the "C" is alright for this season, but I wonder if after the contract is up, even if he re-signs, part of the deal is that it goes to Tavares for 13-14.

For Okposo — I think he should be stripped of the "A," and I think he should be benched until he can be traded. He is dead wood on the team. His 24 goals last season came mostly when the pressure was off and there were no more big games to think about. So yes — I think that he is an Asst. Captain hurts the team.

Over Okposo, I would consider give the "A" to Moulson or Neilsen.

Moulson is a guy who willingly goes into the hard areas and takes a beating to get the goals. That is a guy who deserves it — leadership through example.

Neilsen is a very solid 2-way NHL center. He also leads by example as one of the better defensive forwards in the NHL. Perhaps a Selke candidate someday.

I was happy they gave the "C" to Streit initially because I wanted Tavares to just play without any burden. Now —*Tavares has matured, and is the real deal. He deserves the C for sure.