This bears repeating.  This debate just keeps going on as the season draws closer.  My take on it.

As someone who has been covering the New York Islanders in one form or another since October 2005, I found yesterday’s firestorm over blogger access to visiting NHL team’s locker rooms both interesting and disturbing.  Additionally disturbing to me is the idea that there is a grey area as to where “bloggers” fit within the media food chain.

In one conversation I had yesterday there were three categories:  Main Stream Media, Web Media and then “bloggers.”  I wasn’t quite sure what the difference between “web media” and “blogger” is.  Is “Web Media” anyone who writes for an established site that is monetized and has an established following?  Do those who run BlogTalk radio shows classify as Web Media?  Is a blogger someone who doesn’t have an affiliation with a “recognized” website?  I am confused.  Not only am I confused, but I truly hate the term “blogger.”  The media itself, looking to maintain its power of information has painted those who perform the task with a broad brush as super fans living at home with their mother staring at computer screens with nothing else to do but gripe about what bothers them.  Okay, I understand they were worried.  They had a right to be worried.  Web based “blogging” has nibbled away at their market and they have had to work that much harder to stay ahead of the curve.

As I was told by a friend at the NY Times, the minute I was paid for anything I wrote, I was considered “professional.”  While that thought is lovely, I would like to think of myself under the following term; Citizen Journalist.  Yes, that is what I am.  Do I have an affiliation with a recognized web based platform?  Yes I do.  Do I receive a 1099 at the end of the year for services rendered?  Yes I do.  Am I a fan of the sport I cover?  You bet your media tag I am!

Is that so bad?  If I was not a “fan” would I be able to write effectively about the sport?  Would I want to work all hours at this (often thankless) second job of mine if I wasn’t passionate about it?  I work at blogging because I am passionate about hockey and I am (most of the time) proud of what I have accomplished. The three year relationship I have had with the NY Islanders blogging about this team has been exceptional.  It is an experience I cherish and I can only hope the Islanders have benefited as much from it as I have. 

I have no problem with the NHL creating guidelines to credential bloggers.  That is fair and reasonable.  I was also under the impression that these guidelines already existed.  (Or so I was told in 2006 when the NYI Blog Box was established.)  However, if the NHL itself has a policy to credential these bloggers, then those with actual credentials should not be kept out of visiting team locker rooms should they feel they need to be there.

That being said, I have been in a visiting team’s locker room ONCE in four years.  It was a special situation and I went through not only my own PR Director, but the visiting team’s PR rep as well.  I presented my request for interview, outlined my questions and was granted access.  No harm, no foul, no problem.

So, when I hear comments about how “bloggers” conduct themselves in an unprofessional manner or have no sense of responsibility for their work, I want to scream.  It brings to mind what Mayor Bloomberg once said about New York City.  “There are idiots everywhere.  When you have a lot more people in one place, you are going to have a lot more idiots.”  There are plenty of unprofessional MSM jerks just as there are unprofessional blogger jerks. (No, I’m not going to name them.)

Access is not only a privilege – it is power.  If the teams themselves make it more difficult for those who have earned the right to that access and do not abuse the privilege just to keep the jerks out, then we all lose.  The NHL will lose the expanded coverage it is receiving on a platform they themselves are working diligently to cultivate, the team will lose good will with its fan base as they may feel a disconnect, and some of those who work hard at what they do will have their creativity or ability to report news hampered.

Four years later, I thought we had come further than this when it came to new media.

Wow, Yes, I still have this account and had to retrieve my password.  I was asked when I started blogging and in all honesty -- I FORGOT.

It seems I created this account in October of 2005.  Or should I say Nick created this account for me.  Well, I'm still part of the NY Islanders Blog Box and still writing like crazy about hockey (and sometimes food.)

Here is the only time I will be featured on Kukla's Korner, submitted by another one of Stan Fischler's ex-interns.

He teaches them well.

Also writing for http://www.hockeyquarterly.com about the Atlantic Division and basically anyone else that asks me.  Of course my main platform is http://www.hockeybuzz.com but I'm just an attention baby and seem to be found everywhere lately.

September is in the air, camp is around the corner.  I can't wait!!

I seriously don't like this time of year.  The weather may be getting better and the flowers are fragrant, but it also signifies my PERSONAL hockey season is over. 

Not only is my hockey season over, but my softball hell begins.  It's not something I am looking forward to. 

My daughter isn't so enthused this season about her softball team and there have been so many changes with the management that I am not either.  Considering I won't have Islanders hockey to occupy my time, as nice as the weather may be, my emotional forcast will be cloudy with a chance of showers.

It bothered me when one of the NHL stat guys asked me at the last game 'So what do you cover after this?"

Ugghhh!  That's right.  They don't know that I am only a hockey blogger for www.hockeybuzz.com They think I cover the games and then go cover another sport.  No.  as Dan like sto say, I live in a little hockey bubble.

I like it in here.  It's chilly and cool.  i don't like the heat.

This is going to be  are REALLY long off season!!!

As you know, I don't use the Bravenet site any longer.  I have all my new work on my www.7thwoman.blogspot.com site as well as my perpetual entries at www.hockeybuzz.com.

So much has changed in the FOUR long years since I started this Journal.  The biggest change is the fact that the reason I actually created it basically no longer exists.  The Islanders Community that spawned this no longer welcomes me for reasons I can't truly comprehend.

It's odd when DIVORCE tears friends apart.  Especially when it's not even my own damn divorce this time.  But, well, sides must be taken, lines must be drawn and I seemed to be on the opposite side of them.  The message board that was my home for so long has now turned into a daily battle resembling the Hatfields and the McCoys.  The trouble is, I am the only McCoy in an internet playground of Hatfields.

So, from the saftey of the internet, tucked behind a computer screen, sitting in the dark they lie in wait for me to say something that can be ripped to shreds and used as fodder for ridicule.  Nothing is safe.  No topic untouchable.  If I say Black, the response is White.

So flex your internet muscles you barbarians.  Complain and whine about everything.  The truth will come to light one day and then you'll all be sitting there saying... "Oh.... Shit.  I didn't know THAT."

Exactly.  Just remember... you're all part of the book in my head that is closer and closer to reality.  It's taken me ten years from the couch to the press box.  It's been an interesting trip to say the least.

 Oh, and BTW, The Queen is doing just great.  Beautiful as ever and happier than she's ever been.

If you are still reading my blog entries here, you may not know that I've been continuing my posting on my www.7thwoman.blogspot.com website as well as on www.hockeybuzz.com.

There are features there about Rick DiPietro's wedding, Gravel from NYIC the "Demolition Man" and of course, the Lighthouse project.

Click either link and look for my name.  I'm easy to find... all over the web!

Now is the perfect time for Gov David Paterson to travel to Uniondale to hold a press conference in support of the Lighthouse Project.

Here are a few reasons why from my article on HockeyBuzz.

The Islanders new season schedule has a few oddities in it.  I've explored them as well as a few of my own in my newest article on HockeyBuzz.  Give it a read by clicking the link.

You can always come back here to comment. 

Happy Sunday all.  And Congrats Rick DiPietro.

Joel Rechlicz: Looking Forward & Giving Back

Everyone loves him; from the fans to the media. You can't ask for a better guy to talk to, which is probably why everyone was talking to him.

When I arrived to Iceworks yesterday, the Wrecker was sitting on a bench outside the rink with Coach Scott Gordon and his trusty laptop. Gordon was showing him a few things on the monitor as Joel sat there in full gear nodding his head. They are taking incredible time and patience with Joel. He is a sponge and is taking in everything that he can.

"He (Gordon) runs a high tempo practice. We see eye to eye and I try to absorb everything he tells me whether it's about fighting or playing hockey. Garth has been great. Cairnsy has been great."

Eric Cairns is working with him. If he can teach him to be the type of player that fan-favorite Cairns was for the NY Islanders, then we have nothing to worry about in the tough guy department.

Garth Snow has also taken an interest in Joel. Recently, they spoke at a dinner about his training schedule. He was already scheduled to be on Long Island for his I.C.E. tour dates in August, but they think he should be on Long Island sooner in order to train with them rather than back home.

"I'm going to be here earlier than expected just to train and make sure I have a really good year. I'm going to be home for about seven days after this camp and then I'm just going to head back and work on my game. " There is nothing he wants more than to improve his game and become a big part of this team.

"I trained really hard back home in Wisconsin and the reason I came back home was that I wanted to be here full time in the summer but there was a family issue with my brother."

Joel's younger brother played for Odessa last year and didn't have the best season. Joel stayed home in June and coached him so that his next season would be far better. He is hoping that his "little brother" can follow in his footsteps.

"There's a lot of pressure on him too. He's a big kid. He's got the skill and he's got decent hands for a big kid. He just needs to work on his speed a bit. We really did a lot of stuff and I think he'll have a good year."

Hmmm.... Maybe there's a Little Wrecker in the works in Wisconsin. (and I say that full well knowing there is nothing little about the kid.)

"I'm going to get a head start in July. I'm VERY serious about next season. I want to have a good year." He is very determined.

This is Joel's second prospect camp with the Islanders and he is heading into his second year of his 3-year rookie contract. I asked him what has been different about the camp this year.

"The only thing I would say is different is the schedule. Last year we were on the ice twice a day. Now we're on the ice, we go hard and then we work out. Or we work out first and then go on the ice. They really push you. But at the same time, they take the token of 'rest' which is great for the guys' bodies -- which is key. I think they are pushing in the right direction. What's really good is that Garth, Charles and the whole Islanders organization has really made everyone at camp feel welcome with taking them out to dinner and having the guys bond with each other. A lot of these kids don't know what the pro atmosphere is like and it's important for them to experience it."

Joel is talking with a voice of experience, even for his young age. Just as young Josh Bailey, who is TWO years younger than Rechlicz, also speaks with authority when it comes to how things are done at an NHL level on the NY Islanders.

"I'm very excited to be around these guys. I want to show some of the younger guys the ropes. If I can't do it stick handling, I can do it off the ice and them, 'This is pro hockey. This is the life.' And chemistry is very important. You want everyone to be like brothers. You're a big family whether you're on the same team next year or not. We're all Islanders."

This year's camp schedule has a lot of showing the prospects not only the ropes of being a pro, but the NY area as well. Baseball games, dinners, golf and concerts help to break up the grind of working out at the rink.

Joel was surprised when I told him how much his Bridgeport SoundTigers jersey went for on E-bay. Actually, every one of Joel's jerseys that has been auctioned off has gone for a premium price. This includes those from his ECHL days with the Utah Grizzles. I asked him if he realized he was such a fan favorite. I think he almost blushed.

"You know, I love the kids. I go out of my way for the kids. I remember when I was growing up and my dad took me and my brother to AHL games all the time. The Milwaukee Admirals, and I always looked up to the guys. I remember I always thought it was awesome. I wanted to play in the AHL and be a pro-hockey player. I couldn't go to an NHL game because it was too much money. My dad did his best to take us out and experience that. Just looking up to those athletes as a kid, you're star-struck. And now... I'm one of those guys. It just feels great to give back to the community. They are the future and you've gotta be nice to everybody and you've gotta give back. You gotta."

And he does. He knows the kids look up to athletes and he wants to be a good role model. Even though he's a tough guy, he plays the game the way it should be played. Old time hockey, eh?

But not thin enough to make the scale move, damit!

Okay, so I haven't posted here because all my work is currently on my http://www.7thwoman.blogspot.com website.  Then it got even more hectic as of Monday when I accepted an invitation to join HockeyBuzz.com as their NY Islanders Blogger.

I promise my softball parent friends that I will indeed get to the RipTide Times blog before the summer ends.  But right now, it's hockey, hockey and more hockey even if it is almost July!

The First Pick & A Last Resort?