New York Islanders Modern Day Mickey Mouse Operation

After a 13-4 drubbing of the New Jersey Devils in 1984 a game in which the Edmonton Oilers scored at will, Wayne Gretzky famously labeled the Devils a "Mickey Mouse operation on ice." But judging from a recent visit to Nassau Coliseum, the Great One could apply the tag to the modern day New York Islanders. Here are 10 reason why the Islanders could be considered Mickey Mouse.

10.) Ice Girls cleaning up ice during breaks in the action. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with hot chicks on the ice....but it smacks of minor league hockey

9.) Your team gets booed in its own building, especially when the New York Rangers come to town. Wanna solve the problem? Sell-out your building

8.)Outside of Rick DiPietro, Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert, the team is devoid of NHL vetereans...Taken further, no stars means fewer dollars devoted to payroll means more dollars in owner's pocket.

7.)Other than the aforementioned Rangers, the team lives off its one glory period, 1979-1983, when it made five consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup finals--winning the first four

6.)Speaking of those Cup winning teams, banners memorializing coach Al Arbour's 1500 game is a joke, so is Bill Torrey's trademark bow-tie. The travesty regarding Arbour is that they brought him back for one game, two days shy of his 75th bithday.

5.)Team executives are more corrupt than government officials in Bridgeport and Rprovidence combined.

4.)After falling behind in the Ranger game, fans serenaded the Islanders with chants of "Kan-sas City, Kan-sas City"--the team's future home if the Wang gets his way

3.)Some Islander braintrust gave golaie Rick DiPietro a 15-year contract. Let that sink in for a minute. A U.S. president gets 8 years max!

2.)Former great Bryan Trottier demands payment for the privilidge of the team retiring his number 19. Imagine the balls of this guy to do it with a straight face.

1.)Incredibly because of short-sighted deals, the Islanders must share revenue from luxury, concessions and parking with Nassau county. The result? a $70 ticket for nose-bleed seats with an obstructed view.