SYOSSETT, N.Y. -- Instead of the team bus, the New York Islanders should roll up to the rink in a stretched-out Pontiac Firebird.
In the mid-1980s, that car style was synonymous with Cranston, R.I., the hometown of current Islanders coach Jack Capuano. He owned one. It was maroon.
When a team takes on the personality of its coach, it's an indication that the lines of communication are open and clear. That's the case for the Islanders. Their gritty, profane, never-say-die, in-your-face mentality is a direct reflection of Capuano. As a player, he toiled in the minors and played only six games in the NHL.