SYOSSETT, NY — For the third time in five years, the Islanders kicked a knowledge employee out the door because of “philosophical differences.” It seems fitting, since those departed had a philosophy of trying to win games while management seems to value anything other than common sense.

Five years ago, the Islanders fired coach Peter Laviolette after two successful years on the job that included two postseason visits and the ability to instill in a fan base feelings of hope for the first time in a decade. Of course, owner Charles Wang and all-star right-hand man Mike Milbury viewed this stunning run of success as an abject failure and fired Laviolette because of unconfirmed player complaints and a bunch of jive about the lack of communication between Laviolette and the players.

Two seasons later, Laviolette was a Stanley Cup champion coach with the Hurricanes. The Islanders, meanwhile, are still looking for its first playoff series victory since Bill Clinton’s first year in the Oval Office. Five years later, simply replace Milbury for Garth Snow and you get an identical story.

In two seasons, Nolan recorded an impressive 75-68-21 record and took his team on an unexpected playoff run in his first season. But Nolan will not be able to fulfill the final year of his contract, with the franchise paying him $600,000 to let him walk. Of course, when you fire a former Coach-of-the-Year award winner, most franchises have a replacement already set. But this is the Islanders, where Wang and his brain trust continue to oversee an enterprise that does nothing but spin its wheels on a yearly basis.

"I knew we had some differences, but I was just preparing myself for the status quo and getting ready for the season," said Nolan. "I'm just going to move on and take some time to soak this in and go home to be with my family for a few days. Hopefully, I'll have another chance to coach in this league again."

Laviolette also lasted two seasons despite a .546 winning percentage. That wasn’t enough for the Islanders to retain him.

''More importantly, the measuring sticks by which I hold the team and the coach accountable -- conditioning, discipline and motivation -- in the end, by the team's own admission and by the coach's admission, they came up short,'' said Milbury, who would fire eight coaches in his tenure. ''We were not an inspired group in the end.''

The Hurricanes certainly were inspired enough to capture a championship. In the last five years, Wang has let go of five coaches, none of whom posted a winning percentage under .500.

Now compare Laviolette’s situation to Nolan’s. Snow, who had absolutely no managing experience when he went from backup goalie to GM two years ago, said Nolan had basically lost the players. This comes not long after Neil Smith walked out after 41 days in the GM office because he couldn’t deal with Wang’s unique vision of running a hockey team by committee.

"Communication is key, along with the ability to provide structure to the team, to be able to discipline players and to hold players accountable," Snow said. "I'll look for a coach who has integrity, an inspirational, motivational, knowledgeable coach. Those are the ingredients I feel a great coach has. I look forward to the process of finding our next head coach."

Arrogance indeed played a huge role in this situation. But it didn’t come from Nolan. Wang and Snow thought building a group of aging standouts like Bill Guerin and Miroslav Satan would be the key to success. Then when a rash of injuries to veterans like Jon Sim and Mike Sillinger decimated the roster, the Isles’ front office deluded themselves into thinking their weak farm system could compensate.

Despite playing in one of the most affluent suburbs in the country, the Islanders continue to operate as a small market team mainly because of the depilated Nassau Coliseum, though Wang certainly knew about the poor venue when he purchased the team in 2000. It’s expenditures were 23rd lowest out of the 30 NHL clubs last season.

Last summer, a 40-goal scorer (Jason Blake) and a perennial All-Star (Ryan Smyth) bolted Long Island the first day of free agency. The Islanders replaced that production with an inconsistent Mike Comrie and a 36-year-old Guerin. Consequently, no player scored 25 goals and the team failed to break the 200-goal mark.

Then we get to the part of the supposed youth movement. Snow, acting on behalf of ownership, suggested that Nolan was reluctant to give young players valuable minutes. For a team who cannot bring in top tier free agents, building through the draft and the farm system is a sensible strategy. But it is also one that requires, you know, the ability to draft quality players.

Look at the production of the younger players. Sean Bergenheim, the club’s first round pick in 2002, finally got his first extended NHL playing time, seeing action in 78 games. The 24-year-old racked up a lackluster 22 points.

There was talk the franchise wanted Nolan to give players like Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen more time on a beleaguered power play unit. Tambellini dominated in the AHL but once again struggled at the NHL level, scoring one goal—one!—in 31 games. Nielsen scored two goals in 16 games.

Considering management’s expressed desire for a return trip the postseason, Nolan shouldn’t be criticized for not using these players more often. In the fair amount of ice time they received, their production hardly warranted the youth movement title.

The only legitimate prospect in the system is 2006 first round pick Kyle Okposo, and not surprisingly he was picked during Smith’s brief time on the job. The last time the Islanders drafted a quality goal scorer who actually starred for the franchise was Zigmund Palffy in 1991. Looking at that track record, do you think Nolan was the arrogant one for being skeptical of the decision to go younger?

Okposo looked good in his stretch-run call-up. The farm system’s crown jewel should make the team out of training camp this year and be a solid producer. In fact, the recently turned 20-year-old right winger said Nolan was a big help in making the transition from Bridgeport to the highest level during his nine-game stint.

“He really kind of brought me along and helped me through some things,” Okposo said during prospect camp yesterday at Iceworks. “He taught me little things about the game that I could use to help improve myself.”

Blake Comeau also showed some promising signs. Judging by his previous history, Nolan would have incorporated them into the rotation if he felt it gave the Isles the best chance at winning. So many good coaches have come and gone, and Wang fired a GM with a championship on his resume for daring to use his own ability to make decisions.

Looking at the trail of dismissals throughout the years with little improvement, it’s clear that the coaches have not been the problem. It’s the ownership, and by extension the front office, who are little more than mouthpieces for Wang. Perhaps the next coach will simply toe the company line. All that will mean is the the Islanders will be in agreement. And out of the playoffs.

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