With Thanksgiving approaching, we have a lot to be thankful for. Everyday is a blessing and it’s worth appreciating the special gift of life. There are many who are still suffering following Sandy. Even without our favorite hockey league, MSG Network continues to do a great job airing replays of the KHL Game of the Week and also getting ready to host a big college hockey game between Cornell and Michigan this Saturday. If I had time, I would be there in a heartbeat.

During the lockout, they have also shown some Ranger playoff games from the run to the Conference Final, which is always nice. You get a good perspective from Dave Maloney and Bill Pidto is an excellent studio host who I had the pleasure to work with over at ESPN. A very quirky guy with a sense of humor, which is why he’s lasted.

Speaking of which, close friend Stan Fischler has his interns hard at work on a new MSG Hockey Project, which will highlight classic games from the past. Under the Maven, I contributed to his Fischler Report that goes out to NHL executives and did extensive research for a couple of books, including a few player profiles on the Detroit Red Wings. Under Mr. Fischler, I also got to work behind the scenes during New Jersey Devils home games in the production truck. A memorable time that included one of the best production crews and of course legend Doc Emrick and Glenn “Chico” Resch. That’s an experience I’ll take with me forever. Sitting in on production meetings for the Fischler gem and learning from some of the best. I never would’ve gotten to ESPN without Stan. My two years in Bristol as a hockey researcher are fond memories.

A decade later, here is the same unique character continuing to teach willing participants the ropes while never taking a day off. We can all learn a thing or two from Fischler, whose schtick isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. The new MSG Project debuted the other day. Yesterday, I checked out the 1984 Rangers/Islanders deciding Game 5. A game that’s always been highlighted on MSG before but never been shown in entirety. Stan wrote a column that can be read over at msgnetwork.com on that series. At the time, he worked for Sports Channel on Islander games. His retrospective was interesting to the point where he along with Isles legendary play-by-play man Jiggs MacDonald and Ed Westfall believed that Herb Brooks’ upstarts from Manhattan would prevail.

In fact, according to Dad, they had the Islander Dynasty on the ropes but blew Game 4, allowing the best-of-five first round series to shift back to Nassau Coliseum. What followed was another historic script written by the blood rivals. A topsy turvy game that had it all. Scoring. Lead changes. Shifts in momentum. Clutch goaltending by both netminders, including a virtuoso performance by Billy Smith with counterpart Glen Hanlon just as brilliant. A controversial late tying goal from Ranger captain Don Maloney forced sudden death. You know the rest with Ken Morrow winning it for the Islanders, who advanced to a fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Final before the Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier ended their run of consecutive series wins at an NHL record 19 that stands to this day.

Even when they were outplayed by a faster Ranger squad who used Brooks’ philosophy that made them tough to defend, the Islanders showed why they were champions. There was unbelievable talent on the ice for the Islanders featuring Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Bob Nystrom but names such as Butch Goring, Bob Bourne, John Tonelli, Duane Sutter, Brent Sutter, Greg Gilbert, Tomas Jonsson along with newcomers Pat LaFontaine and Pat Flatley were just as important for the Long Island club that also featured backup Kelly Hrudey. They were coached by Al Arbour.

On the Ranger side, there was a young James Patrick proving why he was one of my faves on our blueline making excellent defensive plays while jumping up at exactly the right time to set up Maloney’s tying marker. Their roster included dangerous finisher Pierre LaRouche (48 goals), Ron Greschner, Jan Erixon, Peter Sundstrom, Reijo Ruotsalainen, Anders Hedberg, Mark Osborne and the Maloney brothers. With Hanlon on the bench, Brooks substituted rookie John Vanbiesbrouck to buy time, allowing his players extra rest before Don Maloney’s redirect sent the game to overtime.

Put these two rosters in a heated rivalry full of hatred between players and in the stands and you had the makings of a classic series. One that was a breath of fresh air to watch. There was no overpassing and no cheap penalties called. It was hockey. If you get a chance to catch the replay, don’t miss it!