Islanders Camp: Streit survives day one

SYOSSET, N.Y. – Mark Streit was sweaty but smiling.

Nearly a year after his 2010-11 season was ended before it began because of a shoulder injury sustained during an intrasquad scrimmage, Mark Streit took the ice Saturday on the opening day of New York Islanders training camp. Not even a workout that forward Matt Mouston tweeted was "hardest training camp day in my 6 years of pro.... no messing around this year," could take the smile off Streit's face.

"It was a good short-but-hard first day. Everybody's in shape, and it was a good atmosphere out there," Streit said. "I can't wait to skate tomorrow and Monday."

The Isles' No. 1 defenseman said he's been skating for "five or six weeks" before camp and said he had "the same rust" that he usually does when starting out a new season.

"I'm in good shape and great spirits," he said. "As you can imagine, I'm very excited for training camp, for the first preseason game and for the first regular-season game."

He did admit he expected to have a few butterflies when he steps on the ice for his first game – the Islanders start their preseason schedule Friday night in Boston, then host New Jersey the next night.

"For sure," he said. "It's always special to play the first preseason game, and obviously the first regular-season game. For me, it's going to be even more than that because I didn't play for so long. It was painful – it was torture not to play and help out the guys.

"I worked really hard, so I'm really, really excited finally to practice with the guys, to be in the locker room, to play in training camp and then to start the new season."

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