Symth Talks About UFA and Isles
April 23rd, 2007 by murph
NewYorkIslanders.com has an interview with Ryan Smyth about his impending unrestricted free agency this summer. Click the link for the full interview, and cross your fingers that Smyth stays on Long Island.
On whether he will wait until at least July 1 — the first day of free agency — to decide what to do:
“I’m sure they’re (Islanders management) not going to make it easy. I want to explore the next couple of weeks with my family and my agent.”On the Islanders tradition:
“I came from a place where I loved to play in Edmonton and came to another historical team that sees and knows about the Cup. Even the ex-players are still around, so it’s nice to see them still pulling for the team. It’s pretty special having talked to some of the guys like Bossy and Trottier. I came from the West side of the rivalry, knowing all those Oilers. Now I’m getting to meet the other side, which has been great. I still remember when Gretz wrote in his book about when he walked down this hall and the Islanders were wearing ice bags and they weren’t even celebrating when they beat the Oilers. They knew how hard it was to win and what it took. That’s the reflection you get when you see the other side of it. Seeing how these guys are and how they deal with everyday life. It’s been a great opportunity to get to know them all.”On Rick DiPietro and whether he has tried to convince him to stay on Long Island:
“There’s been some talk, but that stays between us. Rick’s obviously going to be around here for a while and you can understand why the franchise would want that. Ricky’s work ethic is awesome. There’s no doubt in my mind you can build a championship team around him.”
