Tag Archive for 'ryan-smyth'
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.”
It’s just not fair out there on the ice, there are 10 guys wearing blue and gold and only 6 guys wearing the orange and blue. The 4 “impartial”, “neutral”, “officials” may as well be wearing Sabres jerseys out there. As has been the case all season (2nd fewest PP opportunities in the NHL) the Islanders are not getting any calls, and for the second straight night at the Coliseum, the story of the game was not what happened on the ice, but what happened in an office in Toronto.
Just like Monday the Isles came out strong in the first period, controlling the play and getting the better scoring opportunities. Unlike Monday, they got the first goal as Jason Blake finally netted his first goal of the playoffs just seconds after a Islanders PP had ended.
Buffalo countered with a pair of goals in the first and was about to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room when Ryan Smyth’s hustle negated an icing call and led to an Islander PP goal to tie the game up at 2 with just 15 seconds left in the period. But then Richard Park took a completely unnecessary interference penalty at the 20 minute mark. Buffalo started the 2nd period on the PP and it only took 39 seconds for Chris “Playoffs” Drury to score his second of the game and give the Sabres the lead again.
Down a goal entering the 3rd period, the Islanders played much better than Monday night’s 3rd period, even outshooting Buffalo 7-5 in the period. They had more chances than that - missing the net several times as well. With 1:42 remaining it looked like their hard work paid off when Brendan Witt crashed the net, knocking the puck, Sabres’ goalie Ryan Miller, and even the kitchen sink into the back of the net. Referee Mike Leggo immediately waived off the goal and headed to the on-ice officials to check the video replay. After the review Leggo waived it off again, and was showered with boos from the Coliseum faithful. FYI: Entering this season, Leggo had called a whopping 2 playoff games in his career.
Shortly after, Bergeron coughed up the puck in the defensive zone, Pominville scored and the Islanders are headed back to Buffalo down 3 games to 1.
After the game, GM Snow had a little video review session with reporters in the Coach’s office.
In the absence of a favorable decision by NHL video replay officials on a disputed tying goal by Brendan Witt in Game 4 of the Islanders’ first-round playoff series against Buffalo last night at Nassau Coliseum, general manager Garth Snow called a group of reporters into the coaches’ office, where video coordinator Mike LaZazzera ran replay after replay.
With 1:42 left and the Sabres clinging to a 3-2 lead, the puck can be seen hitting Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller and dropping on the goal line in front of him. Witt skates in from the right side untouched, gets his stick on the loose puck and sends it between Miller’s legs. LaZazzera freezes the frame and uses a red marker to show neither Witt nor Miro Satan, crashing down the middle to the net, has yet banged into Miller.
But referee Mike Leggo saw it differently. He waved off the tying goal and then waited while replay officials reviewed the play in Toronto. When the decision was announced, everyone assumed a replay decision had gone against the Islanders for the second time in two games. But Snow said that, after reviewing the play, Stephen Walkom of the league office said the ruling was made on the ice by Leggo.
Random thoughts…
- Jason Blake gets boarded by Numminen and the Isles get (1) 2 minute powerplay. Should have been at least a double-minor.
- Ryan Smyth dragged down or held up numerous times, no calls.
- The Islanders are missing the net or making one too many passes too often. Shoot the freakin’ puck on net.
- I think it is time to buyout Alexei Yashin’s contract, he’s awful come playoff time. He brings ZERO leadership to the table, and should be stripped of the Captain’s “C” immediately.
- 1st period, Kozlov, wide open net…either he missed, or it got deflected because he took too long to shoot.
- I like Bergeron, but he’s got to be more careful with the puck. The other teams know he’s going to get it up high, they jump on him quickly and when he turns it over, it’s an odd-man rush everytime.
- I forgot my camera last night, I would have loved to get some shots of the Islanders fans driving around the NVMC parking lot in a pickup with Islanders banners and a fake Stanley Cup. Kudos to those die-hards.
And that’s good news, because their pre-season prediction of this team was sooooo accurate 
Here’s their NYI/BUF Playoff Preview
Key Matchup: No one on the Islanders is good enough to warrant a matchup concern. And there’s really nothing the Islanders can do to slow down the Buffalo offense. That responsibility will fall solely on the sturdy shoulders of Dubielewicz.
Players to Watch: Vanek had the quietest 43-goal, plus-47 season in NHL history. He’s Buffalo’s game-breaker. But if you want clutch, look no further than Chris Drury. While his overall playoff numbers of 35 goals and 68 points in 98 games are hardly overwhelming, he scores big goals at key moments, as witnessed by his 12 career game-winners.
Prediction: The Islanders are good along the wall, determined in front of the net, and… oh wait, I’m sorry, I was thinking of the New York Ice Girls. Has the series started yet? Because it’s already over.
Buffalo in four.
Now let’s look at their pre-season Islanders predictions
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Gee, That’s Swell
* Ted Nolan is known for getting the most out of his players. And that’s good, because the Pony Express couldn’t get through to Alexei Yashin.
* Brendan Witt and Sean Hill bring character to the blue line.
* Now that he has his nifty 15-year contract, Rick DiPietro has plenty of time to perfect the art of being an average goaltender.
Grief
* Not many Ted Nolan-type players on the roster.
* Two words: Viktor Kozlov.
* Garth Snow, previously the worst goaltender in the league, is now the worst GM in the league.
* Charles Wang could always name Wade Dubielewicz team president.
Player to Watch: Trent Hunter. After an impressive 25-goal, 51-point rookie campaign in 2003-04, Hunter disappointed last season, scoring only 16 goals and 35 points. But it really wasn’t for a lack of effort. Hunter was second in the entire NHL with 230 hits, and his 221 shots were fourth-best on the team. Nolan could be just the confidence boost Hunter needs.
2006-07 Outlook: In the wake of Wang’s front office shenanigans and bizarre financial decisions, the Islanders are a complete laughingstock. Nolan has been out of the loop for a while now, and his act isn’t for everyone, so unless Snow can swing trades for Matthew Barnaby, Brad May, and Rob Ray, there could be lots of drama on the Island.
The Islanders will be competitive, but they lack the strong leadership from ownership and the front office required to be anything special. Then again, the division is so tight, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them finish as high as second.
Prediction: Fifth in the Atlantic and out of the playoffs.
Let’s see, Koz had a career high 25 goals and respectable 51 points. Garth Snow made the biggest trade of the season at the trade deadline, and Dubie came out of nowhere to save the Isles’ season and lead them to the playoffs. Let’s hope LCS’ Playoffs Predictions are just as accurate.
P.S. LCS is right about one thing…Chris Drury is MONEY in the playoffs - hockey or baseball. I remember watching him in the Little League World Series.
So here we are 5 games left, 2 points out, destiny in our own hands. For a moment, let’s forget that we are missing our 15-year franchise goalie, missing our trade deadline blockbuster, missing a forward suspended for 25 games, and missing so many defensemen that GM Snow has signed two players from the German Hockey League this week alone. Just another season in the life of a Ringling Bros and Charles Wang’s Circus hockey team fan - right?
Let’s look at 6 games, 8 points and what could have been a comfortable 6th place in the Conference with 91 points.
5. Bruins 4 Islanders 3 (OT/SH) 2/10/07
The Bruins have been doing the Islanders no favors the past three weeks, rolling over TWICE to BOTH Montreal and the Rangers giving those teams important points. Meanwhile back in February, the Islanders threw away a point vs the lowly Bruins failing to hold onto a 3-2 lead with 16 minutes left to play. The teams played a scoreless OT which forced a marathon shootout that saw ex-Islander Zdeno Chara score the game winner in round 9 of the shootout.
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4A. Rangers 2 Islanders 1 (OT/SH) 3/5/07
4B. Rangers 2 Islanders 1 3/8/07
OK so this list is supposed to be 5 games, but it’s pretty hard to separate these two games. It’s early March and the Isles are in the playoff hunt. They have a home and home against the Rangers who they are 4-0 against already this season - a chance to expand their 4 point lead in the standings - and they manage to get only 1 point out of the two games.
First on a Monday night at the Garden, the Islanders defense fails to show up. Maybe it was bowling night? DiPietro bails them out all night long with an Islander record 56 saves, but it’s not enough as the Islanders lose in a shootout.
Then three days later on a Thursday night at the Coliseum in what is affectionately known as “The Simon Game”, the Islanders play a much better game and are tied 1-1 in a third until Simon loses his cool and force feeds Ryan Hollweg some lumber. The Rangers score on the resulting powerplay and the Isles lose 2-1 in regulation.
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3. Canadiens 5 Islanders 3 3/13/07
If the Islanders fail to make the playoffs, this is the game that will get all the attention. DiPietro comes way out of the net in the first period to play the puck and collides with Montreal’s Steve Begin. DP leaves the game, misses the next two, and two weeks later the Islanders finally fess up and admit he suffered a concussion on the play. Dunham comes in the game and lets up 5 goals on 32 shots as the Islanders blow leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to a team they are battling neck and neck for a playoff spot - another four point swing.
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2. Red Wings 4 Islanders 3 (OT) 1/30/07
The Isles had a tough schedule after the All-Star break, first there was Atlanta - they came back from 3 goals down to force OT and get a point on the road. Then they hosted Buffalo and won with a 3 goal explosion in the 3rd period. Finally, they hosted Detroit and were sporting a 3 goal lead after 2 periods when things went south.
Detroit rallied for 3 goals (2 powerplay) to tie the game and force OT - where Henrik Zetterberg finished the Isles about halfway through. Detroit outshot the Isles 11-5 in the third and 3-0 in the OT.
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1. Blues 3 Islanders 2 (OT) 3/1/07
So blowing a 3 goal lead to a good team in the last 20 minutes is bad, how could the Islanders ever top that one?
March 1st: the first day of the last full month of the NHL season, time to prepare for the playoffs, Ryan Smyth’s first game as an Islander…and the Islanders go out and blow a 2-0 lead AT HOME in the final 2 1/2 minutes to a team with no chance of making the playoffs. Un-frickin-believable. Adding insult to injury, DiPietro picks up a penalty before the end of regulation and it takes the Blues just 20 seconds to score the PP game winner in OT . That’s 3 goals in the 3 minutes to a team near the bottom of the “goals scored” category all season.
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Honorable Mentions:
11/30/06 and 1/2/07 - The Islanders sport the NHL’s worst team, the Flyers, a 3-0 lead in both of these games and then come up one goal short in the comeback effort, losing 3-2.
12/30/06 and 1/4/07 - Right in the middle of their season high 6 game losing streak, Martin Brodeur personally steals 4 points from the Islanders. The first game should have been a 0-0 tie after regulation - the Devils scored a fluke goal when Islanders defenseman Alan Rouke tries to bat the puck out of the air…and into the net. The other goal that night was an empty netter. Five days later, Brodeur makes 40 saves, 17 in the third period as the Devils hold of the Islanders.
Buffalo, the NHL’s leading team won their 50th game of the season last night over the Islanders with a 5 goal explosion in the first period. Even-strength, powerplay and short-handed, they scored every which way except for an empty-netter in the first period chasing Mike Dunham after 20 minutes. I think the Sabres were trying to scare the Isles - “Do you guys really want to make the playoffs? You’re just gonna have to play us 4 more times.”
As I turned the game on last night, my thoughts of “Alright, Islanders powerplay! Let’s get the early jump on the Sabres.” quickly turned to “Oh %$#&” as Marc Andre Bergeron tried to keep a Buffalo clearing attempt in the zone only to have it bounce past him and Buffalo’s Derek Roy streak past him for a breakaway. Roy beat Dunham over his right shoulder for the shorthanded goal and a 1-0 lead.
The Isles’ next powerplay was more successful as Blake netted his 39th of the season to tie the game at 1. Then…the wheels fell off the bus. Vanek made a nice move behind the net and beat the rusty Dunham with a wraparound. Then the Isles started taking penalties, giving Buffalo a 5-on-3 powerplay on which they converted on both chances for a 4-1 lead. Finally, Drury scored his 2nd of the period for Buffalo taking the puck away from Robitaille at the point for another shorthanded breakaway goal and a 5-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Coach Nolan pulled Dunham (12 shots, 7 saves) after the first for Wade Dubielewicz who finished the game with 17 saves on 18 shots. He is clearly the sharper goalie at this point and needs to start in goal tonight.
To Nolan and the Islanders credit, they didn’t roll over the rest of the game. They came on strong in the 3rd, picking up a pair of goals to make it 5-3 early in the period and almost 5-4 as Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller made a nice save on a Brendan Witt redirection. The Isles then got in penalty trouble again with Yashin taking a completely uncalled for hooking penalty that the Isles were able to kill, and a Robitaille holding penalty that led to the Sabres’ 6th goal.
Stats of the Game - Isles PP 3/8, 2 SHG allowed, Buffalo PP 3/7, 2 SHG scored. 5 special teams goals allowed by the Islanders.
The only break the Islanders got last night was in Ottawa where the Senators beat Montreal 5-2, keeping the Islanders just 2 points out of a playoff spot with 5 games remaining.
Bonus Stats of the Game, from Erik Hornick on the Yahoo Islanders Fan Group
Sad but true. No goalie other than Rick DiPietro has won a game for the Islanders after February 1st since the lockout. (Dunham’s last win this season was on February 1st, and neither Snow nor Dubie won a game after in February, March or April last season.) Dunham has lost all five games that he has appeared in during March, allowing 24 goals. He has played only one complete game (the 8-5 debacle in Florida), as he has been pulled three times and replaced DiPietro in his first appearance. He has allowed 24 goals in only 211 minutes played — a goals against average of 6.83! To put Dunham’s numbers in perspective, the last time that the Islanders allowed more than 24 goals in a 4-game period (240minutes) was in October 1990 and the last time that they scored more than 24 goals in a 4-game period was in January 1993.
Injury Update: Oh by the way, Ryan Smyth missed last night’s game too with a leg injury. No word on Smyth or DP’s availability for tonight. I will update if I read anything.
Oh wait, I just read this on NewYorkIslanders.com
Only Smyth is a possibility to play tonight among the players who missed Friday’s game.
Video highlights from NHL.com
From SI.com and found via Off Wing Opinion comes this story about Ryan Smyth getting a call from The Boss.
Ryan Smyth already has received one phone call that could go a long way to keeping him on Long Island beyond this spring.
Smyth, the most shocking player moved Tuesday before the NHL trade deadline, had only been in New York a few hours when Hall of Famer Mike Bossy called to welcome the former Edmonton Oilers star to the Islanders.
“I thought that was pretty flattering and pretty cool,” Smyth said Thursday, hours before his first game with his new team.
I admit it…I went to bed with about 5 minutes left. We were up 2-0 over the Blues and I feel a cold/flu coming on, so I decided to get a good night’s sleep. I wake up this morning, a little stuffy and with a sore throat, but the worst part of the morning was checking the Islanders game last night. Thanks guys, now I’m nauseous too.
The Isles imploded in the last three minutes of the game, giving away an all-important point and ruining Ryan Smyth’s Islander debut. Smyth assisted on Sillinger’s powerplay goal in the first, and Marc-Andre Bergeron’s first Islander goal in the second gave the Isles a 2-0 lead. The game remained that way until the end of the third period when the Blues beat DiPietro twice in a 38 second span to tie the game up and send it to overtime.
DP picked up a holding the stick penalty with about 20 seconds left in regulation which led to a 4-on-3 powerplay situation for the Blues in OT and it only took 25 seconds for Lee Stempniak to score for the Blues and send Islanders fans home scratching their heads.
Smyth was on the ice for 18+ minutes last night, playing on the first line with Robitaille and Blake. A crowd of 12,000+ was at the Coliseum last night, not nearly as close to a sellout as I thought.
From Canada.com
Before the puck dropped for Thursday’s game, a video montage of the Islanders’ new hero appeared on the scoreboard. With A New York State of Mind serving as the musical accompaniment, the footage began with Smyth’s walk into the rink that morning and ended with the declaration: “I’m Ryan Smyth and I’m an Islander.”
The kid who once lived in his Oilers jersey was no more. He was now the Islanders’ trade-deadline rental, the player expected to push this team up the Eastern Conference standings. A team that happens to have its own history, its own Stanley Cups, its own legends.
And now, its own fan base already smitten with Ryan Smyth. Before the first intermission, all 150 jerseys that had been rapidly rolled with the No. 94 plastered on the back were sold out.
From Newsday.com
For more than 57 minutes, Ryan Smyth enjoyed what amounted to a housewarming party in his new abode at Nassau Coliseum last night. His perfect pass set up a power-play goal by buddy Mike Sillinger, and Smyth’s heady move to put the goal back on its moorings allowed the Islanders’ second goal - by Smyth’s former Edmonton teammate, Marc-Andre Bergeron — to count.
The crowd of 12,263 that showed up for Smyth’s Islanders debut was disappointing in number but sounded like 16,234, chanting No. 94’s name during the national anthem and several times throughout the game. But before anyone could lift a toast at the buzzer, the fizz went out of the champagne. Lowly St. Louis scored two goals in 38 seconds to send the game to overtime, and it took only 25 seconds for the Blues to win it, 3-2, on a four-on-three power-play goal by Lee Stempniak.
Video highlights from YouTube.com
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OK I promise this is it for the Ryan Smyth coverage here at Islanders Army. There is just so much coverage coming from the Canadian press, Newsday and the hockey blogosphere that it’s tough to ignore.
- Radio station CHED in Edmonton has the audio of Smyth’s “farewell” speech/press conference.
- A pair of articles from the Toronto Globe and Mail on Smyth’s departure.
It was chilly yesterday morning here in the heartland of hockey. “Minus-94,” a local radio announcer cracked.
Smyth repeatedly declined any and all attempts to get him to discuss the dollar figures that separated him and the Oilers when negotiations for a contract extension broke down about 20 minutes before Tuesday’s NHL trading deadline.
Smyth wouldn’t say; his agent, Don Meehan, thought it would serve no purpose to discuss the matter publicly; and Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe didn’t return a phone call.
“That’s between Donnie and myself and Kevin and the organization,” said Smyth. “It just didn’t work out.”
Fair enough. Whenever a negotiation of this length and magnitude fails, there’s certainly enough blame to go around. The Oilers could have been more proactive in trying to get Smyth’s name on a contract last summer, when they were throwing dollars around to the likes of Ales Hemsky and Fernando Pisani — but weren’t.
- Even USA Today, who normally dedicates a whopping 1/4 of one page to NHL action chimed in.
How much do you pay an athlete if he is your leading scorer, the soul of your team and the face of the franchise?
Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe had a different opinion from Ryan Smyth on that issue, which is why Lowe has been accused of selling the Oilers’ soul to the New York Islanders.
On Monday afternoon, Lowe’s reputation around the league was clean and shiny, with plenty of sparkle on his resume. Right after the lockout, he brought Chris Pronger to Edmonton. Just last spring he was being celebrated for making the key trades — including the acquisition of goalie Dwayne Roloson— which allowed the Oilers to slide into the playoffs and then reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Lowe’s Oilers were the first No. 8 team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Fans certainly viewed him as a man who didn’t need directions to find success.
But in his short time in charge, Snow has proved himself to be both aggressive and effective. Although only time will tell whether the long-term deal was shrew or folly, DiPietro has been sharp this season, particularly this past month, posting an 8-2-2 mark. Two of his free agent signings, Viktor Kozlov and Sean Hill, have both meaningful contributors. When it became clear that Mike York was struggling and Alexei Zhitnik wasn’t fitting into coach Ted Nolan’s style early this season, Snow traded them and saved $5 million on cap space and actually received players (Randy Robitaille and Freddy Meyer) that are performing better than the players they replaced.
At the time, Snow pledged he would use the money near the trade deadline to improve the team. He made good on his promise by bringing in power-play point man Marc-Andre Bergeron, Richard Zednik and finally Smyth.
Snow had approached Lowe at the general managers’ meetings in Naples, Fla., and told Lowe that if he was going to trade Smyth, he wanted a chance to make a bid. Apparently he made the best offer because the Islanders have now have transplanted the Oilers’ soul.
- LCS Hockey is convinced Smyth is a rental player.
Getting Smyth was a bold but risky move. It’ll be difficult criticizing the trade if New York makes the playoffs and manages any sort of postseason run, at least, you know, until the unrestricted Smyth signs with a Canadian team over the summer, making anything short of a Stanley Cup a colossal failure. Giving up three first-round picks for a rental player is inviting grief. Even Snow’s oversized shoulder pads won’t be able to protect him from the abuse.
“We’d love to — we’d love to do that,” said Nolan in regards to re-singing Smyth, who will be seeking at least $5 million a year. “I think in time — and a player has to feel comfortable where he’s playing, and obviously with the economics and what have you, but this is a beautiful place. I mentioned to the media here last night, I mean, I look up in the rafters, and this my first year in Long Island, I look up in the rafters and I see Potvin, I see Bossy and Trottier and Gillies and the sweaters retired in the rafters; I see four banners and Stanley Cup winners, and this is a great place to play in. Hopefully we can make this Ryan’s second home.”
It’s worth the effort. But, in the end, I’m sure Smyth will find Long Island a nice place to visit, but he wouldn’t want to live there.
- Meanwhile, Coach Nolan’s job is to convince Smyth otherwise in the next 3-4 months.
“When you get a player of Ryan’s stature and character, this brings back some credibility,” Nolan said. “I mean, we got more press in Canada than any other time. This one put us on the map, and hopefully, it will get other people aware of what we have to offer here on Long Island.
“Players have choices, and we want them to say, Long Island treats their players well, Long Island’s a great place to live, and we want them to choose us. There’s no better way to sell your product than to get word of mouth.”
- NewYorkIslanders.com and Islanders TV has lots of Smyth coverage too. I checked out Islanders TV this morning to find videos of Smyth’s arrival, first practice, press conference, post press conference interview and even more footage from last night’s game.
“I look forward to this new chapter with the Islanders and making a run for the Cup,” said Smyth. “I’m just one player and that doesn’t make a team, but hopefully, I’ll be a piece to the puzzle that gives this team an opportunity to win the Cup.”
When Smyth arrived at the arena this morning around 11 am, he had little time to dress and get on the ice before the Islanders’ morning skate ended, but he still had time to talk to some of the players and personnel.
“Everyone here has been so welcoming,” said Smyth. “The first guys I talked to were Silli and Hunts. I know Silli from way back, and Hunts as well. I met some guys in the locker room and on the ice as well. The atmosphere has been really good.”
A student of the game, Smyth certainly knows the Oilers dynasty that he grew up following closely, but he also talked about the dynasty the preceded the Oilers’, the Islanders’ four Stanley Cup run.
“I really appreciate the history of this organization. Just looking up at the banners, it’s a lot like the history of the Oilers. The names of Trottier, Bossy go on and on.”
- And finally, Greg Logan’s blog has one more article about Smyth that didn’t make the newspaper.
As great as the Coliseum can be when it’s rocking, as it has been in several recent games (Pittsburgh, Toronto, the Jason Blake chant at the end of the Philadelphia game the other night), we all know there’s a big difference between the hockey culture in American cities compared to what it is in the Canadian venues Smyth is used to.
There must have been some confused cabbies at the area airports this morning as a pack of Canadian journalists arrived this morning and asked “take me to the Nassau Coliseum”.
“You wanna go where??!!”
The newest Islander, Ryan Smyth arrived yesterday morning and attended his first practice this morning. There is a press conference scheduled for later in the day to present Smyth his #94 jersey. Islanders TV already has a video online of GM Garth Snow’s assistant meeting Smyth at the airport. Ah the glamorous life of the assistant to the GM…picking up a player’s sticks at baggage claim. I would expect IslandersTV to add coverage of this morning’s skate and today’s press conference in the next 24-48 hours. Although, by the sounds of it there might actually be some Islanders’ Press Conference coverage on the TV news tonight. Wow.
On a side note, female Islander fans must LOVE this trade. He’s a pretty sharp looking guy, sorry ladies he’s married.
The newest Islander, Ryan Smyth, had quite a welcome party when he arrived at the Nassau Coliseum this morning for the team’s morning skate. With the amount of media descended upon the Coliseum this morning you would think the Islanders were in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Reporters from all across Canada and the tri-state area flocked to the Coliseum to capture the arrival of Smyth, who has been dubbed “Captain Canada.”
Oh by the way, the Islanders host St. Louis tonight at 7:30pm. If you would have told me before the season that this game would probably be a sellout, I’d have called you crazy.
New Islander Ryan Smyth landed in New York last night and will participate in today’s morning skate, according to the Isles’ team Web site. Smyth will then be available for questions from the media so be on the lookout for coverage. He intends on playing tonight against the Blues. Early word is that he’ll be on the top line opposite Blake.
Here’s what Smyth had to say to the team Web site:
It hit me today like, ‘wow…Edmonton and now the Islanders.’ The Oilers have an amazing tradition, but the Islanders’ tradition is just as strong. So I look at it as going from one historic franchise to another. I’m very proud to be an Islander.
Newsday’s Greg Logan interviewed Smyth by phone yesterday. As usual, great job by Logan and Newsday in covering the OrangeAndBlue. Here’s some of what Smyth had to say to Logan:
I’ve heard nothing but great things about Teddy Nolan, and I know some of the players like Mike Sillinger, who is one of my good buddies.
I hope for the best for the Oilers, but I’ve got to move on and try to win a Cup.
