This post was published 14 years 3 months 1 day ago which may make its content inapplicable to the current Islanders roster and/or team news. This site is not responsible for any misunderstanding.It’s that time of year again. I’ve been bad at pumping up the draft this time around – especially because I WILL BE THERE again.
Well, we all know how my draft wish ended up last time around, hopefully this year now that we have the number one overall selection, things will end a bit differently.
In the hopes I get this right, let’s just reuse most of the first paragraph of that post last season:
Not since the likes of one Zigmund Palffy have I been more excited or intrigued by a player like John Tavares. It’s not because he is the next Canadian sensation – (although it helps), but it’s because of the way he makes skating and other hockey skills (save for that pesky alleged defensive zone ineptitude) appear natural and free-flowing. Everything I have heard of Tavares, I have liked. He knows what pressure is like and feels that the New York Islanders would be a great team for him. He is excited about the prospect of returning glory to our storied franchise, digs the history behind the team, LOVES Long Island (although Hedman loves the women…) and wants to jump headfirst into the NHL.
Tavares is a sniper, plain and simple. He is the guy that just has a nose for the net and finds himself time and space to get open and put the puck in the net. His faults can be augmented by strong play by his linemates. So what, he may be less then stellar in his own end – the kid can score. He has broken tons and tons of records and has excelled as he progressed from level to level. He has been in the spotlight since he was 14 and been touted as a potential first rounder since then.
I know Chris Botta already used information from McKenzie’s article on TSN, but I have had the tab open in my browser since it came out. Several quotes like
“I don’t envision us moving the (No. 1) pick,
“That’s the plan right now,” Snow said. “Don’t you think (the suspense) is a good thing? Don’t you think that’s the way it should be?”
He said suspense, think about a PACKED Nassau Coliseum with thousands of screaming fans not knowing who the selection will be, but praying for John Tavares. Do you think they are excited for Victor Hedman or Matt Duchene? Each of those players will be great in their own right, but do you honestly feel all the hoopla is for either of them? As of yesterday, the Islanders have given away over 18,000 free tickets to their Draft Party. That is a staggering number. With all the fallout from trading down from number five, to seven and then to nine for Josh Bailey at the very small draft party last year, I am going to be estatic that I am in a different country if things do not happen this way this time around. Charles Wang won’t even have to pay for demolition of the Coliseum to pave way for his Lighthouse Project, the place will be torn apart one section at a time for free Friday June 26th at around 7:15pm.
When prodded about how long he has known who he would pick, Snow replied:
“Well, when we won the draft lottery (on April 14) I was asked if I knew who we were going to take,” Snow said. “I said at the time that I had a pretty good idea but that I wasn’t firmly committed to it until we went through the process of doing our due diligence on all the top guys. Let’s just say the process re-affirmed what I thought back then. We want the same guy now that we wanted back then.”
If the consensus pick was John Tavares, their pick is Tavares.
Yes, the Islanders did due diligence in interviewing all of the top three. They had each player visit Long Island and spend time with Garth Snow, current players and even alumni. In the end, the player who spent the most time here, made a large impact on management and Doug Weight? John Tavares.
However, McKenzie gets the following warning out of Snow near the end of the page:
“Honestly, and this isn’t an indication of who we’re taking or not taking, but we can’t be concerned with public perception of what people think we should do,”
Public perception is funny, should we take any hints from what he says then at that point? Misdirection for the purpose of confusing your opponents is one heck of a way for a GM to make a name for himself. If you aren’t going to listen to fans and then have 18,000 of them show up – why should we even listen to your rhetoric? It’s a two-way street Garth.
I have been saying Tavares or Bust for months – I still feel that way right now. It may even make people forget that they passed up on Nikita Filatov last season, a player that most likely the same fans were just as excited about.
Tavares is a stats machine and if Garth deprives us of a player like that, he’s unforgivable…
I feel the same way as you and ‘IslesPassion21.’
Seeing JT light it up for another team after knowing he *should* have been ours would be sickening.
If the pick isn’t Tavares, who I *have* been watching for several seasons, it would make me really question why I keep supporting this team and the people currently in charge.
You know how I feel about this. If it were up to all of us, JT would have been picked back in April.
Alas, that’s not our job. However, with almost 19,000 fans attending a party meant exclusively as a coronation of the next face of the franchise, I would be hard-pressed to think they are taking anyone other than JT.
Otherwise, Snow and Jankowski will be on the hot seat for lengthy explanations as to why they chose one of the other two.
We shall see in just 2 days time…
I do have to give Snow some credit, he has built this hype up. How many plan on showing up? The media is all over this, the fans are all over this. The only down side would not to draft Tavares. The crowd is too big, and it’s been built up so far that anything but Tavares would be heart breaking. Can’t see Garth doing that.
If Snow does not pick tavares then it will be evident that he has read mike milburys self written book
” How to destroy the Islanders franchise year by year and piss the faithful off !!”
Totally agree on the pick, on the impressive hype, and the potential devastation if this doesn’t happen.
I’m willing to listen to hockey reasons to draft the other players — but why would they risk the psychic blow to a fanbase that can’t afford any more blows? Almost inconceivable.
I have been a die hard Islander fan for a long time just like thousands of other people.The destruction that has plagued this team for a long time is quite disgusting.We have endured bad officiating through the years,bad breaks with players being outright taken out at the worst possible times in the season.We have endured the worst stretch in francise history in any sport the self destruction that the moronic Darth Milbury bestowed on our beloved Islanders.last year alot of people felt that the Islanders were pathetic for passing up filitov(myself included).Now we have the chance to land Tavares and Snow won’t say whether or not he will pick him.this is pathetic.I find it pretty interesting that Tavares has been the top prospect by every scout wherever he’s played since he was 14 and now because the Islanders have the 1st pick all of a sudden he’s the 2nd or 3rd best pick.Are you kidding me.If he wasn’t the best pick then guys like burke in toronto wouldn’t be openly saying he’ll do anything to get Tavares.Some people are
saying if the Isles get hedman they would be fine with this decision because he’s nhl ready.BAH !
Thats all they would need is to waste a top pick on hedman and then when he gets really “nhl ready” they won’t want to keep him because he’ll cost too much so they give him away like they have before (Chara).How many players through the years have we had or had the chance to get that milbury screwed up on.If the Isles want a d-man than do your homework
and find some one like Jay Bouwmeester,or kyle Quincey.Don’t waste your time with Hedman.Im sure he’s a good pick but we need A pure Goal scorer.they have streit which in my book was the best signing they’ve made in a long time on D.The psche of the the Islander Faithful has repeatedly been dumped on long enough through the years especially through
the Darth Milbury debacle.Here we are now to finally rid ourselves from being the laughing stock of the league and take Tavares.GROW UP SNOW !!.put an end to milburys dark legacy.Start a new one your own !!.Its real simple T-A-V-A-R-E-S.Say it LOUD AND PROUD up there tomorrow.Make the faithful believe in you Snow.Give the fan base some happiness for once !!!! T-A-V-A-R-E-S-
Glad to see some new posters over here!
I have been chanting Tavares’s name all season whenever visiting fans would say how much we suck. Whatever the case, it’s Tavares or Bust and I really mean it. Sure, I would be OK with Duchene, but I have a full on man crush on the clear cut front runner – JT.
It’s been too long since we had a legit scoring threat – it would be nice for once to have some high octane offense.
Plain and simple…If we don’t get Tavares, expect a riot!
If snow don’t take tavares I’ll be the first in line at the riot.lol we all know snow is gonna screw this up.it is too easy.he thinks hes got this master scheme figured out burke will end up getting tavares.the entire world will once again commence with the laughing at our beloved islanders.they will talk about how the dumbo snow fell for the trick and didn’t pick Tavares. snow will then announce the retirement of d.p. (watch them pick a goalie at 26th spot).he will go home that night thinking he did the right thing.He won’t even realize that he’s still wearing the donkeys tail on his coat-tails ,the islanders faithful will be looking for blood.all this while Darth Milbury will be looking in the mirror at himself saying dam I couldn’t have screwed this up any better than snow did and from then on there milbury will refer to snow as “minnie-me” because he’s proud that snow will follow in his legacy of destroying an entire organization with as much passion as he did and piss off the faithful.Snow if you dont pick tavares i hope some 80 year old lady kicks you right in the yam sack !!!!!!!!! ITS SIMPLE……………..
T-A-V-A-R-E-S-
Dear Mr Snow, i am writing this letter to let you know i will be attending the draft party with my 9yr old daughter. If you fail to draft Mr TAVARES and a riot ensues and my daughter is injured you will need to move to a remote island. And Mr wang i will see you at wholefoods in jericho. Please rebuild my childhood memory .