SNOW: “We’re going to get a great player”
Refuses to show hand, will meet with scouts
9:20 pm - Garth Snow just completed a conference call with the media. Summing up:
- “It put a huge smile on my face. A great day for our franchise, a great day for our fans. It’s going to be a great day in June.”
- “We’re going to get a great player for this team. We have meetings coming up this week, and in May and June. We’ll go through our process diligently and thoroughly.”
- Asked which player he was going to draft, Snow said, “No comment.”
- Asked if he had one of Tavares or Hedman ranked over another, Snow said, “Yeah, and I’m not going to share it.”
- Snow never used the word “trade.”
- Asked about the potential meaning of Tavares to ticket sales, he said, “The mandate from Mr. Wang has been to bring the Stanley Cup to Long Island and to become a consistent contender.”
- Asked for a response to Brian Burke’s bold pronouncement of making a move for the No. 1 pick, Snow said that’s not the way he or the organization does things.
- “Kenny Morrow said it best: we don’t want to be in this position next year. There’s a lot of good things happening with this organization. It’s an exciting time to be an Islanders fan, and an Islander.”
- Snow sent his good luck charms to the lottery: dynasty member and current scout Ken Morrow, and Joanne Holewa – the GM’s assistant going back to Bill Torrey.
I’ll be on 1050 ESPN Radio tonight at around 10:40 pm with Bill Daughtry to talk about the lottery win. If it happens, I’ll link it here. Comments.
144 Responses to SNOW: “We’re going to get a great player”
Refuses to show hand, will meet with scouts
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mike says:
Tavares anything less and MOVE to Kansas or where ever.
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AZS says:
What could Toronto possibly give us for them to move up from the 5th spot and for us to move back?
I mean we have the #1 pick for god’s sake …make the pick …
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isles711 says:
As a full season ticket holder since Wang bought the team in 2000, I will be extremely upset and disappointed if we don’t draft Tavares.
I plan on calling the Isles tomorrow and telling whoever will listen, that Garth needs to listen to the fans AND his scouts and chose TAVARES.
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Ben Gunn says:
why would anyone listen to wang…let him be the OWNER and not the GM AND HEAD COACH…he has absolutely no hockey knowledge at all, so let the people who are certified experts do their thing and let him OWN the team…
but yea this organization has been through enough from trading away Chara, Luongo, to passing over Parise for Nilson who is an absolutely no one…we need a shot in the arm, give us something to look forward to.
TAVARES 2009!!
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Drew from Jersey says:
WE WANT TAVARES! WE WANT TAVARES!
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lefty says:
Morrow’s face showed JT.
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Moose says:
JO-HN TA-VAR-ES!
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Marcus says:
So extremely excited. I celebrated tonight and am really excited about Tavares or Hedman. But I am hoping for Tavares, there is no way we trade the first unless some team is so stupid as to give us a lot of their youth like the LA Kings and Blues.
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Matt Brosseau says:
I’m just happy the Islanders got a break for once. Having lived through the occasionally nightmarish last 15 seasons and being a fervent believer in league anti-Islander conspiracy theories emanating from Toronto, I was expecting a frozen envelope scenario where Colorado got #1.
But lo, the Islanders with brave Ken Morrow leading the way hath triumphed, and now our fate is in the hands of one Garth Snow, who surely can’t be as thick as he sounds.
Tavares NOW. Why wait another instant, create some positive buzz here and tell the rest of the league and especially Burke where they can stick their trade proposals. This is the ISLANDERS #1.
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Mike from Philly says:
Tavares better be an Islander. I will buy season tickets the minute he goes up to the podium and puts and Islanders jersey on in June.
Snow…dont screw it up!
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Richie66 says:
What number would Tavares wear
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Anything less than Tavares is a massive FAIL. Massive Garth.
You gonna be Milbury or Torrey? -
Pnut says:
Moose its:
John Ta-var-es!Snow is saying all the right things but it should be Tavares on 6/22 guys
eek,
Pnut -
I think the reaction from both Hedman and Tavers was fine with me with the possibility of going to Long Island. They are just young kids who are probably freaking. It would be great for Taveres to turn it up during the playoffs. They play Windsor, so should be very competitive games.
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JD says:
I’m looking beyond Tavares. We all know that we need to get the Lighthouse done, and we know that we need high-profile payers to sell tix. Tavares helps us in both areas. So the real question is…
What does the Isles GM do with the other 1st round pick and multiple 2nd rounders? What does he do with a few available FA’s? June and July may be very interesting…heck, we may see some crazy deals to get us 3 first-rounders!
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TIM says:
burke’s an bad GM anyways he Inherited an Anaheim team that won the cup and when he was GM in vancouver he drafted the twins but never stuck around to see them win anything whatever LEAFS SUCK……./.
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Garth cannot just come out and say he is going to draft Taveres. Say he gets a major injury in the OHL playoffs and he will not be able to be the player he is suppose to be now? If we were saying we were going to draft Taveres and then all of a sudden we need to pick Hedman, he would come here knowing he was not our first choice. Nothing would be gained by saying Taveres tonight.
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Railbait says:
Please select Tavares. He would probably wear 91 and I’d love to have a Tavares Islanders jersey!
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oops the draft is 6/26!
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Coach B says:
The cigar has been lit.
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Pat says:
Brian Burke wants Tavares ? Only way he gets to see Tavares is to come to LI and buy a ticket !
DRAFT the new “JT”
Pat
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Isle be Damned says:
by his comments I’m thinking they are leaning more towards Hedman. But I base that nothing on a feeling really.
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Marc says:
On the Isles web site, at the bottom of the lottery result page, it says “Representatives are standing by (to take ticket orders) now!” Is ANYONE buying tickets before knowing what Snow will do?
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Maverick says:
THANK YOU GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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MiKeT239 says:
NOt so sure we should not think about Hedman. He’s a 6’6″ Swede Dman that is 100% NHL ready. Played in the most elite league aside from NHL and thrived. I’d hate to be Garth Snow right now. He’s gonna be hearing offers from other teams now and everything.
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ken says:
HED-MAN
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avolp55TURGEONFICHAUD says:
Time to celebrate. We all deserve this after going through this season. Let’s just hope tonight plays a huge part in next year’s success.
Hedman and Tavares are amazing- though it looks as if Victor could probably eat John for breakfast. Can’t wait to see one of those two wearing the orange and (royal) blue next year!
EARLY XMAS WISH TO SANTA: JOHN TAVARES PLEASE
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txdbog says:
Garth better have already called up Tavares saying that hes the man, and this whole “diligent process” crap the isles are talking is some sort of ploy. For god sakes take Tavares!
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GasMD says:
I say pick the one who is going to be less injury prone.
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Sean says:
with garth saying he had one ahead of the other it has to be john tavares ahead of hedman.
beautiful night.
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John R. says:
“Why wait another instant”? Just throwing this out there but this is just one in many reasons to wait. We all know TB is probably leading toward Hedman but if they think we may take him they could panic and make a deal. What if TB offers a trade of their #2 for our #1 and gurantee they take Hedman , give us their #1 next year, and then throw in a top defensemen out of their farm? Yes it’s a long shot but anything can happen if a team falls in love with a player. Why not give it some time and see what develops? Some of you people must be terrible poker players.
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It shows that they are going to atleast pick one of the two !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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NYICHAMP39 says:
I am checking this site from the dominican republic on vacation. That is how much this team means to me. THANK YOU GOD!!! LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!! TAVARES WITH NUMBER 1!!!!!
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StevieL says:
Man, does Ken Morrow ever lose at anything?
When asked Tavares said he wants to “win the Cup”, Hedman wants to “play in the NHL”. It reminded me of something a guy from Ottawa told me when we were having Yashin troubles, “A Canadian kid grows up with 1 goal. to get his name on the
Stanley Cup, and he will fight and bleed untill that goal is accomplished. A foreign kid has a goal, to get to the NHL, to make life better for his family back home. The big money! That is why you always draft a Canadian kid over a foreign player. He will fight till the end! Tavares! -
jfn6958 says:
John r.:No, we’re not terrible poker players, just been burned by Islanders GM moves the past 15 years and a bit worried that Snow will blow this pick, that’s all!!
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StevieL #35
Totally true!! youre absolutely right…give me the north american!
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StevieL: I agree 100 percent!!!!
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London plays Windsor Wednesday night in game 1 of the OHL Western Conference Finals.
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Islanders1984 says:
Why do the islanders have to do this, most scouts have Tavares as the clear # 1. Do they really need to torture there fan base for the next two months
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Cruicky says:
35 – Well said. This is like a person with very little money, hitting it big. Spend it wisely Snow…..
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Wow I love the broad stroking of everyone in Europe saying they only care about money. Nothing like bigotry on a hockey blog.
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This wait might kill me. I’m very excited about JT. It better be JT!!
My next question though… who does he center??
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Bitten says:
I really laugh when I see some junior Jones state “If we don’t get Tavares, the draft was a failure…” Oh really? Well thanks for clearing that up. There are pros to both kids and you can make a STRONG argument for either player. I think the upcoming tournaments will tell a lot and when the Islanders make the pick, I guarantee they will have discussed this to death and will make the right choice. I LOVE Hedman and I LOVE Tavares – thank the lord that we’re in a position to choose either.
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Pritchett54 says:
i want tavares
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42
what you said is ridiculous. get over it! thats not bigotry…give me a break!
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Stevie L add me to the list of people who agree 100% on that point. There are so many examples of that our latest being the Yashin experiment.
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Paul says:
I don’t like the crap Burke is pulling. He knows that Tavares being a native of Toronto is also a Leafs fan. He is trying to put doubts in Tavares’ head about playing for the Isles. This is as good as tampering. Snow better not screw this up.
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Blizzard says: #43 I say Ko and Bergie. But maybe Gaborik……LOL!!!
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Rob from Suffolk ( aka rob ) says:
True story ……..
I was at ice works and somebody yelled tavares to garth snow. He turned around and smiled. Then gave a thumbs up.
It the islanders time to shine on June 26.
Tavares is our guy
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Food for thought from the mouth of Bill Torrey:
Q -What swayed your decision toward Potvin?
A -We figured the great defenseman, especially in the big games, was going to play every other shift, play more than half the game. Even the best forwards don’t match that time on ice. We went with the defenseman because we knew he’d be out there all the time for us. Look at Anaheim when they got Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer.
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Michael says:
John Tavares, come to where you belong. Help bring us back!
I sware this is the proudest I have felt since 2001. As ridiculous as this sounds. PLEASE draft JT.
PLEASE!! I will do anything!!!
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mattyboy says:
As a Coliseum usher who is often assigned to work the Isles’ wives, girlfriends and families section during games I look forward to the night when i can personally welcome JT’s family to the NVMC. Tonight is a wonderful night of celebration. Let’s try to enjoy it. Otherwise the next two months will be very difficult.
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#42 no one has anything against europeans in here. It’s all about heart and for some reason North American players have tons of it. There are countless examples of European players not living up to their potential in the NHL. A lot of euro players leave the NHL and go back to their countries to play because they miss home and never fully adjust to the North American way of life. This is just something a lot of us have noticed and we’ve been talking about it for at least 5 years now in a lot of Isles blogs. But definitely no hatred or ill will intended, just some observations and opinions that may or may not have merit in other peoples minds.
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Dave says:
We must boycott until a Tavares proclamation is made. No new tickets should be purchased or season tickets renewed until Garth gets real and lets the world know that Tavares will be wearing an Islanders uniform next year. If anything other than picking Tavares is done, I will have seen my last Islanders game ever.
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Matt says:
any free agent left wingers on the free agent block that the isles may want to target to play alongside tavares and okposo?
haha sorry i had to ask it!
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MSA says:
Maybe Snowy can trade the #1 pick and Fritz to Toronto for their #7 and a few 2nd round picks in 2010.
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CT Isles Fan says:
TAKE TAVARES!
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mapisles2025 says:
ALL WHO WANT TO DRAFT TAVARES JOIN THIS FACEBOOK GROUP!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=79353135063&ref=mf&nctrct=1239761069717 -
walter says:
im going hedman all the way
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Frank says:
Garth:
Take JT. The place will have some excitement again. This year was like a long funeral. It will be great for ticket sales. The habs will love to come down on buses and watch JT. -
I want cammaleri
I can’t spell his name lol
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Steve says:
Great post Stevel. That quote says a lot.
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isles99 says:
did u guys catch dave andreychuck shaking his head continously when he knew the draft was going i nexact order…..this makes me think they wanted tavares at number only to trade lecavalier to montreal for markov, higgins, others…
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dmen77 says:
I think Weight would fit in perfect with Tavares and Okposo…..He can also take faceoffs if Tavares is not very good at them.
Weight-Tavares-Okposo
Bergenheim-Bailey-Comeau
Tambellini-Nielsen-Hunter
Joensuu/Rechlicz-Park-JackmanIt’s not a bad start in a rebuild.
Sign Komisarek and get a veteran backup netminder. I could live with the young kids on offense packaged together with a veteran defense and a HEALTHY DiPietro.
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BringBackNyles says:
Hey, if Tavres forces our hand, I will get right behind Wang and garth if they tell JT, if you want to be in the NHL, its with the Islanders, otherwise have fun in Russia.
Playing here has advantages, namely, JT comes here, he can be a normal young guy, go out, see a movie..go to Toronto, you will be the Lebron of canada, with the weight of the world on your shoulders.
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Isles 99, none of the other GM’s looked happy. They all know Hedman and JT are above the rest.
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Andreas the Badger says:
#54: Yea, and you also have the fact that Hedman is born in a communist country and probably won’t be able to appreciate all the money and glamour that comes with being a superstar in the NHL.
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Another reason not to draft a European, in all honesty, they would be more likely to play in a European league to force a trade. But heck lets not be negative, the maple Leafs always blow hot wind…rarely is there any substance behind it
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JKP in Halifax says:
I believe the Canadian should be picked over the European *IF* all other factors are equal because it’s true that this game means more to us *typically* than any other country on Earth.
I don’t believe that European players don’t want to win and are just playing for the money, but for most Europeans, hockey nirvana is winning the Worlds or Olympics for their country. They grow up dreaming of national wins more so than the Stanley Cup.
That’s huge here, too, but we all grow up dreaming of the Stanley Cup from before we can remember. My three-year-old walks around with his little hockey stick shooting plastic balls into a small net all day screaming that he’s scored and has won the Stanley Cup. There are always kids playing road or street hockey in every playground I drive by and half the driveways on my block.
It’s just different up here. I sincerely believe we do want it more and players from here will *typically* sacrifice more to get it. Hockey is our religion.
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dalcy says:
#18 made a solid point. never thought about that. Imagine they pick a golaie.
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Eff Burke says:
Forget Burke, he’s just telling the fans what they want to hear so he can say “Hey guys, I tried my best.” What do you expect him to say anyway “Well uhh, gee whiz, we didn’t win the lottery so we’ll just sit tight”… par for the course, it’s all a show and there are few blowhards bigger than Burke. Let him run his mouth, it’s all he’s got.
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eric says:
colton orr, and travis moen ufs????
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# 68 – FYI is a constitutional monarchy, not a communist state.
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Lets stop expecting the worst, and hell, remember when Lindros pulled his garbage, the Nordiques/Avs ended up with forsberg, and the Flyers never won a cup. We ar ein control here
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Brother Rat says:
Thanks for sharing, CB! Your blog is absolutely essential. I don’t know how much I missed as a fan before becoming a regular reader a few months ago.
Also, thanks for editing them down into soundbites–the quotes make Garth sound relieved, focused, determined, and damn excited. Not sure if that’s how he sounded in context…but frankly, I’d like to believe that’s how he sounded.
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19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:
#35 SteveL ~ I got that lecture while playing in a tournament in Mississagua (sp) in the early ’90s … I said to my Canadian teammate … “I’d give up a year’s pay to play in the NHL” … and he said to me … that is the difference between you and me … making the NHL wouldn’t be enough for me … I want to win the Stanley Cup” I’m sure Hedman wants the cup too … but I don’t think he recited a play-by-play call of himself scoring the Stanley Cup clinching goal in OT like John Tavares has about 1000 times.
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Spartiarti from RVC says:
well its nice to see all the concerns of some of you relieved. Garth has no intention of trading away our #1 pick.
Sorry Burke, Sorry Toronto papers. You can live in you lil fantasy land of making up lies.
We got Tavares and 4 other picks coming in first two rounds. Cant be better than that.
WOOOOOOO.
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I’ve been reading tons of sites since jumping up and down like the Isles had just won a playoff series when I saw the Isles’ name called out for the #1 slot.
There is no way I could take Hedman over John Tavares … no way … Hedman may get more ice time … but John Tavares will score much more goals and crack games open … he thinks so much quicker than most NHL players … he’s got that intagible instinct and brings his lacross toughness to the table to. He gets dirty and is just deadly with the puck inside 50 feet of the goal. He put together a 2-way game and is NHL ready quicker than Hedman b/c of his skill and no need to adjust to N/A game.
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Mikey says:
Well – it’s officially silly season in Islander Country. Can you guys tell me where you find SEL games on satellite? I assume the posters that favor Tavares have seen Hedman play in at least 20-30 SEL games ? How else can you conclude that one is better than the other? Let’s resist the urge to think we are smarter than people who look at these players for a living. Some scouts have Tavares number 1, and some have Hedman number 1. Let’s just leave it to our scouting staff to make the decision. We will get a good player either way, so please calm down and just enjoy the moment!
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oren, just stop.
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chill man, this a happy moment.
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I think Oren just likes to argue with people
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Scott D. says:
Forget what you read on HockeyBuzz (and blogs like it) folks. It’s shabby journalism if it’s even journalism at all. Snow is not going to trade this pick unless he’s blown away by a Lindros-like package (which by the way was five players and three 1st round picks, eight players in all). I just think at this point they are not ready to declare Tavares the pick over Hedman. They’re probably leaning that way, but not ready to make it 100-percent official. And why the majority of fans look at that as a sign of Snow’s studipity instead of as a sign of Hedman’s tremendous potential is beyond me.
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Blizzard says:
I have wavored back and forth on tis one for quite some time. But I ask myself, when I go to a game next year who would I be more excited to see? When was the last time we had a true sniper? Hedman is gonna be a stud, but we need a sniper.
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drive45 says:
CB, I have to disagree with you. I would not announce yet who I am drafting. What if Tavares stinks it up in the OHL playoffs or worse yet blows out his knee? No reason not to wait to make sure he is at least healthy come June.
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Mouthwash says:
Season ticket holder here. As soon as my ticket rep calls, I’m gonna tell him that I won’t renew unless we get Tavares. I am tired of this team trading down for more picks. Lets get a franchiese player and if Tavares doesn’t pan out, I can live with it.
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predict taveras stats next year .
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Justin says:
Let’s say, just say, that Hedman turns out be Zdeno Chara, one of the league’s best defensemen and a potential Norris Trophy winner. Let’s say Tavares projects to be Kovalchuk, one of the league’s best snipers, a consistent 40-goal scorer. Who would you rather have? I personally would take the offensive force but I don’t think there is a wrong answer.
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If Hedman turns into Zdeno Chara, can we trade him and our next #1 pick for Alexi yashin? Oh wait…
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BR says:
(94) – Tavares is actually far more of a finisher than he is a playmaker. If he’s on the team next year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start at wing. He’d learn a lot on a line with Weight.
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Oren says:
WOuld you rather have a Lidstrom/Stevens or another Stamkos/Okposo??? Thats the real comparison. Answer that question honestly and you know who to pick. PS: Isles cannot afford to mess this up…so we can’t “live” with this being a bad pick..
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Garth Snow interview on NHL.com
“It’s a big moment for the franchise. We just have to go through the process of scouting meetings. We need great players and we need a new building — there’s no doubt about that.”
– Islanders GM Garth Snow -
Oren:
Honestly, nobody would rip them as long as its Tavares or Hedman. But seriously…Give me the sniper! Tavares! Thats how they got Bossy!
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rb says:
if you search on ebay for John Tavares and Islanders, it already comes up with a “rookie card” hit!
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I think calling Streit either Lidstrom or Scott Stevens is a bit of a stretch, if that’s what you meant. And Tavares comes higher rated than Stamkos, for whatever that’s worth. But like I said, we can’t go wrong…I hope.
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the1gwiz says:
Oren (100), Lidstrom/Stevens? Can you have two more disparate guys as your comparison? Everything I’ve seen/heard of Tavares speaks to a different type of player from Stamkos or Okposo as well (another wacky pair matched up together.)
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Isles4Cups says:
I think Oren is from Toronto?
Hmmmmm (83) – I read that this morning, and got a good chuckle. Berger boy is a Laff homer. He along with the rest of the Toronto media are already planning the parade for next season.
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Chara … Outstanding awesome D-man … What has he won??! Nothing … yet …even when Ottawa was a huge offensive force … Look at the assets that the B’s added over the last few years … a lot of offensive stars … and now they are in contention as one of the favorites for the Cup.
Look how long it takes for defensemen to mature into dominant forces … All the d-men cited to have been the differnce maker in winning a cup have done it in or just past their peak years. By that time Hedman will have attained UFA status … Forwards reach their potential quicker … Pick Tavares.
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Alex says:
Draft Tavares first overall, then trade our 2nd or 3rd pick plus a prospect or tambellini for the chance to draft Ekman-Larsson.
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it’s tavares . Has to be and gonna be
Let’s do it right garth
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Weight was re-signed for a reason!! “Doug this is John, John this is Doug, he is going to teach you a few things”!
Hey CB, did Mrs. CB get a Tavares jersey for her birthday? -
Staten Islander says:
Pick Tavares, then go for a D-man with size later on, and after that take a goalie
Make it so #1
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coral springs isle fan says:
I must say I have not felt this happy in such a long time. I had a terrible day and it just seemed as if I could not catch a break. I went and played hockey tonight and the puck just would not find my stick, my team could not catch a break, we had all the bad bounces and goal posts etc. My wife was fighting with me because I locked the door while I was putting on my jock strap so my three young daughters would not walk in on me and say daddy what is that (Bizarre I know; but so is my wife)? It just seemed like # 2 was going to be the icing on the cake to a really bad day. Did I mention I may have lost out on a huge manufacturing job for my company, 80K units for a Spinal Tap CD/DVD? And then I turned on my DVR, (which amazingly did not have a power surge) sucked down a shot of Jager and a beer and patiently waited for the last card to flip. When I saw the Isles crest turn over on that piece of oak tag my; heart raced, my body tense with excitement and I just started jumping around my bedroom like I did when I was 7 years old and Bobby Nystrom scored the overtime winner for our first cup. My day was saved! Congratulations to all Islander fans, players, scouts, management and Mr. Wang. Well deserved. Thanks CB for all your great work leading up to this; the next 2 + months will certainly be fun. Goodnight!
P.S. – Did I mention I found out today that I owe 15K to uncle Sam? So much for season tickets
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Alex.. I like the way you think… How about we trade Tambellini plus SJ 1st rounder to Edmonton for their 1st rounder?? The family reunion trade… ahhh I can dream.
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Ryan ellis had monster numbers .
Move up and draft him .
He’s very small but offensive skill is to good
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Ziggy16 says:
the islanders have not had a forward break 50 points in the last two seasons…they need to draft Tavares
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Robert says:
Lots of talk on TV lately about Pirates…. well, with us now officially having the #1 overall, San Jose’s #1 pick, two of the top six second rounder’s AND Boston’s second rounder…. We should come out of this draft with a Pirates Booty and Garth Snow is Blackbeard!!!
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CB, can you possibly clarify the rumors of Tavares not being excited on playing with the Isles and wanted to play in Toronto. I am starting to think we should draft Hedman.
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The Real Vukota says:
Draft JT and sign Orr to protect him
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Jon says:
wise a$$ comment made by espn announcer…. “in other news islanders win nhl draft lottery…. dont they always”… actually buddy we havent since 2000.
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we have wrecker
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Ari from Long Island says:
What’s going on??? Ive been waiting since 10:40 to listen to CB on ESPN Radio! I’m still waiting!
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mouthwash (111)
where are you hearing these “rumors” ?
Others bloggers, Toronto papers ?
From everything I’ve seen and read, he’s never said anything negative about playing anywhere. -
HilbertSnipe says:
Yeah, CB. I’m listening too! I love all the Yanks talk but I need my Tavares fix!
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LDK says:
In 1993, Orlando Magic traded first overall pick (Chris Webber) to the Golden State Warriors for third overall pick (Penny Hardaway) plus 3 first-round selections in 1996, 1998 and 2000. If Garth Snow is going to trade this pick, he should get a high pick (third-forth-fifth overall)this year plus 2-3 future first round selections. In this case only LA, Colorado and Atlanta could offer the high pick this year plus future selections.
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Jason says:
Why don’t the Isles just make a play for BOTH Tavares and Hedman. Offer the Lighting Streit + their other 1st pick, the two 2nds and a prospect.
Best of both worlds.
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He should not trade this pick. Snow is not that foolish.
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Yan Kaminsky says:
Hey everyone. I hope snow trades, for sure, but not down….. trade up, surprise us all get both tavares and hedman; theyre worth it! give up this yr’s number one, next yr’s number one, few other pics from this or/and future years and if needed another prospect other than okposo. lets do it!!! stop all of this talking to trade down. lets build with these 2 studs as cornerstones. the truth is we need them both. just about none of you have any knowledge of who’s better for the islanders. As far as your love to see a pure goal scorer I dont care for that. Just see Atlant with Kovulchuk now and him plus Heatley/Hossa different years. They score lots of goals but won nothing. Theyre still one of the worst teams. We need a good balance of goaltending/defense/goal scoring to compete for the cup; not to just make the playoffs.
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Eh, I’m all for making a push for both top picks (#120) but giving up Streit is a major no-no and would go down as the dumbest move in Isles country since Milbury was at the helm. Garth has earned respect with that signing, it won’t ever happen.
Maybe a package deal for the late first round pick, a 2nd round pick and 2 prospects plus Martinek or Bergy would do it, but doubtful. The beauty of this is that we can all dream. Fun, ain’t it?
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Oren’s making more sense than the rest of you combined (almost). I guarantee that more than half of those wanting Tavares have never seen him play, outside of the WJC and assorted clips. That’s not much of a sample to make a decision.
The Islanders’ scouting staff led by Jankowski has done a pretty good job over the last few years. It’s best to just trust them to do a good job. After all, they’re the ones who’ve spent many months actually watching the prospects play games!
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Is there a chance Garth Snow trades one of his second-round picks to Phoenix for Petr Prucha (he is a restricted free agent if I am not mistaken). Okposo-Tavares-Prucha is a very good first line and Prucha could score 25-30 goals playing with these guys.
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LDK (124) Instead of trading a 2nd for Prucha, why not sign him to an offer sheet and just give up a 3rd?
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rabbi (123)
I havent seen them play much outside of the WJC, but thats why I also trust what all the scouts are saying. When a clear majority are saying Tavaras, and i think the team needs a sniper…I need to go with all the scouts, and what I feel the team needs more.
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jonnyp says:
come on now…how many points does hedman have in his last 28 games? 25 I think…whats all the hype about??? Tavares all the way
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I want the following -
Draft tavares or hedman .
Move up in draft and draft Ryan ellis.( only 5 10 but 89 points for a defensemen). I like size but he would be a nice addition
Sign higgins . Long island kid that could produce when given proper playing time.
I don’t see us gettig he big star tho
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toorude says:
10:40 my a$$. is that a bad tax joke or something?
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This is a pretty big story. Even the Islanders made tonight’s NBC’s sports segment — including a Tavares highlight-reel goal.
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Just an idea-Colorado’s pick plus next year first round pick plus Paul Stastny for our first overall pick and third round pick. John Tavarez can replace Joe Sakic and we also get a very good return.
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donm says:
Hedman, and then Neilson or Bailey plus the #30 & #31 picks to Colorado for the #3 pick for Duschene.
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DocDuke says:
donm – i completely agree with you.
hedman sounds like he can be “the evolution” of chara.
and i think duschene is a really good player who fits our system.
keep trukin’
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Txdbog (126) I can’t say who I prefer because I’ve haven’t seen the juniors play much. All I’m saying is Jankowski and his staff seem to have done well recently, so trust them to make the right decision.
LDK (132) I like your idea in principal, but I don’t think it’s enough of a return. IF the Isles prefer Duchene, they should demand more from Colorado. Stasny is injury-prone. I would want, at least, Wolski, Liles, their ’09 first and thier ’09 second or ’10 first. Again, this is only if the Isles like Duchene better than JT or VH.
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DPS says:
If you guys think JT is going to solve all our problems your crazy. I feel bad for the kid. All this pressure. Of course we have the first pick, we were by far and away the worst team in the nhl. We might have been one of the worst teams in nhl history. JT is not Grezky. He isnt Lemiuex. Even if he is the next Syd look at the talent around him. Crosby has Malkin, Stall, ect. Its worthless unless we add a true nhl team around him. Not a buch of could be would be 4th liners.Our current team is aweful. We need some proven NHL 1-2 line talent. In a way this is bad because team Wang/Snow/Gordon may think they can get away with another horrible year and please fans on the fake “potential” and “rebuild” arguments.
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Daniel says:
I can’t even begin to explain the level of anxiety and stress I felt during that lottery process. I was explaining to my g/fs Mother about how much it would mean for the franchise to get number 1 and she actually screamed louder then I did when they announced the Islanders would be picking first overall. I am really excited, and really hope that Tavares will be in an Islanders jersey in June. I cannot wait until rookie camp this season it is going to a lot of fun with a lot of buzz, hype, and press which will be nice to experience for the team. Finally a good night to be an Islanders fan. Please don’t let us down Garth.
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Keliwol says:
woooow i am so pumped i cant believe islanders have a chance to draft JOHHNNNY TAVAREs LETS ALL GO TO THE SOUND TIGERS GAME AN CHANT DRAFT TAVARES
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Here is my idea. Take Tavaris at 1 then package pretty much every pick we have to get the 2 pick and take Headman. We get both with no other picks in the draft. Perfect
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No Higgins or Komiserek. Long Island kids yes, but they had poor seasons.
Excited for that number 1 pick!! Draft Tavares, but Hedman is good, too. No trading down. Screw Brian Burke. No trading Streit either. We hit it big with Streit, and that’s no way to treat a guy you sign to 5 years.
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MarinerIslanderSean says:
I would like to see them try and move up to around 9-12 and grab Jordan Schroeder or Oliver Ekman-Larsson. If San Jose loses in one of the first two rounds, their pick becomes #26 and could be packaged with some of the seconds/thirds. Tavares and Schroeder on the same day would be amazing.
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RAmen says:
I would love the Islanders to turn the SJ pick into a mid first rounder – don’t know if it’s feasible though.
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Hockey1919 says:
The North American vs European talk is BS. Look at the way team USA wilted against the Canadians in the WJ. Aren’t they part of North America and they didn’t seeme to be able to keep focus? Sweden is communist? Isn’t Lidstrom from Sweden and he captained the Wings to the cup. The Islanders were one of the first teams to bring in Swedes (Persson, Kallur) and Americans (Morrow). So let the scouting staff determine who is best fit.
Tavares and Hedman both looked listless in the interviews. Tavares always seems that way, but he certainly has passion on the ice. Hedman was awake at 2 in the morning on a long satellite delay speaking in a foreign language so what did you expect from him? Guys like Anders Kallur in Europe know what it takes to win a Cup and I’m sure he’ll bring a fair assessment to the table.
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Paul says:
I’m undecided between the two players. We haven’t had a superstar forward since Ziggy Palffy, but the idea of a 6-5 swift skating defenseman is very enticing.
Nicklas Lidstrom proves Steve’s comments wrong.
Tavares NOW