It’s been a long day of telephone calls, teleconferences, checking the internet, transcribing interviews and, finally, writing the two stories about Ryan Smyth’s arrival as an Islander that will appear in Newsday Thursday morning. I was expecting to hear from Ryan around 5 p.m. or so and had long since given up hope, figuring it was a rough travel day for him, not to mention an obviously emotional separation from Edmonton if you have seen his farewell news conference on tsn.ca.
Just as I finished typing up notes from an interview with coach Ted Nolan around 7:30 p.m. and was preparing to write my main story, the phone rang. The voice on the other end asked for “Gary” Logan, a common mistake people make with my name. It was Smyth calling from the airport in Minneapolis, where he was changing planes for a later flight to New York. He apologized, an unnecessary but very thoughtful gesture, and said his agent, Don Meehan, misunderstood my name when he passed on the message.
Not wanting to take up too much of Ryan’s time with a flight to catch, I zipped through a quick interview that was pleasantly upbeat, considering the sudden transition he’s making. We got off the phone, and I called the office to change gears and make the Smyth interview the main story. All of which, I hope, explains why this blog is late-arriving tonight.
Not surprisingly, neither Smyth nor Meehan wanted to discuss coming contract negotiations with the Islanders, who could wind up just renting him for their playoff push and the postseason if they qualify. Smyth said he was “drained” by negotiations with the Oilers, and Meehan said it’s “premature” to talk about signing with the Isles.
No doubt, four months until the July 1 free-agent period opens is plenty of time to reach an agreement if Smyth is so inclined. The process of getting to know each other starts Thursday when Smyth skates with the team in the morning before playing on a line with Jason Blake and probably Randy Robitaille against St. Louis. Meehan will be here for the meet and greet along with several members of his law firm.
Smyth’s agent said his only contact with owner Charles Wang and general manager Garth Snow had been to discuss travel arrangements. When I asked if Smyth would sign if the Islanders meet his asking price, Meehan said, “We haven’t even had a discussion. We’ve gone through a very difficult time, and we haven’t even approached that process other than Ryan feeling he really wants to contribute and get the Islanders into the playoffs.”
As Snow indicated when he announced the trade, that really is the first order of business. The Islanders have 19 games to see if Smyth can make a difference in their locker room and in front of the net on the power play. He helped lead eighth-seeded Edmonton to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, and the way the Islanders have played throughout their 11-2-4 streak, you’ve got to believe they are as much, if not more, of a threat than the Oilers were this time last season.
In fact, their progress to this point is what convinced Nolan to push for the deal despite the cost of former first-round picks Robert Nilsson and Ryan O’Marra plus this years’ No. 1 pick. Smyth’s toughness and leadership are renowned north of the border, where he is known as “Captain Canada” because he has been on so many national teams. During the Oilers’ playoff run last year, Smith suffered an incident in which he lost most of his teeth, but he rejected oral surgery until after the season, got stitched up and didn’t miss a game.
New Islanders defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron also was acquired from Edmonton and is good friends with Smyth. Describing the power forward’s impact in the locker room, Bergeron said, “Ryan is more of an active role. He’s able to take a lot on his shoulders. The main thing is he really finds a way to answer. I’ve seen him taking some heat, and he’s able to answer back the next period or getting that big goal. It’s something that not too many players in any sport are capable of doing.”
Nolan, Snow and, yes, former GM Neil Smith, built this Islanders team around character and grit, and Smyth is the epitome of what the coach wants from future Islanders. Ever since Snow became GM, he and the rest of the scouting staff focused on getting a handle on the prospects in the organization and making determinations about their value because he wanted to be prepared for a situation like the one he faced at the trade deadline and try to avoid the mistakes of the past in terms of giving up too soon on a good prospect.
Does Nilsson have skill. Yes. People who have played with and against him have expressed great admiration for his skill level. But the question is whether he competes the way Nolan is going to require in the future. Apparently, it didn’t look that way at Bridgeport. O’Marra was a solid prospect, but he certainly hasn’t been dominant as a senior player with Saginaw in the OHL. Is he better than Blake Comeau will be? Sean Bergenheim?
Kyle Okposo is the Islanders’ only first-round pick since Nolan was hired, and he wasn’t going anywhere no matter what was offered. He fits the future mold. And in a league where there will be a high turnover rate in the free agent market every summer, Nolan is confident of finding other players who will fit the mold and who will want to come to Long Island once they see the kind of team he is building.
When you have a shot to gamble on a Ryan Smyth and add him to a team that has good goaltending in Rick DiPietro and the will to battle every single night, it’s a risk worth taking.
“We talk about speed, and we talk about skill a lot,” Nolan said. “But the thing we have to include in that mix is how hard a kid competes, how hard they work and their competitive level. And Ryan Smyth, when he was 18 years old, those are the qualities he demonstrated. And he’s done it through his whole career.
“So, it’s nice to have people who can play, but I always say, ‘My sister could play.’ We want people who know how to win and want to win and compete and love to play the game. That’s the whole environment we’re trying to create, and Garth and I have spoken a number of occasions on that along with Charles. We’re just starting. Hopefully, we have a long ways to go here and a long tenure and we keep building it and get stronger and better.”
Comments (55)
great blog gary. i am really falling in love with this team. remember the 2001-2002 turnaround season where the isles got off to the huge start and sort of played .500 the rest of the season before losing to toronto in 7. this season is starting to feel like that and at what better time than february, march and into the spring for a team to get hot? hopefully ryan will have a big game on thursday and is named the #1 star so we can all chant his name and give him a true islander welcome. LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!
DRIVE FOR FIVE BABY!!!!
(keep up the great work Gary, erm, I mean Greg!)
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!
This is the kind of coverage I love, great job by Greg Logan and welcome
CAPTAIN NEW YORK !!!!!!
The Isles management will make a suprise announcement today that they signed Captain NEW york to a 5yr deal.
What a great idea Charles!!!
Do it for Long Island.
It would be like when the Rangers got Messier.
greg, how did you interpret this part of his answer to whether he'd sign if we met his asking price?
"You never want to close any doors"
Great job Greg Logan! Breaking the news first and now this interview while also getting the Isles as the main story...Isles fans have been complaining that Newsday, "Long Island's Newspaper", has covered the Isles poorly and have been begging for the paper to cover them better...Thanks for helping to change that!
Greg Logan, I'm very impressed with your hard work this season - especially with your hustle in the corners around the trade deadline.
You're the Ryan Smyth of sportsjournalists, you're awesome.
Gary....I mean Greg, kudos up and down. We couldn't have asked for more than you've given us the last few days and will continue to give us for many years (hopefully) to come.
I feel much better after hearing Smyth's interview with Greg, because honestly I got a pain in my stomach watching the Edmonton press conference....Let's make some noise, pack the Coliseum from here on out, give Smyth a standing ovation every time he touches the puck, and cement this team for years to come.
Also, I couldn't agree more with Greg's point about the prospects...I didn't want to see O'Marra go, in fact when arguing with a friend that we should get Smyth I proposed Nilsson, a 1st rounder, and Nokelainen instead of O'Marra, but he projected as more of a character guy than a game-breaker...I could go either way on Nilsson, and I totally agree that Bergenheim, Comeau, Okposo, and Tambellini have at least as much of a chance to contribute at the NHL level.
All in for this year, baby! LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!
(And let's get Smyth locked up long-term so I can get my #94 jersey to compliment my DP jersey!)
Also, I thought you'd all be amused to see that the commentators on TSN don't think Edmonton got ENOUGH for Smyth.
Greg, just wanted to take this opportunity to compliment you on the great job you've done covering the Islanders this year. The blog has been great and informative and your articles are timely and well written. Please keep up the good work!!!
Greg, first great job again this week!!!
You said, "When you have a shot to gamble on a Ryan Smyth and add him to a team that has good goaltending in Rick DiPietro and the will to battle every single night, it’s a risk worth taking."
That's the Islanders position--and some of uis may be more risk averse. Notwithstanding the interview with Greg by a one of the NHL's most stand-up players, if you've seen the full tsn.ca farewell press conference, I'd have to say that unless we offered him at a minimum of $6 million a year for four years--there's a 1% chance he'll sign here. It's also not prepostrerous to suggest he'll still sign with Edmonton and they'll have Smyth, Nilsson, O'Marra and our 2007 #1 pick with Lowe smiling like a Chesire cat.
Again, I'll hope for the best that this high-cost "gamble" will pay off. I'll be there tonight as I have for every game rooting hard for the team. If nothing else, Greg, perhaps we may have actually seen the end of the Milbury era of players--marked more Mad Mike's fascination for specifc individual skills as opposed to their innate desire to compete.
You are doing a great job Greg...! I know it's almost a year, but I'm just wondering: what happened to Alan Hahn? Is there anybody who knows...? Many thanks
First, while I'm spinning... The first comment I posted on this new blog format was how poor Newsday's coverage was since Hahn was replaced. Okay, thanks for turning that around. This is a tremendous forum, and Greg's hard work is showing up in print. Thanks.
Now back to the story at hand. Last night was the first time I got to see the exit scene.
1. A guy like Smyth is worth way more to the Oilers than he would be to the Islanders... and I think he's going to be a helluva player for the islanders... but if he's not an Oiler again next year I'd be very surprised. Of course, that doesn't mean that the other team in NY won't spend 20% of their cap to try to rebuild the 2006 Edmonton Oilers...
2. The Islanders have brought in character guys in the past, but their LACK OF CHARACTER muted any sense of team, or pride, or desire... THIS REGIME IS DIFFERENT. Thank you Mr. Wang.
3. Mr. Wang should address the crowd tonight before the game with that big confident smile. He should welcome Ryan, and thank the whole team (from the players to the kid that sharpens Snow's pencils) for their hard work thus far. This is the time for the St. Crispin's day speach... I hope Charles reads Shakespeare.
Let's Go Islanders!!!
Greg
Awsome Job breaking this story and with your overall coverage this year!! No offence to Alan Hann, who I am a fan of, but this is the best coverage we have had in a long time.
Question, Is there any truth to the rumor that Blake was traded to the Ducks after the deadline and the NHL nixed the deal?
I heard that Blake was asked about durring an interview with 1050 AM
For all the people who make this mistake (I am sure people who are not fans of the Islanders or have not watched the Islanders recently), this trade was NOT about making the playoffs. We were making the playoffs anyway and Snow knew that. This trade was about going DEEP into the playoffs. Someting we have not done in 14 years. This trade was about making a buzz for the Islanders in Nassau, New York, and around the league. Is going deep in the playoffs and bringing this franchise excitement and some very much needed credibility after the last off season worth the guys and pick we gave up, even if we do not resign Smyth?
Its might be a steep price, but I think it is.
Lets Go Islanders!!!!!
The best things to come out of this is that:
1. Nolan commits to the organization. In essence he is saying, Nilsson, O'Marra and a weak first rounder are not the ingredients I want to build a solid foundation...and I'm going to be here to build it"
2. The organization commits to a vision.
3. Even if Smyth is in Pheonix next year, and Blake is in Anehiem... the TEAM moves forward.
4. the Islanders are a living organism. It has had periods of growth, health, great illness, recovery and last summer, hopefully, REBIRTH.
In no way should the moves at the end of last year (when MM turned the roster over to give Smith and Nolan a clean slate) be discounted. Nor should the moves since to bring in guys like Sillinger, Witt, Hill, Simon, Hilbert, Park... This is not your granfathers Islanders.
Let them worry about July in July. A little faith is needed. given the moves over the past 10 months they deserve that.
Greg,
Is there any way you can get your hands on season ticket history. I know that will be a big part of the story when all of this is said and done.
I think JP is dead on. While some of my previuous comments focussed solely on hockey concerns, this is not a deal Lou Lamirello would have made for purely "on-ice" considerations. This involves the entire Islanders/Wang sports enterprise (YIkes! Milbury!) and trying to create immediate buzz beyond what is a demonstrably poor fan base when it comes to actually purchasing tickets.
And while I want to avoid the discussion about the whys and hows more folks can come into the building. The attendance numbers are the only objective measure Wang has and when you can't sell out the Penguins/Crosby on a Monday holiday with Havoc Zone tix, Family Pack offers, and the way the Isles have been playing--I'd say the numbers speak for themself. The buzz has to go beyond the immediate, rabit, BUT SMALL die hard fan base. And thius deal does the trick.
Every Jason Blake hater should read this article. How can you not love this guy. This is from a non Islander fan.... http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=879
This will be an amazing trade only if we sign Smyth to a longterm deal.
An earlier post states 'Having Smyth, Nillson, 1st round pick etc....and Lowe smiling" just makes me sick to think that we could've blown such a nut on anothe rpotential Kirk Muller deal.
Hope I'm wrong and this franchise is reborn built on/around Smyth's and Blake's hard work, class and hustle, but it seems, even from Smyth's comments, this might be a serious roll of the dice.
19 game rental. HUGE risk and a genius move by Lowe if he re-signs in July with Edmonton. Greg, can the Isles sign him to a lt contract and keep Yashin?
It was really hard to watch Smyth's press conference.
He clearly doesn't want to leave Edmonton.
He said, referring to joining the Isles, "I hope we win the Cup so I can bring it back to Edmonton, cause this is where my heart is."
Damn.
Hope this isn't another Kirk Muller situation.
Doubt we'll be able to resign dude this summer.
As an outsider looking in (I'm watching because of Smyth), I think the only way the Isles can make the push beyond the first round is if they finish 6th. Don't go trying to get 4th or 5th. They're not going to get 1st in their division to finish 3rd in the conference. If they finish as high as 5th, they play against Ottawa the first round. With how well Ottawa is playing, you don't want that. Playing against Tampa in the first round will guarantee a second round spot (I think, but I'm biased because I hate Tampa). Finish 6th easily, let the other teams all kill each other. And when you face Buffalo, hope that Miller is injured because they traded for Conklin and he's a goat. Unless of course Montreal pulls an upset in the first round (based on the standings right now) and beats Buffalo. Then just wait for the Sens in the finals and hope they were beaten in the previous.
Forget what you "gave up" for Smyth, focus on what you got in Smyth. Go youtube last season's Oiler run and see what kind of impact player he is. You'll be amazed.
I was not too happy with that comment either... Who would want to bring the cup back to the team that dropped an unexpected bomb on him by trading him across the world
Being from Oil country, I have to admit a tear squeaked out with the 'where my heart is' comment.
My copper and blue #94 has the Islanders logo pinned on the front for the next 19+ games.
For us, hopefully he does return to where his heart is, for you guys, let me tell you, hockey in June is something else.
C'mon Smytty, show us the Cup in the City of Champions.
"Once an Oiler, always an Oiler" -3 7 11 17 31 99
Andrew, I wouldn't worry too much about that comment. I took it to be similar to when Ray Bourque won the Cup with Colorado and brought it back to Boston (I lived in Boston at the time and went and saw that-it was very cool)
If Smytty helps the Isles win the Cup I don't care where he takes it!
I'm pretty sure what he meant was that he'd be bringing the cup back to Alberta. That just means he wants to bring a cup with HIS name etched on it to celebrate with the family and friends who have supported him for so long. The guy is a class act.
If this comes down to Lowe saying, "Ryan, we love you, but right now 19 games with the Isles gets us three 1st round prospects... Your deal will be waiting for you July first" then the Isles look a little foolish.
But who cares. We got Smyth and MAB from them for three guys who couldn't crack Nolan's lineup and a weak first rounder.
they now have a legit shot at the cup with Smyth, Zed and MAB.
If the league allows smyth to take less to go back to edm, then collusion can be assumed and it puts a really bad spin on the whole CBA and why the lockout happened in the first place.
As far as ottowa goes... screw them and there eternal whining about losing money and having the deepest talent pool in hockey... and doing absolutely nothing with it.
The next big change in Hockey needs to be a movement to remove Bettman from any position of responsibility. Let his legacy be the man who gave us the Columbus what's their names, a year's break from me having to hear craig laughlin's voice, the NHL ON OLN and John Spanos.... he's not qualified to run a dairy queen franchize.
Craig Loughlin is the color guy for the Washington capitals. The only way I could describe his voice would be Denis Potvin after a few hits of helium... They really should use capital games to get information out of suspected al queada terrorists.
Great coverage, Greg. TSN has nothing on you and your exclusives. All of Canada fell asleep at the wheel w/ this one. Hopefully we sell out tonight!
I agree there is something a little wrong with the current 'Rent-a-Player' process.
Case in point (sour grapes included) - Mark Recchi and Doug Weight last year. They won, it's over, next...
The logic with K-lo had to be this:
1) he has a team to run so he had the chance to make something out of a 'possible' nothing and lose Smyth. [The scouting might be a little suspect - Nilson is the son of an Oiler scout. ;)]
2) trading Ryan now provides 2 bonuses if you're a conspiracy theorist and think there is a pre-arrangement for Smyth to return July 1:
a)sheds $900K of salary to pay him in his next contract
b) gives a stand-up guy a legit shot at the post season, to a team that might be mortgaging it's future for now.
MAB is certainly a double edged sword... similar with Tom Poti of days past. Hopefully he doesn't clobber diPietro in a pivotal game for you guys. Still, he's pretty good for a guy who was never even drafted.
Zednik? Well... he's european.
Greg - awesome job all year! You insights and coverage has been stellar. I had tsn, spectors, eklund, hockeysfuture, islandermania, and the isles site all open and refreshing every second. You beat everyone to the punch and gave all of us die hard fans the details and continually fresh content when we wanted it most. Thanks!!
MC, I agree with you now. I won't care one bit if he helps us win the cup. Take it wherever you want......
Just a quick note from an Oiler fan.....
The teeth story is better than Greg stated. After getting his teeth knocked out he bends over picks them off the ice, heads off for a few minutes to get stitched up, and comes back to setup the WINNING GOAL in TRIPLE OVERTIME in a game that turns the tide against the San Jose sharks and turns the series over to the Oilers.
Smyth brings so many intangibles that can't be appreciated until you see him play for you.
He irritates the defense, he pesters the goalie and screens the opponents in front of the net and is often instrumental in the team getting goals where he never earns a point.
This guy never gives less than 100% performance. You know how some players (like Claude Lemieux for example) play amazingly well in the playoffs (sometimes called a money player), well, Smyth plays like that ALL THE TIME.
He sat around and watched Lowe sign a team full of floaters to overpaid contracts, Hemsky and Horcoff both ended up getting paid more than him and haven't done squat. Nedved, Lupul, Torres, Pisani, the list goes on and on.
As much as I would love to see him return to Edmonton I am predicting that this guy will not only sign a contract with your team, he will be the Captain after outworking and out performing every player you have.
Just remember that he has been asked about a contract 8 million times over the last 2 years and he will prove his worth to you, which in my books is alot more admirable than signing a huge contract before he has even played a game for you.
This guy is good. You have no idea yet......
for some reason, i dont get the feeling that wang's "committee" or wang himself, as a businessman, would buy into the ideal of a "rental player" the way it stands now in the league.... i get the feeling that snow wouldnt have been approved by the committe to make a trade like that unless the committe was pretty intent on signing him to a long term deal after the trade - and the value of the player is not only a given among the GMs of the league after all ive read, the price has already been more or less set - the isles probably know the exact figure and terms of years that will get smyth to sign - and probably figured on it when making the trade.
point is, i just dont see wang allowing his "committee" to give away so much for a player for 19 games and possible playoffs... its a bad "business move" and i am betting they already knew they would have to shell out 5.5 to 6 mill a year for smyth by the end of the season - but everyone in the game already knows he is worth it - check out melrose's podcast on espn.com today - ive rarely heard barry speak so highly of a player - stated outright if he had the choice of jagr or smyth as a long term signing, he would choose smyth. thats saying A LOT!
please wang-committee.... give this guy whatever he wants to keep him on the island for the next five years!
Kyle, please tell me you're a certified psychic and all this will actually happen (mainly the long-term contract).
Anyway, thanks for all your kind words...we're fortunate to have a guy like Smyth and I for one hope he represents our team for many years to come.
I can't wait to watch the game tonight...let's pack the Coliseum to the rafters.
p.s. thank you greg for finally bringing some actual sports reporting to the islandrs after that hack hahn decided to step down!
Great deal if Smyth stays. Would suck if he misses Edmonton so much that he gives in to their offer and signs with them next season. Then we lose a lot. But I don't want to kill the buzz we're feeling right now. This guy is the embodiment of the gritty down and dirty lunchpail totin' team we've come to love. And in the playoffs could be a huge difference maker. Would like to see him sign long term here so we can finally dump Yashin and make room for another addition.
I’m very happy there’s a buzz back on the island - the first one in 5 years (since laviolette) and I’m grateful for the frequent updates to this blogspace – but while reading all the kudos offered logan today, I wondered what who’s been passing around the kool-aid and what’s the cause of such a rash of short-term memory loss amongst the regulars here
I refer you to a piece written only a few days ago entitled “Handwriting on the Wall” where logan, having access to Islander management and other sources of inside information, insightfully concludes “Maybe Snow will decide to keep Blake and all these questions will be moot by this time tomorrow. But I don’t think so. I think the handwriting is on the wall. And has been for some time.”
Analysis like that only hurts one’s credibility as a journalist, and just because this is a blog shouldn’t allow the writer a free pass when it comes to critical thinking
Speculation. Somebody go slap Greg's hand.. a SPORTSWRITER bold enough to offer an opinion...
SHAME ON YOU!!!
You live in a state that is the home to a senior senator (junior at the time) whom during a congressional hearing said it was okay for a federal agency to incinerate babies... and you want to call a sportswriter on the carpet for voicing his speculative opinion in a blog.
I can only shake my head...
So how are the Isles going to sign Smyth?? Hmmmmm.. that's an easy question to answer..
Would anyone be surprised if Snow/Wang did something crazy like signing Smyth to a 7-year deal worth $33 mill? I wouldnt.
Go Isles!
Why stop at 7? What about 10 or 15?
Why not let the guy play for nolan and live in long island for a few weeks.
Banff is a very special place... but if he can get used to 5MPH traffic, being sworn at in 17 different languages while he drops his kids off for school, property taxes established to subsidize an invisible economy and the general sense of malaise created by a landscape only recently devoid of nature... then WE GOT HIM!!!
Well.. at least the pizza is good.
I can't believe that nobody has realized that we already got this guy in the bag for the next 5 years... 4 words!!!! The Syosset Ford Ice Girls......
Ha! I wish Smyth had 10 to 15 more years left in his tank. :)
The Isles dont have enough room under the cap to get in a bidding war with other teams on a 5-year deal, so I dont see what other options they have except offering Smyth more than 5 years.
Also, I dont care what anyone says.. .there is NO WAY that they are going to buy out Yashin. Unfortunately, we are going to have to watch that drip skate around the rink for another 4 years.
Actually, that was 5 words.. My bad
Is 'drip' a new Russian slur I haven't heard about?
Are these Ice Girls the tarts with the shovels at commerical breaks?
I don't know whats gonna happen come July but right now the Isles mngmt. is making all the right moves. I guess they'll take a wait and see attitude when it comes time to open the wallet. In reality we didn't give up that much for what we got. For now we got three good lines a solid D , Simon and Asham who'll lock horns if anyone gets out of line. For now, this team looks good, damn good.
Yes, those are the girls.....
Its not a Russian slur.
Drip - A useless or idiotic person. Thesaurus: fool, chump.
Ah. Russians can be like that... all young, eager and productive(Malkin), then they slow down with their heavy, bulging pockets. They can only be motivated to dessimate their old teams, so nobody wants to get rid of them.
As for the shovel tarts... each team in the league has them. Except for Toronto who have old men. Not sexy at all. [not that I think 15 year old girls are sexy... publicly]
Word is that the difference in contract negotiations between Smyth and the Oilers was $500,000 overall. Peanuts.
But. Smyth didn't sign because he was thinking of his family.
I have no doubt New York is a great place to live but $5.5 million per year goes a lot further in Alberta than it would in New York. Remember, he has two kids and a wife to support for the rest of his life and he's closer to the end of the career than he is the beginning.
He was grossly underpaid the past two seasons and I think he's looking to rectify that.
Who knows, once he starts paying state taxes etc., he might decide it's worth it (compared to our alleged social country in Canada).
I know Smyth's wife is joining him in NYC so we'll see how she likes it there and if the kids might like it there. If so, he may stay for a family adventure. If not he may look at his options elsewhere.
My understanding of NY is it's expensive real estate wise and compare it to Edmonton financially it may be a wake up call to him and he re-signs in Edmonton.
Only time will tell!
Good luck against the Blues tonight. I saw the NYI website and it was a great pain to see Smyth in a non-Oiler uniform.
I love the true characther player we signed in Ryan Smyth. As a side note, we have one in Chris Campoli too. I met him at a fund raiser in Toronto last summer where a host of former coaches praised him for tireless, team first efforts on and off the ice. He's exactly the mindset Nolan is looking for in a player. His dedication playing with a Ryan Smyth will build an Islander team for now and the future. Hopefully Nolan and Flynn finally see this in their final six D for the playoff run. Go Isles Go!!!!
You know, the "bring the cup home" comment he almost had to say. It's his way of thanking Edmonton, Alberta, the entire country of Canada for the support he's gotten. There is no doubt that he loves Canada. But, he loves hockey, he loves to win hockey games, will throw all of his heart and soul into what he loves, and his goal is to win the Cup. We Islanders fans have had a few players like that to route for before, and we embrace them like family. Welcome, Mr. Smyth. Welcome to Islander Country. I hope you love it here as much as our great players of the past have, as much as we will love you if you play like you always do.
I'd like to express to all the Oiler fans who have posted to this blog that I really appreciate your comments and heartfelt expressions about what is obviously a very special hockey player. They've not only educated me about a player I must admit I knew very little about, but you've also demonstrated what real hockey fans are all about. At the end of the day, it's all about the sport. Hockey is the greatest sport on the planet and it has the greatest fans. I personally will be rooting for the Oilers in the future. If not this year, I hope the Islanders and Oilers meet real soon in the cup finals. Until then, we'll do our best to knock off the Hurricanes.
My suggestion to mr wang would be to hire a minister of propaganda. You need to send somebody with a pair of scissors out to his lawn (or the hotel lobby) to intercept the local paper. Of course it will look like swiss cheese (btw, anybody know where tommy salo is these days) when he gets it, but he won't be subjected to the NY Media negativity first thing in the morning. I mean nothing goes better with scrambled eggs than child molestation, racial tension, political corruption, police corruption, medical fraud... have I left anything out... oh yeah, and Alex Rodriguez.
Dear Islanders Fans,
You are in for a treat tonight as you will witness perhaps the NHL's most passionate player today. Ryan gives all he has and then some, first one on the ice, last one off in the warm up skate. He always tosses out three pucks to the kids before he heads off and as a proud Oilers fan I will miss him terribly. I respect him as a player and a person so I support him wherever he goes...
GO ISLANDERS GO!
Bring that cup to Alberta Smytty. You will always rock my world!