On the Islanders Beat

You never know, Charles Wang said today during the English language portion of his international news conference for Project Hope. One of those kids from China wearing a jersey with an Islanders logo could grow up to be the Yao Mingh of hockey.

That isn't the intent of the initiative, organized by Wang four years ago to promote hockey in China. The real reason is just to do something for the part of the world in which he was born and to generally spread good will. But if one of the thousands of kids who are playing hockey now in Islanders-sponsored rinks makes it big, so be it. Wang would be gratified if some day one of the children from China who played on Coliseum ice this morning becomes president of China and says he recalls his first trip to the U.S. with warm feelings.

It was a proud day for Wang, seeing the squads from Harbin and Qiqihar playing (Qiqihar won, 6-0), then talking about hockey, the Islanders and international relations with media members from four New York-area newspapers, local TV stations, CNN and a bunch of media people from China. It was another one of those out-of-the-ordinary days for the franchise, the type that spices up the long season. It was probably the biggest media turnout since Al Arbour Night.

"We want to touch their lives," Wang said of the children, who were high-fived by Islanders players at 10 a.m., as they left the ice.

Coach Ted Nolan, who posed for photos with the kids, as did Wang, GM Garth Snow and 10 players, said the youngsters will remember the experience for the rest of their lives. Nolan said that for all he has acccomplished in his life--including making it to the NHL as a player and winning the league's coach of the year award--nothing can ever quite eclipse the feeling he had the first time he was on a travel team and went into a hotel. "I saw an indoor pool for the first time," he said.

But he knows who probably was touched most of all today. "I'm quite sure," Nolan said, "Charles gets a smile right in his heart."