Pretty interesting that John Tavares and Matt Duchene chose to stay the night over Garth Snow’s crib a few days ago; I don’t know how common a practice that is, but it at least means that if either of these two players get drafted by the Islanders, they’ll be somewhat happy campers.
Things get even better though, especially in the case of Tavares.
From Yahoo Sports:
• C John Tavares not only slept at GM Garth Snow’s house during his visit to Long Island in late May, but he toured Long Island with 17-year veteran C Doug Weight during his stay. “I drove him to some areas and said, ‘I played 15 years in the league before I knew this was here,’†Weight told Newsday. “You can have a wonderful fan base; we can start winning, and sooner or later, there will be a new building. You’ll have one of the greatest cities in the world 30 minutes from your door, and it’s a beautiful summer spot.’ I said, ‘You’re the type of player who can be the face of this franchise for a long time if they take you. There’s nothing to be afraid of as far as being here on Long Island. There’s a reputation because the team hasn’t had much success over the last 12 years, but maybe it just takes somebody like you to get in there.’ He showed absolutely no worry… He handles the pressure well, but I also think he likes to get away in the off-season. This could be a perfect place for him.â€
Make no mistake about it, this was one of the reasons why Doug Weight was resigned. He’s like a used car salesman you want to take out to dinner. There’s a sincerity in his words, yet you know he’s got his own motives. The guy has a way with players that makes me think he’ll earn himself a nice role in the front office of a team or in the NHLPA once his playing days are over. If he can continue to perform at the pace he was last season, he may have one more year left in him after all.
However, before I sing his praises any further, we’ll see just how much they played a part in the way things turn out on June 26.
Hopefully this is the beginning of more good news to come.
Posted under Offseason 2009
This post was written by Patrick Hickey, Jr. on June 12, 2009
Tavares is such a no-brainer, it scares me. Especially knowing how much the Isles like to think outside the box, which 95% of the time, I love…this is not one of those times.
I hope Garth learned a lesson from the Ryan Smyth episode. It’s not worth trading away first rounders (or the #1 overall pick) for guys who can walk the next season. It doesn’t matter whether he takes Tavares or Hedman, I just pray he makes the first selection of the draft.