UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Mark Streit is the 13th captain in New York Islanders history, replacing the retired Doug Weight after missing all of last season because of a shoulder injury.

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Former Edmonton Oilers captain Doug Weight retired on Thursday after 19 NHL seasons, eight wearing the Oil drop on his chest. Weight had 577 points in 588 games as an Oiler after joining the team in 1993. He was traded to Edmonton from the New York Islanders for Esa Tikkanen.

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Before he could even get out the word "retirement" during the opening line of his speech, the emotions started hitting Doug Weight. As a tribute video highlighting his 19-year NHL career played just moments before, there were … Continue reading →

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Age and injury finally caught up to Doug Weight, who retired from the NHL after a three-decade career that ended with a stint as the New York Islanders' captain.

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Age and injury finally caught up to Doug Weight, who retired from the NHL after a three-decade career that ended with a stint as the New York Islanders' captain. The longtime captain who played for six teams announced his retirement Thursday at a Long Island hotel -- about a slap shot away from the Nassau Coliseum -- and accepted a job with the Islanders as an assistant coach and senior...

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After 19 seasons in the NHL, New York Islanders captain Doug Weight announced his retirement Thursday during a news conference at a hotel behind Nassau Coliseum. Weight cited injuries for his main reason behind the decision, as he played in only 18 games during the 2010-11 season...

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Longtime centre Doug Weight is ending his NHL career, retiring as captain of the New York Islanders.

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Veteran center Doug Weight only played in 18 games last season due to a back injury, scoring two goals and...

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Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • In one of the coolest blog-centric developments of the season, Pucking … Continue reading →

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If one thing was painfully obvious this season, it was that Doug Weight doesn’t like losing.

Unlike some of the other players that seemed content with their play during the season, Weight was always seen yammering on the bench and trying whatever he could in order to get his team going.

Now with the team ready to draft the number one pick in the draft in a few weeks, Weight sees the possibilities.

And boy is he excited.

“Getting the first pick in the draft certainly excites me from an organization standpoint,” Weight said. “We had 61 points this year and we had a lot of injuries and it was a tough year for us this way. I think we are going in the right direction, but nothing speeds it up like getting a great hockey player. We have some good young players that have taken some strides this year, but to get somebody like this in your organization in September or October will give us a boost and maybe it will give us some confidence. If you team that up with everyone getting healthy next year, who knows what position we are going to be in.”

You have to admit, Weight has a point. While the rest of the NHL is focused on what the Islanders did this year, no one is thinking about how much better they can be next season. Guys like Josh Bailey, Frans Neilsen, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau should be ready to perform at a higher level and if they can keep veterans like Trent Hunter, Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek healthy, who knows what the team will be capable of.

Well, I think even if that is the case, the team will struggle to find itself in the postseason, but they will be better than this season.

At the very least, it’s a start.

While garnering the first pick has lifted the spirits of Weight, it’s been great for business as well.

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year’s NHL Entry Draft for the Islanders organization and its fans,” New York Islanders President Chris Dey told the team’s official website. “That enthusiasm is being felt through the increased interest in our various ticket packages.”

Teams like the Blackhawks and Penguins have proven how much a first overall pick can change play on the ice and business; hopefully this is just the beginning of something special for the Isles.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Posted under Offseason 2009