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Mike Sillinger Leaves a Big Hole to Fill |
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The media advisory hit my desk at 12:02 pm. By 12:04 pm, the info on the conference call had been Tweeted five times. By 12:27 pm, Leafs Lunch announced that Mike Sillinger would be announcing his retirement later in the afternoon. B y 1 pm, there were at least 20 blog posts on the event that had not happened yet.
Yes, this is the brave new world of social media. We are informed of things that haven’t yet happened as if we are seeing into the future. I wondered why I should even bother being on the call then. But at 3 minutes to 4 pm, I called the number, entered the pin and said my name. The connection was disrupted by an attendee with a bad cell connection, so it was like listening to a HAM radio in a wind tunnel. (And somehow @thetigertrack managed to tweet the entire thing! Bionic hearing?)
There were far more media on this call than most of the Islanders conference calls. But then again, Mike Sillinger has been on twelve different NHL teams. GM Garth Snow was on the road, so he too called in.
When the call was handed over to Sillie, he began to read his prepared statement. It was short and to the point and his voice only cracked slightly, but he maintained his composure.
“It’s a sad day for my family and I, but it will be the start of a new beginning.”
Mike Sillinger is a family man with small boys at home. He mentioned how Trade Deadline Day took more of a toll on his wife than on him. Finally, she will not have to worry about where her husband is headed.
Though this is not how he wanted to go out, he had no choice. He knew the first procedure on his hip might not have worked. Later in the afternoon, on AM 640 Toronto, he said “There were too many cons to furthering on. I want too have the quality of life with my young boys.” You just can’t keep playing hockey with a titanium hip at 38 years old.
“I’m leaving hockey with many accomplishment s and memories, they’ll be with me forever. My wife and kids thank you for the best eighteen years ever. Hockey will always be our life.”
However, for now, he said he will take a step back and enjoy his family and his house by the lake.
While he had very high praise for Detroit, where he started his career with some of the greats of the game, he also said his time on Long Island was “fantastic.” But in Detroit “I played with a lot of greats. Those guys taught me how to be a great teammate. I played the whole year in the minors and won the Calder cup. They taught me how to be the total package.”
He certainly is. “Pretty much my whole career, I’ve been a role player. I go in and fill a hole on a line. Whether it’s a second line or a fourth line, it’s something I’ve made a career out of. Taking face-offs, playing on the power play. I really wasn’t a top line guy, but I wasn’t a bottom line guy as well… Teams would sign me as a role player and I was very proud to do my job.”
The job he did for the Islanders seemed to be the best on his stat sheet; an unusual event for a player in the twilight of his career. “Every year I got better – as a player, I just got better.”
When Mike was asked where he sees this team for next season, he actually sighed. “Well, I’m actually kind of disappointed. I think the Islanders have a great young team. Bailey last year, Okposo -- they drafted Tavares this year. They’re going to be an exciting team this year and in the future. You know, I sit here and see my good buddy Doug Weight back with the Islanders and I’m kind of jealous. He’s the guy who gets to groom these young kids. I know he’s really excited about playing in New York this year.”
What I love about Mike Sillinger is that you can actually HEAR the smile on his face.
When he was asked about his lasting memories of his storied career he chuckled “Do you have all day?” But a tell-all book of twelve teams in the NHL is not imminent, but I’m sure we’ll find some of his stories here and there as time goes one.
“Suitcase” Sillinger is a wealth of information who would be a wonderful mentor for younger players. The most important thing to him was being a good team mate. “Once you realize it’s a team game, winning at all costs is what makes it fun.”
Even though he will not be part of the Islanders team, he is planning on making a guest appearance at training camp in Saskatoon in September. Well, it is close to his home in Regina.
When he was asked if coaching was in the future, he laughed and said he has a hard enough time coaching his kids. “It’s something I haven’t even thought of. I want to have that passion to do it.”
Having been in the league so long, he knows that coaching is a revolving door. He may not want to go that route. He mentioned scouting as a passing thought, but then reiterated that he hadn’t really given his future any real thought.
His thoughts right now are focused on getting his kids ready for school tomorrow in Regina. His kids who have spent more time in US schools than Canadian ones and hopefully won’t have a hard time adjusting to the difference between them.
As Garth Snow said, the loss of Mike Sillinger leaves the Islanders with a big hole to fill, but he is going to try to fill it will the group of players already on the roster. I suppose that set the table to say that Garth Snow is done shopping. But with Garth, you can never really be sure. (Who knows who he may invite to camp.)
I asked if there was any team he wished he HAD played for and the answer was ‘no.’
“I’m so thankful to every organization I played on that was so fantastic. They are all so classy. I’ve played on twelve of them and never come across complications. So I couldn’t imagine the other eighteen don’t operate the same way. Hockey is a great business and hockey players have that good guy reputation as being character guys and that just goes through the owners, managers, coaches and right down.”
I don’t know why “Congratulations” is the salutation that so many people used to address the “retirement.” To me, I think “Good Luck” is more appropriate. And that’s how I left off, “Good Luck, Mike.”
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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