Today is the third anniversary of Garth Snow leaving his Goalie pads behind for a suit and tie. That fateful day in July of 2006 was punctuated by hysterical laughter of the press. The NY Islanders had made it front and center of every sports news outlet in North America -- just not in a good way.
How could Charles Wang be so bold as to fire a Stanley Cup winning General Manager in Neil Smith after only 41 days and replace him with an unproven, back-up goal tender? The Associated Press claimed “The “NY Islanders Are in a Tailspin.” Yes, everyone agreed the Circus was in town and it was firmly planted on the empty blacktop in Uniondale.
Three years later, Garth Snow is still General Manager of the NY Islanders and Neil Smith is an analyst on TV and radio. He ‘talks’ a good game, he even does some great impressions. But what he didn’t do was “impress” owner Charles Wang. The man who did impress him was the man behind the Goalie mask that spent many a night sitting on the bench analyzing the game, the team and his surroundings.
Charles Wang was quoted at the time as saying “I knew what he could do. If I hadn’t chosen Neil, he was one of the prime last candidates. It was an easy choice.”
The choice may have been easy, but the press was not kind. Garth Snow learned the job, on the job, the hard way. Garth’s first year was not an easy one. Everyone thought they could take advantage of his inexperience. What they didn’t count on was his resolve. It didn’t matter that he was a ‘rookie’ GM, he didn’t like being played. He didn’t stand for it.
Maybe he has made a few questionable moves along the way, but you’ll never find anyone who is so willing to stand by his decisions and take the heat. He is honest to a fault, which is why he has to remain quiet so many times. Rather than lie, he just won’t answer or try to spin nothing into something.
The DiPietro 15 year contract, the first of its kind, was scoffed at when it was signed and now seems what highly skilled players are looking for. Snow brought Captain Canada to Long Island to get the Islanders into the playoffs by trading away some youth. The hope was to could keep him here, but that was never really an option for the player who cried all the way from Edmonton to JFK. He moved down in the NHL draft, not once but twice, much to the dismay of an assembled fan base watching in shock as he called Josh Bailey to the podium in 2008. He fired a seasoned coach before his contract was up and replaced him with an AHL coach with a winning touch, but no NHL experience. The list goes on and on.
Taking a failing franchise and moving it forward wouldn’t be easy for the most experienced of hockey minds. Taking a once proud organization and trying to reestablish that pride in a new era is equally as daunting. Is he up for the task? He seems to think so, but only time will tell.
Congratulations Garth, wishing you many years of success on the business side of the ice in the NHL.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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