THE HOCKEY G-DS HAVE SPOKEN!

Thanks to Arnie and Kerri Winnitt for getting me the Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier Bobbleheads

The New York Islanders are the proud owners of a brand-spanking-new 1st Overall Draft Pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Hockey G-ds have spoken!!

Conference Call with Garth Snow following the 2009 Draft Lottery

After the Draft Lottery completed with the Islanders retaining the 1st overall pick, Garth Snow, Islanders GM, made himself available for a short question and answer session with the local media including the Blog Box members.

The first question posed right out of the gate by Newsday's beat reporter Greg Logan was aimed at Garth's reaction to the great news:

"It put a huge smile on my face. It's obviously a great moment for this franchise and a great moment for our fans. It's gonna be a great day in June...We're gonna get a great player for this team. We have meetings coming up at the end of the week. As we've done in the past, we'll have meetings in May and June and we'll go through our process diligently and thoroughly. It will be a great Draft Day for this organization and our fans."

I'm sure like most Islanders fans, the GM and his staff were holding on to any lucky charm they could find that would suit the purpose. I chose the bobbleheads of Islanders legends that you saw at the top of this post. Ken Morrow happened to be one of them. He was also the Islanders representative at the studio in NYC. Garth quipped:

"Kenny had his 4 Stanley Cup rings and his Gold Medal around his neck."

When Snow was asked if the reward for such an awful season was worth the anguish the team endured, he responded:

"The reward is we're gonna get a great player. No doubt about it. It obviously doesn't disguise the fact that coming in 30th place is unacceptable and I think Kenny Morrow said it best that we don't want to be in this position next year. Bottom line, it's a situation we're gonna add a another great piece to the puzzle that we're building on Long Island. There's a lot of good things happening right now in this organization and it's an exciting time to be an Islanders fan and a New York Islander."

With all that's riding on the line, there is obviously a great deal of anticipation going into Draft Day. Garth expressed his feelings matter-of-factly:

"There's a lot of pressure. That's why we're gonna go through our due diligence with the staff. Bottom line, we're looking to build a consistent contender. A team that can win a Stanley Cup."

He went on to give a short scouting report of the top two players in this year's Draft, John Tavares of the OHL London Knights and Victor Hedman of Modo in the Swedish Elite League:

"Obviously both of those players are exceptional talents and they're unique in their own right as a forward or defenseman. The differences are obvious.---With Hedman, you have a 6'6" defenseman who skates like the wind and I had the opportunity to watch both of them play against each other. In John Tavares, you have a forward that obviously who can put up huge numbers offensively. It's two players who are exceptional talents and that's the one great aspect of being in the position we're in right now. We know we're gonna get a fantastic player."

Lastly, the GM was asked how he and his scouting team would evaluate the possible incoming prospects and how the draft choice would fit into Scott Gordon's system:

"Your looking for a fit not only in your system, but in your locker room. We have a strong group now, in our room. We have a lot of younger players that took huge strides this year in the right direction. It's something we put a lot of thought in to (how the next piece of the puzzle is gonna fit)."

Any way you slice it, the Islanders have a rare opportunity to speed up their rebuild by a couple of years. Let the debate about who Garth Snow should choose with the 1st Overall Draft Pick (saying that will never get old) begin.

(Photo courtesy of USAToday.com)

For Questions, Comments or Bonehead Draft Choices e-mail me at DougD84@optonline.net or Leave a Comment.