Garth Snow's Incredibly Brutal Interview

New York Islander Fan Central | 12/30/2013 08:44:00 PM | |
Anyone's who's read this website knows Garth Snow does not get a free pass on his wordage when he makes definitive claims about his team/organization.

I don't care about fluff interviews or stock answers made in most interviews. 

I also understand in the context of a few minutes the words sometimes do not come out right (general managers are not required to be great public speakers) or the gm did not want to make headlines, however some of his statements in those few minutes bordered on absurd, and should make the man who pays his salary (and his own players/coaches) ask some hard questions of Mr Snow. 

Garth Snow signed some painfully ineffective UFA last summer, he traded for Cal Clutterbuck/Thomas Vanek. Those are not the owners moves or the coaches decisions. He also made his usual excellent signings of his core players.

In 2009 Mr Snow made clear he does not like to use the rebuilding word.

On 2/3/12 The entry here was Garth Snow now openly using rebuilding word  because he started using it in every interview.

Words have meaning. 

On 12/29/13 in those brief few minutes with Butch Goring, Garth Snow sounded like a man in denial or stuck between trying to do two/three plans at the same time. He even finally employed the words Mark Streit, who the gm should not be blamed for failing to resign because ultimately it takes two to agree to a contract.

Having written that this gm made clear from day one the expectation was to win now with most of the same roster returning. His team has struggled since day one of preseason.

Some Of Snow's Comments:
1-He completely ignored Goring asking him about trading for defense or as part of the deal for Thomas Vanek after correctly pointing out how tough it is to trade in the salary cap era where most players have no trade clauses. 

Yes, Mr Snow, you made arguably the biggest trade of the season, and as you said paid a big price to acquire Vanek, paying that price is not an accomplishment. 

Mr Goring failed to ask if Vanek can be retained or Andrew MacDonald. 

2-Calling a coaching staff's performance "incredible" (currently nine games under five hundred) which features the 30th ranked pk/and a powerplay that was operating at thirty percent in October that is now 23rd because it's been in free fall with no quarterback is an insult to our fans intelligence. As much as the coaches deserve credit for Frans Nielsen, they deserve the same very hard questions for Grabner/Bailey struggling to this degree.

Last I looked Hamonic, MacDonald, Bailey, Nielsen, Grabner, Cizikas, Martin, are all back killing penalties from 2012-13 which finished twenty first. 

Even the Florida Panthers (28 other clubs) hold some leads, and win some easy games while with this club that's virtually impossible.  Sure coaching deserves credit for being in position to win many of those games but to flat out lose leads in self-inflicted fashion to this degree must go on the coaching also.

Incredible to describing the coaching is not the word I would employ. 

3-Snow also gave no credit to the strong play of Kevin Poulin/Anders Nillson or the fact this team was struggling since the preseason, not when Nabokov got hurt when they were already in free fall.

4-Finally it seems Snow has his 2014-15 Scott Mayfield plan mixed up with his 2013-14 Matt Donovan plan that's looking like it's now backdated to 2014-15, or his 2013-14 go for it now Vanek offense plan, with the entire defense signed for next season. (less Andrew MacDonald)

The players who resigned here, who believe in this management, and felt the club was going in the right direction listened to this interview with their agents.

This website asked before, if Snow does not believe his own words, why should any else?

It's time to ask again.