Garth Snow

Garth E. Snow (born July 28, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and former general manager, president, and alternate governor of the New York Islanders of the NHL.

Drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the sixth round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Snow began his NHL career in the 1993–94 season, playing for the Nordiques. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders, with whom he retired after the 2005–06 season. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

Playing career

Snow was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques out of Mount Saint Charles Academy in the sixth round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He attended the University of Maine for four years, leading the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in wins for three consecutive seasons. After helping lead the team to a 42–1–2 record and the NCAA Championship in 1993, he was named to the All-Tournament team. After spending the majority of the 1993–94 playing for the United States, including participating in the 1994 Winter Olympics, he began his professional career, appearing in five games for the Nordiques.

Snow recorded 32 wins in 62 games for the Cornwall Aces of the AHL during the 1994–95. After the Quebec franchise relocated to become the Colorado Avalanche, Snow was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for two draft picks during the offseason. Snow served as the backup goaltender to veteran Ron Hextall for over two seasons, sharing playing time with Hextall during the Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 1996–97, notably playing in Game 2 of the Finals. Near the trade deadline in the 1997–98, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Sean Burke.

As a Canuck in the 1998–99 season, he registered career highs in games played (65), wins (20), and shutouts (6). His workload was reduced the following season, and he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the 2000–01 season. His tenure in Pittsburgh lasted one season before he signed with the New York Islanders in the offseason. He played for the Islanders for the remainder of his career, primarily serving as a backup to veteran Chris Osgood and later youngster Rick DiPietro.

Throughout his career, Snow's goaltending equipment, particularly his shoulder pads, was scrutinized by the league office on several occasions due to opposing teams alleging they violated NHL size rules. According to former teammate Michael Peca, Snow was known for his trash-talking: "He's got such a wit and sense of humor like no other. Snow says things that will cut you without being rude or obnoxious." Snow was regarded as a respected leader both on and off the ice.

Executive career

On July 18, 2006, Snow officially confirmed his retirement and was named general manager of the New York Islanders following Neil Smith's dismissal after 41 days on the job. The decision to fire a Stanley Cup-winning general manager after a short tenure in favor of Snow, who had no prior management experience, drew criticism. Supporters of the organization noted Snow's master's degree in administration and bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Maine.

In his first season as general manager, Snow was credited with making moves to create salary cap space and using it to trade for Marc-André Bergeron, Richard Zedník, and Ryan Smyth. Snow was named NHL Executive of the Year for 2006–07 by ''Sports Illustrated''. Early in his tenure, Snow signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract which is widely considered one of the worst NHL signings ever, as DiPietro only played 175 games after signing this contract.
On November 15, 2010, Snow fired head coach Scott Gordon and promoted Jack Capuano to interim head coach after the Islanders started the 2010–11 season with a 4–10–3 record through their first 17 games. Capuano subsequently guided the Islanders to their first playoff series win since the 1993 during the 2016 playoffs. On January 17, 2017, Snow fired Capuano and promoted Doug Weight to interim head coach in response to the Islanders' 17–17–8 record through 42 games of the 2016–17 season, which placed them last in the Eastern Conference at that time. Through the 2018, his tenure with the Islanders saw the team accrue 11 playoff wins.

On June 5, 2018, Snow's position as Islanders' general manager was terminated, although he remained with the organization through 2019.Compare https://web.archive.org/web/20190417034546/https://www.nhl.com/islanders/team/business-directory with https://web.archive.org/web/20191215065249/https://www.nhl.com/islanders/team/business-directory.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Garth
1969 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey goaltenders
Bridgeport Sound Tigers players
21st-century American sportsmen
Cornwall Aces players
American expatriate ice hockey players in Russia
Ice hockey people from Massachusetts
Ice hockey players at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Las Vegas Flash players
Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey players
National Hockey League executives
National Hockey League general managers
New York Islanders executives
New York Islanders players
Olympic ice hockey players for the United States
People from Wrentham, Massachusetts
Philadelphia Flyers players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Quebec Nordiques draft picks
Quebec Nordiques players
SKA Saint Petersburg players
Vancouver Canucks players
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players
NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
Mount Saint Charles Academy alumni
Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
American inline hockey players
20th-century American sportsmen