Let it Snow, let it Snow, let it Snow.
The Islanders have a little reward system in their locker room for playing with a sort of passion bestowed after each victory to the man with the biggest impact on the game. For the last month, no other player’s mantle has been hung with as many medals as Garth Snow’s.
And for the goalie who never got a chance to play for an extended amount of time with the Islanders, it’s been a long time coming.
With Chris Osgood out with a sprained ankle since Jan. 21, Snow has been awesome, smothering just about everything thrown his way – including the faces of a few opponents. The feisty goaltender has proven himself to be as fiery a competitor as there is between the pipes and a true puck stopper that’s kept this locomotive season on track.
“You look at all the top teams in the league and usually their goalies are making the big saves for them when it’s crunch time, when it’s important, and over the last couple of weeks, Snowie’s done that for us,” Dave Scatchard said. “Night in and night out, he’s done a great job.”
He’s done it making big saves. He’s done it both on his own and with solid defense in front of him and he’s done it in the locker room, where he’s been one of the Islanders’ most valuable leaders. Until this stretch, the problem for Snow was that he’d really only impacted this team in the locker room, with a few big wins here and there. Until now.
“I knew I could play at this level,” Snow said, fresh after starting his eighth straight game in a string that’s galvanized the team’s playoff run. “I had been in the league 10 years and to finally get a chance to play; it’s fun.”
It’s also been a time when the Islanders’ personality seems to be meshing with Snow’s intense and workmanlike demeanor on the ice. He’s as likable a guy as you’ll find, but when the lights come and he straps on those pads with the claws stitched to the toe, Snow gets mean – with a big wooden paddle in his hand.
“I played with him in Vancouver and I saw him do the same thing,” Dave Scatchard said of Snow’s ability to get into a rhythm and see pucks coming at him like hot air balloons. “He’s a big goalie with great technique and he’s tough to score on.”
Said Peter Laviolette: “He’s been a mountain in front of the shot.”
Today against the Bruins, the Islanders have a chance to climb higher than they’ve been all season, take full control of the No. 6 spot in the conference and create a little cushion from the dogfight behind them.
But with Snow guarding the house, they would fare well jumping into any fight right now.
“It’s hard to believe such a nice guy like me could get under someone’s skin,” Snow deadpanned.
True, especially after all the nice things he’s doing for the Islanders.