Garth Snow Angry Over John Tavares Olympic Injury
New York Islanders’ General Manager is none too happy about the knee injury that John Tavares suffered during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Arthur Staple of NewsDay tweeted this out yesterday.
#Isles GM Garth Snow spitting mad over Tavares' Olympic injury: "Are the IIHF or IOC going to reimburse our season ticket holders now?"
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) February 20, 2014
Snow: "It wouldn't matter if we were 10 points up on a playoff spot or 10 points out. We lost our best player and he wasn't playing for us."
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) February 20, 2014
Now, I get that Snow is angry. However, the question he asks about the IIHF or the IOC reimbursing the Islanders season ticket holders is just plain ludicrous. Let me ask you a question, Mr. Snow. If this injury had happened while he was playing with the New York Islanders, would your owner be reimbursing your fans? The answer is no.
Snow is just using this injury to further the NHL’s cause of not wanting their players to participate in future Olympics. Injuries happen, it doesn’t matter where. Players will not let that get in the way of going. If you want evidence, just look at how hard players like Steven Stamkos and Mikko Koivu worked in order to participate for their countries. Players will do anything to play in the Olympics.
Does the injury to Tavares hurt the Islanders? No doubt. Does it hurt their fan base? Yes. That doesn’t mean that Snow can go around and use it as propaganda. I’m pretty sure Ken Holland is not happy about Henrik Zetterberg’s injury, but I haven’t heard anything about him whining about it.
The Islanders will now have to go without their superstar for the rest of the season. If Snow is so upset at that and how it impacts the Islanders’ bottom line, then maybe they shouldn’t trade Thomas Vanek and hold onto him and trade him after the season.