Garth Snow

Garth E. Snow (born on July 28, 1969 in Wrentham, Massachusetts) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender and is currently the general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.

Playing career
Garth Snow was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques out of Mount Saint Charles Academy in the sixth round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He went straight to the University of Maine for four years and for three straight years led the NCAA in wins. After helping lead the school 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 1993–94 playing for the United States National Team which included playing in the 1994 Winter Olympics, he turned to his professional career, seeing his first NHL action in five games for the Nordiques.

Snow recorded 32 wins in 62 games for the Cornwall Aces of the AHL during 1994–95. After the Quebec franchise relocated to Colorado, Snow was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for two draft picks during the off-season. Garth would back up veteran Ron Hextall for over two seasons and would alternate with Hextall during the Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997, most notably playing in Game 2 of the Finals. Near the trade deadline in 1997–98, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Sean Burke.

It was as a Canuck that Garth Snow enjoyed his best season in 1998–99, registering career highs in game played (65), wins (20), and shutouts (6). However, his workload was cut in half the following season and he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to 2000–01. His stay in Pittsburgh lasted only one season as he signed with the New York Islanders in the off-season. He would remain an Islander for the rest of his career, primarily as a backup to veteran Chris Osgood and then youngster Rick DiPietro.

Throughout his career, Snow was the target of the league office on several occasions over his goaltending equipment, in particular his shoulder pads, which opposing teams accused of violating league rules on size. Also, according to former teammate Mike Peca, Garth Snow was one of the best trash-talkers around. "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." (The Hockey News, August 30, 2002). Snow was regarded as a respected leader both on and off the ice.

Islanders General Manager
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. There was much criticism directed the Islanders way for firing a Stanley Cup-winning GM after such a short tenure in favor of Snow, who at the time of his hiring held no experience in management. Defenders of the organization pointed to Snow's Master’s Degree in Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine.

In Snow's first season as GM, he earned praise for making smart moves to open up space under the salary cap and using the space to trade for Marc-André Bergeron, Richard Zednik and Ryan Smyth. Snow was named NHL Executive of the year for 2006–2007 by Sports Illustrated..

Awards

 * 1992 Hockey East Second All-Star Team
 * 1993 Hockey East Second All-Star Team
 * 1993 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team
 * 1993 NCAA Championship University of Maine

International career
Played for United States in:
 * 1993–94 National Team
 * 1994 Winter Olympics
 * 1998 World Championships