Garth Snow Autograph Card

It had been a while since I twin-posted with Sal's Hockey Autographs page, but since he posted (yet another) card I also own, I figured now was as good a time as any...

And for the occasion, none other than the New York Islanders' current General Manager, Garth Snow:

Sal has card #1811/3050, I have #2030, signed in thin blue sharpie. It's from Classic's 1993-94 4 Sport set.

Snow was drafted 114th overall (6th round) in 1987 by the Québec Nordiques, and he opted to go through the U.S. College route after that, spending 4 seasons with the University Of Maine Black Bears before reporting to the Nordiques' AHL affiliate Cornwall Aces, of which he is seen here sporting the blue (away) uniform. He only played 7 games with the Nordiques before they sent him packing to the Philadelphia Flyers, starting him on a journey that would lead him to playing 368 games with 5 NHL teams (plus 3 AHL teams and a 16-game stint in Russia during the 2004-05 lockout) over 13 seasons.

Snow will be remembered for two things: the first will be his playing days, where his over-sized equipment inspired rule change after rule change - first with his shoulder pads, which took nearly twice the room they should have:

then with his leg pads, which he would add a piece of plastic to at the skate end to cover more space there, then for adding four inches in length at the top, helping cover his 5-hole when he went down butterfly style (see how they cover half the Isles' logo in the picture below):

He'll also be remembered for what happened off the ice: In 2006, the Isles hired Neil Smith as GM and were in the process of rebuilding their image, making room for past legends in the front office and getting involved in the community again... which lasted all of 41 days. As team owner Charles Wang was talking to Snow - then the team's backup goalie, slated to play 20-some games - about his plans for the team, he was impressed by Snow's knowledge of even the most obscure NHL players, as well as the CBA, and promptly offered him the GM job, which he took, announcing his retirement the next day.

And he's been the best GM they've had in 25 years, bringing such players as Marc-André Bergeron, Ryan Smyth, Evgeni Nabokov, Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Mark Streit into the fold.