WE'RE (pick) #1! WE'RE (pick) #1

The 48% chance was enough to win the prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box that came with being the worst team in the league this season. The number one draft pick on June 26th belongs to us. "The reward is we will get a great player no doubt about it. Obviously it doesn't wholly disguise the fact that coming in 30th is unacceptable.”

We haven't had the number one pick since 2000 when Rick DiPietro was first smiling kid to the podium. That seems like a lifetime ago.Garth Snow was not at the NHL offices, but sent good luck charm Ken Morrow and Joann Holewa. It worked. "We had a lot of good karma going. In all seriousness, it was a great moment for this organization and franchise and a great moment for our fans." Garth said in a voice far more raspy than usual.

Although Garth would not give up the name of his choice, no matter how many times the reporters asked in various incarnations of the same question, he reiterated what I already knew, “Obviously, you're looking for a fit not only in the system but in our locker room. We have a strong group right now in our room. We have a lot of younger players who took huge strides in the right direction this year. It's something that we put a lot of thought into how the next piece of the puzzle is going to fit.”

The truth is he really can’t go wrong if he sticks with the number one draft pick."We're going to have a great player to go along with the core of young players already with the Islanders. We have some good prospects in Bridgeport. We set a franchise record for points in the AHL. We have a great group of prospects in our system. Things are going in the right direction and there's a lot of excitement about our young players. Like I said, it's a great day for this organization."

“There are a lot of good things happening for this organization. It’s an exciting time to be an Islanders fan or a NY Islander." It has had it's moments.

The very well produced NHL production had live interviews with both John Tavares and Victor Hedman. Both boys were very polite and very positive after hearing the NY Islanders had won the prize. Garth was asked how he felt about their positive reaction to potentially being a NY Islander. "As well they should! Long island is a place I’ve been since 2001 and it's a great place to live. It's a place for me where you have the best of all worlds. You have the beaches of Long Island (has he figured out there‘s a SOUTH shore yet?), the best golf courses in the world (that‘s a bit much), the fans are probably the most passionate fans of any place I've ever played. (Okay, I’ll give him that.) It's the greatest hockey environment when we're in a situation where we're winning. We have the most loyal and die-hard fans that show up when things aren't going so well. It's a market for me, and I've played in a bunch of them, that's second to none."

That we are. No matter how much the media wants to say we don't exist, no matter how often we hear that Long Island doesn't deserve a franchise, at least Garth Snow knows that's not true. He continued, “They're great kids and when we go through the process of meeting them, not only in the combine but bringing them to long Island, for me, it will be a fun part of the process."

That will be the fun that leads up to the big day. One fateful night in June when we finally find out which youngster will be our newest hope for the future.

Until then, we will wait and hope that Brian Burke doesn’t come up with some sort of scheme to get six General Managers to each give up something the other wants in order to get that coveted number one pick. It’s Brian Burke; he’s capable of just about anything.

Don’t forget tomorrow’s WFAN interview with Charles Wang at 9 am. And I hope you filed your taxes.