[ThePundit]

Ryan Smyth's farewell press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Edmonton airport was a tearful, heart-wrenching affair in which the former Oilers icon thanked by name almost everyone whose path ever crossed his during a wonderful 12-year career that ended with his trade on Tuesday to the Islanders.

But by the time he reached the Minneapolis airport for a change of planes on his way to Long Island late Wednesday night, Smyth sounded optimistic about the next chapter in a telephone interview. The Alberta native grew up dreaming of playing for the Oilers, and he understands their connection to the Islanders, whose fourth straight Stanley Cup in 1983 came against Edmonton before the Oilers ended their dynasty the following season to begin a run of five Cups in seven years.

Describing his reaction to the trade, Smyth said, "It was like, 'Wow! This is going to be kind of neat. From one history to another.' Being a part of it, I think it's going to be fun. I've heard nothing but great things about Teddy Nolan, and I know some of the players like Mike Sillinger, who is one of my good buddies."

Smyth and Sillinger have a business interest together. They haven't spoken since the trade, but Smyth said, "'Silly' text messaged me about waking up from his nap the other day [after the trade]. He said, 'I think I'm still having a dream.' "

It was a lot to give up for a player who could walk away as a free agent on July 1. "That's obviously overwhelming and very flattering the fact that they gave up quite a bit," Smyth said. "They stepped up. I don't know if the Oilers were shopping me or what, but they pulled it off , they wanted me, and we have a chance [in the playoffs]......"I hope for the best for the Oilers, but I've got to move on and try to win a Cup."

Symth: From sad to glad with Islanders - Newsday.com

[ThePundit]

Great blog today: This is only part of it. Click on the link to read the whole thing.

A RISK WORTH TAKING

It’s been a long day of telephone calls, teleconferences, checking the internet, transcribing interviews and, finally, writing the two stories about Ryan Smyth’s arrival as an Islander that will appear in Newsday Thursday morning. I was expecting to hear from Ryan around 5 p.m. or so and had long since given up hope, figuring it was a rough travel day for him, not to mention an obviously emotional separation from Edmonton if you have seen his farewell news conference on tsn.ca.

Just as I finished typing up notes from an interview with coach Ted Nolan around 7:30 p.m. and was preparing to write my main story, the phone rang. The voice on the other end asked for “Gary” Logan, a common mistake people make with my name. It was Smyth calling from the airport in Minneapolis, where he was changing planes for a later flight to New York. He apologized, an unnecessary but very thoughtful gesture, and said his agent, Don Meehan, misunderstood my name when he passed on the message.

Not wanting to take up too much of Ryan’s time with a flight to catch, I zipped through a quick interview that was pleasantly upbeat, considering the sudden transition he’s making.....

Does Nilsson have skill. Yes. People who have played with and against him have expressed great admiration for his skill level. But the question is whether he competes the way Nolan is going to require in the future. Apparently, it didn’t look that way at Bridgeport. O’Marra was a solid prospect, but he certainly hasn’t been dominant as a senior player with Saginaw in the OHL. Is he better than Blake Comeau will be? Sean Bergenheim?

Kyle Okposo is the Islanders’ only first-round pick since Nolan was hired, and he wasn’t going anywhere no matter what was offered. He fits the future mold. And in a league where there will be a high turnover rate in the free agent market every summer, Nolan is confident of finding other players who will fit the mold and who will want to come to Long Island once they see the kind of team he is building.

“We talk about speed, and we talk about skill a lot,” Nolan said. “But the thing we have to include in that mix is how hard a kid competes, how hard they work and their competitive level. And Ryan Smyth, when he was 18 years old, those are the qualities he demonstrated. And he’s done it through his whole career.

On the Islanders Beat: A RISK WORTH TAKING