Doug Weight was selected in the 2nd round of the 1990 NHL draft, 34th overall by the New York Rangers. He played professional hockey for 19 years, dressing for 7 NHL teams. Weight was 301and 804 for 1,105 career points in 1,335 regular season and NHL playoff games. As a four time All-Star, 2006 Stanley Cup Winner and Olympic silver medal holder, Weight finished his career as the Captain of the rebuilding New York Islanders. In his time with the Islanders, injuries were affecting his ability to contribute, limiting him to just 54 games. Today, on May 26, 2011, Doug Weight retired from a storied pro hockey career.
In a press conference commemorating his time as a hockey player, Doug Weight sat with Islanders owner, Charles Wang, Islanders General manager, Garth Snow, members of his family, friends and a select mix of team mates, both old and new. A brief video of career highlights streamed before those gathered illustrating the many accomplishments and events of Weight’s storied career. A video Weight said with a smile that was “more than he deserved.” He spoke of when he was traded from the Rangers to the Edmonton Oilers on the day they were both scheduled to play at MSG in New York, he gathered his gear in a shopping cart and wheeled it down the hall to the visitors dressing room to meet his new team mates. It was then he mentioned, that he started to understand the business of hockey. Afterwards, he spoke of how fortunate he was being able to retire as a member of the 4-time cup winning New York Islanders. A team, he mentioned that was built on dedication and commitment.
Weight went on to thank the Islander players, staff and organization, which to him represented an extended family fostered by Charles Wang. He spoke of his times as a silver medal Olympian and those that involved Team USA member of the fabled 2006 world cup team which beat Canada for the gold medal in the world championships. He raved about the current players of the Islanders, men who he himself helped mentor over the last two seasons and has watched grow in ability and confidence under his leadership, both on and off the ice. He became emotional when he spoke of old teammates and friends, especially former Isles captain, Billy Guerin who was in attendance at the event. He gave credit to his wife and children for their support and partnership as a professional athlete and thanks to his parents for their sacrifices to allow him to live his dream as a pro hockey player. All in all, it was a lifetime and career that had all come down to a few moments of celebration and gratitude by peers and fans alike. “I only wish I could’ve stayed healthy longer and played as well as I know I can,” said Weight.
Islander owner, Charles Wang made a joke about Weight starting his career with the Rangers, he needed to start somewhere, he alluded. Of Weight, Wang mentioned that he was a great leader that guided the team through some difficult times and pushed his teammates to achieve more. Islanders General Manager, Garth Snow spoke of the search for free agents at the start of the 2008 season. He said when Doug Weight came into consideration; the one word that he heard most often about him was “Presence.” He went on to say Weight was a quality person and that he was fortunate to have him as a member of the Organization. He concluded with saying Weight will continue to be a part of the team as an Assistant Coach and Special Assistant to the General Manager for the New York Islanders. Said Snow, “He (Weight) has a lot to offer the organization and me. There’s so many levels that he can be helpful with.”
When taking questions from the media, Weight admitted he was excited to remain with pro hockey in this capacity and that he would also be doing color cementation for the NHL network during the Stanley Cup Finals this season. As an element to what he needed to draw from as an assistant coach, he mentioned was how close knit the 05-06 Carolina Hurricanes were that won the Stanley Cup, and what it meant to them as a group competing for a common goal. Weight went on to credit Garth Snow with an incredible work ethic and admitted he had a lot to learn form him with his new challenge.
Weight added, that after playing 1600 games, and being a hockey player since he was 2 years old, he has a lot to learn in his new role.
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