Pyatts In Paradise
Wednesday, October 11, 2000
TORONTO (CP) -- Paradise for the Pyatts was the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night.
Taylor Pyatt, 19, was scheduled to play his second game for the New York Islanders -- his first NHL game in Canada -- and his parents, Nelson and Kathy, flew in from the Northern Ontario city of Thunder Bay for the occasion.
Nelson Pyatt, now a Thunder Bay firefighter, played for Detroit, Washington and Colorado in the NHL from 1973 to 1980.
"It's really exciting," he said. "This is what he's played for all these years.
"You just hope things go well and he doesn't make a blatant mistake."
Nelson Pyatt scored the first of his 71 career NHL goals in Toronto, in Maple Leaf Gardens, and he was hoping his son could get his first goal in Toronto, too.
"He's a big, strong kid who's pretty skilled for his size," said Nelson. "We'll see what unfolds in the next 10 games.
"If he doesn't stay up, it's not the end of the world."
Taylor Pyatt was the Islanders' second pick, eighth overall, in the 1999 entry draft. The six-foot-four, 220-pound left-winger was a first-team OHL all-star last season when he scored 40 goals and amassed 89 points with the Sudbury Wolves.
The Islanders, rather than send him back to the Wolves during training camp, opted to have a good look at how he fares in NHL action. They'll have to decide before he plays 10 big-league games either to send him back to the junior league or keep him up all season.
In August, the lanky teen signed a three-year contract for $1.025 million US a year. He got $512,500 of the first season's stipend up front as a signing bonus, so if he doesn't stick with the Islanders this fall Sudburians won't have to hold a tag day for him. Nelson Pyatt's first-year NHL contract was for $22,000.
Islanders general manager Mike Milbury hasn't made any promises.
"They just said, 'You're here now. Take it day by day. Don't take anything for granted,"' he said. "I've just got to work hard every day and fight for a spot.
"If I get to 10 games, it'll be exciting. But I'll just take it game by game right now."
He left no doubt where he prefers to play. He played nine minutes in his debut against Tampa Bay in a 3-3 tie last Friday, and he could be playing 30 minutes a game in the OHL, but that's not his preference.
"I'd like to stay up here," he said. "It's definitely exciting and I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can."
He's wearing No. 17. The No. 11 he usually wears already belonged to Bill Muckalt.
"All the kids in my family have always worn No. 11 because they idolize Mark Messier," said Nelson Pyatt.
The former NHLer, in Winnipeg last weekend with a younger son for a hockey tournament, lucked into watching his son play his first NHL game. A tavern near his hotel had an NHL cable feed and a bartender was nice enough to switch the Islanders-Lightning game on to a big-screen TV.
"He's getting his feet wet," said Nelson Pyatt. "Hopefully, everything works out for the best."
Taylor Pyatt played his first NHL game on a line with Mike Stapleton and Steve Webb.
"I had a couple of chances on the power play," he said. "It was exciting -- 20,000 fans -- and a lot of fun. It was everything I expected."