Written by Joseph Tucciarone at The Sports Quotient
On July 5th, 2013, Garth Snow and the New York Islanders re-signed Travis Hamonic to a seven-year deal worth $27 million. Snow saw this deal as a bargain because, at 23, Hamonic’s best years were ahead of him. Within the first year, it looked as if Snow’s intuition paid off and that he found a defensemen to build his team around. Little did he know, that defensemen would shortly want out.
On November 18th, it was announced that Hamonic requested a trade to be closer to his family in Winnipeg for personal reasons. For all the people who have followed him throughout his career, this decision did not come as a shock.
“At the root of all this is a personal family matter of mine that I hold dear to my heart. Things about my family have been well documented in the past. In this situation, that’s as far as I’m going to go: It’s a personal family matter. I probably wouldn’t want to get more into detail,” said Hamonic.
When Hamonic was 10 years old, his father passed away of a sudden heart attack. He told his story through an ESPN E:60 documentary that detailed his life as a child, and how he now he helps young children going through the same grieving process that he underwent.
The big surprise taken from his decision was that he requested a trade prior to the start of the season. Luckily for the Islanders, he is willing to play out the season and help his team win.
“I’ve been playing the last couple months, and there hasn’t been an issue for me,” Hamonic said. “I’m still a teammate and I’m still someone who wants to play hard and wants to win. That’s not going to get lost in this process. I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can until I’m told otherwise. Because that’s my job and that’s what I’m going to do.”
This is the kind of heart you can expect from Hamonic. Despite his wish to be closer to his family, he is still willing to give his all and help the Islanders win. The team that eventually acquires him will be getting a real, big-time player. The question is, what team?
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