The New York Islanders hired Mathieu Darche as their general manager Friday, giving the two-time Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning assistant his long-awaited first chance to run an NHL team.Darche was named executive vice president and GM and put in charge of the organization's hockey operations department.

TAMPA — It’s been several years since Mathieu Darche first emerged as a candidate to become an NHL general manager. As the Lightning’s assistant GM and director of hockey operations, he has been Julien BriseBois’ right-hand man in leading the team’s hockey operations department.

Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager, Mathieu Darche has been hired as the next general manager of the New York Islanders.