When the New York Islanders announced the signing of Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract back in September of 2006, it raised a lot of eyebrows not only in the NHL circle, but the world of sports as well.
The reaction for the most part was disbelief. Charles Wang and Mike Milbury decided that DiPietro was a sure thing, a goaltender who had ability far and above most in the league. He was a No. 1 overall selection, had catlike reflexes, an uncanny ability to play the puck and a great personality to boot—the perfect candidate to make the face of your franchise and build your team around.
The Islanders organization would tell you that it was a can't-lose situation. DiPietro would be well worth the $4.5 million he would be paid per season, considering that he would be an elite goaltender who should be making at least $7 million a season when he reached his prime. Not only were they holding on to a franchise player for 15 years, they would be making a wise business move. How could this possibly go wrong? Well, it did.
Since the 2006 signing, the Islanders have managed to make the playoffs just once. Their only playoff appearan ...
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Article written by Doug Tyburski
New York Islanders Need To Acknowledge the Rick DiPietro Situation
February 4th, 2011 by Doug Tyburski Leave a reply »
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