Rick DiPietro will undergo a doctor’s examination of his undisclosed injury on Monday, an Islanders spokesman said this afternoon. The spokesman also confirmed a report on Chris Botta’s Islanderspointblank.com, a team-sponsored blog, that DiPietro will be replaced by backup Joey MacDonald as the starter against the Rangers Monday night at the Coliseum and that Yann Danis will be called up from Bridgeport on an emergency basis to serve as the backup goalie.
Botta reported that DiPietro’s knee-related injury was suffered in the first period of the Isles’ 4-3 loss to Carolina Saturday night, but the spokesman could not confirm that aspect of the story or offer any further details. Defenseman Brett Skinner also is coming up from Bridgeport on an emergency basis to replace Freddy Meyer, who suffered an undisclosed injury against the Hurricanes but completed the game, assisting on a third-period goal by Sean Bergenheim.
The only Islanders who took part in today’s optional skate were defenseman Andy Sutton, who is on the mend from hand surgery, and rookie center Josh Bailey, who also has an undisclosed injury.
Responding to questions from Newsday about his team’s non-disclosure injury policy, Islanders general manager Garth Snow again defended the policy as a way to protect his players from being targeted by opponents, and he cited NHL rules that permit teams to withhold detailed injury information if they desire. Many teams choose to provide specific injury information, including recovery timetables, but others do not.
Comments (1)
Am I the only one who just doesn't care anymore? I've been an isles fan for the past 20+ years but this season is the final straw. I just don't care if this team wins or loses anymore. I've lost any interest in watching this team play on tv, and have lost all interest in paying money to attend games. Why bother watching? Even if we win a game, does it really matter? No, we will lost the next 3. Even if we end up with a top 5 draft pick, does it really matter? No, we will trade down to the 9th. Even if by some miracle we open some eyes and manage to make some noise, does it really matter? No, because we will lose in the first round again. Even if over the next 2 years we manage to put together a fairly decent team with young players, does it really matter? No, because we'll be stuck with Rick DiPietro for the next 10 years - the most overrated goaltender this organization has ever seen. I refuse to root for another team, and I somehow survived all the spano/Milbury nonsense. But I draw the line when a backup goaltender and AHL coach take over this team. Congratulations Charles Wang. Your stupidity just caused the loss of another fan. Farewell.