Rob McGowan

"Off The Post: Inching Closer to the Future"

Long Island, NY • United States • 25 Years Old • Male

Was DP Hiding An Injury After All?

Wade Dubielewicz gets the start tonight and Joey MacDonald has been recalled from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. Rick DiPietro will have an MRI on his hip this afternoon and the Islanders expect to have results on Wednesday.

-Taken from the Isles web-site

Isn't that fantastic?! Our star-netminder that is here for another 13 years is having an MRI on his hip - let's not forget that last summer he had hip surgery as well.

It's been said by many that DP has matured greatly this year and isn't that rambunctious out of control kid that he used to be anymore, and I'm willing to agree. You don't see him spearing Deb Kaufman or Sparky anymore after a huge victory, he just takes a lap like the rest of them. But if he has matured as much as everyone says he has, wouldn't he admit that he's gotta sit a game here or there if he's hurt? Wouldn't he acknowledge that if he plays the team has less of a chance of winning instead of having a healthy Dubie in net? How could Nolan have committed to letting Ricky start the remaining 12 games of the regular season if he was nursing a potential hip injury when Dubie has been waiting patiently, or impatiently, on the bench for the entire season? Plus Dubie carried us into the playoffs last year, so why the lack of faith?

This is where Ted Nolan has to step in and rest DP an extra game here or there and let Dubie play. Dubie is DEFINATELY capable of handling a few more games. We all know Rick is always "raring to go" as Nolan likes to put it, but sometimes being over-competitive can hurt your chances of winning, and it drastically did. Since the All-Star break, where DP announced with an F-bomb on national TV that he re-agitated his hip, Ricky went under .500 in a stretch of 15-16 performances before he was forced to sit out due to his Grandmother's unfortunate death. I find it ironic that the team announced that Ricky was not hiding an injury, despite many speculations by fans and on-lookers, and that they were forcing the rest upon him after grieving over a horrible loss. But now...since the playoffs are further out of reach and almost impossible to attain, Ricky is getting his MRI looked at. Does anyone else feel lied too or conned that DP was never hiding an injury? Please tell me you all raised your hands on that one.

Ricky is a great goaltender and is as competitive as they come, but just because he wants to play all 82 games doesn't mean he should be playing all 82 games. Who runs this team anyway? Snow and Nolan? Or DP?

All I know is that we have a young goalie under contract for the next 13 years that's having an MRI on his hip for the second year in a row, after all ready having hip surgery.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, is there anyone that can figure this team out? Because I sure can't.