Islander News Articles 1/12:

New York Islander Fan Central | 1/12/2008 06:43:00 AM | | | | | | | |
Newsday: Greg Logan's game article at this time has no quotes but recaps the game with several Islanders breaking out of scoring slumps.

Newsday: Greg Logan has reaction from Rick DiPietro on his first all-star selection who praised Martin Brodeur.

"Being a fan of hockey growing up, you watch the skills competition and the All-Star Game," DiPietro said. "It's kind of cliché to say the dream came true, but it really did."

"When you get a chance to play against Marty on a consistent basis, you're learning from the best," DiPietro said. "I've had the last six years to study him and watch how he carries himself. You learn a lot, and it definitely makes you pick up your play when you look down at the other end and you've got arguably the best goalie to ever lace up the pads. It definitely increases your intensity level."


Newsday: Greg Logan's other article despite the win had criticism from Ted Nolan on how some of his players have been struggling, especially Josef Vasicek who has taken one shot or less in fourteen of his last sixteen games and Ruslan Fedotenko, who are both quoted.

"Joe Vasicek is a good player. For whatever reason, the last five or six games, he hasn't been skating and he's been losing some battles. I had a good discussion with him. I talked to Tank, too, and showed him a couple things we felt he wasn't doing the best. We've got to get him into position where he's going to get the puck and do some creative things with it."

"I didn't shoot much, did I?" Vasicek said. "I don't know why. That's the thing, I guess early in the season, I didn't think about it as much. Lately, we've been getting some chances, but it seems like we always hit the post. You start to think about it a little more, and that never helps."

"It's really up to Teddy how he's going to split up the ice time," Vasicek said. "I'm just trying to do my job and play as hard as I can. I've got a lot of respect for him. I know he knows what he's doing."


New York Times: Jeff Z. Klein makes a statistical argument why Rick DiPietro and Tomas Vokoun should not have been selected as reserve goaltenders for the All-Star game based on shots against and save percentage.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Perhaps the Times should send Mr Klein out to cover Islander games on a daily basis so he could get his answer beyond numbers? If there is a goalie playing with less margin for error facing the quality chances DiPietro faces nightly I do not know of one. Islanders goals against down significantly from last year and an improved record
is why DiPietro deserved to be named.

Oh yes, in the first four games of the Islanders' five-game road trip, DiPietro has faced an average of 39.5 shots and has gotten three of four games to overtime.

Calgary Sun:Steve MacFarlane has comments from Jerome Iginla, Ted Nolan, Mike Keenan on how well Rick DiPietro played.

"He played well. I thought we had a lot of chances, especially in the first period," said Iginla, who somehow found his side down 3-1 heading into the the second period. "He kept them in there."

"I looked at it. We had three good chances to score," said Flames head coach Mike Keenan of the powerplay opportunity. "He's a very athletic goaltender. He picks up a lot of points for them."


Calgary Sun: Eric Francis has reaction from Rick DiPietro on Ovechkin's contract and Charles Wang's decisions.

"If anyone's a trend-setter, it would be our owner," said the 26-year-old Islanders netminder of the oft-ridiculed Charles Wang.

"People are always first to point out how crazy he is and the crazy things he does. Then at the end of the day people start following suit. We do my deal, and everyone is all over him. He hires Snowy (GM Garth Snow), and people criticize him for that, and next thing you know, Dallas hires Brett Hull. He's ahead of his time.

"If you're a business person in general, and you have a chance to lock up one of your young franchise guys for a long time in this salary cap age and it's tough to hold onto top players, it seems like the smartest thing to do."


NYI Fan Central Comments:
It should be noted Eric Francis has always gone all out to rip the Islanders out of Calgary over the years. It was likely the first time he has seen DiPietro since the draft in Calgary in 2000.

Calgary Sun: Steve MacFarlane had an interview with Ruslan Fedotenko on his great final with Tampa Bay against Calgary in 2004 and the celebration in the Ukraine.

Calgary Herald: Scott Cruickshank's game coverage and some comments on Rick DiPietro on spending two days in Calgary:

"The thing about having two off days in Canada is that you get to see a lot of hockey highlights," New York Islanders netminder Rick DiPietro was saying before Friday's game at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

"I feel like I've already scouted the Flames by watching TSN."