Islanders website: Report on Rick DiPietro's surgery today with Garth Snow's comments.
Newsday: Greg Logan had a blog last night suggesting Rick DiPietro as much as he admires Devils workhorse Martin Brodeur, maybe isn’t built to maintain his ironman pace and that whoever his backup is should be given more games.
Mr Logan also writes it’s time the coaching staff made it clear to the franchise goaltender that he is going to be rested on a regular basis and that he needs the mental break as much as the physical break and if he gets it, DiPietro might attain a level of consistency that is necessary for him and the franchise to take the next step toward true contender status.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
To me Mr Logan's speculation is his own and he's entitled to it but he's not a doctor or an expert on when hockey players need a break. Worst of all his background information here is not consistent with what's happened.
He should know DiPietro in fact played as many games this year as last year before he got his first concussion so how has he been differently if he's at the same sixty two/three game mark?
If he did not get hurt would have approached seventy games both years? Mr Logan if he's good at looking at numbers should have reported the shots against DiPietro are down close to a hundred and forty from a year ago so his workload has been less.
Also anyone can get hurt at any time, DiPietro got banged up on the opening roadtrip a year ago and it had nothing to do with consistency or wearing down.
If Mr Logan watched him play since the all-star break and not just looked at numbers to make up for his absence on the beat he would know the numbers do not reflect the quality chances in front of the goaltender and he was consistent. He was part of the winning streak in goal too which carried them into contention which is not even mentioned.
Also Mr Logan makes it come off as if the goalie tells the coaching staff when he plays and not the other way around, despite the fact he was held out of the Ranger games by the coach.
Very poor work today by Mr Logan as if he's trying to rally the fans against the goalie for trying to help the club. Did Mr Logan feel this way when DiPietro blanked the Lightning 1-0 or after he made forty saves against the Devils in a game he was the only one who showed up and gave the team a chance as he did Saturday in Montreal?
To me DiPietro's been a lot more consistent then Greg Logan here.
Point Blank: Chris Botta agrees with Greg Logan and feels today he would be a fool to even try to counter his argument today that DiPietro should miss about twenty-twenty five games a year.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Going by the amount of shots significantly down from a year ago, the same amount of games played the last two seasons at this point and how he helped carry the lowest scoring club back into contention it's the perfect day to counter a writer who did not review his play since the all-star break and is only going to stats to make his point.
The fact DiPietro played virtually the same amount of games a year ago makes Mr Logan completely wrong here.