Sports Blog

Ah – Hockey Season! Right about this time last year, some of us were still a bit bruised over the lockout. Others were quick to forgive and get on with it. I fit into the latter category. I love the instituted changes – we’ll talk about them another day. With the lockout still visible in the rearview mirror, stand up if you were expecting a signing remotely in the neighbourhood of Charles Wong’s latest debacle - Rick DiPietro? - 15 Years? $67.5 million? The New York Islanders resemble a runaway train. Who in their right mind signs a player to a 15-year contract in a league with a hard cap? Why would any organization put itself in a 15-year straightjacket? This may be the only way to top the catastrophe of the Alexei Yashin deal. Isn’t 10 years for $87.5 million enough of a disaster for the Islanders? And when did a player with a season 3.02 goals against average become franchise material anyway? This deal is financial suicide. And I haven’t even mentioned the potential impact of this deal on other Islander players. Will retiring on the Island continue to give Rick DiPetro a warm and fuzzy feeling if he can’t live up to expectations?

Neil Smith is probably breathing a sigh of relief that he escaped the Long Island Zoo. This is one contract I wouldn’t want attached in any way to my GM resume.