Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

'Radio Rick' DiPietro

09/05/2014 at 8:31am EDT

from Neil Best of Newsday,

At 32, DiPietro's career as a goaltender might be over, thanks to injuries that derailed the 2000 No. 1 overall draft pick, 2006 Olympian and 2008 NHL All-Star, whose 15-year, $67.5-million deal was bought out by the Islanders last summer. (His Twitter handle, @hdumpty39, is a reference to his oft-broken body.)

He last played in late November for the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate in Charlotte.

Would he like to play again? "Everything's kind of in flux right now," he said. "Mind says yes, body says no . . .

"If the opportunity arises, it's something I might think about. But it's been a struggle for the last couple of years trying to figure that out because everything's falling apart. I do not want to play if I can't perform at the level that I think is acceptable."

So for now, at least, "radio is where I'm at," DiPietro said. And he has proved to be good at it, with a dry wit delivered with a Boston-area accent and thorough knowledge of sports and pop culture....

"What's most touching to me is the response I've gotten on Twitter," he said. "This is kind of a weird part of my life here, where I'm trying to make a decision about where I go, and part of me was nervous coming on the radio that I was going to get killed from everyone. It's been the complete opposite. It's been love and well wishes.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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