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Kevin Maher of News 12 Long Island promises a candid interview with Rick DiPietro that will preview on the air at 3 p.m. today and air in its entirety at 5 p.m.
To preview it, Maher tweeted a few quotes that show the raw emotion the Islanders goaltender felt after being waived halfway through a lifetime contract with the team, with the booing from fans even leading to thoughts of suicide:
DiPietro told me Isles waiving him felt like, "they ripped my heart out, stabbed it, set it on fire and flushed it down the toilet."
— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) February 28, 2013
I asked DiPietro if he thinks he's still part of the Islanders future plans. He said, "I don't know." @news12li
— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) February 28, 2013
DiPietro also admitted injuries, losing and fan hatred over the past 3 years made him think about killing himself at one point.
— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) February 28, 2013
UPDATE: The Post's Brett Cyrgalis talked to DP about the interview, quoting him as saying the "killing himself" comments were "100% facetious."
The rest above is from an interview Maher conducted today. Yesterday with Michael Fornabaio, the Connecticut Post's Sound Tigers beat writer, DiPietro focused on just needing games to play to get back in form.
No doubt this on-camera interview with local Long Island media will be, shall we say, more dramatic.
To that end, there's probably more to come, including a response from the Isles, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple:
#Isles will have a statement forthcoming on DiPietro's comments to @kmahernews12 earlier today.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) February 28, 2013
UPDATE, II: The team's statement is even more succinct than expected:
“We are aware of Rick’s comments today and the severity of them. We will handle them internally as we do with all player matters. This is an opportunity for Rick to play lots of games in Bridgeport.”
Pop some popcorn, shall you?
Not dramatic, but quite hockey: The Islanders host the Maple Leafs tonight.