DiPietro Has Hip ‘Scoped
May 4th, 2007 by murph
The $67.5 Million Dollar man had some arthroscopic surgery on his hip this week. Everything went fine and smooth. Get well soon Ricky!
Even before he suffered two concussions in a 12-day span in March, Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro was playing hurt for the final two months or so of the regular season. Earlier this week, DiPietro underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a labral tear of his left hip.
DiPietro will be on crutches for the next two weeks and is required to rest for the next four to six weeks. But the franchise goaltender is expected to make a complete recovery long before training camp opens in mid-September as he prepares for the second season of his 15-year contract.
The surgery was performed Monday at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Philippon, a well-known hip specialist. Philippon is a consultant to teams in the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB and has treated many professional golfers. His clients have included Mario Lemieux, golfer Greg Norman and running back Priest Holmes.
DiPietro’s injury resulted from a chronic condition rather than a specific incident and was one of the reasons he sometimes did not take part in optional morning skates on game days.
“Not that anyone needed more proof that he’s a battler, but Rick gutted it out with this injury down the stretch and in the playoffs,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said in a statement.
