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Hockey

Rick DiPietro’s Hips Don’t Lie

On September 19th of 2006, I was a little shocked to hear that the New York Islanders signed their goalie, Rick DiPietro, to a 15-year deal that would pay him $67.5 million over the duration of the contract. It made DiPietro the 8th highest paid goalie at the time, and locked him up in New York for the rest of his career. People saying that it was a weird deal considering that DiPietro is average at best. Now, it seems like the Islanders really may be rethinking the move.

DiPietro is scheduled to have season-ending hip surgery for the second year in a row. Last year, it was the left hip. This year, the right. That makes the first two seasons of his whopping contract shortened due to injury. The important point that the recent ESPN article left out is that the contract is guaranteed and if DiPietro has to retire because of an injury, he will be paid in full. If he retires for any other reason, the remaining money left on the contract will be forfeited. At this point, it looks like DiPietro is an injury basket case and may cost the Islanders a lot of money if his career is short lived.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

One reply on “Rick DiPietro’s Hips Don’t Lie”

If he retires due to injury insurance pays for it, so it’s net?et no worries for the isles.

The question is how bad a cap hit they take if and when he retires. I forget the structure, but IIRC the remainder accelerates for half the life of the remainder of the contract.

That would mean a $6mm hit or so, then going down to $3mm after a while.

For better info go to James Mirtle’s blog and look for salary cap tags

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