Islanders Camp: Rick's ready

SYOSSET, N.Y. -- It's been a tough few years for Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro, whose list of injuries could fill a couple of blog posts.

But he says he's healthy and ready to go.

"This is the first summer in quite a while where I didn't have to rehab from surgery," DiPietro said after Saturday's initial workout at Iceworks. "That's a positive, and I've done everything in my power physically to get healthy for camp and hopefully stay healthy.”

DiPietro played just 26 games last season, but that was still his highest total since 2007-08. He missed much of the Isles' second-half surge because of a broken jaw.

"I wasn't part of the team for a lot of it, but from the All-Star break on, we played fantastic," he said. "We had one of the best records in the League. As long as we can stay healthy -- that's the biggest thing for us."

DiPietro turns 30 on Monday, but he says he doesn't feel old -- even on one of the NHL's youngest teams.

"I wouldn't  consider myself old yet," he said. "I'm still in my late 20s; I've got a couple of more days."

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