Rittich Raves About Long Island Early into Training Camp

David Rittich is known as ‘Big Save Dave’ for a reason.

The veteran netminder made his first a big save - the first of many – with the Islanders on Friday against Maxim Shabanov on a penalty shot in a training camp scrimmage.

Yes, it’s early and the stakes of training camp scrimmage are far below what’s to come in the regular season, but Rittich is settling in with his new team after he signed a one-year deal with the Isles on July 1.

“I’m excited to be here,” Rittich said. “With the scrimmage today, it was good to get that in before our first preseason game. It’s been great here so far.”

The veteran netminder heard plenty of great things about the organization, dating back a couple years before his decision to sign with the team.

The source, LA Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller, who spent three seasons as an Assistant Coach for the Islanders (2019-22) before joining the Kings organization. Rittich spent the past two seasons in LA, where Hiller was happy to tell the netminder about his previous home.

“He told me it’s a pretty nice organization,” Rittich said. “And about the players who he had here. I’ve heard great stories, great things and I made my decision to come here.”

In the weeks leading up to training camp, Rittich spent a good chunk of the summer attending informal captain’s skates to get quality workouts in with his new teammates. Two days into camp, he’s settled in and has got a good feel for the team.

“Teammates are great, everyone is super friendly,” Rittich said. “It’s been awesome so far for me and my family.”

The 33-year-old bolsters the Islanders goaltending depth. Rittich began his NHL career with the Calgary Flames, playing parts of five seasons from 2017-21 and reaching a career-high 27 wins in 2018-19. He played four games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021 and played one season for Nashville (2021-22) and Winnipeg (2022-23) before spending the past two seasons with the Kings.

While the Islanders are still getting to know more about the outgoing goalie, some of Rittich’s reputation precedes him, like his quirky pregame ritual. He would have his goalie coach shoot two pucks off his mask for good luck before a start. The origin? He was playing for the Stockton Heat, former AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames when he got hit in the mask during a morning skate. He went on pitch a shutout that night, so the superstition was formed.

Rittich won't be taking pucks to the mask on Long Island however - he retired the unique routine after he became a dad.

“Not anymore,” Rittich said with a laugh. “I stopped when my first son was born, tried to be more responsible.”

Rittich and his wife Nikola welcomed their second child at the end of August, a baby boy named Nathaniel. With a three-year-old and now a newborn, Rittich has explored Long Island’s zoos and farms while checking out the beaches as the summer winds down.

Now with training camp in full swing, Rittich is looking forward to working hard in training camp and gearing up for preseason.

Though it’s early into camp, Head Coach Patrick Roy had a positive assessment of the 6’4,” 205 lbs. netminder.

“I like him,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “He competes out there. You can tell he’s a competitor and it’ll be nice to have him here.”