Former goalkeeper New York Islanders American Rick DiPietro believes that the goalkeeper of the Russian team Ilya Sorokin You should not force your recovery after an injury in order to maintain optimal shape throughout the season.
Earlier, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy announced that Sorokin had undergone back surgery. Prior to that, club general manager Lou Lamoriello said the goaltender suffered an upper-body injury this summer but would be ready for the start of the new NHL season.
“It’s not about trying to get back into action in the middle of the season because there’s pressure associated with the playoffs. If I could give him one piece of advice, I would recommend that he recover 100%, focus on his body, strengthen all the muscles that are next to the ones affected by the surgery. And then, after physical therapy and training in the gym, he will have a lot of work with goaltending coach Sergei Naumov.
Then you have to take steps to move from working with a coach, getting the timing right, to incorporating more game-related elements. The movements, bounces and loose pucks you encounter in a game are difficult to recreate in practice.
The expectations of players who sign big contracts go beyond the pressure of fans and media. I always felt the pressure to play in front of my teammates, that was always the most important thing. A common misconception is that an athlete is not as critical of himself as the fans are of him. When you have problems, everyone knows it.
“You would expect a player, especially Sorokin’s caliber, to become one of the best goalies in the NHL. He has a chance to become the best goalie in the league. And when he doesn’t get that result, I’m sure he gets upset. It only gets stronger when you sign a contract like that and become one of the central figures of the club,” DiPietro was quoted as saying by the New York Post.
Sorokin has been with the Islanders since 2020. Last season, he played 57 NHL games, including the playoffs, and in the regular season, he stopped an average of 90.9% of shots per game.
In the 2023-24 Stanley Cup, the Islanders lost the first round to Carolina with a score of 1-4.
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Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
