This is interesting: Thrashers coach Bob Hartley is in the walk year of his contract.
I really love watching Hartley coach in Atlanta. He's got a lot of interesting pieces he's not afraid to mix and match. Ilya Kovalchuk and Bobby Holik on a line? He's done that. Marian Hossa on the penalty kill? Why not? It's pure creativity that's been working very well for Atlanta, as they prepare to enter the playoffs for the first time.
Here's hoping Hartley gets a nice contract from Atlanta. Although, if for some odd reason he doesn't, I bet a lot of other teams would be interested.
Also, an interesting note about Hartley: He lost his job at a paper mill in 1982, after the mill closed. He had car payments, a mortgage, and a young child. So it's nice to see things working out.

All of this concussion stuff with Islander goalie Rick DiPietro has been very interesting (he's not expected back before the playoffs). Ranger goalie Mike Richter's career was shortened by a concussion and the media never really got a chance to talk about it because Richter was such a popular guy, both with fans and with the media, and because he seemed so heartbreakingly depressed about having to end his career. It was almost like a polite media silence. But now that some time has passed, and with a news hook, a lot of people are revisiting just what went down with Richter's concussion. And that includes Richter, who spoke to the Daily News this weekend, passing along some advice for DiPietro:

My main advice to him would be to listen to himself...Certainly, Ricky has responsibilities to both sides of the equation, and it's clear his absence has hurt the Islanders and their playoff chances. But it's most important for him to listen to what his body and his head are telling him, and only he knows what that is, compared to how he normally feels.

Richter pushed himself back from concussions, but it's hard to say if that ultimately shortened his career. But that's not even the issue. It would be great if Richter spent some time talking to players in the junior leagues, to let them know that playing through pain and walking serious injuries off isn't always the best way to go. The culture of hockey is you play until you can't stand up, but maybe a respected guy like Richter can change that culture, so there's no shame in telling your coach you can't even see straight.
By the way, the DiPietro-less Isles played a strong game against the Rangers last night, downing them in the shootout.
Also, take this for what it's worth, but Stan Fischler says Claude Julien might have been fired for not keeping the Devils on a short enough leash. One player told Fischler the bench was chaotic. The Post's Mark Everson heard similar rumblings, saying there were rumors Julien had lost the respect of the players. Even if all of that was true, the Devils' record didn't really indicate it was a serious issue.

OK. First of all, as I like to do the first night of Passover, here's my tribute to Bobby Nystrom.
Now, with that out of the way, what the hell is going on in New Jersey? Is it me, or is Lou Lamoriello now firing coaches because he doesn't like their vibe? You almost expect him to say coach Claude Julien was fired because he was a bit of a close-talker or a sidler or had woman hands.
Interestingly, my friend Roddy Piper was over for the Seder and he let me borrow the glasses he wore in THEY LIVE. I looked at this photo:

And this is what I saw:

Weird, right?
Also, don't forget to say hey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/puckupdate. I'm up to two friends and I'm wondering if I can make it to three by Friday.
I'm all about personal goals, you see.

When GMs construct teams, do they ever consider the psychological makeup of their players? In yesterday's Post, Larry Brooks brought up the issues of if the Islanders rushed goalie Rick DiPietro back or if DiPietro downplayed his symptoms in order to keep playing. There are a few other factors behind all of this, though. One is that a goalie is on the ice just about the whole game, so when a starting goalie goes down, it's a big thing. Realistically, scoring can be replaced or defense ratcheted up, but if the goalie isn't there, and there's no one to step into the void, what can a team do?
Which brings up the second factor: the depth chart. If you have a capable backup/second goalie, it's a lot easier to come out and try and preserve your career. No one wants to risk losing a starting job, but most goalies are probably just as reluctant to risk their health. But if no one is in back of you, as is the case out on the Island, with the erratic Mike Dunham backing DiPietro, if you want to push your team into the playoffs, you really have no choice but to ignore symptoms.
This sort of situation was almost inevitable with DiPietro, just as it is with Martin Brodeur. When an organization rides a single goalie, they force the goalie to make bad decisions that can turn out to be career-ending. Imagine Jocelyn Thibault's career if he had had any kind of backup in Chicago. Maybe he wouldn't have constantly have been rushing back.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, athletes are competitive by nature. GMs need to understand that and make it as painless as possible for them to disclose injuries and to feel that if they do have to miss some time, a team's playoff chances won't be derailed.
I don't think that was the vibe out on the Island. I hope Brodeur, whose backup is actually a rotating trio of season ticket holders, is watching and learning from all of this.
Also, don't forget to say hey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/puckupdate.