The New York Islanders had to count on minor-leaguer Wade Dubielewicz (a name that is hard for even us non-Polish Slavs to get right) to help save the day with four straight wins to make the playoffs. When Rick DiPietro suffered two concussions late this season, "Dubie" was there, when Mike Dunham was not.Dubie was so impressive that he's earned himself a nice spot in the NHL with the Islanders next season.
Dubielewicz showed he could perform in confidence-inspiring fashion in the pressure of a playoff race to earn the backup job. In eight appearances for the Islanders, including three mop-up situations, Dubielewicz compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.06 goals-against average and a terrific .934 save percentage.With Rick DiPietro recovering from major hip surgery, it was important for the Islanders to get a backup goaltender who could shoulder a decent workload and provide solid goaltending.
Switching to a backup role will be a big change for Dubielewicz, who played in the AHL All-Star game last season. Asked after the season if he could handle long periods of inactivity behind DiPietro, Dubielewicz said, "You have to be ready. I've always been very good at coming into games. It's going to be something new. If Ricky goes on these runs where he plays for six weeks straight, something you might see is me going to Bridgeport to play a couple of games to stay fresh.
Mike Dunham? Not only is he frequently injured, but he frequently sucks! In 19 games, Dunham had a woeful 3.74GAA, 4-10-3 record, and an 88.9 SV%!
Wade, 27, was never drafted, but has an impressive pre-NHL track record* and has been waiting for his chance to show his talents in the NHL.
*Dubielewicz won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the top rookie in the AHL for 2004 and he was once an all-American goaltender for the University of Denver Pioneers.
