Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro, left, faces a lawsuit from the parents of a child following his appearance in a "Hockey Is For Everyone" commercial.

The parents of a young boy who appears in the NHL Network’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” commercial filed a lawsuit against New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro yesterday, claiming emotional stressed suffered by their son when DiPietro picked him up and bolted to a local Wendy’s, screaming like the Mad Hatter with the boy in his right arm.

The boy, Justin Carter, has been suffering from nightmares since the incident occurred over a year ago, claim his parents.  Also named in the lawsuit are the NHL, NHL Network, and commissioner Gary Bettman.

“He just picks up my son and starts running around like a madman. I thought he was possessed,” said Sheena Carter when reached for comment.  “Poor Justin’s been terrified of hockey players ever since.  He thinks they’re going to get him in his sleep. I mean DiPietro did try to get him in his sleep that once, but he was babysitting for us at the time. That was different.”

Rick DiPietro, who has missed the majority of the last two seasons with a variety of hip and knee injuries, claims he was only trying to boost the boy’s self esteem when he laughed maniacally, picked up Justin, and ran around the room, down the street, through the Wendy’s pickup window, to the dry cleaners, and back to the youth hockey event he was hosting when the incident began.

“The boy was a little down because he couldn’t score a goal.  So I thought he’d like to fly like Superman,” said DiPietro.  “Did I go a little overboard with the laughing?  I don’t think so.”