challenged me every single shot today. from corse178's blog
PITTSBURGH, Pa. Cheap Braves Jerseys . -- For more than a decade, this has been his net, his job, his town.A decade of superlative goaltending that has, in spite of the odd wobble, established Marc-Andre Fleury as one of the great goaltenders of his generation.Consider: At the start of this season, the 31-year-old is 18th among all NHL goalies with 357 wins.Lets imagine he plays four more years and averages 25 wins a season -- a paltry amount, given his historical level of consistency -- and that gives him 457 wins, which would put him fourth all time. If he has relatively good health, hes more likely to end up third all time, behind only Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. Throw in a couple of Stanley Cups (at least), a place on Canadas Olympic roster in 2010 and the next thing you know, Hello, Hall of Fame.And still, and still, for someone this constant, this sure in this most passionate of hockey towns, things are anything but certain and sure for Fleury as the Pittsburgh Penguins begin defense of their 2016 Stanley Cup championship.Yes, he was tabbed to start ?Thursday night for the banner-raising game against the Washington Capitals, just as he was after the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven memorable games in the 2009 finals.Make no mistake, this is different.Fleury knows it. The fans know it. Heir apparent to the Penguins net, Matt Murray, who is recovering from a broken hand sustained while playing for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey, knows it.I knew it would be a little bit different from what Im used to, Fleury admitted, the trademark grin firmly in place. But I was glad to be able to come back to Pittsburgh, to be able to play with this team and play for this city again. And Ill try my best try to win some games. Its all I can do, really.Murray started last season in the American Hockey League and then came on in relief of Fleury after Fleury sustained a concussion late in the regular season. Then, Murray became the story of the 16 playoffs. He was injured in the final regular season game but returned for the second game of the Pens first-round series against the New York Rangers. He yielded one start the rest of the way, that in the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning in which Fleury took the loss, and turned in a .923 save percentage behind a 15-6 record.A few days before he celebrated a Stanley Cup championship, Murray turned 22. And then turned the Pittsburgh goaltending situation on its ear.Or did he?What seemed assured, that Fleury would begin this season as last season ended -- sitting on the end of the Penguin bench with a ball cap on his head -- has now been thrown into disarray.Murray is nursing his broken hand and Fleury, as he has been pretty much for the past dozen years, will be the man when the Penguins begin another pursuit of greatness.It wasnt always easy for Fleury last spring, but he was universally lauded by teammates and observers for his deportment during the playoff run.Ive always been used to playing, to be in there, so some days were a little tougher, he admitted. But as a teammate, I wouldnt want anybody to see it or to think about that, to think about me. I just wanted them to focus on their game and not be a distraction for anybody. At the end, like I said, we won, so it was all worth it.Mike Rupp played with six NHL teams and some of the games greatest goalies -- including Fleury -- before retiring. He spoke with Fleury during the finals and was impressed but not surprised by the netminders demeanor in the face of having been supplanted as the No. 1.Marc-Andre Fleury is legitimately the most kind, probably the best guy Ive ever met in hockey, said Rupp, whos now a national analyst. He is that. And everybody thinks that and says that. Hes just the ultimate teammate.Lets not confuse being a good teammate with not caring who starts.Fleury wants very much to again be the man.Whether thats here in Pittsburgh or somewhere else, that remains to be seen.Former teammate Colby Armstrong, also a national broadcast analyst, understands the mental toll this kind of uncertainty can have on a player.Thats what the games all about, thats the hardest part of the game, Armstrong said. I know in playing with him and dealing with him and even just talking to him, hes a proud guy that wants to do the right thing and be a good teammate and is also competitive and wants to have that net. I respect that.Close your eyes and you can still see Fleury sliding across to block Nicklas Lidstroms last-second bid to tie Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena in June 2009. GM Jim Rutherford can. He was running Carolina at the time, his Hurricanes having been swept by Fleury and the Penguins in four games in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.If the outside view might be of a team with a potential goaltending controversy Rutherford, who played 457 NHL games as a goaltender, views things somewhat differently.What I worry about as a GM is if you dont have one goalie, Rutherford said. So, why would I worry about having two good ones?Indeed, when was the last time a team entered a season with two goaltenders who had guided their teams to Stanley Cup wins?Rupp, for one, believes the Penguins are starting the season with the best tandem in the business.Rutherford might have to make a hard decision at some point as the season moves along, but he doesnt have to make that decision today. I have a very good veteran goalie and I have a very good young goalie, he said. Itll play itself out.How?And until that narrative reveals itself, Fleury is content to try to enjoy this as much as possible.Its tough because I get reminded by people coming to the rink and stuff with mics, he said with another chuckle. So, yeah, sometimes you have a little thought whats going to happen and stuff. But I have to remind myself to enjoy the day, enjoy what we have now. Its going to be good here and whatever happens, happens.I just want to be normal, he added. I dont want to overanalyze, overthink stuff. I just want to have a nice season, go play, enjoy the guys at the rink, outside the rink.Surely the man who has owned this net, this team, this town for so long deserves that much. Wholesale Braves Jerseys . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. Womens Braves Jerseys . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.cheapbravesjerseyschina.com/ . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). OOLTEWAH, Tenn. -- Australias Min Woo Lee waited out a 47-minute weather delay to hole the winning 3 1/2-foot birdie putt Saturday in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.The 17-year-old Lee beat 16-year-old Noah Goodwin of Corinth, Texas, 2 and 1 in the 36-hole final at The Honors Course. Lee became the first Australian winner and combined with older sister Minjee to become the first brother-sister tandem to win USGA junior championships. Minjee Lee won the 2012 U.S. Girls Junior.Im down in history on the USGA Junior trophy, so it feels really good, Lee said. Its probably the best Ive ever felt. Its a dream come true for me. Ive always wanted to win this tournament. I was in good form coming into it. I knew I had a good chance. It feels great to win and be on the trophy with names such as Tiger (Woods).Minjee Lee is a two-time LPGA Tour winner.I think we made history, so thats pretty cool, Minjee Lee said from the LPGA Tours UL International Crown in Illinois. I just told him at the beginning of the day to just have fun. Im glad that he came out winning, and its great for both of us.On the par-5 35th hole, Goodwin found the green with his second, while Lees approach came up just short in a grass bunker. Goodwins long downhill eagle try rolled 9 feet by the hole. Lee followed with a flop shot that stopped 3 1/2 feet from the hole. Goodwin pulled his par putt and, as Lee was lining up the potential winning putt, the USGA blew the horn because of inclement weatther. Braves Jerseys From China. .After the delay, Lee converted the birdie putt.I had a few minutes to come together and just think about that putt, and think about the other putts that Ive had similar to that one, Lee said. I missed a few low, so I thought I would hit it a bit higher. It went right in the middle.Lee took the lead with a birdie in the par-3 34th hole.I couldnt have lost to a better player, Goodwin said. He pushed me and challenged me every single shot today. I played my butt off today. I played great. I got beat by a better player. In the end, thats what its all about. This tournament is just about finding the best player this week.Lee, 131st in the world amateur ranking, became the fourth international, following South Koreas Terry Noe (1994), Sihwan Kim (2004) and Andy Hyeon Bo Shim (2012).Its the best course Ive ever played, Lee said about the Pete Dye-designed Honors. Its a great match-play course. Its challenging in every way.Goodwin is ranked 35th.I learned I can play with the best (junior) players in the world, Goodwin said. I kind of already knew that, but its always nice to just have more experience doing it and everything. My wedges were great this week, and that was one of the things that kept me going the entire time. I just need to polish up my irons a little bit more, though, and I can do that over a period of time. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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