even if thats the last

Posted in IYH Forums by fangxu0220 at 09:02, Sep 14 2015

WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin remembered what Troy Brouwer said earlier this season about the Winter Classic and took it to heart.Brouwer said, Its a good time to show up and make a show, Ovechkin recalled.Brouwer scored the game-winning goal as the Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Thursday at Nationals Park. But that wouldnt have been possible were it not for Ovechkin playing some of his best hockey and scoring earlier in the afternoon.Ovechkin skated like a man possessed and was one of the best players on the ice. Thats no surprise given the eyes watching from the stands and across North America with the superstar on centre stage.Alex, the bigger the stage, the bigger Alex is. Alex, hes a rock star, coach Barry Trotz said. Alex has this ability, as the great stars do, that you want to keep your eyes on him. Even if hes not doing anything good, bad, or indifferent, you want to watch him. And thats what star power does. You want to watch those guys out there.Ovechkin made the most of the brightest the spotlight can really get during an NHL regular season. The 29-year-old had five shot attempts in the first period and ended with 13, flying around the ice with a purpose.After banging home the rebound of a point shot from Mike Green, Ovechkin jumped into the glass as part of his signature celebration and ignited a crowd of 42,832 that filled the ballpark.I always have fun, Ovechkin said. But this is probably one of the special days. And as soon as you see a puck go in, its a great feeling because you want to get success and you want to win.Ovechkin drives the Capitals success as the face of the franchise and has been the leader of the core of Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich for the past decade. Playoff success has eluded this group, but absent a couple of tough series, the 2004 No. 1 pick has performed and is a point-a-game scorer in the post-season.Itll be a few months until Ovechkin and his teammates get another chance to get past the second round. For now, they know they just need to keep winning games.The Winter Classic is just one of 82 regular-season games, but Ovechkin was instrumental in the Capitals winning for the ninth time in the past 13 games.Theres a lot of players in this league who want the big stage, but when theyre put in the spotlight, theyre not as big, Trotz said. I think that the great players of their generation, and Alex is one, is that, when the stage is very big, you know what youre going to get and youre going to get a good performance, a great performance.Asked about stepping up in big moments, Ovechkin said: I just like when I play against great teams and especially if its a great atmosphere.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Senquez Golson Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Le Veon Bell Jersey . Homan and her Team Canada (1-0) rink from Ottawa scored four in the eighth end for an 8-3 victory over Manitobas Chelsea Carey (0-1) on Saturday night at the Maurice Richard Arena. http://www.shoptheofficialsteelers.com/Elite-Leveon-Bell-Steelers-Jersey/ .J. -- Two wins dont make a playoff contender, unless youre in the NFC East. Bud Dupree Womens Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Mike Wagner Jersey . If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on.For once, the New York Yankees lost out on the bidding for one of their high-priced free agents. Numbers Game looks at the Mariners landing Robinson Cano. The Mariners Get: 2B Robinson Cano. Cano, 31, has been an elite second baseman, leading the offensive parade at the position. Sicne 2006, his 190 home runs ranks second, as does his .868 OPS and 36.9 fWAR. Clearly, hes been a top tier performer, so its no surprise that he was able to command a lucrative contract as a free agent. In addition to having a pretty sweet swing, Cano has been incredibly durable, missing a total -- total -- of 14 games in the last seven seasons, with more than 650 plate appearances in six of the last seven seasons. Naturally, Cano wont remain this productive as he heads into his late thirties, but the more immediate concern ought to be about park effects, moving from a lefthanded-hitters haven, Yankee Stadium, to cavernous Safeco Field. Over the course of his career, Cano has hit .309 with an .837 OPS in 40 games at Safeco, about the same as his career marks (.309/.860), but four home runs in those 40 games is below Canos career home-run rate (which is one every 6.7 games). While offence is his calling card, Cano has become an asset in the field as well. Since 2009, his 38 Defensive Runs Saved ranks fourth at the position and his Ultimate Zone Rating is above average for that span. The issue, of course, is that Cano is 31 and doesnt figure to be increasing his range as he gets olders so, at some point over the life of this deal, hes pretty much assured to be a liability at second base and then it could be a matter of finding him another position. Where all of this leads is to a certain point of inevitability, that by the time Cano is 37, 38-years-old, on a contract that pays him through age 41, hes not going to be productive enough to warrant $24-million per season. Since 1960, among second basemen that were at least 37--years-old, there are a total of four (Joe Morgan, Davey Lopes, Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio) that recorded a fWAR of at least 5.dddddddddddd.0, total, after that point in their careers, so its asking a lot for Cano, even if he is going to be a Hall of Famer, to be overly productive through that age. That leaves the potential for 3-5 years of marginal production at the end of the deal. Given the annual cost, thats a pretty steep premium for the Mariners to pay. With Cano in the fold, the Mariners have more moves coming. Nick Franklin, their 2009 first-round pick, showed some promise last season, hitting a dozen home runs with a .225 batting average and .686 OPS in 102 games. Hes just 22 and hit .287 with an .819 OPS in five minor-league seasons, an indication that he should be able to hit at the major league level. Now that Cano is blocking Franklin at second base and Brad Miller is at shortstop, it seems likely that Franklin will be part of another transaction for Seattle, possibly to improve the pitching staff. From the Yankees perspective, they have signed Kelly Johnson, who offers respectable power -- his 79 home runs since 20010 ranks fourth among second basemen -- to a one-year deal and hes a fine stopgap solution. If there is a benefit to be gained by losing the leagues best second basemen, its in the financial flexibility that is gained and how the Yankees might spend money they had earmarked for Cano. If thats merely the Jacoby Ellsbury signing, then its hard to see this as a net gain, but if the Yankees turn around and add more pieces because they have room in the budget to do so, then it becomes easier to justify a fiscally-responsible decision, even if thats the last thing to expect from the Yankees. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Deals Wholesale Stitched Jerseys ' ' '