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11.09.2019 07:39
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As NHL teams prepare for training camp in September, a lot of the hockey talk always revolves around new faces we may see opening night. For the Jets, one of the names that kept popping up was Adam Lowry. There was a spot up front and he was going to be given the opportunity to grab it. Adam approached camp with this in mind: When you come in, you know how many guys are coming back and whenever a team doesnt make the playoffs, you know there is going to be a chance they are going to be willing to make changes. So as long as I pushed and I showed well, I knew Id have a chance to push my way into the lineup. Lowry had a very good second half with the St. Johns IceCaps in their run to the Calder Cup final last sprng. It was also an opportunity for Kevin Cheveldayoff, Craig Heisinger, Paul Maurice and the rest of the Jets management group to get a real good look at him in pressure situations. But knowing who was watching was not the focus. We were focussed on winning the Calder Cup. It was disappointing to lose. For me in the developmental stage, going through that was huge. Playoffs is another level. To be able to do that, it was a short summer but a lot of valuable experience was gained. At 65 and 207 lbs, the 21-year-old has the size to be able to compete in the tough Western Conference. He also has the pedigree, with his father Dave having played 1,084 NHL regular season games. And when the Jets made him their second selection in the 2011 draft, family was part of it. Dave was well respected, both as a player and a person, said Marcel Comeau, Director of Amateur Scouting for the Jets. We were hopeful the apple didnt fall too far from the tree and that has certainly come to pass. When it came to making the selection, there was no debate, continued Comeau. We had him and another player in mind, a player that went a few picks earlier. When that guy went, Adam was our guy. We liked his size, his effort, physical play, his two-way game and he led by example. He was a little raw at that point, but we felt he had big upside. In the 2008 Western Hockey League bantam draft, a VERY much smaller Lowry (59, 135 lbs) did not go until the fourth round, 78th overall, taken by the Swift Current Broncos, a place where he grew both on the ice and off the ice. I went to my first camp at 15, I measured in at 511, 141 lbs, and started my first junior year at 61 1/2. They gave me 163 but I was probably 150-155 lbs. He went on to being named WHL Player of the Year after scoring 45 goals and 43 assists for 88 points in the 2012-13 season. Lowry was born in St. Louis where his dad was playing with the Blues. We were only there nine months and Dad got picked up by Florida in the expansion draft. There until I think five and we moved to San Jose until I was eight and then Calgary ever since. I remember the first time in Calgary, it snowed first week of September and I was terrified. Lowry learned plenty from his dad, and from just being around the game. Dad had to go to the rink and work hard every day. He was never guaranteed a spot. He was always on the third and fourth lines and always battling with someone else to stay in the lineup. I saw how hard he worked in the summer and how hard he worked during the season. Even when he was injured he would be in the gym and doing everything he could to get back into the lineup. Hes been huge help. Adam also learned by just hanging around and watching. You pick up things that a lot of people dont if you are not around it. Id watch practices, and at a young age, you are watching some of your heroes but you are also watching coaches implement systems and at eight, nine, 10-years-old, you are starting to understand things that are not being taught until 13, 14. It really helps you push your hockey sense to another level at a young age. Lowry is a perfect example for the Jets plan of draft and develop. As general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff put it to Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press the morning of Lowrys first NHL game, opening night in Arizona, Its something that when we set out on this trek, this journey from Atlanta to Winnipeg, we knew the process and the painstaking way we were going to have to build the franchise. So when you draft a player and he goes through the process, the gratifying thing to me personally is that youre not really doing it, its the way the organization is set up, the people youve entrusted to do their jobs. You know the prospects are in good hands, but at the end of the day, its up to the prospect. They have to take possession of their own career and Adam has certainly done that. There is an interesting connection with teammates T.J. Galiardi and Paul Postma. Dave Lowry coached the two when they played for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. For Postma and Galiardi to make hockey comparisons is not possible, but there are similarities in personality. Both have a lighthearted, dry sense of humor, stated Galiardi. Dave ripped me a few times when he coached me, Adam hasnt ripped me – yet. He added jokingly. Postma notices how both love to compete. They both hate to lose, very competitive. On the ice, Lowry has been moved from left wing to centre because that is where Coach Paul Maurice sees him playing long-term. Lowry grew up a winger, but was moved to centre for his final year of junior and also played the middle last year. Biggest adjustment to the NHL, pace, stated Lowry. Everything happens quicker. Lowrys first NHL goal came on a deflection in the sixth game of the season. It turned out to be the winner in the Jets first home win of the year. Every game, he seems more comfortable starting a road trip on a line with Chris Thorburn and Dustin Byfuglien. And the final word will go to Byfuglien, He is fun to watch. Keeps it simple and doesnt want to get out of his comfort zone, but I cant wait until he does. Aaron Ekblad Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Florida Panthers Jerseys . Murray, the defending champion and No. 3 seed, claimed his first match win at Queens in 2005 and went on to win the Wimbledon warmup three times. But he failed to take advantage of eight set points after leading the first-set tiebreaker 6-2, and Stepanek survived to convert with his second set point. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/henrik-borgstrom-hockey-jersey/ .com) - Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard notched a win, while second-seeded two-time champion Ana Ivanovic, third- seeded Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova and fifth seed Sabine Lisicki all exited the draw at the Generali Ladies Linz tennis event. Evgenii Dadonov Panthers Jersey . -- D.A. Points was disqualified Friday from the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for using a training device while waiting to play the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. Colton Sceviour Panthers Jersey . Gauteng High Court Judge Dunstan Mlambo ruled Tuesday that South African media houses will be allowed to install three remote controlled cameras in court for the Olympic athletes trial starting next week to capture images that likely will be seen by millions around the world. CLEVELAND -- The Washington Wizards lost Nene to a knee injury, and then won the game with a strong effort on defence. John Wall scored 21 points, Bradley Beal had 17 and the Wizards beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-83 on Sunday night. Washington had a 66-63 lead midway through the third quarter when Nene departed with a sprained left knee. The Wizards then held the Cavaliers to 11 fourth-quarter points to return to .500 at 28-28 on the season. They also strengthened their hold on the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. "Were a team right now thats just trying to play the right way and get on a roll," Wall said. Nene had eight points, four rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes. He was coming off one of his best games with the Wizards, when he had a career-high 30 points in Saturdays win over New Orleans, including the game-winning dunk with less than a second left. Coach Randy Wittman said Nene banged knees with Spencer Hawes and will get an MRI on Monday. Luol Deng led Cleveland with 17 points and the injury-riddled Cavaliers lost for the second straight time after winning six in a row. The Cavaliers played without centre Anderson Varejao (sore back) and guards Dion Waiters (hyperextended left knee) and C.J. Miles (sprained left ankle). While the Wizards are in good shape to snag a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers are five games out of the final post-season slot. Kyrie Irving, who scored 15 points, admitted that hes looking at the standings. "You have no choice but to pay attention to it," he said. "We want to accomplish something, but it starts with every single game. Time is of the essence right now." Washington led 78-72 after three quarters, and then grabbed control in the fourth. Two baskets by Kevin Seraphin, who replaced Nene, and five points by Beal helped the Wizards build a double-digit lead before Trevor Arizas 3-pointer with a little over a minute left made it 96-81. "We felt bad when he got hurt, but during the game, you have to keep focused the whole way, which we did," Seraphin said. The Cavaliers shot 49 per cent in the first half, but were 4 of 19 from the field in the fourth quarter. "The ball just seemed tto stick in one area," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.dddddddddddd "It was almost like we played in an elevator at times. It wasnt crisp like it was in the first half." Ariza scored 15 points and Marcin Gortat had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Hawes, playing his second game since being acquired from Philadelphia on Thursday, had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland. The Wizards used a 12-0 run midway through the first quarter to go ahead for good. Cleveland got within one point several times in the third quarter but never pulled even. The game featured two of the top young point guards in the league in Irving and Wall. Irving was the MVP of the All-Star game and Wall won the dunk contest. Wall ended the first half with a dunk and two 3-pointers in the final 1:21. He banked in a 30-footer to beat the halftime buzzer, giving Washington a 58-52 lead. Washington scored the first two baskets on a tip-in and a fast break after a bad pass by Irving, leading to a timeout by Brown just 31 seconds into the game. Browns message obviously worked as the Cavaliers took a 13-8 lead, but the Wizards scored the next 12 points to go ahead 20-13. The teams split the season series, with the road team winning all four games. "The last time we played Cleveland, we gave the game away," Ariza said. "They played harder than us the last time. We did our best to prevent that from happening again." Hawes made his home debut late in the first quarter. He had 13 points and seven rebounds in 14 first-half minutes. NOTES: While theres no timetable for the return of Clevelands injured players, Varejao, who has missed the last six games, was on the court at Saturdays practice. Waiters hasnt been able to run since being injured Tuesday while Miles is still using crutches after hurting his ankle Wednesday. ... The Wizards are 11-6 in their last 17 road games. Washington is 14-14 on the road and at home. ... Cavaliers F Tristan Thompson, a native of Canada, celebrated his countrys win over Sweden in the gold-medal hockey game at the Olympics. "Were supposed to win," he said with a smile ... Wizards F Otto Porter, the third pick in the draft, didnt play for the fourth time in six games. ' ' ' |
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