Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Following the Young Cats, and Mr. Jagr
Following
the Young Cats! And Mr. Jagr!
With only a handful of games
remaining before the All Star Break, NHL teams are assessing their
expectations for the remainder of the regular season. The Break
usually comes at a halfway point in the season; however, for a
variety of reasons, some teams have played well over that amount. The
Black Hawks play their 53rd game tonight, out of an 82
game season.
The Hawks were in Sunrise last
Friday on their Florida swing. They had lost to the Tampa Bay
Lightning, ending their 12 game winning streak. Former Belleville
Bull Richard Panik was in the coach's doghouse for oversleeping the
start of the morning skate, and he was relegated to the press box for
the evening. They had a total of nine shots on goal in the first two
periods. In the game against the Panthers, a real dagger came at the
end of the first period when Quinton Howden picked up a loose puck in
the Hawks zone, fired a harmless shot at Darling, and watched the
puck trickle over the goal line. With 2.1 seconds remaining in the
period. Ouch!!
Friday night was a difficult one for
the Blackhawks. They trailed the Panthers 4-0 at the end of the
second period. Coach Joel Quenneville pulled goalie Scott Darling at
the midway point in the third period to try to spark the offense.
More than 19 000 fans enjoyed every minute of the game.
With Coach Quenneville
The Panthers had been on a 12 game
winning streak before losing four in a row. The Hawks had duplicated
that streak. You could tell that both teams carried a certain winning
swagger, but it just wasn't in the cards for the Hawks that evening.
The Panthers rely heavily on the
play of Jaromir Jagr, and rightfully so. The question always arises:
How does he do it? How does this man who turns 44 in February
maintain his level of excellence? Damn hard work, I maintain.
In a chat with local reporter Dave
Hyde, Jagr spelled out some of his secrets: “The more I practice,
the more I play, the fresher I feel. To have a few days between the
games, it's not really helping me. I have to play every day. My
body's totally different than anybody else.” His fitness regimen
defies logic.
He works out four hours every day.
On or off the ice, he wears a 45 pound weighted vest. He also wears
ankle weights, either 2 ½ pound or 5 pound weights. He warms up
before games with a ten pound weight on his stick. He has always been
a fitness freak, starting at age 7 when he did 150 push ups and 1 000
squats every day!
He plays on a line with two of the
outstanding young players on the Panthers: Jonathan Huberdeau and
Aleksander Barkov. They lead the team in scoring. A couple of other
products of the OHL also help with the team's effort. Erik
Gudbranson, who played for the Kingston Frontenacs, logs plenty of
time on the blue line, and keeps the opposition honest. He will drop
the gloves when required, and administers stiff body checks. His hit
on the Hawks' Teuvo Teravainen was replayed on the screen several
times, much to the delight of the rabble.
Of course, much of the credit for the Panthers' success is owed to Roberto Luongo. Enough said.
Aaron Ekblad, last year's rookie of
the year, is a product of the Barrie Colts. The team relies on him
more than on any other defenceman. He puts up good numbers, 19
points on ten goals in 42 games. But he also leads the team with a
remarkable plus 17, the plus/minus stat. A very smooth skater, he
sees the ice well, and plays far beyond his age. He will be 20 years
old in February.
The Hawks' Andrew Shaw was nicked
for stitches in the game, but returned to play. Why is that not a
surprise? I continue to be really impressed with rookie Artemi
Panarin. What a player! He led all rookies in the league with 45
points in the 48 games they had played up to that point. He is a bit
older, at 24, as opposed to the other young rookies. But he was playing, at age 16, in the highest Russian league, the KHL He
was signed by the Hawks last May, as a free agent. How in the world
did a player of such immense talent go undrafted? I will work on
that.
Enjoy all of the All Star
festivities. I spent a very late night recently watching Milos Raonic
at the Australian Open. Worth every penny!
Keep your stick on the ice! Serve
well!
James Hurst
sportslices.blogspot.com
January 26, 2016
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:29 AM 
