Dein erstes Forum » you run 203 mph, and youre kicking yourself a little

TORONTO -- One guy has more points over the past five seasons combined than any player in the NHL -- more than Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane or Alex Ovechkin over that span. The other guy tied the all-time single-season record for wins last season en route to a Vezina Trophy. The third has a Stanley Cup ring and was second only to Drew Doughty as a minutes-eater on his NHL club last season.There they were Wednesday afternoon at Air Canada Centre, Claude Giroux, Braden Holtby and Jake Muzzin?-- representing a combined?$20 million in NHL salaries for the upcoming season -- getting in a skate on a day when the rest of Team Canadas lineup stayed off the ice on the eve of Game 2 of the World Cup of Hockey finals.It is testimony, of course, to Team Canadas mind-blowing depth of talent that it can romp through this event without making those three guys regular members of the lineup.Just as important, though, is how these star players have accepted their situation. Of course, it kills them not to play. Theyre born competitors.But theyre also cognizant of the need to put Team Canada first, and so they have.Obviously we all want to play, Giroux said Wednesday. Thats just in our blood. And we just want to see Team Canada win.Having just missed out on being picked for Canadas 2014 Sochi Olympic team, Giroux was absolutely jacked when he got the call this time around. During the teams pre-tournament camp in Ottawa you could practically see his eyes glow with excitement at the prospect of finally getting his shot.The experience has still been positive, but appearing in just one tournament game isnt exactly what he had hoped for at the start.You dream of playing for Team Canada when youre a kid, Giroux said. You must want to help your country win. Obviously you want to play. Everyone on this team has the attitude that they want to make a difference. They want to be out there to help the team win. Its tough. But Im learning a lot and having a lot of fun here.Both Giroux and Muzzin were original roster members but have since been passed over for playing time by late-replacement additions in Ryan OReilly and Jay Bouwmeester, respectively.But that again speaks to the remarkable depth and plethora of choices with which Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock is blessed.Obviously, you want to be out there. every guy wants to be out there, Muzzin said. But when youre a scratch on one of the best teams in the world, I mean, its an honor just to be here. Its a privilege to be here. You cant really be too angry. Yeah, I want to play and I want to show what I can do and play at this elite level and prove myself at this level, but at the same time our team is full of really, really good hockey players. Thats just how it is.Holtby feels it might have been a little tougher on Giroux and Muzzin because, as he says, there are more moving parts in the lineup with forwards and defensemen. But as one of the teams three goalies, he had a pretty good sense going in that Carey Price would be the starter.It was probably easier for me because I was a little more prepared for it, Holtby said. Its been good. Its been a challenge in some ways, but its been fun.That Corey Crawford has been the backup ahead of Holtby was a mild surprise, just because of the Washington Capitals goalies standout 2015-16 season. But then again, when you consider Crawfords Stanley Cup experience with the Chicago Blackhawks, its kind of a toss-up.Its a pretty big honor just to be named to this team, Holtby said. Its pretty much an all-star team. Its pretty cool that way. I think youre just proud to represent your country. You dont really question it. But you definitely gain a new perspective of guys back on your (NHL) team that are struggling to get into the lineup. Its a tough spot.Giroux, the Philadelphia Flyers captain, echoed the sentiment of having a better appreciation for the players who vie for a lineup spot back home.It helps you understand what guys go through when theyre healthy scratches, Giroux said. Its not the most fun thing. You just got to grind it out and hope for your chance. But being part of this team has been a blast.Giroux is a victim of being on a team loaded with star centers, some of which are Olympic holdovers. Still, this July 17 tweet on NHL point leaders from ESPN NHL analytics guru Rob Vollman underscores Girouxs accomplishment the past half-decade: Its amazing that Giroux can be cast aside, but at the same time, its not all that shocking when you look at the names on the lineup.The talent thats here is pretty surreal, Giroux said. You can see every line is playing well right now -- how Canada finds a way to play a team game even when theres a lot of talent. A lot of guys that can take over a game. Everybody buys in, and its one of the reasons Canada has been successful.Muzzin has just tried to soak in as much as he can from this dressing room of full of leaders and superstars.Seeing the guys in here and how they prepare and seeing the different things that they do, I mean, you learn so much from different guys, said the?Los Angeles Kings?blueliner. And they learn things from you, it goes vice versa. You pick a coachs brain a little bit, you get a different view, you learn a lot. How can you not learn from this experience??A tough task for the three of them is trying to get as ready as possible for the NHL season which is just around the corner.Thats kind of been the challenge, right? Muzzin said.Its strange, because weve been playing hockey for longer, but were almost behind when we get back just because of the situation were in, Holtby said. But in preseason, its not like you play every game. Its a new challenge, but theres still enough time to get ready for the season.All three will go home with memories nonetheless.The whole experience has been great, just being around the guys has been fun, Giroux said.Only on Team Canada. Jerseys For Sale Outlet . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Authentic Jerseys For Sale .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Wholesale Jerseys For Sale . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Discount Jerseys For Sale . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan.BROOKLYN, Mich. -- On another record-setting day at Michigan International Speedway, Joey Logano raced to one of the fastest qualifying speeds in NASCAR history. Logano won the pole at 203.949 mph Friday in his No. 22 Ford, breaking the track record set by Marcos Ambrose last year. Ambroses mark of 203.241 came on the first Sprint Cup weekend on a newly paved surface at MIS. His record lasted 14 months. Loganos speed was the ninth-highest by a NASCAR pole winner -- and the fastest since Bill Elliott set the record of 212.809 at Talladega on April 30, 1987. "I dont know how fast it is, but it feels freaking fast," Logano said. Kurt Busch qualified second, and points leader Jimmie Johnson was third. Logano is 16th in the Cup standings, and this is his first pole of the year. He could use a good showing this weekend as he tries to make a final push to reach the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Logano is 27 points behind 10th-place Martin Truex Jr., and he hasnt won a race this season. But a victory at Michigan could change everything, vaulting him closer to Chase position on points and boosting his chances at a wild card. There are four races left before the Chase. "Were 27 points out. That doesnt sound like a lot, but the amount of cars that are in between us is a lot," Logano said. "Were one bad race from saying, Were out. So weve got to make the most out of these four." Its the sixth career pole for the 23-year-old Logano. Hes coming off three consecutive top-10 finishes, although he hasnt won in over a year. Logano finished ninth at Michigan in June. Bussch is in 11th place in the standings, so his solid starting position comes at a good time for him.ddddddddddddBusch started second in this years earlier race at MIS, but he finished 35th. "Its really neat to overlay exactly what we did here in June, when we were outside pole, and try to improve on that," Busch said. "The pace today was just quick. It was just an extreme pace that the qualifying simulations were showing us. I shot for a 35.35 (seconds) in my mind for a lap time and ran a 35.347. I thought it would be good enough for the pole, but Logano just hit it perfectly." Despite the high speeds, Busch said his ride was pretty smooth. "When your car is good, its very stable," Busch said. "When you run 203 mph, and youre kicking yourself a little bit like I am for just going in a little too light, thats just because the car was stable. So 203 mph is not a problem. "Thats what Dave Ferroni, my PR guy, asked. He said, Is that the fastest youve ever gone around a track in a stock car, average speed-wise? And I said, Unbelievable. At 203 mph it didnt feel like it." Mark Martin qualified fourth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was seventh. Defending Cup champion Brad Keselowski was ninth. Johnson has never won in 23 Cup races at Michigan. "Of course we wanted to be a little bit better, but we had a very smooth and clean practice session made some good changes to the car and found speed as the session went on," Johnson said. "Came close to getting another pole during qualifying, so all in all just really good." ' ' '