SOCHI, Russia – Jeff Carter has played alongside the likes of Peter Forsberg,
Claude Giroux, Rick Nash, Daniel Briere, and Anze Kopitar, but not one of them
stacks up to Drew Doughty in one key department.
Denis Potvin Jersey . "Hes probably the most
skilled guy Ive ever played with and Ive played with some pretty good players,"
Carter said after a close 2-1 overtime win against Finland. "When his confidence
is going [and] hes feeling good about himself he can do anything out there. Its
pretty amazing to watch." Doughty scored both Canadian goals – including the
upset-preventing overtime winner – late Sunday evening, lifting his country to
top spot in Group-B and a berth in the quarterfinals. On a grand Olympic stage
that features the highest caliber of talent this game has to offer, the
24-year-old from London, Ontario stands out as one of the very best. "I forget
about everything thats going on around me and Im just focused in on that game
and having fun," he said. Third in tournament scoring after the preliminary
round, Doughty leads Canada with four goals – including one in each of the three
games – and five points, totaling nearly 20 minutes of ice-time against the
Finns. No apparent fear or uncertainty seems to exist on his part, no matter the
venue. Doughty is willing to force the action and assert himself on
centre-stage, if and when the moment presents itself. This was clear again in
overtime at Bolshoy Ice Dome when he deposited a Carter feed beyond the pads of
the nearly-unbeatable Tuukka Rask. It was perhaps most emphatic during the 2010
Olympics when he proved a revelation as a 20-year-old for the gold-medal winning
Canadian squad. "Confidence," said Carter in a word. "When you put all his skill
with that confidence its pretty amazing." And maybe his personality has
something to do with that no-fear persona on the biggest stages, which also
included a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. Marc-Edouard Vlasic,
Doughtys defence partner here in Sochi, describes him as "pretty loose" and
"funny". A teammate for two-plus seasons with the Kings, Carter agrees, calling
him "one of a kind for sure", always with "a smile on his face, bouncing around,
laughing, having a good time." Those easy-going qualities seem to translate to
the ice. "He plays loose out there," Carter said. "Hes not scared to try and
make plays too and I think thats what make him such a dynamic player." Doughty
carries a cool about him on the ice that makes every one of his movements seem
controlled and purposeful, almost as if nothing else out there matters in the
scheme of what he has to offer the game. His passes are crisp and on the tape.
His daring rushes look as though they were designed beforehand, each stride,
angle and movement carefully calculated. His instincts with the puck make it
seem as if he is just a step ahead of what lies next. "Thats what Drew does,"
said Carter of Doughty, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2008 draft, who is
logging 26 minutes per game for the Kings this season. "He does it all year for
us [in Los Angeles] and probably doesnt get as much recognition as he should
because of the time zone and what not." Doughty doesnt look nor appear nervous
on this stage, but says he was four years ago in Vancouver during that first
Olympic stint. But the nerves that bubbled there were not for the reasons one
might think. It had nothing to do with the pressure of bidding for gold on home
soil, but was more about his youthful place on a veteran roster that featured
aging stars and future Hall-of-Famers like Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger.
"I was just a little young guy there, had so many older guys around me that I
didnt know whatsoever," he said. "I was nervous mostly because of that, not
because of the fans and the pressure and the country and all that, it was just
meeting all these All-Star players." If not leaning on Niedermayer and Pronger
for wisdom, Doughty made sure to stash other hints for success. "Just watching
them thats all I had to do," he said. "And I learned so many things just
watching those guys play and it helped me out for this one for sure." Doughty
looks like hes just having fun, like the intensity of all that lays around him
has no bearing. Facing a large horde of media after his overtime winner he
stepped toward a microphone and began to speak only to be reminded that he
needed to actually speak into the microphone. Cool and jovial, he responded with
a sarcastic crack, "I actually gotta talk into the microphone?"
Josh Bailey Islanders Jersey . The Toronto
Argonauts running back hurt his left ankle during the teams practice Friday
afternoon at Rogers Centre.
Clark Gillies Islanders Jersey . Ryu (8-3)
allowed a run and three hits in six innings and struck out six in his 13th
start. In his first 13 starts last season -- his first in the major leagues --
the left-hander was 8-5 with a 2.85 ERA. This was the ninth time this year that
Ryu has allowed fewer than three earned runs, and he is 7-0 in those games.LAKE
FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with
defensive end Trevor Scott. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Scott has appeared in 76
games with 18 starts over six seasons with Oakland (2008-11), New England
(22012) and Tampa Bay (2013).
John Tavares Jersey. He played in four games
for the Buccaneers last season before being released. Scott has 94 tackles,
including 16 1/2 sacks, in his career. The Bears announced the move on Thursday.
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 Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
The Wall