he bubbly out of his shoe.I think we just made our country even prouder, | Forum

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec -- In January 2015, when details were unveiled of how the upcoming World Cup of Hockey would include a Team North America squad, consisting of players under 24 years old,?Pittsburgh Penguins?goalie Matt Murray wasnt necessarily the first goalie who came to mind when thinking about best-on-best hockey. Tom Wilson Jersey .At that point, he was still in the middle of his first full season as an American Hockey League goalie, one that was going quite well. When he saw the announcement, making the team became a personal goal for Murray -- but he also was realistic about his standing in the hockey world.I remember thinking I was probably an afterthought for this team, Murray said after the final practice before Team North Americas first World Cup pre-tournament game. I was probably on the outside looking in.Anaheim Ducks?goalie John Gibson, 23, had the pedigree. He was a second-round pick who came up through the U.S. development program and looked great in four postseason games with the?Anaheim Ducks?in 2014.Winnipeg Jets?goalie Connor Hellebuyck, 23, later staked his claim to the job while leading Team USA to the bronze medal in the 2015 World Championships, making 39 saves in a shutout against the Czech Republic.Murray was, at best, No. 3 on the list. Even when he was officially named to the roster in March, he had played only a few NHL games.As hockey fans know, last spring changed everything. For Murray and for the hopes of Team North America.His performance during the Stanley Cup playoffs not only helped the?Pittsburgh Penguins?raise the Stanley Cup, it made him the most important player on Team North America.His team has the skill to win it all. In Murray, it now has a goalie who has proven he can do it.He was just having his day with the Cup a month and a half ago, said Team North America assistant coach Jon Cooper, whose?Tampa Bay Lightning?team Murray helped eliminate in the Eastern Conference finals.In doing so, the goalie became one of the few players on this young roster to have his own day with the Cup.Between him and Brandon Saad, do we have anybody else? Cooper asked.Nope.Those are our Cup winners, right there, Cooper said. Ultimately, those two guys have something that none of us have. Even our coaching staff.That experience is the great equalizer in this tournament.When he goes against the best World Cup goalies from other countries, he can do so with the confidence that hes accomplished something most of them havent.Last time I looked, Henrik Lundqvist hasnt won a Cup. Neither has Carey Price, said one NHL goalie coach when asked if Murray could hang with the worlds best. So yeah, there are great goalies -- but they havent won for one reason or another.Thats Murrays advantage.His disadvantage is that he doesnt have a large pool of NHL games from which to draw experience. Although it sounds crazy, Murray has only played in 13 NHL regular-season games. He hardly knows anyone on this team mostly because hes still breaking into the league. He was in a couple of Hockey Canada tryout camps with guys such as?Morgan Rielly and Aaron Ekblad, but thats it.The guys on the team who are familiar with him, know him only because he knocked them out of the postseason last spring.He didnt really have that one mistake in a game, said?New York Rangers?forward J.T. Miller, whose team lost to Murray and the Penguins in the first round. He never gave us a chance to get momentum. He played unbelievable.Two rounds later, Murray knocked out Jonathan Drouin and the Lightning.Hes so calm, Drouin said this week of his new teammate. Hes kind of Carey Price-like. He waits for the puck to hit him. Hes relaxed. You can see it in practice.Team North America coach Todd McLellan wasnt committing to any of his three goalies on Wednesday. His goal in the pre-tournament games is to get two goalies playing well and go from there.Its not out of the question that one of the others, especially Gibson, seizes the opportunity. The players from the Western Conference who know Gibson also realize hes capable.Hes underrated, the?Colorado Avalanches?Nathan MacKinnon said of Gibson. Theres a reason they traded Frederik Andersen?and not Gibson.Theres a growing feeling this Team North America squad could make noise as an underdog. Theyre loaded with talent. Theyll be the best skating team in the tournament. Theyre confident.Theyre also going to make mistakes. The forwards dont have the polished two-way game of their more experienced counterparts on other teams. As skilled as the Team North America forwards are, there isnt a Ryan Kesler or Jonathan Toews in the bunch.The penalty kill will end up employing players better known for offense than defense. Its just the way the roster is constructed.Its why the hopes might just hinge on Murray.The North American team will attack the puck a lot, but they might make more mistakes than anyone else, said the goalie coach. Hes going to have to be a goalie who makes timely, timely saves.Hes done it on the biggest stage there is in hockey, leading the Penguins to a Stanley Cup. In early August, his attention shifted from what hes done in his short career to what he still hopes to do.In the short term, its play well enough to earn the trust of his Team North America coaching staff. In the long term, the goal is to show the hockey world that last spring wasnt a fluke.He knows there are people out there wondering if it was.For sure. You dont just want to win one, Murray said. You dont just want to have one good season and disappear. Mike Gartner Jersey . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Washington Capitals Jerseys .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. http:///...lly-capitals-jersey/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- The smile is back on Daniel Ricciardos face.After a tough start to the Formula One season, which saw him struggle for form, watch a teenager upstaging him and then berate his own team, the Australian driver has now secured three straight podium finishes.His second place at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday was full of the composure that the 27-year-old Australian showed in his first season with Red Bull in 2014, when he won three races, finished on the podium five more times and outperformed four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.That raised expectations, but 2015 was disappointing with just two podiums, and this season started in a similarly frustrating fashion.Four races into the season, as his team made a sudden switch by replacing Daniil Kvyat with Max Verstappen, he looked on as the 18-year-old Verstappen drove to a splendid win at the Spanish GP in May.Ricciardo, who was fourth in Spain, felt that team orders worked against him in that race, and again at the ensuing Monaco GP in late May.Red Bull team principal Christian Horner apologized to him after a calamitous pit stop cost him a near-certain victory.By this point, Riccirados grin turned into a surly growl.Two races in a row Ive been screwed, said an irate Riccciardo, who started that race from pole position and had been electrifyingly quick in practice. Andre Burakovsky Jersey. They should have been ready. It hurts.He was in a much better mood on Sunday, after a composed drive saw him hold off Lewis Hamilton, who was third.It was cool, said Ricciardo, who now has 14 career podiums. To keep Lewis behind was great.Ricciardos trademark broad grin was stretching across his face as he engaged in some podium antics with countryman Mark Webber, a former F1 driver with Red Bull who won nine races in his career.Webber was interviewing the top three after Sundays race when Ricciardo, known for his zany humor, took off one of his racing shoes and asked Webber to drink some Champagne out of it.Webber refused, then changed his mind as Ricciardo broke out into raucous laughter watching him sipping the bubbly out of his shoe.I think we just made our country even prouder, he said to Webber, while race winner Nico Rosberg and Hamilton looked on.Ricciardo is third in the F1 standings behind the Mercedes pair.Next up is the Italian GP in Monza, a circuit which traditionally is more difficult for Red Bull. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys' ' '