.UP NEXTKings: Visit Orlando on Thurs | Forum
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Mar 4 '18
More than two decades after the Finnish Flash took the NHL by storm, a generation of Finns is building on Teemu Selannes unforgettable legacy. Mark Ingram Jersey .Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets leads the NHL in goals at age 18 and is at the forefront of Finlands infusion of young talent. Between the Carolina Hurricanes Sebastian Aho, Florida Panthers Aleksander Barkov, Edmonton Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi and San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi, this is arguably the strongest wave of Finnish forwards the league has seen.Finland has a proud hockey program that produced Selanne, brothers Saku and Mikko Koivu and plenty of star defensemen and elite goaltenders. Now the Scandinavian country of 5.5 million people is churning out some of the fastest and most skilled young players around.There was a time, a couple of age groups, that we really didnt have any superstars, Finnish goaltender Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins said. We really didnt have any goal scorers or superstars coming. Now, its totally opposite. We have many of them coming up.Finland currently has as many NHL players (33) as it does indoor rinks, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation. By comparison, Canada has 3,250 rinks and the United States has 1,800.A country that big, you look at their sheer population and the numbers, its amazing the players theyre pumping out, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. Developmentally, theyre doing something right over there thats leading to the success because its amazing based on the sheer numbers what theyre doing.Some of Finlands best are 21 and under, and three of the top five picks in the 2016 draft were Finns: Laine at No. 2, Puljujarvi at No. 4 and defenseman Olli Juolevi to the Vancouver Canucks at No. 5.Thats a long way from a weak 2009 draft that led the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to hold a summit, the result of which was a greater focus on individual skill development. Couple that with the influx of arenas to grow the game that followed Finlands win at the 1995 world championship, and Finland has made a national commitment to growing faster, more skilled players to stack up against the worlds best.Im really proud, Donskoi said. Its great to see that, I think, Finnish hockeys going the right direction.With 11 goals in his first 17 games, Laine is the poster boy for Finlands incredible strides. He has drawn comparisons to Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, a three-time MVP who said Laine could score 50 or 60 goals if he continues to improve.While Donskoi looked up to Selanne and the Koivu brothers, Laine considered Ovechkin his idol. Now he wants to be even better.I love the way he scores goals and he wants to score, but I dont want to be exactly like him, Laine said. Yeah, of course, he has an amazing shot and (hes) an amazing player, but I want to be myself. I have a lot to learn about everybody and take something from him, especially his shot. I think I have to grow that if I want to get to his level.Teammates think Laine has limitless potential, just like executives believe Barkov could be as good of a two-way player as three-time Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. Barkov is just 21.Hurricanes coach Bill Peters has raved about how NHL-ready Aho is at 19 -- well-rounded and committed to defense while also being able to pile up the points. Barkov credits coaches in Finland for developing smart players who dont just look to score.They do everything that youll grow up as a good player and a good sportsman, said Barkov, who had 59 points in 66 games last season. They help you a lot, especially in the junior national team. Have a lot of meetings -- tell us what to do and how to prepare for the games.Players from Finlands biggest rival, Sweden, cant help but notice the increase of top-end talent. Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom called this a special generation of Finns, and Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog believes its a good thing for the NHL and international hockey.Theyve always had such a good team, with the Koivus and Selannes and these guys, said Landeskog, whose Finnish teammate Mikko Rantanen was the 10th pick in 2015. Theyve always had a knack for putting out good goalies and now a lot of young guys coming up, too. I think its exciting.Despite being smaller in size and budget than Canada, the U.S., Russia and Sweden, Finland has medaled at four of five Olympics with NHL players and six of the past 11 world championships. Given Laine and Co., the future is even brighter.Its a really good generation we have coming out now, Rantanen said. We havent seen this kind of wave from Finland in a while.---AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . Terron Armstead Jersey . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. A.J. Klein Jersey . LOUIS -- St. http:///...y-hendrickson-jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. MIAMI -- DeMarcus Cousins went into the fourth quarter with no personal fouls. By the end of regulation, he had fouled out.And with that, Miamis home dominance over Sacramento continues.Goran Dragic scored 25 points, Tyler Johnson had seven of his 22 in overtime and the Heat beat the Kings 108-96 on Tuesday night -- Miamis 15th consecutive home win over Sacramento, the longest such current streak in the NBA.Remarkable, isnt it? Sacramento coach Dave Joerger said of Cousins six-foul final quarter, one that included three offensive fouls -- the last of those waving off what would have been a go-ahead basket with 30.6 seconds left.With Cousins reduced to spectating, the Heat outscored the Kings 17-5 in overtime.I think it was good for us to go through another emotional game, said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team stopped a two-game slide. In the second half emotions were running high. A lot of frustration, a lot of elation, a lot of everything in between.Rudy Gay scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Sacramento. Cousins also scored 30 for the Kings.Hassan Whiteside got his fourth double-double to start the season, 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat -- and drew the last foul against Cousins. Dragic added eight rebounds and eight assists, and Dion Waiters scored 20 points for Miami.Whiteside and Cousins were very careful with their words after the game when asked about fouls.Good, hard, competitive game, Cousins said.Said Whiteside, who was in foul trouble throughout the second half: I dont want to speak on that, because the NBA is going to take my money.The Heat wasted an 80-71 lead in the final six minutes of regulation.Gay went on a personal 7-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into an 89-87 lead on his jumper with 1:48 left. The Heat tied it twice from there, meaning the Kings lost two leads -- and then their star, too. Cameron Jordan Jersey. We needed this one, Whiteside said.TIP-INSKings: Cousins was suspended for both Kings-Heat games last season, the second of those for exceeding the leagues 16 technicals-in-a-season limit. He picked up a tech Tuesday as well, already his third this season. ... The Kings shot 38 percent.Heat: Whiteside, who had an uncle succumb to prostate cancer on Monday and said playing Tuesday was difficult, is the second Heat player to start a season with four double-doubles. Rony Seikaly did it twice. ... The Heat are 4-2 on Spoelstras birthday; he turned 46 on Tuesday. They have played on Nov. 1 in each of the last four years.DUNK DIFFICULTYWhiteside and Cousins had some dunk difficulties in the third quarter. Whiteside went up for a two-hander early in the quarter, only to get it blocked by Cousins and wind up on his backside. About a minute later, Cousins had an open look at a dunk of his own and got stuffed by the front of the rim.HASLEM DEBUTSHeat captain Udonis Haslem got his first playing time of the season -- and officially making this his 14th Heat season, the most anyone has spent with the franchise. Among current players, only Dirk Nowitzki (19 seasons, Dallas), Tony Parker (16 seasons, San Antonio) and Manu Ginobili (15 seasons, San Antonio) have been with only one team for longer.UP NEXTKings: Visit Orlando on Thursday. Sacramento will be playing for the third time on this five-game, seven-day trip.Heat: Visit Toronto on Friday. Its Miamis first trip there since losing Game 7 of last seasons Eastern Conference semifinals. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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