Hilfestellungen » reporters.Lester also owns a nine-gam

Connor McDavid went around Pavel Datsyuk like he was standing still, blowing past a longtime NHL star for the kind of scoring chance a teenager shouldnt be able to produce with such ease.McDavid playing above his age is nothing new.Ive seen him ever since hes been about 14 years of age and hes been the best player against everybody two, three years older than him, Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said. Hes an elite player.McDavid is elite at 19 years old, and going into his second pro season with the Edmonton Oilers is already knocking on the door of being the best hockey player in the world. Sidney Crosby has that title right now, but uncertainty about the Pittsburgh Penguins captains third concussion in six years has put his run of dominance on hold.Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli believes in short order fans will realize how stellar McDavid is. The Great One already sees it.I like Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky said. I think this kids going to be a tremendous superstar and a great player for our sport for a long time.McDavid follows agent Gretzky, Eric Lindros and Crosby as a generational talent who everyone knew had star potential. A broken collarbone limited him to 45 games in his rookie season, yet McDavid still had 16 goals and 32 assists. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy despite missing half the season.Making moves like hes using a joystick, McDavid is earning every bit of the hype that has surrounded him since he had 209 points in 88 games during his 14- and 15-year-old midget season in Toronto. His peers are in awe at just how fast McDavid is able to make plays.You can see a guy who can make plays in full speed, said Stars forward Lauri Korpikoski, who spent last season in Edmonton. Hes got some wheels, he can fly and at the same time he sees the ice and is able to make plays and find guys at that full speed.The NHL is trending toward speed and skill, and McDavid exemplifies that. Scouts -- and his own agent and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Bobby Orr -- have said McDavid needs to build upper-body strength as he grows into his frame, and having a stronger lower body, as Crosby does, would push him even further.That will come in time. Hockey lifers see all the right ingredients for greatness in McDavid, who is part of an exciting wave of young players that includes 2016 top picks Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, 2015 No. 2 pick Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres and 2014 No. 1 pick Aaron Ekblad of the Panthers.The future of the sport is bright because of all that talent, but McDavid stands out -- even to his peers.Hes a very special player, everybody knows who he is and what he can do, Matthews said. He thinks the game extremely well, and hes a fast player. ... He can do a lot of things at a pace that not many people can do.McDavid is progressing fast, too, and is still learning and adding more tools to his game. Faceoffs need work after he won just 41.2 percent of draws as a rookie, but whats most dangerous to the competition is that hes fine-tuning how and when to use his speed to take over.You can definitely use your speed to give yourself a little bit more space, McDavid said. Another thing that Ive had to learn is to slow down sometimes and not let yourself kind of fly through the hole or fly through an opportunity where you could get the puck. Theres definitely a need for speed and theres a time to be slow and kind of slow down for the puck and wait for it.McDavid hasnt had to wait for much: He was the no-doubt No. 1 pick when he was eligible, and the Oilers last week named him the youngest captain in NHL history. Unflappable as usual, McDavid called opening a new arena and being the face of a franchise the same pressure that Ive always dealt with before.This is nothing new, but the pressure will only expand with time.Hes going to continue to grow our game with his skill level, Nill said. He can play the game at such a high level, he plays the right way. Hes a very respectful man on and off the ice. I just think the ceiling is endless with him. Hes going to be the face of our game for many, many years.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhynoScarpe Nike Outlet . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Vapormax False . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. http://www.scontatescarpenikeoutlet.it/italia-air-force-1-offerte.html . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Air Max 90 Outlet . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Vans False . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season.CHICAGO -- The National League Central champion Chicago Cubs have lost just 24 of their 80 home games this season.The St. Louis Cardinals have delivered six of those losses. Theyre 6-3 at Wrigley Field this season.The Cardinals can steal another victory Sunday night when they play the rubber match of their three-game series against the Cubs.With their unlikely success at the famed ballpark, the Cardinals (81-73) remain focused on the NL wild-card race. They are one-half game behind New York and San Francisco, who are tied for the top spot.The records and all that dont mean that much, said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, whose team is 9-9 against the Cubs. Weve got a whole lot of fighting left to do.Catcher Yadier Molina echoed that sentiment.We dont think about numbers, he said. We just come here and try to win games. Obviously, we know what kind of team they are. Theyre obviously the best team in the league. We respect that, but at the same time, we come here thinking about winning.The Cubs have their own goals in mind. After securing home-field advantage in the NL playoffs, the team is aiming for 100 victories.The Cubs are 98-56 after falling 10-4 to the Cardinals on Saturday. The Cubs last won 99 games in 1935, when they reached 100 victories.When you start the year, you think 90 wins; that should get you to the dance pretty much, said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who won 97 in 2008 with Tampa and last year with Chicago. When you get a chance to do 100, that is special.First of all, you have to be good. Then second of all, you do have to really approach the day properly. Beecause we have rested our guys.dddddddddddd Everybody has played. Weve been fortunate with our starting pitching that theyve been able to get their normal turn. Thats probably the most important thing.Left-hander Jon Lester, who is scheduled to start Sunday, and the rest of the Cubs rotation have been able to stay relatively healthy.The biggest surprise overall is health, general health, Maddon said.When you get a starting group that has a chance to pitch 1,000 innings or close to it among five pitchers, thats the part thats really special.Lester (18-4, 2.36 ERA) posted his league-leading 18th victory on Tuesday when he held the Cincinnati Reds to one run in seven innings.His ERA ranks second in the majors behind teammate -- and fellow NL Cy Young contender -- Kyle Hendricks 2.06.Its a huge, huge honor to even be in consideration, Lester told reporters.Lester also owns a nine-game winning streak and is 9-2 with a 1.86 ERA at Wrigley this season. In eight career starts against the Cardinals, he owns a 2.22 ERA. With Lester and 2015 NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, the Cubs are the first NL team with two 18-game winners since the 2004 Astros and first Cubs team with such a pair since 1989.For St. Louis, right-hander Carlos Martinez (15-8, 3.16) is scheduled to start Sunday. In his last outing, he allowed two runs in five innings against Colorado. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 18 career games, including eight starts, against the Cubs. ' ' '