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SCHNEIDER TRUSTS TEAM USA DECISION MAKERS
Jonathan Quick, Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard were named as the three goaltenders for Team USA Wednesday. Fire & Ice relays that while New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider was disappointed he wasn’t named to the team, he remained supportive of the choices.
“(Howard is) a great goalie. He’s been a really good goalie for the past three, four, five years in this league. Same with Quick and Miller. So, I don’t think you can go wrong with those guys. I have a lot of respect and trust in the USA decision makers and how they’ve gone about this. I know they turned over every stone and looked at every angle of it. You just have to respect the decision and support and respect the guys who are headed over there.”
More Schneider: “You kind of make your own luck and you have a lot of control over what happens, so it’s up to you to make things happen and do your best. They’re picking the team to compete with the best in the world and you have to be exceptional to be on that team and there were moments when I wasn’t quite there and probably could have played better at some points during the first half. So, it is what it is and I’m just moving on and focusing on the second half.”
TORTS: HAMHUIS SHOULD BE ON TEAM CANADA
The Vancouver Province details how Canucks coach John Tortorella feels defenceman Dan Hamhuis deserves a spot on Team Canada at the Olympics.
“I don’t root for Team Canada in that Olympic stuff,” Tortorella, a Boston native, said Wednesday morning, “but he should be one of those players. He’s played that well.”
Hamhuis was part of the Canadian summer orientation camp and the team’s roster will be announced January 7.
“He gets better as he plays more minutes,” Tortorella said of Hamhuis. “He’s been a huge part to us finding ourselves, where early in the year he really struggled.
“He’s in shape. He’s in top shape. He’s cerebral. That gets him out of jams. He’s done a terrific job. He’s really grown.”
ALFREDSSON TREASURES WINTER CLASSIC MOMENTS
Daniel Alfredsson recounts his 2014 Winter Classic experience, via Michigan Live.
“An unbelievable experience,” said Alfredsson. “I mean, it was crazy to walk out there and see all the people at first during warm-ups and stuff.
“After a while you don’t think about it as much. Of course, you look up and dream away a little bit but it was fun. You know, when you’ve been out there (playing outdoors) before it’s been on a pond or something like that with zero people in the crowd.
“Now it’s over 100,000 so it’s new for everybody. During timeouts, when they’re shoveling the snow, you just try to take it all in.”
REPORT: HERTL COULD MISS SIX TO NINE MONTHS
CSNBayArea.com points out the San Jose Sharks have classed Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl’s MCL/ PCL ligament surgery recovery timeframe as “indefinite.”
A former NHL team trainer, who is not involved with his case but is familiar with the injury, told the outlet a best-case scenario sees a return in around 12 weeks. More likely, six to nine months.
No ACL damage likely means a full recovery where skating and explosiveness are not negatively affected.
“As long as he gets a nice long repair and it heals, his quad is nice and strong, there are probably no long term affects at all from a PCL,” the trainer said. “The ACL would be a problem. The fact that his ACL is intact and it’s just a PCL, it’s really kind of a blessing in disguise. The MCL will be a non-issue. In eight weeks, they won’t even be talking about it anymore.”
ST. LOUIS COMES THROUGH FOR LIGHTNING
The Tampa Tribune looks at the terrific job captain Martin St. Louis has done since Steven Stamkos went down with a broken leg.
“He goes from playing with Steven Stamkos to two rookies, and did he sit there and gripe about it? No, all he did was go out and perform and make these two guys better,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I think there are a lot of players that would sit there and say ‘I’m getting put out there with two wet-behind-the-ears American League kids,’ but he has risen to the occasion, and we have been better off for that.”
Cooper: “When Stammer went down, we had a two-game moment of exhilarating panic or whatever it was, and we played probably above our means, and then reality sunk in and we all went down, including Marty. He had to reinvent himself, and all he has done is play like a champion the last 10 games. So we all went down, but somebody had to pick us up, and that’s what captains do. He picked us up and led us the way ever since.”
HORTON’S DEBUT COMING FOR JACKETS
The Columbus Dispatch reports the anticipated season debut for Nathan Horton should likely come Thursday against the Phoenix Coyotes. He had shoulder surgery in July.
Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said he had not yet settled on where to put Horton in his lineup.
“We’ll figure that out tomorrow,” Richards said. “If this comes to fruition, we want him to be comfortable on the ice. But he’s going to provide some energy,” Richards said. “The other thing is that it can’t become a thing where it sidetracks everyone else, where we’re watching him and waiting for him to do (things). We have to be really good at not doing that.”
RANGERS’ MCDONAGH LEARNED FROM TORTORELLA
The New York Times outlines the emergence of 24-year-old Rangers rearguard Ryan McDonagh, who was also named to Team USA Wednesday.
Dave Maloney, a former Rangers defenseman who is now an MSG analyst, said former Rangers coach John Tortorella’s system was important to McDonagh’s development.
“Every young player should have a hard guy to start their career; whether it’s here or in the minors, they need a coach who demands of them,” Maloney said. “As in any profession, you’ll appreciate it when you look back and realize you were forced to learn the right way.”
McDonagh said Tortorella was the perfect first N.H.L. coach for him.
“Torts got the most out of us and did wonders for me,” he said. “He was hard on us when he thought we needed it.”
CANES’ FAULK MATURE ENOUGH FOR TEAM USA
The Raleigh News & Observer notes 21-year-old Canes defenseman Justin Faulk, named to Team USA, has been on the team’s top defensive pairing all season.
“I think he’s definitely deserving of it,” said Canes defenseman Mike Komisarek. “He’s shown he can be one of the elite defensemen in the league.
“He’s mature beyond his years. He definitely plays like it, and acts like it off the ice. He’s just a tremendous all-around player. He’s strong in all facets. Rock solid.”
FISHER LEADING THE WAY FOR PREDATORS
The Nashville Tennessean describes how key Mike Fisher has been for the Predators this season.
“He plays big minutes in all situations,” Nystrom said. “It’s a tough league, and guys are big, guys are physical. He’s a physical player. He’s not hanging out on the perimeter. He plays a hard game, and we need every ounce of Mike Fisher on game nights. So if he needs to get a little rest in practice, that’s when he’s got to get it. When he’s healthy and on his game and rested, he’s a beast.”
Nystrom added: “There is a certain type of player and a certain way to play the game that they like around here. And I really think that Mike Fisher embodies that as much as anybody.”
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