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nished as the NZ conference leaders
in Introduce Yourself As A Pony! Tue Apr 23, 2019 1:47 pmby dasg234 • 815 Posts
TORONTO -- Jaromir Jagrs mullet is older than half of the players on the Toronto Maple Leafs.No, seriously.Jagr, now with the Florida Panthers, played his first NHL game on Oct. 5, 1990. Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri was born the very next day. And at 26, hes one of Torontos veterans these days. Budding star Auston Matthews is 19; William Nylander is 20. In all, a dozen players on the Leafs current roster were born after Jagr made his NHL debut.But to be honest, when the 44-year-old Czech legend looks around, thats pretty much what hes seeing almost every night in the NHL these days.The invasion of youth around the NHL is truly the story of the hour.A lot of young guys are playing in the league and theyre getting opportunities, Jagr, gray-specked mullet wrapped up in a bun, told ESPN.com Wednesday after practice. Back then, there were so many good young players, too, but they just didnt get a chance.Well, he should know. He was there. He lived it as a teenage rookie in the NHL. Except Jagr was one of the few 18-year-olds who cracked an NHL roster in those days. Now, its commonplace.Unless you were drafted top-five in the world, I dont think you had a chance in your first year back then, in my opinion, said Jagr, the fifth overall pick in 1990. It doesnt mean they were bad players, its just that they didnt get a chance. It was a different game. It was a different style. But you had to get older to get your turn. Same with the money; you had to earn it [as players got older]. Same with the opportunity. It was different.The difference was the way in which the game was played, Jagr added.You needed strength back then. You didnt have to be quick; you had to be strong to play in that league back then, said Jagr. You dont have strength when youre 18. You have speed when youre 18. But you dont have strength. So you had to wait back then for a little bit. Now, because the game has changed, its more about the speed, so theres more opportunities for the guys. When youre 18, youre quick.Jagr truly is a rare specimen, an elite talent who has been able to adapt and thrive in a few different eras of the NHL. He had the physical strength as an 18-year-old to break through in 1990 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, plus the incredible hands and vision in his prime years to dominate the NHL, and now the smarts and regimented physical work habits to still have an impact while nearing his mid-40s.His durability is even more impressive, given how young the league is trending in the last few years.Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo -- who broke into the league in 1999 as a 20-year-old goalie with the New York Islanders -- smiles when asked about the kids taking over the league.It reminds me that Im old, said Luongo, 37. But its nice to see the game evolve. Its a faster game and a more skilled game.Luongo points to how prospects hone their individual skills with specialty coaching.Now everybody as a kid works on skills; theyve got private lessons and all that kind of stuff. I think thats why you see more and more kids come up that are ready at 18 and 19 years old to play, said Luongo. Because they have a skill set thats pretty high. Its nice to see the game evolve in that direction.Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro All Red . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Cheap Air Jordans From China . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. http://www.cheapjordans11online.com/cheap-air-jordan-11-retro-pink/ . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro All Black .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro Gold . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason.The Highlanders have finished the Super Rugby regular season in second place in the New Zealand conference after a pulsating 25-15 win over previous leaders the Chiefs.The result means the defending champions, who have been in Port Elizabeth and Buenos Aires over the previous two weekends, will avoid another long-haul trip next week.They had faced the prospect of having to return to South Africa, but are set to travel across the Tasman in the first round of the playoffs.Their win in Dunedin on Saturday night also means the Hurricanes, who beat the Crusaders 35-10 with a bonus point earlier in the day, top the New Zealand conference and will host a quarter-final.The Highlanders victory extended their winning streak over the Chiefs to six matches.The intense and physical contest ended in a touch a controversy with five-eighth Lima Sopoagas try that effectively sealed the win seven minutes to go.The ball had gone loose from centre Matt Faddes hands, but it was ruled to have been knocked from his grasp by the tackler, before Sopoaga swooped.The Chiefs would have finished as the NZ conference leaders had theyy won and they struck first through winger Toni Pulu.ddddddddddddThey were then called on to do plenty of defence and they scrambled well before winger Waisake Naholo came up with a piece of magic.Naholo had earlier touched down under the crossbar only to called back for obstruction.But with half an hour gone and the Highlanders having pounded away for 15 phases, the All Blacks flyer produced a spectacular a one-handed diving put-down in the corner.Sopoaga missed the sideline conversion and the Highlanders went into halftime trailing 7-5.The two sides traded penalties early in the second half to maintain the two-point margin.Chiefs flanker Tom Sanders was then yellow-carded for a lifting tackle on opposition fullback Ben Smith and the Highlanders took advantage.Sopoaga added another penalty before flanker Dan Pryor scored from a brilliant counter-attack that involved several pairs of hands.Back to 15 players, the Chiefs struck back with a try to loose forward Lachlan Boshier. 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