Neues » Slovak forward Martin

It was the final day of training camp in September of 2001 and I opened the door to the Senators coaches office. Jarrod Dyson Jersey . There, I saw a teenaged boy with tears in his eyes, being consoled by strength and conditioning coach Randy Lee. Jason Spezza had just been delivered the devastating news that he would be returned to junior hockey – the final victim of the roster cuts made by general manager Marshall Johnston and head coach Jacques Martin. At the time I was a fairly inexperienced member of the Senators PR department, but I knew that Spezza was not ready to deal with the media. He flatly told me he didnt want to answer any questions that morning. However, it was just past 10am and reporters were going to start trickling into the building at any moment. We made the decision to get Jason out of the rink before any cameras showed up and caught footage of him looking so despondent. I went outside to the hallway and found that an Ottawa Citizen reporter had been the first to show up. But there was nobody else around, so I told him he needed to have his photo taken for his 2001-02 season pass, and I walked with him down to the security area. And once I did that, Lee helped escort Spezza out of the rink going the opposite way – so that nobody from the media could see him. I dont think you could really blame him in that situation. He was 18 years old and just had the rug pulled out from underneath him. He exceled at every level when it came to hockey, so being returned to the OHL was something he never fathomed. A few hours later, Jacques Martin would make his infamous statement that Jason was "a boy playing a mans game" – and maybe it was true on that day. But it seemed like that label stuck to Spezza for his entire tenure in Ottawa, like a stubborn piece of gum at the bottom of his shoe. He was never quite good enough for some people in this market. Even after his heroics as a 19-year-old in the playoffs in 2003 – when he scored a goal and added an assist in a must-win Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils – there were lingering doubts about his ability as a player. The very next year, Jacques Martin made him a healthy scratch for several playoff games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. A trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 didnt cement his status in this town, even though Spezza tied for the league lead in playoff scoring. Just a couple of years later, he was booed on home ice during a Game 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2010 playoffs. That was almost enough to drive him out of town, with general manager Bryan Murray hinting that Spezza told him he was amenable to a trade if one could be executed. And yet three years later he was still here, now wearing the captains "C" on his jersey - which only seemed to make the target on his back even bigger. It was a roller coaster with Spezza from the onset and it seemed the ride never stopped. Every game seemed to be a referendum on whether or not you could win with him. After a while, it gets tiresome. Tiresome for the player. Tiresome for the fans. And tiresome for the organization. And yes - even tiresome for people like me who work in sports talk radio. There are days when I would just have to say "Jason Spezza" on the air and our phone lines would light up. Finally, Spezza himself has had enough. Bryan Murray admitted to the reporters on Wednesday that Spezza has asked to get off this ride. And Im not sure I can really blame him. Hes spent 11 seasons here and has more than paid his dues. In the next few days, you will likely read a ton of internet comments suggesting that Spezza never really embraced Ottawa. And that if he cant stand the pressure of playing Ottawa, he shouldnt let the door hit him on the way out. From my perspective, though, Spezza handled the pressure in this market as well as he could have. He was made the scapegoat on many nights when the team lost. And when he was the star in a Senators victory, too often the sentiment was, "why cant he do that every night?" I believe that day as an 18-year-old was the only time that Jason Spezza ever knowingly ducked the media. He stood in the line of fire and took his lumps on a daily basis for more than a decade. To suggest that he doesnt have the mental toughness to handle a Canadian market is completely erroneous. The guy just spent 11 years in this market, was a point-a-game producer and wanted to be named the captain of this team 10 months ago. If thats shying away from the limelight, I think youre sadly mistaken. We can debate whether the media or the fans pushed another star out of town in Ottawa - although this one feels a little different than the forced departures for guys like Dany Heatley and Alexei Yashin. Daniel Alfredssons exit last summer was a punch in the stomach that nobody saw coming. Spezzas imminent departure, on the other hand, is more like a gradual erosion; something that was inevitable. And when he finally does leave Ottawa, I can guarantee you Jason Spezza wont be shedding any tears. Clay Buchholz Jersey . The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist informed ESPN on Monday he plans to compete in Apsen, Colo. Jake Lamb Jersey .com) - It appears both the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls will reach the playoffs, but the two squads are coming off losing efforts. http://www.diamondbacksteamshop.com/Diamondbacks-Brad-Boxberger-Kids-Jersey/ .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No.TORONTO — Pavol Skalicky was named Slovakias player of the game Sunday night after a 5-1 semifinal loss to Canada at the world junior championship.It was a head-scratching choice given the all-world effort from his netminder.Denis Godla made several acrobatic saves and consistently flustered the host side with his excellent play. The powerhouse Canadians eventually proved to be too much but the 19-year-old netminder almost single handedly prevented a blowout.The Air Canada Centre crowd was so impressed with his performance, fans chanted goal-ie, goal-ie, goal-ie during the post-game ceremony and let out a roar when Godla raised his glove to acknowledge the gesture.It was overwhelming and I will remember that for the rest of my life, Godla said through an interpreter.Godla made 39 saves and was the main reason Canada led by just one goal late in the second period. He had little chance on the two goals that Canada scored late in the frame and Slovakia started to wilt in the third due to the relentless pace.(Their) goalie was unbelievable, said Canadian forward Anthony Duclair. We run into a hot goalie tomorrow against Russia as well. Youve got to be ready for that and we cant get frustrated.The Canada-Russia championship game will be played Monday evening. Slovakia and Sweden will face off in the afternoon for the bronze. Slovakia had a few decent chances and took 15 shots on net buut couldnt maintain any sustained pressure in the Canadian end. Patrick Corbin Jersey. The visitors seemed content to play a low-scoring game, ride their hot goalie and hope for the best.It looked like a good plan for the bulk of the first two periods.We dont have a strong offence like we would like to have, Slovakia head coach Ernest Bokros said through an interpreter. Thats why we have to play our game on defence with the wonderful and beautiful goalie — Godla.David Soltes scored the lone goal for Slovakia, which opened the tournament by falling 8-0 to Canada in Montreal. Strides had been made since then but the Slovaks were flummoxed by the depth and speed of their opponents in the semifinal.We didnt help each other, said Slovak forward Martin Reway. One guy carried the puck and the other four guys just looked at him and waited for passes. Its not going to work against a team like Canada or Sweden.Slovakias high point came in a 2-1 win over Finland in the preliminary round. That was followed by a 3-0 loss to the United States and a 5-2 victory over Germany.Sweden, meanwhile, enters the bronze medal game after dropping a 4-1 decision to Russia.We have to win that game, Reway said. We had a great story this tournament and we now have to finish this tournament in a good way. Itll be a tough game but I think we are going to win that game.———Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. ' ' '