|  Wys³any: 2019-02-22 04:56:56 Temat postu: Even after his heroics as a 19-year-old
It was the final day of training camp in September of 2001 and I opened the door to the Senators coaches office. 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. Air Max 97 Scontate . He says he will have the operation Wednesday and be ready in time for training camp in September. Bernier missed five games in March due to the injury. Air Max 97 Scontate Uomo . On Thursday, a judge said Varlamov could be released if he posted $5,000 bond and be allowed to travel with the team but he was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, among other restrictions. http://www.airmax97italia.it/. Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals. Air Max 97 Saldi . Got Jacks? Pulling off a comeback for the ages, feisty Stephen F. Austin became the latest No. 12 seed to pull off an upset, tying the game on Desmond Haymons did-that-just-happen four-point play with 3. Air Max 97 Prezzi Bassi . In mens doubles, Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Croatian Mate Pavic and Andre Sa of Brazil.SEATTLE -- A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run homer, Mitch Moreland had a solo shot and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 8-3 on Monday night. Alex Rios had two hits and two RBIs as the Rangers picked up their fifth win in seven games. Elvis Andrus celebrated his 25th birthday with three hits and an RBI. Kyle Seager hit his 20th home run of the season for the Mariners, who have lost four in a row. Travis Blackley (2-1) earned his first win since being acquired in a trade with Houston on Aug. 14. Blackley, making his second start of the season, allowed three runs and five hits over six innings in his longest outing since Oct. 2, 2012. It was a much different night for Seattle starter Joe Saunders (10-13), who turned in another sluggish outing. The left-hander allowed seven runs and nine hits in seven inning to fall to 1-5 with a 7.71 ERA in his last seven starts. The Rangers led 4-3 before Pierzynski hit a drive to right after Adrian Beltre was intentionally walked with two out and a runner on second in thee seventh.dddddddddddd It was Pierzynskis 15th homer in his first season with AL West-leading Texas. Moreland added his 19th homer in the eighth, giving the Rangers an 8-3 lead. Neal Cotts, Joakim Soria and Tanner Scheppers each pitched a hitless inning after Blackley left. Saunders got off to a slow start, and the Rangers took advantage. Saunders hit Craig Gentry leading off the game and Andrus followed with a single. The runners moved up on Ian Kinslers sacrifice before Beltre walked to load the bases. After Pierzynski bounced into a fielders choice, Rios singled to centre to lift Texas to a 2-0 lead. The Mariners rallied in the third on Brad Millers tying two-run single. Seager hit a drive to right with one out in the fourth, but that was all for Seattle. NOTES: Before the game, the Mariners activated OF Franklin Gutierrez from the disabled list and designated RHP Aaron Harang for assignment. . Rangers OF Leonys Martin (sprained right ankle) was out of the lineup for the second straight game. ' ' ' |
Even after his heroics as a 19-year-old 
