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7070088's blog: "123"

created on 12/21/2011  |  http://fubar.com/123/b345436

a long-term deal

. Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy also collected an RBI each for the Twins, who swept the set from the AL West leaders and have won eight of their last 10 games. Nick Blackburn (9-9) allowed six hits and two runs over seven solid innings, fanning four with three walks for Minnesota, which maintained its 3 1/2 game lead over Chicago in the AL Central after the White Sox topped Boston. Victor Cruz Jersey Tweet Everyone who ever has strapped on a pair of ice skates has dreamed about scoring the winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Randall Cobb Jersey . For those who end up playing goalie, however, that dream never will become a reality. So for goaltenders, its about finding their own fun, love and passion in being the person stopping the winning goal from going in. But making that discovery isnt always easy, and it can be even harder when that goalie is just starting out in the game. "When I played, I just wanted to win -- win the game, thats the goal," Al Jensen told NHL.com. Jensen played eight NHL seasons for the Red Wings, Capitals and Kings, and shared the 1984 William Jennings Trophy. Hes currently the top goaltender scout for NHL Central Scouting, as well as a youth hockey coach for his kids. "Youre not going to get the winning goal of the game, but you can keep your team in the game," Jensen said. "Your team may be playing against a really good team and you can keep the game close and all of a sudden your team gets a goal and wins and it didnt maybe deserve it, but you win and thats a huge positive feeling for a goaltender." "Your team may be playing against a really good team and you can keep the game close and all of a sudden your team gets a goal and wins and it didnt maybe deserve it, but you win and thats a huge positive feeling for a goaltender." -- Al Jensen Keeping a young goalie confident and enjoying the game is the biggest part of coaching that position. Jeff Reese, the goalie coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, told NHL.com he believes part of that confidence comes from having proper equipment. "Equipment is very important, especially for the young kids, (ages) 6-10," Reese said. "A lot of times their parents might go out and buy them brand new equipment thats too big and want them to grow into it and (the kids) get frustrated and they cant move in the gear." Rather than spend on new equipment -- leg pads, blocker, catching glove, shoulder and chest pads and mask can be expensive -- Reese suggests finding used gear that fits the young goalie better. Also, new pads can be stiff; used equipment generally has been broken in and will be easier for a young goalie to move around in. "The best way to go is lightly-used gear that fits," Reese said. "Its a lot cheaper for the parents, and the kids can move better. Not just pads -- upper gear, even sticks. … I think equipment is very important. For the kids, I would look at slightly-used gear." Jensen said one of the most important pieces of equipment for him is good-fitting skates. Skates are the foundation for every hockey player, and the theory of a coach putting his worst skater in net has become an anachronism. "One of the biggest misconceptions is, and this might be dating back, is they dont have to be good skaters," Reese said. "I disagree. A goaltender needs to be a good skater and move well in the net and recover well and have some athleticism. You throw a guy in that cant skate that well because he doesnt have to move all that much, but if you look at the best goalies in the League, they all move well." Practice time for a goalie also is important, because its radically different than what the regular skaters are doing. And if the team is going through a special-teams drill, all the action could be at one end of the ice, leaving one goalie standing and watching. At the youth level, thats wasted development time. HOCKEY SKILLS Developing hockey sense key for players Adam Kiemlman - NHL.com Staff Writer It may be hard to define what constitutes "hockey sense," but youth coaches agree the kids who develop it are the ones whose careers will go farthest. READ MORE › Fun, fast practices keep attention of young players  "When I watch young goalies in practice, theres a lot of standing around for drills," Reese said. "Its not the coachs fault, they have to look after the 14, 15, 16 other kids on the ice, but theres a lot of standing around. During that time they should be doing movement in the net." Jensen believes footwork drills are the most important thing for a goalie to work on. "With their feet, with their recovery," he said. "Recovery is huge. Its balance, its the proper C-cutting, proper leg pushes, getting up on proper legs. Not playing soft -- playing hard and strong. Those are the drills. I really work on technical stuff with the kids. I really work on their footwork and recovery and body positioning in the net. Those are the most crucial things for a young goalie." Reese believes stickhandling for a goaltender also is a crucial trait for a young goalie to develop. "After age 10 the puckhandling is something they need to work on," Reese said. "Coaches can do that with breakouts -- get the goalie involved in breakouts. When theyre standing there doing nothing, coach can do shots to the glove, drop it and put it back. Grab a puck and start fooling around with it." When Reese was the goalie coach in Tampa Bay, he said Mike Smith often could be found working on his puckhandling skills. Hes regarded as one of the better in the League at that skill. "Mike Smith grabs a puck when were skating around and starts playing with it, stickhandling and shooting," Reese said. "Thats an area scouts will look at. Its a dimension that got (Rick) DiPietro drafted first overall. He wasnt that big, but the dimension that threw him over the edge was the puckhandling. Thats another area they need to learn how to do. Its very important." Also important is off-ice work. Reese recommended yoga. "If I was starting again, I would get into yoga," he said. "I watch yoga, do a little bit now. Yoga is strength, flexibility and concentration, and thats goaltending. Thats where I would go if I was really serious about it. Probably at 12, 13, 14, thats one area that I would really get serious about. If I knew about yoga then, thats something I would have looked into." Jensen said anything to do with hand/eye coordination is vital to a young goaltender. "If I was starting again, I would get into yoga. I watch yoga, do a little bit now. Yoga is strength, flexibility and concentration, and thats goaltending. Thats where I would go if I was really serious about it." -- Jeff Reese "I played racquetball a lot," he said. "It helped my leg drive and leg strength. Ping-pong, any racket sport, tennis. … Those are very important, hand/eye coordination and strength in your legs." While the physical aspect of the position is important, developing the mental side also is essential. "One thing that can be said to (young goalies) is your teammates are all watching you," Reese said. "You need to be the one thats under control and theyre going to read off you and how youre acting in the net. If you let a goal in and sulk, your team is going to be nervous. Its important to be a leader on the ice and very positive. When you let a goal in, skate over to your bench and say were going to be all right. Just have a positive outlook. These are all things that you really notice." The one thing playing goal has in common with the other positions on the ice, however, is making sure young goalies learn to have fun with the game. "Its fun because youre part of the team," Jensen said. "I see the teammates tapping my daughter on the pads, on the head, after the game. Theyre all happy, regardless of whether they win or lose." Contact Adam Kimelman at akimelman@nhl.com Nick Collins Jersey .C. - Geordie Wudrick scored twice in the first period as the Kelowna Rockets downed the Seattle Thunderbirds for a 5-0 victory in Western Hockey League action Friday night. Authentic Darren Sproles Jersey . Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met on Saturday on the sidelines of a major security conference in the German city of Munich. Calvin Johnson Womens Jersey . Balanced urban-rural progress is more crucial than ever to the countrys sustainable development. Related readings: China pledges new efforts to boost rural development China to invest $1. Patrick Willis Jersey .C. Lions have apologized to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and fined themselves for making an offensive gesture towards the Winnipeg bench prior to the start of a CFL game last month. Authentic Jahvid Best Jersey . Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai. Indias hottest cinema couple have become engaged to be married, ending speculation about their relationship and setting the stage for Bollywoods biggest wedding in years, reports have said. (Sports Network) - A pair of No. 1 overall picks get together tonight in the Windy City, where Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls play host to rookie John Wall and the Washington Wizards from the United Center. Rose was the first pick in the 2008 draft and is averaging 23.6 points and 9.7 assists per game this season. Wall was taken first in this past Junes draft and is posting 18.4 points and 10.3 assists in his first seven games. The Bulls look to close out a perfect three-game homestand after beating both the Nuggets and Warriors. Theyre coming off Thursdays 120-90 victory over Golden State in which Luol Deng ended with 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the way. Rose added 22 points and 13 assists for the Bulls, who got 17 points, seven boards and five assists from Joakim Noah. Usually when teams come in on a back-to-back, weve got to speed up our offense and get down the court quick enough, Rose said. Chicago is 4-1 at home this season and will head west for seven games against the Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers, Suns, Nuggets and Kings after Saturdays matchup with Washington. The Bulls will be leaving town for their annual Circus Trrip. Authentic Justin Smith Jersey. Washington is still searching for its first road win this season and has dropped all three tests so far away from DC. It completed a three-game homestand with a 1-2 mark after Charlotte left the nations capital with a 93-85 win Friday night from the Verizon Center. Andray Blatche had 22 points and nine rebounds, while Wall chipped in 13 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, who were coming off Wednesdays win versus a struggling Houston squad. We wanted to start a streak, Blatche said after the loss. Thats the thing about basketball, you want to get a nice winning streak so you can get rid of some of the losses. Were trying to go for the playoffs, and we cant lose to teams like this and expect to make the playoffs. On the injury front for the Wizards, forward Al Thornton left Fridays game against the Bobcats with an abdominal injury and is questionable. Thornton is averaging 14.0 points and 5.7 boards this season. Chicago took two of three matchups with Washington a season ago and has won 10 of the past 15 contests in this series. The Wizards have dropped three in a row and nine of their last 11 trips to the Windy City. ' ' '

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