Sonstiges » h Hield said he was always a shooter, Krug

When then 32-year-old Brooks Laich was traded to the young, captain-less Toronto Maple Leafs at last seasons trade deadline, some wondered if Laich, known as a well-spoken leader, was destined to be the 19th captain in franchise history. Laich would go on to admit that he dreamed of donning the C for the Maple Leafs as a child.Instead, the cold business side of the NHL caught up with Laich last week when he was placed on waivers and then assigned to the AHLs Toronto Marlies. The Maple Leafs are still without a captain.And the Leafs arent alone: The Carolina Hurricanes have not christened anyone with the C this season, and the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers only just recently named their captains.Unlike in other professional sports, where captains are often ceremonial, the role of an NHL team captain has traditionally come with official duties -- theyre even spelled out in the rulebook. Rule 6.1 states: One Captain shall be appointed by each team, and he alone shall have the privilege of discussing with the Referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game. Off the ice, a captain can also act as conduit between the teams head coach and players.But in reality, the role has begun to change for many teams -- so much so that many believe having a guy with a letter on his sweater isnt the requirement it used to be.Todays game is led by core groups of players. Its not done by one individual, said Laich after a Maple Leafs training camp practice before he was sent down.Frequent coaching changes and player movement mean that dressing rooms evolve more quickly than they used to, and given the more diverse geographical representation of players, its often not up to just one player to dictate the environment in a room.Just because you have a letter doesnt mean youre the leader, and just because you dont have a letter doesnt mean you cant be a leader, Laich continued. The room figures itself out. People follow actions more than they follow words. That kind of stuff will take care of itself.Laichs leadership approach seems to be echoed around the league. Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said his teams captaincy is still to be determined. With a leadership core that includes Justin Faulk, Ron Hainsey, Jordan Staal and Jay McClement, Peters doesnt believe the Hurricanes need a captain immediately.If we name one, itll be because we have the guy whos the slam-dunk choice, Peters said. If we dont, its because we dont want to make a mistake. What we dont want to do is rush into things and then down the road say, Geez, we made a mistake. Id rather be patient and possibly go with three As and then when it is time to give out the C, its something we dont take lightly.Some believe the captaincy is simply an encumbrance, as it adds responsibility in an age when players already have plenty of off-the-ice responsibilities.The San Jose Sharks, for one, have had a tumultuous recent history with their captaincy. In 2008-09, the Sharks won the Presidents Trophy for finishing with the NHLs best regular-season record but then were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Ducks. Many questioned then-San Jose captain?Patrick Marleaus leadership, and Marleau, who had worn the C since 2004, was stripped of the captaincy that summer. But the forward bounced back the next season with 83 points (he had scored 71 and 48 points the previous two seasons, respectively). The Sharks eventually named?Joe Thornton?as his successor, but San Jose stumbled in the first round of the playoffs again in 2014 and Jumbo Joe was ousted from the role too. The following season, the Sharks went without a captain -- and missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.Sometimes guys get that letter and its a burden for them, Peters said. We dont want it to be burdensome for anybody. If its going to hurt any player, we dont want to do it.And then theres Connor McDavid, recently named Oilers captain and now the youngest in the NHL. Few doubt McDavids game-changing ability, but being named captain before he even had a full season of NHL experience under his belt speaks more to McDavid becoming the face of the franchise and less to him relying on his professional experience to guide the team.How McDavid will handle the captaincy in addition to being the savior of the franchise remains to be seen. McDavid has served as a team captain before, both for the OHLs Erie Otters and for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey.If theres anyone who understands the pressure of the role, its Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan, the current longest-serving captain in the NHL, who has worn the C for the Coyotes since before the 2003-04 season and has become synonymous with the franchise.As a sport we put so much onus on the captain, Doan said. And I dont think they want to put that on certain people and put people in a position where its going to be a little more difficult for them to be successful. People are more conscientious about giving the C out.The youth movement is well underway in the desert, as the Coyotes opened their season with five rookies on their roster. So has Doans role as a captain taken on greater heft with the need to guide these young players? Not necessarily. In todays NHL, as Peters noted, the responsibility of taking care of young players falls less on one player.Coaches, for the most part, are considerably more player-friendly than they used to be 20, 30 years ago, Doan said. I think everyone has a little more say. Coaches are much more conscientious about the mental side of the game. And I think thats probably why there are teams without captains: because theyre trying to make sure they put everybody in a position to be successful. And they dont want to put undue pressure on guys. They see a guy coming up and theyre like, Well, this is a guy we want to be captain but we dont want to have to end up taking it away or changing anything in the future.Furthermore, teams seem much more focused on finding a captain who is likely to stay with them long-term, as moving one?can be risky business.And Peters would rather not rush into a decision on one of the leagues youngest and most improving franchises. We need to have a guy thats 100 percent on board with what were building here in Carolina, [who] believes in the direction were going, he said.Tradition has long been important in hockey. But the NHL has seen significant changes to its rules, collective bargaining agreement, All-Star Game and playoff formats in recent years, so the role of the captain could simply be the next thing to change. Some of the games most progressive minds, including Peters, could herald a change in how teams are led.When asked if having a captain is completely imperative in todays NHL, Peters didnt hesitate. Its not totally necessary, he said. If youre giving it out just for the sake of handing out the letter, youre doing the wrong thing. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Discount NHL Jerseys . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Custom NHL Jerseys . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. LAS VEGAS -- As Buddy Hields range ballooned past the 3-point arc over his college career -- with his big smile winning over teammates and administrators alike around Oklahomas Norman campus -- Lon Kruger made sure all that went into being Buddy wasnt lost along the way.Not the late-night workouts with reggae music booming off the gym walls. Not the unwavering self-confidence that fueled his transition to a knockdown shooter.Our message to Buddy all year was, Dont change, dont change, said Kruger, the Sooners head coach, in a phone interview. When you start getting those national accolades and recognition and player of the year conversations, dont change, dont change.Even when he received the awards, we said dont change anything. When you get drafted, dont change anything. Youve got something unique and special as a personality. When you get to the NBA, dont change anything.Such a player would seem like an easy fit in a league trying to cash in on an everyman capable of superhuman shot-making. Like?Stephen Curry, Buddy enters his pro career with a ready-made persona,?a backlog of big-game highlights -- including besting a Mini-LeBron in?Ben Simmons?with the almighty 3 -- and the ability to walk the line between charm and confidence. Hes a supremely gifted athlete who also pulled himself up by the boot straps.Hes your buddy, but hes also an on-court killer who idolizes -- and now shares an agent with -- Kobe Bryant.The qualities Buddy has are the ones youd want everyone to have, Kruger said. What I think balances it is sincerity and maybe the work ethic. His peers like him, the coaches like him, the administration likes him, the people in town like him. Its not like he flaunts anything. Its not like he gives off that hes entitled. Its not like hes expecting anything back. Buddys a giver. Which is pretty rare when you think of a player with those abilities.The Buddy brand also comes complete with three self-given alter egos: Buddy Fresh, which hes prone to belt out to spark self-motivation; Buddy Love, which is for the ladies, as he recently told The Starters; and Buddy Buckets, which on draft day lined his suit jacket in Bahaman colors.Ive got good branding skills, he said with a smirk. Attracts the crowd a lot too.Even Buddy is an alias. His mother, in what is now Hield lore, saw a likeness between her infant son and the character Bud Bundy from Married ... with Children, and so his given name Chavano became Buddy.Those who know him well agree it fits.Hes always had that swag, said Sacramento Kings rookie Isaiah Cousins, Hields former roommate at Oklahoma. Its just a part of his culture.His first taste of the NBA, though, hasnt exactly aligned with expectations. In five games at the Las Vegas Summer League, Hield shot worse from the field (32.7 percent) than he did from behind the 3-point arc (46 percent) in his meteoric senior season at Oklahoma.His healthy scoring average of 16.8 points per game places him near the top in LLas Vegas, but even Hield admitted after his games here that he hasnt shot this poorly in years.ddddddddddddIll be fine, he said after his fourth game in Las Vegas, in which he went 5-for-17. Its just a learning curve for me. Im not worrying. Im just a little pissed off right now. I didnt get summer league how I wanted it to go. But I gotta keep grinding, man.Hield has shown a willingness to pass, as the sharpshooter has notched five assists in each of the final three games at summer league. And he always seems to be the one loudly encouraging a teammate -- or himself -- on the court.But Hield struggled to handle the ball in the face of pressure and to get separation off the ball. While Hield gives effort on defense, one NBA scout questioned Hields impact on that end of the court -- given his lack of length and instincts.Both Hield and assistant Robert Pack, New Orleans head coach at summer league, noted the extra attention defenses are posting against Hield, given his notoriety and the options around him. In the petri dish that is summer league, the Pelicans used Hield at times to operate the pick-and-roll, but hell more likely be asked to spot up and stretch the floor for the big league club.Everybody just guarding me tight, Hield said. Ive been getting attention as soon as I stepped onto summer league. Everyones just been guarding me tight. Im just trying to find my way. It is what it is, man. Keep grinding, keep getting better. Thats what summer league is for: to learn.When we get back to training camp, guys like Anthony Davis will open the floor more for me. So Im not worrying about it. Ill be fine.The early struggles present a familiar arc. Though Hield said he was always a shooter, Kruger explained that Hield arrived at Oklahoma as more of a slashing, attacking guard. In four years, he grew from a 24 percent 3-point shooter on less than one attempt per game to 46 percent on almost nine such shots a game.He knew from the start that he wanted to improve the shot, improve the mechanics, raise it up a little bit -- and then just spent time, Kruger said. Theres no shortcut with anything. Buddy invested the time and put up the shots.One Pelicans staffer said he is bound to learn reggae by the amount that has been bumping at the practice facility court leading into the New Orleans rookies first minicamp. Hield also told Sports Illustrated that hes not looking to take any time off before the start of training camp, in order to rectify his disappointing debut.Amid his summer league slump, Hield was asked if he ever reverts back to the downhill player he was when he arrived at Oklahoma. He proceeded to talk up a 39-point effort against Iowa State in last seasons Big 12 tournament, during which he made just two 3-pointers.Then the usually fast-talking Hield paused.I just find the way in life, he said. ' ' '