miaowang123: Gretzky wasnt trying to be great at after going t

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EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oil Kings refuse to be written off. James Harden Jersey . Tristan Jarry made 26 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs as the Oil Kings won their second straight game at home to even up the Western Hockey League final, coming away with a 2-0 victory over the defending champion Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday. Mitchell Moroz and Curtis Lazar scored the goals for the Oil Kings, who have looked a lot slicker at home as they improved to 10-0 on home ice and tied the Ed Chynoweth Cup at two heading back to Portland, Ore., for Game 5 on Friday. "At the end of the day, we know we are the underdogs in this series," said Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal. "However, we are tied 2-2 in the series going back to Portland. We are going to have to win one game in that building and our mindset is why not Friday night? "We want to make a series of this. We want a chance to win the Western Hockey League championship. These kids have worked hard to get it to 2-2. Some people wrote us off when we were down 2-0, but you have to give our guys credit. We came out tonight with probably our best effort in the playoffs thanks to (Tristan Jarrys) goaltending and the leadership of guys like (Griffin Reinhart)." It was the first game of the series that the Oil Kings werent trailing within the first three minutes and Moroz said it was nice not to have to dig themselves out of a hole for once. "We came out the way we wanted to in this game," he said. "We had some chances early and didnt capitalize, but we kept working away at it. We didnt give up the first period goals this time, which was nice, not having to battle back like we did in the other games. "We just played our game. We stuck with it and were patient." The Winterhawks have lost two in a row after allowing only three losses in their previous 45 games, a string of success dating back to Jan. 11. "We didnt get the start that we wanted tonight," said Portland forward Adam De Champlain. "We came out a bit flat. Having to kill seven penalties hurt us and it really allowed them to feed off their fans. When we had the momentum we had trouble sticking it. We didnt have the energy we needed on the bench." It was the first time since December 2011 that the Winterhawks, who led the league with 338 goals this season, have been shut out. "Its playoff hockey, everyone understands the goals are harder to come by," said Winterhawks head coach Mike Johnston. "There are going to be moments like this. It is just a bit of adversity for us to handle right now. We just need to get through it. "We just have to regroup. It is a best two-out-of-three series now." The Oil Kings had a much better start to the game than the previous three outings as they avoided allowing a goal against in the first three minutes of the matchup. Edmonton actually had the bulk of the scoring chances in the first until the Hawks came back late. The Oil Kings had 14 shots in the scoreless first on Portland goalie Corbin Boes, while the Winterhawks responded with 13 on Jarry, a second-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013. Edmonton finally broke the scoring deadlock nine minutes into the second period. After sustained pressure on the shift, a Dysin Mayo shot caromed off the boards and rolled off the top of the net to Moroz in front where the Edmonton Oilers draft pick slammed his fifth goal of the playoffs past Boes. Jarry prevented Portland from tying the game up two minutes later as Oliver Bjorkstrand picked the pocket of Reid Petryk at the Edmonton blue-line, but couldnt beat the Oil Kings goalie on the partial breakaway. The edge in shots had increased to 28-18 for Edmonton by the end of the second period. The Oil Kings made it 2-0 six minutes into the third as Brett Pollock threw a hard pass on net on a two-on-one and Lazar was able to tip the puck through Boes legs. It hit the post, but then went in off of the Portland goalies skates to count as the Ottawa Senators prospects eighth goal of the playoffs. Edmonton kept driving and it was only the heroics of Boes that kept the game close midway through the third as he stopped breakaways by Petryk and Lazar in a span of just over a minute midway through the third. The Oil Kings thought they put the game away for good with an empty-net goal by Pollock, however the play was ruled off-side. Notes: The Winterhawks managed to score in the first three minutes of each of the first three games of the series, holding an edge of 7-0 in first-period goals in the series coming into Wednesdays game. ... Its the third consecutive season that the Oil Kings and Winterhawks are meeting in the WHL final. Edmonton defeated Portland in seven games to win in 2012, while Portland won in six games last year. It is Portlands fourth consecutive trip to the league championships. ... The Winterhawks power play was just 1 for 13 through the first three games of the series. ... Portland has 10 players on its roster who have been drafted by NHL teams, while the Oil Kings have five. Luc Mbah a Moute Jersey . General manager David Poile called signing Ribeiro a great opportunity to add a talented, experienced and creative centre Tuesday when he introduced the veteran at a news conference. Ribeiros contract is worth $1.05 million after being bought out of the final three years of a $22 million contract by the Coyotes recently. Chris Paul Jersey . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Before the hockey town that Wayne Gretzky built hosted its first outdoor game at Dodger Stadium, The Great One made a rare Hollywood move by going on "Conan" to promote it. In an 11-minute interview on the late-night show with host Conan OBrien, Gretzky reflected on his trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, his guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and several aspects of his on-ice playing career. Beyond all his records and his place in hockey history, Gretzkys Hollywood persona wouldnt have been as pronounced if it were not for that trade 25 1/2 years ago. "It was hard for especially people in Edmonton because they werent just fans, they were friends of mine. A lot of the people that go to all the games, I knew from all the years of being in Edmonton," Gretzky said of the deal. "So it was difficult for everyone. But you look back at it now and everything happens for a reason and we love it here in L.A. and the NHL is thriving here and everyone seems to be doing OK." The Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in 1990 without Gretzky and made it to the final in 2006 before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Kings made it to the final in 1993 with Gretzky before losing to the Montreal Canadiens, then won their first title in franchise history in 2012. Edmonton hasnt made the playoffs since 2006 and is still in a rebuilding stage. Just now is a new downtown arena under construction. But Gretzky was on "Conan" for the NHLs Stadium Series debut, which is Saturday between the Kings and the league-leading Anaheim Ducks. He called the game happening at Dodger Stadium a "real big dream." Even before this promotional tour, the "Great One" said he was an advocate of outdoor hockey in Los Angeles. "Id love to see an outdoor game in L.A. because we see the Winter Classic and the Heritage Classic with the snow and thats all wonderful. But a big part of our game, too, now and the success of the National Hockey League is California and places like that," Gretzky said before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November. "Its going to be wonderful to see people sitting at Dodger Stadium when its 65 degrees (F) and theyre sitting there in shorts and T-shirts and enjoying a National Hockey League game. I think its going to be wonderful for our sport." It should be roughly 19 C (66 F) when the puck drops around 6:30 Pacific time Saturday night. When Gretzky and the Kings faced the New York Rangers in an exhibition game in Las Vegas in 1991, temperatures ranged between 29 and 35 C. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said after a California heat wave last week he was looking forward to cooler temperatures for this game. "I think its going to be completely unique and its going to be tremendous playing in 60-degree weather outside under the stars," Boudreau said. "I think a lot of people will be real interested to see how that works." Ice technology has improved drastically in the 22-plus years since that Las Vegas game. As Gretzky acknowledged during his appearance on "Conan," so has the NHL, in general. OBrien asked Gretzky about a so-called unwritten rule that opponents wouldnt hit him, which the former Kings captain refuted. "I didnt get hit as much as people probably wanted me to get hit, especially on the opposing teams," Gretzky said. "I knew it was time to retire when I was playing my last year and people I was playing against before they wouuld hit me, they would scream my name or say, Hey, heads up or, Wayne, get out of the way, or Here we are. Nene Jersey. I remember thinking, Wow, somethings not right about this." Gretzky then told a story about going to a game with his wife and two sons and sitting in the front row when one of them said to their mother: "Be really honest, did dad really play in this league?" When Gretzky did play in the NHL, he set career records with 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points and single-season ones along the way, including 92 goals in 1981-82. OBrien asked if Gretzky thought "some punk kid" was going to come along and score 93 in a season. "Records are made to be broken," Gretzky said. "When I grew up my idol was Gordie Howe, and he couldnt have been any nicer, couldnt have been any better. He was just a really good man. When I broke his records, he was always the first guy there. "So if anybody ever breaks my records, Ill be the first guy to shake his hand. The players are good today, theres a lot of good players. Nevers a long time." Gretzky went on to say his record he believes will be the hardest to break is 50 goals in 39 games, "because 50 goals in 38 games is a lot of goals." "Yes," OBrien responded. "Thats pretty good. Well see." Gretzky said that being the smallest but never the fastest or toughest player at any point of his hockey-playing career made him consistent in his style. When OBrien brought up the topic of "Gretzkys Office," and his penchant to control the flow of play from behind the net, Gretzky credited Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke. "I had a coach when I was 14 years old that said: Go watch this guy Bobby Clarke play and watch how he plays. Hes not very big, hes smart, he passes the puck and he plays sort of from the corner and a little bit behind the net," Gretzky recalled. "So at the age of 14 I started watching him day in and day out. "He probably had the most influence on my career as far as learning how to play the game and the style of game that I played. I learned to play behind the net, and when I started doing that, it was so unique. Nobody had ever tried to defend that. And so I was able to really master it and become really good at it, and that was sort of my forte." Hockey sense, Gretzky said, was also a strength. Singing, not so much. OBrien mentioned that the first time he met Gretzky came in 1989 on the set of "Saturday Night Live." Although Gretzky originally turned down the appearance, his wife, Janet, accepted for him. On the show, Gretzky had to sing a song called "Waikiki Hockey," despite being, in his words, "tone deaf." "The funny part of the scene was they had this little piece of meat and I was sort of supposed to hit it," Gretzky said. "And I hit it right into a garbage can. I think everybody was shocked that I put it in the garbage can. It was just completely by accident." OBrien, who served as an extra in that scene 25 years ago, joked that "Everyone thought, He is the great one, he can fire meat at will." But that was acting, which Gretzky wasnt trying to be great at after going to Los Angeles. "Athletes come here and they want to be actors sometimes," Gretzky said. "But I never wanted to act, I wanted to be a hockey player." Follow (at)SWhyno on Twitter. Its a real big dream for me. hockeys come a long way. Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online ' ' '