tricks, there were a couple of Great Ones thrown around too. Instead of 29 [Laines number], well throw out 99 and stuff like that.No. 99s former team, t

The comparisons are inevitable. Connor McDavid understands it. So does Sidney Crosby.Franchise centers dont come along very often. Particularly ones with the skill set McDavid seems to share with the player he grew up idolizing. The footwork. The soft hands. The relentless energy. The ability to see something before it happens and the talent to make it so.A decade ago, it was Crosby who took the NHL by storm. Now its McDavids turn. A year removed from an injury-marred rookie season in Edmonton, the 19-year-old will get a chance to face Crosby for the first time on Tuesday when the Oilers visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.Both players, as is their habit, are trying to downplay the meeting. Still, Crosby has a keen sense of where McDavid is at in his blossoming career and the weight placed on his shoulders. Back in 2006, Crosby was trying to do for the Penguins what McDavid is trying to do for the Oilers: lift a once proud team back to relevance, one highlight-reel play at a time.Listen to Crosby rattle off the things that impress him about McDavid, and the two-time Hart Trophy winner might as well be describing himself.I just think his speed stands out the most, Crosby said. It allows him to do so many other things. He sees the ice really well. Hes so strong on the puck. His hockey sense and his speed are the things that stand out the most.Theyve been on display with regularity so far for Edmonton, which sits atop the Pacific Division, a solid start for a team trying to end a playoff drought that stretches back to when McDavid was still in elementary school. McDavid is tied for fourth in the NHL in points (14) and seventh in assists (nine), including a patient, heady dish to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the power play on Sunday that turned into the winning goal in a 2-1 victory in Detroit.Hes obviously one of the bright young players in the league, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. Im sure that team has taken another step and hes a big reason why.Just dont expect Sullivan do his part to make sure Crosbys No. 87 ends up in the faceoff circle with McDavids No. 97. (Oh, theres another similarity: both players using the year of their birth as their respective jersey numbers).I dont really think too much about drama, Sullivan said.Besides, Crosbys return to the lineup after a concussion that sidelined him for a few weeks last month has made the environment in Pittsburgh decidedly drama-free. The Penguins havent lost in regulation since Crosby came back (5-0-1), and the player who loves nothing more than to set up a teammate has suddenly become a little selfish, in a good way.Crosby has eight goals in six games, including two each in the final two games of a road swing through California.Nothing surprises us, Sullivan said. Hes just a great player. I dont know how else to say it. I think weve grown to expect it out of him and hes done it each and every night. I really admire his consistency of play.And that more than anything else may be what McDavid wants to emulate about Crosby above all else.Hes the best player in the world and if you can take anything from his game, obviously thatll help, McDavid said.Though theyve run into each other occasionally in random places, Crosby hasnt gone out of his way to reach out and give McDavid advice. Crosby doesnt want to overstep, pointing out the Oilers have veterans to help guide McDavid as he navigates his first full season after a broken collarbone limited him to 45 games as a rookie.Still, if there was one piece of advice Crosby will impart, its this: tune out the hype and just do what you do.The biggest thing is learning on the fly, see what works for you, Crosby said. Just remember what got you to this point and try to continue that success.---AP Hockey Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report. Fred VanVleet Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. Norman Powell Jersey .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. http://www.nbaraptorsonline.com/Authentic-Patrick-McCaw-Jersey/ . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Tracy Mcgrady Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Custom Toronto Raptors Jerseys . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler had heard all the stories and scouting reports last offseason about his teams new phenom from Finland, who could shoot a puck from everywhere and score at will.Watching it firsthand, well, thats a whole other thing.Its pretty incredible, Wheeler told ESPN.com this week. That phenom -- 18-year-old forward?Patrik Laine?--?has 15 goals in his first 26 games.When we got the pick, everyone was excited at the prospect of having Patty, Wheeler said. You heard all the stories about his shot and the dynamic things he could do. Thats all well and good, but hes 18. You expect there to be a learning curve, you expect to be some speed bumps along the way.All of a sudden, hes leading the NHL in goals, and its not by mistake. Its crazy. He gets the puck in areas [where] you dont really feel like [he has] a scoring chance. All of sudden, its in the back of the net. You just kind of shake your head.After scoring two more goals on Thursday night -- albeit in a 6-3 loss to the?Edmonton Oilers?-- Laine is just one goal shy of the leagues goals leader,?Sidney Crosby.Laine is on pace for 47 goals. He has already had two hat tricks and, yes, hes earned a few nicknames already.That was the big thing: What do people call him? said Wheeler, 30, chuckling. He started with Patty, and then he got more comfortable and revealed that all his buddies back home call him Patsyuk, obviously after Pavel Datsyuk.So its either Patty or Patsyuk. Then after a couple of hat tricks, there were a couple of Great Ones thrown around too. Instead of 29 [Laines number], well throw out 99 and stuff like that.No. 99s former team, the Oilers, has a current star in No. 97, Connor McDavid,?who added three assists on Thursday night to pad his NHL scoring lead. McDavid, who is still only 19, has 34 points (11-23) in 25 games -- and he showed during his rookie campaign last season that he was already capable of dominating. The?Toronto Maple Leafs?Mitch Marner, who was second among rookies in scoring through Thursday, is also 19 -- as is?Auston Matthews, whos third in the rookie scoring race.Laine, who tops all those guys with 21 points, wont turn 19 until April.Its crazy. I remember myself at 18. Well, shoot -- I could barely play college hockey. I was having a hell of a time keeping up in the college ranks, and these kids now are leading the league in scoriing and doing all kinds of ridiculous things, said Wheeler, who played for the University of Minnesota.ddddddddddddIt kind of blows your mind. You watch them play, and then theyre back in the hotel room playing video games all day. You pinch yourself, and you say, Right, theyre kids.Wheeler, who had a career-high 78 points last season, has watched another Jets kid bloom before his eyes the last few years. Center?Mark Scheifele?exploded for 34 points (17-17) in his last 26 games last season and has carried that hot streak into 2016-17. The 23-year-old leads the Jets with 26 points (13-13) in 26 games.Young Mr. Scheifele, who is in his fourth NHL season, has 60 points (30-30) in his last 54 games.I havent played against many guys who have been on the same level as he was the last 30 games last year and now into this season, Wheeler said of Scheifele, a Kitchener, Ontario, native. He has really elevated his game.Wheeler has been there to give Scheifele advice the last four seasons, and now the veteran is doing the same for Laine.The biggest thing Ive tried to tell him is, Never get pushed out of a game. Just stay with it all night. A guy like you, all you need is one opportunity to change the whole game, Wheeler said.Wheeler has seen plenty of examples. In Tuesday nights game against the?New Jersey Devils, Laine patiently waited for his chance. When he got one, he made it count, firing a wicked shot -- even when it appeared there was simply nowhere to aim -- that beat?Cory Schneider?top corner. It proved to be the game winner.Laine does things like that in practice, day in and day out.On a 2-on-1 drill, hell just kind of come down and skate all the way to the goal line and throw it right off the back bar, said Wheeler. Everyone is like, What just happened? Who is this guy?Wheeler saw similar heroics from his young teammate during a Nov. 13 game against the?Los Angeles Kings.?We had a shootout against L.A., and I went and shot it right in the goalies chest. [Laine] was like, Hey, was five-hole open? And I said, I dont know, maybe. Then he goes out and does that ridiculous move, and Im like, Yeah, I told you five-hole was wide open, Wheeler said, laughing.You just wait. These young Jets have only begun to take off. ' ' '