beschreibung des Clans » You can add Ben Foster to that, a

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- For more than a decade, this has been his net, his job, his town.A decade of superlative goaltending that has, in spite of the odd wobble, established Marc-Andre Fleury as one of the great goaltenders of his generation.Consider: At the start of this season, the 31-year-old is 18th among all NHL goalies with 357 wins.Lets imagine he plays four more years and averages 25 wins a season -- a paltry amount, given his historical level of consistency -- and that gives him 457 wins, which would put him fourth all time. If he has relatively good health, hes more likely to end up third all time, behind only Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. Throw in a couple of Stanley Cups (at least), a place on Canadas Olympic roster in 2010 and the next thing you know, Hello, Hall of Fame.And still, and still, for someone this constant, this sure in this most passionate of hockey towns, things are anything but certain and sure for Fleury as the Pittsburgh Penguins begin defense of their 2016 Stanley Cup championship.Yes, he was tabbed to start ?Thursday night for the banner-raising game against the Washington Capitals, just as he was after the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven memorable games in the 2009 finals.Make no mistake, this is different.Fleury knows it. The fans know it. Heir apparent to the Penguins net, Matt Murray, who is recovering from a broken hand sustained while playing for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey, knows it.I knew it would be a little bit different from what Im used to, Fleury admitted, the trademark grin firmly in place. But I was glad to be able to come back to Pittsburgh, to be able to play with this team and play for this city again. And Ill try my best try to win some games. Its all I can do, really.Murray started last season in the American Hockey League and then came on in relief of Fleury after Fleury sustained a concussion late in the regular season. Then, Murray became the story of the 16 playoffs. He was injured in the final regular season game but returned for the second game of the Pens first-round series against the New York Rangers. He yielded one start the rest of the way, that in the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning in which Fleury took the loss, and turned in a .923 save percentage behind a 15-6 record.A few days before he celebrated a Stanley Cup championship, Murray turned 22. And then turned the Pittsburgh goaltending situation on its ear.Or did he?What seemed assured, that Fleury would begin this season as last season ended -- sitting on the end of the Penguin bench with a ball cap on his head -- has now been thrown into disarray.Murray is nursing his broken hand and Fleury, as he has been pretty much for the past dozen years, will be the man when the Penguins begin another pursuit of greatness.It wasnt always easy for Fleury last spring, but he was universally lauded by teammates and observers for his deportment during the playoff run.Ive always been used to playing, to be in there, so some days were a little tougher, he admitted. But as a teammate, I wouldnt want anybody to see it or to think about that, to think about me. I just wanted them to focus on their game and not be a distraction for anybody. At the end, like I said, we won, so it was all worth it.Mike Rupp played with six NHL teams and some of the games greatest goalies -- including Fleury -- before retiring. He spoke with Fleury during the finals and was impressed but not surprised by the netminders demeanor in the face of having been supplanted as the No. 1.Marc-Andre Fleury is legitimately the most kind, probably the best guy Ive ever met in hockey, said Rupp, whos now a national analyst. He is that. And everybody thinks that and says that. Hes just the ultimate teammate.Lets not confuse being a good teammate with not caring who starts.Fleury wants very much to again be the man.Whether thats here in Pittsburgh or somewhere else, that remains to be seen.Former teammate Colby Armstrong, also a national broadcast analyst, understands the mental toll this kind of uncertainty can have on a player.Thats what the games all about, thats the hardest part of the game, Armstrong said. I know in playing with him and dealing with him and even just talking to him, hes a proud guy that wants to do the right thing and be a good teammate and is also competitive and wants to have that net. I respect that.Close your eyes and you can still see Fleury sliding across to block Nicklas Lidstroms last-second bid to tie Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena in June 2009. GM Jim Rutherford can. He was running Carolina at the time, his Hurricanes having been swept by Fleury and the Penguins in four games in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.If the outside view might be of a team with a potential goaltending controversy Rutherford, who played 457 NHL games as a goaltender, views things somewhat differently.What I worry about as a GM is if you dont have one goalie, Rutherford said. So, why would I worry about having two good ones?Indeed, when was the last time a team entered a season with two goaltenders who had guided their teams to Stanley Cup wins?Rupp, for one, believes the Penguins are starting the season with the best tandem in the business.Rutherford might have to make a hard decision at some point as the season moves along, but he doesnt have to make that decision today. I have a very good veteran goalie and I have a very good young goalie, he said. Itll play itself out.How?And until that narrative reveals itself, Fleury is content to try to enjoy this as much as possible.Its tough because I get reminded by people coming to the rink and stuff with mics, he said with another chuckle. So, yeah, sometimes you have a little thought whats going to happen and stuff. But I have to remind myself to enjoy the day, enjoy what we have now. Its going to be good here and whatever happens, happens.I just want to be normal, he added. I dont want to overanalyze, overthink stuff. I just want to have a nice season, go play, enjoy the guys at the rink, outside the rink.Surely the man who has owned this net, this team, this town for so long deserves that much. Bruce Boudreau Jersey . JOHNS, N. Felix Potvin Jersey . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. http://www.officialmapleleafspro.com/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Darryl Sittler Jersey . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. Morgan Rielly Jersey ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition.Tony Pulis still cherishes great memories from his time at Crystal Palace and admits he would have liked the opportunity to stay at the club. Pulis left Palace by mutual consent in August 2014 after nine months in charge, having guided the club to 11th in the Premier League.When he replaced previous manager Ian Holloway, Palace had won one of their opening 11 league games, and Pulis was named manager of the season for his efforts. Now in charge at West Brom, he faces his former club at The Hawthorns on Saturday Night Football, and admits he still holds fond memories of his time in south London. Tony Pulis was named manager of the season for his work at Crystal Palace Palace in the short term was as good as anything you could achieve really, he told Soccer Saturday. It would have been nice to have stayed and taken it on a bit further, because it would have suited me, but it wasnt to be.I have great memories there and it is a great football club. The 3-3 draw against Liverpool was a wonderful night, and I enjoyed a lot of times there. The supporters were wonderful.The amount of times I bump into Palace fans now when Im in London, they seem to be everywhere, and theyre great with me and its nice to leave clubs on good terms.I get on well with Alan Pardew, and it will be a tough game on Saturday because I know the players well. West Brom recorded their first Premier League victory since early January with a 1-0 win over Everton in their last league outing.Salomon Rondons early strike at Goodison Park ended a five-match winless run, with Albion now four places above the relegation zone, and Pulis admits they still need another three wins to ensure survival.Were desperate to get another eight or nine points and that will keep us in the league, he added. The remit from the chairman for the first and second year was to stay in the league because of the financial implications. We have 12 cup finals now. James Morrison, Ben Foster and Jonny Evans have also missed significant periods of time through injury Weve had injuries to James Morrison and Jonny Evans this season, who are big players for us.dddddddddddd They are very good footballers and they make us play. They can be the difference.But weve been unfortunate with lots of stuff this year. Weve missed Saido Berahino for half the season. You look at Tottenham, if you took Harry Kane out and you took Jamie Vardy from Leicester, its the same with Saido for us.He was one of the main reasons this club stayed in the Premier League last season because his goals really put the club where it is today. To be without that talent for half a season has been a really big miss. Tony Pulis says Saido Berahino has been a big miss for West Brom this season You can add Ben Foster to that, a goalkeeper who was second choice for England, and thats two very important positions for us. But you get on with your job and do it to get the results you need.After their FA Cup defeat to Reading, Pulis appeared to offer no assurances that he plans to stay beyond the summer, but the manager insists the story was blown out of proportion. I made a comment about sitting down with the chairman at the end of the season, as I do every season, and obviously theyve taken it as something that its not, he continued. I understand, theres a story in it and it fills a piece on the back pages.But the chairman has been fantastic. At the beginning of the season there was doubt about the sale of the club, and he was close to selling, but it never happened. He kept in contact with me and we speak every week.Hes been exceptionally honest about what he wants to do with the football club, and thats all I ask for.Watch the full interview with Tony Pulis on Soccer Saturday from 12noon on Sky Sports News HQ. Also See: Arrest made over Brunt incident Title rivals live on Sky Sports Pulis: We must move on Mersons predictions ' ' '