托業(yè)閱讀模擬文二

1、托業(yè)閱讀模擬文二NHLs Crosby era begins as Penguins draft phenom fi rstOTTAWA 一 It was Sidney Crosby1s draft, and yet it was cI ear Iy the Amer icans1 day when the NHL officially re Iaunched competit ion with a sealed-down vers i on of its annual amateur draftThe ceIebration of Crosby, picked first overall b

2、y the Pittsburgh Penguins, was the main storyline of a I eague trying to recover from a season I ost to a Iockout. Crosby, 17, is considered the most marketable prospect since Penguins owner/pIayer Mar io Lemieux was drafted in 1984.This i s amaz i ng, Crosby told the AP. Im just reaI Iy re Ii eved

3、Its unbe Ii evable Im so happy r i ght now.Crosby, who turns 18 next week, i s a 5-foot193- pound forward with surpr i sing strength and masterful vision on the ice A prolific scorer, Crosby won near Iy every trophy the I ast two seasons in the Quebec Major JuniorHockey League.Im going to put everyt

4、hing into that and try to move on from there nAside from the Crosby focus, the U.S hockey program grabbed a share of the spotlight when a record eight Amer icans were chosen in the f i rst round, including two of the first three picks. After Crosby was chosen, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim chose power

5、 forward Bobby Ryan (Camden, N.J.) and hard-hitting defenseman Jack Johnson(Indianapolis) was taken by the Carolina Hurr icanes with the thi rd pick Johnson, who played prep-school hockey in Minnesota with Crosby, pIans to enrol I at the University of Michigan Speedy Jack Sk i I Ie (Mad ison, Wi s)

6、went seventh to the Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman Br ian Lee (Fargo, N.D.) was grabbed ninth by the Ottawa SenatorsThe deveIopment program has worked very, very we I I and you are see i ng some s i gns of that,” sa id Carolina genera I manager Jimmy Rutherford nAnd people questioned it at the ti

7、me (it was introduced i n 1996) But guys are going through that program and getting drafted higher and higher.Rutherford was referr i ng to the U.S. NationalDeveI opment Program i n Ann Arbor, Mich. In theory, the program was designed to br i ng the countrys best teenage pIayers to pI ay together on

8、 the Under-17 and Under-18 National Teams Players from around the country a I I Ii ve and tra i n i n Ann Arbor. Johnson and Sk iI Ie both came di rectly out of the Under-18 program. The Amer icans won the Under-18 WorId Championship this past winter.This says a lot, said Johnson whose prickly playi

9、ng style has drawn compar i sons to Chris Che Iios. Were trying to build up with other countries, I ike CanadaSki I Ie came into the U.S. National DeveIopment Program as a 185-pound pIayer and has grown into a 205-pound, hard- driving wingerThe weightlifting program there was awesome, u Ski Ile said

10、The program hasn11 always been an easy seI I because itis expensive to operate, but USA Hockey President Ron DeGregor io says this i s an indication that USA Hockey1s deveIopment programs are working.The four Amer icans in the fi rst nine picks represented the best U.S. top-end showing since 1983 wh

11、en high schooI sensation Br i an Lawton was chosen first overall by theMinnesota North Stars, Pat LaFontaine went thi rd to the New York IsI anders and Tom Barrasso was chosen fifth by the Buffa Io SabresSt. Lou i s Blues genera I manager Larry PIeau was one of the few Amer i cans i n the NHL dur i

12、ng the 1960s, and he certainly had some pr ide helping the Amer icans set a new record. With the 24th pick, PIeau chose playmaking center T.J. Oshie of Warroad (Minn.) High Schoo I. Osh i e produced 99 points in 31 games this season. Some scouts say he possessed the best hockey sense i n the draft.

13、Hes very creative and very competitive, said PIeauThe other U.S一born first-rounders incIuded rugged defenseman Matt Lashoff (East Greenbush, NY.), who went to Boston 22nd overaI I, Joe Finley (Edina, Minn.) who went 27th to Washington, and puck-carrying defenseman Matt N i skanen (Vi rginia, Minn.)

14、who went 28th to the Dallas Stars. At 6-7, Finley is viewed as a possible Zdeno Chara- style pIayer while Ni skanen produced 27 goaIs and 38 ass i s ts i n 29 games for h i s Vi rg ini a High Schoo I t earn The pro-Amer ican trend continued in the second round when 10 more Amer i cans were chosen. R

15、yan Stoa (PIymouth), projected by some to be a f i rst-rounder, went 34th toCo Iorado. Pau I Stastny, son of Peter Stastny, was actually born in Quebec, but was ra i sed in the U.S. and pI ays for Denver University. He has an Amer ican passport and was a I so drafted by Co Iorado 44th overaI I TayI

16、or Chorney, son of former Pittsburgh Penguins and Los AngeIes Kings pIayer Mark Chorney, was snatched up by Edmonton.The Amer icans impact helped dress up a day that lacked the major trades that usually mark draft day. TheHurr icanes1 trade of winger Jeff ONeill to Toronto for a draft pick was the o

17、n Iy significant deaI of the day. With a new saI ary cap in place, most genera I managers are still trying to sort out thei r payrolI issues to concentrate on trades. The reaI pIayer movement wi I I start on Monday at noon ET when the free agent s i gning per i od beg ins.Per the rules of the new co

18、l Iective bargaining agreement, the draft was shortened to seven rounds, down from n i ne.Most tearns wont know for sure what they have with this draft for a couple of years, but the Penguins a I ready know what they have with Crosby, projected to be a future scor ing champion. He had 168 points in

19、62 games playing forRimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season. The Penguins season-tieket saIes have spiked dramaticaI Iy since it was announced that the Penguins won the lottery that assured them of Crosby.Its booming in Pittsburgh,H Lemieux saidEveryonei s very exci ted no

20、t just in Pittsburgh but in the ent ire National Hockey League.Most first round picks dont pI ay immed i ately i n the NHL, and it wiI I become even I ess I ikely now because the new CBA i ncIudes a provi sion that eventually wiI I allow pIayers with seven NHL seasons to become unrestrieted free agents. In most cases, it wi I I make more sense for a tearn to want to have thei r pIayers tied up from the age