in Test matches like this the more we will

Martins Karsums played only six games for the Boston Bruins during the 2008-09 season, but his brief presence set in motion one of the organizations most important acquisitions of the past decade. ??After the Bruins selected him as the 64th pick in the 2004 draft, Karsums went on to log 24 games in the NHL (the other 18 came with the?Tampa Bay Lightning). Before turning pro, Karsums was with the Moncton Wildcats, and the Bruins kept a close eye on his development. Every time the scouts returned with reports, however, they raved about Karsums teammate, Brad Marchand. ??Guys kept coming back saying, Check this kid out. Hes really skilled and ultracompetitive for a smaller player, said one former Bruins hockey operations staffer. ? ??Jeff Gorton, the current?New York Rangers?general manager, was then working for the Bruins as assistant GM. He served as interim GM during the 2006 draft in Vancouver. Boston selected Phil Kessel in the first round (fifth overall), and its second-round selections were Yuri Alexandrov (37th overall) and Milan Lucic (50th). The Bruins did not have a pick in the third round, but Gorton, who has a keen eye for young talent, had targeted Marchand. ??A couple of things were working against Bostons chances of landing Marchand in the third round. 1: The New York Islanders had two picks in the beginning of the third round, and the team had just hired Marchands junior coach, Ted Nolan, as its new bench boss. 2: The Bruins had to surrender their third-round pick to the Ottawa Senators for hiring Peter Chiarelli to serve as Bostons new GM, beginning in July 2006. ??It didnt look great for us to be able to get [Marchand], Gorton told ESPN.com via text. ? ??Gorton knew Marchand was the type of player the Bruins hadnt had in a while -- someone who could one day become a driving force behind the teams success. ?On draft day, Gorton traded the Bruins two fourth-round picks for the Islanders third-round selection. Boston then selected Marchand as the 71st overall pick -- and that choice has proved crucial for the organization. Many hockey personnel wondered that day why the Islanders didnt select Marchand 70th overall and instead chose Robin Figren. Either way, the hockey operations staff at Bostons draft table was thrilled the Bruins had landed Marchand. ??Id be lying to say we knew he was going to be this good. Otherwise we should have taken him a lot sooner, Gorton said recently. ? ? ?In Marchand the Bruins acquired a player with skill, skating ability, hockey IQ, character and competitiveness. Now in his eighth NHL season, the 28-year-old forward has reached new levels in all of those categories, especially in terms of his competitive intensity. ? ??Its pretty impressive the way hes improved, said Bruins alternate captain and longtime linemate Patrice Bergeron. Ive always thought he was an amazing player to play with. The way hes handled himself on the ice night in and night out -- hes always been first on pucks, working hard, competing and all that -- I just think hes improved his game from one year to another. He got 37 goals last year and it wasnt a fluke. Obviously were seeing that right now. Its great to see. ? ?This season, Marchand has three goals and seven assists for 10 points in eight games. He has carried over his success from the World Cup of Hockey, where he helped lead Team Canada to a championship with five goals and three assists for eight points in six games. The decision by Team Canada and coach Mike Babcock to give Marchand a roster spot and put him on the top line, along with Sidney Crosby and Bergeron, was based on that competitiveness. ? ?Crosby, widely considered the best player in the world, said he was confident Marchand would have a positive impact both on and off the ice for Team Canada.Crosby also knew even before he hoisted the Stanley Cup with the?Pittsburgh Penguins?in June that Bergeron and Marchand would be his World Cup linemates. So Crosby invited both of them to work out for a week during the summer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Because Marchand is a fellow Nova Scotian, he skated a bit longer with Crosby during the offseason. That ice time was invaluable, helping build chemistry among the trio -- and it showed once the puck dropped at the World Cup. ?It also helped that Bergeron and Marchand have been linemates in Boston since the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011. Before the World Cup, some wondered how Marchands presence would be received with Team Canada. Hes had a reputation as an agitator who crosses the line at times. ??Marchand has been suspended three times for a total of 10 games. But he also has the reputation of being a good teammate. Hes one of the first players on the ice for practice and one of the last ones to leave. He works his tail off during practice, and that translates during games. He is strong. He is fast. Hes not easily knocked off his skates. Hes basically one of those players you love to have on your team but hate to play against. ??His Team Canada teammates learned that firsthand during the World Cup. ??Hes really starting to shed that reputation, and hes earning a lot of respect from [the] people watching, but also people in that dressing room, [who] are discovering how good a person he really is -- things weve known for a long time in Boston, Bruins coach Claude Julien said during the tournament. ?Marchand understands that hell never completely shed the pest label. Thats the reputation Ive had for a while and people may see me as a little better player now, but that reputation will probably never leave, which is fine, he said recently. I dont care either way, but its nice to be recognized as maybe a little bit better hockey player than people might have thought.After the World Cup culminated with Team Canadas victory, Babcock said Marchand will continue to be Marchand. ??Lets not kid ourselves; hes still a pest, Babcock said. Hes going to be a pest. But hes a pest with elite speed and elite skill and a good penalty killer. ???Marchand has won a Stanley Cup. He won a World Championship with Canada in May. And he was a major contributor for Canadas World Cup victory. Marchand has become a complete player. If the NHL decides to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics, No. 63 should be on that roster. ???During the World Cup, the Bruins announced that they had signed Marchand to an eight-year contract extension worth $49 million. It should keep him in Boston for the remainder of his career. ? ??Im extremely excited, he said. That was always a dream of mine to remain [in Boston] and be part of this team for a long time, and I have that opportunity now. Im very fortunate. Im very proud and excited about that, but I still have to do my job the next number of years and make sure they keep me around. ??? ?No doubt he will continue to hear boos and insults from opposing fans, but Marchand has finally earned a spot at the big-boy table in hockey. Authentic Custom Mets Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Cheap Mets Jerseys . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. http://www.custommetsjersey.com/ . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. 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You can sense that energy, which no other format can provide for you.When Indias most popular current cricketer, their Test captain who can lead crowds like the Pied Piper, says these words, you can relax that at least for this generation Test cricket is safe in India, and that as a player he will do his best to hand it down.Through the second Test, which India won to become the No. 1 Test team in the world, Virat Kohli kept asking the small Eden Gardens crowd - still often big enough to fill out some stadiums - to make noise every time New Zealand put together a partnership. He entertained them with a sparkling knock of 45 in a crisis situation in the second innings, which was cut short by a shooter.Its our responsibility to keep Test cricket where it belongs, Kohli said, and if we play cricket like this - you saw how engaged the crowd was, they like to see exciting cricket, and we have to provide it. You have to interact with them, you have to make sure they are a part of the whole thing. You feed off their energy. It happens so much in limited overs, so why not in Test cricket?A loud crowd, Kohli said, makes a big difference for the home team. We experience that when we go to Australia, when we go to England, South Africa. They get a couple of wickets, the crowd gets behind really loud and as a batsman you understand that it creates a lot of pressure, you feel nervous. So I just try to think as a batsman, how I would feel. Walking in, the ball is reverse-swinging and the crowds going mad behind a bowler who is warm, who is willing to take a wicket. It makes a huge difference.We were able to pick up two, three wickets. The crowd also loves it, you engage them for the betterment of the team. A bowler who is tired… Shami would have bowled three overs but he fed off the energy and he bowled 12 more balls for the team, got another wicket. So we will not be waking up at 6:30 again tomorrow. In the process, Kohli said, this Test showedd them important lessons too.dddddddddddd. This was a Test match that had to be fought out, he said. Which took character from all the players. This was a Test match that players took as an opportunity to build character rather than pressure. The more we win Test matches like this the more we will understand how Test cricket is played, how Test matches can be won. So we can keep repeating those things. Its all about feeding those things into your head and keep repeating it.If it was Ravindra Jadeja scoring crucial lower-order runs in Kanpur, Wriddhiman Saha did it in Kolkata. Rightly they won the Man-of-the-Match awards. Kohli said their batting was the biggest gain from these Tests. The batting contributions of Jadeja and Umesh Yadav a little bit in the first game - Jadeja in both innings. And Wriddhiman Saha both innings in this game, Kohli said of the gains. The rest of the guys, we obviously understand that given their day and in a good frame of mind, they will come good. But these two guys are batting at positions that are very important in Test cricket.For them to understand their own abilities and get confident, that was one of the main reasons why we waited for three more overs [for the declaration] in Kanpur, to let Jadeja cross 50. Because that way you understand how to get to that again and again. If you declare on 45, he will never get that extra boost of having gotten a half-century in a Test match.So it was all about building confidence for a particular individual, because we understand how important his character can be in a situation where maybe you need to play out an hour or you need 40 quick runs again. And that is the guy who is confident and can do the job for you. So as a captain, I think the contribution by Jadeja in the first game and Saha here (were the main gains). Saha has been doing really well this year, I wish him well to keep going. Obviously a keeper coming good for you is an added bonus. ' ' '