“So it’s good that he can get acclimatized to his surroundings, to the guys, to the way things are done. It’s a pressure time of year, obviously. How will he handle it? Everybody’s personality is different; everybody reacts to situations differently. He’s been a gamer. That’s how they talk about him. It’s up to us, the coaches, players, to help him feel as good as he can about himself; about his situation.’’
“He’s going to be fine vancouver canucks jerseys,’’ predicted defenceman Mark Giordano. “Me? At 19? I was in my first year junior, I think, in the OHL. Trying to get used to that level. I couldn’t imagine making the jump from there to here at that age, at his age. There’s only a few guys, special players, that can. He’s one of them.’’
As it so happens, Baertschi’s highly-anticipated National Hockey League debut tonight with the Calgary Flames dovetails into the first appearance by the Jets in this town in more than a decade and a half, since their tear-streaked death march to the cacti and sunscreen and scorpions of the Arizona desert in the summer of ’96.
“Give him a period or so. Once he’s playing, once he’s over the initial jitters, his skills will take over. He has a great demeanour. He’s not a hyper guy; very controlled Patrick Kane jersey, very relaxed. You and I know sidney crosby jerseys, it’s going to be a huge stage. He’s played world juniors in North America the last two years and certainly we’ve had some big games here. But nothing like this level.
Their lineup as thin as a butterfly’s wing, the future, out of necessity, has become the present for the bubble-straddling Flames. Sven Baertschi makes his debut tonight, nearly 16 years after the Winnipeg Jets last played a game in this town.
“What he does have is NHL skill. His vision, thinking, puck movement … he’s quick changing speeds, inside-outside. He’s the type of guy who’s played with Ty Rattie, a high, high-end skill guy, but he’s also played with more direct players. So he’s versatile.’’
“I don’t know how much he’s going to play right now, I don’t know how long he’s going to be here,’’ said left winger Alex Tanguay, watching Flames GM Jay Feaster welcome Baertschi to the fold with a firm handshake following Thursday’s practice, “but we all know he’s going to be a big part of the future of this franchise.
“As a young player, you want to prove you belong; you want to show you can contribute. Believe me, I know. But you can’t do that by trying to do everything. He understands. He’s a smart kid.
He’ll get his chance tonight, with the Flames doggedly in pursuit of the eighth and final playoff seeding out West, and the Jets in an equally chaotic tussle out East.
So, no, he wouldn’t have a hot clue about who in tarnation Dave Manson was. Or German Titov or Paul Kruse or two-goal ’Toban Dallas Drake. From that game, geriatrics Nikolai Khabibulin and Shane Doan are stubbornly defying time, still pluggin’ away at the top level. And he must’ve heard stories of the indomitable will/incisive skill of Theo Fleury, in some misty, old-guy kind of way.
At the embryonic age of 19, he’s being dropped into the roaring inferno of a frantic playoff push.
“Put a smile on his face before we go out tomorrow. Tell him to have fun. He’s a talented player. Just let him play. Just let him do his thing.’’
Sven Baertschi had only recently graduated from toddler status, was approaching his fourth birthday, the last time the Winnipeg Jets paid a visit to the Saddledome. A long-ago, distant-galaxy 4-1 Jets’ triumph on March 31, 1996.
“The best advice I can give him is this: It’s the same game. The pace is just a little quicker. The guys are the same, they play the same, they skate the same. They just do everything a bit faster. But that’s why he’s been successful in junior — he plays at a pace most other kids can’t.’’
The key, says Tanguay, is not to stretch, to strain, to overdo. It’s an overripe cliche, of course, but stay within your comfort zone. He ain’t being counted on to multiply loaves and fishes.
No tentative toe-dipping in the wading pool here. It’s right off the three-metre board and into the deep end.
“He turned a lot of heads at training camp this year,’’ reminded Tom Kostopoulos.
“He could easily have been on our team all along.
“You can’t ask him to come in and score three goals. There’s not too many guys at 18, 19 who come in and fill the net. Don’t worry about that. Do things right and everything will evolve.
“The intensity, the media attention Claude Giroux jersey, the scrutiny, the buildup around these games, trying to make it into the playoffs … it’s all something he’s never experienced before,’’ acknowledged Portland Winterhawks boss Mike Johnston, Baertschi’s junior tutor and an associate coach at the NHL level in both Vancouver and L.A. “So, sure authentic nhl jerseys, he’s going to be nervous for the first part.
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