Plauderecke » Its hard to have experience without someone giving

Drew MacIntyre doesnt know why at the age of 30 he hasnt started an NHL game. The journeyman goaltender can only go by what hes told. "Probably the main reason why I havent gotten a game while Ive been up is because I dont have NHL experience," MacIntyre said. "Thats the most frustrating thing." Listen to all the action on TSN Radio 1050 starting at 7:30pm et. Its hard to have experience without someone giving him a chance. "Chicken and egg thing," said his agent, Thane Campbell. "You have to get that right opportunity. Some of it is just luck -- being at the right place at the right time." MacIntyre is now in exactly the right place at the right time. With the Toronto Maple Leafs officially eliminated from playoff contention and Jonathan Bernier out with a knee injury, the Charlottetown product is set to make his first career NHL start Thursday night at the Florida Panthers. Its a long time coming for a veteran of 351 AHL games, 56 ECHL games and even two in the KHL. Along the way, he has seen Cory Schneider, Ben Scrivens and other goaltenders he competed against in the minors earn full-time NHL gigs. "It literally feels like every day I see one of the guys that Ive competed against for a while getting starts and becoming a No. 1 goalie in the NHL," MacIntyre said last month. "So that kind of thing can get frustrating because Ive competed pretty well against all those guys. Thats just more evidence that I believe that I can play here (in the NHL)." MacIntyres resume so far includes just five NHL appearances, all in relief. Two came for the Vancouver Canucks in 2007-08, two for the Buffalo Sabres in 2011-12, and the most recent one in March after James Reimer gave up three goals at the New Jersey Devils. On March 23, MacIntyre came in and stopped all 14 shots he faced. He saw that as something of an audition, which Thursday night can be, as well. "That enters your mind," he said. "I havent had that many opportunities. Theyve all been kind of getting thrown in there. ... Thats just the position that Im in where every summer Im hoping to get a job and scrambling to find something. I want to get a chance to compete for a backup role just to see what I can do." MacIntyre will likely be scrambling again this summer. The AHLs Toronto Marlies could go with a young goaltending duo of Garret Sparks and Christopher Gibson, leaving the career minor-leaguer to look elsewhere. Campbells sales pitch is that MacIntyre is a two-time AHL all-star, people know him around the league and hes "not too old." He said MacIntyre is considered one of the best No. 3 goalie options around, but where he might end up next season depends on trades and other player movement. If nothing else, MacIntyre shouldnt have to face the same questions he did last year after breaking his ankle playing for HC Lev Prague of the KHL, getting released and struggling to find a job anywhere. For a while, no team in the ECHL or Central Hockey League would sign him. While practising with the University of Prince Edward Island, MacIntyre was asked by people close to him if he was considering retiring. "It kind of made me say, Jeepers, should I be thinking that?" MacIntyre said. "It definitely crossed my mind, but I didnt think about retiring. I just knew I was up for a fight." Itll likely be a fight to get an NHL deal that gives him a legitimate opportunity to compete for a backup job. After trips through three organizations, thats what MacIntyre expects. "With a number of teams hes been knocking on the door and hes been very close," said Campbell, who has represented MacIntyre since he was 16 years old. "But its tough to get into the NHL, its a tough league to play in. Its the best league in the world. But hes only 30 and theres time left, thats for sure." The goaltender who gives MacIntyre inspiration is Tim Thomas, who didnt make his first career NHL start until the age of 28 and didnt get a real chance until after a sojourn to Europe showed what kind of performer he could become. Family members and friends always bring up Thomas, now a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup-winner, to give MacIntyre hope. And he buys into that belief. "He did it. I dont see why I couldnt do it," MacIntyre said. "Im not saying Im going to be Tim Thomas if I get a chance, but I like to think I can compete well up here." Wholesale Jerseys From China .com) - The 2014 Holiday Bowl is the first postseason venture pitting a pair of ranked foes against each other, as No. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. http://www.wholesalejerseyschinaonline.com/. This time, it was Eric Chavezs turn. 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This past week marked the release of EA Sports UFC, the latest video game to capture what fighting is like in the world of mixed martial arts and more specifically the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The game follows the UFC Undisputed series of games that were produced by THQ and EA Sports MMA, a non-UFC mixed martial arts game released by Electronic Arts in 2010. Though, according to EA Sports UFC Creative Director Brian Hayes, this game is an entirely new product. “We designed, coded and created this game from scratch,” Hayes told TSN.ca Prior to the creation of the game and due to the schedule of the development, fighters were not consulted on their attributes which, as it has in other sports video games, could lead to disagreements down the road. Hayes has his bases covered though when it comes to where he and his team got the final numbers for most of the competitors in the game. “I expect there to be lots of feedback from fighters on what their ratings are, but thankfully we got aa lot of those numbers directly from UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby.dddddddddddd” One non-UFC name you will find in the game is martial arts and action star Bruce Lee who was added to the game as a bonus for those who purchased early or complete certain goals in the game. Hayes says the feedback to Lee being in the game has been positive. “Its been a fairly popular decision, a lot of people think its really cool.” UFC president Dana White told Fortune.com that video games are an important tool for introducing people to the sport. “You wouldnt believe how many fans have come up to me and said that how they got into the UFC was either through The Ultimate Fighter TV show or by playing the UFC video games. 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