NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here. It all began in warmups for Cale Makar. Before he became one of the NHL’s biggest young stars, the defenseman was leaving lasting impressions on coaches in warmups. Ryan Papaioannou, head coach and general manager of the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits, first laid eyes on Makar during the Mac’s Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament. As the young blue liner prepared for a game with the Calgary Flames Midget AAA team, what he showed during warmups — his skating and ability to move the puck deceptively — was all Papaioannou needed to see to know this was a special player. “Dynamic player with explosive speed. Very high risk and more than willing to make a play regardless of the risk/reward,” Papaioannou told NBC Sports. “He was an elite skater and the puck skills matched. We have always been an offensive-minded team, especially with our defensemen, so it was a natural fit with Cale.” During his first year… Read full this story
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Wednesday Night Hockey: Patience, preparation part of Makar’s NHL path have 297 words, post on nhl.nbcsports.com at October 16, 2019. This is cached page on wBlogs. If you want remove this page, please contact us.