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Sebastien Aubin during a shootout in an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 3, 2007. The Oilers won the shootout and beat the Kings, 4-3. (AP Photospan> Related Information: Sam Gagner Interview Gagner and Cogliano visit the Oilers Hockey School wasn't sure what to do with himself the last couple of months. Starting in September of 2006 he played a full Junior season with the Lond foot ball game on Knights, got drafted by the Oilers, was Team Canada's MVP in the 8 game Super Series versus Russia, made the Oilers out of training camp, played a full NHL season and then wore the Maple Leaf for the World Hockey Championships in Halifax and Quebec City. In other words it was a busy year and a half, not that it bothered Gagner one bit. -I like to stay busy; I like to play,- he smiles.So, when t foot ball game he World Hockey Championships came to a close in May, Gagner was faced with an unfamiliar reality; there was no hockey to be played. He took a couple months off and went on a couple vacations before recently starting his rigorous off-season training back home in London, Ontario. Gagner wasn't a huge fan of the time off, but does admit that it was necessary. -The down time was pretty good for me an foot ball game d heading into next season I wanted to get that rest,- he said today during a visit to the Oilers Hockey School in St. Albert. That said, he's anxious to get back into the swing of the NHL season. -I think I can speak for everybody when I say we're pretty excited to get going here,- he says. -The summer has gone pretty fast and we're all looking forward to next year. We're ready for it.-OIL CHANGE foot ball game S and Robert Nilsson, a line the coaching staff is currently adamant about keeping together. For his money, Gagner's ok either way. -I developed a great chemistry with them at the end of last season and I feel we really read off each other,- he starts. -But, at the same time, in order to be a valuable asset you gotta be a guy who can play with anybody. We have 12 or 13 really good forwards and any foot ball game body can play with anybody.-In any event, new faces or not, the pressure is going to be much higher on this team in October than it was one year ago. They aren't coming off a season-ending losing streak where they dropped 19 of 20 like they did in 06>49 (13-36) points in 79 games is a pretty good rookie season. In fact, that puts Gagner 5th all time in Oilers franchise history, just 4 points behin foot ball game d Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson. But, great rookie seasons don't make a career...just ask Andrew Raycroft. The trick is to follow up a successful rookie year with 2nd year point totals that eclipse the first. Anderson, for example, put up back-to-back 104 and 105 point seasons following his rookie year. For his part, Gagner feels his rookie season was a huge step forward but says it was also the cr foot ball game aziest year of hockey he's ever had. -You know what, it was kind of a whirlwind year for me in the fact that I really didn't know what was gonna happen going into training camp,- he explains. -I just kinda rolled with every opportunity I got. There were a lot of ups and downs during the season but I think as the season went along I learned a lot. This was a huge development year.-Now that Gagner h foot ball game as settled into his position as one of the go-to players on this Oilers roster, the questions will start. Do you feel more pressure? Can you keep up, or eclipse, your pace from last year? With so many young players on the team, isn't one of you guys bound to slump?Gagner says jinx, shminx. -The sophomore jinx comes from two things,- says Gagner, clearly anticipating the queries. -Either you forget foot ball game how hard you worked going into your first year and you take the summer off and the other thing is you're playing against tougher opposition. For us, we just gotta stay mentally strong throughout the year and rise to the challenge.-To his first point, Gagner says he definitely hasn't taking the summer off. His father, former NHL'er Dave Gagner, has opened a new training facility in London, Ontario foot ball game and Gagner is taking full advantage. He knows he has to get bigger and stronger and he says the work towards that goal has already begun. To his second point, Gagner isn't concerned about the opposition he faces. -We're not gonna sneak under the radar as much as we did last year but there's nothing we can do about that,- he says matter-of-factly. -We just gotta worry about things in our control.- foot ball game Dan's Dish: weeknights from 8 to 11 on 630 CHED. | foot ball game
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