just kickers, Oregon State coach Gary Andersen said. The

PITTSBURGH -- Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is relishing his first opportunity to play against boyhood idol Sidney Crosby but hes not going to let that get in the way of doing his job.Tonight is going to be cool for me to play against Crosby, against someone I grew up idolizing and kind of followed along his career, so definitely excited about that, McDavid said Tuesday after the Oilers morning skate at PPG Paints Arena.But, McDavid added, he cant afford to be spending time watching what Crosby is doing on the ice for the Penguins.If you get caught watching for a second hes going to beat you, the 19-year-old said. So youve got to be able to kind of put that away and forget all about that.McDavid was the first overall draft pick in the 2015 draft and is considered the most talented prospect to come into the NHL since Crosby, 29, was the first pick in the 2005 draft.A shoulder injury cost McDavid almost half of his rookie season in 2015-16 including two games against Pittsburgh. The parallels between the two stars are striking beyond being highly touted first overall draft picks.Through their first 58 games as NHL players Crosby held a slight edge in goals scored, 28-21, while McDavid has more assists through the same time period, 41 compared to 37 for Crosby.Since 2015-16, Crosby has the second-most points per game in the NHL behind defending scoring champ Patrick Kane of Chicago at 1.10; McDavid is third at 1.07.Crosby said on Monday that he is impressed with McDavids speed and his hockey sense, while McDavid said hell have to figure out a way to try and get the puck away from Crosby who has eight goals and 10 points in just six games this season.Just how strong he is on his skates, said McDavid. I think when hes down low he just protects the puck so well makes it hard to get it off him. For someone like me Im not sure Im going to be able to go through him so Ill have to figure out different ways to try and maybe get him the puck off him or something like that hes so good at protecting it.Both the Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Oilers, who have not qualified for the playoffs since reaching the 2006 Stanley Cup finals, are off to impressive starts to the season, with a combined 17-5-3 record through the first month.Its a big game for both teams, McDavid said. Both sitting at pretty good records. Two pretty good teams. Its going to be a good challenge for both teams. Jonas Brodin Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Alex Stalock Wild Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Luke-kunin-wild-jersey/ .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Zach Parise Wild Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Mikko Koivu Wild Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. LOS ANGELES -- California coach Sonny Dykes has prepared for the travel challenges associated with a season-opening game in Sydney.Dykes has spoken with NFL coaches who have taken their teams to London, prepared onboard exercises for players and consulted Nike for compression apparel they can wear during the flight when the Golden Bears depart the Bay Area on Aug. 20 and arrive down under on Aug. 22.But for a real understanding of how taxing travel to and from Australia can be, Dykes could have just asked Oregon State punter Nick Porebski.When I first did it, I was jet-lagged for about two days, the Melbourne-born Porebski said at Pac-12 media days. It is a tough flight. Youre sitting there for a long time. Your legs are going to get heavy.Porebski is one of a growing number of Australians to find success playing what his countrymen call American football, fueling growth in the sport back home.A Cal spokesman said approximately 70,000 tickets have been sold for the Aug. 27 game against Hawaii at the 83,500-capacity ANZ Stadium, the first college football game to be played in Australia since BYU defeated Colorado State in 1987.The eight-team professional National Gridiron League will begin playing its inaugural season in October. Rugby star Jarryd Haynes stint with the San Francisco 49ers last season resulted in increased media interest, while ESPNs Australia networks regularly broadcast NFL and college games.It is a far cry from how Porebski discovered football.The first time I actually watched American football it was on at like 2 oclock in the morning on some weird channel, Porebski said. It definitely has grown, though. Even had a few mates who had Super Bowl parties over there. It is taking off, and I think in four or five years, it will be really big.Porebski grew up playing Auustralian rules football starting from 5 years old, but had to give it up due to shoulder injuries.dddddddddddd. He then started working with Prokick Australia, a program that has helped the winners of the last three Ray Guy Awards as the top punter in college football transition to the American game.The rugby-style punt, thats pretty much an Aussie-rules kick, Porebski said. The thing that we have to learn is the spiral with two steps and kick.The Beavers found Porebski when he was at a junior college in Utah, but have since sent an assistant coach to Australia to recruit.And its not just kickers, Oregon State coach Gary Andersen said. Theres some very talented young men over there. And there are some quality people over there that are helping these kids get better.Stanford coach David Shaw has welcomed Australian coaches to observe practice. He believes the Pac-12 could play a major role in continuing footballs upward trajectory there.There are opportunities for other Pac-12 schools possibly, Shaw said. Weve heard a lot about how excited they are about this game and if we can help that in some way, shape or form by our conference investing in a game like this, you never know where it could lead.Cal offensive tackle Steven Moore is thrilled for the chance to play outside the U.S., as he and the other Bears big men could benefit from the lengthy nature of the trip. Since Dykes puts the starting offensive and defensive linemen up front on team charter flights, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Moore is already thinking about a lie-flat seat in first class.That would be cool, Moore said. I definitely dont want to be sitting in a little chair all the way to Australia. ' ' '