Leafs Goalie Jonathan Bernier Mistakes Nelson Mandela For Star Athlete Who He Watched When He Was Younger.

The Toronto Raptors honored the late Nelson Mandela On Friday night at an event called The Giant of Africa. Many stars were in attendance to watch The Raptors play the Cleveland Cavilers, and to honor the great Nelson Mandela. NBA legends in the house were Earvin (Magic) Johnson, Charles Barkley, Dikembe Mutombo and All-Star Tracy McGrady, who was being honored by the Raptors and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum. Also there was members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan and Goaltender Jonathan Bernier. During an interview with the goalie the reporter asked him this" Alright Jonathan, how important is uh, the legacy of Nelson Mandela to you? Bernier replied with this statement "  well obviously he's been,uh, a tremendous athlete , and you know obviously  what,uh, he means to all the sports its pretty amazing. And I think he's definitely uh got a lot of respect in every sports and uh he's definitely one of the athletes I watched growing up as a kid. Mandela wasn't exactly a professional athlete, but he was an armature boxer who ran two hours a day. In my opinion, I think that Bernier should've just said he didn't know who the guy was. He could've saved himself a lot of grief. 

Jonathan Bernier

 

 

Can Kyle Lowry Be An All-Star This Year?

Kyle Lowry

Last year Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry was snubbed of an All-Star selection. Even though his teammate Demar Derozan did make the team. That could all change this year though, with the Raptors off to a 15-5 record and hold the number one spot in the WEAK Eastern Conference, with Lowry being one of the main reasons they are where they are. This year Lowry is averaging 20 points a game, 5 rebounds a game, 7 assist and  1.3 steals. But more then Lowry's stats it's what Lowry provides in terms of attitude and leadership. Lowry has a bulldog and a never say die attitude. The many ways Lowry provides leadership is vocally, trying to keep his teammates positive, talking on defense or just communicating with them. Lowry also leads by example, whenever The Raptors are a little bit down on defense or offense Lowry is the first person they will look to. Wether if it's a block,steal or charge on defense or big bucket or assist on offense, Lowry gets it done. Many people have said that Kyle Lowry is the heart and soul of the Raptors and for good reason. Ever since the Raptors traded for Lowry they have been his team to lead.

There are many All-Star Caliber point guards in the Eastern Conference and even in the NBA, but Kyle Lowry is definitely one of the hardest working players in the NBA. Other players might be stronger than Kyle, or jump higher or even be faster but no one will out work Kyle. This is why I believe the Raptors have two All-Stars,  because Toronto have a lot of young players with a lot of potential and I feel they don't get as much recognition as they should because they play in Toronto. Especially Kyle, because realistically he is not one of the more well known players in the NBA. But give him a year or two and everyone will be talking about him and the Raptors. #WeTheNorth

Martin Brodeur Trying To Find The Fountain Of Youth.

After playing his whole career with the New Jersey Devils, it is pretty weird to see Brodeur in another jersey.  On Wednesday December 3, 2014 Brodeur was signed by the St. Louis Blues. After playing most of last year as a backup to Cory Schneider, which is pretty new to Marty seeing as he has been the number one guy for most of his career. Now obviously Brodeur doesn't feel that he wants to retire just yet, but you get the feeling that Brodeur wants to play for a contender. Brodeur loved The Devils and never thought that he would never leave them. Brodeur has set many records and won many awards with New Jersey,  such as most regular season wins: 688, most regular season shutouts:124 and most playoff shutouts:24 and so many more.  Awards include 9x All-Star, 3x Stanley Cup champ and 4x Vezina Trophy winner. There's no doubt Brodeur and the Devils accomplished a lot together, but Brodeur is at an age where he can't wait 3 or 4 seasons for his team to rebuild. I feel that this will be Brodeur's last year playing professional hockey.  Brodeur will get his chance for one more cup this year, but will definitely retire as a New Jersey Devil. Brodeur will be in a Blues jersey this year but his legacy will always be in a Devils Jersey.

Martin Brodeur