OTTAWA, Ontario -- Brett Hulls record for goals scored by an American in the NHL is safe for now.Auston Matthews is still 737 goals behind.But like the entire hockey world, The Golden Brett took notice and then some Wednesday night, when the kid from Scottsdale, Arizona, became the first player to open his NHL career with a four-goal performance as the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Ottawa Senators.Pretty impressive performance in the first game for a young kid, Hull told ESPN.com via text message Wednesday night. It speaks volumes for where U.S. hockey has come!It was only three weeks ago that Team USA flamed out of the World Cup of Hockey with an 0-3-0 record and fueled the narrative about what is wrong with the state of the game in the United States. On Wednesday, Matthews reminded everyone that help is on the way.Just amazing! Mike Modano, second all time in NHL goals by American players, with 561, told ESPN.com via text message Wednesday night. Its a young mans game now. Being American from Arizona makes it an even more intriguing story. These kids make instant impacts. The game has definitely changed for the better.Never mind the score of the game against the Senators, the Maple Leafs have changed for the better. Did they tank last season? Oh, you better believe they did. Although theyd never admit it, they wanted the best possible shot at Matthews the year after they missed out on Connor McDavid.It took just the first three shots off Matthews stick Wednesday -- all goals, of course -- to emphasize why the tanking was justified.The second goal Matthews scored? My goodness. He stripped two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson of the puck and raced in from the sideboards to sneak a shot inside the post on Craig Anderson.Really?Wow. Wow, said an NHL scout on hand, unable to find another word.Ill be remembered for one thing, I guess, for a long, long time in Toronto, Anderson said jokingly.What was apparent Wednesday, and what we got a taste of in the World Cup last month, is that Matthews is already strong enough on his skates to take over a game.Physically, hes a man at [19] years old, Senators center?Kyle Turris told reporters after the game. So hes physically ready for the game. Obviously, hes mentally there too. Hes going to have a long career. Dont wish him too much luck with the Leafs.All rebuilds are not created equally. Players such as?Sidney Crosby?and Jonathan Toews?are not available at the top of the draft every year. Teams need to hit on generational studs such as McDavid and Matthews to make a rebuild count.The magic on display Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre reminded everyone that the team that hasnt won a Stanley Cup since 1967 can actually see light at the end of the tunnel.We were all part of history tonight, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. From my perspective, since Ive been the Leafs coach, thats the best night Ive had since Ive been here, by 10 miles -- not even close. Because now we have an opportunity.Babcocks young supporting cast also looked good on this night.Sure, the Leafs lost 5-4 in overtime to the hometown Ottawa Senators. But if youre a Leafs fan, who cares? This night was about knowing the franchise has turned a corner.Matthews, for one, cared. His first comment to the media after the game?On that last play, it was 100 percent my fault, he said of losing his man, Turris, on the overtime goal. Obviously, we came here to win. A good learning point for me and the team.Thats the maturity already on full display from Matthews. Playing pro hockey in Switzerland last season served him well in his preparation for his NHL debut.Hes a man. Hes 19 years old, but he acts like hes 27, Babcock said. Hes got great maturity. If you meet his mom and dad, youre thoroughly impressed with the kind of people they are and the respect he has for his mom and his sisters. ... Dont get me wrong: We would have drafted him anyway, but that makes it more special.There was Matthews after the game, once the cameras were gone, getting a big hug from Mom and Dad in the bowels of the arena.It was pretty special to have my parents here and have them share that moment with me, he said.Brian and Ema Matthews still had watery eyes after the game.Im speechless, Brian said.Dad doesnt have to say anything. His son said it all on the ice on a night that wont soon be forgotten. Kenny Lofton Jersey . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. B.J. Upton Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. http://www.indiansteamproshop.com/Indians-Roberto-Perez-Kids-Jersey/ . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Edwin Encarnacion Jersey . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. Matt Belisle Jersey . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Some of the biggest losses in college footballs opening week likely wont be reflected on the scoreboard.Several teams in recent seasons have lost starting quarterbacks the first couple of weeks and spent the remainder of the year dealing with QB issues.Air Force, Boston College, BYU, Kansas State, Notre Dame and Syracuse all lost quarterbacks to season-ending injuries by mid-September last year. Ohio State won the 2014 national title despite losing its top two quarterbacks to injuries.Theyre the only position that takes punishment without being able to give it back, and (theyre) being in exposed positions, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. Im telling you, if youre not tough, you cant play quarterback.But since being tough cant always keep a quarterback on the field, the emphasis to have depth at the most important position on the team seems to have increased with the recent rash of early season injuries.An AP analysis of all the Football Bowl Subdivision programs shows that only about 38 percent started the same quarterback in every game last season, whether due to injuries or performance.Florida State uses GPS technology to measure athletes performance and monitor their health. Fisher said the data revealed quarterbacks had the third-highest workloads on the team with the torque on their body with their legs, feet and all that stuff. The only position groups with higher workloads were receivers and offensive linemen.It all adds up to teams taking steps to get backup quarterbacks more prepared.Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said the Volunteers reserve quarterbacks get more reps in training camp now than he remembers backups receiving at his previous stops. DeBord also said backup college quarterbacks generally get more reps than backups in the NFL, where he was an assistant from 2008-12.We talk about what if (starting quarterback) Josh (Dobbs) gets injured or whatever, DeBord said. What are we going to do with the No. 2 guy? What kind of passing game are we going to have? What kind of running game are we going to have? All of that stuff, we talk about that all the time.They are common questions with quarterbacks being asked to do even more than they have in the past.In 2014, 43 FBS quarterbacks had a combined 500 pass attempts and rushes and 34 pulled off the 500 double-double last season, according to cfbstats.com. Only 19 quarterbacks had a combined 500 passes and runs in 2009.I dont think you can ever have enough quality depth at the quarterback position if you run your quarterback, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said.Still, not all coaches believe that having a mobile quarterback makes him more susceptible to injury.Nebraskas Mike Riley notes that Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrongs athleticism can allow him to avoid the type of direct hit thhat could have knocked out the pocket passers of previous eras.ddddddddddddBut it isnt just the increased carries that could put quarterbacks at risk. With more hurry-up offenses, increased snaps also are a concern.FBS teams have averaged at least 71.5 offensive plays per game each of the last four seasons. That average was as low as 64 in 2006 and reached the 70s just once from 2006-11. The fastest-paced offenses occasionally have snap totals reaching the high 90s or even 100.Im not a scientist and I dont know what the analytics say of that number of more injuries, said Mississippi State quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, the QB of the 2008 Utah team that went unbeaten. So I really dont have an educated answer on what the data would say.Some offenses have changed (since I played) and some offenses run 100 plays a game. I would think, and the mathematician in me says the more plays you run, obviously, the more likely you are to have a chance to get injured.Having a quality backup quarterback can make or break a season.Michigan State advanced last year to the College Football Playoff in part because backup quarterback Tyler OConnor helped the Spartans pull a 17-14 upset of Ohio State when a shoulder injury prevented Connor Cook from playing. Notre Dame lost starting quarterback Malik Zaire to a broken ankle in the second week of the season, yet DeShone Kizer stepped in and kept the Fighting Irish in playoff contention all year.Ohio States 2014 national championship provided perhaps the biggest statement on the importance of having multiple quarterbacks ready to play.Braxton Miller, the two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year, injured his throwing shoulder in August and didnt play all year. J.T. Barrett replaced Miller and performed brilliantly before breaking his right ankle in late November. Cardale Jones started Ohio States final three games and led the Buckeyes to a national title.All of those guys at Ohio State were similar enough that they didnt have to depart from what they did offensively, said Houston offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, a former Texas quarterback. I think thats important when youre building your quarterback room.You need to have an identity on what you want to be as a team offensively and defensively -- and build that quarterback position around it so you dont have to switch offenses.Whatever the strategy, the successful teams seem to have a solid backup quarterback ready to play.-------AP Sports Writers John Kekis, Joedy McCreary, Eric Olson, Joe Reedy, Mitch Stacy and John Zenor and AP freelance writer Paul Jones contributed to this report.-------AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '