.Memphis is trying to find some consistency early in the season while Randolph is still

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. Basketball Jerseys Black Friday . 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AUSTIN, Texas -- Charlie Strong should be feeling the pressure.After two consecutive losing seasons, there are daily questions whether he can not only win at Texas, but win enough to keep his job. He enters the season with an 11-14 record at Texas and a roster of talented, unproven players facing a Sunday night season-opener against No. 10 Notre Dame.Behind it all is the issue of race: Strong is the first black head football coach at Texas and one of just a handful across the nation. To be the first at Texas, which is still grappling with a segregationist legacy, is something Strong addressed the day he was hired in 2014 with a nod to those who never got a chance.Strong said its his role as a pioneer among black coaches that props him up, not wears him down. It comforts him.He will win, Strong said, because he simply cant fail.It drives me every day, Strong said. It doesnt make it harder. So many people are counting on you. You cant let them down ... Thats why I have to be successful.That Texas hired Strong from Louisville in the first place was significant. The school resisted integration in the 1950s and 1960s and had college footballs last all-white national championship team in 1969. Race issues still reverberate on campus, although 52 years after the Civil Rights Act administrators are now fighting legal battles to expand opportunities for minorities and scrub the campus of remnants aligning it with the old South in the Civil War.Earlier this year, Texas won a significant legal victory for affirmative action in higher education when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the schools consideration of race in some student admissions. And the school recently removed a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its prominent perch on campus.Texas sociology professor Ben Carrington, whose work has focused on race and sports, praised former Texas athletic director Steve Patterson for hiring Strong barely two months into his tenure. Patterson was forced out in 2015 after alienating large numbers of fans, boosters and school administrators. Patterson also hired basketball coach Shaka Smart, the first black coach to lead that program as well.(Patterson) pushed back against the old-guard network, Carrington said. He deserves credit for that.Carrington, who sits on the schools athleticcs advisory council, has closely watched how Texas received Strong and says the coach has a groundswell of appreciation and good will toward him right now.dddddddddddd.But another losing season would likely leave Texas little choice but to make a change, Carrington said. It gets trickier for Strong and Texas if he wins, but doesnt win enough.This year is different. If Charlie Strong does not have a winning season, I dont see how he stays on, Carrington said. If they have a winning season, which they should do, how much is enough?If Strong has a winning season and still gets fired three years into a five-year contract, the element of race will jump front and center, Carrington said.The research shows that (black) coaches have longer to wait and less time to prove themselves, Carrington said. That becomes a judgment call ... and the cause will get loud.No one wants to pin down what would be enough for Strong. Last season, Texas beat Oklahoma and Baylor but still finished 5-7 with blowout losses of 38-3 to Notre Dame, 50-7 to TCU and 24-0 to lowly Iowa State.The program is still rebuilding. Strong is still unsettled when it comes to quarterback, he has a new offensive coordinator and his best talent remains young, sprinkled among freshmen and sophomores. That leaves Strong little margin for errors like missed extra points, dropped punts and other missteps that turned winnable games into heartbreaking losses the last two seasons.Texas hasnt had three consecutive losing seasons since the late 1930s.We know how critical this year is. If I start thinking negative, it will wear me down. I cant let that happen, Strong said.So he leans back on his strength: the idea that he cannot fail. Strong often tells the story of an elderly black woman who approached him at gas station and asked if he was the Texas coach. She grew up in segregated Austin and told him she was praying for him to succeed at Texas.Strong smiles at the story.I said, `As many prayers have been sent up for me, Im going to be able to walk to the pearly gates of heaven. She said, `Yes, you will, baby, Strong said. You see? They want success. When I have success, they are going to feel a part of it. ' ' '