5 In the Big Leagues

Chapter 5 In the Big Leagues Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province Alberta. Edmonton is farther north than any other city with a pro hockey team. And in 1979, it seemed worlds away from the center of the sport. But the city of Edmonton was growing. Its oil industry, begun in 1947, was hotter than ever. And the people loved hockey. They couldn't wait for the WHA season to begin in October. Glen Sather, the Oilers' coach, took a quick look at seventeen-year-old Wayne.

第五章在大联盟埃德蒙顿是加拿大阿尔伯塔省的首府。 埃德蒙顿比其他任何拥有职业冰球队的城市都更靠北。 而在1979年，它似乎远离了这项运动的中心。 但埃德蒙顿正在发展。 1947年开始的石油工业比以往任何时候都热。 人们喜欢曲棍球。 他们迫不及待地等待10月份世界卫生大会赛季的开始。 油人队的教练格伦·萨瑟迅速地看了一眼17岁的韦恩。

Skinny. Long hair. Young. In fact, the whole team was new and young. And they didn't take themselves too seriously. For Wayne's eighteenth birthday, a huge cake was brought onto center ice. Later, back in the locker room, one of the guys sat on it! Unfortunately, the next year the WHA went out of business. Some teams folded. Not the Oilers. They took a step up and joined the NHL. At eighteen, Wayne became part of the NHL. When Wayne joined the NHL, he found the players stronger and tougher than any he'd yet faced. They were the best in the world. Once

瘦。长头发的。年轻。事实上，整个团队都很年轻。 他们也不太把自己当回事。 为了庆祝韦恩的18岁生日，一个巨大的蛋糕被带到中央冰面上。 后来，回到更衣室，一个家伙坐在了它上面！不幸的是，第二年世界卫生大会就停办了。 一些队伍解散了。不是油工队。 他们更进一步，加入了NHL。 18岁时，韦恩成为美国国家冰球联盟的一员。 当韦恩加入NHL时，他发现球员们比他遇到的任何球员都要强壮和坚韧。 他们是世界上最好的。 一次

again, critics pointed a finger at Wayne. Yes, he had done fine in the WHA. But he wouldn't cut it in the NHL. Wayne didn't let the comments get to him. As always, he tried even harder. Luckily, the young Oilers had grown. They had defenseman Kevin Lowe and center Mark Messier. Wayne became great friends with both.

评论家们又一次把矛头指向了韦恩。 是的，他在世界卫生大会上表现不错。 但他在国家冰球联盟的表现不佳。 韦恩没有让这些评论影响到他。 一如既往，他更加努力。 幸运的是，年轻的加油工人长大了。 他们有后卫凯文·洛和中锋马克·梅西耶。 韦恩和两人都成了好朋友。

THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE THE NHL FORMED IN 1917 WITH ONLY FIVE TEAMS, ALL FROM CANADA: THE MONTREAL CANADIENS, THE MONTREAL WANDERERS, THE

国家冰球联盟（NHL）成立于1917年，当时只有五支球队，全部来自加拿大：蒙特利尔加拿大人队、蒙特利尔流浪者队、蒙特利尔曲棍球队

OTTAWA SENATORS, THE QUEBEC BULLDOGS, AND THE TORONTO ARENAS, RENAMED THE MAPLE LEAFS IN 1927. OVER TIME, THE LEAGUE GREW TO INCLUDE US TEAMS, WITH THE BOSTON BRUINS THE FIRST TO JOIN IN 1924. THE NHL SHRANK DURING WORLD WAR II, THEN GREW AGAIN. TODAY, IT'S THE TOP HOCKEY LEAGUE IN THE WORLD, WITH THIRTY TEAMS, TWENTYTHREE IN THE UNITED STATES AND SEVEN IN CANADA. THE TEAMS ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO CONFERENCES, THE EASTERN (WITH THE METROPOLITAN AND ATLANTIC DIVISIONS) AND WESTERN (WITH THE PACIFIC AND CENTRAL DIVISIONS).

渥太华参议员队、魁北克斗牛犬队和多伦多竞技场队在1927年更名为枫叶队。 随着时间的推移，美国球队也加入了联盟，波士顿熊队是1924年第一个加入联盟的球队。 NHL在第二次世界大战期间萎缩，然后再次增长。 今天，它是世界上最顶级的冰球联盟，有30支球队，23支在美国，7支在加拿大。 球队分为两个会议，东部（与大都会和大西洋分区）和西部（与太平洋和中部分区）。

It wasn't an easy year. Wayne had a bad sore throat for most of the season. He lost weight. He lived on aspirin and cough drops. Still, Wayne finished the season tied for scoring leader with the Los Angeles Kings' Marcel Dionne. And he started his collection of NHL awards: the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player and the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player. The Lady Byng meant a lot to Wayne. MARK MESSIER MARK "THE MOOSE" MESSIER GREW UP IN EDMONTON, PART OF A HOCKEY-PLAYING FAMILY. AT SIXTEEN, WEIGHING TWO HUNDRED POUNDS, HE STARTED PLAYING FOR A JUNIOR LEAGUE

这一年并不容易。韦恩在整个赛季的大部分时间里喉咙都很痛。 他瘦了。他靠吃阿司匹林和止咳药为生。 尽管如此，韦恩还是和洛杉矶国王队的马塞尔·迪翁并列得分王。 他开始收集NHL的奖项：最有价值球员的哈特奖杯和最绅士球员的Lady byg奖杯。 宾女士对韦恩来说意义重大。 “驼鹿”马克·梅西耶在埃德蒙顿一个曲棍球家庭长大。 16岁时，体重200磅的他开始在少年联盟打球