Mark Messier criticizes Darnell Nurse for his poor performance
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During a podcast, Mark Messier criticized the Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse for his poor performance in the playoffs.
Perharps nobody in the Edmonton Oilers' locker room faced more heat in recent weeks than Darnell Nurse. The 29 year old veteran has struggled since the start of the playoffs. In 16 games, he has three points, and a -12 plus/minus.
He was also widely criticized for his attitude during a pre-game interview, in which he gave short answers and left before the end.
Last night, in an intervention on Real Kyper & Bourne, Mark Messier didn't shy away from speaking his mind about Nurse, saying that he has to be able to handle the heat and bounce back:
"You got to be able to handle the heat this time of year. You're not going to play great for two months straight, you are going to make mistakes. You are going to hear the consequences of not performing at the level that people expect of you. That's the nature of the beast and if you can't handle that, you're in the wrong business."
"If someone is struggling we're trying to pick him up and help him out. For Darnell Nurse, there's nowhere to hide. All you can do is get out there and give your best. You have to be conscious enough to understand why you're not playing well and be willing to change your game at this time of year and what you can do better."
"If someone is struggling we're trying to pick him up and help him out. For Darnell Nurse, there's nowhere to hide. All you can do is get out there and give your best. You have to be conscious enough to understand why you're not playing well and be willing to change your game at this time of year and what you can do better."
Nurse and the Oilers will try to take the lead in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars tonight. We'll see if the defenseman gets back on the fans good side with a strong performance or crumbles under the pressure.
Source: Sportsnet - Messier says Oilers' Nurse needs 'to be able to handle the heat'
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31 MAI | 162 ANSWERS Mark Messier criticizes Darnell Nurse for his poor performance Do you agree with Mark Messier's comments on Darnell Nurse? | ||
| Yes | 132 | 81.5 % |
| No | 30 | 18.5 % |
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