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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Sometimes, the shadow of Patrick Roy follows Semyon Varlamov around the ice. Breathing hard to catch up, too. At the conclusion of practice on Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche coach tried to pull alongside his goaltender as he went through a cool-down session. Roy just wanted to track him down to tell Varlamov how pleased he was with the way hes been performing. After all, Varlamovs play in net has looked as efficient and effortless as, well, the Hall of Famer whos now coaching him. Off to a 7-1 start and among the league leaders in goals-against (1.76), Varlamov is thriving in the presence of Roy. "I think Varly, today, when I said how proud I was the way hes bounced back, he had a big smile," Roy said. "He was happy. I think as a player thats what you want to hear from your coach." Not just any coach, but Roy — one of the best to ever play the position. No pressure living up to his expectations. Thats the thing: Roy has been as much of a confidant as coach, which Varlamov appreciates. "This has been awesome," said the 25-year-old Varlamov after Wednesdays practice. "He can see something in a game, during a game, just some things I have to do better, what I did wrong, or something like that. Thats helped me a lot. I just have a lot of confidence." A year ago, Varlamov couldnt say that. He was struggling in goal - allowing three goals a game - and hardly looking anything like the type of franchise goalie the Avalanche thought they were acquiring when they sent a first-round pick to Washington in 2011. This season has been a big turnaround. That has to do with the arrival of Roy and a staff that included goalie coach Francois Allaire, who once mentored Roy. This summer, Allaire, Varlamov and backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who has two shutouts this season, spent a few weeks in Montreal honing their technique. More specifically, Allaire tweaked some minute things with Varlamovs form. Asked what precisely they worked on, Varlamov smiled and said, "I dont want to talk about that." Top secret? "Yep," he said. "But were still working on this different style a lot. Im still learning how to play that way, how coach wants me to play." Unlike past years, Varlamov isnt being asked to come up with the big save time after time, or to be the backbone of the defence. In Roys system, the defencemen are more aggressive on the offensive end and way more accountable for helping out Varlamov. "Hes not hanging out to dry like in the past with some of our old systems," defenceman Erik Johnson explained. "Its pretty cool to see Varly transition into an elite NHL goalie." Then again, forward Matt Duchene knew this day would arrive. Hes been touting the talent of Varlamov for years, but no one would listen because Colorado was so buried in the standings. "Ive been a huge fan of him since he came here," said Duchene, whos among the NHL leaders in goals with nine. "I love shooting on him at practice, because its always a challenge. "I think Varly feels more comfortable than ever right now. He knows hes not alone in this and that people are backing him up every night." This helps with Varlamovs confidence as well: He no longer feels so isolated. When he first arrived in the U.S., the Russian star spoke only broken English. By hanging out with the players in the locker room, hes steadily picked up the language to the point where he can hold a casual conversation with anyone. "Life is so much easier when you can speak with people," Varlamov said. "The boys did a good job of teaching me." Another challenge soon awaits Varlamov, one that hes trying not to think about but its getting more and more difficult: The 2014 Sochi Games in his home country. Hes hoping to be in goal for the Olympics. "Of course, thats a dream for every player growing up, to play for our national team," he said. "Its always so much fun to play for a national team. Its always something special, especially for me because Russian fans, Russian people, they pull for us. Its going to be very cool if I go and play there. "But I dont think right now about Sochi. I think only about how were playing here, with Colorado." Cheap Custom New Jersey Devils Jerseys .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. Cheap Custom Montreal Canadiens Jerseys . Anaheim Ducks Reassign D Colby Robak to Norfolk Admirals (AHL). - Team Website D Eric Brewer (foot) removed from injured reserve. http://www.nhldiscount.us.com/Authentic-carolina-hurricanes-custom-jerseys/. Aaron Hill and Cliff Pennington hit home runs in the first inning for the Diamondbacks, who beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Friday night. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . 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Although he achieved the targets that were set for him at the start of the season, Eriksson was replaced by former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.AVB is believed to have signed a contract worth £11m per year - almost triple that of ex-Manchester City and Leicester boss Eriksson.ddddddddddddDuring a 39-year coaching career, the Swede has managed 12 clubs including Roma, Lazio and Sampdoria in Serie A.His most high-profile role was as Englands first foreign manager between 2001 and 2006, in which he led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals of three major tournaments. 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