03-18-2016, 03:30 AM
OTTAWA -- Hayley Wickenheiser doesnt put much stock in the flag-bearers curse. Scarpe Nike Free 5.0 Uomo Saldi . The womens hockey star, who will carry the Maple Leaf into the opening ceremonies of the Sochi Olympics, says the idea that she and her teammates could be under any more pressure is absurd. After all, they play a sport that many in Canada consider religion. So any sort of cosmic jinx pales in comparison to the weight of an entire countrys expectations for the womens team to win a fourth straight gold medal in Sochi. "I think theres just too much emphasis to put on that," Wickenheiser said Thursday via conference call from Austria. "The pressure that we feel is the pressure that always comes with playing hockey as a Canadian hockey player, whether youre male or female. "The country expects a gold medal. Whether I carry the flag or not, Im pretty sure our team doesnt feel any extra added incentive that theres more pressure to perform, because we already feel that already." Not all athletes see it that way. Diver Alexandre Despatie felt it would be a distraction and said hed decline any offer to carry the flag at the 2012 London Games. Kayaker Adam van Koeverden carried the flag at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished a disappointing eighth in the 1,000 metres -- although he did win a silver medal in the 500. Moguls skier Jean-Luc Brassard blamed his disappointing performance at the 1998 Nagano Olympics on being the flag-bearer a day earlier. Wickenheiser and her teammates hope the same thing doesnt happen to them. Hockey Canada says the women will march in the Feb. 7 opening ceremonies despite playing their first game the following night versus Switzerland. Brassard, the assistant chef de mission for the Sochi team, was on the panel that selected Wickenheiser along with chef de mission Steve Podborski, assistant chef France St. Louis and one athlete representative. Hockey Canada nominated her for the honour. "Throughout her successful career, this Canadian athlete has demonstrated true Canadian grit, patriotism and sportsmanship," said Podborski, adding that Wickenheiser will lead the Canadian team with "the utmost pride and class." Wickenheiser is embracing the opportunity to put her sport centre stage. "What I think it does is it shines a very positive light on the sport of womens hockey and just on our sport in general for the world to see," said the 35-year-old forward. "Thats a great responsibility and expectation that every nation in the world has to carry in and I think should really embrace." The Shaunavon, Sask., native, who is at a pre-Olympic camp in Austria and wasnt able to attend the formal announcement Thursday on Parliament Hill, will be making her fifth Winter Olympic appearance. But for the first time since 2006, she wont be Canadas captain. Caroline Ouellette has been handed that job, while Wickenheiser will be an alternate. But she remains Canadas biggest womens hockey star and a pioneer of the game. She and teammate Jayna Hefford will be the only players in the 2014 womens hockey tournament who have played in every Olympic Games since female hockey made its debut in 1998. Her stewardship extends beyond hockey as a spokesperson for Right To Play, Clean Air Champions, KidsSport, Spread The Net, Plan Canadas Because I Am A Girl and Classroom Champions. Wickenheiser read the athletes oath in the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and she is running for election to the International Olympic Committees athletes commission in Sochi. Veteran speedskater Clara Hughes carried the flag at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics while womens hockey player Danielle Goyette was the flag-bearer at the 2006 Games in Turin. "I remember we were joking, like Dont trip and fall when you come in," Wickenheiser said of her conversation with Goyette before the opening ceremonies eight years ago. "Thats sort of the same thing we were talking about today. Geez, Id better watch some YouTube videos and figure out how the athletes have done this before." --- Nike Roshe Run Nere Uomo . The Habs open up the 2013-2014 NHL season at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 1 and even though camp doesnt start until September 11, all players were on hand with the exception of Tomas Plekanec and Davis Drewiske. Nike Roshe Run Donne Nere . Englands most potent attacking team quickly recovered after Phillippe Coutinho put Liverpool ahead in the 24th minute. Vincent Kompany headed City level seven minutes later and Negredos high shot was fumbled into the net by Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet on the stroke of halftime.The Edmonton Oilers picked up veteran scoring winger Teddy Purcell, sending Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay, who then flipped Gagner to Arizona in a move to clear cap space. Numbers Game breaks down the pieces involved in these two deals. The Oilers Get: RW Teddy Purcell. Purcell, 28, is a skilled winger with good size, though he doesnt always use that size to his maximum advantage. Hes missed a total of three games over the past four seasons and his 194 points over that time ranks 57th in the league. Hes a productive player. A fine complement to other skilled forwards, Purcell has posted strong relative posession stats, enough that hes a solid fit as a second-line winger. How that fits with the current Oilers roster is an interesting question, at the very least. With Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, David Perron and Nail Yakupov on board, adding Purcell to the mix does give the Oilers plenty of scoring wingers, though they are now looking at a presumed hole at second-line centre, unless the Oilers are already projecting third overall pick Leon Draisaitl into that spot. Purcell has two years remaining on a contract that comes with a $4.5-million cap hit; no bargain, but not unreasonable for a top-six forward. The Coyotes Get: C Sam Gagner and RW B.J. Crombeen. Gagner is a 24-year-old who has never surpassed the 49 points that he scored as a rookie, but is also the second-leading scorer from the 2007 Draft class, behind only first overall pick Patrick Kane. Its certainly possible that Gagner can recover his game, because hes still relatively young, but hes been a possession disaster over the past couple seasons and at least part of that reflects his defensive shortcomings. Where this fits for Arizona is that they have two-way centres that can effectively protect Gagner. With Martin Hanzal and Antoine Vermette available to face tougher match-ups, Gagner can be utilized in a role that focuses on offensive production. Since the Coyotes just bought out Mike Ribeiro, its conceivable that Gagner could take over those minutes and Ribeiro started a higher percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone (minimum 40 games played) than anyone in the league last season. If the Coyotes are going to maximize Gagners production, they could also give him that offensive role and add a free agent winger to further upgrade their skill level. Former Oilers RW Ales Hemsky is a free agent, but Jussi Jokinen, Matt Moulson and Mike Cammalleri are other options that could have some appeal. Gagner has two years left on hiss contract, at a cap hit of $4. Nike Roshe Run Print Speckle Donne Bianco Vela Nero Scarpa Da Running. .8-million, and will get $5-million per season in actual salary, with the Lightning retaining one-third the cost as part of the trade. More on that in a moment. Crombeen is a 28-year-old winger who has has 90 fights and 49 points in 265 games over the past six-plus seasons. Hes generally a subpar possession player, but not so much so that he cant handle a regular shift on the fourth line. Heading into the final year of his contract, Crombeen brings a cap hit of $1.15-million, and gives the Coyotes an enforcer that they can keep in the lineup on at least a semi-regular basis. The Lightning Get: A sixth-round pick in 2015. In the immediate aftermath of the Gagner-for-Purcell swap, the Lightning Tweeted that Gagner was going to be bought-out, which makes sense considering the Lightnings decision to retain salary as part of the deal with Arizona. Since Gagner is under 26-years-old, a buyout would cost one-third the value of his contract, so the Coyotes jumped in, before Gagner hit the open market, and by taking on Crombeens salary, gave the Lightning a little increased financial flexibility as they prepare for free agency on July 1. With more room to maneuver under the cap, the Lightning could go in a couple directions. They could go after a scoring winger -- Jarome Iginla, Thomas Vanek and Mike Cammalleri are some options -- a veteran to complement a young and promising group of Tampa Bay forwards, or they could spend that money on defence. Former Lightning D Dan Boyle could be one target, but Christian Ehrhoff, Mark Fayne, Anton Stralman and Matt Niskanen are among the more prized blueliners about to hit free agency. A sixth-round pick brings with it about a 15% chance of yielding an NHL player, so not great value, but a token price for taking on Crombeens contract. In a separate deal, the Lightning also moved Nate Thompson to Anaheim, acquiring fourth and seventh-round picks in 2015. The picks bring a little less than a 30% chance of an NHL player, but the Lightning clear Thompsons $1.6-million per season for the next three years off the books. Essentially the Oilers, and especially the Lightning look like they are making moves to set up something else, other moves to make this offseason, while the Coyotes took advantage of an opportunity and filled a hole in their lineup at a very reasonable cost. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '