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Geregistreerd op: 11 Apr 2017
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| SOCHI, Russia – When the Canadian management team, headed by executive director Steve Yzerman, gathered in recent months to evaluate the crop of players that would be selected to play for Team Canada at the Sochi Olympics two central attributes emerged above all else. Stephan El Shaarawy Jersey . There was the requisite hockey sense demanded from the countrys very best and of equal importance, if not more so, was the ability to burn up and down the ice, the latter of significant consequence on the generally unfamiliar international ice surface. "I think we have a really good mix of players here that bring a lot of elements," said Doug Armstrong, the Blues GM and a member of Team Canadas management team, "but the one element they all have is skating ability." Its likely why someone like 34-year-old Joe Thornton – a member of the gold medal winning squad in 2010 and top point producer again this season, but certainly not the fleetest of foot – was not named to the team this time around, replaced by explosive types such as Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn. In fact, the Canadian roster in Vancouver featured a number of players who were probably never be described as quick – Jarome Iginla, Brendan Morrow, Dany Heatley, Eric Staal – but could get around just fine, at that point in their respective careers, on the NHL-sized ice. "I think you see some players that can play on the North American ice [that are] not quite as fleet of foot, but the space they have to get to they can get to quicker and hold it longer. From the corners to the front of the net the distance isnt as great. I think its a different style," Armstrong said. "A bigger man can have success maybe in the North American game thats a little harder to have here." Absent is a single player on this roster who cant get up and down the ice effectively. Quickly adjusting to the larger international ice surface – 15 additional feet wide – will be among the greater challenges facing the Canadians as they look to become the first back-to-back gold medal winning squad in the NHL era of the Olympics. All of which explains why swiftness on skates – not to mention the ability to move the puck with equal speed and precision – was such a fundamental asset in the selection process. Canada managed to win its first gold in 50 years on the Olympic size ice in Salt Lake City, but fell badly short four years later in Torino – they finished a distant seventh. Though other gold medal hopefuls face a similar challenge – with the vast majority of talent migrating to Russia from the NHL – the Canadians (and Americans certainly) will be required to climb a somewhat higher hill, having only played on the 200 by 100 foot surface sparingly. "Theres no question," said head coach Mike Babcock, "when youve grown up your whole life playing on one surface youre probably pretty comfortable with that surface. I know we are in North America. So theres a little adjustment, well get it worked out." One adjustment Babcock will seek is shorter shift lengths: from the NHL standard of 45 seconds down to 40 seconds with more space to cover and ground potentially to protect. He and the coaching staff, which includes big ice expert and former Swiss National Team coach Ralph Krueger, will also stress the need to attack inside on the offensive end, rather than linger on the perimeter as an opponent would prefer. "As much wider [as] the rink is you still want to play an up and down, north and south game and I think its the strength of our team to be able to play at a high speed, high tempo, all four lines," said John Tavares, who played on the bigger ice in Switzerland during the last lockout. "I think thats where were going to be at our best." Other immediate challenges facing Canada (and just about every country) include the required role alterations demanded of NHL stars and energy-sapping jet lag, an adjustment most countries will face in some way or another. "We can talk about the size of the ice surface," said Yzerman, "but I think its adjusting to playing a lesser role. Youve got forwards that are used to playing 21-22 minutes a game that are going to play 10 and 11 and defencemen that are used to playing 27 playing 18. Thats a huge adjustment for them all." Stars and scoring champs are fighting for even the slightest bit of ice-time. Martin St. Louis was the oldest Art Ross winner in NHL history last season (he was 37) and has kept the Lightning afloat save the injured Steven Stamkos again this season, but he finds himself grinding amongst 14 forwards for an opportunity. He and Duchene, a fellow first-timer were on the outside of the forward lines on the opening day of practice at Bolshoy Ice Dome. "When I talked to St. Louis in Tampa I told him he was one of 14 forwards and that he has to grab his piece," said Babcock. "Thats what weve told everyone; theyve got to find a way to grab their piece." Babcock was flipping through lineups and line combinations from the triumphant experience in Vancouver alongside assistant coach Claude Julien and came to a very simple conclusion: things can change in a hurry. Mike Richards for instance, rose from the 14th forward to a key member of an effective trio which included Jonathan Toews and Rick Nash. "Its a competitive environment and we expect our guys to compete for their ice-time," Babcock said. The Canadian head coach got creative in his attempts to quell the effects of jet lag. Players were given a special package for the plane ride over to Sochi, a kit that included eye covers, ear plugs, melatonin, vitamins, and compression socks to reduce the possibility of swelling in the feet. They were also told to sleep no longer than four hours (some did anyway) and stay up until midnight if possible. All to curtail the effects of the drastic change in time zones. "Keep the players up," Babcock said of his goals for a practice that begin at 8pm local time. "We thought if we got some exercise at this time of night we had a better chance of staying up til midnight." Bogdan Lobont Jersey . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. Gerson Jersey . In his first game with Boston University, the 17-year-old Eichel picked up five assists as his Boston University Terriers thumped St. http://www.asromafcstore.com/francesco-totti-as-roma-jersey/ . The Raptors have to get through the pesky New York Knicks Wednesday at Madison Square Garden and can lock up the third spot in the Eastern Conference with a win or a Chicago loss in Charlotte.A feature of the British Masters is the innovative live Masterclass sessions after play on each of the first three days, and host Nick Dougherty believes the viewers at home will have again learned valuable insight from the pros. Ive really enjoyed hosting the live Masterclasses at The Grove and, like Woburn last year, weve seen another long list of high-quality players giving up their time to share their views on what makes them stand out. Tournament host Luke Donald was the first guest for this years live Masterclasses These guys are so good. They have to deal with a lot of media requests throughout the season, particularly at the bigger events like this, although the Masterclasses are different as its a live show on Sky Sports. They get to perform as well as talking about it. Last year was great, and this year weve all learned how best to get the most out of them. The theme is very good and we get to see their personalities and have a bit of fun with them. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ?￡6.99. No contract. But we also get some real detail for the folks watching. Its not that often the viewers are able to get such insight into what makes the pros so good. We all watch golf and weve all got our opinions on how they do it, but to hear them say how they accomplish certain shots and all the technical aspects, thats solid gold for the viewers.Effectively, theyre getting a free lesson from a leading professional golfer through their TV screens, and that should help knock strokes off their games. Matt Fitzpatrick demonstrated the art of being accurate off the tee Weve had some great sessions this week, and day two was particularly entertaining. It was a long game Masterclass and I really enjoyed the combination of Matt Fitzpatrick and Joe Miller.We covered the difference between being able to hit the ball straight, with competitive distance, and then we moved on to how you can generate raw power, and thats obviously what Joe is all about. World Long Drive Champion Joe Miller tells Nick how he generates his He won the World Long Drive Championship earlier this week, so hes clearly got ballistic power, whereas Matts session was all about accuracy off the tee. It was a great combination and it gave the viewers all they need to know about each discipline. World Long Drive champion Joe Miller shares his secrets to hitting the ball 400 yards off the tee The average club golfer wants to hit it straight of course, but if you asked them what they really want, theyd say they just want to hit it past their mates at the weekend! It was the best of both worlds, and to get Matt and Joes perspective on both was fantastic. Radja Nainggolan Jersey. . And drawing comparisons in their data was very unique.Matt was also very good at explaining how he shapes the ball both ways through the air, and it was very similar to the driving Masterclass we did with Lee Westwood at Woburn last year. Both like to fade the ball, and both dont need to think much about fading the ball because it comes naturally to them. 2015 British Masters champion Matt Fitzpatrick shares his top tips on how to hit drives with fade and draw But their feels for drawing the ball are very simple, and the viewers at home can learn most from that concept.There are so many swing tips in various golf magazines and online sites, and everyone has a different opinion. It can get confusing finding a tip that works for you, and if you take too much advice on board you can turn yourself inside out. Trust me I know, Ive been there! Fitzpatrick taught us how simple it can be to shape the ball But to hear from the very best players how simple it can be, like when Matt was telling us about how he sets up slightly differently to draw the ball, that makes people at home feel like theyre not missing out.It was proof that simple works best, even at the very highest level. 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