Forums » Off-Topic Discussions

• corse178 corse178

  

  • 1341 posts
   

  July 23, 2018 9:30 AM EEST

  TORONTO -- Watching grim-faced Team USA players Zach Parise, David Backes, Kyle Palmieri and Derek Stepan walk into the media center at the World Cup of Hockey on Wednesday afternoon was reminiscent of a Sean Penn scene from the movie Dead Man Walking. Authentic Kenny Young Jersey .Dead team walking. Thats pretty much Team USA at this tournament as the Americans prepare for a final, meaningless preliminary-round game against the Czech Republic on Thursday night.The outcome may be meaningless, but the flameout of this team in this best-on-best tournament has created a cottage industry of USA Hockey-bashing that may be unrivaled for the sport in the age of social media.Less than 24 hours after the Americans 4-2 loss Tuesday night to Canada, which eliminated the U.S. from playoff contention, USA Hockey was in retreat mode rather than meeting the issue head-on.Team USA officials initially tried to shut down any media access to the team on Wednesday, but after pressure from reporters and tournament organizers the team made four players available.GM Dean Lombardi is expected to speak to the media Thursday after the teams morning skate. Team USA head coach John Tortorella presumably will as well.But since the questions about the construction of the team, the lineup decisions, and the overall mindset of USA Hockey regarding international tournaments were still burning in the hours after their fate at the tournament was sealed, its inexcusable that those four American players were hung out to dry.And lets take a moment to acknowledge that the players would rather have been anywhere else than surrounded by dozens of reporters and cameras and being forced to answer questions about whether Phil Kessel was ripping them on Twitter after the loss to Canada on Tuesday night. The Pittsburgh Penguins winger wasnt selected for the U.S. World Cup team.Its disappointing, said Backes, a two-time Olympian, when asked about Kessels tweet. Its almost to say we were coasting or dont care or werent representing our country as well as we could have. For other guys who have worn the jersey, its disappointing.I understand theres hard feelings if you werent picked for the team or whatever, but the comments are, I think -- as a team guy and a guy who stands by my teammates win, lose or draw -- its a little distasteful and aggravating.And dont expect Backes, the longtime St. Louis Blues captain who is now a member of the Boston Bruins, to forget about the dig.Those comments dont get lost in the fray, and those comments are there and have been read and I think will be remembered when whatever happens going forward, he added.Parise, another two-time Olympian who was the captain of the U.S. squad at the Sochi Olympics, asked aloud whether Kessel would have been able to play in the tournament considering that he suffered a hand injury during the playoffs.Didnt he just have surgery? I thought he did, Parise said. His tweet didnt really make sense. Regardless, I dont really care what Phil said.Regardless of Kessels health, the goal scorer was ignored by Team USAs management team, as were ?Tampa Bay Lightning? center Tyler Johnson and ?Buffalo Sabres? power forward Kyle Okposo along with offensive-minded defensemen Justin Faulk, Kevin Shattenkirk and Cam Fowler.After Tuesdays game, Tortorella insisted that he wouldnt change the roster, which was outscored 7-2 in these first two games. One suspects that was an impulsive response rather than one based on reason.Of course, since no one from USA Hockey or team management was available on Wednesday to address the implications of this disastrous showing, ? it was left to the designated players to answer the hows and whys of this tawdry tale.And really, how fair is it to put players in the position of having to address whether they should have been selected to represent their country? Not very.Again, our job as players is to play, not pick teams, said Parise. I dont know what goes into how they pick teams and thats none of my business. Our job is to play. I dont plan on getting in the managing business.The players control only the moments on the ice.They werent in charge of organizing a tournament that denied both Canada and the United States access to top players under the age of 24. Those players formed the entertaining Team North America entry, which is still in the running.The U.S. players didnt pick the team or the coaching staff. They played and they accepted that what they did here in Toronto was not nearly good enough.Theres a different look, perhaps, if everyones available, said Backes, who admitted that if every American player had been available to Team USA, maybe he wouldnt have been on the roster. Perhaps a gut check for everybody whos on this team to evaluate what they were able to give or what they gave for the red, white and blue, those colors they wear so proudly.Thats something, no matter what jersey youre in, the pride as a competitive athlete should be that youre giving everything you got, every shift, every period to help your team win, and we didnt play near well enough.Something this ugly doesnt get resolved in one day. Or two. Or three.There are organizational issues at play here, philosophical ones with hard questions aplenty. If there isnt a lot of soul-searching going on at USA Hockey about how this smoking crater came to be, there should be. And in a hurry. Authentic Hayden Hurst Jersey . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Authentic Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. http://www.cheapravensjerseysauthentic.com/ ;. How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif.Richard Johnson achieved an extra bonus in his relentless march to a first jockeys championship as he completed the maiden double century of his career with victory on Cheat The Cheater in the Listers Audi Novices Handicap Chase at Warwick. He earned every penny of his fee on the Claire Dyson-trained nine-year-old, who looked well held after being prominent in the early stages of the three-mile contest.Glendermot looked certain to land the spoils when kicking clear of long-time leader Kapricorne. However, he put the brakes on turning for home with two fences left to jump. That threw the race wide open and Johnson took full advantage on Cheat The Cheater.Rousting his mount to challenge, the 4-1 joint-favourite outfought his fellow market leader, who although getting a second wind, could not match Cheat The Cheater on the run-in.Johnson kept his horse up to his work to prevail by three and a half lengths.For good measure he made it a double on the day with success aboard Little Miss Poet (2-5 favourite) for his boss Philip Hobbs in the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.Johnson is setting a cracking pace in his bid to win the riders title after finishing runner-up 15 times to the now-retired Sir Anthony McCoy.The success took the 38-year-old to another landmark this season as he reached 3,000 career winners at Ludlow last month.Johnson said: The season has gone so well and to get to 200 has been amazing.Ill be here all day thanking all the people who have given me rides, and the support Ive had from racegoers around the country has been amazing.Even when you have an odds-on shot it doesnt always go quite as planned, so you never take anything for granted. Im lucky I ride fancied horses on a daily basis and so I was pretty sure I would get to 200 at some point, but you never quite know when.Being champion jockey has always been my goal since I was 19 and its taken me a long time to get there.This year has gone so well and to get to 200 is an extra bonus, which I realistically did not think of at the start of the season.The championship was always the number one ambition for the season.Johnson told Racing UK: Its been a funny old winter. Its been very wet and mild. Some yards havent fired with their usual frequency, but Philips (Hobbs) have been in great form from day one which has been a massive help to me.For the first six months you obviously just want to get as many winners on the board and you do slightly worry because you never know in our job what is round the corner.I just wanted to keep fit and sound with lots of firepower to ride like Ive had for the last 15 to 20 years.I thought as long as I can be consistent Ive got to have a great chance.Aidan Coleman had a great start with John Fergusons horses and theres Sam Twiston-Davies and lots of other young lads coming through and snapping at my heels.They want to be champion as much as I do.You cant take anything for granted. The important thing now is to start in May again and get another one under my belt.Realistically it would be lovely to go to the Cheltenham Festival and have one winner. Its a hard place to go to, and a special place as well.Hopefully Philip is going to have a good team going there and it would be nice to think well have a good Cheltenham and then roll on to Aintree a few weeks after that.Hobbs said: Its great hes done it and Im delighted for him.Its good its out of the way and we can move on now and try to get him to the next hundred.Johnson joins an elite band of just three jockeys to hit a double-century in a single National Hunt season.McCoy still holds the record after riding 289 winners in the 2001-02 campaign and admitted following his retirement that his failure to get to 300 after suffering injury in his final year was one of his biggest regrets.Eight-times champion jockey Peter Scudamore enjoyed 221 winners during the 1988-89 season and expects Johnson to beat his tally before the end of this term.He said: Ive followed Richards career all the way through, with us both being Herefordshire lads, and I rode against his grandfather and his father in point-to-points.Only three of us have done it and for two of us to to be from a small county like Herefoordshire is amazing really. Cheap Baltimore Ravens Jerseys. Im really pleased for him. Its a terrific effort and a fantastic achievement.Im sure hes delighted to get it out of the way and hell be looking forward to Cheltenham now.With two months of the season to go, youd imagine he might get to 240 or 250 winners.Johnson was runner-up to McCoy in 15 of the 20 seasons he was crowned champion jockey before his retirement last year and is on course to claim a richly deserved first title in April.McCoy said: Its a brilliant achievement and takes a lot more hard work than people might think.It takes a lot of graft and dedication and Im delighted for Richard, who has worked hard and is a brilliant jockey.Hes been riding for a long time and Im sure to get to 200 winners in a season will give him a lot of satisfaction. Its something he should be very proud of.I dont like saying it, but not many have done it before.McCoy holds the record for number of winners in a National Hunt season after riding 289 winners in the 2001-02 campaign and he feels that will be a difficult total for Johnson to reach.All records are there to be broken, but to get that sort of total you need so much to go right, he said.The season I rode 289 winners, 189 of those were for Martin Pipe. Whoever is going to beat that is going to need someone like that behind them, and Martin Pipes are very hard to come by numerically.You can never say never, but Im a realist and I tried to do it again every year for the next 13 years and failed.Its still a big landmark to reach 200 winners and its great for Richard and great for the sport.*Sky Bet paid out on Richard Johnson as Champion Jockey following his 200th winner of the season.Sky Bet spokesman Michael Shinners said: Its looked for a long time like Richard Johnson would follow in the footsteps of Sir Anthony McCoy and his first double hundred is well deserved.Theres no point in keeping punters who backed Johnson waiting any longer with the title a done deal so weve paid out early on what has been a one-horse race for much of the season.After Richard Johnson reached the landmark of 200 winners in a season for the first time, we look at six of the best horses he has ridden to victory in his prolific career:FLORIDA PEARLWhile not the regular partner for Willie Mullins multiple Grade One winner, Johnson took the ride for what was to be the final victory at the top level for the 16-times race winner when steering him to his fourth win in the Irish Hennessy at Leopardstown at the grand age of 12. The pair had also won the 2001 running.VIKING FLAGSHIPWinner of the 1994 Queen Mother Champion Chase, one of two victories in the Cheltenham race, Johnson partnered the David Nicholson-trained star during the twilight of his career to victory in the Haldon Gold Cup in 1997 and in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby later that same year, on what was to be his final win.ROOSTER BOOSTERThrough his association with Philip Hobbs, the champion jockey-elect has ridden numerous winners for owner Terry Warner, of which the popular grey proudly sits at the top of the list having given him his sole triumph to date in the Champion Hurdle back in 2003.LOOKS LIKE TROUBLEAlthough limited to just the 18 career starts, Looks Like Trouble and Johnson enjoyed a good relationship with the pair blossoming at the Cheltenham Festival when they teamed up to capture the 2000 Cheltenham Gold Cup.FLAGSHIP UBERALLESDespite Joe Tizzard enjoying most of Flagship Uberalles early success, it was Johnson who was in the saddle for arguably his three most significant victories with glory in the 2000 Tingle Creek Chase, 2002 Queen Mother Champion Chase and his final win in the BMW Chase at Punchestown in 2003.REVE DE SIVOLAIn terms of modern-day staying hurdlers, there are as few as tough as Reve De Sivola, something Johnson knows all too well having been on board for his first two Grade One Long Walk Hurdle victories at Ascot in 2012 and 2013, as well his neck success over Oscar Whisky in the 2013 Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham. Also See: Live results service Full racecards Bet ￡5 Get ￡20 Free Get Sky Sports Black China NFL Jerseys Stitched JerseysWholesale Throwback Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts From China Wholesale NFL T-shirts China Jerseys Cheap ' ' '