phelps

Women's Epee World Cup #1 (Tallinn, EST) Individual Event Gold: Tatiana Logunova Silver: Violetta Kolobova Bronze: Irina Embrich & Renata Knapik-Miazga Here's the Link to Rankings and Results: http://fie.org/competitions/2017/80/results/rank

Men's Foil World Cup #1 (Cairo, EGY) Individual Event Gold: Race Imboden Silver: Alessio Foconi Bronze: Andrea Cassarà & Lorenzo Nista Here's the Link to Rankings and Results: http://engarde-service.com/files/egyptianfencingfedration/phc/fm/

Kata + 3 weight classes for Kumite were proposed when Karate started its procedure to be included in the OG program...but for now there's nothing official about the actual Tokyo2020 Karate schedule, nor those 3 possible weight categories for Kumite have been unoffcially determined yet...

it's gonna be the same as 2008... so, Men's Foil and Women's Epee won't have the Team event in Tokyo, unless this stupid rotation is finally cancelled and all 12 events are going to be contested (but it's easier to see the snow in the desert than this happening)...

Last Saturday & Sunday the World Cup 2016/2017 started in Cancun (MEX) with the first tournaments of this campaign: the Women's Individual and Team Foil competitions... Without the Russians and the Olympic Silver medallist Elisa Di Francisca, the weekend ended with a not so unusual Italian total domination, 3 girls on the individual podium and a quite easy win in the Team competition... Here are the full rankings (and the links to the single bouts results): Individual Event http://fie.org/competitions/2017/125/results/rank Team Event http://fie.org/competitions/2017/492/results/rank By the way, this is the full calendar of the 2016/2017 World Cup for all the 3 weapons: World Cup Events Grand Prix Events just remember that both WC and GP are parte of the same World Cup standings (and all of them contribute to the World Ranking), the only difference being the amount of points awarded for the various final placings in the Individual Events (and the fact that the GP events don't have the Team competition included in their stages)...

by the way, that cream is for general skin use, not only lips... it's used to treat any form of burned skin all over the body... Clostebol is also the same substance which the Italian sailor Roberta Caputo and beach volley player Viktoria Orsi-Toth were stopped for just before the Olympic Games 2 months ago (but at least they used different products with no explicit warning about that substance being among those used to make up their medicines)... so, as you can easily see, it's quite a common substance used in medicines often needed by those who spend entire days under the sun and have their skin inflmmated and ruined by that... on the other hand, I just can't understand the Norwegian doctor, since that specific medicine is clearly indicated as doping on its box...

so, the first big event of the hockey season is over... as I wrote in the past, I was never really convinced about this tournament for many reasons (the 2 "all-star" teams, the period of the year in which it has been played - in full pre-season training, with players out of shape and mainly trying to avoid annoying injuries for the upcoming NHL season), but I have to admit that I was wrong big time... we had a wonderful tournament, with most players giving 100% out of themselves, the 2 "improbable" teams playing a lot better than expected also under a tactical point of view and fast-paced amazing hockey games... speaking of the 2 games of the final series, game #1 was played definitely better and was also more entertaining than game #2 for what concerns the level of play, but it was also less even, with Canada showing how stronger than the rest of the World they are... Game #2, instead, was a lot slower, more tactical and with all the poor shape of players (except for goalies, with Halak and Price simply phenomenal once again) coming out all of a sudden, but, on the other hand, it was closer and tighter and left all of the excitement for the last few minutes, when Canada found the way to overcome the European "renegades", who definitely deserved the "stage win" more than the hosts... But when you are the best, you always find that "plus" that saves you even when you look done and gone... Now let's hope not to have to wait 4 more years to see this kind of hockey, even if the news about the NHLers to take part into the 2018 Winter Olympics are worse & worse day after day... By the way, I can't wait for October 12th and the new NHL season to start...I'm really sick for hockey...

wow! amazing performance by the European underdogs and well deserved success... as I wrote in the past, I was one of the most scheptical about the presence of 2 "all-star teams" in this tournament, but they proved I was wrong, at least for what concerns their attitude on the ice and the results they got (especially the Europeans)... now I'd really like them to spoil the Canadian party, but I guess it would stay as a dream and nothing else, since the hosts have been absolutely untouchable so far...

yes, but frankly I don't follow women's rink hockey that much...so, I can only post some useful links, but I can't give really appropriate comments on the events... here's the official website of the competition http://www.mundialdehockeypatiniquique2016.org/ live streaming of all games http://firs.rollersports.tv/live/?liveId=A217BCEBB2594BDF8FE2E65131DBF663029 schedule of group stage, consolation pool and title play-offs http://www.rollersports.org/component/phocadownload/category/150-program and, most important of all, full results, standings and game-sheets of all games http://www.rollersports.org/component/phocadownload/category/151-results

as expected, Canada won against Russia and earned a place in the World Cup of Hockey final series... the final score is quite close (5-3)...and we can also say that we had a real game for 45 of the 60 minutes...but the truth is that the Canadians never looked really in trouble and the Russian never did the impression they could win the match, even when they suddenly scored a couple of goals and did take momentarily a 2-1 advantage... when the hosts accelerate their pace at the beginning of the third period, it was immediately clear that there was no chance to stop them...they scored 3 in a while and everything else was just "for the books"... but at least we saw a very entertaining game, with so many great players taking it seriously (which wasn't so sure before this tournament started, considered the fact that we are just at the beginning of the NHL pre-season) and giving the audience a night to remember... now I'm really looking forward to the second semifinal game between Sweden and Team Europe...I hope it's gonna be a really close game and a good show...

well, last day of the preliminary stage of the WCH2016 quite sleepy, if compared to the exciting day we had on Wednesday... the first period of the SWE-North America match was definitely the best period of hockey we've seen this week, fast pace, a lot of goals and exciting plays from both ends... if only we had a few more games like that every season... and also the "friendly" game between Europe and CAN, despite not counting that much anymore and being as expected mainly one-sided, did offer the audience some great hockey moments (the double miracle save by Halak's worth the cost of the ticket alone by itself)... I'm still totally against the farce of having 2 "all-stars" teams among the participants to a National Teams' event, but I have to admit that in any case it's a great tournament... and, despite being basically the first pre-season action for most of those players, they're already in good shape just to give us an exceptionally entertaining show we're going to miss a lot as soon as it's over... by the way, my picks for the semis are Canada and Sweden, with Canada going on to win the Trophy (they look too strong even to be put only in a slight danger...and I can't imagine them losing a single game...not this week and under these circumstances, at least)...

vorrei scrivere qualche parola a riguardo della farsa Romana, ma ho paura che poi dovrei passare i prossimi mesi nei vari tribunali a difendermi da quintali di querele da parte di tutte le luminosissime stelline della politica itagliota... pur essendo sin dal principio contrario alla candidatura per diverse ragioni, vedere come il mio Paese, che tanto amo, viene preso in giro, umiliato da questo gruppuscolo vergognoso mi fa male, davvero tanto male... ma del resto l'Italia è anche il Paese (caso unico) che ha iniziato non una, bensì due Guerre Mondiali su una sponda per saltare entrambe le volte in corsa sul carro diametralmente opposto... deve essere quindi proprio una peculiarità fondamentale e necessaria per chi comanda gli Italiani, quella di essere solo dei voltagabbana opportunisti privi di ogni principio etico e di senso del rispetto del prossimo...

to be honest, yesterday I didn't watch the games I would have liked to see... the Scandinavian derby, as often happened in recent years, was tight and closed, but played at a slow pace, very tactical with not many scoring chances nor amazing saves... it was one of those games that I like to classify as "for hardcore Hockey fans/true Hockey experts only", which is a gentle way to say that it was quite boring... the North American classic, instead, was played as expected, but once again it was a one sided match, with Canada taking full control of the operations already in the first period right after the lucky opening goal by the USA and letting their rivals far behind with no chance of coming even close to them... and once again I didn't see that famous American heart & pride they are well known for... as a result, we have a group that's already over, with Europe and Canada easily trough to the semis and USA and Czech Rep. ready to get back home... but at least in a few minutes time we have a very interesting match-up between the North American youngsters and Sweden...and I hope they will be more inspired (and inspiring) than yesterday... not sure, instead, what to expect from tonight's clash betwen CAN and Team Europe... but to tell you the truth, I'm afraid we're going to have another blow-out (with CAN winning easily, of course)...

finally, we had a day with 2 very closed and exciting games... Mrazek, every time I see him, reminds me more and more of the great Dominik Hasek...totally unconventional style, amazing saves and sometimes a bit distracted (giving up some bad goals, too )... I'm also always surprised by the European Team cohesion...I didn't really expect them to play like a true team, but they're going for it big time... on the other side, Russia were very lucky to survive the late charge by the youngsters from North America... I hope to see another couple of games like yesterday's also tonight, with the 2 super-classics between SWE and FIN and, above all, CAN vs USA, who desperately need a win in regulation to keep them in contention for a place in the semis (because if they win in OT and then CAN beat Europe in OT in the last game they would be out even by destroying the Czechs in their last match)...

yes, it was the right call, since he intentionally directed the puck towards the net with a part of his body that wasn't the stick (and it doesn't matter if Van Riemsdyck deflected it after Stepan's header - actually a breast shot)...

good night of Hockey...I didn't expct Team Europe to be so disciplined and well organized on defence...and I also didn't expect the USA to play so bad and without their famous "pride"... on the other side, I expected Canada to win against the Czechs, but not with that emphasis...I mean, they really destroyed their opponents on every aspect of the game...

Today's the day... World Cup of Hockey starts tonight at 9.30p.m. CET with the USA vs Europe clash... later in the night (2.00 CET), Team Canada make their debut against the Czech Republic...I'm really looking forward to this game...I hope not to be dispponted after the end of it...

most of the Brazilians playing for Italy have real Italian descent (though there a couple of notable exceptions) and currently play or have played for quite a while in the past in the Italian league... it's not our fault if many Italians in the past 200 years (or more) had to leave our Country and establish elsewhere in the Globe (the American Continent more than any other place)... our laws are clear...those people (and their sons, nephews etc.) are still to be considered Italians, if nobody in the line of succession did give up the Italian Nationality... so, I don't see anything wrong giving them a chance to get back to their origins... for what concerns Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, of course, the situation is a lot different...it's just the smell of oiled money...

yeah, but they scored the winning goal just after they lost their previous lead only 15 seconds before...and that's not so good for your nerves...

I only hope we're not going to have a full Swedish final 4 (Farjestad vs Frolunda + Vaxjo vs Skelleftea)...

it looks a new trend set by this World Cup warm-up matches...I also saw the same practice in the other games where goalies have been replaced in the middle of a period (Saturday's USA vs CAN included)... by the way, the 2 matches between CZE and RUS have been by far the best among those played last week...fast pace, official game-alike attitude (I mean, hard hits and quite a few face-wash )... really, they didn't look just your usual warm-up boring and sloppy games... p.s. small OT...I saw yesterday's match between Slovan and Avangard, too...and I must tell you...I hope Slovan fans have very healthy hearts, because that team is going to give them "dangerous feelings" day in and day out...

and some memories, too... Top 10 World Cup/Canada Cup games Overtime wins, upsets highlight moments from past tournaments The World Cup of Hockey 2016 brings a new look to the latest edition of the best-on-best tournament. Not only will all games be played at one site (Air Canada Centre in Toronto), the tournament will offer two new entrants along with the world's leading hockey nations. In addition to Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, there will be a team made up of players from eight other European countries, as well as a North American team comprised of players from Canada and the U.S. who are 23 years old and younger. The new format offers possibilities not seen in the previous two World Cups or the five Canada Cup tournaments that preceded them. Team North America will have Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews playing together for what might be the only time in their careers. Team Europe has a superb group of defensemen, led by Roman Josi of Switzerland and Zdeno Chara of Slovakia, but will need players from a variety of nations to come together quickly as a cohesive unit. Like its predecessors, the World Cup this year will produce some tremendous hockey from the world's best players. Here are 10 of the biggest games in World Cup/Canada Cup history: 1996 World Cup Final, Game 3: United States 5, Canada 2 By the mid-1990s, the United States had replaced the Soviet Union/Russia as Canada's biggest rival. Canada defeated the U.S. in the Final of the 1991 Canada Cup, and the teams split the first two games of the best-of-3 World Cup of Hockey five years later to set up an all-North America showdown at Molson Centre in Montreal. Brett Hull scored for the United States in the first period, but Canada's Eric Lindros tied the game in the second, a period in which Canada completely dominated play but was able to get only one shot past U.S. goaltender Mike Richter. Canada took a 2-1 lead on an Adam Foote goal with 7:10 remaining, but the U.S. tied the game on Hull's redirection of Brian Leetch's point shot with 3:18 remaining. Forty three seconds later, United States forward Tony Amonte beat Canada goalie Curtis Joseph for a 3-2 lead. Derian Hatcher scored into the empty net for a 4-2 lead and Adam Deadmarsh scored with 17 seconds remaining to complete the biggest victory for the United States since the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. 1987 Canada Cup Final, Game 3: Canada 6, Soviet Union 5 This best-of-3 final might be the best hockey series ever played. Canada overcame a 4-1 deficit in Game 1 at Montreal but lost on 6-5 Alexander Semak's goal 5:33 into overtime. Mario Lemieux's goal at 10:07 of the second overtime in Game 2 at Hamilton, Ontario, gave Canada a 6-5 win and evened the series. But those were just a warm-up for Game 3. The Soviets came out flying in Game 3, also in Hamilton, leading 3-0 after Viacheslav Fetisov's goal eight minutes into the game, and 4-2 after the first period. Canada scored three times in 6:02 during the second period to take a 5-4 lead, but Semak's goal with 7:39 remaining tied the game. Overtime loomed again in the wide-open game until Canada coach Mike Keenan, who had juggled his lines throughout the series, sent Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Dale Hawerchuk onto the ice with less than two minutes remaining in the third period and a faceoff in their own zone. Gretzky, Lemieux and defenseman Larry Murphy ended up with a 3-on-1 break, defenseman Igor Kravchuk fell while trying to block a pass and Gretzky fed Lemieux for a shot that went over the glove of goaltender Sergei Mylnikov with 1:26 remaining for the win. The tournament represented Lemieux's emergence as a superstar; he finished with 11 goals in nine games while playing on a line with Gretzky, whose 18 assists and 21 points led all players. 1996 World Cup Final, Game 1: Canada 4, United States 3 (OT) The fruits of the U.S. "Miracle on Ice" were on full display at the first World Cup, when a new generation of talent inspired by the gold-medal performance at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics came into full bloom. The young U.S. team swept its three round-robin games, including a 5-3 win against Canada that gave it a bye into the semifinals, which it would win to set up a best-of-3 final against Canada. Canada had been 12-0-2 against the U.S. before losing the round-robin game, including a two-game sweep in the 1991 Canada Cup final. It appeared Canada's dominance would resume in the first game of the final at the new CoreStates Center in Philadelphia when Theo Fleury scored midway through the third period to break a 2-2 tie. But with United States goaltender Mike Richter on the bench for an extra attacker, local favorite John Leclair of the Philadelphia Flyers scored with 6.3 seconds remaining to force overtime. The Canadians didn't get discouraged. They dominated play in the overtime and won when Steve Yzerman's bad-angle shot from the left circle at 10:37 beat Richter. 1984 Canada Cup Semifinal: Canada 3, Soviet Union 2 (OT) The Soviets had already defeated Canada in round-robin play when the teams played again in the semifinals, with a trip to the final against Sweden on the line. Much of Canada's team came from either the New York Islanders or Edmonton Oilers; those teams had played in the two previous Stanley Cup Final and there were rivalries between the players. The Soviets went 5-0-0 in round-robin play; Canada finished fourth at 2-2-1. But Canada dominated the first two periods, and only the brilliant play of Soviet goaltender Vladimir Myshkin kept the score at 1-0 entering the third period. After the Soviets scored twice in just over seven minutes of the third period to take the lead, Canada forced overtime on a goal by defenseman Doug Wilson with 6:01 remaining. Edmonton defenseman Paul Coffey then made the two biggest plays of overtime: He broke up a 2-on-1 rush with a poke check, and on the same shift took a point shot that deflected off Islanders forward Mike Bossy and into the net at 12:29 for the win, much to the delight of the Saddledome crowd in Calgary. For many of the Canadian players, the victory took a little of the sting away from the 8-1 loss to the Soviets in the final of the 1981 Canada Cup. Canada swept the best-of-3 final from Sweden for its second Canada Cup championship. 1996 World Cup Semifinals: Canada 3, Sweden 2 (2OT) Sweden swept its three games in the European pool at the first World Cup, earning a bye into the semifinals and a date in Philadelphia with Canada, which defeated Germany in the quarterfinals. For more than two periods, it appeared Canada would breeze into the final. Goals by Eric Lindros and Scott Niedermayer gave Canada a 2-0 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining. But Sweden found life when at 5:47 of the third period when defenseman Tommy Albelin's 60-footer got past Curtis Joseph, who had stopped Sweden's first 29 shots. Wayne Gretzky and Vincent Damphousse nearly scored with under seven minutes remaining; Gretzky actually celebrated prematurely. But on the next shift, Michael Nylander rolled a rebound past Joseph to force overtime. Each team had plenty of chances in the first OT: Swedish goaltender Tommy Salo robbed Damphousse after a Gretzky setup, and Joseph denied Niklas Sundstrom, Mats Sundin and Daniel Alfredsson in the last five minutes. The teams battled evenly through a second overtime and appeared headed for a third before Fleury beat Salo with 12.5 seconds remaining in the second OT for the victory, sending Canada to the final. 2004 World Cup Final: Canada 3, Finland 2 Canada, which had advanced to the final in all five Canada Cups and the 1996 World Cup, followed its victory at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and wins at the 2003 and 2004 World Championships, by edging Finland at Air Canada Centre in what turned out to be Lemieux's farewell to international hockey. Canada scored on its first shot in each period. Joe Sakic, on a pass from Lemieux, made it 1-0 52 seconds into the game and Niedermayer put Canada in front 2-1 with a goal at 3:15 of the second. Finland answered each of those goals, but was unable to overcome Shane Doan's goal 34 seconds into the third period. Doan took Joe Thornton's no-look pass out from behind the net and beat Miikka Kiprusoff to put Canada in front to stay. Goaltender Martin Brodeur made 27 saves for Canada to win a best-on-best tournament for the first time since the 1991 Canada Cup. Canadian forward Vincent Lecavalier was named tournament MVP, although Fredrik Modin of Sweden, his teammate with the Tampa Bay Lightning, led all scorers with eight points. 2004 World Cup Semifinal: Finland 2, United States 1 Despite a lackluster tournament that began with two losses, the U.S. got the chance to defend its World Cup championship by surprising Russia 5-3 in the quarterfinals. That earned the United States a semifinal game against Finland, which went 2-0-1 in round-robin play and defeated Germany 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Finland had won one major world competition (the 1995 World Championship), and the United States carried a 1-0 lead into the dressing room on Doug Weight's power-play goal midway through the second period. Only the play of Kiprusoff kept Finland within a goal. The Finns managed seven shots on goal through two periods, but tied the game 1-1 early in the third when Olli Jokinen knocked in a loose puck after Teppo Numminen's shot bounced off two U.S. defensemen between the circles. Saku Koivu broke the tie with 3:54 remaining when he took a pass from Ossi Vaananen at the right post, bobbled it twice but still had time to beat goaltender Robert Esche with an uncontested shot for the win. 2004 World Cup Quarterfinal: United States 5, Russia 3 Russia had defeated the U.S. 3-1 in round-robin play, but after coach Ron Wilson scratched Brett Hull and three other veterans in favor of younger players, the United States avenged that loss in the quarterfinals at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota. Keith Tkachuk scored once in the first period, once in the second and twice in the third, with Mike Modano assisting on all four goals and Bill Guerin on two. Tkachuk also assisted on the go-ahead goal by Scott Gomez at 4:25 of the third after Russia overcame an early two-goal deficit to tie the game. After a turnover in the neutral zone by Russia's Dmitri Kalinin; Tkachuk's shot hit the stick of a Russian defender and came to Gomez, who beat goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead. Tkachuk completed his hat trick 4:47 into the third period, then hit the empty net with 54.7 seconds remaining after Ilya Kovalchuk's power-play goal with 8:56 remaining cut the U.S. lead to 4-3. 1976 Canada Cup Final, Game 2: Canada 5, Czechoslovakia 4 (OT) The first Canada Cup was a last hurrah for Bobby Orr, who made this his only appearance in an international tournament. Orr, who missed all but 10 games of the 1975-76 NHL season with a knee injury, was named tournament MVP after tying for the scoring lead with nine points in seven games. He played 26 NHL games during the next three seasons before retiring in 1978. With pros still barred from the Winter Olympics, the six-team event represented the first true best-on-best tournament in hockey history. Canada's team, made up of NHL stars, went 4-1-0 during the round-robin to finish first. But the expected matchup with the Soviet Union in the best-on-3 final didn't happen. Czechoslovakia, the reigning world champion, defeated Canada and the USSR to finish second and earn the other berth in the final. Orr had two goals in Game 1, a 6-0 victory for Canada at Toronto. But Game 2 at the Forum in Montreal was much tighter: Czechoslovakia took a 4-3 lead when Marian Stastny scored with 4:00 remaining in the third period, only to have Canada's Bill Barber tie the game 4-4 by scoring at 17:48. Each team had chances in overtime before Darryl Sittler took a pass from Marcel Dionne as he skated into the offensive zone near the left boards. He faked a shot to freeze goaltender Vladimir Dzurilla, who had come out to challenge, then took two strides and hit the wide-open net for the win 11:33 into overtime. The tournament established a new era in international hockey, marking Canada's return after a six-year boycott and demonstrating that teams like Czechoslovakia and Sweden could compete with Canada and the USSR. 1981 Canada Cup Final: Soviet Union 8, Canada 1 Five years after failing to make the final of the inaugural Canada Cup, the Soviet Union brought a young but talented team in 1981 to try to settle some scores. One payback came when the Soviets defeated Czechoslovakia 4-1 in the semifinals, avenging a loss that kept them out of the 1976 Final. Canada bounced the United States 4-1 in the other semifinal, setting up the biggest USSR-Canada showdown since the 1972 Summit Series. But unlike the series nine years earlier, this was a rout. The scored was 1-1 midway through the second period, but the Soviets got two goals from Sergei Shepelev to take a 3-1 lead after two periods, then put the game away with five goals on eight shots in the third against goalie Mike Liut. Shepelev started the outburst by completing a natural hat trick, Igor Larionov scored his second goal of the game and the Soviets limited Canada to four shots. Tournament MVP Vladislav Tretiak finished with 26 saves, including 12 in the scoreless first period. The result, a complete turnaround from Canada's 7-3 win in round-robin play, left the crowd at the Forum in Montreal stunned. Combined with a 6-0 victory in the deciding game of the 1979 Challenge Cup, it was the second dominant victory by the Soviets against a team of NHL players in less than three years. All Credits: NHL.com

Yesterday was the time to remeber a tragedy that hit of the Hockey fans in the World, but Today it's time to start playing...we're going to see, in fact, the first warm-up games for this World Cup of Hockey... so, here we have some fresh news... World Cup announces pregame guidelines Protocol set for Team North America, Team Europe The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association announced today the protocol for pre-game ceremonies for the World Cup of Hockey (WCH) 2016 tournament: The national anthems of the respective countries competing in each game will be played as part of the pre-game ceremonies in each of the WCH pre-tournament and tournament games. For Team North America, the national anthems of both Canada and the U.S, will be played before their games. With respect to Team Europe, after careful consideration and consulting with team management and the Players in its leadership group, a determination was made to forego any form of musical tribute prior to Team Europe's games. Participants from Team Europe were strongly of the view that notwithstanding their commitment to work together as a team toward a common objective in this tournament, their passion and loyalty for their own respective homelands and anthems made any surrogate musical tribute somewhat artificial and therefore unnecessary. Accordingly, only the anthem(s) of Team Europe's opponent will be played before that team's games. ___________________________________ Carey Price to start pretournament opener Team Canada goalie will play first game since injuring knee Nov. 25 There were some legitimate concerns about rust. If Carey Price is the Ferrari of NHL goaltenders, leaving a high-performance vehicle like that in the garage for nine months could lead to a bit of corrosion popping up here and there, not to mention questions about how the engine will perform once it gets back on the road. Through three practices with Team Canada, captain Sidney Crosby was asked if he's seen any evidence of rust on Price. Crosby looked up and laughed a little, then began shaking his head. He continued shaking it for five seconds before simply stating, "Nope." Having passed the first hurdle of participating in three high-paced, high-intensity practices, Price can now focus on the biggest step in his comeback from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee that ended his 2015-16 NHL season with the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 25. Price was confirmed Wednesday as the starting goaltender for Team Canada's first pretournament game for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, against Team USA in Columbus on Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPNU, SN, TVA Sports). It will be his first competitive action since he was injured more than nine months ago. Price admitted he is a little bit stressed about the game but no more than normal, and he said his excitement overrules the stress. But one thing he clearly is not concerned about is the state of his knee. "I've been skating a lot," Price said. "I don't have any question marks about my health or my body. I've tested absolutely everything to the limit, I did everything correctly. So I have absolutely no worries about anything." Asked later if this game is making him even a little bit more anxious than normal, Price gave an answer that was so typically calm it served as proof that everything was fine. "I've been doing this for a while now," he said. "So I think I know what I'm doing." Price knows what he's doing better than most, and Crosby's laughter at the question of rust on the goaltender was only part of the proof of that. Shortly before Team Canada camp began, reigning Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals declared the starting job was Price's to lose. You almost never hear a player speak like that, practically conceding the job to a teammate before practices even begin. But that's the level of reverence Holtby has for Price, and his stance has only grown stronger now that he's watched him work. "Anyone that's looking at it from a sane perspective would, I mean, he's won everything internationally," Holtby said Wednesday. "He's just won the gold medal at the last Olympics (2014 Sochi), World Juniors, everything. I mean I've never played in an international game. "I don't know, I think that's just the respect that Carey has around the League from fellow goaltenders and everyone around. He's the guy you push yourself to become." Price won a gold medal with Canada at Sochi, allowing three goals in five games, none in the semifinal or final. He won the Hart and Vezina trophies after going 44-16-6 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 66 games in 2014-15. He was 10-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .934 save percentage last season in 12 games prior to his injury. The layoff was long, but Price's confidence remains and, almost more importantly, his teammates share it. "He just makes the game look easy, lets everything come to him," New York Islanders captain John Tavares said. "What makes him so good is I don't think he tries to overplay it and he's just naturally so gifted physically. He's big (6-foot-3, 216 pounds), he's quick, and he's got a great range. He's the whole package. "For a guy like him, he's so talented he'll be able to pick it up right away." Holtby will start the second pretournament game against Team USA in Ottawa on Saturday and split it with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. Canada coach Mike Babcock wouldn't say who will start the final pretournament game against Russia on Sept. 14 in Pittsburgh but acknowledged Wednesday that Price will be the No. 1 goalie when the tournament starts. When Babcock was told Wednesday that everyone is assuming Price is his guy, Babcock said, "Right." "I'm going to have to go in there and play well enough to stay in there and I know that," Price said. "I'm just going to try and enjoy doing it." All Credits: NHL.com

Team Russia remembers plane crash victims Moment of silence held on five-year anniversary of air disaster that killed 37 members of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Although five years have passed, the memory of what happened on Sept. 7, 2011 remains painfully fresh in Russia. Those preparing to represent the country in the World Cup of Hockey 2016 believe that's the way it should be. They demonstrated those feelings prior to their practice at Yubileyny Sports Palace on Wednesday. After gathering around the center ice circle, Team Russia players removed their helmets and stood in silence with their coaches for about 20 seconds to mark the solemn anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of 26 players, three coaches and eight staff members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. Seven airline crew members also died. The lone survivor was a flight engineer. "Everybody has to remember what happened," Team Russia captain Alex Ovechkin said. "A lot of players played with or played against players on that team." Those who died were on Ovechkin's mind even before the moment of silence. He put up a post on Twitter Wednesday morning with the word "Remember" in Russian and a link to his Instagram account and a photo of a monument honoring Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The Kontinental Hockey League team was departing Tunoshna Airport in Yaroslavl for its season opener in Minsk, Belarus when its charter flight crashed during takeoff. Among those who died were former NHL players Ruslan Salei, Pavol Demitra, Karel Rachunek, Karlis Skrastins, Alexander Vasyunov and Josef Vasicek, who won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes. The coaching staff included former NHL players Brad McCrimmon, Alexander Karpovtsev and Igor Korolev. McCrimmon won the Stanley Cup in 1989 with the Calgary Flames and Karpovtsev was among the first Russia-born players to win the Cup in 1994 with the New York Rangers. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl shut down for the 2011-12 season to rebuild. The KHL remains dark on Sept. 7 every season to honor all who died. "The hockey world is not that big and it's hard to lose an entire team in one day," New York Islanders forward Nikolay Kulemin said. "I still remember that day. I couldn't believe at first that it happened." Kulemin was in Toronto getting ready to for the start of training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs when he heard the sad news. "People started calling me and telling me what happened," he said. "I thought maybe it was some mistake at first. Things like that happen in our lives. You just feel bad for the families. Everybody knew somebody on that plane." Kulemin was good friends with Korolev from their days as teammates with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Russia and was also close with Yaroslavl forward Gennady Churilov. "I played with him in junior," Kulemin said. "He's from Magnitogorsk, my hometown, as well, and I knew a couple of other guys who I played with on the national team a couple times." Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was playing in the KHL at the time, also lost friends that day. They were in his thoughts during the moment of silence Wednesday. "It's the kind of moment you have to respect," Kuznetsov said. "You show your respect for the families and the friends. I lost a couple friends and it's always tough to think about that. The least we can do is just have the moment of silence." The tragedy hit close to home for Chicago Blackhawks forward Artem Anisimov. He grew up in Yaroslavl, developed in the Lokomotiv program and played 49 games for the senior team over two seasons before coming to North America to play in 2007. It's still difficult for him to talk about. "It's obviously in my mind for sure," Anisimov said. "I cannot say anything. It's so sad, emotional." After the moment of silence, the players tapped their sticks on the ice and then resumed preparations for the World Cup. Team Russia plays its first pretournament game on Thursday against the Czech Republic at Yubileyny Sports Palace (12:30 p.m. ET; ESPN3, SN, TVA Sports). Its first World Cup preliminary round game is on Sept 18 against Team Sweden at Air Canada Centre in Toronto (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVA Sports). Hockey will go on, but what happened five years ago will not be forgotten. "It's a big, sad moment for everybody and is still in our memory," Kulemin said. Credits: NHL.com

Five Years. Remembering Lokomotiv Today (Yesterday at the moment of this post, actually) is the fifth anniversary of a terrible tragedy. A day when the entire hockey world remembers Lokomotiv, and the team that was destined never to reach the ice… It’s already been five years since that dreadful plane crash in Yaroslavl killed the players and coaching staff heading to Lokomotiv’s first game of the season in Minsk. The pain, the bitterness, the mourning – none of it has gone away. The entire city, the whole country, the wide world of hockey remembers each of those guys today. Great players and, more important, great people. True friends, responsible fathers and good sons. Everyone can find an appropriate tribute for the players we lost on September 7, 2011. Any Loko fan will tell you that the team are true heroes in a city with a thousand years of history. Over the years the players have thrilled Yaroslavl with their hockey skills and their dedication to duty. They always fought for the honor of the club and the city. This cannot be forgotten. Everyone from Yaroslavl can be proud that they had the chance to get to the arena and watch the team, witnessing some of the greatest sportsmen of our time. A PART OF EVERY FAMILY On the way into town from one of Yaroslavl’s suburbs, you can’t miss a huge slogan graffitied on a concrete fence: “Lokomotiv – a part of every family.” For the city and its surroundings, the team is more than just a club or a hockey team. The tragedy of 2011 struck every house, every family. Fives years ago, an endless stream of people headed to Arena 2000 day after day following the disaster. They laid flowers at the impromptu ‘Wailing Wall’ of the team’s home arena. Stickers commemorating the tragedy appearing in the windows of every car in the city; a sea of people wore their Lokomotiv colors to work. Fans and players of every team in the KHL headed to Yaroslavl to be a part of the final journey of the team. “Memories, memories … Of course Yaroslavl still remembers and still grieves,” Alexander Meshares told khl.ru. He’s one of Lokomotiv’s most prominent fans, a regular at games since 1965. “It’s not easy to come to terms with something like this. Even today, when I think of that Black September, it sends a shiver down my spine. You can never forget something like that.” Alexander falls silent before beginning to tell the team’s story. And every fan in Yaroslavl has a lot of stories like this. This was truly a people’s team and it hit the city hard to lose it. “They had a real shot at winning the Gagarin Cup that season. We had a strong roster before, then we added [Jan] Marek, [Ruslan] Salei, [Stefan] Liv and other players. The mood among the players was upbeat, everyone was primed for success,” Meshares added. Ruslan's Salei wife Battenn with children, Vadim Salei Mama, you’ll see a whole new team Memories of the team, and the tragedy, are still powerful. The families of some of the players who died spoke to khl.ru about that summer and the hopes of their sons for the coming season. “My son was so excited about the start of the new season. We hadn’t had such a good team for ages,” said Lyudmilla Klyukina, the mother of Nikita. “He often talked about how this roster had a strong spirit, nobody in the locker room was killing the buzz, everyone got on, they supported each other and were united in pursuit of a single goal.” Although he was just 22 years old, Nikita was preparing for his fourth season with the first team. Klyukin had quickly established himself as the center for the fourth line and was looking to cement himself in a more prominent role. “He was such a good guy, we even used to tease him because of it. We used to joke that he needed to fight a bit more when he played hockey. Just before that fateful flight to Minsk he phoned me and said: ‘Mama, tomorrow you’ll see a new team … and a new me.’ I didn’t really know what he met; I guess he wanted to show us that he was able to fight. But we never got to see that … “He spoke highly of his coaches and the new players. He became friends with Robert Dietrich, who had arrived from Germany, and helped him to learn some Russian. Away from the rink he was friends with Genka Churilov, Alexander Kalyanin, Vitaly Anikeyenko,” Lyudmila added. Nikita Klyukin Many people talked up Lokomotiv’s prospects that season: the management, the players and the fans made no secret of the fact that Yaroslavl expected nothing less than the cup. Many fans felt that they merely had to wait and take pride in the fact that the sought-after trophy would be delivered by their guys. “Sasha was really optimistic, the team was getting stronger,” Saidgerey Galimov, father of Alexander, told khl.ru. “Basically, everything was going how my son had hoped: he’d got a call-up for team Russia, he had a new contract with his home-town team. He had offers from Dynamo, from Ak Bars, from Magnitogorsk, but Loko always came first. He went to the club president, outlined his terms and signed a new contract without hesitation. He was even beginning to dream of getting the chance to play in the Sochi Olympics.” Galimov had long been away from the national team due to injury. At last Vyacheslav Bykov brought him into the team for the Euro Hockey Tour, but couldn’t find a place for him as a forward and asked him to play in defense. “Sasha told Bykov: ‘I don’t mind playing in goal, just give me a chance to play for my country.’ I don’t remember who he was paired with in the end, it was one of the more experienced defensemen. But Sasha told me that he was always asking to be allowed to go and join the offense – he’s a forward, after all, he can’t play any other way,” his father added. Galimov was one of the symbols of Yaroslavl, an indelible part of the city. Strolling along the riverbanks, wandering through the historic streets or sitting in a café – you’d see Sasha everywhere. It might have been 2008 or 2009 when I bumped into Sasha myself one summer’s day in town. I asked him about his holiday plans. “I went to the beach. We played football with Ovechkin!” There was a sincere joy in that phrase, a delight that little Sasha Galimov got the chance to play with the great Ovechkin. Despite being a top player himself, and an icon in his native city, Galimov never lost touch with his roots. It was just impossible for him; he still felt the same emotions as any regular guy in Yaroslavl. The memory still brings tears to my eyes. “I can’t even really say who he was close to on the team,” added his father. “From what I recall, practically everyone called at our house, he treated everyone the same and worked hard to build a good relationship with every player. It was the same with the fans. You can find loads of photos on the internet where he’s posing with fans. That famous photo of him on the ice with his daughter came about at a meeting with the fans. Brad McCrimmon, the head coach, was there, and everyone was asking Sasha to bring out his daughter. So they came onto the ice together, and that photo became part of how he was remembered,” Saidgerey added. My son lives on at the Arena Memorials near the airport, in the cemetery, at Arena-2000. The whole of Yaroslavl and a big part of the wider hockey world visits these sacred sites on September 7 every year. Standing amid a sea of lilies, with tears in their eyes, bearing candles in an eerie silence. On that day the city mourns. Restaurants turn off their music, nightclubs close their doors. The KHL suspends play. The fans show sensitivity, keeping their distance from the cemeteries where families are remembering their loved ones, husbands, fathers, sons. “It’s really hard for me to come to Yaroslavl, even though I don’t live all that far away in Rybinsk [about 100km away],” Maxim Shuvalov’s mother, Svetlana, told khl.ru. “Every time I find myself here I start hoping for a miracle, as if Max is going to come around the corner with his team-mates. But miracles don’t happen …” Maxim was the youngest player on the plane. An emerging star, just 18 years old. McCrimmon had said that Shuvalov deserved his chance and Max himself was preparing to embark on a new chapter in his life. “He was very methodical, he set himself tough targets. When he was called into the first team, my son was thrilled. After training he came home full of excitement about what he was learning from his senior teammates. My son just wanted to live at the rink and, as it turned out, that’s where he’ll always live on,” recalled Svetlana. “I always used to tell him to read, to study, so that he’d be able to string two words together in an interview. And he was making progress. At school Max was doing fine, no black marks. Nikita Klyukin and Sergei Ostapchuk, two other young players, helped him a lot on the team. I always used to tell him to listen to what Nikita said and remember it,” added Maxim’s mother. THE PRIDE OF THE CITY Yaroslavl always takes pride in its own. Fans applaud Sergei Mozyakin, celebrate Ilya Gorokhov’s Gagarin Cup success with Dynamo and closely follow the progress of those who headed to the NHL. On game day you’ll find dozens of fans wear the jerseys of North American teams with the names of Anisimov, Varlamov or Kulikov on the back. Nobody here forgets their own and is always happy to see them come back from Canada and the USA. “Sasha was really struck by how the fans welcomed him at an open training session before the season,” said Lyubov, the mother of Alexander Vasyunov. “He was really happy to be back in Yaroslavl, back home at his own club.” Alexander returned from North America but hadn’t given up on the NHL. He hoped to return after a couple of years, with more experience and a stronger game. “He really kept in touch with his American friends and dreamed of heading back over. He was also aiming to break into the Russian national team. The coaches said they hoped to see him playing for his country,” Lyubov added. Lyubov Vasyunova can often be seen in the Leontievsky Cemetery, where this loving mother carefully tends the grave of her son and his teammates. “I go to Tunosha [airport] and to the cemetery. We need to keep an eye on all the memorials, to take care of them. But I understand that some of the families can’t bring themselves to come back to the site of the tragedy. Everyone reacts in their own way,” she said. I can’t imagine life without Yaroslavl Visitors to Yaroslavl are always struck by the sheer number of hockey players that they find in the city. Here you might see the head coach strolling along the riverbanks, spot the top defenseman having a coffee or catch up with a former Loko player resting on a park bench. That’s why Yaroslavl is a special place. Pretty much everyone who plays here is drawn back, regardless of whether they were born here or came from the other side of the world. Jan Peterek was the first foreigner to play for Yaroslavl. “I’ve come back here every year since the tragedy,” he told khl.ru. “Two years ago, with my wife Lada, I brought my kids here so they could see where I spent three great seasons and some of my best friends are buried. ‘Maybe you think I’m too young and talented to die?’ I can’t answer for the accuracy of the quote, but it’s roughly what Vanya Tkachenko used to tell his wife, who was terrified of flying. When Ivan sat next to her on a plane, heading off to a hockey tournament, he used to tell her just that. Such is fate. Today if you ask any fan which was the most talented line in Yaroslavl, everyone will mention Peterek, Sergei Korolev and Ivan Tkachenko. Their game left their opponents’ heads spinning, with goals, hits and assists in all flavors. “My wife got friendly with Marina Tkachenko, Ivan’s wife,” recalled Jan. “They were always in touch before and after the tragedy. Of course, now they are in contact even more often. We absolutely didn’t want September 7 to change anything in our friendship.” This tragedy touched people everywhere – in the USA, Sweden, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Canada – the whole hockey world came together to remember this team and come to Yaroslavl. “Every time we come to Yaroslavl we visit the cemetery,” Jan added. “I can’t imagine making the trip and not going there. I go up to the grave, stand there and talk to Ivan. And we always drink Slivovitz, a typical Czech drink that Ivan really loved. I always bring a bottle with me specially. Whenever I go there I get a strange feeling, like there’s someone missing.” Tkachenko is another symbol of Yaroslavl. He’s the darling of the fans, and everyone who knew him will tell you how he was one of the good guys. If you head out of town on Dzerzhinsky Prospekt you’ll see another huge slogan dedicated to Tkachenko. It marks the house where he lived. “Ivan was someone really close to me,” added Jan. “We had the same interests, the same views on life. We liked the same music, bands like Depeche Mode or Linkin Park. I’ll always remember how we were in Switzerland for the Spengler Cup and suddenly Vanya realized that he’d never tried downhill skiing. David Moravetz and I decided to teach him. When we were going up the chairlift I told Ivan I was a bit chilly … and then I saw he was literally shaking from cold! I asked him what he was wearing and it turned out he just had some summer trousers and nothing underneath! He showed me his legs – they were frozen, bright red. Even so, he didn’t want to turn back, even if he couldn’t feel his legs. When he set out to do something, he wanted to finish it.” It was a great team An equestrian center in the Zavolzhsy district of Yaroslavl in 2002. Arriving for riding lessons, you can find an old man with a kindly, familiar face. Vladimir Vujtek honed his own riding skills and aimed to bring Lokomotiv along for a team-building exercise. It turned out that Vujtek was the team’s last coach before the tragedy and, as he said, he left it in good hands. “It was really great to work with such talented hockey players: Demitra, Vasicek, Tkachenko, Rahunek, Galimov, Churilov. I’ve only got good words for all of them. They were all professionals and played with pride. They were incredible players, wonderful guys, they themselves understood exactly what was needed,” Vujtek told khl.ru. Earlier Vujtek often came to Yaroslavl. People here are fond of him, gratefully remembering the two championships he won with Lokomotiv. And Vujtek himself loved coming here, where there was always a warm welcome. “Today I rarely get back to my favorite town, even though I spent some of my best years – in hockey and in life – in Yaroslavl. The plane crash left a deep scar in my heart. In that moment I, like everyone in hockey, lost some good friends and comrades. After all that it’s hard to force myself to come back here,” he added. We feel a responsibility Even five years on, the spirit of that team can be felt all over Yaroslavl. Monuments, memorial plaques, stickers on cars. Fans still wear jerseys with the names of the players who were killed. Today’s Lokomotiv is built on players whose idols are gone. Everyone in Yaroslavl knows, that Pavel Kraskovsky chose number 63 in memory of Josef Vasicek. Everyone knows that many players who grew up in Yaroslavl hurried back here to play after the tragedy. Nobody can overlook this. The current head coach, Alexei Kudashov, was also part of that team. He played in finals with those guys, celebrated victories and suffered defeats and simply lived the life of the city and its team. Many players have spoken about how it can be difficult to come to Yaroslavl since the tragedy. The atmosphere, the sense of responsibility – it all piles up the pressure. “When I came here I understood the situation, I understood the atmosphere that can bear down on you,” he said. “The echoes of the disaster can be felt even today, especially on September 7. It shattered a tradition in Yaroslavl and it will be very hard to bring it back. “Anyone who knew those guys, anyone who was with them at this club will find it hard to play here. But it’s no accident that I talk about traditions – many guys came here from other towns, they weren’t part of Yaroslavl and its hockey school, so they found it a bit easier. Maybe it’s a good thing that they don’t fully feel that pressure, but they still understand the responsibility that lies upon us. We understand that we have to do justice to those guys.” Alexei Kudashov Their memory will live forever One year, two, five, even ten – it makes no difference. The tragedy still brings tears; people still mourn amid a sea of flowers of Lokomotiv memorabilia. Again, people pass by with blank stares. The atmosphere is funereal. On September 7, from early morning to late night, Yaroslavl and its hockey lovers honor the memory of the team that died. On this day it’s hard to find words. There’s a lump in my throat, my fingers go numb. There’s a lot to say, but it’s all banal. Young husbands, fathers, friends, sportsmen, all killed in September 2011. It’s too much to take in, eve now. The pain is dulled, time begins to heal, but understanding still does not come. For every player it’s easy to find the right words to this day, because this memory can never die. This tragedy changed everything. The world of hockey, the KHL, Yaroslavl. Families, loved ones and fans. Everything is different now. We will always pray that they rest in peace. We will always remember. In Memory of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl http://video.khl.ru/events/470483 All Credits: KHL.ru