Treffen » Stars, while Kari Lehtonen stopped 26 shots in defe

Im writing this having just returned from the International Broadcast Centre in Sochi after watching and broadcasting a portion of the mens final in figure skating. It would be an understatement to say that I am still stunned by what has transpired here in Russia. Yuzuru Hanyu, a 19-year-old, has just become the Olympic gold medallist, the first for his country, in this individual discipline. Meanwhile, the three-time and reigning world champion, Patrick Chan of Canada, has taken the silver medal. Neither skated perfectly, far from it, but the drama of it all was breathtaking. And although I might have forecast a different result, I find myself unable to quibble with the bottom line. Someone came first and someone came second. The only call I took when I got back here to the hotel was from an old acquaintance and colleague named Dave Campbell at CHED radio in Edmonton. I had run into him during my Hockey Night in Canada days covering the Oilers. But tonight Dave didnt even mention the score of the Canadian mens hockey game versus Austria, a 6-0 shellacking by the maple leaf men. He wanted to talk figure skating. “You know, we were discussing Chan and the result in the office, and we were disappointed,” he said. “But then again we thought that figure skating must surely be the most difficult of the Olympic sports.” I would have to agree. Personally speaking, I cannot fathom what it must be like to go onto a sheet of ice in front of 12,000 people and to perform what appears to be a series of impossible acts without an overwhelming fear of failure. There is nowhere for these young people to hide. There is no mulligan for a bad jump, or second chance to eliminate the sting of a fall on ones ass. You cannot skip a shift and survive in figure skating. It is what it is. These athletes accept that they are required to stand and deliver and when the dust settles they must live with the result. In the end, they must go it alone. The thing is, I felt completely helpless for Patrick Chan as he skated with a chance to be the Olympic champion. I have followed his career since the time he first won the national title seven years ago. Ive been there for each of his three world championships. He has never dodged a question and never given an excuse for something less than a perfect performance. He is, in my experience, a conscientious and hard-working young man who is supremely talented. Tonight, he came up short, and I know he wishes he could do it all over again … but he cant. Dave Campbell may have been right when he suggested that figure skating is the most difficult of the sports. Im convinced it is simultaneously the most beautiful and brutal. The judges reward you lavishly when you succeed, and they punish you ruthlessly when you dont. And they make you sit by yourself to await your fate on a giant-sized television screen so that everyone in the arena and around the globe knows what they think of you. Those are the facts when it comes to figure skating. And while Im disappointed for Patrick Chan and happy for Yuzuru Hanyu, Im astonished that the result has affected me the way it has. Its not like I havent witnessed something like this before. “Its just so thrilling,” Dave Campbell said. “And its causing me to lose sleep, but I cant get enough of it.” I feel the same way. Its the savage beauty of sport and the incredible attraction that the brave hearts who dare to venture onto the Olympic field of play hold for me. Air Jordan 5 For Sale Cheap . The club was unable to retain hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who is bound for Atlanta. Seitzer replaces Greg Walker, who was assisted by Scott Fletcher this season as the Braves finished 79-83. Wholesale Jordan Retro 5 .Airport spokeswoman Heather Lissner said that all departing flights were back on schedule. However, arriving flights were still trying to catch up.Super Bowl Sunday got off to an inconvenient start for hundreds of passengers trying to get to Phoenix for the game. http://www.cheapairjordan5canada.com/ . Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Cheapest Air Jordan 5 . The Mariners ace allowed just one hit over eight innings while striking out nine, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer as Seattle earned a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. Jordan Retro 5 For Sale Cheap . The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., was edged 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3 by third-seeded Alize Cornet of France. Cornet broke Bouchard twice in the last set and saved six break points in the three-hour match.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Stars are hoping their recent success against the Ottawa Senators can get them back on track when the clubs meet Tuesday in Big D. The Stars enter the opener of a three-game homestand locked in an 0-2-2 slide and the four-game skid comes directly on the heels of a 9-2-0 run from Dec. 6- Jan. 3. The club sits six points out of a playoff spot in the highly competitive Western Conference. However, Dallas has won five straight and seven of nine over the Senators. Ottawa has dropped three in a row and five of the past six meetings at American Airlines Center. Tonight marks the first time Stars forward Jason Spezza will face his former team. Spezza compiled 687 points (251 goals, 436 assists) over 11 seasons and 686 games with Ottawa, but he requested a trade from the Sens last spring and was eventually dealt to Dallas on July 1. Spezza was traded to the Stars along with forward prospect Ludwig Karlsson, while Ottawa received forwards Alex Chiasson, Alex Guptill, Nicolas Paul and a second-round pick in 2015. The 31-year-old Spezza is third on Dallas this season with 29 points off seven goals and 22 helpers. He signed a four-year extension with the Stars in November, keeping him under contract in Dallas through the 2018-19 season. It was nice to catch up. I saw some of the guys yesterday and will catch up with a few more guys today, Spezza said after Mondays practice. I think it is different when it is on your terms and in your rink. It will be different when I go back to Ottawa. Spezza and the Stars are scheduled to visit the Senators on Jan. 29. Dallas may ask for more than usual from Spezza as it may have to face Ottawa tonight without the help of captain Jamie Benn and fellow forwards Vernon Fiddleer and Tyler Seguin, who are all questionable for Tuesday.dddddddddddd Benn is dealing with an undisclosed injury, while Fiddler left Saturdays loss against Colorado with a lower-body issue. Seguin, meanwhile, was sent home from Mondays practice with an illness. Seguin is leading Dallas in goals (26) and points (48), while Benn is second in team scoring with 36 points on 12 goals and 24 assists. The Stars fell 4-3 in Denver on Saturday, as Matt Duchene picked up the deciding goal for the Avalanche early in the third period. Brett Ritchie, Colton Sceviour and Ales Hemsky scored for the Stars, while Kari Lehtonen stopped 26 shots in defeat. Lehtonen is expected to start tonight and owns an 8-5-0 record and 2.75 goals against average in 15 career games against the Senators. Ottawa enters tonight eight points out of a playoff spot in the East, but it was able to halt a three-game slide with Saturdays blowout win in Arizona. Craig Anderson made 31 saves, and the Sens scored five unanswered goals to top the Coyotes, 5-1. After Mikkel Boedker put the Coyotes on top early in the game, Milan Michalek and Clarke MacArthur scored first-period goals to give the Senators the lead for good. Ottawa also got goals from Mike Hoffman, Cody Ceci and David Legwand to improve to 1-1-1 on a four-game road trip that ends tonight. The Sens are just 9-11-4 as the guest this season. We finally got rewarded for our effort, Senators head coach Dave Cameron said. It feels good. Robin Lehner will get the start in net for Ottawa. He is 0-1-1 with a 2.88 GAA in his career against Dallas. After tonight, the Senators will close January by playing five of six on home ice. Ottawa will begin a brief two-game homestand Thursday against Montreal. ' ' '