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Geregistreerd op: 21 Mrt 2019
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 Geplaatst: 15-04-2019 04:26:41 Onderwerp: MONTREAL -- It isnt often a Quebec rink gets to play at home |
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| MONTREAL -- It isnt often a Quebec rink gets to play at home in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts but thats what skip Allison Ross of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Darryl Strawberry Jersey ., will experience this week. A year in which the Canadian curling championship has been pushed forward a week to accommodate the Winter Olympics was deemed the perfect chance to stage the event in Montreal for the first time since 1979. The opening ceremonies and the first two draws are set for Saturday at the 4,000-seat Maurice Richard Arena, normally the training base for Canadas short-track speedskating team. "For us its going to be really fun," Ross said Friday. "Were really a team that likes to have the crowd support. "We respond well to that. Its a bit more pressure, for sure, a bit more media attention, but we are a team that likes it. We are enjoying every minute of it." Interest is likely to be lower than usual with the tournament schedule overlapping the Feb. 8 start of the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. But holding it in a city not known as a curling hotbed and far from the sports heartland in western Canada, is seen as a chance to grow the game. Kruger, which produces Scotties paper products, has its head office in Montreal, also worked in its favour as well. "This will be a wonderful platform to get (curling message) out here," said tournament director Francine Poisson, who played in three Canadian championships in the late 1980s and early 1990s. "Weve had a lot of French media this week, so its breaking the (notion) of curling being an English sport. "Its very exiting. The visibility of curling has never been as great as it is now. People are watching. Now its time to translate eyeballs into people playing in curling clubs." Next years tournament will return to curling country in Moose Jaw, Sask. Facing the likes of defending champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa, the Ross rink wont be among the favourites after going 3-8 at last years Scotties in Moncton, N.B. "We are hoping for a better result than last year," said Ross. "Last year we had three games that came down to last rock. "We could have had six wins instead of three. We take a lot of what we learned last year and come back a lot stronger this year." It isnt home for Homan, but Ottawa is just a two-hour drive or train ride away and shes also expecting some extra support as she defends her title. "Its nice for us," said Homan. "We drove here and a lot of friends and family will be coming up to support us and share the experience with us. "Obviously, there wont be as many fans here as there would be out west, but its good for our friends and family." Its an unusual Scotties in many ways, so perhaps there will be surprises on the ice. For one, Jennifer Jones rink from Winnipeg wont be around because shell be in Sochi. Instead, Chelsea Carey will make her Scotties debut for Manitoba. In 1979 in Montreal, British Columbia won the tournament led by Lindsay Sparkes. This time, B.C. will be led this time by 22-year-old skip Kesa Van Osch of Victoria. She wont be the youngest skip on the ice. That honour goes to 20-year-old Sarah Koltun of Whitehorse. The Yukon/Territories skip is the youngest ever to compete at the Scotties and the first player to skip at both the Scotties and Canadian junior championship in the same year. The favourites include Val Sweeting of Alberta, who is in her second Scotties, and Stefanie Lawton of Saskatchewan, who is at her third. The veterans are skip Heather Strong of Newfoundland, who is in her 11th Scotties, and Kim Dolan of P.E.I., who is in her 10th. "The transition is certainly happening," said Dolan. "There a lot of young teams and new faces, which is great to see. "Womens curling is in a great place, so these new young ladies are keen. That only entices other people to play and go after their dreams." The Ontario team is skipped by Allison Flaxey while Nova Scotia has Heather Smith at the helm and Andrea Crawford will carry New Brunswicks colours. Keith Hernandez Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason. Yoenis Cespedes Jersey .A. Happ? Happs seven wins are second on the staff to Mark Buehrles 10. Win-loss record is an antiquated stat, sure, but win total is generally an indication of a pitchers ability to work deep into games, enough to be personally affected by the result. http://www.metssale.com/mets-lenny-dykstra-jersey/ .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No.Quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick will enter their 15th NFL season together as members of the New England Patriots in 2014. They began their tenure in 2000 when Brady was drafted in the sixth round and Belichick was hired by owner Robert Kraft. Theyve since won the AFC East 11 times, amassed 163 victories and won three Super Bowls. But, is this the year the dynamic duo of football smarts and Hall of Fame talent finally drifts off into the sunset? Probably not. Both are getting up there in years - Belichick is 62 and Brady turned 37 in early August - but they always seem to put up victories no matter what type of obstacles or challenges are thrown their way. Why should this year be any different? Even though the Patriots have gone almost a full decade without a Super Bowl victory - losing in the AFC Championship game the past two seasons - theyre a legit contender every single year and are almost a shoo-in to take home the divisional crown. And it can all be attributed to Brady and Belichick whove become one of the best player-coach tandems in the history of sports. A major key to their success is that theyre fantastic problem solvers. In 2013 a major concern for the Patriots was the lack of experienced receiving options Brady had to throw to. Yet they found a way to work through it and made it to the AFC title game. Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson were both rookies while Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman were not used to being the guys Brady looked to as his top wide outs. Brady still managed to put up good numbers, but at times it seemed chemistry was lacking, especially without the veteran presence of Wes Welker. Now with a full season under their belt and a better understanding of the playbook, the Patriots offence could be a lot more fluid in 2014. A major positive addition to the lineup will be tight end Rob Gronkowski. The 25-year-old has missed considerable time over the past two seasons with forearm, back and knee injuries, but will presumably be ready for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. A healthy Gronk, Bradys favourite target, for an entire season will be extremely beneficial for New England. 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Both should be back and healthy alongside linebacker Jamie Collins wholl look to build on a solid rookie campaign. Secondary Strength The Patriots made an off-season splash, picking up cornerback Darrelle Revis after he was released by the Buccaneers. The 29-year-old Revis should bring stability to the Patriots secondary and is a year removed from a devastating knee injury suffered in 2012 as a member of the New York Jets. Revis could once again establish himself as one of the leagues most dangerous corners, especially under Belichick in 2014. Eyes on Easley The Patriots selected defensive end Dominique Easley out of Florida in the first round (29th overall) of this years draft. Easley suffered a knee injury last September while in college and many thought hed fall out of the first round because of it. Easley might not see a lot of action in his rookie season, but its something to keep an eye on if injuries start to rack up like last year. Protecting Brady New Englands offensive line allowed Brady to be sacked 40 times and hit 81 times last season. Those numbers arent horrible, but theyre not great either. Their o-line will be similar to last years, but will be without six-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins who was sent to Tampa in the Wright deal. Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, who missed the second half of 2013 with a broken leg, will be in the lineup to start the season. The Pats will need to protect an aging Brady better in 2014 because if he goes down, teaching an inexperienced Jimmy Garoppolo to play QB for a contender might be too much for even Belichick to handle. ' ' ' |
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