Canadas mens hockey team is still six days away from their opening match against Norway and with the NHLs pre-Olympic schedule winding down, the talk and the focus of those chosen to don the Maple Leaf has shifted to how well the 25 players selected for Sochi will come together. New Balance 997 UK . The latest to be added into that mix, of course, is 38-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis. The scoring winger was an easy choice to replace his linemate Steven Stamkos on the roster, according to Canadas head coach. "We didnt have to vote at all; everyone just thought St. Louis was the guy," Mike Babcock told TSN on Friday. "Prior to that, we all voted and if you got consensus you were in and if you didnt get consensus you werent." St. Louis may have been a unanimous choice, according to Babcock, but that had nothing to do with Canadian general manager Steve Yzerman also being the Lightning GM. "It would have been easy for Steve to say Martys on the team [because] I said hes on the team but that to me is not how you manage," Babcock said Friday. "You just do the best thing and I think we have an opportunity and thats all you can ask for." St. Louis has upped his game since being left off the initial 25-man roster on Jan. 7, netting 17 points in 15 games including a two-goal game the night after the announcement and a four-goal game in San Jose on Jan. 18. Babcock understands St. Louis being frustrated with the initial decision, but believes he will now shift his mentality to help Canada in its quest for gold. "I think everyones allowed to be bitter, but I think you get up and get on with it. You know what I mean? Thats life," Babcock said. "If you go through his career, hes been called out lots of times for the fact that oh youre too small, youre too this and hes just been determined. Thats all over with that stuff. Youre on the team – now youve got to find a way to be part of it." St. Louis career is one that has been marked by determination, including being cut adrift by the Calgary Flames after the 1999-2000 season, finding success with the likes of Vincent LeCavalier and Brad Richards and winning a Stanley Cup with the Lightning. He survived a rebuild that saw the Bolts miss the playoffs in five of the last six years and then re-emerged as a scoring threat alongside the younger Stamkos. As for whether hell get a chance to play or is merely along for the ride as the 13th or 14th forward on the team, Babcock believes St. Louis has to be ready for any eventuality. "Be a good pro, be a real good teammate and battle your butt off in a competitive environment to get as much as you can to help the team and its not going to be about any one player." Babcock addressed another positional battle on Friday, too, speaking out about the recent struggles of Vancouver Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo. Chosen alongside fellow goalies Carey Price and Mike Smith to represent Canada, Luongo has lost four straight games, posting a sub-.900 save percentage over those starts. However, Babcock expressed a confidence in Luongo that suggests the 34-year-old will be given a chance at very least to compete for the lions share of crease time in Sochi. "Im not concerned," Babcock said of the man who back-stopped Canada to gold in Vancouver. "I just think hes a really good goalie. Ive been with him a number of times and hes always found a way to deliver. So Im not concerned, no." New Balance 990 Grey .The list of nominees was reduced Thursday to 15 from the modern era, one senior and two contributors. A finalist must receive at least 80 per cent of the votes from the 46-person selection committee to be elected. New Balance 574 Womens . Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4 Friday, while Federer overcame Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal also moved into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Richard Gasquet of France and will play defending champion David Ferrer, who rallied past Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo is the rookie who gets most of the attention for Milwaukee. It was another first-year player who made the biggest shot Tuesday night to give the Bucks a rare victory. Nate Wolters hit a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left to give Milwaukee the lead for good in a 104-100 win over the Orlando Magic. With an NBA-worst 10-43 record, Bucks coach Larry Drew is giving plenty of minutes to young players. Antetokounmpo and Wolters made key contributions both offensively and defensively in the final minutes against Orlando. "They hit a dagger, that shot Nate hit," Magic guard ETwaun Moore said. Wolters missed 26 of his first 29 attempts from 3-point range this season but is 5 for 11 in the teams last four games. "Im feeling a lot better from 3. Im going to shoot with confidence, and hopefully I can keep it up," he said. "Ive been playing so many minutes. Coach is giving me the opportunity, so I have to knock some shots down." His 27-foot jumper with 6 seconds left on the shot clock helped Milwaukee snap a four-game losing streak. "I didnt have much time so I just decided to pull up and shoot it," Wolters said. "Sometimes those are the easiest ones, when you know you have to shoot it. Its nice to get a win." After Wolters gave the Bucks the lead, Antetokounmpo stole the ball from Arron Afflalo and was fouled, making one free throw for a 100-97 advantage. "I was focused tonight," Antetokounmpo said. "For a rookie that means a lot to be focused down the stretch, especially being a little bit panicked." Brandon Knight overcame a bizarre foot injury for the Bucks, scoring 18 points and making two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to seal the victory. He played 34 minutes despite slicing his foot open on a baseboard while stepping out of his bathroom shower Tuesday afternoon. Knight, unavailable for comment after the game, missed 10 of 13 shots from the field but hit all 12 of his free throws. Before the game, he said he was unsure whether he could pplay. New Balance 1500. . He started anyway. The Bucks made 22 of 30 free throws, while the Magic went 9 of 16. "The free throws were the big thing," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Their ability to get in the bonus and get downhill and get into the lane was a big part of them winning." Orlando fell to 3-24 on the road. Despite snapping their four-game skid, the Bucks have lost 19 of 22 overall. Afflalo scored 21 points and Nikola Vucevic added 19 for Orlando. After Antetokounmpo made the free throw that gave Milwaukee a 100-97 lead, Afflalo missed a 3-pointer. Ersan Ilyasova hit a pair of free throws for a 102-97 advantage. Jameer Nelson made a 3 with 6 seconds to go to make it 102-100. Knight was fouled and made both free throws to clinch it. Caron Butler, returning after missing four games with a sprained ankle, led the Bucks with 21 points on seven 3-pointers but didnt score in the fourth quarter. Afflalo shot 9 of 15 to snap a mini-slump. The Magic guard had made only 15 of 44 shots in his past four games. Vucevic took a pass from Nelson and made a 14-foot jumper to give Orlando (16-39) a 97-96 advantage with 50 seconds left, its first lead since 4 minutes remained in the third quarter. Antetokounmpo capped Milwaukees 8-2 run to open the fourth. He blocked a layup attempt by Kyle OQuinn and hit John Henson for a dunk, giving the Bucks an 89-81 lead with 8:57 to go. Orlando scored the next seven points to pull to 89-88 on Maurice Harkless 3-pointer with 6:44 left. Butler made six 3s and the Bucks led 53-47 at halftime. It was only the 10th time in 53 games that Milwaukee has led at halftime. NOTES: Milwaukee F Khris Middleton left in the first quarter after twisting his ankle, but returned in the second. ... O.J. Mayo, who had missed nine consecutive games with what the Bucks termed "illness/conditioning," was expected to play limited minutes but remained on the bench the entire game. Drew said he had hoped to play Mayo, but was unable to due to game circumstances. Cheap JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Authentic China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
