Allgemeine Themen » bested the old

CALGARY -- The man who gave the host country one of its most memorable moments of the 2010 Winter Olympics faces long odds to compete at the next Winter Games. Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. But the 34-year-old from Russell, Man., might not make the 2014 team for Sochi, Russia, in February. Montgomerys results the last season and a half have yet to meet Bobsleigh Canada Skeletons qualification criteria. He needs to hit the ball out of the park and also have little luck in the four races he has left to qualify before Jan. 19. "Unfortunately for me, Im fighting an uphill battle in that regard," Montgomery said Wednesday in Calgary. "I would guess the way things have gone it would be nothing short of winning the four races before that deadline." Mellisa Hollingsworth of Eckville, Alta., Calgarys Sarah Reid and John Fairbairn and Eric Neilson of Kelowna, B.C., were introduced Wednesday as Canadas skeleton athletes for Sochi. Canada can qualify a third man and a third woman for Sochi in January, according to head coach Duff Gibson. Should Canada gain those berths, Montgomery is up against Dave Greszczyszyn of Burlington, Ont., for the final spot on the mens team. It will come down to points earned in races. Greszczyszyn is currently ranked 23rd in the world and Montgomery 25th with 32 points separating them. Montgomery didnt qualify in fall selection races for the World Cup team. Hes competing on the secondary Intercontinental Cup circuit where results are worth fewer points than World Cup results. Greszczyszyn will continue to race World Cups. "Dave will be earning twice as many points for his results on World Cup than I will be on IC," Montgomery said. "If I win all four races and Dave gets 13th in his races hell beat me out in points." If the two men end up close or tied in points, it could come down to coachs discretion, which Gibson doesnt relish. The 2006 Olympic champion hopes the sliders sort it out themselves so he can avoid that painful decision. "By delaying our third selection until we know there is a third Canadian spot allows them to separate themselves based on performance, rather than us having to make a subjective choice," Gibson said. Montgomery will race twice in Whistler, B.C., on the track of his Olympic triumph before a pair of races in Park City, Utah, in January. "Im always optimistic," he said. "Ill work until the cows come home for any kind of a chance. Im not going to worry about the race results before they happen. "Im going to be worried about the next run, the next inch, the next corner. If I get ahead of that, Im not focused on whats important, which is the things I can control right now. "I wont be defined by my failures and this is hardly a failure yet." Montgomery has yet to bond with the sled he built from scratch when he took the 2011-12 season off from racing. The first World Cup after the 2010 Olympics was in Whistler and Montgomery won there. But he didnt finish on the podium again that season. Unwilling to race on a sled that got him wins on just one track in the world and looking ahead to Sochi, Montgomery worked with the metal construction company Standens on a new sled. The move hasnt translated into success on the track. Montgomery needed four top-six results in World Cups the last season and a half to automatically qualify for Sochi. He was sixth once in 2012-13 and was at a major disadvantage this season not qualifying for the World Cup. Montgomery doesnt regret the season he took off or the move to a new sled. Hes sure there would be no chance of beating Latvian skeleton superstar Martin Dukars or Russian slider Alexander Tretiakov, who are co-favourites for gold in Sochi, if he didnt make the change. "The sled that Ive got right now is better than the sled I used to be on," Montgomery said. "Theres no question. The only unfortunate part, and the reason why I was so successful in 2010, was because that old sled was like an extension of my body. "When I was competing in 2010 in Vancouver, that sled Id been on for eight years. I knew exactly how it would react to every single situation I was presented with. Im not there with my Standen sled. I havent had the time to get comfortable with it yet." And its not a simple matter of going back to his former sled, he says. Montgomery hasnt been on it for three years and his body would have to re-learn it. There isnt time for equipment tinkering now. Montgomery says he was the fastest Canadian on the Sochi track during an international training week in the fall. "I was the fastest Canadian athlete by a good bit, but thats neither here nor there," he said. "Its disappointing for me not to be given the benefit of the doubt of that leadership, that past performance proof that Im maybe the best person for the job, but Im in this situation by my own doing. "I cant blame anybody. If youre expecting to be given consideration based on past performance, youre kidding yourself." Montgomery took the risks he did because he wanted another Olympic medal. "I was searching for that special thing I knew I would have to do to be a medallist this go around," Montgomery explained. "Ive got no interest in becoming a two-time Olympian. My interest was always I wanted to do everything in my power to go there and defend my Olympic gold medal, our Olympic gold medal. "Ive got zero regrets. I know I created the bed Im sleeping in, but Im only disappointed. Disappointed is fleeting. Regret is lasting." San Diego Padres Jerseys Cheap . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. They say Russia isnt doing enough to assure that athletes will be protected at the Feb. 7-23 games, happening not far from an Islamic insurgency that Russias huge security apparatus has struggled for two decades to quell. Russia may run greater risks in towns outside the tightly controlled Olympic zone. Suicide bombs last month a few hundred kilometres (miles) away have increased concerns, and an Islamic warlord has urged his followers to attack the Sochi Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putins pet project. Padres Carlos Asuaje Jersey . Williams withdrawal came less than 24 hours after losing in the final Auckland WTA tournament final. "I dont believe she has an injury," Hobart tournament director Mark Handley said. http://www.cheappadresjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=padres-clayton-richard-jersey . -- Ben Bishop had a milestone game against one of the NHLs greatest goalies. Padres Cory Spangenberg Jersey .com) - Jahlil Okafor erupted for 25 points and 20 rebounds as No. Padres Eric Lauer Jersey .twitter.com/xBTpoAKLJk — Daryl Zerr (@darylzerr) May 29, 2014 @BarDown I give to you the @SquirrelsNCHL aka the Fighting Squirels.Hockey teams are always looking to improve their defensive game. They constantly work on it at practice, talk about improvements publically and strive for flawless execution in games. Obviously in the National Hockey League sound defensive play is a perpetual work in progress with the chance of actually attaining perfection a fallacy. Those teams that do push the closest to that line though are usually rewarded with a better record and thus a coveted spot in the standings. But periodically defensive excellence is achieved in a game. And that result is illustrated in the form of a shutout. For the Winnipeg Jets, a team striving to improve its defensive play under head coach Paul Maurice, this measure of defensive precision happened twice on a recent road trip and then carried into the start of a short two-game home stand. After posting back-to-back shutout wins in New York (1-0 SO) and Chicago (1-0), the Jets returned home poised to rewrite a chapter in the franchises record book. And it didnt take long for the club to put pen to paper. Entering Tuesdays tilt with Nashville, the Jets needed just a little more than a full period to establish a new franchise record for consecutive scoreless minutes. The previous mark of 155:55 was set in 2005 when the club was based in Atlanta. On Tuesday, when the Jets held the Predators off the scoresheet for the first period and a portion of the second, the club bested the old mark by nearly six minutes to 161:17. The scoreless streak did come to an end when Predators rookie sensation Filip Forsberg ended the stretch with a second period goal. Its been a big focus, said Maurice of his teams defensive philosophy this season. But its not defence first; its defence at the right time. Were not playing perfect hockey by any means. We have lots of room to improve. But our reaction to bad things that happen is much better right now than it was. (The new scoreless streak) is really a goaltender record. They were that good. In all, the Jets used both goaltenders during the shutout streak, including Michael Hutchinson, who recorded his first career NHL shutout against the Blackhawks with a 33-save performance. (The shutout) is definitely something really special (in my career), said Hutchinson, 24, whose numbers dramatically improved after the performance from a 4.50 GAA and .864 save percentage to 1.80 and .945, respectively. It will be something Ill remember for the rest of my playing career. Just being in Chicago makes it special (too) and something Im going to look back on. Meanwhile, Ondrej Pavelec was equally impressive a night earlier in New York when he turned aside all 38 Rangers shots. It was the third time in franchise history that back-to-back shutouts were recorded, but a first for the Winnipeg Jets. Previously, Michael Garnett posted consecutive shutouts in 2005 and then Kari Lehtonen did it again the following season. Both were members of the Atlanta Thrashhers at the time.dddddddddddd Last year, the Jets recorded just three shutouts all season. Former netminder Al Montoya (now with Florida) had two of them and Pavelec the other. But now already with two as a team, it might suggest the Jets are a more committed group to team defence and scoring against them and their goalies is getting tougher. That may be true. Time will tell. And so will more shutouts. -- On a personal note, Im thrilled to have been able to visit Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island last month for the final time. As you may know the New York Islanders are playing their final season in their original home this year before moving to Brooklyn for 2015-16 and the new Barclays Center. Last month during the Jets final visit to the building, I couldnt help but walk around the arena before the teams 4-3 win over the Islanders and wonder with amazement about the historical importance the building possesses for hockey in the area. For obvious reasons like age (it opened in 1972), lack of luxury suites, in-house revenue streams and overall building amenities, the Coliseum can no long be considered an NHL arena. I understand that. But seeing all the championship banners and retired numbers from that dynastic Islanders era of the early 1980s hanging in the rafters was special for me and likely for any hockey fan that was alive to experience that run. In all, the building oozes history and tradition and the electricity inside it generates a great atmosphere, even though the Islanders only drew 11,508 when the Jets started a four-game trip there at the end of October. Next year its on to Brooklyn and a new age for Islanders hockey, although I wonder how many true Islanders fans will make the 40-minute train ride and incur the additional travel cost of public transportation to support the team in the now-trendy New York City borough? NOTES: Entering Saturdays game in Ottawa, the Jets have killed off 18 straight penalties, including five on Thursday night against the vaunted power play of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The teams PK is third-best in the league at 89.3 percent, including a league-best mark of 92.6 percent on the road...Veteran centre Bryan Little played his 500th game on Thursday against Pittsburgh. So far, he is the only Jets player to record a power-play, shorthanded and game-winning goal this season...Until their win on Long Island, the Jets had played before eight straight sellout crowds to start the season. Winnipeg has sold out each of its seven games at home...Did you know the Islanders are still paying salaries to goaltender Rick DiPietro and forward Alexei Yashin? Both players have been bought out of their contracts, but are still owed money from the team in deferred monies. However, those payments no longer apply to the Islanders salary cap. DiPietro officially retired after the 2012-13 season, while Yashin hasnt been seen with an NHL team since 2006-07. 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