LAKE LOUISE, Alta. [url=https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/1086t-robin-lopez-jersey-bucks.htm l]Robin Lopez Jersey[/url] . -- Erik Guay took an important step towards the 2014 Winter Olympics on Saturday. The man who has come the closest to ending Canadas Olympic medal drought in mens skiing effectivel

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. Robin Lopez Jersey . -- Erik Guay took an important step towards the 2014 Winter Olympics on Saturday. The man who has come the closest to ending Canadas Olympic medal drought in mens skiing effectively booked his ticket to Sochi, Russia, in February. The 32-year-old from Mont-Tremblant, Que., finished eighth in the season-opening World Cup downhill in Lake Louise, Alta. That qualifies him for his third Winter Games. "Its a good thing to get it out of the way," Guay said. Dominik Paris of Italy won Saturdays race with Klaus Kroell of Austria coming second and Adrien Theaux of France third. Guay finished 1.08 seconds back of Paris, whose World Cup victory was the third of his career but first in Lake Louise. "I pushed very hard at the top and the middle section was very bumpy, so it was difficult to ski very good," Paris said. "I tried to go fast and strike the line down. At the finish, I skied very good." The men race a super-G on Sunday before heading to Beaver Creek, Colo., and the second stop on the circuit this season. Canadas last Olympic medal in skiing was Edi Podivinskys downhill bronze in 1994. Guay was fifth in both the downhill and super-G at the 2010 Winter Olympics and was fourth in super-G in 2006. He was just .03 seconds away from the super-G podium in 2010. The 2011 world downhill champion has been a consistent medal producer for Canada. At 19 World Cup career medals, Guay is one away from tying the all-time record held by Steve Podborski. So the Olympic qualification criteria of a pair of top-12 results or one top-five finish wasnt onerous for Guay to achieve. He was one of four Canadian men racing at Lake Louise who were already halfway to qualifying. Each had a top-12 they could carry over from 2012-13. But Guay was short on preparation for Lake Louise. Knee surgery in July kept him off snow until earlier this month. He was fastest in the first training run for Lake Louise, but dropped to 26th in the last training session. "I think its an absolutely respectable start to the season," Guay said. "A month ago I didnt even know if I was going to be able to race here. "Winning the training run threw a wrench into things because it sets your standards a little bit higher, but all things considered Im very satisfied with the day." Canada can enter a maximum of four men in downhill and super-G in Sochi. Slalom specialist Marie-Michele Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., is the only Canadian woman to have qualified for the Olympic ski team so far. Calgarys Jan Hudec, Vancouvers Manny Osborne-Paradis and Ben Thomsen of Whistler, B.C., were still looking for another top-12 to book their ticket to Sochi. Hudec was 22nd, Osborne-Paradis finished 28th and Thomsen placed 44th on Saturday. Snow flurries overnight meant the first few men down the hill -- Osborne-Paradis had the No. 4 start bib -- had to find speed in softer conditions. Visibility changed quickly from dim to bright and back to dim again for the first 30 men down the mountain. "I had good light," Kroell said. "In some places, it was in the sun. Its always the same in Lake Louise. Wednesday to Saturday, it always changes a little bit the light and the wind. "One time youre the lucky one and another youre not. Today, I think I was one of the lucky ones." Hudec, a downhill winner at Lake Louise in 2007, has undergone seven knee surgeries in his career and this is his first healthy start to a season in years. "Thats probably why Im frustrated because I feel a lot better now than I did last year," Hudec said. "I know I have what it takes to get in there. "Tomorrow its like a total regroup. Super-G is a different game, different race. Hopefully Ill have a better start number tomorrow and better weather and go for it." Conrad Pridy of Whistler was 32nd, Jeffrey Frisch of Mont-Tremblant, Que., placed 35th and Conrads brother Morgan finished 45th. Michael Redd Jersey . They all do actually — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 22, 2014There is no confirmation that the date is actually happening, but that didnt stop Embiid from getting dressed up. Fresh cut..... Getting ready for dinner http://t.co/NNIfKyZQzx — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 23, 2014 Almost 930.. Moses Malone Jersey . Mission accomplished. Now the Royals will take the field on Saturday with a World Series lead for the first time in team history when they play Game 4 of the Fall Classic against the Giants at AT&T Park. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/596t-ray-allen-jersey-bucks.html . First-half goals by Will Bruin and Oscar Boniek Garcia sucked the life out of the Impact as the Houston Dynamo bounced them from Major League Soccers post-season with a 3-0 victory on Thursday.TORONTO - Early this season, the Washington Capitals battled fits of inconsistency and the confusion that comes with yet another coach and another system. Almost halfway through the season, they looked like a team that had everything together. The Capitals, in beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 Wednesday night, provided a blueprint for what Peter Horachek wants to accomplish the rest of the year. His mentor, Barry Trotz, took some time to get Alex Ovechkin and Co. to put the pieces together, but a recent stretch of at least a point in 14 of 15 games represents the consistency the Leafs want to find. I have a feeling theyre going to be playing a pretty similar system, Capitals forward Eric Fehr said of the Leafs. You cant do it all in one day. I think the most important part is the D-zone and we established that in training camp with a lot of physical battles in training camp and a lot of teaching. I dont know how much time theyre going to have to learn it on the fly, but its worked well for us now that we figured it out. Washington forward Brooks Laich, now on his fifth coach along with many of his teammates after stints under Glen Hanlon, Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter and Adam Oates, estimated it takes 50 to 60 games to really get your identity and identify how youre going to win. The Leafs dont have that kind of time, at least to salvage this season. At the midpoint, theyre 21-17-3 and a point out of a playoff spot. The Capitals, thanks to their recent run of success, are 21-11-7 and solidly in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Much has changed for Washington, not the least of which has been stronger play from goaltender Braden Holtby, who has a 2.33 goals-against average and .930 save percentage over the past 15 games. It means hes playing really well and it means were playing well defensively as well to give long-range shots, not second chances, that sort of thing, Laich said. Our five-on-five play has improved. Two areas of that is the wall play, breaking out of our zone, and the net-front traffic at the other end has drastically improved. The Capitals made roster changes from last season, with new general manager Brian McLellan bringing in defencemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen to stabilize the teams biggest weakness. The Leafs may find themselves in a similar spot this summer trying to shore up a few areas. But for now the teams have some similarities. Phil Kessel is a poor mans Ovechkin, a scoring winger who is the subject of criticism, and other key pieces match up, even if Washington has more depth of talent and the evidence to prove it from several playoff appearances. Still, when Trotz took over for this season, it was something of a fresh start. The longtime Nashville Predators coach had to drill his philosophies into a veteran group that had gone through plenty of coaching changes already. The player has to make the commitment. Thats where it starts, Trotz said. Ive been very fortunate that the guys that Ive gotten an opportunity to coach here, theyre committed to the buy-in and they wanted the change. ... Theyre a group that recognizes that theres a certain way we need to play as a group if were going to be successful. Marques Johnson Jersey. Horachek worked 10 seasons under Trotz as an assistant and then an associate coach for the Nashville Predators and could look to turn the Leafs into a version of the Capitals. But he doesnt have a long-term contract to work with, just 40-some games and the freedom that comes with lower expectations. On a very small scale, Horachek is already following his good friends lead, even if just subconsciously. Before his Leafs head-coaching debut, the 54-year-old said he wasnt going to rush changes, something Trotz was careful about in Washington. At the beginning of the season, Trotzy didnt want to give us too many adjustments, Fehr said. Weve slowly transformed our game into the way he wants us to play. I think hes done a good job of it, we understand what we need to do. I think were pretty consistent at doing it. General manager Dave Nonis cited inconsistency as the reason for firing coach Randy Carlyle. Horachek will try to instill something of that in the near future. Even in the 6-2 loss to the Capitals, Horachek pointed to limiting chances and shots and controlling puck possession as positives the Leafs can build off of. But Toronto is a long way from what its opponent was like Wednesday night. Change there has set in. I think its the way we use all five guys in the D-zone to help break out the puck, Fehr said. We do a good job coming back helping our defence find outlets. I think it really frustrates teams when they cant sustain pressure and we can just get the puck up and out. With the Leafs trying to become more of a puck-possession team, first under Carlyle and now under Horachek, the first step is getting the puck back. Horachek is expected to adopt some of Trotzs theories to make that happen and began making adjustments Tuesday in practice. Its what we used to call five, five and five, Horachek said. We want five guys in the defensive zone, in the neutral zone and in the offensive zone. Its all connected and we believe thats the way it has to be. Even if the Leafs hope to replicate the Capitals, it wont be a smooth process. Trotz knows from the past few months that there are growing pains associated with change. Even if youre playing well defensively you might not get the wins, Trotz said. You always get tested how far youre going to come off the rail, if you will, to have balance in your game. Weve been tested a few times and youve got to keep pulling it back. To me Ive been very fortunate, Ive got some really good leaders in the room, our leadership group is strong. Weve had some pointed talks, if you will, when its gone off the rails a little bit. Its unfair to expect Horachek to be a miracle worker, even though he worked under Trotz for so long. And as Laich knows, players need time to adjust to a new coach. A system is not a hard thing to execute, its not, Laich said. But it does take time to iron out every little detail of your switches in your own zone, your coverage changes, your side-to-side transitions, your rotations. Those are little, finite things that do take a little bit of time. ' ' '