miaowang123: he left in September to focus on the fight. He said

he left in September to focus on the fight. He said

4 Sep 2019 at 22:42

Toronto Maple Leafs legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Mats Sundin joined TSN Radio 1050s Jim Tatti and Jeff ONeill on Friday to give his thoughts on the Olympic hockey tournament ahead of Sundays gold medal match-up between his native Sweden and Canada. Darrell Henderson Youth Jersey . While there is a lot that Sundin has liked in the tournament so far, the performance that Russia put forth against Finland in the quarterfinals left a bad taste in his mouth. "I was almost disgusted by their performance when they played Finland," said the 43-year-old who played 18 seasons in the NHL. "I look at the Finnish team and theyre missing key players. They dont have any of their big stars and now [Rask] is hurt and that Russian team is stacked with great players and to come out and have that performance they had in the quarterfinals. It was an absolutely heartless performance. "It was very disappointing and I dont think its very good for hockey either to have them out of their home tournament. You wonder when you have Putin in the stands on home ice and you cant get heart out of these guys? Whats going to bring it out? I dont know," he said. Sundin believes simply chalking up Russias crashing out of the tournament to the tremendous pressure the team was under is a bit of a cop-out. "Even though youre nervous or you have a lot of pressure built up, you can always still get into the motions and show that youre actually trying," said the former first-overall pick by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. "We didnt see anything of that in the quarterfinal." The captain of the gold medal-winning Swedish team in the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Sundin believes that its impossible to compare trying to capture a Stanley Cup to winning Olympic gold. "You cant even compare it to me," said Sundin.  "I mean, the Stanley Cup is the biggest thing you can win playing for a club team in the world. Its over a [full] season and you try to get that, but saying that, international hockey and the Olympic Games go to a little bit of a higher level. You have all the absolute best players in the world competing. Its a short tournament, but its the absolute best, biggest thing you can win as a hockey player today where you face every countrys best players on the ice. And also, for any athlete, women or men, winning an Olympic medal is a little bit beyond just the sport of hockey, as well. You cant compare them, but obviously, you want to be part of both for sure." Sundin thinks that an unfamiliarity with the larger ice surface is one of the main reasons why Canadas offence has yet to really click in Sochi, despite the team being undefeated. "The last time the Olympics were around, the tournament was held on a smaller ice surface, an edge to the North American teams, no doubt," said Sundin. "The US and Canada were more comfortable. You look at the tournament right now, you can tell [Canada] is not as comfortable on the big ice surface...with the bigger ice surface, it becomes a little bit of a different game." The all-time Leafs leader in points acknowledges that an adjustment needs to be made for North American teams playing on the big international ice. "Just one big difference is when you come into an end, whether its your own end or youre in the offensive zone, youre further away from your opponent," explained the nine-time NHL All-Star. "Theres a little bit more room for a forward to slip away or get out of the way, out of position, so when that happens, and I think a North American feels that, you get a little more tentative and if youre tentative in hockey or you wait a little bit, then youre a step behind. I think thats the biggest thing." With NHL participation up in the air for the 2018 Olympic Games to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sundin believes it would be a mistake for the league to stop sending its best to the tournament as its a perfect opportunity to put a spotlight on the sport. "For me, its a no-brainer," said Sundin. "I think youve got to look at the broader picture. For the game of hockey, and if you want the game to continue to grow, theres no better window than the Olympic Games, where you can get new fans watching our great game, people from different parts of the world. I dont really see a reason why not. I know it affects the game short term. Some guys get hurt (and) when they get back they might not perform as well. But if you look at a long term picture, I think its just too big of a window to promote our sport to not be part of it." As for Sundays clash between his home country and the country he spent 18 years playing in, Sundin gives the edge to Canada. "Theres no doubt that the Swedish team...are not where you would think to call them a gold medal favourite at this point [without] Henrik Sedin and Henrik Zetterberg, two of the best centremen we have playing right now," said Sundin. "For them to get to the finals here, to get by Finland...Ill hold Canada as the favourites to win the gold medal, but if you have [Henrik] Lundqvist playing an enormous game in the final, theres a shot. But its a long shot for sure." Torry Holt Womens Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – He was locked in all night, made huge stops on Benoit Pouliot, Raphael ;Diaz, Ryan Mcdonagh, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash (twice) but none better than the three saves on Mats Zuccarello. Nolan Cromwell Youth Jersey . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win.ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Rampage Jackson scowled, howled, then bellowed to the crowd: "Im back! Im back!" With rebuilt knees and a new promotion, Jackson might have one more act left in MMA. Jacksons Bellator debut ended in a hurry when the former UFC star dropped Joey Beltran with a second left in the first round to win by knockout Friday night. "Its only the beginning," Jackson said. "Theres a lot more stuff coming." In his first fight outside the UFC banner since 2006, Jackson connected on a series of left hooks to send Beltran to the mat. Jackson finished him off at the 4:59 mark, then threw back his head for his signature howl. The arena darkened as Jackson made his way to the cage with a scowl. He was mobbed by fans on his way to the cage, then grabbed the microphone after the short bout to proclaim he was back to an appreciative crowd at Revel Resort casinos Ovation Hall. Jackson won his first MMA fight since he beat Matt Hamill by unanimous decision on May 28, 2011, at UFC 130. Unwanted by UFC after three straight losses, Jacksons debut was his first fight in 10 months. He blamed his decline on bad knees that slowed him down. Jackson thanked his doctors for the various procedures on his knees over the last year. "Fans keep thinking Im making excuses, but now its on," he said. "I have a lot more years left in me." He used a series of hooks to put Beltran on all fours. One or two punches more to the face ended the bout. "I proved I still got it," Jackson said. "If I train hard, I can deliver." Jackson hurt his right knee training for a 2010 fight against Rashad Evans and hurt his left knee in a 2011 bout against Jon Jones. "I havent enjoyed training for years because I was in so much pain," he said. He hadnt been the same ssince -- until a left hook made it a buzzer beater to remember. Taylor Rapp Womens Jersey. Jackson had a series of platelet-rich plasma treatments designed to stimulate recovery in aging joints to aid his recovery. Jackson was originally slated to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz on pay-per-view. Ortiz backed out because of a neck injury, forcing Jackson to fight Beltran (14-10). Jackson said this week he has no intention of fighting Ortiz. "Ive moved on from that," he said. "Much love to Tito, Ive got mad love for him, but that was a big letdown." Beltran, another former UFC fighter, lost a three-round split decision on UFC Fight Night on Oct. 9. "I would love to fight Rampage again," Beltran said. "Well do it a catchweight, at heavyweight, I dont care." In 2007, Jackson unified the UFC and Pride 205-pound titles with a unanimous decision over Dan Henderson. In his next UFC fight, he lost his crown to Forrest Griffin. He also served as a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter." Outside the cage, Jackson is most known for playing B.A. Baracus in the film version of "The A-Team," The 35-year-old Jackson also made his professional wrestling debut of the sports entertainment kind this year, making appearances for TNA Wrestling. Jackson scattered his appearances over three months before he left in September to focus on the fight. He said his dream was to become a professional wrestler and wanted to return to TNA at some point. In the other featured bout, Vitaly Minakov stopped fellow Russian Alexander Volkov at 2:57 of the first round to win the heavyweight championship. Minakov landed repeated strikes to Volkovs face before the referee stepped in and stopped the bout. His first defence will come against former UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo. ' ' '



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