Broken Wings » in mens curling at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. H

Connor McDavid should not be fighting, ever. A game built on warp-like speed and quickness, brilliant puckhandling abilities and a mind that processes the game at speeds only seen in Silicon Valley, should not include fisticuffs. The argument that he is standing up for himself doesnt hold when you consider the impact he has in the game. That impact is lost when he isnt available whether it is for five minutes or for weeks if he suffers an injury. Lets look at the cost-benefit analysis. The benefits are numerous. He produces points, he makes everybody around him better and he gives the team a great chance to win. Eries record is 16-1-1, and the excitement he brings to the fans both at home and on the road is measured in ticket revenue. The cost is obvious and fighting, which in and of itself poses definitive risk of injury, offers no benefit. He will continue to draw close checking, even opposing players running at him and potentially the odd cheap shot and him fighting – as he has now done twice this season - will do nothing to stop that. He may derive satisfaction from it, but my feeling is he derives considerably more satisfaction from playing and being the dominant player he has become. McDavid entered action Tuesday vs. Mississauga averaging 2.9 points per game, better than the full year scoring marks of OHL single season points record-holder Bobby Smith (2.8), Wayne Gretzky (2.7) and Eric Lindros (2.6). McDavid and fans are deprived of the chance to see him go for the history books. When you are a star player, attention on and off the ice is to be expected. As a major junior player, McDavid is in the same stratosphere as Gretzky and Sidney Crosby – and there is no record of either of them fighting in the CHL. Do opponents target the best players? Yes, but those players respond in a manner that is far more damaging to an opponent. They beat them up with their enormous skills and leave the game victorious knowing the best response was through their play. Emotion is part of the game and, at times, they get the better of players - even superstars, but it is not a reason to fight when the cost is so much greater than the benefit. Erie Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch lost Joel Wigle, a top 6 right winger who is expected to provide finish, to a broken hand as the result of a fight in the first game of the season; Wigle has not played since. McDavid witnessed that and referenced it as a reason not to get involved in fisticuffs when asked by Bob McKenzie in late September if he ever expected to fight. You can watch that interview here. You can imagine how Knoblauch feels losing McDavid to a fight with Mississaugas Bryson Cianfrone, a second-year Steelhead who until Tuesday had never fought in the OHL or earned a penalty minute this season. We hear, You cant take the emotion out of the game and competitiveness is what makes him special, and on it goes but the reality is that being smart is just as important. More important. I dont think Team Canada head coach Benoit Groulx is extolling the virtues of standing up for yourself and fighting because he knows full well the impact of potentially losing McDavid as does Kris Knoblauch. What does it mean for Team Canada? Every country has injuries and many countires have eligible players in NHL, but as the host country endeavouring to end a five-year gold drought (and two years without a medal), here are who will or could be missing from Team Canada: McDavid, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Drouin, Nate MacKinnon, Curits Lazar, Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair. Canada has great depth, will ice a very good team and understands all too well that each year there will be certain players not available because of their ability to perform well at a young age in the NHL. But while others are unavailable due to being in the NHL, McDavid may find himself on the sidelines due to entirely different reason and that makes Canada a little less formidable. Performing outside your abilities and strengths is never something any coach encourages and whether it was in the heat of the moment or not, Connor McDavid did something you rarely see him do on the ice - make a mistake. Cheap Adidas Lightning Jerseys . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto. Cheap Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys .ca! Hi Kerry, The recent issues in the Boston-Pittsburgh game have highlighted a number of officiating, game control, and player sportsmanship aspects. http://www.cheaplightningjerseys.com/ . And I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my experiences gained through International competition and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Seven NHL referees and six linesmen will be assigned upcoming games in Sochi by the IIHF as part of their 28-man officiating roster comprised of 14 refs and 14 linesmen. Wholesale Lightning Jerseys . Those cheers seemed more special this time because the captains run on Broadway could soon be over. The adoration surely sounded much nicer to Callahan than all the recent trade talk. Cheap Lightning Jerseys . Louis and Ryan Kesler have demanded to be traded.OTTAWA - Kevin Martin, one of the most successful skips in Canadian curling history, will be inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame later this year. The Edmonton native led Canada to a gold medal in mens curling at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He also won four Canadian titles and a world championship over his career. Martin, who announced his retirement from competitive curling in April, won a record 18 events on the World Curling Tour Grand Slam series, including his career-capping victory last month at the Players Championship in Summerside, P.E.I. "It really is a thrill to be named to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and be mmentioned with some of my curling heroes," Martin said in a release.dddddddddddd "The sport of curling has taken me around the world and Ive met some truly wonderful people and had some amazing experiences, while also being blessed with gifted teammates over the years who helped me achieve this. Being named to the Hall of Fame is a great way to cap a career, and Im grateful for the honour." Martin will be inducted along with Dominion Insurance chief executive officer George Cooke, who was the driving force behind the creation Dominion Curling Club Championship (now the Travelers Curling Club Championship) in 2009. ' ' '