Filmographie » even realize this but its a huge sign of respect that a

Have you heard of Buccis Overtime Challenge? Well, this is Buccis Hat Trick Challenge. Whats the challenge part? Regularly coming up with three hits about the World Cup of Hockey. Wednesdays games are Team North America versus Team?Sweden?(3 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Team Europe versus Team Canada (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).1. Why Team USA never had a chance against Canada: While sitting high above the Air Canada Centre ice here in Toronto on Tuesday night, I watched as Team USA was, ironically, melting on the ice below. It was like an ice cream cone on a humid day. You cant really tell that its getting soft at first. Then suddenly it pours over the side and onto your fingers. Do you lick it? Do you run and wash it off? Or do you just sit here, with a dazed, defeated?look of confusion, and let the wet ice cream dry on you?Hockey is hard. And playing hockey against Canada, in Canada, is the hardest. The Canadians had a 90 percent chance to win the World Cup when the rosters were announced. Sweden, Team North America and maybe Russia were the only others teams in the field with a real chance.The over/under on Hall of Famers on this years Canada roster is about nine. No other country can approach that. I went back and quickly looked at the 1996 World Cup rosters. Canadas number for that team was 11 Hall of Famers. I think the number of Hall of Famers on the 96 U.S. roster will end up being seven, so you can see how Team USA had at least a chance. Yet, it was still such an upset for the Americans to win two games in Montreal as slight underdogs. This years USA roster might have two future Hall of Famers. So thats Canada 9, United States 2. That is too big of a disparity to overcome. That explains the outcome in the most simple way.2. Kessel could have helped:?Pittsburgh Penguins?right winger?Phil Kessel (who was tied for 45th in NHL scoring last season) is probably not going to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. But given his speed and the fact that hes always a threat to score, Kessel should have been on Team USAs roster.In some ways, Kessel is the NHLs version of the Cleveland Cavaliers J.R. Smith. Hes kind of out there, unique, unintentionally funny, does his own kind of thing. But he has the kind of talent that can help you beat other talented teams. You deal with his limitations (bad shots, in Smiths case; no body checking by Kessel) and hope that he picks up his defensive intensity with that speed he has. Both players did that last spring for their respective teams -- and both the Pens and Cavs won titles they would not have won without Smith and Kessel.In the end, its like when you picked sides on the playground or gym class when you were a kid. In most cases, you knew which team was the best right away. Occasionally, a team with slightly less talent -- like, say, the U.S. team that won the 1996 World Cup -- could win with great individual efforts (like Mike Richters in 96) and a collective push. If the disparity got too big, however, the more talented and skillful would win 99 percent of the time, as long as they tried and didnt scream at each other.Coming off his Stanley Cup playoffs performance, Kessel was an obvious World Cup choice who, in retrospect, might have been able to Team USA that extra individual effort. His tweet Tuesday night was pure Kessel snark at its finest:What a year for Phil! He won a Stanley Cup, then body-slammed a USA Hockey organization that many feel needs to be dredged and refocused. And he produced a funny and poignant tweet that got more action and traction than did the commentary of many of the writers whom he despises. Give Phil a Pulitzer, too.3. But help is on the way for the USA: Team North America was a great idea, and I love it, but it hurt Team USA. Six or seven American players on Team North America -- which was limited to players 23 or younger -- would have made Team USA had they been eligible. The U.S. does not have the depth of Canada, so the U-23 team hurt them even more than not getting Connor McDavid?hurt Canada.So, not only will the USA have the youngsters for best-on-best events in the future, but more are coming.This current crop of young, U.S.-born players includes some great kids. But they need a person -- and group of people -- to guide them and mold them. Pat Lafontaine, Chris Drury, Jerry York, David Quinn, Nate Leaman, Don Granato, Jon Cooper, Peter Laviolette and many more talented/competitive hockey minds are out there and ready to either lead or contribute to a new day, to be part of a Continental Congress of USA Hockey that will create a road map and one-page outline. Not as a reaction or overreaction to what happened Tuesday night against Canada, but to take an honest assessment and capitalize on the positives, create optimism and instill a culture of selflessness and commitment to the cause.The young Americans are great players. They need a captain to set the tone so USA Hockey can start building a consistent tradition and not just rely on these lightning-storm moments of 1980 and 1996. The foundation is there. It can be done. The USA is winning lots of international hockey events with teenagers. It should continue as they become NHL players.Hockey is expensive, and the challenge of the sport is to keep it from becoming elitist -- either in who it attracts and/or how it molds people into that type of destructive, introverted, tired, selfish thinking. Some passionate people at USA Hockey are fighting for change and are doing good work. But, overall, the organization has a tired, elitist feel to it. Everyone goes to their own room and the kids are all staring at their phones.Team Canada feels like a local youth hockey weekend tournament, where some of the parents get a little carried away but everybody is at the same hotel bar and the kids are all playing knee hockey in the hallway. Everyone is all in. And its fun. Swell Water Bottle Clearance . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Swell Bottle Uk Stockist . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. http://www.ukswellbottle.com/swell-marble-bottle-sale-uk.html . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Swell Bottle Uk Liberty . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Swell Wood Bottle Uk . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. TUKWILA, Wash. -- As he walked off the practice field recently, Brian Schmetzer was greeted in a manner usually reserved for players.The Seattle Sounders coach was pulled aside to sign a poster board, asked to pose for a cellphone picture with a fan and finally chased down to autograph -- of all things -- a shoe.Ive still got another four hours of work, Schmetzer cracked with a grin as he walked away.Schmetzer is a popular guy these days after leading a remarkable turnaround that has landed Seattle in Saturdays MLS title game at Toronto with a chance to add a major piece of hardware missing from the clubs trophy case.Its been a stunning climb, from the depths of the Western Conference standings in July when Schmetzer took over following the dismissal of Sigi Schmid, to the Sounders position now.It always has the opportunity to get better, starting with we put ourselves in the position to have the opportunity to win an MLS Cup, said Schmetzer, a Seattle native who had the interim tag removed from his title in early November. Im proud of that. But hopefully, well all be around here for a few more years and well continue to build on those opportunities to create the moments to create the chances to win more.Schmetzer, 54, is entwined with Seattles soccer history. A star player in previous generations of Seattle soccer franchises. A coach with earlier incarnations of the Sounders at lower levels of American soccer. An assistant coach for the first 7 + years of the MLS franchise. And now the man in charge of leading a remarkable midseason turnaround that has Seattle on the cusp of an unlikely first league championship and the biggest soccer moment in the citys history with the sport.I think because of the story of our year you might have some traction there, Schmetzer said. But I think there have been some big moments. Winning the Supporters Shield in (2014), that team was really good. Again its kind of by era. The championships we won in (2005) and (2007) were prettyy big for that moment in time.dddddddddddd The (1995) team for their moment, the Soccer Bowl appearance in (1982). Its all kind of relative to the era that were kind of playing in. But this one is pretty big.When Schmetzer inherited the lead role on an interim basis in late July, the Sounders were on pace for their worst season in club history. A season that began with promise highlighted by the signing of young American star Jordan Morris had devolved to the point that Schmid, the winningest coach in MLS history, was cast aside.Even though he sat next to Schmid for the entirety of his tenure with Seattle, Schmetzers voice in the locker room became fresh and new. It was respected, in part because Schmetzer gave ownership to his players.Hes given us the team in a way, goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. Some players may not even realize this but its a huge sign of respect that a coach shows the players when he kind of does that. When he says, `Im the chaperone but this is your guys team. I will guide you the best that I can but you guys will make the decisions. You guys will be the ones going to battle. For me its a huge sign of respect he shows the players and I think when players get that feeling they immediately want to repay that respect.He also remained the same person that even the longest-tenured Sounders have come to know. Schmetzer is an original just as much as Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso and Zach Scott -- the only players who have been with Seattle every season since its MLS debut in 2009.A guy who was fiery even from our first training session (in 2009), Evans said. He in was our faces, making sure everything was sharp, quick and to the point. In saying that nothing has changed really. Hes still in your ear, in the back of your mind saying, `faster, quicker, and thats good to keep the guys on their toes. Hes done that since day one. ' ' '