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On all levels the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian Skating Championships was an overwhelming success. In honour of the anniversary, over 80 Canadian champions of the past were in attendance to witness one of the best Canadian Championships in many years. What made this championships so successful was first and foremost the inspired and at times heart wrenching performances of Canadas best as they tried to validate four long years of effort in a few short minutes of competition. What we saw was strength in all of the disciplines. Strength across the board, which reminds me of the good old days - the 1988 Calgary Olympics when Canada had its biggest medal haul in skating at the Games, winning medals in three of the four disciplines. Its interesting to note that this will be the biggest Olympic skating team from this country since those 1988 Games and with the addition of the team event it looks likely that Canada will equal or top that medal total from 26 years ago. The audiences were terrific in Ottawa. They were loud, enthusiastic and large in numbers. The packed house on Saturday got their moneys worth and gave numerous standing ovations in return. Highlights for me were plentiful. The womens competition, which in the past has often been the least hotly contested title, was instead more competitive and intriguing that it has ever been. Kaetlyn Osmond showed her trademark composure and charisma after coming back from a season of injuries to defend her title and to prove that her breakout season last year was no fluke. She has a presence that fills the arena and an elusive blend of raw talent and solid technique which is mixed with the soul of an artist. What I find most appealing in Kaetlyns character is the refusal to take herself or the magnitude of the moment too seriously. Each moment is met with a smile, a giggle or a shrug, and with eyes sparkling. This is supposed to be fun, right? To watch her compete is to believe just that. That it is fun. Gabby Daleman at only 15 years of age showed a feisty competitiveness and raw athleticism on her way to winning silver and a ticket to Sochi. Her triple lutz-triple toe, the most difficult triple-triple combination being executed in the world of womens skating, was as good as they come. This kid can fly and showed a focus and nerve quite remarkable for her age. As good as the two at the top are, the rest of the field showed us that they will continue to be pushed, as the final flight was filled with youth, triple jumps and engaging personalities. This bodes well for the seasons to come. Speaking of youth, in the mens event it was 14-year-old Roman Sadovsky and 15-year-old Nam Nguyen who brought the house to its feet and the scores to new heights in the penultimate flight. These are the numbers that the final group of men were challenged to beat. What we saw was a glimpse of where the next Patrick or Jeffery or Kurt might come from. They were back-to-back exceptional scores, for remarkable performances by young teenagers and once again the future looks bright. Patrick Chan, who came in without challengers due to the fact that Kevin Reynolds was not in peak competition form because of skate malfunctions, was not as sharp as usual and showed signs of his focus being a little split between the here and now, and the larger challenge looming that is the Olympics. But, "not his best" is still world class, and it was the kind of performance that will keep him on his toes without chipping away at his confidence. A rock solid foundation to build on for the games. The drama came in the pairs competition with the intense rivalry building once again between Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch the worlds fourth-ranked pair and world bronze medalists and defending Canadian champions, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. Like last year the teams were separated by less than a point after the short program with Kirsten and Dylan just behind. That meant that they were the first of the two teams to skate in the free program showdown. About the performance in the free, Meagan said "We didnt know what they did before us, but we did hear a New Canadian Record!" and so they knew that the bar had been raised yet again. Both teams set Canadian records that night and both teams brought the fans to their feet in appreciation of the pairs finesse and fearlessness. The evening wound up with the Ice Dance event which was a "something for everyone" type of affair. It was filled with a variety of genres, an abundance of athleticism and dramatic and emotional musical interpretations. The final flight of dance was of such a high standard that the teams fighting for the third Olympic spot knew that only "their very best" and "not a step wrong" would get them there. In the end it was Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam after two seasons of mishaps and heartaches who nailed the Olympic spot. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won silver, wowed the crowd and showed with their fluid and refined Tango that they are absolutely Olympic podium worthy. The final skate of an awesome day fell into the capable hands of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. They closed the show and the final chapter of their competitive life at Canadians with their Olympic free dance, a standing ovation and a final good bye. A fitting end to a fabulous day. Alex Delvecchio Jersey . Gustafsson controlled the first round after getting top position on a throw, and came out much more forcefully in the second, buckling Manuwa with a Muay Thai knee, and finishing him off with strikes on the ground. Ted Lindsay Red Wings Jersey . 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Unlike last year when nobody got in, there have been estimates of as many as five getting voted in this time around and as few as one, Greg Maddux.TORONTO -- One might expect that the school that produced Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell knows a little bit about firepower. Canadian Mackenzie Pridham led the Cal Poly soccer strike force this season with his 14 goals helping set a school record of 43 for the team. "Hes a true goal-scorer," said Cal Poly coach Paul Holocher. "Hes really put up numbers like this throughout his own career but really took off the last two years in particular." Pridham is Cal Polys all-time leading scorer with 27 goals and the first to repeat as Big West Offensive Player of the Year since current Seattle Sounders midfielder Brad Evans did it at UC Irvine standout. Liddell wrestled at Cal Poly from 1988 to 93, graduating with a bachelors degree in business/accounting in 1995. Now retired as a fighter, the former light-heavyweight champion is the UFCs vice-president of business development and still lives in San Luis Obispo. Pridham looks to show his attacking skills at the MLS Combine that opens Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Other Canadians among the 60-plus invited are forward Tesho Akindele from the Colorado School of Mines and Wisconsin midfielder Tomislav Zadro. "Im pretty honoured to be invited," said the 23-year-old Pridham, known as Mac to most of his friends. "Very happy and very excited for what lies ahead." The Combine is followed by the MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 16 in Philadelphia. D.C. United picks first with Philadelphia second. The Vancouver Whitecaps select third, using a Toronto pick obtained in the Eric Hassli trade, and seventh. Montreal chooses 10th and Toronto goes 15th by virtue of a pick obtained from New York in the Bobby Convey trade. Pridham finished sixth among Division I players with 0.70 goals per match, eighth with 14 goals and 10th with 31 points. Those numbers might have been bigger had the Mustangs made the NCAA tournament or had Pridham avoided a late-season injury (he was second in NCAA goal-scoring when he went down). Pridham ranks second all-time in Cal Poly points (58) and multi-goal games (five) and eighth in appearances (70). Pridham was born in Toronto to Canadian parents. Pridhams father is in the tech industry and moved the family, which now calls Saraatoga, Calif.dddddddddddd, home, to California when Mackenzie was a young boy. His relatives remain in Toronto, which he visits annually. A redshirt in 2011 due to an ankle injury, Pridham found his scoring groove as a junior and senior with 11 and 14 goals, respectively. "We really got a style and system down in our program that fit me and my style of play," he said. "I really was able to turn my game around from my injury and get back to how I should be performing." Pridham has a nose for goal and where to be at the right time. "I feel Im very good at taking advantage of those opportunities and trying to be as clinical as I can in finishing them." Six of Pridhams 14 goals this season were game-winners or equalizers. "Hes great in the (penalty) box," said Holocher, a former U.S. international who had MLS stints with San Jose and Chicago. "He has very, very good instincts." Pro soccer is "absolutely" in Pridhams future, according to Holocher. Pridham has already attracted attention north of the border. The six-foot-one 180-pounder trained with Toronto FC last summer and earned invites from the Canadian under-17 and under-20 teams. The Canadian Soccer Association invited him to be part of the 2009 Francophone Games team but the dates clashed with school commitments. His parents and sister are dual citizens and he is in the process of doing the same. Despite his time with Canadian age-group sides, he has not had to declare his international allegiance yet when it comes to soccer. "For right now, my main focus is just getting to play professionally and hopefully making a name for myself so I do have to make that decision," he said. But given his Canadian ties, "it would be hard to veer away from that," he added. "But that being said theres no pressure right now and I havent really thought about it all the way." At Cal Poly, Pridham studied business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship. Midfielder Efrain (Junior) Burgos became the first Mustang taken in the MLS SuperDraft when picked 44th overall by Toronto FC in 2011. Former Cal Poly goalkeeper Patrick McLain signed with Chivas USA in 2012. ' ' '