Wichtig » , and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager

As owners descend on Florida this week for their annual December meetings, the league and the game itself are at a crossroads, with the NHLs almost-20-year relationship with the Winter Olympics hanging in the balance.Ive covered Winter Olympic tournaments in Italy, Canada and Russia, and I never thought it would come to this. But its time for the NHL to walk away from its longstanding love/hate relationship with the five rings.The International Olympic Committee seems content to let that happen. In April, the IOC announced it would no longer pay the travel and insurance costs of NHL players or the ancillary costs associated with shutting down the NHL on a quadrennial basis.The move has left the International Ice Hockey Federation in the unenviable position of having to beg for scraps from member nations in an effort to placate the NHL and its players. Commissioner Gary Bettman said during the Stanley Cup finals that hes pretty sure that our teams are not really interested in paying for the privilege for disrupting our season. Although?Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin told colleague Pierre LeBrun at the World Cup of Hockey that he plans to play for Russia?in the 2018 Games regardless of the NHLs decision, there appears to be a consensus among players and players association officials weve talked to that they shouldnt be paying to play in the Olympics, given that they do not receive any remuneration for doing so.That the IIHF would try to piece together enough money to cover the costs has already created outrage in the hockey community. Where would that money come from? Even if IIHF president Rene Fasel has the funds, presumably on some level they would come at the expense of developing the game in Canada, the United States and other hockey nations. And that would be a disgrace.Before the NHL first joined the Olympics, for the Nagano Games in 1998, it was hard to imagine what the tournament would look like, with the worlds best players all gathered in one place on sports grandest stage. Five Olympic tournaments later, its perhaps even more difficult to picture what the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, might look like without hockeys brightest stars.An Olympic hockey tournament without NHL players would definitely be different. Would it be diminished? Probably. But maybe less so than you might think.The fact that the NHL is on the verge of walking away from the Olympics -- a prospect more likely now that the players have rejected the leagues offer?to extend the current collective bargaining agreement by three years in exchange for Olympic participation?-- reinforces the fact that nothing about hockey and the Games is black and white.Have there been memorable Olympic moments? Of course.Sidney Crosbys golden overtime winner over the U.S. in Vancouver in 2010 capped one of the greatest games of all time and put a cherry on top of one of the greatest best-on-best tournaments ever. From start to finish, the Vancouver Games were chock-a-block with dynamic performances and compelling games.And there was Canadas seminal gold medal win in 2002 in Salt Lake City, with Wayne Gretzky at the helm, which erased 50 years of disappointment in mens Olympic hockey for the country. The semifinal game between Russia and the U.S., the team beaten by Canada in the 02 gold medal game, was among the most dramatic in international play.What about the other tournaments? Well, thats the problem.When the game is played on NHL-sized ice,?as was the case in Vancouver, rather than on an Olympic-sized rink, the game is more enthralling. Its as simple as that.When we talk about the Olympics in terms of growing the game, what game are we talking about growing? The NHL game and the Olympic one are sometimes mutually exclusive. Forget the time difference and the difficulties of scheduling Olympic games during North American prime time. The more important question -- and ultimate incentive for owners -- is: Did the Olympic games in Japan, Italy and Russia do anything to promote the NHL game globally?The answer is pretty simple: No.Olympic games played on international-sized ice, which is 15 feet wider, are not NHL quality. Its not even close. To be blunt, its often unwatchable.Can you name memorable moments from those non-North American Olympic tournaments?A few: Canadas shootout loss to the Czech Republic in the semifinals of the Nagano Games, in which Gretzky was inexplicably left on the bench. The U.S.s shootout win over Russia in a round-robin game in Sochi that made multiple shooter?T.J. Oshie (T.J. Sochi?) a minor celebrity outside the game for a few days was great theater. But it was ultimately a meaningless contest, as both teams finished out of the medals.Two shootouts, a device the NHL is working to weed out of its game back in North America -- thats what we think of.What else? How about the Swedes tacit acknowledgement that they tanked a round-robin game against Slovakia in 2006 to gain an easier route to the gold-medal game, in which they beat Finland? Or the Americans smashing up their dorm rooms in Nagano after an early exit from the tournament?Canada was defensively dominant in Sochi in a way that might never be matched in international best-on-best play. But werent we talking about growing the game? Im not sure watching Canada squash the life out of all comers for a fortnight is the best way to attract legions of new fans around the globe.If the powers that be could guarantee that the Olympics in South Korea would be played on NHL ice, Id be all for it. Same for Beijing in 2022. Bring it on.But that isnt going to happen. And for every shining, mark-your-life-calendar-by-it moment such as Crosbys overtime winner, therell be dozens of Olympic games that are pedestrian and largely forgettable.And so, as the NHL edges closer to making the seminal decision to quit the Games, we contemplate the clash of the Olympic mythology -- the idea that Olympic hockey is grand and important and compelling -- with the reality that, more often than not, it is none of those things.It makes it easier to let go when you look at it that way.Wholesale Air Jordan 5 . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Jordan 5 For Sale Cheap . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. http://www.airjordan5canada.com/ .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Jordan 5 Cheap Authentic . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Jordan Retro 5 Canada . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.SEATTLE -- After weeks of mostly poor performances, Marco Estrada once again flirted with a no-hitter for Toronto.And just when the Blue Jays needed that quality of a performance.Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth -- an inning that ended on Kevin Pillars sliding catch to save a run -- but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases before Canos single.Estradas outing was exactly what the slumping Blue Jays needed. They arrived in Seattle having dropped two straight and four of six, and their wild-card lead dwindled in the process. Estrada was partly to blame for the September swoon. In his previous six starts, he was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.But he was brilliant against the Mariners, keeping the thousands of Blue Jays fans that made the trip south from British Columbia cheering all night as Toronto pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.Im not really sure whats been going on, as the game gets going I start to struggle a little bit, Estrada said. We looked at video and there have been little things here and there that we caught. We changed it up and felt pretty good today.Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.The final six outs were trying for the Blue Jays. Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs in the eighth, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-piitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.dddddddddddd.Closer Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osunas 34th save.We know whats ahead of us, and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. I thought our guys gave a really good effort tonight, just wasnt enough.Encarnacions two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.NEAR MISSESEstrada has never completed a no-hitter, but hes been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.Its not something that I was focused on. Obviously if it would have happened it would have been incredible but it didnt. Cano hit a pretty good pitch, Estrada said.DONALDSON TOSSEDTorontos Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroys face and was quickly tossed.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Bostons Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Angels. ' ' '