TORONTO -- Mario Lemieux was the unofficial greybeard of Team Canada when the last World Cup of Hockey was played 12 years ago. Wholesale Titans Jerseys .This time around, the role falls to 37-year-old Joe Thornton, who played alongside Lemieux in 2004 and is being counted on this time for leadership and talent that have withstood the test of time.Thornton finished fourth in NHL scoring last season, compiling 82 points in 82 games for the San Jose Sharks. He added another 21 points in 24 playoff games, reaching his first-ever Stanley Cup Final.Joe Thornton, when you look at his season last year, hes playing great hockey, Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong told the Canadian Press.Armstrong says Thornton is still one of the best passers in hockey, and indeed his 63 assists last season were only topped by Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson. Thornton is the runaway leader in assists since he entered the league in 1997, 212 ahead of second-place Jaromir Jagr. Thornton also has the most points (1,341) of any player in that span, more than 100 points up on Jagr.Canada coach Mike Babcock said Thorntons inclusion on the roster, which came at the initial exclusion of much younger players like Logan Couture, Corey Perry, Ryan OReilly and Taylor Hall, was based on merit. His offensive gifts, which have already been apparent in exhibition play, were too much to ignore.He obviously was a guy that played well enough and played good enough and was important enough on his team, Babcock said.Armstrong was intrigued by how San Jose used Thornton last season, mostly on the wing alongside Joe Pavelski. A plodding skater who didnt make the 2014 Olympic squad in Sochi, Thornton also seemed a better fit for the NHL-sized rink in Toronto where the World Cup will be played, though Armstrong said his inclusion was based on performance, not the ice surface.Thornton, who last represented Canada at the 2010 Olympics, hadnt given much thought to cracking the World Cup roster before getting the invitation this summer.It was just one of those things where you just kind of play, dont think about it and then you get chosen, said Thornton, still oozing energy even after more than 1,500 NHL games.It could be the last time he wears red and white on the international stage, though hes hinted at playing on. Hes already won Olympic (2010) and world junior gold (1997) as well as the crown at that 2004 World Cup, one of two players returning for Team Canada. Jay Bouwmeester is the other.Thornton recalls that `04 squad fondly. The group went undefeated (6-0-0) and included Lemieux as well as other future Hall of Famers Scott Niedermayer, Martin Brodeur and Joe Sakic. Thornton, 25 at the time, set up two of three goals in Canadas 3-2 win over Finland in the final. The Canadians hope hes still got that magic.Ive still got another 10 years (left), said a grinning Thornton, so maybe the next World Cup, Ill play in it, too. Tennessee Titans Jerseys China . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Titans Jerseys China . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. http://www.cheaptitansjerseysauthentic.com/ . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Once upon a time, when Sundays were as cloudless as our clarity of purpose, we would have donned our whites and taken to the field, and there the modern world would be held at bay for a few sweet, sweet hours by its great antidote, village cricket. But the wheel of fate is ever spinning and before long we slid off the teamsheet, distracted by family, work and the myriad other calls upon our time. Sulking in our tents like so many modern-day Achilleses, we could only slowly appreciate when the game might fit back into our lives, or we might fit our lives back into the game. And when, finally, we are tempted back into the fray, we search for our old armour in vain.And theres the rub: what do we do about equipment? Do we kit ourselves up to the eyeballs or just stroll out with the barest of bare necessities? Theres a fine line to be walked here, and its the one between the pavilion and the middle. And back.As we all know, cricket is played largely in the head (certainly my best innings have taken place there), but its not just our attitude or expectations that count: the opposition has a part to play here, too. No one wants to be that player, do they? The one whose journey to the middle (and back again) is accompanied by the fateful words all the gear, no idea.But if we judge a player by the gear they sport, or their journey to the crease, we are fools and may well end up hoist by our own petard.I am told that when I walk out to bat against a new team, they can be somewhat worried. Not because my swagger is akin to that of some legendary Greek warrior, my bat cutting slices in the air like a demiurges scimitar, but because my gait is, well, Im not sure how best to describe it, other than to say it wouldnt strike fear into your average penguin. Teams have been known to ask the umpire if they should bowl nicely, and how the hell Im going to run between the wickets.But my problem with cricket isnt Parkinsons, its lack of talent. Of course, it doesnt help that my bat shakes, my feet wont move and my left-hand grip is fast diminishing, but once Im out of the blocks, Im plenty quick enough to steal singles. My appearance makes expectations dip, %0