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.
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-- 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
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