Kritik und Lob » season opener as

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- If the Tampa Bay Lightnings Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman was a man who liked to engage in the game of what-ifs, hed have a lot of material to work with.Theres the Stanley Cup finals defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. Then theres last Mays conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in which the Lightning held a 3-2 series lead before losing two straight. And before all that, in 2014, he was the most high-profile snub of the Swedish Olympic team in Sochi, the one that lost the final to Canada.But hes not that kind of guy.Instead, hes trying to use the disappointments as fuel for future success.The first weeks after the loss were tough and I was still mad, but then, once I got back to offseason training, it was easier to start looking ahead again, he told ESPN.com recently in Swedish. Now those losses are whats driving me, but its a long [wait]. Also, its a tough league, and all teams are good and getting better, so we cant get ahead of things too much, either.If it were an episode in ESPNs 30-for-30 series, the chance for redemption would come quickly for Hedman and the Lightning. But in real life, a 10-month wait for the next opportunity is long, and if the focus is 10 months away, the chance might never come, Hedman said.Today, there are 30 teams in the NHL fighting for the playoff spots, and only 16 make it there. Our first goal has always been, and is now, to make the playoffs, he said. You cant get ahead of things, but instead, our focus has to be on game No. 1, and then take it from there, and try to form good habits that carry us deep.The Lightning still have their Stanley Cup finals core group intact, thanks to team captain Steven Stamkos decision to re-sign with the team. Hedman sees that as an additional strength for the team.We have good chemistry in the group, and we have a system that we like, he said, but Im sure the fact that weve been through a lot together is a driving force for us all and pushes us to get better.With the Lightning going deep in the playoffs, Hedman hasnt been able to play for Sweden at the world championships the past two years, and since then-coach Par Marts famously left him off the Olympic roster in 2014, its been four years since Hedman has worn his countrys three-crown jersey in an important tournament. That will all change when he suits up for Sweden in the World Cup of Hockey, which begins Sept. 17 in Toronto.Im excited about [playing for Sweden in the World Cup] because it has been a while, even if the fact that its been for the right reasons -- that weve gone deep in the playoffs, he said.Swedens head coach for the World Cup, Rikard Gronborg, spent a decade in the U.S. college system before joining the Swedish federation 10 years ago. The players, without exception, like his style, which they consider more North American than Swedish.He knows the American terminology and what its like to play in the smaller rink, and he understands how big this event is in Canada, said Hedman. He also knows a lot of [opposing] players and their styles.Team Sweden held a preparation meeting in early August, during which the players socialized a bit and listened to their new coachs ideas and thoughts. And shared their ideas with the coach.The coach says how he wants us to play, but he certainly listens to our suggestions, said Hedman. After all, he can give us templates, but we have to execute them on the ice.With players coming from different NHL teams, and a head coach that the players call Americanized, will there even be a Swedish style?Youll see, Hedman said with a grin.We have a lot of talent in all positions. We have a great defense, forwards that are world class, and we have one of the best goalies in the world. Well be creative, use our defense in the offense. Then again, all teams want to play a possession game, and all teams play a similar style, with their own nuances. We just have to do it better than the other teams.But there is one very Swedish thing the Tre Kronor players do when they get together. They do fika, which is Swedish for sitting down with a cup of coffee, talking about this and that, and just taking it easy for a while.We do have a lot of fika, he said. I think Ive had seven or eight cups of coffee.Thats fuel, too. Air Force 270 Store . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Air Force 1 Red Fake . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. http://www.airforce1storesale.com/fake-sf-af1-outlet.html .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Air Force 1 Yellow On Sale . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Air Force 1 Green Cheap . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. DURHAM, N.C. -- The Marist Red Foxes wore black socks trimmed with rainbow colors for their season-opening, 94-49 loss at Duke?on Friday. The socks were used as a sign of unity with the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community in response to North Carolinas controversial House Bill 2 law.Marist coach Mike Maker said his team traveled with about 20 students, many of whom sported red, tie-dyed shirts that read Love is Love on the front and I stand on the right side of history on the back. Maker said the team had the support of the institution, including president David Yellen and athletic director Tim Murray.Marist and Duke share similar missions when it comes to inclusiveness and diversity and the respect they have for all that, Maker said. We met a lot with our players, and most of them decided that itd be a good idea to show support in regards to that issue, and Im very proud of how they handled themselves.Duke was initially scheduled to play Albany in the season opener as part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. Allbany was forced to back out of the deal in July after New York Gov.dddddddddddd Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order that banned all state-sponsored, non-essential travel to the state of North Carolina.Cuomos order was in response to North Carolina passing House Bill 2 into law in March. HB2 is better known as the Bathroom Bill, which included a clause that said transgendered persons must use the public bathroom that corresponds to their gender at birth, and opponents say this allows for discrimination against the LGBT community.Marist is located in Poughkeepsie, New York, but as a private school, it does not have to adhere to the ban.Its an issue that I think resonates through many campuses, Maker said. I think at schools like Duke and Marist, our guys respect that and are aware of the laws in North Carolina. We were here to play a game but at the same time bring attention to the subject as well. ' ' '