right. That doesnt apply only to Woods; that has been proven with plenty of players over the years.Our sport, you see g

TORONTO -- Sidney Crosby has been surrounded by the best hockey players on the planet at the World Cup of Hockey, and still seems as if he is in a class by himself.Hes probably the best player of our generation, Canada goaltender Carey Price said.The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar has a World Cup-high nine points -- two more than anyone else -- and is within a win of adding another accomplishment to his Hockey Hall of Fame-ready resume. Canada will play Team Europe in Game 2 on Thursday night, leading the best-of-three series 1-0.The eight-nation European team has been led lately by Tomas Tatar, who scored his teams only goal in a 3-1 loss Tuesday night. The Slovakian forward scored twice, including the game-winner, in a 3-2 overtime victory over Sweden in the semifinals on Sunday.Tatar, who plays for the Detroit Red Wings, acknowledged he is inspired by Crosbys greatness. And he knows slowing Crosby down is a key to forcing a Game 3 on Saturday night.Im not saying one guy should be standing by him, but we should be always aware of where he is on the ice, Tatar said.Crosby has been much more effective than he was in his last best-on-best tournament appearance. He had only one goal and two assists at the 2014 Sochi Games, where he won his second Olympic gold medal.In the World Cup opener against the Czech Republic alone, he produced as many points with a goal and two assists in a sensational stretch of the game that lasted less than 20 minutes.Crosby insisted he could not care less that he has already tripled the number of points he had in Russia.I just want to win, he said. At the end of the day, thats what you want to do. In Sochi, it was more about why werent we scoring, low-scoring games, and the teams we were playing were supposed to be winning by a certain amount of goals.At the end of the day, we were winning games, he said. Its always nice to score, but we knew that we had to play a certain way and sometimes that meant not scoring five or six to win.Mike Babcock, Crosbys coach at the previous two Olympics, put Crosby on a line with Boston Bruins teammates Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron at the World Cup. The trio has combined for 22 points in five games.He got feeling it early, Babcock said. And, hes feeling it and he thinks its going in.Crosby has continued the roll he started last season when he won his second Stanley Cup and was named the postseason MVP with 19 points in 24 games. He was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy, coming close to being named NHL MVP for the third time in his career. And, he finished a career-high seventh in voting for the Selke Trophy that recognizes the leagues best defensive forward.Hes been obviously playing really well since last December, said Zdeno Chara, a Team Europe defenseman who also plays for the Bruins. He really raised his game.Canadian and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said Crosby is probably playing better than he ever has.The three tournaments Ive had the opportunity, I would say hes playing unbelievable, Doughty said. Things are working for him now. Hes hot. Not that he didnt play well at the other tournaments, he just didnt get his hot.---Follow Larry Lage at www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at www.bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lageCheap Jerseys From China . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale Jerseys 2020 . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. https://www.wholesalejerseysaaa.com/ .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Wholesale Jerseys 2021 . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St.NASSAU, Bahamas -- Returning to golf was always going to be an easier decision for Tiger Woods than knowing when to leave.One week in the Bahamas is not going to determine that.Woods turns 41 at the end of next month, and for the first time since he started this holiday tournament, he is the oldest player in the field. Age is not the issue, though. It never is in golf. One of the greatest aspects of this sport is that it can be played a few years short of forever.At the elite level, however, thats also its greatest burden.Golf rarely offers a graceful exit.While it didnt cross his mind Monday when Woods played nine holes with Derek Jeter in a breezy atmosphere punctuated by the occasional needle, it was a reminder of how difficult it will be for Woods to leave at the right time, on his own terms.Jeter knew when it was time to go, and his departure was right out of a movie script. He hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth in his final game at Yankee Stadium, and then he hit another RBI single in the final at-bat of his career and received a standing ovation at Fenway Park.Ted Williams hit a home run in his final at-bat. Peyton Manning walked off the field for the last time as a Super Bowl champion. Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his last game with the Los Angeles Lakers.What would be a comparable ending for Woods, or any golfer?I dont know, Woods said with emphasis on the final word. He paused for a brief moment before adding, You cant.Arnold Palmer had the tearful farewell from the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1994, the grand crossing of the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews a year later, an entire week devoted to his departure at the Masters in 2004. His final time playing Bay Hill, he hit driver off the deck to the front of the 18th green and made par.But the King quit keeping score well before that. At the 2001 Pennsylvania Classic at Laurel Valley, the standard bearer removed his score from the sign and Palmer did not turn in a card (he would have shot 90).Gary Player played the Masters for the 52nd time at age 74.You would think that win a major and youre done, Woods said of the ideal exit from golf. But if you win a major, youre going to want to come back and play.Jack Nicklaus never won again after the 1986 Masters he won at age 46. He never missed a major as a pro until the 1998 British Open. Nicklaus playedd the Masters for the last time in 2005 without telling anyone -- he finished on the front nine because of rain delays.ddddddddddddStill, he managed a memorable retirement that summer when he played a major for the last time at St. Andrews. While he missed the cut, Nicklaus birdied the final hole, raised his left arm in that pose made famous at the `86 Masters and said, I knew that hole would move wherever I hit it.Woods isnt ready to think about retirement or he would have left when he had the chance.If you love the game, you can keep coming back, Ernie Els said when assessing Woods return to golf. Otherwise, we can walk away. I have enough of everything. I can go do other stuff. But I still feel I can play decent golf, and I love it. If he has the desire -- and I think he does have the desire, otherwise I think he could have really walked away this time -- then you keep grinding and forget about how good you were. Its where you are now.Woods waited 15 months to heal. He has said his health is no longer an issue, and the final measure will be this week at the Hero World Challenge. His body has aged and his swing has changed. The golf landscape has become even more crowded with younger, disciplined players who grew up in awe of him. They work just as hard, hit the ball farther and make putts that Woods once did.Can he win again? Maybe not this week, but it would be foolish to count him out, majors included. All it takes is one week when everything goes right. That doesnt apply only to Woods; that has been proven with plenty of players over the years.Our sport, you see guys like Jim Furyk just shooting 58, hitting it as far as he does. You can play different ways and still win golf tournaments, Woods said. You cant do that in baseball, football, basketball, tennis. You have your window. And once you miss that window, youre done. Youre starting to see the end of Fed (Roger Federer), and its sad. We can see hes not quite the same. Same with Jetes (Jeter) after he broke his ankle.In golf, you can still have one or two great weeks a year and still win golf tournaments. And if you win two golf tournaments, youve basically had a great year.Its enough to keep him going. For how long, not even he knows. ' ' '