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With the Olympic Games wrapping up in Sochi, the debate about who should carry the Canadian flag into the Closing Ceremony can begin. Chris Kaman Blazers Jersey . Its been a successful Games for Canada, which will finish near the top of the medal standings again. From repeat gold medal winners to multiple medal winners to undefeated teams to acts that define the Olympic spirit, there are many solid candidates who could be considered to receive the honour. Who do you think should carry the flag for Canada on Sunday? Four years ago, Alexandre Bilodeau made history by winning Canadas first Olympic gold medal on home soil. He followed that up by defending his title in moguls this year. He is set to retire at seasons end so this would be a fitting way to honour his accomplishments. Bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse also won gold in Vancouver, a first in the womens event, and earned their way back to the top of the podium again in Sochi. Jennifer Jones and her rink from Winnipeg didnt lose a game in womens curling, going 9-0 in the round robin before beating Great Britain and Sweden in the playoffs. Canada has shown well in curling since its inception into the Olympics as an official sport in 1998 but has yet to have a flag bearer from the sport. "Were going to have that little OR — Olympic record — next to our name forever," Jones said after the final game. "Its one of those records that can only be tied and never broken. Well always be remembered." Speed skater Denny Morrison has been the lone Canadian athlete to win multiple medals in individual disciplines, taking the silver in the 1,000m event and bronze in the 1,500m. However, if not for the unselfish act of teammate Gilmore Junio, Morrison may have come up empty in Sochi. Junio stepped aside to let Morrison race the 1,000m event and the move paid off for Canada. Morrison then went on to win his bronze medal but it all started with Junio putting the team before himself. "People talk about it as being a huge sacrifice, but I dont see it that way," Junio said. "It was such an easy decision. It was such a simple decision for me. It was about giving Canada a chance to win a medal." It was actually Morrison who started a campaign on Twitter to have Junio carry the flag. "@cdnhappygilmore for Closing Ceremonies flag bearer! This guy showing everything that is Canadian pride and Olympic Pride. #ThankYouGilmore," Morrison tweeted as the #GilForFlagBearer campaign gained popularity. Along the same lines, theres Justin Wadsworth, the cross-country skiing coach who ran onto the course to help a Russian skier who had broken a ski. "I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line," Wadsworth said. That is the essence of good sportsmanship. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters captured Canadians attention on the first day of competition with Justine winning the gold and Chloe the silver in moguls skiing. And then theres hockey. Forward Marie-Philip Poulin and goaltender Shannon Szabados were key players in Team Canadas march to gold, especially in Thursdays riveting come-from-behind overtime victory. And what if the mens team were to follow suit on Sunday? Should Sidney Crosby or Carey Price warrant some consideration? There are many great candidates who have stood out among the throng of superb athletes in Sochi these past two weeks. But only one individual can carry the flag. Who do you think should have the honour of carrying Canadas colours into the stadium on Sunday? As always, its Your! Call. Terry Porter Jersey . One night after scoring 43 points in a 100-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, James sat out the game with back spasms and the Heat lost for the first time in their three games without him this season. Al-Farouq Aminu Blazers Jersey . -- The Erie Otters won their eighth straight game with a four-goal outburst in the third en route to an 8-4 win over the Sarnia Sting in Ontario Hockey League play Saturday.Tonight at 7:05pm et a referee will drop the puck to kick off the 2013-14 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first round is always the toughest brand of hockey and the most difficult for the Officials to work effectively. Finishing on top of a division does not always guarantee advancement beyond the first playoff round as we have seen through several upsets in recent years. This years matchups will guarantee that some legitimate Cup contenders will be eliminated with a one and done series appearance. The margin for victory between all the teams is very slim and mistakes made by players and officials are magnified at this time of year. Simply put, mistakes can be the difference between a team and an official from going on in the playoffs or going home! Last night I joined James Duthie for a brief segment in the playoff preview show shot in Studio 9 at TSN where I will be monitoring games and officials calls on a nightly basis throughout the first round. James asked me what I will be looking for from the Officials the moment the playoffs begin. My response was for strict adherence to the letter of the law. The rules do not change during the playoffs and neither should the expected standard of enforcement! The referees have often been accused of putting their whistles away during the playoffs. Far too many times we have seen the score and time of a game factored into the refs judgment as to what constitutes an obvious penalty. I cited a game between the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens from the final weekend of the regular season as an example of what we should hope from the referees throughout this postseason. In that game, referee Gord Dwyer awarded a penalty shot to Brian Gionta in overtime when the Habs captain was tripped from behind at the Rangers blue line by Raphael Diaz. Gionta was chasing a loose puck at the time he was fouled and therefore did not have possession and control of the puck. This aspect of the play could have offered the referee an out to take an easier path and simply assess a minor penalty for tripping. Instead, referee Dwyer made the correct judgment as stipulated in rule 24.8 (iii) that Brian Gionta would have obtained possession and control of the puck and was denied a reasonable chance to score. The game ended when Brian Gionta scored on the ensuing penalty shot awarded by the referee. Kudos to referee Dwyer for making this perceived ttough call (video link). Damian Lillard Jersey. In reality the more difficult position a referee will place himself in is if he attempts to manage the game by letting an obvious infraction go uncalled. This often sets a chain of events in motion that is difficult for the ref to recover from. The subsequent infraction committed by the other team is usually worse than the previous one he let go. By applying a sense of fairness, the official feels helpless to call that next penalty and the standard becomes lost. The best deterrent for a player to avoid committing an infraction is the fear that he will be placing his team at a disadvantage by incurring a penalty. When that fear factor no longer exists as a result of the refs whistle being put away the game can deteriorate and the integrity of the outcome placed in jeopardy. Anarchy can result until an automatic penalty is called such as puck over the glass or too many men on the ice and a semblance of order is restored! This negative influence on a game can be avoided it the referees call the obvious infractions that are committed regardless of the score or time in a game. Whenever the officials make the tough but correct call they must receive the support of the Officiating Department heads. Management needs to demonstrate their courage by publicly backing the officials when they make the right call at a crucial time in the game. A season long subjective performance evaluation has been tabulated by the Officiating and Hockey Operations Department on each referee and linesman to determine selection to the playoffs. Congratulations and best of luck to the following officials that have been selected to the first round: Referees Francis Charron, Paul Devorski, Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Dave Jackson, Mark Joannette, Steve Kozari, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Brad Meier, Dean Morton, Dan OHalloran, Dan ORourke, Chris Rooney, Tim Peel, Kevin Pollock, Francois St.-Laurent, Justin St.Pierre, Kelly Sutherland, Brad Watson Linesmen Derek Amell, Steve Barton, David Brisebois, Lonnie Cameron, Scott Cherry, Michel Cormier, Greg Devorski, Scott Driscoll, Darren Gibbs, Shane Heyer, Brad Kovachik, Matt MacPherson, Steve Miller, Brian Murphy, Jonny Murray, Derek Nansen, Brian Pancich, Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers, Mark Shewchyk The hockey world will be watching closely as each of you display the courage and good judgment necessary to get the job done. Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China cheap jerseys factory ' ' '
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