Canadas World Junior team is once again preparing itself for Christmas overseas. Adidas Rogie Vachon Jersey . Seeking to break a four-year gold medal drought, the hopes of Canadas under-20s will be looking towards Malmo, Sweden in hopes that this years crop can at least get back into the medals if not back to the top. But success overseas has not always been a guarantee for the Canadian World Juniors. Since the establishment of the Program of Excellence in 1981, the Canadian side has dominated tournaments held in North America, compiling a 76-12-3 record (.852 winning percentage) over 14 tournaments. Canada has only once failed to medal on their home continent (and that tournament was played in Alaska), racking up seven gold, five silver and one bronze. The track record has not been quite the same in Europe. While Canada has actually won more gold (eight) overseas, the European-hosted tournaments have provided some of Canadas greatest heartbreaks. The record itself isnt all that bad: 83-24-15 (.742 winning percentage) and Canada has actually won more golds in Europe than they have in North America, racking up eight - along with two silver and three bronze – over 18 tournaments since the start of the Program of Excellence. Hidden in that record, however, are some of the more painful memories in Canadas World Junior lore. The Piestany punch-up, the Heartbreak in Helsinki as well as Canadas two worst finishes since the 1982 tournament all came overseas. So, whats to blame for the difference? Certainly the added boost from fan support has helped their North American performance. After all, even the five tournaments held on American soil (save Anchorage) were close enough to the border to draw enterprising Canadian fans to the games. The flip side of that coin is the travel – and particularly the unfamiliarity during the holiday season – which must certainly weigh on the teenagers selected to wear the Maple Leaf abroad. While several players have had experience abroad through the Under-18 World Championship tournaments and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial, those are summertime events that disrupt neither the players regular season junior schedules, nor their personal holiday traditions. Looking back particularly through Canadas history at World Junior tournaments hosted in Sweden, there is reason for optimism for Canadian fans looking forward to the 2014 Championship in Malmo. Canadas juniors are 16-2-2 in the last three Swedish-hosted tournaments having won a pair of golds and a bronze medal. Canadas last visit will be particularly memorable, with Jonathan Toews and Carey Price forging an unforgettable semifinal shootout performance against the United States en route to a gold medal at the 2007 tournament. In total Sweden has hosted the World Juniors five times and four since the Program of Excellences foundation with Canada finishing no worse than fourth since the Nykoping tournament in 1984. Karlstad hosted in 1979 with Canada finishing fifth on a team that featured future NHL All-Stars Brad McCrimmon and Brian Propp. So, how will Malmo treat the 2014 team? History dictates a medal is likely in the cards, since Canada has never failed to medal in successive tournaments since 1982. However, trends over the last 20 years have dictated that the golds come in clusters with a drought in between. Seven tournaments passed between the “Drive for Five” and the recent five-gold run ignited by the super-team featuring Sidney Crosby in 2005. Will Canada be able to cap the drought at four tournaments without gold? Rediscovering their luck in Sweden might well be the first step towards doing so. Adidas Kelly Hrudey Jersey . Even if he is shooting 38 per cent from the field overall this season, the Utah Jazz rookie always feels like his final shot is going in. Adidas Kings Jerseys . "Yes, Id like to get them in," Detroits rookie manager said. "Mother Natures going to have a say in that." Sure enough, the Tigers had their game against the Kansas City Royals postponed because of rain on Thursday. http://www.kingshockeypro.com/adidas+teddy+purcell+kings+jersey . The same for both the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.LONDON -- Total prize money for this years Wimbledon tournament will reach 25 million pounds ($42 million), an increase of 10.8 per cent that will mostly favour the early-round losers. The All England Club said Tuesday that the mens and womens singles champions will each receive 1.76 million pounds ($2.9 million), a 10 per cent increase on last years top prize won by Andy Murray and Marion Bartoli. By comparison, this years French Open champions will receive 1.65 million euros ($2.3 million) while Stanislas Wawrinka and Li Na earned $2.65 million for their wins at the Australian Open in January. U.S. Open organizers have yet to announce the prize money for this years tournament. The main increases at Wimbledon are for the early losers, with players who fail to get past the third round receiving prize money worth 12.5 per cent more than in 2013. "Weve placed emphasis on the large group of players who need our help the most, those players who lose in qualifying and in the early rounds of the championships," Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook said. "We also had an eye to being competitive internationally, and we do keep our watch on what is going on in other tennis events and in particular the other Grand Slams." The grass-court Grand Slam will be played from June 23-July 6. In keeping with player demands for a larger slice of Grand Slam revenues, all four majors have greatly increased their prize money in the past two years, with Wimbledon offering the biggest amount following a record 40 per cent increase last year. The French Open now offers more than 25 million euros ($34.5 million) while the U.S. Open increased its purse to $34.3 million and the Australian Open went up to AU$33 million ($31 million). The Wimbledon prize money for the majority of singles players who lose in the first three rounds of the grass-court tournament has been increased by more than 100 per cent over a three-year period. The main increase this year is for first-round losers, with each receiving 27,000 pounds ($45,450), 14.9 per cent more than last year. "This year weve got a very generous increase once again," Brook said. &quuot;We wanted to build on the focus from 2012 and 2013. Adidas Robyn Regehr Jersey. ." There will also be an increase of 8.7 per cent in prize money for doubles and a 6.1 per cent increase for mixed doubles. In all, an extra 2.4 million pounds ($4 million) is up for grabs compared to last year. Brook said plans to build a retractable roof on Court No. 1 are still on track pending planning approval, with an application to be submitted later this year. The roof, similar to the one on Centre Court, should be completed in 2019, and court capacity will be increased by 900 seats to 12,400. Brook also confirmed the tournament will start a week later in 2015 to create a three-week gap between the French Open and Wimbledon, with the mens final on July 12. "Hopefully with the extra week more players will be encouraged to compete on grass," Brook said. Seedings for this years tournament will be announced on June 18. Brook said defending champion Murray, who has slipped to eighth in the rankings, will stay among the top seeds thanks to his strong record on grass over the past two years. Wimbledons seeding order is determined using the ATP rankings and points are added for achievements in grass-court tournaments in the past 12 months. "And we add to that 75 per cent of the best-performing tournament in the previous year," Brook said. "For Andy Murray, as the winner of Queens last year and the winner here last year, and a finalist here in 2012, there will be a significant impact on him." Brooks said the seedings will also have "significant impact" on seven-time champion Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Brook said. Brook did not comment on speculation of a possible return to competition by Bartoli ahead of Wimbledon. The 29-year-old Frenchwoman retired suddenly after a loss at Cincinnati last August, explaining that her body could no longer take the strain after 14 years as a pro. When asked if her entourage had been in touch recently and if Bartoli would be granted a wild card if she asked for one, Brook said: "The rumours in France have not reached London yet, so well wait and see." 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