CALGARY -- Sidney Crosby would like to be on the ice this week at Hockey Canadas Olympic orientation camp. Marc Gasol Jersey . So would Roberto Luongo. Instead, the high cost of insurance will limit them to some optional off-ice workouts and maybe some golf on the side. But Hockey Canada figures that no skating is no problem for the players who travelled to Calgary for a few days of meetings, bonding and information-sharing in preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. "It would be nice, but its not the case and I still think we can get a lot out of these few days without skating," said Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain who scored the gold-medal-winning goal in Vancouver in 2010. "There will be a lot of information being thrown out there and well have to learn a lot in a short period of time, but I think everyone is kind of excited for that." Those who went through this experience four years ago before the Vancouver Olympics remember it fondly. They were able to skate then, something that allowed coach Mike Babcock to at least get a rough idea of line combinations. General manager Steve Yzerman would have liked that extra preparation, but as assistant coach Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins pointed out, not having the luxury of skating gives the staff a "great opportunity to do something different." "What you do in the next three days, weve learned over time really matters," said assistant Ken Hitchcock, who coaches the St. Louis Blues. "The terminology that Mike talks about that we put in the next two days, the systems, the walk-throughs, are really, really important because all of us at the end of this event, we get onto our own teams and we dont think about it until we get on the plane. Having that information that the players can draw from, we can go back and hit familiar ground right away." Creating some familiar ground is one of the main goals in the next couple of days. Many of the players at least know each other, but as Kevin Lowe, president of the Edmonton Oilers, noted, theres no way to underestimate "camaraderie and relationships" going into the Olympics. Spending time together is one thing players said theyre trying to get out of this experience. "I know a lot of them are going to be my opponents during the season; some of them are pretty close friends that I havent seen in while, so its a plus," said Ottawa Senators defenceman Marc Methot. "And being around some great hockey people, theres always an opportunity to learn a lot of cool new things. And were still getting a couple workouts in. Theyre optional workouts, but we are working out, so its not a complete loss, physically." Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf emphasized the need to stay in a workout routine, which also might be the biggest downside of not skating at this camp. "I dont think it matters from a standpoint of preparing for the Olympics. I think that were all professional players here, were all playing relatively the same game. Theres no big hockey secret out there," Getzlaf said. "I think that the only thing that would be nice to keep on skating because were getting prepared for our own (NHL training) camps. This is a big chunk, this is almost a whole week where were not going to get our skates in." San Jose Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle, 37, was "thrilled" not to be skating because he hadnt ramped up his off-season regimen too much before going to Calgary. Oilers left wing Taylor Hall would love the opportunity to skate with a lot of talented potential teammates, but he was relieved because hes not yet in peak shape to do so. Players generally didnt protest the lack of on-ice activities because the insurance issue was out of their hands. Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson estimated that with contracts totalling about $1.5 billion, it just got too expensive to insure them and allow players to lace up their skates. "I dont think its anything major," said Luongo, who won gold in Vancouver in 2010. "Its always fun to go on the ice with the countrys best players and it kind of kicks off your season a little bit one you do that. Its going to be a good time here even though were not skating. But it wouldve been nice to maybe stop a few pucks." These players will get their chances to skate with teammates soon enough, when NHL camps open next month. "Guys have been working out and guys have been skating a lot recently," Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said. "Maybe a little break is going to be nice before you really go hard for two weeks heading into (training) camp. ... Its not like even if we were going on the ice were going to be doing a lot of tough, tough situation things. Were probably going to get the same results by going over things with coaches, watching video and things like that." Thats where Babcocks coaching comes in. He said theres "no sense worrying" about not skating, simply adjusting to the situation on the fly. The Detroit Red Wings coach singled out everyone getting to know each other and implementing the details of how Canada is going to play in Sochi as two important pieces of camp. The third element is far more wide-ranging. "Being an Olympian to me is much bigger than just being part of a regular hockey team," Babcock said. "Youre part of a bigger team: the Canadian team. Thats not just the Canadian hockey team, thats the Canadian Olympic team. I think its a special, special thing. When you get special opportunities, your preparation should be the same. Our preparation this week has to be gold-medal preparation." Mario Chalmers Jersey .J. Hardy to avoid a three-game sweep after blowing a big early lead. Odour had a leadoff single in the seventh and scored the tiebreaking run with the help of two errors by Hardy as the Rangers went on to beat the Orioles 8-6 on Thursday night. Zach Randolph Jersey . The team announced that it exercised the options on 15 players including goalkeepers Evan Bush, Maxime Crepeau and Troy Perkins, defenders Matteo Ferrari, Karl W. http://www.thegrizzliesofficial.com/Authentic-Shareef-Abdur-Rahim-Grizzlies-Jersey/ .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to complete a sweep of the Washington Capitals when the clubs cap a quick home-and-home series Tuesday night in the Steel City. SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants were working Wednesday to reach agreement with left-handed reliever Javier Lopez on a three-year contract. San Francisco assistant general manager Bobby Evans said the sides were "close," but a physical wouldnt be scheduled until an agreement had been reached. A day after signing right-hander Tim Hudson to a $23 million, two-year contract, the Giants were busy trying to add to an already-talented pitching staff. Among the top priorities of Evans and general manager Brian Sabean this off-season was to retain Lopez, if possible, while realizing he would be a popular player on the free-agent market. Discussions have been ongoing for some time. The 36-year-old is part of a deep and experienced bullpen. He went 4-2 with a 1.83 ERA in 69 appearances and 39 1-3 innings this year, when the Giants missed the playoffs one season after winning their second World Serries in three years. Mike Conley Jersey. Signing Lopez to a multiyear deal would give the Giants two lefties in the bullpen for the next two seasons. Jeremy Affeldt received an $18 million, three-year contract last November. In addition, starters Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain are signed long term, along with 2012 NL MVP and batting champion catcher Buster Posey. Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum landed a $35 million, two-year deal late last month. San Francisco acquired Lopez from at the 2010 trade deadline from Pittsburgh for John Bowker and Joe Martinez, and he quickly emerged as a reliable option for manager Bruce Bochy as the club made an improbable run to the citys first World Series championship since moving West in 1958. Lopez just completed an $8.5 million, two-year contract signed in fall 2011 that paid him $4.25 million each season. NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Authentic Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys ' ' '