SOCHI — Hayley Wickenheiser not only will carry the Canadian flag in the opening ceremonies on Friday, the hockey legend also carries high hopes for a fourth-consecutive Olympic gold medal and for the womens game as a whole. Sam Dekker Jersey . But before her work on the ice begins, shes going to savour a special moment at Sochis Fisht Olympic stadium on Friday. "Just going to enjoy it and take it all in and, you know, honour the fact that I have this opportunity and that my family is going to be in the building," said Wickenheiser, who hails from Shaunavon, Sask. "So its going to be a fun night, said the Olympic veteran," who will have 11 family members in Sochi. The 35-year-old Wickenheiser is well aware that if the womens tournament evolves as presumed with a Canada-United States gold-medal final on Feb. 20, the scrutiny will continue as to whether womens hockey belongs in the Olympics. But shes been around the international game for two decades, when she cracked the Canadian roster as a 15 year old in 1994, and she sees progress. Womens game in good shape “I always worry about the future of womens hockey, mainly because of the fact that most of the world pays attention to womens hockey only for two weeks out of every four years,” Wickenheiser said. “I dont worry about the womens game when I look at every game and what goes on internationally. “I look at Team Japan and what [current coach and former Canadian player] Carla MacLeod has been able to do to get that team to an Olympic Games, which is a huge accomplishment for a country. You look at Finland and how they centralize their under-18 and national teams. You look at Sweden and you look at Russia what Alexei Yashin [the teams general manager] has been able to do with his team.” Still, the Russians, Swedes, Finns and Swiss need to exhibit that they have closed the gap. But that wont be easy because Canada and the U.S. continue to elevate its level of play. “This is a dilemma womens hockey is always going to face. But the reality is were so much further ahead in this time span than say where mens hockey was in [after the first five Olympics]. I think the [womens] game has really come a long way in five Olympics.” Will this be Wickenheisers final Olympics? She wont decide on whether to continue or conclude her decorated career, that includes three Olympic gold medals, seven world championships and playing pro mens hockey in Finland and Sweden, until after the final buzzer sounds in Sochi. So what keeps Wickenheisers competitive clock ticking? “The No. 1 thing is a love of sport,” said the six-time Olympian said, who also competed for Canada in softball at the 2000 Sydney Games. “Ive loved hockey since the day I first put on skates when I was five years old. I have had a passion to play all these years. “I love being part of Team Canada and having the opportunity to win, and thats the main driving force now.” Nagano loss still hurts She forgot to mention that shes never been a good loser. At a team gathering on Monday evening, Wickenheiser and Hefford and assistant coach Daniel Goyette described the emptiness and hurt they felt when they finished second in 1998. “The worst thing in the world is to stand on the blue line with a silver medal around your neck,” she said. “It stays with you for a while.” There was some speculation that Wickenheiser wouldnt be around for the Sochi Games. There was some thought her game had dropped off and she was dealing with some injuries. “You battle injuries and you go through a lot of things as an athlete, but I could picture in my mind what I needed to do to get ready to play in these Games,” she said. “I guess its always a fragile existence as an athlete. Any day something can happen and your games are over, like we saw yesterday with the snowboarder (Norway slopestyle gold-medal contender Torstein Horgmo broke his collarbone during a trail run). “Im very grateful to be sitting here … and to have had the longevity Ive had.” (With files from CBC Saskatchewan) Clippers Jerseys . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. Danilo Gallinari Jersey . Hall had a goal and three assists in a 5-4 loss to San Jose on Tuesday, had an assist in each of Edmontons next two games the capped the week with a goal and two assists in the Oilers 4-2 win over Anaheim on Sunday. http://www.clippersnbateamshop.info/louis-williams-clippers-jersey/ . The 23-year-old Poland international is back as first choice at Arsenal after losing his regular spot in the team on occasions over the last three seasons.RIDGEDALE, Mo. -- Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk teamed to win the Champions Tours Legends of Golf on Sunday, and Jim Colbert and Jim Thorpe topped the Legends Division for players 65 and older. Sluman and Funk finished with a 6-under 48 at rainy Top of the Rock, the first par-3 course used in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, to beat Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen by a stroke. Sluman holed a 6-foot par putt for the victory on the final hole. "For some reason Ive always done well in these team-type events," Sluman said. "I dont know what it is." The winners finished at 20-under 159. They opened with an 11-under 61 in better-ball play on the regulation Buffalo Ridge course and had a 50 on Saturday on the par-3 layout. Sluman also won last year, teaming with Brad Faxon in Savannah, Georgia. "Maybe Ive got a good eye for partners," Sluman said. Funk was quick to return the complement. "Hes the common denominator," Funk said. Sluman won for the sixth time on the Champions Tour, and Funk for the ninth. Haas and Jacobsen, the second-round leaders, shot 50. Haas missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of the day. "Im disappointed because I hit a beautiful iron in there and it was as easy a putt as you can get, straight up the hill, and I just pulled it a little bit," Haas said. "Were mixed emotions right now. Were very happy to have finished second, but we had an opportunity. You just dont get that many, so its nice to take advantage of them when you do. Sluman and Funk had a 1-under 26 in the opening alternate-shot nine and cllosed with a 5-under 22 in the best-ball nine. Jerome Robinson Jersey. "It seemed like they kept hitting it to three feet. The first five or six holes they hit it to three feet and made birdie," Jacobsen said. "Youre not going to get more clutch than those two guys." Craig Stadler and Kirk Triplett closed with a 52 to finish third at 14 under, the Kentucky duo of Russ Cochran and Kenny Perry was 13 under after a 49. In the nine-hole Legends finale, Colbert and Thorpe had a 4-under 23 in better-ball play for a three-stroke victory over Bruce Fleisher and Larry Nelson. Colbert and Thorpe finished at 11 under for 45 holes. Colbert won the then-Demaret Division for players 70 and older, teaming with Bob Murphy. "I couldnt ask for a better partner because I know hes a fighter," Thorpe said. "This guys got so much fire, so much fight in him." Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were fifth at 5 under. "I think Gary played reasonably well. I didnt," Nicklaus said. "I got worn out yesterday and I didnt play very well and I played very poorly today. I dont think we played particularly well in total. We felt like we could both play better than that, but we just didnt." Sluman and Funk each earned $230,000, and Colbert and Thorpe got $60,000 each. "The tournament was a lot of fun," Funk said. "It was just a real treat. It turned out to be really fun and a real treat to play this par 3. And it is a little nerve-wracking, like yesterday, with the alternate shot because it just seems to put more pressure on you." cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '