What is the Olympic readiness of Canadas champions after their first Grand Prix event? Are they on track or in trouble early in this Olympic season? The results from Skate Canada International in Saint John, New Brunswick, though mixed, bode well and while we are still over three months out, there are some encouraging signs and lots of reasons for optimism heading to Sochi. Grizzlies Jerseys 2021 . The one thing we know for sure is that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moirs new free dance has Olympics written all over it. Their music is by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, who is described as a Romantic Classicist. It is an emotionally poignant and uplifting piece that plays to Tessa and Scotts strengths and is bound to captivate the Sochi audience. Last year, the reviews for their provocative Carmen free dance were mixed. The daring darkness of the dance brought either "love it or hate it" kind of reactions. The reviews of the new Olympic free dance have been universal in their praise. Artistically and creatively, it is a winner and a crowd pleaser that is vintage Virtue and Moir. The gold will demand endless hours now of drilling and refining in preparation for challenging U.S. rivals Meryl Davis and Charlie White. The stage is set for an intriguing showdown. In an Olympic year, one cannot underestimate the value of a stable and supportive training environment and Patrick Chan has found that place in Detroit with coach Kathy Johnson. In his words, he is "happy" and it shows. He is patient and confident in practice, not perfect by any stretch but unfazed by any stumbles or jumping errors. In a warmup at Skate Canada, he had a jarring fall on a quad, shrugged, circled and did it again as it was intended. It was a decisive win at Skate Canada. His demeanour spoke of confidence, preparedness and experience, qualities that were missing heading into Vancouver. As he builds to Sochi and expectations rise and demands on him increase, it is the balance he has built in his life outside the rink and the foundation he has built in it that will, he hopes, make the difference. For Canadian pairs champions Meagan Duhammel and Eric Radford, it was a bit of a case of, youd better "dance with the one who brung you". In the past, it was their feisty ability to maximize technical risk and capitalize on it that got them to the world podium and it is the technical mark that let them down at Skate Canada International. In what Meagan called their lowest technical score ever, they dropped to third in their long program. Their focus in Saint John was on artistry and character development and, while they delivered emotionally charged performances, their new focus distracted them from what they do best and their challenge over the next few weeks will be to bring the old and new together. The one thing I know about these two is that they are fighters and, with the less than stellar start and their backs to the wall, they will come out swinging. Dont drop your hands, dont count them out. Just when Kaetlyn Osmond thought she could begin her Olympic quest in earnest, she suffered another setback. Having missed a number of weeks due to an injured foot heading into Skate Canada, Kaetlyn woke up after the short program with a sore hamstring and was unable to compete in the free skate. The word is, she has tears in two tendons in her hamstring and will see limited ice and training time for the next 7-10 days, at which time it is expected to have healed. It adds up to a lot of training missed and can set up the cycle of overtraining to catch up and then reinjuring. She is young and has a bubbly personality so it will be tough to contain her. Kaetlyn has three weeks until her next Grand Prix and it is their plan that she will compete. Other Canadian honorable mentions and notable performances were those of Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje who finished second in the Ice Dance event, Amelie Lacostes short program and Eladje Baldes quad in the short. One of the most compelling performances for me at Skate Canada International was that of 28-year-old Akiko Suzuki from Japan, who critics often dismiss as being too old and past her prime. Her performances were captivating and her joy was palpable every time she took the ice. Watching her compete, I was reminded of a conversation I had with Elvis Stojko before one of his Olympic Games. When discussing dealing with Olympic pressure, he said, "I just want to remember why it is I love to skate and, if I can think of that, I will have the right frame of mind to compete." Canadas skaters would do well to take that phrase to heart. Through all the hype and the weight of pressure and expectations of an Olympic season, it is remembering the pure joy of skating that can keep things in perspective, calm the nerves and inspire break-out performances on the road to Sochi. Yuta Watanabe Jersey . GQ Lundqvist quite well.Three rounds, and nearly two months later, will the Kings have the strength to reach the summit of the Empire State to claim the cup?Truer words have never been spoken. Vince Carter Jersey . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. https://www.cheapgrizzlies.com/244p-hakim-warrick-jersey-grizzlies.html .com) - On the bright side, either the Minnesota Wild or Buffalo Sabres will end their losing streak on Thursday night.ATLANTA - The Hawks keep reaping the rewards for their amazing season.For the first time since 1980, Atlanta will have three players in the NBA All-Star Game. Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Al Horford are joining their coach, Mike Budenholzer, for the Feb. 15 contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.In a sense, Thursdays announcement pf the reserves felt like the Hawks (38-8) got a bit shortchanged, considering they have won 17 in a row, 31 of 33 and lead the Eastern Conference by whopping seven games. Kyle Korver was also mentioned as a possible candidate, but he wasnt picked by the coaches.Korver could still make the team, however. Miamis Dwyane Wade, picked as a reserve, is sidelined with a strained right hamstring that could keep him out through the All-Star break. If hes unable to go, Commissioner Adam Silver will name a replacement.As it stands, the Hawks will have their most players in the All-Star Game since John Drew, Eddie Johnson and Dan Roundfield made it 35 years ago.Korver said hes good either way.Its never been a goal of mine to be an All-Star, the 33-year-old said after practice Thursday. Not too many years ago, I dont think many people even thought I was a legitimate starter.There was really no doubt about Millsap, Teague and Horford, who have propelled the Hawks to a start that no one saw coming. They lead the league in victories and have the second-best winning percentage behind Golden State.Millsap, who will be making his second straight All-Star appearance, leads the team in scoring (17.2 points a game) and rebounding (8.1), in addition to averaging 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals. Viewed as more of a role player during seven years in Utah, the 6-foot-8 forward has blossomed since signing with Atlanta as a bargain-basement free agent before last season. He has made more 3-pointers in less than two seasons with the Hawks than he attempted during his time with the Jazz, which has opened up his entire offensive game.We didnt realize Paul could do this muuch, be this impactful, Budenholzer said. Zach Randolph Jersey. .Teague will be making his first All-Star appearance. A first-round pick in 2009, he showed flashes of potential over his first four seasons but really began to blossom under Budenholzer. The point guard is averaging 17 points and 7.5 assists.Coach Bud gave me the opportunity, Teague said. All you can do is play hard for someone who gives you that kind of respect.Horford will be making his third All-Star appearance, but his first since 2011. He has endured two serious injuries since then, playing just 11 games in 2011-12 and 29 games a year ago. The 6-10 centre is averaging 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists, gaining confidence and minutes as the season has gone along.Its a great honour, Horford said, but at the same time were focused on the team and what we have at hand.Budenholzer and his staff already claimed a spot leading the Eastern Conference by virtue of the Hawks record, making him the first Atlanta coach to gain that honour since Lenny Wilkens in 1994.Also, second-year point guard Dennis Schroder was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge, which means the Hawks will be well represented on All-Star weekend in the Big Apple.We love for our players to have success and for our players to be appreciated, Budenholzer said. Theres a sense of pride. They work really hard. They do a lot of things we appreciate. If other people are appreciating them, thats a good thing.One Atlanta player who wont be in New York, backup guard Kent Bazemore, had an idea for how Budenholzer should handle all those Hawks hell have on the bench, with an eye toward the rest of the season.Hopefully coach rests em all, Bazemore said of his teammates, and runs the other guys in the ground.Budenholzer chuckled when someone told him of the plan.I may bring Kent and have him sit next to me on the bench, the coach said. Hes got some good suggestions.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 ' ' '