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Canada qualifies for Olympic Games in women’s soccer
Melissa Tancredi (Wikimedia Commons)
When Canadians watch the 2012 Olympic Games in London, they’ll be watching the Canadian women’s soccer team.
On Friday night at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, Team Canada qualified for their consecutive Olympic Games with a 3-1 win over Mexico.
Christine Sinclair, probably the best women’s soccer player in the world, scored twice and Melissa Tancredi of Hamilton, Ontario scored the game winning goal.
Team Canada will be joined in the tournament by the United States who earlier on Friday defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in a shutout victory. The Americans despite being outplayed by Costa Rica in the first half.
Team Canada will be looking for redemption at the 2012 Games. Four years ago at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Canada lost 2-1 to the United States in overtime in the quarterfinals. Then at last year’s World Cup, Team Canada played very poor and finished dead last in the tournament.
Other countries that have qualified to date are Great Britain, Japan, North Korea, South Africa, Cameroon, Brazil, Colombia, Sweden and France. The Olympic tournament starts July 25.
Morrison traded to Blackhawks
Brendan Morrison (Wikimedia Commons)
The Calgary Flames have traded forward Brendan Morrison to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenceman Brian Connelly.
The move was made as representatives from all 30 teams in the National Hockey League gathered in Ottawa for Sunday’s NHL All-Star Game.
So far this season, Morrison has four goals and seven assists in 28 games. The 36 year-old began his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils, and since then has played for the Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals as well as Calgary since the 2010-11 season.
Morrison showed the hockey world last season he could still be a productive asset to a hockey club. Despite being cut by the Canucks in training camp, Morrison signed with the Flames and scored nine goals and 34 assists. Morrison’s best NHL season came in Vancouver in 2002-03 when he played regularly on a line with Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund. Morrison scored 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points that season.
Connelly meanwhile played for Colorado College in the NCAA before signing with the Blackhawks on March 26, 2009. Since then he has played for the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford over the last three seasons. He has yet to play a game in the NHL.
Weekend Sports Preview–Australian Open, World Speed Skating Championships
Rafael Nadal (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
This is an odd weekend in sports for me. For the first time in a long time I’m not watching sports on television during the day.
This is not to say I’m not watching sports. As a matter of fact I’ll be up all night watching sports, catch a few hours of sleep, before attending the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships at the Olympic Oval in Calgary.
So, I’ll be missing the NHL All-Star Game Sunday in Ottawa and have decided to boycott the Pro Bowl Sunday night in Honolulu because in my opinion, you cannot have a legitimate all-star game with the two top teams in the league not represented.
Djokovic advances to the Australian Open Final
Novak Djokovic (Wikimedia Commons)
We now know who Rafael Nadal’s opponent will be in the men’s final at the Australian Open.
On Friday, top seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated the fourth seeded Andy Murray of Great Britain 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 in a five set thriller semi-final that went four hours and fifty minutes to complete.
Yes, folks I watched the entire match, even though it started at 1:30am Mountain Time.
The second and third sets in particular were very high quality tennis, where it took over an hour to complete each set. I think a major turning point in the match came in the first game of the fourth set. After Murray won the third set tiebreak to take a 2-1 lead in sets, Djokovic broke Murray’s serve immediately and coasted over the next twenty minutes to tie the match at two sets each.
In the fifth set, it looked like Djokovic was cramping more than Murray, but the Scot was committing more unforced errors. Overall, Murray had 86 unforced errors to Djokovic’s 69.
Celtics deliver remarkable comeback
The Boston Celtics have got off to a slow start this season, but might have turned things around Thursday night in Orlando with an unbelievable comeback for the ages.
With 3:11 left in the second quarter, the Celtics trailed the Orlando Magic by a score of 52-25, and then made a remarkable comeback, outscoring Orlando 27-8 in the fourth quarter alone en route to a 91-83 victory.
With the win, the Celtics improve to 8-9 on the season and the Magic fell to 12-6.
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points and 10 assists. It has been interesting because Pierce has been the Celtic most talked about in trade rumors as of late as rumors swarm that Celtics management will break up their big three.
The greatest comeback in NBA history came by the Utah Jazz against the Denver Nuggets on November 27, 1996. The Jazz were down by 36 points in the third quarter before coming back to win 107-103.
Kerrzy’s Notebook: When Sports Go Viral
Say what you will about the internet, but it really is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to viral videos!
Don’t believe me? Fine. Be that way.
For those of you who are picking up what I’m throwing down though, I’ve got another batch of delicious internet awesomeness for you to check out. This week in “When Sports Go Viral,” we’ve got a couple of pro athletes goofing off, an interesting dangle from the KHL’s All-Star weekend and a highlight from the support staff!
Let’s start with the latest viral video from Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash – not content with playing in the NBA, Nash is apparently trying to convince ESPN to let him enter the Real Snow snowboard competition.
Check out Nash debuting The Corn Chopper:
(AFTER THE JUMP: More sporty viral videos!)
Continue Reading…
Elimimian signs with Vikings
One of the best defensive players in the Canadian Football League is going to see how things emerge in the National Football League.
On Thursday, Solomon Elimimian of the British Columbia Lions, one of the top linebackers in football over the last two years, signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
Elimimian was second in the CFL last year with 98 tackles, seven behind Jerrell Freeman of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But Elimimian was more impressive than Freeman, as the Lions defense gave up 97 fewer points than the last place Roughriders this past season.
If Elimimian makes the Vikings, he will be the latest CFL product under the tutelage of the great Wally Buono to have NFL success. He’ll join defensive specialist Cameron Wake of the Miami Dolphins, and quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia.
Elimimian will also join former Lions wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux, who joined Minnesota last summer. Elimimian was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2010 and then won a Grey Cup with the Lions in 2011. The University of Hawaii product was also a CFL all-star this past season.
In other NFL news, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have named Greg Schiano head coach. Schiano most recently coached the University of Rutgers.
Nadal advances to Australian Open final
Rafael Nadal (Chris Johnson, Wikimedia Commons)
In one of the greatest tennis matches of all time, Rafael Nadal has qualified for the Australian Open Men’s Final.
On Wednesday, he defeated Roger Federer 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 in a classic semi-final. Nadal is now looking for his second Australian Open crown, having defeated Federer in five sets in 2009, while Federer is a four-time champion.
A major turning point in the match came in the second set, when Nadal seemed out of a particular point, but ran from one end of the court to the other and hit the cross court winner. When he made contact with the ball, the fans in the stands could have reached out and touched him.
Sharapova to play Azarenka in Aussie Final
Maria Sharapova (Andrew Huse, Wikimedia Commons)
We now know who will be the two female finalists of the 2012 Australian Open.
Last night, Maria Sharapova of Russia, the fourth seed, defeated Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the second seed 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the semi-final– a rematch of the 2011 Wimbledon Final, where Kvitova won her first Grand Slam final.
In the other semi-final, we learned that there will be a new Australian Open champion this year. Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, the 11th seed, lost in three sets to Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, the second seed, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
If Sharapova hopes to beat Azarenka in the final, she will have to work on her serve. It was erratic throughout the match, as she had ten double faults, compared to Kvitova’s four. But a key reason why Sharapova was able to win the match was because she was able to limit her unforced errors, where she had 30, compared to Kvitova’s 41.
For Clijsters, she lost a devastating match because it looks like this will be her final season in tennis. There are reports she wants to have another child with her husband, American Brian Lynch, who played at the University of Villanova, and is currently coaching professionally in Belgium.
Raptors win historic back-to-back
Jose Calderon (Bree Bailey, Wikimedia Commons)
The Toronto Raptors may not look back at the 2012 NBA season with fond memories. They are currently 6-13, and the likelihood of them making a run at contending for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference is small.
But over the last two nights, they have shown some great signs of greatness, resiliency and maturity for a young team learning how to win. For the first time in 14 games they won in Phoenix and then, for the first time in 14 games, they won in Utah.
On Tuesday night, Andrea Bargnani scored 36 points as the Raptors came back from a 14 point deficit to beat the Suns 99-96. The Raptors snapped an eight game losing streak and Bargnani returned for the first time in seven games after injuring his calf.
On Wednesday night, the Raptors beat the Jazz in double overtime by a score of 111-106. Linas Kleiza scored 25 points and Jose Calderon came up huge with two key three-pointers. But with the win, came a huge blow as it appeared that Bargnani reinjured his calf.
Toronto continues their western road trip Friday in Denver.
Jermaine Copeland retires from Argonauts
One of the top wide receivers in the Canadian Football League has decided to retire to accept a position as receivers coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Jermaine Copeland made the decision at the age of 34. Copeland, played his last two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, but prior to that had five very productive seasons as a Calgary Stampeder. In three of his five seasons, he passed the 1,000 yard mark, and in 2008, helped the Stampeders win a Grey Cup.
A product of the University of Tennessee, Copeland began his CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes in 2001, and was part of the Alouettes Grey Cup Champions in 2002.
A two-time CFL All-Star, once with the Alouettes in 2003 and once with the Stampeders in 2009, Copeland was traded from Calgary to Toronto for wide receiver P.K. Sam on February 17, 2010.
He finished his career with 622 catches for 10,014 yards and 75 touchdowns. His best year was in 2003 in Montreal when he caught 99 passes for 1,757 yards and 14 touchdown receptions.
Copeland will now be helping out Tiger-Cats head coach George Cortez in Hamilton. Cortez was the Stampeders’ offensive co-ordinator from 2007-2009. Another familiar face will be quarterback Henry Burris, who was Copeland’s quarterback in Calgary during his entire time as a Stampeder.
Colts & Raiders hire head coaches
The Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders have made a decision on who their next head coaches will be for the 2012 NFL season.
The Colts, who fired Jim Caldwell last Tuesday after an abysmal 2-14 season, have named Chuck Pagano as his replacement. Pagano was the Baltimore Ravens defensive co-ordinator, and with a group of high quality veterans including Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, the Ravens gave up the third fewest points in the NFL this season.
The Raiders meanwhile have also hired a defensive specialist to take the helm, choosing Denver Broncos defensive co-ordinator Dennis Allen.
What Allen was able to do this season was remarkable and was a key reason (not Tim Tebow) why Denver won the AFC West. The Broncos might have given up 390 points, but would have given up less if the offense would have made smarter decisions on the football field this past season. It was the Broncos defense, not their offense, that won many games for them.
In Indianapolis, the future of Peyton Manning as a Colt just got significantly cloudier. The question not only now rises how Manning will adjust to the team drafting quarterback Andrew Luck, but how will he respond to a defensive specialist in charge?
Oilers lose in shootout to Canucks
Cody Hodgson (Wikimedia Commons)
The Edmonton Oilers go into the NHL All-Star break a pathetic 14 points back of the Minnesota Wild for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
On Tuesday, Cody Hodgson scored the shootout winner as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in a shootout.
The Canucks were leading 2-1 late in the third period before Taylor Hall scored the game tying goal on a tip from a Corey Potter shot from the point.
Despite the loss, Devan Dubnyk has been excellent the last two nights, where the Oilers got three of a possible four points. He has made 80 saves on 83 shots. Still, I cannot get over his several terrible performances throughout the year that have partially put the Oilers in the very awkward position that they’re in.
Tom Renney very seldom starts the same goaltender on back-to-back nights, but made the right call Tuesday night in Vancouver, because Dubnyk had a career performance against San Jose Monday night. (Although, the Sharks didn’t have that many quality scoring chances). Also, Nikolai Khabibulin had one of the worst games of his career in Edmonton’s 6-2 home loss to Calgary Saturday night. Just how bad has Khabibulin been? Well, he hasn’t won since December 22 and against Calgary on Saturday, he gave up so many soft goals it was incredible.
Flames lose to Sharks 1-0
The Calgary Flames go into the All-Star break three points back of the Minnesota Wild for a playoff spot.
On Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames lost 1-0 to the San Jose Sharks.
The game was 0-0 heading into the third period, when the Sharks scored the deciding marker. Benn Ferriero gloved the puck down and scored on the rebound.
Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi was outstanding in this one. He made a great glove save off of Mikael Backlund in the third period, and that was followed by a big save off of Alex Tanguay on the breakaway. Tanguay was playing in his first game for the Flames since late December when he injured his neck. Niemi ended with 25 saves and had his 16th career shutout.
The Flames will now rest for a full week. Their next game is on January 31 against the Detroit Red Wings at the Saddledome. One player that will not et a break however is captain Jarome Iginla, who will be part of the festivities this weekend in Ottawa.
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