The Olympic break in the NHL schedule will be upon us following the conclusion of ten games on Saturday night and players selected to represent their country will head to Sochi with their sights set on a gold medal. Aleix Vidal Barcelona Jersey . And I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my experiences gained through International competition and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Seven NHL referees and six linesmen will be assigned upcoming games in Sochi by the IIHF as part of their 28-man officiating roster comprised of 14 refs and 14 linesmen. Referees Dave Jackson, Mike Leggo, Brad Meir, Tim Peel, Kevin Pollock, Kelly Sutherland and Ian Walsh will be joined by NHL linesmen colleagues Derek Amel, Lonnie Cameron, Greg Devorski, Brad Kovachik, Andy McElman and Mark Wheler. The IIHF has also selected linesmen Chris Carlson and Jesse Wilmot (Canada), along with Chris Woodworth and Tommy George (U.S.A. Hockey) to participate. Congratulations and best of luck to each of the officials selected to participate in this International showcase.The IIHF, represented by President Rene Fasel and Officiating Manager Konstantin Komissarov, or their designates will have already briefed the current crop of officials heading to Sochi with regard to rule differences, security measures, travel procedures and many other important matters that surround the Olympic event. Aside from the fact that it will be mostly business for the refs and linesmen once they arrive in Sochi, it is a much different world today than it was in 1998. As such, the current group of officials was strongly discouraged from having any family members join then for this Olympic event. It will be all business with heightened security measures in place! I recall our meeting with Mr. Rene Fasel at the NHL Offices in Toronto a month or so prior to our departure for Nagano. Since this was to be the first time that professional players and officials were being allowed to participate in the Winter Olympics there was extensive information that we were provided. As we were being brought up to speed on rule differences Mr. Fasel, stated that all referees and linesmen were required to wear a helmet and visor! My colleague Ray Scapinello raised his hand and said, "Mr. Fasel I dont wear a helmet let alone a visor." The IIHF President addressed Scapinello directly and informed him if he didnt wear a helmet and a visor he would not be working in the Olympics. Scampy immediately responded with, "My helmet size is 7 1/4 - thank you, sir." Those of us that didnt wear a helmet or visor put one in the last week or two of NHL games in an effort to adjust. As you can imagine I had a very difficult time with it. The visor gave me the feeling of being in a fishbowl. I tried various products and sizes in an attempt to get comfortable and was struggling with it until Ray Bourque helped me out in a game in Boston. He told me I looked ridiculous in the thing I was wearing and had the Bruins trainer put one of his special Oakley visors on my helmet. If nothing else, the style was more appealing and I wore it during the Olympics. In spite of flying business class to Tokyo from North America, it was a very long haul. We were advised to drink plenty of water (limit alcohol consumption) and to get up and exercise throughout the flight in addition to sleep as much as possible. Our Japanese hosts were fantastic. Upon arrival at Narita Airport we were personally escorted to the Bullet Train. We were then handed a ticket with a seat assignment and escorted to the platform where all passengers waited in a very orderly fashion behind a theatre-style rope. The Bullet Train pulled into the station and passengers disembarked. A cleaning crew dressed smartly in uniform and white gloves marched onto the train in single file with their brooms and dusters placed over their shoulders like rifles. They cleaned the train and then marched off in unison the same way they entered. An attendant removed the clip from the rope restrainer and the customers walked onto the train in a calm and orderly fashion, single file. For all of us that had been pushed and jostled on filthy trains throughout the North American public transit systems (especially the New York subway) this was an amazingly pleasant experience. We rolled into the mountain region of Nagano 24 hours after our flight had departed from North America. We had one day to quickly recover, meet with our IIHF colleagues in a morning skate and then work the games. The extensive travel to get to Sochi will be a challenge for the current group of officials to overcome as well. In a short tournament on the world stage, every game is crucial and the officials feel the pressure and demand to be at their very best. All of us had extensive Stanley Cup playoff experience (including multiple Cup Finals for several of us) but we were the new kids on the block regarding Olympic competition. The camaraderie that was quickly established between the amateur and professional officials in Nagano made for a unified group of zebras. We were able to share our officiating experience and help one another adjust to the bigger ice surface and style of play that we would encounter. We immediately gelled with our International colleagues and became a unified team. It was obvious to me very early in the tournament that the Czechs were going to be a team to be reckoned with. They had many talented players, but unlike their dismal performance in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey where they were individualistic and disjointed, this group appeared united and going for the gold. Their captain, Vladimir "Rosey" Ruzicka (233 NHL games with Edmonton, Boston and Ottawa) hadnt played in the NHL since the 1993-94 season but was performing at an incredibly high level; one that I had never seen from him previously. He was definitely the leader of this Czech team. And of course, they had The Dominator (Dominik Hasek) in goal! I was the backup referee for the gold medal game between Czechoslovakia and Russia. I was seated in the first row of the lower balcony beside my wife Kathy when Bill Wirtz and his wife arrived to occupy the seats beside us. The stairs were extremely steep and as Mr. Wirtz got to the railing he tripped and started to fall forward. I grabbed him by his belt and yanked hard pulling the Blackhawks owner backward into his seat before he fell over the railing. Startled, he look at me and said, "Thanks Kerry, that was a close call!" Just before the opening puck drop, Mr. Wirtz asked me who I thought was going to win the game. I told him the Czech team had really impressed me throughout the Olympics and I thought they stood a real good chance. He said that was good info because he had laid down a large bet in Vegas for the Czech team to win. The reasoning he shared with me was that he had bet against Dominik Hasek once before when he traded the goalie away from the Hawks. Mr. Wirtz said he wasnt going to bet against Hasek this time around! The Dominator shut out the Russian team and the Czechs won the gold medal. We were a tired but jovial bunch that boarded a bus arranged by Sr. V.P. of Hockey Operations Brian Burke to transport us from Nagano back to Tokyo following the gold medal game. And Burkie was busy snapping pictures of everyone as for his Nagano album. Following a brief sleep in the airport hotel, we boarded an early morning flight back home. Our stay at home was extremely short because the referees had to all fly to Toronto early the next morning for a meeting that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman insisted we attend. While we were in Nagano, the Commissioner had us craft a document with referee-in-chief Bryan Lewis in an attempt to solve the ongoing obstruction crisis in the NHL. As such, we had to jump on a plane and attend a referees-only meeting. Fortunately, those of us that had worked the Olympics were given a week off to recover from the jet lag. The meeting held in Toronto didnt prove all that productive since it wasnt until 2006 that a meaningful difference resulted in dealing with obstruction! The Olympic experience is a highlight of everyones career, whether as a player or as an official. I am quite sure the group working in Sochi will feel the same way. Best of luck boys and above all, please remain safe! Marc-Andre ter Stegen Jersey .The 24-year-old quarterback spent four seasons at Northern Illinois and in 2013 was a finalist for the Heisman, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in U. Sergio Busquets Barcelona Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. http://www.barcelonateampro.com/ivan-rakitic-fc-barcelona-jersey/ . -- On any given day here at his companys Silicon Valley headquarters, Vivek Ranadive is ready to compete against any employee who wants to challenge him to any contest. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Although Paul Maurice declines the credit, the Winnipeg Jets still havent lost since he stepped behind their bench. Theyre even good enough to beat a team that had been practically perfect on home ice all season long. Ondrej Pavelec made 40 saves, Evander Kane had a short-handed goal and an assist in his return from injury, and the Jets ended the Anaheim Ducks 10-game home winning streak with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Blake Wheeler and captain Andrew Ladd also scored for the last-place Jets, who handed the overall NHL leaders their first regulation loss at home this season after a 20-0-2 start at Honda Center. Bryan Little had two assists as Winnipeg hung on for its fourth consecutive win since Maurice replaced Claude Noel, culminating in this gritty win in the leagues most daunting road arena. "Its a tough building to play in, and it feels good to be the first team to beat them (here) this season," Pavelec said. "Its only two points, but it feels really good, especially in this building. ... The whole team is playing with confidence. The new coach let us know were good players, and we can beat anybody." With a fourth win for Maurice, Winnipeg even relinquished sole possession of last place in the Central Division, pulling even with Nashville at the bottom of the table. Yet when asked what hes done to this underachieving group, the veteran coach is frank: "Nothing." "Before I got here, I thought this was a good hockey team," Maurice added. "Now were feeling good, and that changes everything." Cam Fowler and Nick Bonino scored for the NHL-leading Ducks, who hadnt lost at home since Dec. 3. Anaheim has won 19 of 22 overall, but has lost two of its last three games despite putting 42 shots on net and having 36 more potential shots blocked by the Jets. Anaheim was just the fourth NHL team in 40 years to earn a point in its first 22 home games to start a season. The Ducks were the only NHL team that hadnt lost in regulation at home this season, but they began the week leading up to Saturdays game at Dodger Stadium by overlooking the Jets for two mediocre periods. "Theres a lot of distractions going on this week with this outdoor game,&qquot; Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf said. Gerard Pique Jersey. "Everybody wants to talk about it, and everyones been talking about it for two weeks, so its hard to focus in on what you need to do and getting the two points on hand. But thats no excuse." Anaheim faces the Los Angeles Kings at home on Thursday and again in Chavez Ravine on the weekend. Jonas Hiller yielded three goals on 11 shots and was pulled late in the second period of his second straight loss after a 14-game winning streak. The Swiss Olympic goalie candidly acknowledged a lack of focus. "I just didnt feel like I was really in the game and I wasnt able to cut out all the distractions, like the outdoor game," Hiller said. "Those things happen, but its too bad in this situation. We wanted to keep that streak going. Some days you feel better and other days you dont. You cant be perfect every night. The problem with a goalie is, you see right away if you dont feel good, and you cant really hide." Frederik Andersen stopped 10 shots in relief during the Ducks return from a road trip that began with a loss in Chicago, snapping their eight-game winning streak. Fowler scored a goal in his second straight game just 3:59 in, ripping a slap shot off Zach Bogosians stick on a power play. But Wheeler evened it moments later, putting a stoppable shot past Hillers glove for his 18th goal, and Ladd scored late in the period by pouncing on a loose puck. Anaheim struggled on two power plays in the second period, and Hiller got yanked when he fanned on a quick shot by Kane, who had been out since Jan. 7 after hurting his hand in a fight. After Andersen relieved Hiller, the Ducks pressed in the third period and finally scored when Bonino followed Jakob Silfverbergs rebound in the slot and scored his 16th goal. "You hate to lose," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You want this thing to go on forever." NOTES: The erstwhile Atlanta Thrashers hadnt visited Honda Center since Oct. 15, 2010. A Winnipeg Jets team hadnt visited Anaheim since 1996. ... Before the game, Anaheim sent D Sami Vatanen down to the AHL. ... With Kanes return, Winnipeg scratched F James Wright, who had missed just one game all season. Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 China Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Stitched Jerseys NFL T-shirts From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '