Dein erstes Forum » only about winning, and therein

TORONTO -- Brad Marchand scored a short-handed goal with 43.1 seconds left and Canada beat Team Europe 2-1 on Thursday night to win the World Cup of Hockey.Its the biggest stage in the world right now and its an incredible honor, Marchand said.The Canadians won the best-of-three finals 2-0.Patrice Bergeron tied it with a power-play goal with 2:53 left in the third, and Marchand won it with a shot from the slot.Europe seemed as if it had a chance to score late when Drew Doughty was called for high-sticking with just under 2 minutes left, but Canada was the team that took advantage when Marchand got the puck into open space and beat Jaroslav Halak with a shot to win the first World Cup since 2004.Its just crazy the way everything worked out, said Sidney Crosby, selected the MVP of the tournament after scoring three goals and finishing with a World Cup-high 10 points. When you get a penalty that late in the game, youre just trying to force overtime.Canada has won 16 straight games, including Olympic gold medals at the Sochi and Vancouver Games, since losing to the U.S. in the 2010 Olympics.Its pretty special, Crosby said. Its not easy to do and for a good chunk of us, a lot of us were there in Russia.Carey Price made 32 saves for the Canadians, who started slow before ending the tournament with a furious rally that fired up a once-quiet crowd.Zdeno Chara scored early for Europe, and Halak made 32 saves for the eight-nation team.After getting that award, he was presented with a silver World Cup of Hockey trophy and he skated with it around the ice just months after hosting the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career.He set up the tying goal, passing the puck off the boards to Brent Burns, whose shot just inside the blue line was redirected by Bergerons raised stick.Crosby was stewing after each of the first two periods.When the game was over, he was sporting an ear-to-ear smile.The Canadians closed the game in impressive fashion after a lackluster start.In front of an unenthusiastic crowd and a lot of empty seats in the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadians started flat and the Europeans made them pay for their apparent apathy.Unlike the last two times Canada trailed briefly to the U.S. and Russia, it could not come back against Europe quickly.It looked as if it wasnt going to be Canadas night when John Tavares had a wide-open net to shoot into, but hit the right post from the bottom of the right circle. Earlier in the same shift, the New York Islanders forward missed the net on a one-timer opportunity.Canada averaged 4.4 goals over the first five games of the tournament, giving Price plenty of support. It didnt score as much in the final game of the tournament, but two goals were enough to win thanks to Price.Chara, a Slovak and Boston Bruins defenseman, scored from the left circle with a wrist shot through traffic two teammates created in front of the net off a short, soft pass from Andrej Sekera in the slot.Crosby was part of a scrum at the end of the first period in which his helmet was knocked off near Europes net at the end of the first period. After the horn sounded to end the second, Crosby lingered on the ice to shot at Swiss defenseman Roman Josi.Crosby was clearly frustrated, playing with a pair of Bruins, Marchand and Bergeron, who had combined for 22 points through the first five games.Europe outshot the Canadians 12-8 after the first period and 27-21 after the second.The Canadians had three power plays over the first two periods and failed to take advantage, falling to 2 for 17 with an extra skater. On one of their power plays, they needed Price to make stops on breakaways.Canada had a man advantage again early in the third period, but only got one shot on Halak, a Slovak and Islanders standout, on the possibly pivotal power play.Crosby had a chance to score with 7-plus minutes left, but Halak kicked the shot away with his right skate.In the end, Halak could not keep the puck out of his net twice.The way it turned out at the end is very painful, Europe coach Ralph Krueger said. But you need to open eye to big picture and the journey. How we played was amazing. They played their hearts out. ... We beat the odds and we turned this into a hell of final, which nobody expected.---Follow Larry Lage at www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at www.bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lage Jarrod Dyson Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Steven Souza Jersey . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. http://www.diamondbackssale.com/ . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Andrew Chafin Jersey ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Zack Greinke Jersey . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Its probably time to eject skipper from the baseball lexicon. The word is just too inadequate. The modern manager is so much more than the captain of a ship. He is a counselor, a teacher, a leader, a thinker, a storyteller, a cheerleader and a bearer of news, both good and bad.If theres one thing this epic World Series has demonstrated, its that the Cubs and Indians are here because of their managers. Its not just a coincidence that two storied Midwestern franchises with Cs on their uniforms are facing each other in the seventh game, hoping to finally write a happy ending. Its also a dazzling demonstration of how the manager has evolved in modern baseball.Joe Maddon and Terry Francona are both Italian-American, both close to their families, both from small, working-class, Pennsylvania towns. Theyre not exactly alike -- the ready-for-his-close-up Joe likes fine wine; the self-effacing Tito fondly recalls Boones Farm -- but they share a sensibility for their players, a willingness to think outside the box and a gift for expressing their thoughts honestly and humorously.Take the obligatory news conferences they gave before Game 6. Asked how Cleveland has differed from Boston, with which he won two championships, Francona said, I mean, there were a lot of times [in Boston] I thought my name was, You Suck because thats all I ever heard.Maddon used the forum to make a proposal: I think there should be two forms of Twitter. There should be the positive form of Twitter and the negative form, and you have to choose one ... There needs to be Twitter police because theres so much negativity thats generated on a daily basis.They are both turning postseason baseball into a breathtaking battle of wits. Jim Leyland, the longtime manager who helped bridge old school to new school, knows them well.They have been brilliant, he said. The way theyve used their bullpens, the way theyve focused on the importance of that nights game ... Im enjoying the hell out of this.Cubs president Theo Epstein, who hired Francona over Maddon when he made him the Red Sox manager in 2004, then hired Maddon when he became available after the 2015 season, sees similar basic qualities in both men.They both allow players to be themselves, and theyre not afraid to turn convention on its head, Epstein said. Oh, there are differences.dddddddddddd Joe believes in balancing baseball with outside experiences, and Tito loves nothing more than to get to the clubhouse early. But they treat their players with respect, and thats whats made them so successful.On the face of it, Francona had the harder challenge in getting the Indians here; they were 68-94 before he took over in 2013. Now theyre looking for their first World Series title since 1948. The Cubs were built to win by the time Maddon took over. But they also were on a 0-108 streak when it came to winning world championships, and more to the point, they were down three games to one after Game 4.In the seventh inning of Game 5, up 3-2 but facing a man on and one out, Maddon brought in closer Aroldis Chapman?and let him finish the game. The move was preceded by a few days of gentle persuasion to convince Chapman that he could pitch multiple innings -- precisely what Francona has asked Andrew Miller to do throughout these playoffs (so often, in fact, that it earned Miller the ALCS MVP trophy).Yes, Maddons was a gutsy decision, but it was done with consideration and respect. When he saw the same moment of crisis in the seventh inning of Game 6, with the Cubs leading 7-2, he did it again -- damn the second-guessers.These two really dont care what you think. At this point, they care only about winning, and therein lies the shame of this World Series. As someone who has known Francona since he was a rookie outfielder with the Montreal Expos in 1981, I cant help but root for him. I can still see him going up to each of his Red Sox players after they beat the Indians in the 2007 ALCS and whispering his thanks in their ears. Nor can I help but hope that Maddon is the manager who finally breaks the Cubs curse; his joy for life and baseball are a constant inspiration.For now, its on to Game 7. After the Cubs 9-3 win in Game 6, Francona said, It will be exciting to come to the ballpark tomorrow. Shoot, I just might wear my uniform home.For his part, Maddon said, Both sides have played really good baseball. Its just correct and apt that wed go seven games.May the best team win. It might be hard to find better men, though. ' ' '