On all levels the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian Skating Championships was an overwhelming success. Discount Nike Free Shoes NZ . In honour of the anniversary, over 80 Canadian champions of the past were in attendance to witness one of the best Canadian Championships in many years. What made this championships so successful was first and foremost the inspired and at times heart wrenching performances of Canadas best as they tried to validate four long years of effort in a few short minutes of competition. What we saw was strength in all of the disciplines. Strength across the board, which reminds me of the good old days - the 1988 Calgary Olympics when Canada had its biggest medal haul in skating at the Games, winning medals in three of the four disciplines. Its interesting to note that this will be the biggest Olympic skating team from this country since those 1988 Games and with the addition of the team event it looks likely that Canada will equal or top that medal total from 26 years ago. The audiences were terrific in Ottawa. They were loud, enthusiastic and large in numbers. The packed house on Saturday got their moneys worth and gave numerous standing ovations in return. Highlights for me were plentiful. The womens competition, which in the past has often been the least hotly contested title, was instead more competitive and intriguing that it has ever been. Kaetlyn Osmond showed her trademark composure and charisma after coming back from a season of injuries to defend her title and to prove that her breakout season last year was no fluke. She has a presence that fills the arena and an elusive blend of raw talent and solid technique which is mixed with the soul of an artist. What I find most appealing in Kaetlyns character is the refusal to take herself or the magnitude of the moment too seriously. Each moment is met with a smile, a giggle or a shrug, and with eyes sparkling. This is supposed to be fun, right? To watch her compete is to believe just that. That it is fun. Gabby Daleman at only 15 years of age showed a feisty competitiveness and raw athleticism on her way to winning silver and a ticket to Sochi. Her triple lutz-triple toe, the most difficult triple-triple combination being executed in the world of womens skating, was as good as they come. This kid can fly and showed a focus and nerve quite remarkable for her age. As good as the two at the top are, the rest of the field showed us that they will continue to be pushed, as the final flight was filled with youth, triple jumps and engaging personalities. This bodes well for the seasons to come. Speaking of youth, in the mens event it was 14-year-old Roman Sadovsky and 15-year-old Nam Nguyen who brought the house to its feet and the scores to new heights in the penultimate flight. These are the numbers that the final group of men were challenged to beat. What we saw was a glimpse of where the next Patrick or Jeffery or Kurt might come from. They were back-to-back exceptional scores, for remarkable performances by young teenagers and once again the future looks bright. Patrick Chan, who came in without challengers due to the fact that Kevin Reynolds was not in peak competition form because of skate malfunctions, was not as sharp as usual and showed signs of his focus being a little split between the here and now, and the larger challenge looming that is the Olympics. But, "not his best" is still world class, and it was the kind of performance that will keep him on his toes without chipping away at his confidence. A rock solid foundation to build on for the games. The drama came in the pairs competition with the intense rivalry building once again between Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch the worlds fourth-ranked pair and world bronze medalists and defending Canadian champions, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. Like last year the teams were separated by less than a point after the short program with Kirsten and Dylan just behind. That meant that they were the first of the two teams to skate in the free program showdown. About the performance in the free, Meagan said "We didnt know what they did before us, but we did hear a New Canadian Record!" and so they knew that the bar had been raised yet again. Both teams set Canadian records that night and both teams brought the fans to their feet in appreciation of the pairs finesse and fearlessness. The evening wound up with the Ice Dance event which was a "something for everyone" type of affair. It was filled with a variety of genres, an abundance of athleticism and dramatic and emotional musical interpretations. The final flight of dance was of such a high standard that the teams fighting for the third Olympic spot knew that only "their very best" and "not a step wrong" would get them there. In the end it was Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam after two seasons of mishaps and heartaches who nailed the Olympic spot. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won silver, wowed the crowd and showed with their fluid and refined Tango that they are absolutely Olympic podium worthy. The final skate of an awesome day fell into the capable hands of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. They closed the show and the final chapter of their competitive life at Canadians with their Olympic free dance, a standing ovation and a final good bye. A fitting end to a fabulous day. Nike Free Shoes Wholesale NZ . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Nike Free Online Sale . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp. http://www.nikefreenz.com/ . Milan was held to 1-1 at home by Torino. Cagliari scored six minutes from halftime when Mauricio Pinilla blasted home from the penalty spot after Facundo Roncaglia tripped Marco Sau. The home side could have doubled its tally in stoppage time as first Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic almost scored an own goal then Albin Ekdals shot clipped the top of the upright.SUNRISE, Fla. - Stephen Weiss certainly enjoyed this one.Weiss had a goal and two assists against his former team, and Luke Glendening scored twice to lift the Detroit Red Wings over the struggling Florida Panthers 5-4 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.I dont think since Ive played against them we beat them, so that was a little stressful coming down the end there, said Weiss, the Panthers career leader in games played. They battled hard, but it feels good to finally get a win against them and to contribute and score a goal is special, especially in this building.Henrik Zetterberg and Drew Miller also scored for Detroit, and Petr Mrazek made 37 saves in his eighth consecutive start.The Red Wings have won eight of nine. They beat the Panthers for the first time in three games this season.Weiss, who played for the Panthers from 2001-13 before signing with Detroit as a free agent, scored his first goal against them.It was great for Weiss. We like (him) to score for us, and he got three points tonight, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. Thats a good night for him and it leads to confidence. Plus, this is his old building and to come in here — the guys are happy for him.The Red Wings have scored 27 goals in their past six games.Florida has lost five straight games, including four in a row at home.Brad Boyes, Nick Bjugstad, Brandon Pirri and Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers. Barkov also had a pair of assists.Robert Luongo stopped 12 of 17 shots and was replaced by Al Montoya with 7:37 left in the second period. Montoya made 10 saves.Trailing 2-1, the Red Wings scored four goals in a span of 10:47 of the second.Zetterberg tied it 32 seconds in when he grabbed a loose puck in the slot and beat Luongo with a wrist shot.Detroit took a 3-2 lead on Glendenings first goal. An errant pass from behind the net and a rebound gave Glendening an open shot from in front, and he put the puck past Luongo at 7:07. Nike Free NZ Sale. Weiss stretched the lead to 4-2 when he poked in the puck from in front at 8:26.Glendening made it 5-2 with his second goal, beating Luongo on the glove side at 11:19. Glendening had multiple goals for the first time in his career.You cant let in four goals like that in a period. Its disappointing for me, Luongo said. Theres no excuses. Its just a bad game by me.The Panthers rallied a bit after that, but the Red Wings were able to hold them off.Bjugstads power-play goal at 15:30 of the second made it 5-3. Bjugstad leads the Panthers with 16 goals.Boyes goal at 10:54 of the third pulled Florida to 5-4. Barkov passed from the left side in front to Boyes, who redirected the puck into the net.Four goals in a span of (10:47) in that second period really killed us, Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. We battled back and there were some good things, but its not enough.Florida had gone 1 for 23 on the power play over its last eight games before scoring a pair of power-play goals in the first period.Pirri broke a 1-all tie at 10:16. His shot was partially blocked by Mrazek, but the puck trickled under his pads and crossed the goal line before being swept out by a Red Wings defenceman. The play was initially called no goal, but was overturned on review.The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead on a short-handed goal by Miller in the first at 8:06.The Panthers answered about a minute later during a 5-on-3 power play when Barkovs wrist shot went high into the net at 9:08.I think we came out, played good in the first, played a good start of the second, and then they took over the momentum with a few power-play goals, Zetterberg said. I thought we found a way to win, and thats the important part.NOTES: Detroit D Tomas Jurco missed his eighth game with a back injury. ... Weiss played 654 games with Florida. ... Barkov has eight points in his last 10 games. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '