In the wake of Canadas loss to Russia in the bronze medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championship, there have been plenty of comments made about the state of hockey player development in Canada. Sione Takitaki Youth Jersey . Brent Sutter, head coach of the Canadian team, believes that there is a skill deficit in Canada. "Theres too much focus on winning and losing at such a young age and not enough about the skill part of it and the skating part of it, because thats truly where it starts ... Id, personally, like to see more skill, more creativity, because we had to play against it here and we got beat by it some nights." In March of last year, Sutter said that he believes that the shift to year-round hockey is stunting the development of young players in Canada. "You just dont have as many players today that are as good athletes as they used to be. Too much today, especially in young players, is focused on hockey 12 months a year. They dont play soccer, they dont play baseball or tennis or the other things that people used to do." Sutters comments, while being made about the development of young hockey players, are equally applicable to the development of young soccer players in Canada. Year-round participation is trending younger and younger in all sports, including soccer, with players as young as eight now routinely chasing a ball for 12 months of the year. Parents and coaches justify this decision by pointing to research such as the "10,000 hour rule" - put forward in Malcolm Gladwells 2008 bestseller, "Outliers" - which claims that it takes 10,000 hours of "deep practice" to become an expert in a sporting discipline. The rule has come under increasing criticism, as many have pointed out that factors like genetics also play a significant role in determining an athletes career trajectory. That criticism hasnt stopped some parents, though, as they feel the only way for their child to reach the elite level of their sport is to play as much of it as they can - and the earlier the better. While practice will most definitely lead to improvement, if you are a believer in the 10,000 hour rule, it is important to understand that practicing ones sport can take many forms. Growing up, I played multiple organized sports that all had an impact on my athletic development, which in turn helped my development as a soccer player. From the ages of 7-12, I played soccer in the spring/summer and hockey in the fall/winter. I didnt know it at the time, but I was building my aerobic endurance by playing soccer and my anaerobic endurance by playing hockey. Although I stopped playing hockey when I was 13 to focus my attention on soccer, when I started high school, I played as many varsity sports as I could cram into my schedule. Volleyball helped me develop my jumping ability - something that would prove to be a major asset for me as a central defender in soccer. The athletic movements involved in spiking a volleyball are very similar to those needed to win a header in soccer; two or three steps, a two-foot takeoff, swinging the arms to gain elevation, arching the back to generate power - all of these movements take place when spiking a volleyball or heading a soccer ball. While I was having fun playing high school volleyball, I was training to become a better soccer player - without even knowing it. Basketball helped me to develop my ability to read dangerous situations. Whether playing man-to-man defence or marking zonally, basketball trains your ability to use your peripheral vision to track not only the ball, but more importantly, the opponent. I played as a forward in basketball, and learning to box out players for rebounds taught me how to be ball-side, goal-side in soccer - always in a better position than the opponent to win the ball. Badminton and squash helped me to improve on and compensate for one of my major athletic flaws - quickness. Both sports are heavily dependent on quick reactions and the first two steps. I was never quick - despite my best efforts over the years to improve that facet of my game - but I learned to compensate for that by reading the game well and anticipating what was going to happen next. Again, these skills were not solely developed on a soccer field, but rather, on badminton and squash courts when I was a teenager. Squash became such a good training tool for me that I continued to play the game right up until the day I retired as a professional footballer. The Academy Director at Ipswich Town, Bryan Klug, is an excellent squash player, and our squash games would often be more demanding than the work we did on the football pitch! So, if you are a parent of an aspiring athlete, consider letting them play other sports. Encourage them to go outside and play games with their friends. This is often where creativity and improvisation are learned, far from the eyes of demanding coaches and parents. Sione Takitaki Jersey . Jurrjens signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in May, and was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He has a 53-37 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven major league seasons, including five with Atlanta. David Njoku Womens Jersey .com) - Wayne Simmonds, Scott Laughton and Jakub Voracek each posted a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Bernie-Kosar-Jersey/ .500. The Jets have now won nine of their last 11, and five of their last six road games. With the win they moved to within two points of Vancouver in the west, the Canucks holding down the eighth spot. Vancouver lost in Boston, while the other big game saw Dallas win in Phoenix.Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Erik Karlsson netted the game-winning goal 1:21 into overtime and the Ottawa Senators battled back from a three-goal deficit to top the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, on Sunday. Mika Zibanejad, who finished with two goals and two assists, dropped a pass back to Karlsson in the slot and the Ottawa captain beat a screened Eddie Lack with a wrister for the win. David Legwand scored on the power play to spark the comeback, Bobby Ryan tallied three helpers and Craig Anderson made 30 saves for the Senators, who ended a five-game skid. Radim Vrbata had a goal and an assist, while Brad Richardson and Kevin Bieksa also scored for Vancouver, which got 41 stops from Lack in its second straight loss. (Lack) played so well, Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins said. That gave us a chance, but we couldnt do it. The Canucks opened the scoring with two goals in a span of 65 seconds during the first period. Vrbata stickhandled his way around Anderson and slipped the puck into the net at 6:10 and also assisted on Bieksas slap shot from the high slot at 7:15 for a 2-0 Canucks lead. Richardson increased Vancouvers lead after snapping home a shot 5:02 into tthe second, but Ottawa answered back with three goals of its own in the second period. Nick Chubb Browns Jersey. Legwand fired home a generous rebound over the shoulder of Lack for a power- play marker past the midway point. Zibanejad gathered his own rebound, skated behind the net and banked the puck off the skate of a defender and into the net for a 3-2 game with 5:48 left in the second. Canucks defenseman Christopher Tanev blocked Ryans shot from the right side, but Zibanejad was there to take the puck and drag it across the slot with his backhand before finishing the play with a patient backhander for a tie game with 1:02 to play before the second intermission. Ottawa threatened in the latter stages of the third, most notably on Ryans turnaround shot in the slot with just over two minutes to play, but neither team was able to find the back of the net and the game went to overtime. Game Notes Zibanejad has scored in three straight games ... Senators defenseman Marc Methot was a late scratch ... It was Zibanejads first career multi-goal game ... The Senators went 1-for-7 on the power play, while the Canucks went 0- for-3. ' ' '