Rob Blake remembers what it was like to get the call from Hockey Canada to play in the world championship the day after his season with the Los Angeles Kings ended. http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/authentic-christine-michael-seahawks-jersey/ . Blake donned the red-and-white Maple Leaf five times at the tournament over his career, winning gold twice. This spring hell be making those calls as Canadas general manager for the world championship that takes place in May in Minsk, Belarus. Because its an Olympic year, Blake and his staff -- Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers, Brad Treliving of the Phoenix Coyotes and Brad Pascall of Hockey Canada -- might have some different challenges convincing players to commit. But the 44-year-old Kings assistant GM knows what to sell. "I cant stress how important the opportunity to win is," Blake said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I convey to them what the world championships is all about. ... You look at your career and it goes by pretty fast. Theres not a lot of opportunities you have to win something." Blake represented Canada at the world championship in 1998, months after playing in the Nagano Olympics. "Being in that position and having won a couple of those tournaments, you can relate those stories to (potential players)," Blake said. Canada, like many other teams at the world championship, is expected to have a young roster in Minsk because its an Olympic year. Not only does that likely rule out the players who won gold in Sochi (Corey Perry was the only 2010 Olympian to play at the worlds), but Treliving said there are other complications. "Its a little bit unique in the sense not only from an Olympic year and the guys that went over and played, but even from the NHL schedule and the compactness of the NHL schedule, for everybody, including those who didnt go over and play," he said in a phone interview. Four years ago, Canadas group at the world championships included 18-year-old Evander Kane, 19-year-olds Matt Duchene and John Tavares and 20-year-old Steven Stamkos. Expect similar youth this time around. "I think its going to be very similar to the teams in the past," Blake said. "The young guys are the ones that make an easy commitment. They dont have the family commitment, the kids commitment and different things that as you get older you might have involved in this type of decision. I think, typically, younger guys are the ones and then you surround them with the right veterans and you can have some success." One thing Blake, Hextall and Treliving have in common is theyre all general managers of their organizations AHL affiliate, giving them some experience with younger players. Blake is in his first season as Kings assistant GM, replacing Hextall, who took the same job in Philadelphia. Treliving is in his seventh season as the Coyotes assistant GM. "Blakeys been around the game a long time," Hextall said. "Hes a very patient guy, hes methodical and hes very sharp. I know he had a hand in a world championship team in the past, so Im sure that little bit of experience helps him." Along with Pascall, Hockey Canadas vice president of hockey operations and national teams, those men will have conference calls over the next few weeks to discuss putting together a coaching staff and then a projected roster. That process has already begun. "I think youve got to look at teams that are not likely to make the playoffs and see whats available and at least get your mind going and start thinking about line combinations and checkers and energy guys and scorers," Hextall said in a phone interview. "Its never too early to start thinking." The immediate next step for the management team is to zero in on coaches. Ralph Krueger, who served as a coaching consultant in Sochi, and Kevin Dineen, who coached the womens team to gold and will be behind the bench for the mens under-18 world championships next month, have been speculated as possible options. Either would fit with what Blake said in general terms hes looking for. "I think part of that staff should have some experience overseas, whether it be coaching over there, coaching an international tournament at some time or being involved on a staff," he said. "Its a different tournament, its not the same as over here. I think some of that experience in scheduling wise, knowing some of the teams and tendencies of those countries and obviously with the setup and that all being different than North America, its nice to have somebody with some experience on that." Part of this tournament is getting experience, for the players, coaches and members of the management staff. Blake, Hextall and Treliving are all legitimate candidates for head GM jobs in the not-too-distant future. Experience already gained in NHL front offices is key now. "I think you learn, its one thing to build a team over a long haul and what you have to do is use everything youve learned over the long haul to try and put a team together for the short term," said Hextall, who played in the 1987 Canada Cup and the 1992 world championship. "I think its more lessons Ive learned from NHL experience that Ill be able to lend a hand in trying to help Blake and Brad build this team." Getting this job also raises the possibility that Blake could be GM of Team Canada at the 2018 Olympics, if NHL players participate. Steve Yzerman has already said its time for someone else to fill that role after winning back-to-back gold medals. "Thats a long ways down the line," Blake said. This tournament is not a long ways down the line, as Canada opens play May 9 against France. Blake already has some preliminary lists of potential players and will go through the process in the next few weeks of scouting and evaluating for those spots. Hell get some help in that regard not only from Hextall, Treliving and Pascall, but former NHL defenceman Steve Staios, who is the teams director of player development. Staios is then expected to assist the coaching staff on and off the ice in Minsk, perhaps similar to what Kruegers job was in the Olympics. Everything worked for Canada there, and even though the worlds in an Olympic year tend to be something of an afterthought, theyre far from that for those in charge of trying to win gold. "Any time you go and compete as Team Canada, the expectation is to win," Treliving said. "Obviously thats the expectation, thats the challenge for us and the goal for us putting this team together." http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/authentic-thomas-rawls-seahawks-jersey/ .No terms were released but a raise was expected. The 27-year-old right back was a bargain at US$48,825 in 2014 and $46,500 in 2013. http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/authentic-jimmy-graham-seahawks-jersey/ .Jansrud, a two-time downhill winner this season, timed 1 minute, 49.07 seconds on a 3.08-kilometre (1.9-mile) course. The practice run started lower down the mountain because of high winds. PHILADELPHIA -- Sergei Bobrovsky stuck it to his former team, then gave his stick a few extra shakes in celebration toward the jeering crowd. Back on familiar ice, Bobrovsky made himself quite at home. Bobrovsky stopped 37 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to their first win in Philadelphia, 2-0 over the Flyers on Thursday night. "Its something special," Bobrovsky said. "Its tough to explain." James Wisniewski and Brandon Dubinsky each scored goals for the Blue Jackets, who were 0-5-1 in Philadelphia since the franchises inception in 2000. Led by Bobrovsky, a former Flyer, the Blue Jackets moved closer to clinching their second-ever playoff berth. They closed within two points of the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. "Were in a good position," Dubinsky said. "Its not like where we were last year when we had to continue to watch and hope and chase teams. Were right where we want to be." The Flyers have lost three straight games and were shut out for the second straight time. They havent scored a goal in 130 minutes, 25 seconds, dating back to a third-period goal on March 30 against Boston. Flyers coach Craig Berube said the offence simply didnt test Bobrovsky enough, especially in the third. "Weve got to do a better job of getting shots through, get rebounds," he said. Wisniewski snapped a scoreless tie with his seventh goal of the season late in the second period. He finished off a Columbus attack that saw at least three shots on Steve Mason before he was able to slide in the puck with 6 seconds left on the power play. Dubinsky appeared to kick in the puck early in the third to make it 2-0. The Blue Jackets are about as automatic as it gets in the NHL with a lead after two periods: They improved to 27-2-4 with a two-period lead. "Were going to keep climbing," Bobrovsky said. The interesting matchup was the one between the pipes: Mason vs. Bobrovsky. Maason had it all figured out in Columbus when he went 33-20-7 with 10 shutouts and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2008-09, the only season the Blue Jackets have made the playoffs. http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/authentic-ahtyba-rubin-seahawks-jersey/. But Mason and Columbus could never recapture that fleeting success again. He fell to 20 wins and five shutouts the next season, and bottomed out in 2011-12 with a 16-26-3 mark. Mason lost his job to Bobrovsky, the former Flyer who blossomed into last seasons Vezina Trophy winner. Mason, who had 25 saves, was traded to the Flyers at the end of last season and became the No. 1 goalie after they bought out Ilya Bryzgalovs contract. Bobrovsky was expendable because Bryzgalov signed a nine-year deal and was supposed to anchor the net as Philadelphia chased its first Stanley Cup championship since 1975. Bryzgalovs quirky personality and sometimes brutal honesty with the media didnt always endear him to teammates and he lasted only two seasons. Mason and Bobrovsky are now leading playoff pushes for both organizations. Bobrovsky made 17 saves in the second period and the Blue Jackets defence kept the punchless Flyers out of the zone for most of the third. "We know it means a lot for him to be back here in Philly," Dubinsky said. "When you get traded from a team, it always feels good to go into the building and beat them. He was huge. He gave us an opportunity when we werent at our best in the first." The Flyers need to rediscover their offence over the final games if they want to make any kind of deep post-season run. "I dont think you can start pressing the panic button or anything like that, but we definitely need to get harder, especially in front of their end," forward Scott Hartnell said. NOTES: Flyers D Kimmo Timonen (upper body) returned to the lineup after a one-game absence. ... Bobrovsky has eight career shutouts. ... The Blue Jackets are 3-1 vs. the Flyers this season. ... The Blue Jackets and Flyers have played each other only 15 times. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale JerseysCheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
