by ldh2013 » Tue Jun 21, 2016 8:02 am
With the Olympic Games wrapping up in Sochi, the debate about who should carry the Canadian flag into the Closing Ceremony can begin. . Its been a successful Games for Canada, which will finish near the top of the medal standings again. From repeat gold medal winners to multiple medal winners to undefeated teams to acts that define the Olympic spirit, there are many solid candidates who could be considered to receive the honour. Who do you think should carry the flag for Canada on Sunday? Four years ago, Alexandre Bilodeau made history by winning Canadas first Olympic gold medal on home soil. He followed that up by defending his title in moguls this year. He is set to retire at seasons end so this would be a fitting way to honour his accomplishments. Bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse also won gold in Vancouver, a first in the womens event, and earned their way back to the top of the podium again in Sochi. Jennifer Jones and her rink from Winnipeg didnt lose a game in womens curling, going 9-0 in the round robin before beating Great Britain and Sweden in the playoffs. Canada has shown well in curling since its inception into the Olympics as an official sport in 1998 but has yet to have a flag bearer from the sport. "Were going to have that little OR — Olympic record — next to our name forever," Jones said after the final game. "Its one of those records that can only be tied and never broken. Well always be remembered." Speed skater Denny Morrison has been the lone Canadian athlete to win multiple medals in individual disciplines, taking the silver in the 1,000m event and bronze in the 1,500m. However, if not for the unselfish act of teammate Gilmore Junio, Morrison may have come up empty in Sochi. Junio stepped aside to let Morrison race the 1,000m event and the move paid off for Canada. Morrison then went on to win his bronze medal but it all started with Junio putting the team before himself. "People talk about it as being a huge sacrifice, but I dont see it that way," Junio said. "It was such an easy decision. It was such a simple decision for me. It was about giving Canada a chance to win a medal." It was actually Morrison who started a campaign on Twitter to have Junio carry the flag. "@cdnhappygilmore for Closing Ceremonies flag bearer! This guy showing everything that is Canadian pride and Olympic Pride. #ThankYouGilmore," Morrison tweeted as the #GilForFlagBearer campaign gained popularity. Along the same lines, theres Justin Wadsworth, the cross-country skiing coach who ran onto the course to help a Russian skier who had broken a ski. "I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line," Wadsworth said. That is the essence of good sportsmanship. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters captured Canadians attention on the first day of competition with Justine winning the gold and Chloe the silver in moguls skiing. And then theres hockey. Forward Marie-Philip Poulin and goaltender Shannon Szabados were key players in Team Canadas march to gold, especially in Thursdays riveting come-from-behind overtime victory. And what if the mens team were to follow suit on Sunday? Should Sidney Crosby or Carey Price warrant some consideration? There are many great candidates who have stood out among the throng of superb athletes in Sochi these past two weeks. But only one individual can carry the flag. Who do you think should have the honour of carrying Canadas colours into the stadium on Sunday? As always, its Your! Call. . PAUL, Minn. .The visitors, who had lost their last four games at the Stadium of Light, fell behind in the 19th when Pablo Zabaletas attempted clearance deflected off Connor Wickham and into the net. . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. AUSTIN, Texas -- Like it did against North Carolina, Texas controlled most of the first half against Michigan State. The only difference was how the Longhorns performed in the second half. Texas was outrebounded, 25-13, and allowed the Spartans to take 29 free throws in the final 20 minutes. Adreian Payne scored 19 of his career-high 33 points in the second half as Michigan State picked up its most lopsided win over Texas in school history during a 92-78 victory. Yet it wasnt rebounding, defence or shooting that Texas head coach Rick Barnes was most displeased about. "The biggest area we need to improve in is listening," Barnes said. "We didnt listen the way we needed to. If you dont listen, youre not going to execute." Payne hit 10 of his 13 shots from the floor and knocked down 11 of 12 attempts from the free throw line. He hit a pair of free throws to complete a 14-2 run Michigan State used to put the game away over a 4:22 stretch midway through the second half. "Payne got off scotch-free in the second half because we didnt make him defend," Barnes said. "Michigan State, they werent No. 1 a couple weeks ago for no reason. They beat us. We really needed to make Adreian Payne defend. We didnt do that." Appling, battling a hip pointer, had one of the worst shooting days of his career, connecting on only 2 of 11 attempts from the floor. Payne was one of six Spartans to score during that 14-2 run. Branden Dawson, who had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, started with a layup. Gary Harris, who missed three of the previous four games with an ankle injury, followed with a 3-point play. Between Gavin Schillings putback and Travis Trices 3-pointer, Appling got a layup to go, one of his few bright moments. But the way he responded after the game was one of Izzos favourite moments of the game. "Listening to him after the game, thanking the guys for picking him up was maybe as big a part of this as the win," Izzo said. "We came down here Thursday night because of plane issues. . I wasnt really happy about that but it turned out to be really good because we got to spend a little team time. I think our team grew a little bit." Cameron Ridley scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in a first half mostly controlled by the Longhorns, who was coming off an 86-83 win at No. 14 North Carolina. Texas opened the game on an 8-2 run and Michigan State led for only 56 seconds in the first half when Dawson gave the Spartans a 21-19 edge with a layup. But the Longhorns quickly reclaimed the lead on two 3s by Damarcus Croaker. Javan Felix hit a 15-footer in the final seconds of the first half to give Texas a 38-36 lead going into halftime. His only 3-pointer of the game put the Longhorns on top 47-43 early in the second half but they never held that large of a lead again. "All in all, it wasnt a championship but its a big road win for us against a very, very good team," Izzo said. "I think both of those teams have a bright future in the second half of the year." Texas entered the game averaging nearly 10 more rebounds per game than its opponent. But Michigan State outrebounded the Longhorns, 25-13, in the second half and shot 50 per cent from the floor for the game while holding Texas to 39.3 per cent shooting. "We have to learn how to play for 40 minutes, especially against good teams like Michigan State," Felix said. "We played right into their hands by not moving the ball and not getting any movement on offence. That resulted in fastbreak points and got them in a rhythm." Texas had four players score in double figures for the 10th straight game as Isaiah Taylor had 16 points and five assists while Javan Felix and Holmes each added 11 points. Michigan State also had four players with at least 10 points, including Trice, who missed the Spartans last game with a foot blister but chipped in 13 points while hitting 3 of 4 3-pointers. Harris scored 19 points in what was Michigan States most lopsided win over Texas in school history. ' ' '
