TORONTO -- Mike Babcock scoffs at the notion that he simply shows up to coach the Canadians and they keep winning best-on-best games, a streak that has run to 14.I think thats what you guys think, he bristled at reporters.Whatever anyone things, Babcock has helped Canada win gold at the last two Olympics and he has the team rolling into the best-of-three World Cup of Hockey finals against Team Europe, with Game 1 on Tuesday night.His counterpart, meanwhile, is simply happy to have a shot to coach hockey again. Ralph Krueger wasnt sure if he would have another chance to be behind a bench after being fired a few years ago by the Edmonton Oilers via Skype while sitting on his daughters bed. He was let go after the Oilers went 19-22-7 during the lockout-shortened season.While still reeling from the blow, he got an opportunity to bounce back -- from Babcock. He asked Krueger to help the team as a consultant at the Sochi Games and they became friends, attending non-hockey events at the 2014 Olympics and swapping water skiing stories in recent years.Mike called me 12 hours later to ask me to come to the Olympic Games with Canada, so thats Mike Babcock, said Krueger, a Canadian who has known Babcock since 2004.Now, theyre matching wits as competitors in a tournament in which Canada seems to have everything to lose as a heavy favorite and Team Europe has everything to gain. Europes surprising performance has some wondering if the next time an NHL team has an opening, Kruger might get another call.You should never say never about anything in life, Krueger said. Circumstances change, but I definitely did not take this job hunting for a job.Krueger is chairman of Southampton , a Premier League soccer club. He ended up there by following an unusual path.When he became a coach in the Austrian Hockey League in 1994, Kruger was looking for another line of work.I was so frightened about the future and being unstable in coaching so I started doing motivational speaking and that took me into the corporate world, he recalled. I was then invited by the founder of the World Economic Forum to be one of the members of the leadership council. I was the only non-academic. There were 50 academics and me.That role led to his job with Southampton. When Team Europe was looking for a coach, its search started and ended with Krueger because of the relative success he has had in best-on-best tournaments.Kruger coached the Swiss at three Olympics, including in 2006 when he helped them to a sixth-place finish -- one spot ahead of Canada, a team they beat 2-0 -- and a fourth-place showing at the 1998 World Championships.Team Europe forward Frans Nielsen said he wouldnt be surprised if NHL teams start showing interest in Krueger.I think he has shown in this tournament how smart of a hockey brain he is, Nielsen said.He will be trying to figure out Canada this time, a team that hasnt lost a best-on-best game that counted under Babcock since the U.S. stunned the Canadians in the preliminary round of the Vancouver Games six years ago.I get up every morning, and I do the best I can, and work as hard as I can to prepare my team the best I can, Babcock said. Try to love the guys the best I can, try to make them feel good and make them better players. And I go home and love my family and I come here and do it the next day and over time things have worked out good.Babcock is the only coach to win gold at the Olympics and World Championships along with a Stanley Cup, which he helped the Detroit Red Wings hoist in 2008. He also led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup finals in 2003. His current team, the Maple Leafs, are in a rebuilding phase.Even though Babcock oozes with confidence these days, he acknowledged accomplishing the things he has were beyond his wildest dreams while he was growing up and climbing the coaching ladder.You grow up in Saskatoon or youre a coach at Red Deer College, you probably dont think youre going to coach Canadas Olympic team, he said.---Follow Larry Lage at www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at www.bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lage Signed Adidas NHL Jerseys . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Discount Adidas NHL Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.cheapnhljerseyssigned.com/ . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Authentic Adidas NHL Gear . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July.TORONTO - Canadas Jebb Sinclair and Matt Evans have overcome concussion concerns to start Saturday against Ireland in one of Canadian rugbys biggest challenges of the year. Sinclair, Evans and Sean Duke all had to go through the IRB concussion protocol after blows to the head in an ill-tempered win over Tonga last weekend that resulted in three suspensions for the Pacific Islanders. Duke, however, does not make the matchday 23 for Saturday. Ireland, meanwhile, is introducing another new face in a relatively inexperienced lineup against Canada. Centre James Downey, at the age of 32, will earn his first cap for the eighth-ranked Irish at Torontos BMO Field. Downey is one of seven changes made by interim coach Les Kiss from the team containing five new caps that edged the U.S. 15-12 last weekend in steamy Houston. Winger Andrew Trimble will win his 50th cap for Ireland but the entire starting 15 totals just 191 caps. Thats up from the 119-cap squad that faced the Americans last week. Ian Madigan, who kicked five-of-six penalties against the U.S., retains the No. 10 shirt while Paddy Jackson starts on the bench. The touring Irish side is missing 11 top players, picked by the British & Irish Lions for its current tour of Australia. Donnacha Ryan and Craig Gilroy were not picked for the North American tour so they could rest. The Irish had to contend with a stomach virus that went through their camp this week. Canada, ranked 13th in the world, is on a three-game winning streak, having defeated the U.S., Fiji and Tonga in Pacific Nations Cup play. Canadian coach Kieran Crowley has kept with the front row of Hubert Buydens, Ray Barkwill and Jason Marshall but there are changes at lock. Sinclair moves from flanker to the second row alongside incumbent Tyler Hotson. Tyler Ardron fills in for Sinclair in the back row along with John Moonlight and captain Aaron Carpenter. Nathan Hirayama wins the battle for fly half, pairing with scrum halff Phil Mack who is preferred over Sean White.dddddddddddd Taylor Paris comes in for Duke at wing, alongside Evans. Ciaran Hearns remains at centre, along with new partner Harry Jones. James Pritchard stays at fullback --- Canada Hubert Buydens, Saskatoon Wild Oats, Saskatoon; Ray Barkwill, Niagara Wasps RFC, Niagara Falls, Ont.; Jason Marshall, Atlantique Stade Rochelais (France), Vancouver; Jebb Sinclair, London Irish (England), Fredericton; Tyler Hotson, London Scottish (England), Vancouver; Tyler Ardron, James Bay AA, Lakefield, Ont.; John Moonlight, James Bay AA, Pickering, Ont,; Aaron Carpenter (capt.), Cornish Pirates (England), Brantford, Ont.; Phil Mack, UVIC Vikes, Victoria; Nathan Hirayama, UVIC Vikes, Richmond, B.C.; Taylor Paris SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne (France), Barrie, Ont,; Harry Jones, Capilano RFC, Vancouver; Ciaran Hearn, Castaway Wanderers, Conception Bay, N.L.; Matt Evans, Cornish Pirates (England), Maple Bay, B.C.; James Pritchard, Bedford Blues (England), Parkes, Australia. Replacements Ryan Hamilton, Capilano, Vancouver; Andrew Tiedemann, Castaway Wanderers, St. Albert, Alta.; Doug Wooldridge, Lindsay RFC, Lindsay, Ont.; Jon Phelan, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Montreal; Nanyak Dala, Castaway Wanderers, Saskatoon; Sean White, James Bay AA, Victoria; Nick Blevins, Calgary Hornets, Calgary; Connor Braid, Doncaster Knights (England), Victoria. Ireland Felix Jones, Munster; Fergus McFadden, Leinster; Darren Cave, Ulster; James Downey, Munster; Andrew Trimble, Ulster; Ian Madigan, Leinster; Isaac Boss, Leinster; Tom Court, Ulster; Richardt Strauss, Leinster; Mike Ross, Leinster; Dan Tuohy, Ulster; Devin Toner, Leinster; Kevin McLaughlin; Leinster; Tommy ODonnell; Munster; Peter OMahony (capt.), Munster. Replacements: Sean Cronin, Leinster; David Kilcoyne, Munster; Declan Fitzpatrick, Ulster; Mike McCarthy, Connacht; Chris Henry, Ulster; Paul Marshall, Ulster; Paddy Jackson, Ulster; Robbie Henshaw, Connacht. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '