Im writing this having just returned from the International Broadcast Centre in Sochi after watching and broadcasting a portion of the mens final in figure skating. Heinie Manush Jersey . It would be an understatement to say that I am still stunned by what has transpired here in Russia. Yuzuru Hanyu, a 19-year-old, has just become the Olympic gold medallist, the first for his country, in this individual discipline. Meanwhile, the three-time and reigning world champion, Patrick Chan of Canada, has taken the silver medal. Neither skated perfectly, far from it, but the drama of it all was breathtaking. And although I might have forecast a different result, I find myself unable to quibble with the bottom line. Someone came first and someone came second. The only call I took when I got back here to the hotel was from an old acquaintance and colleague named Dave Campbell at CHED radio in Edmonton. I had run into him during my Hockey Night in Canada days covering the Oilers. But tonight Dave didnt even mention the score of the Canadian mens hockey game versus Austria, a 6-0 shellacking by the maple leaf men. He wanted to talk figure skating. “You know, we were discussing Chan and the result in the office, and we were disappointed,” he said. “But then again we thought that figure skating must surely be the most difficult of the Olympic sports.” I would have to agree. Personally speaking, I cannot fathom what it must be like to go onto a sheet of ice in front of 12,000 people and to perform what appears to be a series of impossible acts without an overwhelming fear of failure. There is nowhere for these young people to hide. There is no mulligan for a bad jump, or second chance to eliminate the sting of a fall on ones ass. You cannot skip a shift and survive in figure skating. It is what it is. These athletes accept that they are required to stand and deliver and when the dust settles they must live with the result. In the end, they must go it alone. The thing is, I felt completely helpless for Patrick Chan as he skated with a chance to be the Olympic champion. I have followed his career since the time he first won the national title seven years ago. Ive been there for each of his three world championships. He has never dodged a question and never given an excuse for something less than a perfect performance. He is, in my experience, a conscientious and hard-working young man who is supremely talented. Tonight, he came up short, and I know he wishes he could do it all over again … but he cant. Dave Campbell may have been right when he suggested that figure skating is the most difficult of the sports. Im convinced it is simultaneously the most beautiful and brutal. The judges reward you lavishly when you succeed, and they punish you ruthlessly when you dont. And they make you sit by yourself to await your fate on a giant-sized television screen so that everyone in the arena and around the globe knows what they think of you. Those are the facts when it comes to figure skating. And while Im disappointed for Patrick Chan and happy for Yuzuru Hanyu, Im astonished that the result has affected me the way it has. Its not like I havent witnessed something like this before. “Its just so thrilling,” Dave Campbell said. “And its causing me to lose sleep, but I cant get enough of it.” I feel the same way. Its the savage beauty of sport and the incredible attraction that the brave hearts who dare to venture onto the Olympic field of play hold for me. Buck Farmer Jersey . Howard hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. Jose Cisnero Jersey .com) - Blake Griffin led five Clippers in double figures with 24 points and the LA Clippers got back on track with a 101-97 win over the Utah Jazz. https://www.cheaptigers.com/269z-jim-northrup-jersey-tigers.html . - Vince Carter, heading into his 17th NBA season, doesnt consider age a big issue anymore. TORONTO -- The details of James van Riemsdyks vague injury got a little bit clearer, thanks to Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. Van Riemsdyk is dealing with back spasms that are likely to cause the forward to miss his second straight game Thursday when the Carolina Hurricanes visit Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Hes considered day-to-day but theres no specific recovery time. "He did skate (Wednesday), and we felt that was an improvement," Carlyle said. "But hes kind of plateaued or flattened out here, and were not going to put him on the ice in a situation where we think were going to possibly have him have any setback." Carlyle had previously said he was "surprised" that the injury occurred and called it upper-body. He said van Riemsdyk did not suffer the injury in a game. "He got up the other morning, got to the rink, he had back spasms," Carlyle said. "Thats why it wasnt a hockey-related injury. We all know that skaters get skaters back. Its one of the things that hockey players have to deal with over the course of the season." Van Riemsdyk has five goals and an assist in his first six games of the season. He took Monday off as a so-called maintenance day and did not play Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The 24-year-old left Wednesdays practice early because he was "pretty stiff," according to Carlyle. Carlyle does not believe vaan Riemsdyk has a history of this kind of problem. Detroit Tigers Pro Shop. "I just think this is one-off for him, specifically," he said. "Because he has back spasms one day, is that a history? I dont know that. I dont think we can predict that yet. Its not something thats been noted in his medical file. But I would guarantee you there isnt a player in there that hasnt come to the rink with a bad back." Dealing with players being out of the lineup is nothing new for the Leafs. Theyre already without wingers Nikolai Kulemin (bone chip in right ankle) and David Clarkson (10-game suspension), enforcer Frazer McLaren (broken right pinky finger) and defenceman Mark Fraser (knee). That has meant calling up players like Josh Leivo, Trevor Smith and David Broll from the AHLs Marlies and plugging them into the lineup. Van Riemsdyks injury earlier this week just opened up another spot. "With us, weve been constantly having to make adjustments to our roster based upon the availability," Carlyle said. "Weve been dealt a few of those situations that we call adversity, but thats to be expected early in the season and every team in the league has their fair share of injuries. "For us, we have some young kids now that are stepping into the lineup who are getting an opportunity to show us what they have, and theyre trying to earn the trust of the coaching staff." ' ' '