Ivan Hlinka tournament in the Czech from zgr123's blog
INDIANAPOLIS -- The orange and brown glasses slide down the bridge of Jacques Villeneuves nose. Alex Avila Jersey . Along with the greying hair and growing bald spot, they give the Canadian driver a professorial vibe. Its only reinforced when he begins to speak. In clear, crisp sentences spiced by that unmistakable French-Canadian accent, Villeneuve lays out his opinion on just about anything -- especially when it comes to the Indy 500. He will talk about the latest generation of cars, lament the fact there is only one chassis manufacturer, and argue that spotters who are supposed to make the race safer have often had the opposite effect. Then hell talk about the speed and the danger. "Some younger drivers didnt grow up seeing racing as being dangerous," said Villeneuve, who is back at the Indianapolis 500 after a 19-year absence. "They break their little finger and they are surprised. Its like, Be happy its only that." Of course, Villeneuve forgets many of those younger drivers grew up watching him. James Hinchcliffe, a fellow Canadian, said his earliest memory of watching a race was 1995, when Villeneuve took advantage of a late penalty on Scott Goodyear to win the Indy 500. That was also the last time Villeneuve stepped into an Indy car at the iconic racetrack. At least, it was until this year. "Its cool to have him back," Hinchcliffe said, "because hes obviously one of the guys I looked up to as a young driver, and one of the guys I never thought Id have a chance to race." Villeneuve spent nearly two decades driving just about everything but an IndyCar. He won a Formula One title, tried his hand at NASCAR and drove at Le Mans. He dabbled in RallyCross and even raced V8 Supercars around the street circuits of Australia. But the lure of Indy started to tug him back. Villeneuve, who will start 27th on Sunday, watched with rapt attention last year as Tony Kanaan took the checkered flag. He was intrigued by the record number of lead changes, the way cars moved through the field and how stiff the competition had become. Villeneuve managed to land a ride with team owners Sam Schmidt and Rick Peterson, and will be part of a stable that includes Mikhail Aleshin and Simon Pagenaud on Sunday. "If I jumped from F-1 to this again, it wouldnt be an issue," Villeneuve said of the return to open-wheel racing, "but the first 20 laps, your eyes, your brain -- its not used to those speeds, so it is a big shock. You have to get out, breath again, and then get back in and its like, All right. Business as usual." His team may be an underfunded underdog, at least compared to heavyweights Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport, and he may have struggled Friday in the final practice on Carb Day. But none of that will convince Villeneuve that he doesnt have a chance to win. "When I won here we were two laps down and we spent the whole race minding our own business," he said. "Thats the key: You should mind your own business. Figure out what is happening with everyone else at the end. You need a little bit of luck, and then you need to see how it pans out. I just hope Im not one of those people who does something stupid." Pagenaud was surprised to see his new teammate prepare for the race the moment he arrived in Indianapolis. Qualifying was almost an afterthought as Villeneuve gazed ahead to Sunday. "It actually makes me wonder why he focused so much on the race," Pagenaud said with a wry grin. "Im sure hell come up with something in the race and Ill learn then." If he does come up with something, Villeneuve could make history. The 43-year-old would break Al Unsers record of 17 years between victories that has stood since 1987. Even if he doesnt win, though, a good showing could prove invaluable. Villeneuve has dropped hints that he may be try to run the IndyCar series full-time next year, and that would turn the Indy 500 into quite an audition. "I had an opportunity to spend half an hour with Jacques in the garage area a week ago," said Goodyear, now an analyst for ABC. "Through all the questions I was asking him, catching up with him, I asked him, Why come back to something that youve won, have great memories with? "He said, Racing is my oxygen. I need to race something." Jose Quintana Jersey . -- Even as Chris Paul remained evasive about his future, he did what team leaders are expected to do. Luis Aparicio Jersey . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt and listen on TSN 690. The Canadiens have won three in a row and four of their last five games and recently put the finishing touches on a 3-1-0 road trip.Canadas National Mens Under-18 roster was announced on Wednesday ahead of the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship, taking place April 17-27 in Lappeenranta and Imatra, Finland. The 23-player roster includes 12 players from the Western Hockey League, six from the Ontario Hockey League and five from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In total, 20 players (two goaltenders, five defencemen and 10 forwards) competed at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, one in 2012, 18 in 2013 and two in 2014. The roster also includes 13 players - Daniel Audette, Julio Billia, Clark Bishop, Alexandre Carrier, Haydn Fleury, Jayce Hawryluk, Joe Hicketts, Jared McCann, Mason McDonald, Roland McKeown, Ryan Pilon, Brayden Point and Jake Virtanen - who helped Canadas National Mens Summeer Under-18 Team win the gold medal at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia last summer. Ron Santo White Sox Jersey. One player, defenceman Roland McKeown, returns from last years National Mens Under-18 Team that won Canadas third gold medal at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. Canada is a three-time gold medallist at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship, winning in 2003, 2008 and 2013. The 2014 IIHF Hockey U18 World Championship opens for Canada on April 17 when it faces Sweden. Canada will also face Germany, Slovakia and Russia in the preliminary round. TSN will broadcast Canadas final preliminary round game against Russia on April 22, as well as both semifinals on April 26 and both medal games on April 27. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
The Wall