The two organizations merged in 1994

Finland had more than enough offensive talent to overcome its slow start against Austria, even with Teemu Selanne back in the dressing room. Jarkko Immonen and Mikael Granlund scored two goals apiece as Finland opened preliminary-round Olympic play with an 8-4 victory over Austria on Thursday. Jussi Jokinen and Petri Kontiola each had a goal and an assist for the Finns, who put 52 shots on beleaguered Austria goalie Bernhard Starkbaum despite playing the final two periods without Selanne, their captain and the leading scorer in Olympic history. The 43-year-old "Finnish Flash" had an assist in the first period of his record-equaling sixth Olympics before sitting out with an upper-body injury. Selanne should be fine for the Finns next game, team spokesman Janne Lahti said. "Hes an old man, so he needs some rest, more than the other guys," Kontiola said. Sami Lepisto and Olli Maatta also scored for Finland, which has never lost to Austria at the Olympics. Granlund had a three-point game and defenceman Sami Vatanen had three assists in their Olympic debuts. Selanne got just eight shifts before apparently having problems with his neck or shoulders. Finlands trainers massaged Selanne on the bench late in the first period, and he didnt return from the first break. "Maybe he got the bad pillow!" said Sami Vatanen, Selannes teammate with the Anaheim Ducks. Even with Selanne ailing, Finland took control with two goals in 8 seconds during the final minute of the first before taking a four-goal lead in the second. "Its tough to see him get injured, but hell be OK," Olli Jokinen said of Selanne. "Hes a big part of this team, and hes our leader. Its never easy when you lose a guy like him." Finns recover The Finns also survived a shaky Olympic debut from Tuukka Rask, the vaunted Boston Bruins goalie who yielded four goals on just 20 shots. "The first goal, everybody was caught sleeping there," Rask said. "After that second goal, everybody kind of woke up and got back to playing again." Michael Grabner had three goals in his Olympic debut for Austria. The New York Islanders forward scored 36 seconds into the first period, and Austria had two early leads before Finland took control. "In case we didnt know what we were up against, we got a reality check," Austrian forward Thomas Vanek said. "Youve got to play a certain way, and I think we didnt do it. Our goalie needs to be our best player, and we need to help him more." Finland is the most consistently successful Olympic nation of the NHL era while winning medals in four of the last five Olympics overall. The Finns have a solid shot at medals again despite placement in Canadas preliminary-round group, and an eight-goal performance in their opener will help their cause. Austria, which qualified for its first Olympics since 2002, surprised the Finns in the opening minute when Grabner converted a cross-ice pass from Michael Raffl. Granlund got Finlands first goal on a play set up by Selanne, who took Vatanens outlet pass and fed Granlund while screening Starkbaum. Austria went back ahead when Thomas Hundertpfunds shot from behind the net went off Maattas skate in front and beat Rask, but Lepisto equalized 2:04 later. Maatta put the Finns ahead with a vicious slap shot from the blue line with 35 seconds left in the first period — and Immonen scored 8 seconds later. Six Austrians are back from their Salt Lake City team along with the Olympic debuts of Grabner and Vanek, his Islanders teammate. Grabner added two goals in the third period for his hat trick. "I like the big ice, and I just tried to get into open space for my teammates," Grabner said. "Against a good team like Finland, its tough to come back." China Jerseys Stitched . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. China Jerseys Wholesale . Ghoulam has put pen to paper on a four and a half year deal, tying him to Napoli until 2018. The 22-year-old Algeria international, who played for France at Under 21 level, has made 87 league appearances in four seasons at Saint-Etienne. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/. And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. China Jerseys Cheap .com) - The Columbus Blue Jackets rewarded starting goaltender and pending restricted free agent Sergei Bobrovsky with a four-year contract extension on Friday. Cheap Jerseys From China . And all things considered, the first 40 games have offered a little bit of everything from a hockey club that faced many questions in its first year under new management, with a new head coach and with a number of new faces in the lineup. However, with a recent dip in scoring, it seems some of the same old questions persist and several new ones have been raised after a somewhat troubling homestand.TORONTO -- Canadas hockey teams are getting a new look next season. Hockey Canada unveiled new a jersey that will be worn by the mens, womens and sledge hockey teams as the organization marks its 100th anniversary. Hockey Canada chief operating officer Scott Smith introduced the jersey Wednesday at Torontos MasterCard Centre. "Its a high performance jersey," Smith said. "It allows out teams to pursue goal medals, of which we plan on bringing a few more home next year." The new jersey, developed in partnership with Nike, uses traditional red, white and black Hockey Canada colours. It features the Hockey Canada stickman logo along with the 100th anniversary logo on its left chest areas. The sleeves have two stripes each on their upper arms. "Canada" is spelled diagonally on the front of the jersey, a style that makes a return after more than 40 years. "There are some historical elements to this that you might be able to associate with other jerseys that have been worn over the last 100 years," Smith said. The jersey unveiling was part of a Hockey Canada event to kick off a cross-country exhibition tour. It features a 1,900 square metre caravan with interactive exhibits, including a timeline of hockey milestones. It also includes a year-round artificial surface rink and a five-by-three-metre outdoor video screen. The tour will officially begin in Ottawa Juuly 1, and will is expected to visit 100 communities before ending next May.dddddddddddd Thirteen communities have been scheduled to date: Toronto, Ottawa, Russell, Ont.; Kenora, Ont.; Kitchener, Ont.; Thunder Bay, Ont.; Montreal, Brossard, Que.; Sherbrooke, Que.; Calgary; Edmonton; Red Deer, Alta.; and Kamloops, B.C. The tour is partially funded by $3 million from the federal Department of Canadian Heritage through its Commemorate Canada Program. Smith estimated the government funding comprises more than half of the tours budget. Hockey Canada chairman Jim Hornell said the 100th anniversary tour has four main goals. "Hockey Canada wants Canadians to play the game. We want to engage communities," he said. "We want to leave a legacy, and we want to educate Canadians about our great game." Hockey Canada was officially formed in 1968 by the federal government, but it traces its roots to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association founded in 1914. The two organizations merged in 1994. Minister of State for Sport Bal Gosal, who represented Canadian Heritage Minister Shelly Glover at the event, said the national hockey teams that won gold medals at the past two Winter Olympics are role models for all Canadians. "National celebrations like this bring us together, strengthen communities, and help Canadians take pride in the citizenship we all share," he said. ' ' '