Liverpool - ever hear of it? Most of you have known it as the home of The Beatles. Gerald Sensabaugh Cowboys Jersey . The one Im talking about is the home of country and western singer Hank Snow (Hank, who died in 1989 would have been 100 this year). Im talking about the other Liverpool - the one in Canada - Atlantic Canada - on the south coast of Nova Scotia 90 minutes south of Halifax. Its nice, cute and quaint - almost a flashback in time look-type of town. Population of about 2,000, bolstered by the adjoining communities of Milton and Brooklyn. So you the idea that this is small town Canada, even very small town. Needless to say, Liverpool doesnt make national headlines. But it has in recent years and it wasnt for good reasons. Over a year ago the big White Point resorts main lodge went up in flames, putting a tourist hub out of work. And then the industry that gave this area its birth - the Bowater paper mill - closed and put hundreds of others out of work after 83 years. Yes, its been tough times. But a decision was made almost four years ago to build a recreation centre and arena - to the tune of $21 million - and its this centre that is the star of Liverpool today. And this tiny town is hosting a big national sporting event as the Canadian Junior National Curling championships are being held here. Of course, TSN - which is accustomed to broadcasting in small towns as shown by the Kraft Celebration Tour - is here. They made it to a neighboring town of Bridgewater for one delightful Sunday afternoon on last summers tour. But Bridgewater at 20,000 people is a metropolis compared to Liverpool. This is by far the biggest event ever held in Liverpool going back to 1759, and it all comes back to the new arena which, like so many places in Canada, is the centre of a town. Before this event, one has to go back 50 to 60 years in the days of the H&D Baseball League when Moe Drabowsky came to town to get big provincial coverage. Remember Moe? He was an American baseball player who came to this region to play semi-pro ball. Moe Drabowsky pitched in Liverpool on his way up to a decent major league career. He pitched in the majors for many teams, but is remembered for his days with Baltimore. He still holds a major league record of striking out 11 batters in a relief appearance in the 1966 World Series and his six consecutive strikeouts of the Dodgers - tying him with a mark set in 1909. Moes Orioles beat the Dodgers winning four straight. No NHL hockey players or CFLers have ever come from Liverpool. There are some provincial highlights, but not national ones over the decades. The local legion held the National Cribbage tournament in 2013, but that doesnt count as it really was confined to legions across the county and crib is not a spectator sport. We as Canadians talk a lot about our love for hockey and arenas across Canada and this building has given this area that has suffered so many hard knocks over the year a great showcase. The reason this national curling event is here - and the reason the TSN mobile trucks are in town - is Queens Place. There is no other reason. The curling will be underway with the womens finals on Saturday and the mens final on Sunday afternoon. If you thought the Kraft Celebration Tour was big in nearby Bridgewater five months ago, you have to see this event. Its nothing for the NHL and CFL centres to get national coverage. Its a much bigger deal for when a very small community gets, even for just a few hours, the national spotlight for a sporting event. Queens Place, in its second year, still looks like new. There was a little resistance as the hockey rink changed to a curling venue, but most of that dissipated when folks realized what an economic boom this national curling event was to this area. Signs of "Welcome to our House" are all over the place, along with "Liverpool Rocks." The folks in this area have battled back from many debilitating blows over the last few years and have staged a great national curling event. This weekend will showcase the building and the town on national television on TSN. Its a good story - maybe even a great one. This is my 25th year affiliated with TSN - 12 of them on television reporting from every nook and cranny in Atlantic Canada. And six years ago I moved to the Liverpool area. In my 25 years of covering stories in Atlantic Canada, this is my first shout out from here and Im glad – and proud - to do so. For TSN.ca, Im Alex J. Walling. Alex J. can be reached via email at: ajw@eastlink.ca Brandon Weeden Cowboys Jersey . Another is a bunch of groundballs. Finally, theres a game that lasts two hours six minutes. Pavano kept up his recent surge with an efficient six-hitter for the Twins in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. Cowboys #8 Jersey . They won gold today in the womens bobsled competition at the Sochi Games. The Canadian duo finished with a four-run time of three minutes 50.EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers returned to the ice Wednesday after 12 days off for the Olympic break, several of them with red faces either from sun tanning or the hard bike riding that was part of the mini training camp/conditioning session they were put through. "It feels a lot shorter than it was," said veteran defenceman Andrew Ference, who spent part of the break with his family in Canmore, Alta., visiting former Olympians Thomas Grandi and Sara Renner. "But its a really good chance to get rid of all the little aches and pains." Ference said it has to be remembered that with back-to-back condensed seasons - last year because of the lockout - players need the break both mentally and physically. "The last calendar year I think I played 110 or 120 games, so its a much welcomed break." It was a break that came with the Oilers suddenly having found their game in the midst of another disastrous, non-playoff season. They went into the Olympic break having won five of their previous seven games - one of the losses was in overtime - and outscoring their opponents 18-12. Their previous 10 games before the break - the statistic the NHL keeps - showed them at 5-3-2, a record that put them in the middle of the pack, unlike the 29th place they are in with their overall record of 20-33-7. "It is tough from that aspect," forward Jordan Eberle said of the untimely break. "Some of the GMs around the league have been complaining, some of the teams were going well and then you get this break. Its almost like a new season starting. "But, for me personally, I feel you get re-energized, with a little more jump and a little more excitement to play, like you didd in camp. Cowboys #59 Jersey. I feel really energized and ready to play." Like many of the players, Eberle took a vacation away from the game, away from Edmonton and away from winter. But not away from working out. "Yeah I went away but I definitely worked out," he added. "I knew today was going to be a tough day. It was just a bit of a skate but most of the stuff was in the gym and it was tough." Ference said the players were put through a tough physical that included a hard bike ride but said everybody looked fine. "Nobody was puking." Veteran Ryan Smyth said it would have been nice to be playing in the Olympics again, but he appreciated the great family time he had in Mexico. And as a player turning 38 on Friday, he said "any time you get some rest for the body to recuperate, it will really help." While players made sure they stayed physically active and in shape, they were able to mentally turn off the game and enjoy some rare family time. "Your mind is a little off on vacation so you give yourself a break there," said Eberle, second on the Oilers scoring with 45 points. "But as far as your body you have to make sure youre still able to come back and play 22 games. So everyone took their mind away from the game, which is a good thing. "I went on vacation somewhere hot and your mind is so out of it that you think, wow, I have to come back and play hockey? But as soon as you get to Edmonton, see the snow on the ground, it changes pretty quickly. I got on the ice, felt pretty excited to get back. Its almost like a new season here." The Oilers resume play Feb. 27 at home against the Minnesota Wild. 20:11ET 19-02-14 wholesale nfl jerseys ' ' '
