COPENHAGEN – When you bring up Andre Burakowskys name around players on Canadas world junior hockey team most crack a small smile. Dick Butkus Jersey For Sale . Theyve heard what the Swedish forward was quoted as saying in the local publication Skanskan. Specifically, Burakowsky said that, on paper, Sweden has a better team than Canada. "We heard that," said Canadian forward Charles Hudon, a Montreal Canadiens prospect. "It is motivation. Ive never seen two papers play on the ice. Were ready for that game and I think they are too." Canada and Sweden will face off in an exhibition game Sunday in Angelholm, Sweden. You can watch it live on TSN starting at 11am et/8am pt. Canadian players werent shy when asked whether Burakowskys words will be on their mind. "Of course, it does motivate you for sure, but let them think that," said 17-year-old Barrie Colts defenceman Aaron Ekblad, who officially secured a spot on Team Canada when Damon Severson was cut on Friday night. "They have a highly-skilled team and, obviously, we need to respect that and we just have to counter with our work ethic." Even defenceman Adam Pelech, who is Burakowskys teammate on the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League, admitted the comments got him going. "Teams are always looking for things like that to put on the wall for some extra motivation before the game," he said. "Things like that we just try to use as fuel for us." Pelech isnt the only Otter caught off guard by the Burakovsky quote. Connor McDavid, who picked up a pair of assists in Canadas 4-2 win over Finland on Friday, is Burakowskys linemate in Erie. "He can be a little bit ****y," McDavid noted with a chuckle, "but hes entitled to his own opinion." Burakowsky, a first round pick of the Washington Capitals last June, is having a fantastic rookie season with the Otters. When he left for Swedens junior camp, he was fourth on the team in scoring with 23 goals and 47 points in just 31 games. The 18-year-old will be making his world junior debut this month. "We kind of joked about playing each other in Sweden in his hometown of Malmo and maybe in the gold-medal game," McDavid said, "but thats a long way down the road. We still have a lot of work to get there, but it would be pretty nice to have that over him." "Hes a really good guy," said Pelech. "I like him a lot. I havent talked to him recently, but obviously I heard about the comments and I guess Ill shoot him a message. Im looking forward to talking to him about that." Canadian head coach Brent Sutter has repeatedly said he wants his players to focus on themselves and what the team needs to do to be successful. But when informed his players were talking about Burakowsky, Sutter was more than okay with it. "No, thats good," he said with a wry grin, "keep feeding it all they want, thats good." Not lost on the Canadian players is the reason why Burakowsky is feeling confident. The Swedes won the silver medal last year and have almost half of that team back plus theyll have home-ice advantage this time around. Meanwhile, Canada has just three players (Jonathan Drouin, Griffin Reinhart and Jake Paterson) returning from the team that finished fourth last year. "Swedens a pretty good hockey country, but were Canada and were confident in the players we have," said McDavid. Walter Payton Pink Jersey.C. -- Cameron Gaunce scored in overtime to lift the Texas Stars to a 4-3 win over the Abbotsford Heat in American Hockey League action Wednesday.Walter Payton Youth Orange Jersey . "Its huge," Casey said of Torontos matchup with the fifth-place Hawks, who sit 1.5 games behind the Raptors for third place in the Eastern Conference. "Its not like in the past where games dont matter. In the past we were building, getting guys experience.LAKE LOUISE, Alta. -- Manuel Osborne-Paradis talks of learning more about himself and of taking care of his body to extend his career in ski racing. All very adult, but he hasnt completely outgrown the man who celebrated the Calgary Stampede two years ago by climbing on the back of a party bus and falling off. He sustained road rash on his bottom severe enough to put him in the hospital. Winning downhill races requires recklessness, so Osborne-Paradis isnt willing to let the foolhardy part of himself disappear completely. "You cant kill that," he says. "You can scrape a bit of him off, but you cant kill him." His Canadian teammate Jan Hudec doesnt want to see it disappear either because that devil-may-care ingredient is necessary when attempting speeds that are literally breakneck. "We all hope he has pre-road rash Manny left in him," Hudec said. "Besides the personality and the energy it brings to the team, I think its part of his winning attitude. "Im a little bit the same way. I live my life pretty loosey-goosey by the seat of my pants. I dont plan ahead, but it works for me for skiing. Thats how I race as well. I live in the moment. Manny is fairly similar that way." Erik Guay, Hudec and Osborne-Paradis are the Canadian downhill teams decorated elder statesmen at the season-opening World Cup in Lake Louise, Alta. John Kucera would also be included in that group if the Calgarian wasnt sidelined with an inner ear condition. The downhill is Saturday followed by Sundays super-G. Training was cancelled Thursday because of a power problem affecting the lift to the start hut. Repairs didnt leave enough time to get 91 racers from the top to the bottom, although the competitors were able to free ski the lower sections of the course. Guay had the fastest time in training Wednesday, with Osborne-Paradis and Hudec also in the top 10. Guay and Hudec, both 32, and Osborne-Paradis, 29, have stood on World Cup podiums multiple times during their careers. Theyve morphed from guys who just wanted to ski fast to men running their individual ski empires of businesses, sponsorships and charities. "Business, families, girlfriends, fiancees, wives, we didnt even know what those words were and how to use them five years ago," Osborne-Paradis says. "You know, young and dumb. Its a different time of your life. Theres guys who are 36 in the race and theres guys who are 20 and you can totally tell the difference." How to square their adult responsibilities with a certain disregard for their own safety on the mountain is a balancing act, says Hudec. "I think the older you get, the more cherished it becomes and you put it in your backpack in a safety deposit box and you carefully bring it to the hotel and youre like dont lose this. Its my recklessness. If I lose this, Im screwed," Hudec explains. "You have tto leave it at home when you go to the store or your business and youre telling people to be responsible and be on time. Robbie Gould Jersey For Sale. They cant know youre that person on the hill. Its actually a really funny challenge." Vancouvers Osborne-Paradis returned last season from a catastrophic knee injury suffered in January, 2011. Hudec, from Calgary, has undergone seven knee surgeries, including six on the same knee. Injuries plant seeds of doubt that have to be overcome in the start hut. Bravado helps get past the mental barriers to 130 kilometres per hour. "I think theres a lot of fear, but you learn to adapt to that," Osborne-Paradis says. "Recklessness for sure, its the only way to win. "You can ski pretty and have a good run and come 20th your whole career if you wanted to. To win, you need to be taking chances and you need to risk the fact that you might end up in the (safety) nets. Thats the only way to win." The 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, are just weeks away and this could be the Olympic swan song for some of Canadas veteran downhillers. Osborne-Paradis says he has never worked so hard to prepare for a season of racing. "Ive taken the initiatives and worked better with my sports psych, better with my biofeedback, better with stretching and mobility," he says. "The stuff that, as you get older, makes more a difference than going out and grunting. "As you get older, you need to learn how to stay in the game and stay active in this sport. You take your knowledge and your history of running all the courses and use that to your advantage and build up a better mental capacity of what needs to be done at each event. To get to know yourself a little bit more makes you a better athlete." Similar to NHL goaltenders who donate money to a charity for each shootout they earn, Osborne-Paradis has come up with a strategy for Right To Play, the international organization that empowers children facing adversity through sport. Osborne-Paradis wears Right To Plays logo on his helmet instead of a corporate brand. Through his business contacts, hes raised an initial $25,000 for the organization. More will be donated for top-10 or podium performances he achieves this season. A win, for example, is worth another $15,000 contribution. If Osborne-Paradis attracts a headgear sponsor this season, he intends to wear Right To Plays logo on his suit. He would exponentially increase the bonus money to the organization, so a win would be worth $30,000. "Obviously theres the personal drive of achieving your goals, but when youre skiing for a cause bigger than yourself, the better you ski and the faster you ski and the more other people will benefit from that," he says. "Its a great feeling and on those off days it really helps you push through the cold weather and the fear of racing or whatever." ' ' '
