knee injuries in the first half and didnt return. | Forum
wzh123
Feb 12 '18
ST. Nike Roshe One Flyknit . PETERSBURG, Russia -- Few professional sports teams had grander beginnings than Kunlun Red Star.With Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping looking on, Chinas biggest venture in hockey to date joined the Kontinental Hockey League in June at a lavish ceremony in Beijing. For the Russia-based KHL, Kunlun is a chance to beat the NHL to the Chinese market. Chinese officials hope the club can groom enough talent to strengthen its feeble national team in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2022.This project was organized at the highest level, said Vladimir Yurzinov Jr., Kunluns Russian coach. Its good that were first because if it wasnt us (in the Chinese market), it would be the North Americans.China offers a vast potential fan base for foreign sports leagues, but there are challenges in turning interest into revenue.English Premier League soccer is the biggest success story, having built a dedicated Chinese following in part by playing preseason games in Hong Kong. That has helped to push its global TV rights deals to record levels. The Womens Tennis Association now hosts some of its most lucrative events there, thanks to the breakout popularity of Chinese player Li Na, while the British-based sport of snooker has also reversed its fortunes by finding a younger audience in China.Still, Tom Doctoroff, an U.S.-based expert on marketing in China, cautioned that hockey has limited potential in China because it is too overtly aggressive for Chinese consumers, and persuading them to pay to watch sports broadcasts is difficult.Free remains the frame of reference for most consumers, he said in an email.That hasnt stopped Kunlun from rushing through a summer of recruitment and training to create a club in record time. The team is off a sobering start to life in the KHL, widely considered the worlds second-strongest league.Kunlun had lost three in a row when it arrived for a recent game at SKA St. Petersburg, which had ex-NHL stars Slava Voynov and Ilya Kovalchuk on the ice. There were a few giggles when the announcer asked fans to stand for the Chinese anthem, and SKA barely had to sweat for a 3-0 win as Kunluns Canadian and European import players struggled to deal with one of the strongest rosters outside the NHL.The KHL sprawls across eight countries and nine time zones, meaning players face a punishing schedule of long flights across Eastern Europe and Asia. Thats a new world for ex-Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Bellemore, who had never left North America until he joined Kunlun before the season. For Bellemore, the move was more about seeing the world with his new wife, Natasha, than the financial side of playing in China.Id never even had jetlag before, he said. Its been a bit of a ride, but its been exciting.Kunlun boasts players from nine countries, ranging from 36-year-old NHL veteran Alexei Ponikarovsky to young Chinese players just starting their careers. Among them is Rudi Ying, an 18-year-old who grew up in the United States after moving there at age 10 to pursue his dream of being a professional hockey player.Spreading hockey beyond Chinas wealthier classes will be hard, given the cost of equipment and facilities. Right now, soccer is attracting the lions share of government and private funds, with President Xi the countrys No. 1 fan.Ive had one foot in either culture, said Ying, who comes from a privileged background. It helps me to see how far behind Chinese hockey is. Chinas not to blame, its just a sport thats not very popular ... We dont have much time to catch up.Despite the political fanfare around Kunlun in Russia and China, club spokesman Oleg Vinokurov said no government money is involved and funding comes from Russian and Chinese companies. So far, there are mixed signals on the success of the fledgling team: While almost 8,000 people watched Kunlun win its first home game in Beijing, a game at its secondary arena in Shanghai attracted just 550 fans.For the KHL, moving into Asia is something of a plan B after its westward expansion into Europe stalled, with several teams experiencing chronic financial difficulties. The long-term aim is for Kunlun to be the basis for the Chinese national team, just as CSKA Moscow was for the Soviet Union.Yurzinov said part of his mission as Kunlun coach is to improve the Chinese players on his roster with mentoring from older teammates and simply practice after practice. The focus is firmly on developing local talent, not attracting foreigners to represent China in international play, as 2018 Olympic host South Korea has done.If it cant improve the national team by 2022, China will be the first Olympic host not to take part in the mens tournament. The national team was pounded 9-0 by the Netherlands earlier this year and will play next years world championship in Division II B, competing against the likes of Mexico and North Korea.Ying will be 23 when the 2022 Olympics take place and hopes he will be a star on home ice for the Chinese national team. He worries the timetable is just too tight, even with Kunlun spawning a new generation.The reason we created this organization to try to help promote Chinese hockey is because one person cant do it, he said. If 2022 comes around and Im the only one whos at that level, its not going to be enough. Nike Roshe One Flight Weight .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Roshe One Sale . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands.http://www.nikeroshesalecheap.com/ . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. CLEVELAND -- Times up for the Browns, who look as if they could use another preseason game -- or two -- this summer.With the season opener against Philadelphia 10 days away, Cleveland played its offensive starters the entire first quarter, but only managed a short touchdown drive against Chicagos backups in a 21-7 loss to the Bears on Thursday night.Quarterback Robert Griffin III led Cleveland to its TD following a fumbled punt as the Browns starting offense ended the preseason on a positive note before getting ready to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept 11.The preseason is over, said first-year coach Hue Jackson, who decided to play his starters after a dismal game in Tampa last week. The season is here. Obviously, we would like to finish a little better.KaDeem Carey scored on a 1-yard run in the first half, rookie Jordan Howard had a 16-yard TD run and Robbie Gould kicked three field goals as the Bears (1-3) avoided a winless preseason.Not the Browns, who ended a tumultuous few days with a performance that did little to excite their fans or provide much hope this season wont be like so many previous ones.In the closing minutes, Jackson pulled Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas and star cornerback Joe Haden close on the sideline and told them what he expected going forward.Because its time, Jackson said, explaining the meeting. The grind starts now, what its truly all about starts next Sunday in Philadelphia. I want them to understand its going to take work. Its going to take their leadership, their ability to rally their teammates to do what we need to do. Were going to Philadelphia and we expect to win the game.Isaiah Crowell had a 4-yard TD for the Browns (0-4), who left Griffin and the other offensive starters on the field for three series. RG3, attempting to revive his career in Cleveland after an ugly departure from Washington, went 4 of 8 for 31 yards.Griffins night would have been over after the second possession, but the Bears fumbled a punt, giving Cleveland the ball at the Chicago 18. He threw two incompletions in the end zone before Crowell squirted in on tthird down to give the Browns a 7-3 lead. Roshe Two Womens. ow were able to focus on what we do best, Griffin said. Its real. Its about wins and losses now.Unlike Jackson, Bears coach John Fox rested his starters, allowing him to get a longer look at some of the players fighting for roster spots.Brian Hoyer seems to have nailed down Chicagos No. 2 QB job behind Jay Cutler. The former Browns starter finished his preseason by going 12 of 16 for 112 yards. He only had one starter with him on offense -- wide receiver Kevin White, who had four catches for 57 yards.It was a major step for White, who missed his rookie season with a broken leg.We felt like we needed another good outing and felt like he delivered, Fox said This game is about confidence and experiences. He hasnt had a lot of them. Hes shown flashes, but he needed some more playing time and I thought he did well.GORDONS FINALEBrowns WR Josh Gordon had three catches for 29 yards in his final game before beginning a four-game drug suspension.ROOKIE WATCHBears: OLB Leonard Floyd, the No. 9 overall pick, was one of three rookies to start. Floyd appeared to get poked in the eye during the second quarter.Browns: WR Corey Coleman made his first catch of the preseason, but the No. 15 pick also dropped a pass on a crossing route that had the potential to be a big play.POSITION BATTLESBears: WR Cameron Meredith caught six passes for 46 yards and may have secured a backup spot behind White and Alshon Jeffery.Browns: WR Taylor Gabriel helped his chances of making the roster with a 37-yard punt return in the third quarter. He and Andrew Hawkins could be in trouble after the Browns drafted four wide receivers.INJURY UPDATEBears: DE Cornelius Washington and LB Danny Mason sustained knee injuries in the first half and didnt return.Browns: RB Rajion Neal was carted off in the fourth quarter after appearing to suffer a serious leg injury.---AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ;Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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