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CALGARY -- Speedskater Denny Morrison was 50 metres away from a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in the 1,000 metres on Monday. John Hill Jersey . But with his mind already on qualification, disaster struck. Skating in the outer lane coming up to the finish, Morrison, from Fort St. John, B.C., clipped his skates and fell coming around the final turn on the second day of the Olympic trials for Canadas long track team. He was given a re-skate about an hour later, but his time of one minute 09.04 only gave him the fifth fastest time, leaving him on the outside with Canada given four berths in the distance in Sochi. "I was already thinking Ive already qualified for the Olympics," said Morrison, who said the re-skate was always going to be a tough task to replicate a winning performance since he was essentially skating on a half tank of gas. "I just need to coast across the line and then I fall and you lose a couple seconds or whatever." The result does not spell the end of Morrisons Olympic dreams. The 1,000 metres was one of his preferred events with 23-career medals on the World Cup circuit, but he still has a chance to qualify through the 1,500 metres, another of his preferred events on Thursday. Hes a two-time World Champion in the 1,500. After his media obligations were complete, Morrisons parents and brother Jay, himself a former speedskater, were there to embrace and console him. Looking for a spot in his third Olympics, Morrison has a silver medal from the team pursuit from the 2006 Olympics in Turin and gold from the team pursuit in Vancouver in 2010, but an individual Olympic medal is still something that has eluded him despite numerous World Championship medals. Morrisons loss was the gain of Ottawas Vincent de Haitre, who skated the race of his life in taking about half a second off his previous personal best to win with a time of 1:08.37. At just 19-years-old, de Haitre is now the national champion in the 1,000 metres in long-track speed skating and in the 1,000 metre time trial (called the Kilo) in track cycling. "I have a slower start than most of these guys but I managed to pull it together on the last lap and keep the speed up," said de Haitre, who missed Morrisons spill since he was watching the scoreboard at the time, expecting to see how his time matched up with the veteran skater. "I was shocked, really. All these skaters are really good and Im just glad I could compete with them." Quebec Citys Muncef Ouardi finished in second place (1:08.78), Gilmore Junio of Calgary was third (1:08.87) and William Dutton of Humbolt, Sask., finished in fourth (1:08.94). Jeremy Wotherspoon, whose comeback bid took a hit on Saturday with a sixth place in the 500 metres, chose not to compete on Monday and has likely skated competitively for the final time. Canadas Olympic long-track speedskating team will consist of 10 women and eight men in all disciplines and will be announced on Jan. 22. In the womens 1,000 metres, Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., won her second distance of the trials. After winning the 500 metres on Saturday, Nesbitt won the 1,000 in a time of 1:14.19. Nesbitt is the defending Olympic gold medallist in the distance but has found results hard to come by this year. In two 1,000 metre races on the World Cup season this year, she hasnt finished in the top-10 hasnt and lost her world record in the 1,000 to American Brittany Bowe. Nesbitt should be joined by Olympic debutantes Kali Christ and Kaylin Irvine. Christ, from Regina, and Irvine, of Calgary, finished in second and third with times of 1:15.27, and 1:15.86, respectively. "Right now Im so overwhelmed. It hasnt really sunk in yet," said Christ, who didnt compete in the 500 metres on Saturday as she was nursing a minor groin injury. "I just think it hasnt quite hit me. Im sure later tonight Ill be quite jittery." Brittany Schussler, who won the 3,000 metres on Thursday, likely did enough to secure a spot in her second distance in Sochi. She finished fourth with a time of 1:15.98. Chuck Muncie Jersey . While he was away, it was the division-rival Baltimore Orioles conducting a little business of their own, scooping up Ubaldo Jimenez on Monday evening to a reported four-year, $50-million contract. Renaldo Turnbull 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.VANCOUVER - Ryan Miller wasnt ready face the Buffalo Sabres last season.After getting traded by the only NHL organization he had ever known, the veteran goalie was given the choice by the St. Louis Blues of facing his old team or watching the from the bench when the clubs met in early April.Miller chose the latter and instead started against the Philadelphia Flyers two days earlier.Now a member of the Vancouver Canucks, the 34-year-old will finally suit up against the franchise that drafted him when the Sabres visit Rogers Arena on Friday night.Ill pay special attention not to pass the puck towards the Buffalo symbol, Miller joked after Thursdays practice. Its going to be nice to see some of the faces over there. But part of hockey is having fun competing against your friends, former teammates, colleagues.This is a chance to play against a team and an organization that does mean a lot to me.A fifth-round pick back in 1999, Miller was the face of the Sabres for nine seasons and helped the team to the Eastern Conference final in both 2006 and 2007.A lot things to be proud of coming out of Buffalo, said Miller, who signed with the Canucks as a free agent in July. Disappointed we didnt achieve our goals there. We were close a couple times and pushing towards a Stanley Cup and we fell short and thats obviously frustrating.The group of guys I played with, that was a lot of fun.Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin, whose team is coming off a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, said the Canucks want to make sure their netminder has a memorable night.He spent a lot of years in Buffalo, said Sedin. For anyone coming back and playing their former team, evven if its at home here, Im sure its a special night for him. Sammy Knight Jersey. . Hes been so good for us so weve got to help him as much as we can.The Sabres have fallen on hard times in recent years and sit at the bottom of the NHL standings heading into Thursdays action.Miller said he keeps in touch with some people in the organization and feels the pain of a team in full rebuild mode.Its frustrating to not get the results when you put in the hard work. I know a lot of those guys on that team are proud and they work hard, he said. When youre not getting the results and people are talking about it theres that place where you can kind of go where you can get numb and you dont get as emotionally charged ... or you remind yourself (why you) play.I think last year I was getting a little bit numb for a stretch, but I reminded myself why I like to play and got re-energized by the challenge of just going out to play. I hope they find that energy and continue to play hard because they have a lot of talent on that team.Miller has found plenty of success so far this season with Vancouver, recording 23 of his teams 26 wins, and set a personal shutout streak of 200 minutes 45 seconds as the Canucks continue to battle for a Western Conference playoff spot.I identified myself for so long as a Sabre, said Miller. Its going to be a little bit strange, but I have aligned myself with this organization and the goals we have here. I identify myself now as proud to be a Canuck and working toward our goals here.Note: With a couple of injuries up front, the Canucks recalled forward Ronalds Kenins from the AHLs Utica Comets on Thursday.—Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter ' ' '
- Created: Jan 13 '20
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