s or 12 years, Krueger said. And if that happens when Im old and retired, I hope | Forum

Max Verstappen admits he struggled to find grip during qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, which ultimately cost him a shot at a front row start. Nazem Kadri Jersey .The Dutchman never looked comfortable around the Marina Bay street circuit on Saturday evening and had to settle for fourth while teammate Daniel Ricciardo joined polesitter Nico Rosberg on the front row. Verstappen says a track such as Singapore will always inflate any issues a driver is having.Qualifying was difficult. The whole weekend I have been very happy in the car but then the moment I had to get it done I was not happy, Verstappen said. As soon as you feel comfortable in the car its a lot of lap time around this track, so the differences can be bigger if youre comfortable.In qualifying the car was driving me because I couldnt feel the car like I wanted to. Its a bit of a shame but you cant change that now, hopefully in the race it will clear.Despite missing out on an opportunity for a higher grid slot, Verstappen remains bullish about Sundays prospects.[Up until qualifying] the whole weekend has been very good, so in the race hopefully we have the pace again. Mercedes are very strong, but on the other hand Lewis is struggling a bit so maybe we can fight him.Earlier in the day, the 18-year-old had to double-take as a lizard made its way onto the circuit during free practice three, narrowly avoiding his Red Bull.I was very surprised because you normally only see them in the zoo, he said. I didnt want to stop there I just wanted to drive away from it but it was cool to see. Felix Potvin Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. George Armstrong Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseys.com/ . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. TORONTO -- The image of Team Europe, a roster of players from eight different countries with an average age of 30, jumping up and down on their skates in unison was a pretty cool moment for the World Cup of Hockey.The sea of white, blue and teal jerseys celebrating with a group hug in the corner of Air Canada Centre wasnt what anyone expected for this best-on-best tournament, but Team Europe accomplished its goal of coming together as a team and defeated Team Sweden 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals on Sunday.Most picked Sweden and Team Canada to be in the finals. Team USA was also thought of as a true contender. Finland always finds a way to finish strong in these tournaments. Once many witnessed the speed and talent of Team North America -- and how they handled Europe in pretournament play -- the idea that Team Europe could even compete at this level was questioned.Now, this roster of players from Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, France, Denmark, Norway, Slovenia and Austria will face Team Canada in the best-of-three championship starting Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).I dont think anyone wanted us here in this tournament, and now were in the finals, said Team Europe forward Mats Zuccarello. Thats something were really proud of, and its fun to be here, fun to be playing with these guys and having a chance to go this far in a tournament like this.Talk to any player from Europe and theyre quick to credit pride as the reason for the teams success. The idea that building a roster of completely different players seemed ridiculous. No doubt Europe entered this tournament as the laughingstock. It leaned on its motivation, experience and pride to find a cohesiveness and surprised the entire hockey world.Because we have no past and because we have no future, we are really capable of being in the now, said Team Europe coach Ralph Krueger.When the NHL and the NHLPA decided to bring back the World Cup of Hockey, there were many unknowns. The sides reached out to Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, a native of Slovakia, for his opinion. Chara, who speaks eight different languages, was a key architect of Team Europe. After Krueger was named head coach, he met Chara in New York last fall to discuss the strategy. It was during that conversation when Team Europes philosophy was born.Come together as a team, that was our No. 1 priority, Chara said. We talked about a lot of things, but nothing can be accomplished, nothing can be done, if you dont come together as a team and play as one -- and obviously create some great memories. Its not going to happen iif youre not going to have everyone on the same page and playing as a team. Grant Fuhr Jersey. The No. 1 priority was to bond as a team and become one. Nobody showed any egos, and we worked really hard.Krueger has been phenomenal for this group and fantastic for this tournament. The players bought into his system and ideas. Its been that way since day one. Its still unbelievable to think Team Europe has reached the finals of the World Cup of Hockey. Most thought Team North America, a roster of players 23-and-under, would be the Cinderella story in this tournament.We really cant control whats been said before the tournament or what was said during the tournament or whats going to be said probably now, Chara said. All we can control is being in the moment and inside our locker room. Its obviously something that not many people predicted. But at the same time, we came to the tournament with the approach of taking one game at a time and do our best and being really humbled but at the same time confident in our group and players we have inside that room. We just work really hard and came together as a team.Team Europe struck some as a gimmick. It will probably never exist again after this week. However, it does serve a purpose for Krueger & Co. The team set many goals as it prepared for this tournament, but its desire to inspire young children to learn to play the game at the grassroots level is extremely important to Krueger and the players from the eight different nations.I came in here saying that we hoped that a few young children back in those countries get inspired by what we do and become great NHL players in 10 years or 12 years, Krueger said. And if that happens when Im old and retired, I hope that it was a part of this tournament that did that.?Team Europe beat Sweden. Yes, its true. Sweden, a contender in every international tournament lost to a team that did not exist until 13 months ago. To think that Europe can now beat Team Canada also seems like a stretch. But for Europe, pride and confidence is key.Anything you want to get done, anything you want to accomplish, you have to believe, Chara said. If youre not going to believe in what you can do or you can accomplish something and set yourself goals, then you might as well pack it in. The moment you start questioning yourself, thats a moment too late. You have to believe, you have to set yourself new goals all the time and push yourself always forward. ' ' '