Canadas figure skating champions at Skate Canada International are leading the charge to Sochi. Based on Canadas terrific results at the recent World Championships, Canada is considered to be the leader in the sport of figure skating. It is the only country that has two top 5 placements in three different disciplines and it has qualified to enter the largest team in figure skating at the Sochi Olympics. Canadas champions will begin their quest for those Games here in Saint John, New Brunswick. In the Mens event, three-time World Champion Patrick Chan is the prohibitive favourite this Olympic season. In the past, he has had a history of less than stellar performances at Skate Canada. He typically works out the kinks early in the season and builds towards being performance ready by the World Championships in March. In order to be more prepared, he has approached this shortened Olympic season differently, cutting back on shows and tours and focusing on preparation and training. With only three-and-a-half months until the Games begin, he is hoping to hit the ground running and we can expect to see a more refined and consistent Chan this early in the season. He does have some room to breathe because unlike some of his competitors here, he knows that, barring injury, he will be going to the Olympic Games. It is very different for the impressive Japanese mens squad who are under enormous pressure right at the start of the season. Japan has six men who, on any given day, are each capable of winning a Grand Prix event or winning one of the three Olympic spots that is up for grabs in their country. Qualifying for their Olympic team begins here at Skate Canada. They will be Chans greatest threat here, and much of the season. Olympic Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir make their Grand Prix debut this season in Saint John. In the last three years of competition they have brought ballroom dance to the ice in a Latin medley , introduced us to the characters and story of the film "Funny Face" and shocked the ice dance world as they explored modern dance in their artistically brilliant Carmen. Each program made a statement and brought back, for me, the era of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean when they switched from one genre to the next with equal parts mastery and conviction, taking the sport of ice dance to new heights. The difference, though, between then and now is that the sport of ice dance is measured and technical requirements are demanded and quantified, so it is essential for Tessa and Scott on their road to the Games to show that they can nail the technical details while delivering the artistic innovation they are known for. World Pairs bronze medalists and Canadian Champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford have just seen their teammates and rivals Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch pull in huge scores at the opening Grand Prix event last week. While their eyes will be fixed on gold here, in the back of their minds will be the scores from Skate America that they will strive to meet or beat. The news has not been good for Canadas Ladies Champion. Kaetlyn Osmond has been injured and therefore has lost training time heading into Saint John. We know that she is a competitor who can rise to the occasion and deliver but is she physically ready and up to the challenge here? It is a tall order against a tough field of American hot shots, a seasoned Japanese World silver medalist and a young Russian phenom hoping to answer Russias prayers heading into Sochi. There is no easing into it gently in the fall of an Olympic season. The Olympic buzz and excitement is already palpable. This is the time when we see who is technically ready and who has that quintessential Olympic music and program. If you havent mastered the quad, the triple-triple, or the lift in practice, there is little chance you will execute it in competition; especially under the pressure of the Olympic season. Canada has come into this season as the team to watch. The world will be watching to see Canadas Champions unveil their Olympic material and assess their level of readiness. The message they send out will define their season. Trevor Ariza Kings Jersey .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Zach Randolph Jersey . Nine-year veteran Danny Granger did not make his debut with the Clippers because of a technicality on the teams active list, which is signed by coach Doc Rivers before every game and relayed to the officials. Grangers name was printed by hand by a member of the public relations staff under the heading: "Updated Roster Additions," but the number on the sheet was not circled along with the other active players by the required deadline of 6:30 p. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Iman-Shu...ion-Jersey/.com) - Nicolas Colsaerts fired an 11-under 60 on Thursday and grabbed a 3-stroke lead with the opening round of the Portugal Masters suspended by rain. Dewayne Dedmon Kings Jersey . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Wenyen Gabriel Jersey . Smith, who raised eyebrows at the CFL combine in March with his ability on both sides of the ball, confirmed in a statement he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol prior to auditioning for league officials.Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Atlantas All-Stars came through again. Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague had plenty of help as the Hawks pushed their franchise-record winning streak to 18 games. Millsap scored 21 points, Horford had 17 and Teague scored six of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks held off LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers for a 105-99 victory on Friday night. Kyle Korver added 16 points and Kent Bazemore had 12 points in 40 minutes off the bench as the Hawks won without injured forward DeMarre Carroll, who sat with a left Achilles strain. Thabo Sefolosha replaced him in the starting lineup but played just 2:21 before going out with a calf strain. Millsap, Horford and Teague were all named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team on Thursday, the first time since 1980 that three Hawks made the game. Atlantas Mike Budenholzer will coach the East in the Feb. 15 game at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Eastern Conference-leading Hawks havent lost since Dec. 26 in Milwaukee. And at 39-8, they surpassed last seasons win total (38-44). They could secure a perfect 17-0 month with a win Saturday against Philadelphia, which will end a seven-game homestand. Aldridge scored 37 points for Portland a day after he was named to the Western Conference All-Star team. An incredible individual performance, said Budenholzer. We tried to make it difficult on him butt he still scored 37.dddddddddddd Wesley Matthews added 16 points and Damian Lillard scored 13 with 11 assists for the Blazers, who have lost seven of their last nine games. While Aldridge was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game, Lillard was left off the team after making it last year and despite being seen as worthy, he didnt take the snub lightly, saying in an Instagram post that he felt disrespected by not being selected. Neither team led by more than six in the game. The Hawks took the lead for good on Horfords jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Later, Horfords rebound and Teagues long pass over the defense led to a dunk for Millsap at the other end to make it a six-point game with 1:30 remaining. The Blazers were never closer than four after that. Earlier, Aldridge scored 21 points in a tight first half and the Blazers shot over 55 percent from the field, but led just 51-50 at the break. Each team led by five in the third quarter as the game remained competitive. Portland built a 68-63 advantage at one point after a 15-5 run led by Aldridge and Lillard. Game Notes Hawks guard Shelvin Mack remains out with a left calf strain ... Atlanta has beaten the Blazers twice during the winning streak, also winning in Portland on Jan. 3 to snap a three-game losing streak in the series ... The Blazers will end a road trip Saturday in Milwaukee. ' ' '