MALMO, SWEDEN – Bringing Griffin Reinhart to the World Junior Hockey Championship, even though he would miss the first three games due to a suspension, was a major gamble. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . And it almost backfired. Without the big Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman in the lineup, Team Canada stumbled in a shootout loss to the Czech Republic and then trailed Slovakia 3-1 late in the second period of its third roundrobin game. A loss to the Slovaks would have meant Canadas hopes of topping Group A would be dashed and a date with the Russians in the quarter-finals would be looming. But Canada found a way, barely, to beat Slovakia. Reinhart then returned against the United States on New Years Eve, solidifying the blue line and helping Canada beat their North American rivals and secure an easier quarter-final opponent. Reinhart then scored the opening goal – the first time Canada struck first in eight games, including three pre-tournament ones – and added an assist in a 4-1 win over the Swiss. He was named player of the game. Meanwhile, the United States was eliminated by Russia. All the sudden, the decision to bring Reinhart is looking mighty good. "The only people questioning it was everybody on the outside," insisted head coach Brent Sutter. "We didnt have any question on the inside. After assessing where we were throughout the country with our back end, it became very clear to myself, after being told what I was told from the scouts side of it, that we had to take that chance of him not playing in the first three games and having him for perhaps the last four and thats how its going to work out." Reinhart, the son of former NHL defenceman Paul Reinhart, is the whole package. Thats why the New York Islanders made him the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft. And he certainly seems motivated to repay the trust Sutter has shown in him. "All year, it was pretty unpredictable whether they were going to take him," said Sam Reinhart, Griffins younger brother and Canadian teammate. "You know everyone in the locker room is happy they did now and hes probably the happiest guy here, too." Griffin Reinharts return had an immediate impact on defence partner Mathew Dumba, who was forced to carry a large load in the first three games, despite suffering from an energy-sapping virus. (If Dumba had been forced to miss a game, that would have left Canada with just five defenceman, yet another possible pitfall of bringing Reinhart despite the suspension.) Dumbas game was a bit off at times early in the competition, but he has meshed well with Reinhart in the last two outings. "Its huge having Griff here," said Dumba, who played 13 games with the Minnesota Wild this season before being loaned to Hockey Canada. "Hes a veteran player. Hes that calming presence definitely on the back end. I love playing with him. He makes it real simple for me out there. I always know where he is and vice versa." Reinharts presence has had ripple effects throughout the entire roster. "Hes meant a lot," said forward Curtis Lazar, "and you saw his offensive side today, but also in the D zone, he uses that big body to get the puck out of pressure and makes that first, crisp pass. Were really glad to have him back in the lineup." "Its been huge," said Sam Reinhart. "That experience he brings, the level of play, he just calms everything right from the forwards back to the goalie, just a calming presence on the ice." As for Griffin Reinhart himself, well, he is pretty happy with what hes brought to the table thus far. "Felt better that game," he said, moments after the quarter-final victory, "starting to get my legs under me and the team played well. Just skating, starting to get my hands back, just more comfortable on the ice. Its different practising, situations are different in games. The States game went well and its only getting better." Reinharts calm demeanour on the ice is replicated off it. "Ive known Griff for a quite a while and hes not the loudest guy in the dressing room, but when het gets on the ice, he loves to control the game," said Lazar, Reinharts teammate in the Western Hockey League. "I sort of have the inside track on Griff and hes not going to show much emotion, but its good to have him and hes really happy with the performance hes put out the past couple of games." Was the desire to make an impact eating him up while he waited for a chance to contribute earlier in the tournament? "Oh yeah," Lazar said, "no doubt." Notes: * Charles Hudon (shoulder) and Mathew Dumba (knee/leg) did not take part in the practice; head coach Brent Sutter described the absences as "maintenance days" and said both players are expected to be the lineup on Saturday. * It was Canadas first practice at Malmo Arena, which is much larger than the Malmo Isstadion where the team played its previous five tournament games; "It is what it is," Sutter said. "The game is played on the same sized ice no matter where youre playing." In conversation with Nabil Karim after the quarter-final win on Thursday, Sutter said moving rinks was akin to playing a "road game." The Finns have been based at Malmo Arena all tournament. * Sutter was asked for his take on facing Finland: "I see a hard-working team. I see a team thats very structured. I see a team thats going to play some North American hockey. Theyre a gritty group. Theyre getting some decent goaltending and they got three forwards on their team that are as good as any forwards in this tournament. Theyre going to come and theyre going to come hard and we have to be ready for it." * Here is a link to Canadian players talking about Fridays practice and facing Finland: http://bit.ly/1gwWvc4 Oakland Athletics Pro Shop .C. - The Panthers will be without starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei for Saturday nights NFC divisional playoff game against Seattle after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his foot. Athletics Jerseys China . Justine finished first with a score of 22.44 while Chloe was second with 21.66 points. Defending champion Hannah Kearney of the U.S., was third at 21.49. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, failed to make the final group and finished 12th while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 10th. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ .com) - Former foes from the Mountain West Conference battle in the 23rd annual Las Vegas Bowl, as the 23rd-ranked Utah Utes clash with the Colorado State Rams at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday.Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy is making an unexpected road trip to Washington. It has nothing to do with playing the Nationals.Its not often that a ballplayer gets to attend a State of the Union address to Congress as the guest of a U.S. senator.So when the office of Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called with an invite to sit in on President Barack Obamas speech next week as recognition for the All-Stars charitable work, Lucroy accepted the opportunity.Huge honour, Lucroy said in a phone interview from his home in Louisiana. Im going to do something not a lot of people get to do. Im going to do something or see something that a lot of people wont be able to watch or see.Lucroy finished fourth in voting for NL Most Valuable Player last season after hitting .301 with 13 homers and 69 RBIs, while providing a steady defensive presence.Hes a lead-by-example guy, both on and off the diamond.A fan favourite in Milwaukee, the 28-year-old Lucroy makes regular visits to Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin, and has served as a spokesman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Brewers Community Foundation charitable activities.Lucroy is especially active with organizations associated with the military and veterans, including the Honor Flight Network, which brings World War II veterans to Washington. Lucroy met Johnsons chief of staff during an Honor Flight visit from Milwaukee in November.Lucroy said causes related to veterans became especially important after his best friend from college, John Coker, was wounded when he was shot during an ambush while serving in Afghanistan.When I heard about that, it became personal to me, Lucroy said.You walk around Arlington National Cemetery, youd be humbled, he said. Its one of those things that I take it serious. I take it personal. I want them to feel immportant. Chris Bassitt Jersey. I want them to feel good.In a statement, Johnson called Lucroy an even bigger hero off the field: He is using his baseball fame to highlight some great Wisconsin charities.Otherwise, Lucroy is going through his normal off-season routine preparing for spring training. The Brewers will report to their spring complex in Arizona in late February.Lucroy said it took him about a month to get past the sting of a late-season collapse that had Milwaukee fall from first place in the NL Central to shut out of the wild-card race.Im over it, Lucroy said. Whats in the past is in the past.The Brewers traded pitcher Marco Estrada to the Blue Jays for Adam Lind in November to fill needs for a first baseman and a left-handed bat in the middle of the order. But its been a quiet off-season so far for Milwaukee for the most part.The team is hoping outfielder Ryan Braun can bounce back from a subpar 2014 season, when he dealt with a lingering nerve injury near his right thumb that affected his swing. Braun had a medical procedure after the season in hopes of fixing the problem.Im very optimistic about it, Lucroy said about the prospects for the upcoming year. He pointed to the Kansas City Royals run last year to the World Series as an example of how teams fortunes can improve without making wholesale changes to a roster.___NOTES: The Brewers and Lucroys backup, Martin Maldonado, agreed to a two-year deal worth $1.95 million, avoiding arbitration. Maldonado hit .234 with four homers and 16 RBIs last season. He threw out five of 13 base-runners attempting to steal. He gets a $50,000 signing bonus and salaries of $800,000 this year and $1.1 million in 2016. ... OF Gerardo Parra is the teams only remaining player in arbitration.___Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '