Pirate Galaxy » to be sent down to the Bruins American Hoc

If Alana Nichols wins gold at the Paralympic Games in Rio, she will be the first female U.S. athlete -- Paralympic or Olympic -- to do so in three different sports. Not that shes feeling the pressure. Well, maybe a little.Thats what its about at the end of the day, is winning a medal, she says. Theres no way around it. So, yeah, of course Im feeling that pressure. I also have a pretty substantial track record that people are expecting me to medal.Substantial might be an understatement. Nichols, 33, has already earned three gold medals -- one in wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Beijing Games and two in alpine skiing at the 2010 Vancouver Games -- making her the first female U.S. Paralympian to win in both summer and winter sports. She also earned a bronze and a silver in Vancouver. In 2014, despite a scary crash during the womens super-G sitting event, Nichols came home with a silver medal in downhill. (In London in 2012, Nichols just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish with the U.S. wheelchair basketball team.)The Rio Paralympics open on Wednesday, and in Nichols fifth Games she will hit the water as one of two members of the USAs inaugural paracanoe team. Its the first year that 200-meter sprint kayaking has been held in the Paralympics, and the races, across flat water, begin a week after the Games begin on Wednesday, September 14.This has been the biggest challenge for me as an athlete. I was part of two very skill-oriented sports. With sprint kayak, its just been about how well I can condition my body, she says.In the lead-up to Rio, Nichols adhered to an intense training schedule both in and out of the water. Most days, she was in the San Diego Bay (her home base since last year) from 6 to 8 a.m., practicing sprints of several hundred meters, and then back in again for an afternoon/evening session.On land, she focused primarily on strengthening her core and lats to allow for the explosive work required of a race that will likely last just under a minute. Exercises like angled lat pull-downs, using an 8-pound balancing ball for rotational work, have become a regular part of her gym routine.Nichols works remotely with trainer Michele Eray, a former Olympic canoer from South Africa. Eray, who also trains U.S. sprint canoer Maggie Hogan, says monitoring Nichols heart rate has become crucial for improving her aerobic power and endurance.Eray uses Motionize, a device with two sensors -- one on Nichols kayak and one on her paddle -- to track things such as the length and distance of her stroke, strokes per minute and strokes per session. The information syncs up to an app on Nichols phone, which then can be forwarded to Eray to better design training sessions.[Alana] knows what she needs to do to get the most out of herself. The challenge [is] that she is pretty new to a sport that is highly technical. It usually takes about seven to 10 years to fully develop a medal-potential canoe sprinter, and she has been in the game for 1.5 years, Eray says.Nichols also incorporates CrossFit workouts once or twice a week at local gym at Alpine Ranch CrossFit, with a coach who is also an adaptive athlete. And she cross-trains at least once a week by surfing, a sport that has been her passion since 2014.I say it keeps me sane because sprint kayaking is such a focus endurance sport, that when I go surf, I get to purely have fun. Its like a revitalization, she says.Even in a new sport, everything feels very familiar to the veteran Paralympian -- down to the last-minute prerace jitters.If youre not nervous, if you dont feel like you wanna throw up, then somethings wrong. But its about being comfortable with those feelings. I had a friend tell me the other day, Its about making those butterflies fly in formation, she laughs.In Rio, Nichols will compete under a KL2 classification, which will pit her against athletes with partial leg or trunk function (e.g. single-leg amputees). Nichols, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a snowboarding accident in 2000, feels this may put her at a disadvantage, but is determined not to worry about it.Theres nothing to keep me from having my best 200-meter race at Rio, and thats what Im going to do. The podium will shake out how it will. Medaling is just the cherry on top, she says.Shes said all along that Rio will be her last Paralympic Games -- until the recent announcement that surfing will be an official Olympic sport in 2020. The Paralympic Games may follow suit in 2024, and if thats the case, Nichols may aim for one more Games.If 2024 includes surfing, I would love to compete, she says.But, first things first -- she has another chance to make history next week in Rio.Fake Shoes For Sale . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. 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That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night.DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins are a study in contrasts.The teams play Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena at 7 p.m.Detroit is 6-2-0 and on a six-game winning streak after a 2-1 shootout road win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.Boston is 3-4-0 and on a three-game losing skid after a 5-2 setback to the New York Rangers Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.The Red Wings last won six in a row from Jan. 13-27, 2015.Captain and forward Henrik Zetterbergs goal in the eighth round of the shootout on Thursday gave Detroit the win over the Blues. Right winger Gustav Nyquist also scored in the shootout.Goalie Petr Mrazek made 31 saves in regulation before only allowing a goal to the first shooter in the shootout.He was awesome. Like I said for 30 (minutes) we didnt play well and he kept us in, said Red Wings center Frans Nielsen, who scored a shorthanded goal in regulation. He gave us a chance to win it. He was the best player on the ice again.Left winger Justin Abdelkader returned Thursday after missing two games with a lower-body injury, but left winger Thomas Vanek did not play because of a lower-body injury and is day-to-day, Detroit general manager Ken Holland told www.mlive.com.Injuries are a big part of Bostons issues.Star center Patrice Bergeron (lower-body injury), goalies Tuukka Rask (lower-body injury) and Anton Khudobin (hand/wrist/arm) and right winger David Backes (elbow) are all on the injured list. Rask did practice on Friday.(Rask) practicced today, and hes coming on the trip.dddddddddddd So well see, Bruins coach Claude Julien said on www.chowderandchampions.com. Hes feeling good, so well go day-by-day. He practiced well today and if hes good tomorrow then there are no issues there. He looked good to me today, so well make that decision.Weve gone this far with him, so were going to make sure we make the right decision, and not the reckless one.Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre have been handling the goaltending chores. One is likely to be sent down to the Bruins American Hockey League affiliate in Providence before Saturday nights game.Also, Boston forward David Pastrnak on Friday was suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.Pastrnak, who has five goals and eight points and is plus-7 in seven games, will also miss Tuesdays game against the Florida Panthers. He is second on the team in points to left winger Brad Marchand, who has three goals and 10 points in seven games.Vanek and Nyquist are tied for Detroits point lead with eight each. Vanek has four goals in seven games and Nyquist three goals in eight games.Center Darren Helm has four goals and seven points and is a team-leading plus-10 in eight games while defenseman Mike Green has three goals and four assists in eight games. ' ' '