World Cup Overtime
NHL Stanley Cup - June's finalist battle by Peri Witny
The 2008 NHL season began on October 4, and 30 teams are now vying for the ultimate piece of hardware.The regular season will conclude on April 12, giving way to a long and intense playoff struggle. Eight teams from each conference, Eastern and Western, qualify for post-season play.
In the Eastern Conference, champions of the Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast divisions automatically reach the playoffs, and they will be joined by the teams with the next five best records. It's the same in the Western Conference; the five best non-division winners will advance along with the champions of the Central, Northwest, and Pacific divisions.
Home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs goes to the three division winners in each conference, seeded 1 through 3 based on best record and the No. 4 seed, the team with the next best record. No. 1 plays No. 8, 2 plays 7, 3 plays 6, and 4 plays 5. In the second round, the highest advancing seeded faces the lowest remaining seed, with the two middle seeds squaring off.
In all rounds leading up to the Stanley Cup finals, between the winner of the Eastern Conference and the winner of the Western Conference, the higher seed in a series always has home-ice advantage, which means that team hosts Game 1 and 2, and if necessary 5 and 7. The lower seeded teams host Game 3 and 4, and if necessary 6. Every series is best out of seven games; in other words, the first team to four wins takes the series. If a team wins the first four games of a series, of course, the last three are not played.
In the Stanley Cup finals, the team with the best record will have home-ice advantage. For example, even if the No. 1 seed advances out of the Western Conference and the No. 2 seed emerges from the Eastern Conference, the No. 2 seed from the East will have home-ice advantage if it had a better record than the West's No. 1 in the regular season.
At the moment, there are two clear-cut favorites to reach the 2009 Stanley Cup finals, which will conclude in June. No team has been more dominant than the San Jose Sharks, who boast a 23-3-2 record (23 wins, three losses, two losses in overtime or shootout. Teams receive two points for a win, one for an overtime loss, and none for an outright loss).
The Sharks have a 13-point lead in the Pacific Division and a six-point lead over the second best team in the West, the Detroit Red Wings. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins lead the way with an impressive 20-5-4 record. The Bruins own a seven-point advantage in the Northeast Division and a four-point lead on the East's second best team, the New York Rangers.
The Red Wings are the NHL's defending champions, as Detroit defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two in last season's final series. Looking to make a repeat appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, Pittsburgh has a solid 16-9-4 record and would easily qualify for the playoffs if the regular season ended today.
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Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/NHL-Stanley-Cup---June--s-finalist-battle/458007
World Cup Overtime
Wenatchee cyclistâs Tour de France trek voted regionâs top sports story by buyhard
For most of the month of July, football jerseys Tyler Farrar had Wenatchee by his handlebars.
The Wenatchee native became the first cyclist from Washington state to race in the Tour de France, and he didnât disappoint his legion of fans at home or abroad. The 25-year-old collected five top-three finishes in the 21-stage event.
His performance at cyclingâs most prestigious event was chosen the top Sports Story of the Year in North Central Washington by a panel of Wenatchee World staff members. Farrarâs trek barely edged out the Wenatchee Wild junior hockey teamâs ride to the North American Hockey League finals last spring as the top story in the region.nfl jerseys The Wenatchee Panthers football teamâs best season in 35 years this fall was voted No. 3.
During the Tour de France, Farrarâs fans camped out at homes, offices and businesses to watch the sprint specialist compete against the worldâs best. His name was bantered about by the international media â" even if some commentators had difficulty pronouncing it at first (itâs FAIR-uh). Bloggers made light of his rivalry with British sprinter Mark Cavendish, who claimed a record six stage wins at the Tour. Photos of him appeared in newspapers and on Web sites. Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong gave him props.
âItâs like someone from your town being the starting tailback in the Super Bowl,â East Wenatchee restaurateur Craig Still said then.
His riding at top speeds didnât end in France.
A little more than a month later, Farrar captured the 11th stage in the Tour of Spain, his first win ever in a grand tour.
The victory cemented his status as one of the top sprinters of his generation.
âWeâve been chasing it all year,â Farrar told VeloNews afterwards. âI said to the guys (on his Garmin-Slipstream team), youâve done 10 times the amount of work you should have to get a grand tour stage.NFL, The team really believed in me all year and I could finally deliver.â
World sports editor Stephen Maherâs take on the Farrar story: âHe may be the most famous athlete, internationally speaking, to ever come out of Wenatchee. And heâs only 25 so he has many good years ahead of him and a real shot at becoming Americaâs next great rider. Aside from his cycling feats, Farrar is a good guy. James Raia, a veteran reporter who covered the Tour for The World this past July, told me heâs never spoken to such a humble athlete.â
2. The expansion Wenatchee Wild conclude their inaugural season with a runner-up finish in the North American Hockey League finals.
The Wild took the junior hockey world by storm during the 2008-09 season, coming within inches of knocking off league powerhouse St. Louis in the NAHL championship game last May. The Wild started slow on the ice, but captured the hearts of Wenatchee fans from day one. By the end of the season the Wild were at or near the top of the league in every category.
The won the West Division playoffs. They rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the round-robin portion of the Robertson Cup tourney to reach the championship. There they took the then two-time defending champion St. Louis Bandits to overtime, where only a couple of great saves by Bandits goalie Keith Kinkaid denied the Wild the title.
Wenatchee led the league in attendance. A handful of Wild players earned college scholarships, coach Paul Baxter was named the leagueâs General Manager of the Year, and the team was named Organization of the Year.
World sports writer Brent Steckerâs take: âThere is no doubt in my mind that the Wild is Wenatcheeâs team. Around town there are Wild jerseys everywhere, and you canât get away from people talking about the team. Itâs all for a good reason â" their home games are a blast, and the franchise has quickly established itself as a winner. There were always skeptics saying hockey would never work in Wenatchee. They couldnât have been further from the truth.â
Wenatchee cyclistâs Tour de France trek voted regionâs top sports story
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/Wenatchee-cyclist---s-Tour-de-France-trek-voted-region---s-top-sports-story/680114
World Cup Overtime
The World Cup and...Economics?: What Italy has to Expect by Sarah Deak
With Italy's socking win to become the world's best soccer team, it seems prudent to discuss something that is not usually connected with soccer: the economy.
It may seem strange, but many say it is true, that the outcome of this super sports event dictates the economic future of the participating teams and in turn, the world. It has been researched, and evidence has been found, to hypothesize the winners of the World Cup can expect to have a small boost in their finances as a result of the win. In Soccer and the Economy: March 2006 Edition", Ruben van Leeuwen and Charles Kalshoven discussed this phenomenon. In their document van Leeuween and Kalshoven look to a study conducted to the Algemene Bank Nederland (ABN) and the Amsterdamsche-Rotterdamsche Bank (AMRO) showing that the winning countries tend to see a 0.7% increase in their market. Most of this increase is contributed to the positive energy generated in a country from a win. A win at the World Cup causes a whole country to feel pride and happiness, and happy people just love to buy. Plus, parties to celebrate the win will generate revenue and work, especially in bars and supermarkets. Another means of economic growth come from the sale of souvenirs commemorating the big win. Finally, a country that wins the World Cup is recognized by the whole world because of its achievement. This recognition may open up new trade opportunities and make businesses more inclined to invest in the country (Kalshoven and Van Leeuwen).
In 2002, .3 billion people watched the World Cup Final in Japan, and this number is predicted to be much higher in Berlin (Unknown). This amount of publicity certainly helps stimulate the economy in general, but past wins reflect that the theory that economic growth and World Cup champions go hand in hand. According to van Leeuween and Kalshoven, there have only been two exceptions to this theory since 1970: in 1974 and 1978. In these two years, the German ('74) and Argentine ('78) economy declined, however the economy of the losing finalist both years, the Netherlands, had a far greater loss. However, in 1988 the Netherlands finally had its victory and its economic growth. IN this year the Amsterdam stock market gained 29% more than it did the previous year. Van Leeuween and Kalshoven have seen a gain of about 10% for the World Cup champions and a loss of about 25% on average for the losing team. This growth is not uncommon, says van Leeuween and Kalshhoven as they have seen on averaged a 10% gain for the World Cup champions and 25% loss for the losing team (Kalshoven and Van Leeuwen).
Before the beginning of the Cup, Brazil and England were the favorites, but with these two already out it is hard to tell who will be gaining that economic boost. Germany, as the host country, has put more than $350 million into transportation improvements for the Cup and in total $1.7 billion to improve stadiums (Higginson). Since they have put so much in, it may be safe to say Germany deserves this win. Also, Germany has fallen on economic hard times, making a win highly beneficial to not only the economic state of the country but the psychological state as well. However, on Sunday Germany's dreams were dashed by a stellar overtime performance by the Italian team. However, Germany is not totally discouraged as it expects at least a 1.6% increase in its GNP due only to the revenue generated from being a host country. Plus, the new jobs created by this opportunity have led to an 11% increase in Germany's unemployment rate (Drew).
It shall remain to be seen whether or not Italy has the economic golden egg hidden under the title of World Cup Champion, but at least it is sure they have the respect of the world (a maybe a bruised sternum). The next World Cup is not set to be played until summer 2010, when it will be hosted by South Africa.
Works Cited
Drew, Catherine. "VOA News-German Businesses Await Economic Effects of World
Cup." News VOA. 8 June 2006. 28 June 2006 http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-06-08-voa37.cfm.
Higginson, Matthew. "Financial Goals: the Wealth Behind the World Cup." TMCNet. 12
June 2006. Technology Marketing Corporation. 28 June 2006 http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/12/1677445.htm.
Kalshoven, Charles, and Ruben Van Leeuwen. Netherlands. ABN AMRO. Soccernomics
2006: Soccer and the Economy. 22 Mar. 2006. 28 June 2006 http://www.abnamro.com/pressroom/releases/media/pdf/abnamro_soccernomics_2006_en.pdf.
Unknown."World Cup 2006-Private Sector Development- the World Bank Group."
Private Sector Development Home. Summer 2006. The World Bank Group. 28 June 2006 http://rru.worldbank.org/features/worldcup2006.aspx.
Sarah Deak is a contributing business writer for http://goliath.ecnext.com. Goliath is one of the Internet's largest collections of business research, news and information.
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/The-World-Cup-and-Economics---What-Italy-has-to-Expect/45037
Handball World Cup 2011 FINAL!! Denmark-France 35-37 overtime last 5 minutes
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