SOCHI -- After the team photo had been snapped, after the Canadian players had taken off their game sweaters and pulled on their practice jerseys, Sidney Crosby and head coach Mike Babcock skated a few laps around the ice together and held what appeared to be a deep discussion. They looked each other in the eye. They made gestures with their hands. The two leaders were engaged. In fact, near the end of the conversation Babcock skated through a crease, while Crosby toured behind the net as a puck whizzed behind the back of the coachs head. He didnt even notice and kept on talking. “I think everybody has to adjust a little bit and was just making sure Im on the same page as far as what he expects and what he wants,” Crosby explained after Canadas second practice at the Bolshoy Ice Dome. “The offensive part and the skill that we have, I think that will come quicker then some of the adjustments we might make in the defensive zone. Defensive zone coverage was the topic of discussion between the two as they skated. Babcock and his coaching staff had shown the players a video in one of the many meetings the group has had since arriving in Sochi on Monday. Crosby wanted some clarification. “There was a little confusion there,” Babcock said. “We sorted it out. That gives me a chance tomorrow to sort it out with the group. “What weve tried to encourage is … if there is something as a player you dont feel or dont know, we encourage you to talk. The idea is to get everyone comfortable so we can play the game fast. When youre thinking you dont go fast. That was a good part of the process. Obviously, [Crosby] is a guy who is real comfortable and we want that from the captain. We want him to ask questions if there are any issues.” Crosby won a world junior title and steered the Rimouski Oceanic to a Memorial Cup final as a teenager. He was a Stanley Cup champion as a captain before his 22nd birthday and won an Olympic gold medal nine months later. Next chapter Now the 26-year-old Crosby has been asked to take over as captain for Scott Niedermayer, who had the captaincy in Vancouver four years ago, and write the next chapter in Canadian hockey leadership that stretches from the smooth-skating defenceman to Mario Lemieux and all the way back to Phil Esposito and beyond. ``I think youre much more used to things, youre a little wide-eyed that first time,” Crosby said. “The biggest thing I learned from a guy like Scotty is that he didnt really say that much, he just said the right thing at the right time. The way he carried himself and his whole demeanour that he had, his quiet confidence, it was really something that was felt throughout the whole room. ``The other thing here is that weve got a lot of guys who have played together not just the last Olympics but going back a ways, I think theres some trust there. And for the new guys coming in, you try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Were trying to do that. Thats the strength of Canada, guys always come together pretty quick. Thats instilled in us at an early age. I like that side of things for sure. Niedermayer was 37 when he captained Canada to gold in 2010. He retired a few months later. Mario Lemieux was 36 when he captained Canada to gold in 2002. He retired before the next Olympics. Does age matter when it comes to Olympic hockey leadership? Babcock likes the fact that Crosby will be surrounded by all the returnees from the Vancouver team. “The reality for me is we have 11 guys back from the last time who had success,” he said. “We have a new opportunity and we have to come up with a new identity. Does experience help in winning? Absolutely. Does the Olympics weigh in more than the guy who has won a Stanley Cup, I dont know that? “I know I like guys who have won because theyve been through it and done it right. You dont win unless youve done it right. In the details is whats going to separate. There is a whole bunch of teams with really good players. Someone is going to become a really good team and win the tournament. Thats what were going to try to do. Were going to try to get better each and every day so we can win.” X_Plr Shoes NZ . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday. Adidas Y3 NZ . Next years tournament is also within sight for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has never played in a World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo looks destined for the playoffs with Portugal after a night when the qualifying picture in the nine groups became much clearer. http://www.nmdshoesnz.com/adidas-stan-smith-cheap-nz.html. The move will give Hentgen the "time needed to support his family and his fathers current health issues," the Blue Jays said in a release. Hentgen spent 10 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Cy Young Award in 1996. Adidas NMD NZ Sale . Orlov, who scored two goals in the game, was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the play. The Flyers scored once on the power play and again with the extra attacker with 65 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Adidas NMD R1 Womens NZ . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson.COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Olympic ice dance gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White are taking some time off. The most successful duo in U.S. history in the sport will skip the 2014-15 competitive season. The announcement by the Michigan natives four months after winning the Sochi Olympics was not a surprise. Davis and White have skated together for 17 years, winning six U.S. titles, two world championships, five consecutive Grand Prix Final golds, and silver at the Vancouver Games in 2010 before becoming the first Americans to win an Olympic ice dance title. Davis and White did not lose a competition the last two years and also won a bronze medal in the Olymppic team event.dddddddddddd "Were so grateful for the support weve received through this truly amazing year in our lives," Davis and White said in a statement. "Trying to stay in the present, weve decided not to look too far ahead regarding our competitive careers. Well be taking the 2014-15 season away from competition. We will not make any further decisions until a later date." They have cashed in on their celebrity since the Olympics, with, among other things, Davis winning "Dancing With The Stars," in which White was eliminated in the semifinals. White, 26, and Davis, 27, still plan to do ice shows and tours together. ' ' '