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The 2014 World Figure Skating Championships begin this week in Tokyo. With Olympic champions in three of the four disciplines on the sidelines for various reasons, it is as though the page has been turned to the next Olympic quadrennial. We will get a glimpse of the future of the sport and meet some of skatings up-and-coming talent like the new world junior champion, 15-year-old Nam Nguyen of Canada while at the same time celebrating some of the sports stars. The setting for this years Worlds is perfect in that Japan is a country that is passionate about its skaters and skating. It is the quintessential skating audience; enthusiastic, appreciative and massive. The Saitama Super Arena just outside of Tokyo holds 18,000 spectators and is predicting sell-out crowds and record-breaking attendances. The only Olympic champion from Sochi that is here is the one that matters most to these fans, hometown hero Yuzuru Hanyu. He, alongside the immensely popular Mao Asada, leads a strong Japanese contingent which could dominate in the mens and ladies competitions. While Yuzuru is the favorite in the mens, his competition is expected to come from his training mate, Javier Fernandez of Spain and his teammate Tatsuki Machida. Asada will face Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy, Russian teenager and the star of the team event in Sochi, Julia Lipnitskaya, and American Gracie Gold. While there is a lot to get excited about here in Tokyo, Canadian superstars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir as well as Patrick Chan will sit this one out and be much missed. Even without Tessa, Scott and Patrick, Canada is still in the hunt for three medals. With the Canadian champions out of the dance and mens, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje along with Kevin Reynolds will get their turn to move from the shadows into the spotlight and, they hope, onto the podium. Kaitlyn and Andrew have a clear shot at a medal. In typical Weaver and Poje fashion, they have not let up after the Games and have continued to push themselves and refine their routines. I find their improvement since the Games impressive. With the top two dance teams from Olympics out, Kaitlyn and Andrew are squarely in the mix of five teams for the podium. The race is tight, but a podium finish is in their sights and well within their capabilities. Kevin Reynolds finished fifth at last years Worlds but with injuries and boot problems, he has struggled this year. He did not have his best skates in the individual event in Sochi and finished 15th. We saw what he was capable of during the team competition where he laid down a stellar free skate, playing an integral role in Canadas silver medal win. He has had another month of training under his belt since the Games and he loves to skate in Japan where he has an adoring fan base. I expect that these circumstances will combine to give Kevin an outside shot at a medal. After a frustrating year, Kevin has a chance for redemption and he just may have timed it perfectly to finish on a high. Another Canadian team member who is looking for redemption after a frustrating season is Canadas ladies champion Kaetlyn Osmond, who was plagued by injuries this season. Her break-out year last season culminated in an eighth place finish at her first ever World Championships, a remarkable debut. Her lack of training time has unsettled her this season but I have watched her handle it well with the help of her coach, Ravi Walia. She has a sparkle and exuberance that needs to be strategically disciplined in order to give her the consistency she is looking for without losing the fire. This is something that can only come with time as well as trial and error. When Kaetlyn finds her groove, she can compete with the best of them. A medal may be out of her grasp in Tokyo but there is no doubt in my mind that Kaetlyn can establish herself as one of the contenders in this new Olympic cycle. Canada has two pairs going for the podium. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moskvitch were fifth at the Games while Megan Duhammel and Eric Radford were eighth. They were third and fourth in the world last year and will look for similar results here. Kirsten and Dylan are known to charm their audiences and if they are to get the results they are looking for, they will have to deliver the technical details while winning over the fans. They can go clean and will need to if they are to medal. Meagan and Eric will try to bring home the hardware by capitalizing on their strengths as individuals, the ability to do difficult side-by-side triples, to give them the edge. They take big risks to maximize points and while it didnt pay off in the individual event in Sochi, it often does and you can expect it will here, too. The Olympic pairs champions are not here but competition will still be fierce with teams from Russia, Germany and China battling the Canadians for the top spots. Discount Nike Air Max 97 . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati. Clearance Nike Air Max 97 .S. - Nova Scotias Mary Fay guaranteed at least one more match and a shot at the Canadian junior curling championships final on home ice. https://www.fakeairmax97wholesale.com/ . Week 2s biggest games include Florida facing Miami and Notre Dame travelling to the Big House to conclude their rivalry against Michigan in primetime on TSN2 and TSN 1050. Nike Air Max 97 Outlet .com) - New England Patriots starting center Bryan Stork will not play in Sundays AFC Championship against Indianapolis due to a knee injury the rookie sustained last week. Cyber Monday Nike Air Max 97 . So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence.SUNRISE, Fla. - By stocking up on tons of upcoming draft picks and young talent, the Florida Panthers are trying to set themselves up for a bright future.The future might arrive a little ahead of schedule.Often a playoff long shot at this time of year, the Panthers find themselves right in the mix of the Eastern Conference post-season race this season. The Panthers are six points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, still in the chase despite just enduring a five-game losing slide that ended with a 3-2 win over Columbus on Thursday night.We still have some growing to do, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. But were close. Its getting exciting because we see the future and we see that were not far off.Led by a combination of savvy veterans — like goalie Roberto Luongo and defenceman Willie Mitchell — playing alongside a young core that includes rising star defenceman Aaron Ekblad, centre Nick Bjugstad and winger Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida has probably exceeded many expectations already.A year ago at this time, the Panthers were 15th in the 16-team East. Now, some of the players are already checking scoreboards around the league on a nightly basis to see what the playoff standings look like.Weve got a good team, said Huberdeau, the No. 3 overall pick in 2011 who hasnt sniffed an NHL playoff chase before. Its cool. The games are way more important when youre looking at a playoff spot. Itss big for us.dddddddddddd We dont want to miss our chance this year and weve got some veterans reminding the young guys who havent been there to take advantage of that chance.Florida starts a three-game, four-day swing through the New York metropolitan area on Saturday, with road games against the Rangers, Islanders and Devils. The Rangers are the team that was immediately atop Florida in the standings entering Friday, and the Islanders seem poised to grab one of the Easts best playoff seeds.It might be a critical stretch, but the road hasnt been unkind of Florida of late. The Panthers have emerged with 13 of a possible 20 standings points in their last 10 road games.This is a huge road trip, Luongo said.Floridas playoff history — or lack thereof — is well-known. The team hasnt won a playoff series since its run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, and has reached the post-season just once since 2000.Nonetheless, theres still confidence inside the Panthers locker room.And if nothing else, at this time of year, that represents some progress.Its such an important time of the season right now, said Sean Bergenheim, who had the gamewinner on Thursday on a play where he was simultaneously taking a high stick to his face. Its a good feeling but were learning at the same time. We havent played the way we have to play in a lot of games lately to be a successful team. But youve got to believe. And we do. ' ' '