Fragen und Antworten » May because Radio City Music Hall was unavailable

Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild will be the captain of the U.S. mens hockey team at the Sochi Olympics. Minnesota defenceman Ryan Suter and centre Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings will be the alternate captains, U.S. general manager David Poile announced Friday. The 29-year-old Parise was an alternate captain at the Vancouver Olympics four years ago, scoring the goal that sent the gold-medal game into overtime. He has experience on U.S. national teams going back to 2002, and he welcomed the chance to take a leadership role in his second Olympics. "Its a special thing to be named captain of any team, but when its a national team, an Olympic team, its extra special," Parise said. "Weve got a lot of players who are great leaders. Im going to get a lot of help. Im going to need a lot of help. Its very humbling." U.S. coach Dan Bylsma said Parises work ethic and no-nonsense playing style are exemplary of the attitude he wants for his team. The Americans arent considered a gold-medal favourite, but a roster packed with NHL star power is expected to keep them in contention. "Were a team thats got a blue-collar mentality, and Zach embodies that," said Bylsma, also the coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. "Every time we play against Zach Parise, there has been a work ethic, a never-quit, a determination, an abrasiveness about a hard-to-play-against type of player. And its every time regardless of the score (or) the situation our respective teams might be in. That is exactly how we want our team to play." Parises alternate captains have extensive leadership experience as well. Brown and Suter were both alternate captains to Jamie Langenbrunner on the U.S. team at the Vancouver Olympics. Brown is the longtime captain of the Kings and an international veteran, while Suter and Parise are both alternate captains of the Wild. Suters father, Bob, won a gold medal with the "Miracle on Ice" team in 1980. "Theres plenty of guys that wear letters with their own teams, so I dont think our team is going to be lacking in leadership at all," Parise said. "There are plenty of guys that are capable of doing that." The American team will hold its first practice in Sochi late on Feb. 10. Most players wont arrive until a few hours earlier, after the NHL begins its schedule break. Parise acknowledged the unique challenges of the Sochi Olympics, including the players adjustment to a hefty time change in just a few days before their first game against Slovakia on Feb. 13. He also recognized security concerns around the Olympics, calling it "unfortunate" that security "has dominated a lot of the conversation." "You have to put your trust in the Russian police and the security were sending over there as well," Parise said. "Were going to be in good hands. We can just relax, focus and concentrate on playing hockey." Asdrubal Cabrera Nationals Jersey . 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Sean Doolittle Jersey . - UFC 178, previously announced for Sept.HOUSTON - The first two times the Houston Texans had the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, they chose quarterback David Carr and defensive end Mario Williams. Odds are that theyll use this years top choice on one of those two positions again. South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is widely considered the best player available in this years draft. Pairing him with 2012 Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt could give the Texans the best 1-2 pass-rushing punch in the NFL. The problem is that while Houston could use another game-changing defensive player, the need at quarterback is more dire. The Texans traded Matt Schaub in the off-season after a terrible year in which he was benched after six games. The Texans signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in the off-season, but he probably isnt the long-term solution to their quarterback woes. Several talented quarterbacks in this draft have questions attached to them concerning whether they are cant-miss prospects worthy of the No. 1 pick. Considered the best of the crop are Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel, Louisvilles Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles of Central Florida. Some worry that Manziels size will be a detriment in the NFL. Bridgewater had a bad pro day. Bortles has taken criticism because of his limited mobility. Manziel is somewhat of a folk hero in Texas after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2012. Billboards imploring the Texans to "Keep Johnny Football in Texas" dot the freeways around Houston, and Manziel, of course, has said hed love to play here. Though the team is under different management than in 2006, Houston is unlikely to let public sentiment about not letting the homegrown player get away sway its decision. The Texans passed on former Texas quarterback Vince Young, who grew up in Houston and led the Longhorns to a national title, in favour of Williams the last time they had the first pick. Houston general manager Rick Smith did say this week his team would consider trading out of the top spot. "If we take the first pick, we know who we want," Smith said. "(But) we are obviously open to moving out of the first pick, if in fact there is an opportunity for us to do so and if we think that is in the best interest of thee organization.dddddddddddd" Five things to know about the Texans heading into the draft: LATE-ROUND QBs: If the Texans do use their first pick on Clowney, recent history has shown they could still pick up a solid (or better) starting quarterback later in the draft. San Franciscos Colin Kaepernick was chosen in the second round in 2011, and Seattles Russell Wilson was taken in the third round a year later. "I think theres an idea of a traditional quarterback that is successful in the NFL and I think those two examples are guys that dont necessarily fit the ideal mode. And I think theyve also given people some confidence that you dont necessarily need to have a traditional type of quarterback to be successful in our league," Smith said. CANT GET ENOUGH: Though Smith shied away from discussing specific needs of his team on draft day, he did acknowledge one thing. "There are two positions that I never think you can have too many of: corners and tackles," he said. NEW PROCESS: Smith is adjusting to new coach Bill OBrien after working on the draft with Gary Kubiak, who was fired in December, for the last seven seasons. "The opportunity to step outside of that comfort zone, and learn something, gives me a chance to grow personally and professionally," Smith said. "That was a fun part of it." NO LOVE FOR Defence: Williams was the last defensive player selected with the first overall pick when Houston chose him in 2006. Before that, the last player on that side of the ball to go first was Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown to the Browns in 2000. The Texans have overwhelmingly gone with defence in the early rounds, choosing defenders with 14 of their 17 first- and second-round picks since 2004. FINE WITH THE MOVE: This years draft was pushed back from its usual time in April to May because Radio City Music Hall was unavailable. Smith was perfectly happy with the change for at least this year. "To have the first pick, the extra time has been good," Smith said. "I think that I enjoyed the schedule and the rhythm of the draft in April and would probably want to see it moved back, but Im enjoying it the fact that its in May this year for our selfish purposes." ' ' '