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TORONTO -- It was only 10 months ago when people were openly questioning?Sidney Crosbys status as the best player in the NHL.A slow start to last season opened the door for a narrative that now seems so ridiculous -- that at 28 years old, perhaps the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar had begun his descent from owning the sport.Hockeys a young mans game, the refrain went, and perhaps he has passed his peak.Or perhaps not.I think people can put that all to rest, Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky said with a hearty laugh Sunday morning. Hes proven over and over that hes the best player in the game today. And it seems like the more important the game, the more impact that he makes on a game. Hes a tremendous player, and great leaders are the guys who come through in the clutch -- and he comes through in the clutch quite a bit.Fresh off owning the Stanley Cup playoffs and picking up the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Crosby -- who turned 29 last month -- went to work Saturday night in Canadas World Cup opener and absolutely willed the Czech Republic into submission with a three-point, plus-4 performance that was as impactful at both ends of the ice.Hes an unbelievable player. Hes a world-class player for a reason, said Team Canada netminder Carey Price after the 6-0 crush job of the Czechs. He plays the game hard. He plays the game with a lot of pride. Thats the type of player that if youre a young kid watching how to play hockey, thats the way you do it. Thats all I have to say about that.Everyone will remember his play leading to three goals on this night, including his beauty of a bank shot to open the scoring. But for me, his first-period back check -- in which Crosby thwarted a Czech breakaway -- was just as memorable.That back check he had. ... For me, that was his best play of the night, which is pretty crazy because he made so many great plays, Team Canada forward Matt Duchene said Sunday. Hes not a guy who wins Selke Trophies, but he easily could be. I think that part of his game kind of goes under the radar.Just three months ago, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks were slashing and cross-checking away on No. 87 in a Cup finals that went Crosbys way in six games.On Saturday night, Crosby set up both Thornton and Burns for goals, and his backhand pass across to Jumbo Joe was absolutely sick.He was great. He was a leader, Burns said of Crosby after the game. Hes the best player in the world and he dominated tonight. That line was great, they were buzzing, they were working. Not just offensively, but defensively too. I mean, you have to do that to be the best in the world and thats why he is.Crosbys three-point output in the opener matched his entire production in six games during the Olympics in Sochi.Well, lets not get carried away. He was a star in Sochi. He was a star in Vancouver, said Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock after Saturdays win. What you saw tonight, though, is that he got points. I mean, everyone likes to get points.Canada had a whole different approach on the bigger ice in Sochi, where it focused on a defensive philosophy that was meant to keep the puck away from its opponents and play a low-risk game. Crosby was just as effective doing that too, which is what Babcock is saying when referencing that a player cant just be judged on offensive contributions.That two-way, monster game is also why Crosby deservedly won the Conn Smythe this past spring.Because of that very short summer and the intense minutes he played on the way to winning his second Cup that one wondered perhaps if fatigue would be a factor for Crosby at the World Cup. Instead, its as if he just kept his season going from June, and Saturday night was Game No. 25 of his postseason.I feel good, said Crosby. The fact that I played late into June and then stepped into this level, I think that helps kind of with adjusting. I think finding chemistry with us as a line really has helped. But with our team weve got so much speed, so much depth, that if we get things rolling everyone kind of helps each other.His line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand has been a thing of beauty since the first day of camp. Babcock decided months?ago, after the roster was completed, that he would put those three together.That old storyline from back-to-back Olympics -- of Babcock struggling to find linemates for Crosby -- appears to be a thing of the past. The line has looked unreal.I think the chemistry clicked right away, the three of us from day one, said Bergeron. Im just trying to read off what hes going to do, and hes usually always a step ahead of everyone, so its about reading that, and making sure Im in position to help him.For Crosby, this is a chance to add one more title to a trophy cabinet busting out. Theres still lots of hockey to be played, but a World Cup of Hockey championship would fit in nicely with his world junior gold, mens world championship gold, Olympic gold and Stanley Cup titles. The final check mark, if you will.And about that slump last fall?Everybody has a bad stretch in your career where you go 10 or 15 or 20 games where, for whatever reason, you dont have that extra gear, Gretzky said. But the good players battle through it and come out on top even better. Hes played a lot of hockey over the past years, and that can add up mentally and physically. It can take a toll. But hes got a lot of hockey left ahead of him and hell be fine. Calvin Johnson Youth Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Kenny Golladay Womens Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. http://www.shopdetroitlionsnfl.com/lions-jarrad-davis-black-jersey/ . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Kenny Golladay Lions Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Kenny Golladay Youth Jersey . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Cate and Bronte Campbell are quite the sister act.The Australian swimmers are both leading medal contenders heading into the Rio Olympics, though they quickly point out this isnt one of those sibling rivalries from the Serena vs. Venus Williams mold, the kind that stirs mixed emotions when they inevitably face each other for the same prize.Its very different (than) Venus and Serena because were not playing against each other on the tennis court, Bronte Campbell said Tuesday. Were swimming in a swimming pool against six other people in the race. Im not really racing against Cate. Im racing against myself and trying to do my best race.Still, they are keenly aware of just how remarkable it would be to stand on a medal podium together.Look, its an incredibly special thing just to be competing in an Olympic Games together, Cate said. In 2012, after we qualified for the team together in the 50 freestyle, we both knew that we had achieved something great just by qualifying for the team.Now, look where they are.Twenty-two-year-old Bronte is the reigning world champion in the 100-meter freestyle, but 24-year-old Cate is the Olympic favorite after setting a world record of 52.06 seconds just last month.The dazzling performance caught everyone off guard, no one more than Cates little sister.Bronte described herself as a little bit astounded, before going on to say, It wasnt something that we thought was going to happen. I certainly didnt expect it to happen. Our coach didnt. Cate didnt. I couldnt believe that it happened. I wasnt even at the pool when it happened. I got a phone call about it. I thought my dad was joking.Even though Cate is riding high at the moment, she knows nothing is automatic at the Olympics.In her first trip to the games, at the tender age of 16, Campbell captured her only individual medal -- a bronze in the 50 free -- and also helped the Aussies take bronze in the 4x100 free relay. But she didnt even make the final in the 100 free at Beijing.Four years ago in London, Cate was stricken by pancreatitis and had to withdraw from the 100 free. She did manage to compete in the 50 but was eliminated in the semifinals. The highlight was being part of the gold medal-winning team in the 4x1000 free relay, an event the Aussies are again favored to win in Rio -- especially with Bronte now part of the mix.ddddddddddddIm almost more excited to race with Bronte in the 4x100 freestyle relay, Cate said. That will be a really great night.Bronte agreed.Weve always really enjoyed racing together against the rest of the world, not necessarily against each other, she said.The younger sister also was eliminated in the semifinals of the 50 free at London, but Bronte really began to carve out her own niche at last years world championships in Kazan. She swept the 50 and 100 free, and joined Cate on the winning 4x100 free relay squad.Not surprisingly given that showing, Bronte isnt conceding anything to her older sibling.Its all about what happens at the final, whos the fastest on that night, Bronte said. Cate is swimming well. I see her training every day. I know what shes capable of. Breaking a world record is an amazing thing. Im really proud of her for doing it. But it doesnt really change anything for me.Cate insisted she is merely focused on herself, not what her little sister is doing.No one is going to be more upset if I dont perform than myself, the older sister said. I cant speak for anyone else on the team, but its a very individual and a very selfish sport. Ive kind of just shrug off all the other expectations because, in the end, its down to me. The rest of it doesnt matter.Deep down, both sisters have surely had dreams of standing together on the Rio podium, arm in arm, each with a medal around her neck. But they have to keep it buried, to ensure theyre both focused on what really matters.They may be sisters, but theyll merely be two swimmers chasing the same thing when they take the starting block in Rio.It would be great, Cate said. But for me, its about executing a good race, and hoping that Bronte does the same thing. I cant control what anyone else does in the field, especially what Bronte does. I have to focus on what I can do.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '