The rest of the hockey world began narrowing the gap a long time ago. But make no mistake, Canada remains the team to beat in these tournaments, having won four of the past five best-on-best events dating back to the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, and then adding victories at the last World Cup in 2004, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and of course the most recent test, the 2014 Games in Sochi. Overall, going back to the inaugural Canada Cup (later renamed World Cup) in 1976, Canada has won eight of the 12 best-on-best events staged in the history of the sport. So of course the road to victory in this years World Cup goes through the host team. But that is not to say Canada is unbeatable, however. Far from it.How Team Canada could winWhere to start? The back-to-back Olympic champs are loaded up front, led by?Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Joe Thornton and Claude Giroux. Team Canada is?once again a whos who of superstars up and down its four forward lines.A big key was that head coach Mike Babcock identified early in training camp the two wingers who will play with Crosby -- ?Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron?--?potentially solving a riddle, finding a line fit for his best player, that had perplexed him throughout the past two Olympics. That trio showed immediate chemistry during the first day of camp.In goal, the 1-2-3 punch of Carey Price, Braden Holtby and Corey Crawford is matched perhaps only by Team USAs netminders in terms of quality and depth, although most observers agree that Price is the best goalie in the world when hes back in form. The coaching staff, led by Babcock, has star- and brain-power. It features Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, Barry Trotz and up-and-comer Bill Peters. This team will be expertly prepared.Price was steady in Sochi when tested, but never had to steal a game, as Canadas keep-away, puck-possession strategy on the bigger ice delivered a surgical, undefeated Olympic performance. Now that Team Canada is back on NHL-sized ice, the system has been tweaked. But the stars both on the ice and behind the bench are aiming for a similar result -- and desire to own the puck.How Team Canada could loseDuncan Keiths?absence because of injury is potentially devastating. If this team has any soft underbelly, its on the left side of its defense. Marc-Edouard Vlasic has proven to be up to the task, elevating his game both in Sochi and in the NHL the past few years to become one of the leagues top defensemen, but he doesnt have the offensive talent that Keith does, and the drop-off to an aging Jay Bouwmeester and Team Canada newcomer Jake Muzzin is real. It has led to right-handed Alex Pietrangelo beginning camp playing on the left side, which is something Babcock would rather avoid but clearly feels has no choice but to do.If Canada falters, critics will wonder why a guy like Kris Letang?or P.K. Subban,?though both right-handed, werent named after their outstanding seasons. The right-left defense debate will rage on in hockey-mad Canada if the host team loses.Another wild card for Canada is Prices form. The goalie missed most of last season with a knee injury. Its been nine months since he has played a real game. Can he shake off the rust in time to lead Canada to a World Cup title? Would Babcock consider pulling him for Holtby or Crawford midway through the tourney -- like he did Martin Brodeur for Roberto Luongo at the 2010 Games -- if he feels Price hasnt found his A-game? Its something to monitor, to be sure.What to watch for: As Stamkos goes, so goes CanadaStamkos has waited for this chance for a long time. A broken leg robbed him of a trip to Sochi in 2014 in what would have been his first Olympics. Hes champing at the bit to make his mark at this stage for his native country. He also happens to be the best pure goal scorer on this ridiculously talented team. He has spent most of camp and pretournament on a line with Logan Couture and Toews, a very responsible, two-way unit that obviously still has offensive firepower. Stamkos observed during camp that Toews was underrated offensively, that he is always on the right side of the puck, which creates opportunities for a shooter like Stamkos. If Canada does win again, look for the Tampa Bay Lightning captain to be a central figure. Cheap Air Max 97 China Discount . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Wholesale Air Max China . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. http://www.cheapairmaxchinadiscount.com/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Cheap Vapormax China Discount . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- While Amrit Gill was growing up in a Vancouver suburb, watching Hockey Night in Canada was a family staple that brought three generations together. Her parents and grandparents were immigrants from India, but ice hockey -- with its similarities to field hockey, one of their native countrys most popular sports -- connected them all, despite the language barrier of the broadcasts.My grandmother did not speak a word of English, Gill said. But she could tell you what a goal was and who was winning or not because the game was just so electric that you do get revved up watching.One day in 2009, the then-teenage Gill heard there was a television broadcast of hockey in the Punjabi language. She didnt quite believe it at first, but it was true. There was a Punjabi ice hockey broadcast -- not English, not French, Punjabi.I turned it on, and for all of us sitting there, it was a moment of shock and almost disbelief because we were watching our favorite sport on TV but hearing it in a language that everybody in the room could understand, Gill said. And my grandmother, who could only understand the word goal in English, could now tell you the difference between a major penalty call and a minor penalty call. So because of Harnarayan Singh and the rest of the broadcasters who were able to explain the intricacies of this beautiful game, I could now have a postgame analysis with my grandmother. And those are some of the best memories for me.Gill now is the social media host for Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi Edition, which is creating and spreading great memories for many more fans with -- and without -- Punjabi backgrounds. They also are helping extend hockey nights beyond Canada.In the last year, the online streaming has really opened it up to global audience as well, Punjabi hockey broadcaster Randip Janda said. Weve got people who are watching in India. Thats great because Canada is associated with hockey, and certain parts of the United States understand and love hockey too. Whereas in India, unless youre in the Himalayan mountains, you dont really [have a place to play ice hockey].There is a rich history of field or grass hockey in India, so thats a link, but there has never been an association between the Punjabi community and [ice] hockey in India. So hopefully this is helping to bridge the gap and show maybe there is a reason to pay attention to the sport.Especially -- as you might have heard during last seasons playoffs -- when Pittsburghs Nick Bonino (Bonino! Bonino! Bonino!) scores a goal.Punjabi, the native language of the Punjab region in northern India and eastern Pakistan, is spoken by nearly half a million residents of Canada, including 20 members of Parliament. Only English and French are spoken by more Canadians, and more than 100,000 are estimated to speak Punjabi in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey.Hockey games in Punjabi began on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) in 2008, along with broadcasts in Mandarin and the Inuit language of Inuktitut. The other language broadcasts did not catch on, but the Punjabi version did.Rogers Communications took over the Punjabi broadcast three years ago and now shows a doubleheader every Saturday on the multicultural Omni Television system, with announcers Singh, Janda, Bhupinder Hundal and Harpreet Pandher providing play-by-play and insightful commentary from a Vancouver studio. All four were born and raised in Canada and learned to speak English and Punjabi fluently. They were passionate hockey fans but never considered that the games would one day be broadcast in Punjabi.As Hundal said of watching a Punjabi broadcast for the first time, Its got Hockey Night branding, and theyre speaking our language: Whats going on here? Oh, my God. Really? That was the first thing. Youre sitting there, Oh, my God. I cant believe this has happened. Now its just a regular thing, but initially it was, I cant believe this. I never thought I would see the day. Who would have thought?It worked. After nearly a decade of broadcasts, the Punjabi show gained enormous attention last year during the Stanley Cup playoffs, thanks to Singhs calls of goals by Bonino. Singh excitedly repeated Bonino! Bonino! Bonino! and then howled Nick Buh-Nee-Noooooooooo!! after key tallies by the Penguins center against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference finals and the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup finals.It was simply awesome. Singhs calls went viral on social media and drew widespread media attention, including from non-sports outlets such as NPR. #BoninoBoninoBonino became a trending hashtag and a battle cry during the Penguins championship run.It was really revved up, Gill said. It was almost like a connecting point. Yes, it was done in Punjabi, but since the call was so elaborate, everyone just jumped on.The calls received so much attention that Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told Singh the team started playing it to fire up the players, who began shouting the call as well. Bonino even suggested that his family should start using it as their ring tones.It was very special, Singh said. When we actually made the call I dont think myself or anyone on the show realized we were going to get that type of reaction from the fans or from the media.dddddddddddd I would say it was very memorable and very special for sure. There is nothing more you can ask for as a broadcaster than to have your work appreciated so much, especially considering how the Pittsburgh Penguins players themselves were using the calls in the dressing room. For me, it really hit home during one of the Stanley Cup finals [when] one of the first questions asked of Sullivan was, What are your thoughts on the Bonino call?How incredible was it? Hockey legend and Penguins co-owner/chairman Mario Lemieux told the announcers they were part of history and the Stanley Cup run.Pandher says that when he was still a kid playing video games with his brother, he would provide vocal commentary, mostly in English but sometimes in Punjabi. The current Punjabi hockey broadcasts he and the others deliver have some English wording as well. Team names are in English, of course, as are traditional hockey terms such as icing, power play, offside, cross-checking, goal, puck and others.There are certain things you cant directly translate into Punjabi, Janda said. Like puck. There is no Punjabi word for puck. Sometimes on the previous shows, Harnarayan would use a food item, a thing made out of potatoes called tikki, that he used as a term because it kind of looks like a hockey puck. But we say puck now.Said Hundal: Well use those terms with a nice, fine balance. Well say the word in English and have a little description that also describes it a bit for people who dont know it.The crew provides commentary while watching the live broadcasts of games on their studio monitors. They strive to be as informative, entertaining and energetic as possible, occasionally using Punjabi cultural references. They also are certain to be very fun. For instance, when Tampa Bays Nikita Kucherov scored a goal last year, Singh began singing a popular Punjabi song that rhymed with the players name.He made a reference to The Simpsons in a game, calling San Joses Brent Burns Mr. Burns and using the word excellent, a catchphrase of the animated shows rich tightwad. When a player beats a goalie up high, Singh uses a phrase that translates into English as, He fired it top shelf -- where grandma keeps the treats!We have to be cognizant of the audiences tuning in, Hundal said. There are people who in the past would be like, Ill watch it in Punjabi for a few minutes, but Ill go back to English. Or, [the other guys] are pros, and these guys are just doing it on the side. Thats why we try to focus on being as good and up-to-snuff on the world of hockey as anybody else. Yeah, we might be fun, you might tune in for the novelty -- but youre going to get a good hockey broadcast. And were going to dump information on you. And we know what were talking about.That is important. We want to make sure that we are being the masters of both of those domains. Its important that we have our pulse on what people are feeling and saying.The announcers say the broadcasts are helping grow hockey -- not only in fan interest, but also with Punjabi parents who have their children playing the sport now that they can watch and understand it on TV.The broadcasts are helping connect the Punjabi community with the broader community. When Singh was a growing up in Alberta, his passion for hockey provided an important connection with schoolmates. Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi Edition is helping to create that dynamic on a larger scale.One example was the Bonino phenomenon. Pittsburgh does have not a significant Punjabi community, but the call was so popular that the broadcasters were invited to the Penguins Stanley Cup championship celebration. The four were recognized and cheered by hordes of fans when they took the stage with the Penguins players and did the Bonino! Bonino! Bonino! call.Its just amazing. The whole city knew who we were, Pandher said. Were based in Vancouver and can walk down the street there and nobody knows who we are, but everybody in Pittsburgh knew who we were. We felt like rock stars for the weekend.Thats the amazing thing. In the time that were living, the thought crossed my mind that we might run into this or that. But it just goes to show you there are good people in this world anywhere you go.Hundal says the Pittsburgh celebration showed that he and his partners are playing an important role in breaking down barriers and misperceptions.As they say, If you assume, you make an ass of you and me, he said. We can break a lot of assumptions by doing what were doing. Yes, were broadcasting hockey and were having a lot of fun, but by no means does it stop there.Its not just about us. Its about much more than that. What were doing means so much more to so many more people on a much deeper level. And I think that makes what were doing really special. Its not just another show. I think weve gone into the realm of meaning something important to people. People can appreciate that we enjoy the sport, and they enjoy the sport, and its fantastic. We can all enjoy the sport.No matter your language, no matter your background, sport unites -- even when someone other than Bonino scores the goal. ' ' '