Unapologetic Ducks fan.

If the 2015 Asian Cup is wide open, Group B appears to be the toughest section of the draw to split. Wholesale Maple Leafs Jerseys . All four contenders — Uzbekistan, China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia — have ambitions of making the latter stages of the tournament.Three of the teams have appeared at the World Cup this century while the other, Uzbekistan, came within a goal of booking a berth at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.Uzbekistan also has the highest FIFA ranking, No. 74, of the four teams. The Central Asian team reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 and 2007 Asian Cups and reached the semifinals in 2011.The AFC Asian Cup is the biggest tournament in Asia. We have prepared well and are now ready, coach Mirdjalal Kasimov said. We are eyeing qualification for the knock-out stage. Then go to the semifinals and win a medal.The Uzbek team is led by playmaker Server Djeparov. The two-time Asian Player of the Year made his debut in 2002 and is currently a free agent after being released by Seongnam FC in South Korea. Djeparov is also dangerous from set pieces and will be helped in midfield by the dynamic Odil Ahmedov, one of the stars of the 2011 tournament.Saudi Arabia and North Korea, meanwhile, have to deal with coaching changes made less than a month before the tournament.The Saudi team has appeared at all but two Asian Cups since 1980, but had a humiliating first-round exit in 2011 and failed to reach the last round of regional qualification for the 2014 World Cup under former Netherlands and Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard. Juan Lopez Caro was also fired as Saudi coach last month after the Green Falcons lost the Gulf Cup final to Qatar.Success in Australia would lift some of the gloom that hangs over a West Asia powerhouse that appeared at every World Cup from 1994 to 2006.There is cause for optimism for the Saudis. Al Hilal reached the final of the 2014 Asian Champions League before losing to Australias Western Sydney Wanderers. Striker Nasser Al Shamrani was named as the AFC Player of the Year and there are other young talents, such as Salem Al Dawsari, coming through.North Koreas footballers also enjoyed some encouraging results in 2014. The countrys under-16 team won the Asian Championship, and it had runner-up finishes at Asias Under-19 Championship and the Under-23 Asian Games, as well.Following the latter loss, however, criticism of officials by North Korea coach Yun Jong Su resulted in a stadium ban that will prevent the tactician from coaching at the Asian Cup.Assistant coach Jo Tong-seob has replaced Yun and omitted Jong Tae Se, a star of the 2010 World Cup, from the squad.China, the worst performer of all the Asian Cup qualifying teams, is perhaps the most desperate for success following first-round exits in 2007 and 2011.We are not the favourite, we do not have the best chance, said the teams French coach, Alain Perrin. What I know is that the players are ready to give the best they can. Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Authentic . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . The announcement was made by the hall on Friday, March 14. She joins Switzerlands Denise Biellmann as this years inductees to the Hall, based in Colorado Springs, CO. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseys.com/ .500. The Jets have now won nine of their last 11, and five of their last six road games. With the win they moved to within two points of Vancouver in the west, the Canucks holding down the eighth spot. Vancouver lost in Boston, while the other big game saw Dallas win in Phoenix.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Kerry, I would like your opinion on the Joe Pavelski shootout goal. It appears that Pavelski comes to a stop, waits and then shoots. Should this goal have counted in the shootout? Unapologetic Ducks fan. Kerry, On Saturday night during the shootout, San Joses Joe Pavelski appeared to come to a complete stop while moving towards Jonas Hiller. Immediately after stopping he shot the puck and scored the only goal (for either team) during the shootout. I thought that the rules were that both the puck and the shooter had to keep up uninterrupted forward momentum for the goal to count? A little clarification would be great because Id hate to think that yet another game this season was decided by a refs blown call, there have been FAR too many of those already. Love the column, thanks for helping further everyones education and knowledge about the game that we all love. Greg Lykes Greg and our Unapologetic Ducks fan, Welcome to another shootout "razzle-dazzle" which should be redefined in the rule book as an NHL skills competition where anything goes. Its about time to change the wording in rule 24 to include, "any move that resembles a skilled hockey play." The lacrosse-like whip and spin-o-rama are approved for use as skilled moves and both involve continuous motion. It might be argued that Joe Pavelski maintained a semblance of forward motion when he slammed on the brakes resulting in a forward slide and then immediately turned his blades from that sliding stop to a continuation of his glide momentum towards Jonas Hiller. There was also an ever so slight forward rotation of the puck only detected by video replay as Pavelski executed a stickkhandle move in conjunction with his sliding stop. Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys. Pavelskis stick motion, from back to front, throughout this stickhandle maneuver is deemed legal puck possession as he teed the puck up for a shot. All this allows the execution of Pavelskis shootout move to be deemed "legal" by a technicality. Rule 24.2 presently reads, "However, should the puck come to a complete stop at any time during the shot attempt, the shot shall be stopped and no goal will be the result." To the naked eye in real-time, it appears that both the puck and Pavelski came to a complete stop. Slow-motion video review can provide a different picture; especially if the viewer desires all of these "hockey plays" to be deemed legal. My take is that an attacker is given a distinct and unfair advantage over the goalkeeper on most of these "stop and go" type maneuvers. While it might be entertaining for fans during an All-Star Game Skills Competition where there is little on the line except bragging rights, a regular season shootout is worth a point in the standings. Shootout wins can make a huge difference in the final standings for playoffs. The integrity of the final standings is being compromised by circumventing the spirit of Rule 24 through unfair advantages shooters are being given over the goalkeepers. Short of a rule change, the referees should be empowered to kill the play whenever they determine (with their naked eye) that the puck has not been kept in motion towards the goal as the current rule states. It would take a large measure of courage on the part of the refs to make that call, in addition to support offered from a Hockey Operations Dept. that has set the existing standard. Dont expect a change anytime soon unless the goalkeeper fraternity revolts en masse. ' ' '