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NEW YORK -- Dan Bylsma was in a restaurant at a hockey rink when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. His sons game over, he settled in to watch the Canada-U.S. final. "When the puck spun off the boards and Sidney broke from the (faceoff) dot to the net, I got up from my chair," the Pittsburgh Penguins head coach recalled. "I had a pretty good notion that he was going to put that (puck) home for the win." "Mixed emotions, thats for sure," he added. On Saturday, Bylsma was introduced as coach of the U.S. hockey team at the Sochi Olympics, giving him 220 days to scheme against his Penguins captain, not to mention Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin. The participation of NHL players at the 2014 Winter Games has yet to be confirmed. But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is slated to meet Monday with the NHL Players Association, International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation to finalize a deal. Other candidates for the Sochi Team USA coaching job were reportedly John Tortorella of the Vancouver Canucks and Peter Laviolette of the Philadelphia Flyers. Ron Wilson coached the Americans in 2010 at Vancouver. On Friday, USA Hockey named Nashville Predators president and GM David Poile as general manager of the American team. Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero will serve as associate general manager and Anaheim Ducks consultant Brian Burke will be director of player personnel. Bylsma did not hide his lack of international coaching experience. When a reporter referred to him as not having "much experience coaching internationally," Bylsma was quick to correct him. "I dont have any experience," he said. "So very littles wrong." But he said he has already started educating himself and plans to continue consulting others to gain more experience. Bylsma will no doubt be surrounded by experienced assistant coaches and USA Hockey has already made some recommendations. "Its a little bit in Dans court right now to filter through that and well be back together in a few days to see where that takes us," said Poile. The 42-year-old Bylsma noted he was following in the footsteps of 17 U.S. Olympic head coaches. "And what an honour and privilege that is. And a responsibility. I feel the legacy even that runs through Pittsburgh in (Badger) Bob Johnson in 76 and Herb Brooks in 1980," he said. Poile said the U.S. pool of talent may have caught people by surprise in 2010. But while that group will be even more talented in 2014, the Americans will have to face the challenge of playing on bigger ice in Russia. "Weve got to tune up our thinking a little bit and the type of players were going to choose," he said. And while veterans of the 2010 silver-medal squad will form the core of the Sochi roster, Poile said expect "some new and some different type of players on that team." The U.S. team plans an orientation camp for Aug. 25-29 in Washington, D.C. "Hockey in our country has come to a point where winning gold medals is not a miracle, its an expectation," said Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey. Bylsma also referenced the 1980 Miracle on Ice, when an unheralded U.S. team won Olympic gold in Lake Placid. "I think I dreamt about winning an Olympic gold medal longer than Ive dreamed about winning the Stanley Cup," said Bylsma, who won the Cup in 2009 with Pittsburgh. "It dates back to that 1980 team." Asked about the film "Miracle," which tells the story of that 1980 Olympic squad, Bylsma confessed he had watched part of it a few days ago with his son and his sons cousin at the family cottage in Michigan. He knew he was going to be named coach, but had been sworn to secrecy at the time so only his wife knew in the family. "The scene where Herbs in the kitchen and hes having kind of a conversation with his wife, Im like Thats me and thats Mary Beth," he said with a laugh. "I watched half of that movie, just really freshly knowing I was going to be head coach of the team, it was kind of a surreal little moment." Bylsma, winner of the 2011 Jack Adams Award as the NHLs Most Outstanding Coach, as a career NHL coaching record of 201-93-25. As a forward, he played 429 career games from 1995 to 2004 with Los Angeles and Anaheim. "A guy that any player would want to play for, any parent would want their kid playing for," said Flyers right-winger Mike Knuble, who comes from the same area in Michigan and was a workout partner when Bylsma was a player. "Hes an up-and-coming guy. Hes proven that he can win. He coaches in a high-profile city with high-profile players and has shown that he can handle them and handle some of the egos. "When you get those teams together in the Olympics, there are a ton of them. You get 20 different egos going. Guys are used to being the man, so its how youre going to handle that. And I seem to think that he has a good grasp on how to handle egos and keep everyone pulling in the same direction." Shero called Bylsma "a great leader of athletes and players." Bylsma said while he understands the responsibility of his Olympic role, he doesnt see it as taking on the weight of a nation. "I wouldnt use the word weight but it does feel completely different," he said. USA Hockey has once again assembled an impressive braintrust for its national team, with an advisory committee featuring GMs Stan Bowman of Chicago, Paul Holmgren of Philadelphia, Dean Lombardi of Los Angeles, and Dale Tallon of Florida, as well as Pittsburgh scout Don Waddell, a former GM. The group has more than 150 years of NHL GM experience and six Stanley Cups, according to USA Hockey.NFL Jerseys Discount . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. 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"Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson.TORONTO -- As the local Toronto media assembled around Steven Stamkos?Monday to bookend, once and for all, his offseason decision to stay in Tampa Bay and not to come and play for his hometown Maple Leafs, the real question mark for Stamkos team this season sat a few stalls down.The subject of this uncertainty wont generate nearly as many fireworks, nor fuel nearly as much season-long drama as last year, when the face of the franchise took until the 11th hour to decide that he was staying put in Tampa Bay. But it is nevertheless a major unresolved decision for the?Tampa Bay Lightning?organization. The difference this time around is that its not about a player making up his mind as much as it is?Ben Bishop waiting to find out from the Lightning what his future entails.The 29-year-old netminder got a clue at the NHL draft last June when a potential trade with the?Calgary Flames?fell through because he couldnt come to terms on a contract extension with the Flames (a stipulation his camp made, given that he had a no-move clause). Instead, the Flames traded for Brian Elliott, and Bishop, who is in the final year of his deal (at $5.95 million), remained with the Lightning. Its a bit awkward, perhaps, but its part of the business.Its one of those things that could have happened, but it fell through, Bishop said Monday, shrugging, when asked about the potential trade to Calgary. Being around long enough, you realize that sometimes there are going to be business decisions made. And if they dont work, they dont work, and theres nothing you can really do about it. You cant sit there and sulk or worry about it. You have to just go out there and keep playing. Im pretty fortunate to have a job with Tampa. Its a great team and a great place to play. So Im pretty happy about everything going on.Theres no question that the team showed its hand ahead of next Junes expansion draft before the new Las Vegas team enters the league, when clubs will only be able to protect one goalie -- not only in the attempted trade with Calgary, but also when it signed 22-year-old Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension this past offseason.So what now?Lightning general manager?Steve Yzerman?has?the following options regarding Bishop, who will be a pending unrestricted free agent next summer:1) If a team makes a good enough offer ahead of the March 1 trade deadline, take the asset(s) it nets.2) Keep Bishop for the rest of the season for another, all-hands-on-deck run at the Stanley Cup. If he walks away for nothing in free agency, so be it. The cap space the Lightning would earn next July would still be valuable considering that?Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin all will need new deals.3) If Bishop plays out of his mind en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup championship, maybe the Lightning will try sign him after all.Yzerman met with Bishop in September. While Bishop on Monday said the content of that conversation will remain private, I suspect the message from Yzerman was that the Lightning still value very much what Bishop brings to the table and that while the GM cant give him any definite answers on how this is all going to play out, the only thing the veteran goalie can do is play his guts out and let the chips fall where they may.dddddddddddd Which is exactly what Bishop intends to do.As far as Im concerned, every door is still open, Bishop said. You have a great year, and you never know what can happen. Im not really thinking its going to happen just that way (getting traded). It could happen a couple of different ways.In the meantime, the Lightning will benefit from having both goalies for one more year -- particularly this season, which features a compressed schedule because of Septembers World Cup of Hockey and the new five-day bye week each team will get in the second half. Just like the Pittsburgh Penguins see value in keeping both Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray for one more season before they have to make a decision about them ahead of the expansion draft, having two No. 1 goalies during stretches when teams must play three games in four nights and/or five games in eight days will be a luxury. While other NHL teams will be forced to play true backup netminders more because of the compressed schedule, the Penguins and Lightning can roll out a No. 1 goalie every night.You look what happened in L.A., [with]?Jonathan Quick getting hurt, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Monday. Freak things like that happen. You need to have depth at all positions. I dont know if theres a more important position in sports, aside from the quarterback in football, than the goaltending position. So to have depth in that area like we do, you cherish it as long as you can.Now its up to the coach to figure out how to dole out those starts to two guys who want the net. Cooper was quoted recently suggesting something of a 50-30 games split between Bishop and the younger Vasilevsky.The one thing is, you got to get Vasilevsky more games [than last season]. Its whats best for our team and whats best for him, said Cooper. But you have to keep Bish engaged too, because hes a two-time Vezina finalist the last three years and hes a big reason we are where we are today. So theres a balance. But if you really think about it, you start getting into the crux of the season, youre playing 3-4 games a week, guys are getting in. I just want to find a way to have both guys play every week. Its my job to find a way to get them in, and thats whats going to happen.The best part of it all is that the two goalies have a terrific relationship by all accounts, the veteran serving as a mentor to the youngster.Hes a young kid, hes still kind of learning the ways, said Bishop. Im happy to help him. I think hes going to be a star in this league.His pupil clearly appreciates Bishops guidance. Im just watching him almost every day, practice days, game days, said Vasilevskiy. I just watch how he prepares before games, and how he recovers after the game. Hes just so professional.The future for both of them? Thats for another day.I dont think about it, said Vasilevskiy. Were just doing our jobs. Were just helping our team get points and win a Stanley Cup. Were good friends. We dont think about what might happen. ' ' '