s in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally

The process of selecting Sidney Crosby as Canadas captain for the World Cup of Hockey was a simple one.It was: `This is what were going to do. Any questions? Next, general manager Doug Armstrong recalled.Crosby wearing the C for Canada was a no-doubter given his track record of scoring the winning goal on home ice at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, serving as captain for the undefeated, gold medal-winning team at the 2014 Sochi Games and leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cups.Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber will be the alternates.That was the leadership group in Sochi under coach Mike Babcock, and as much as everyone knows the upcoming World Cup is a different tournament, Hockey Canada doesnt want to fix whats already golden. That includes Crosby, who Armstrong said was the unanimous choice to be captain.If we had gone the other direction we wouldve been trying to out-think ourselves, and that wasnt necessary, Armstrong said in a phone interview Thursday.It was going to be Sid. What hes done obviously -- the `Golden Goal and then the big gold in Sochi, the Stanley Cup -- hes the face of hockey and hes a great captain. Were not looking to reinvent the wheel here on that front.Crosby scored the most important Canadian goal in a generation when he beat U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller in overtime to win gold in Vancouver, then handled a different role in Sochi. Opponents focused on shutting down Crosby, but he performed stellar in a two-way role along with Toews and the rest of the forwards.He played as hard as he could, Babcock said on a conference call. Every shift he was on the ice for 37 seconds at a time and led that way.Crosby is 29 and is coming off another Cup run with the Penguins. He was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, adding that to his career accomplishments.Armstrong called Toews and Weber being the alternates another no-brainer. Beyond their NHL accomplishments, they along with Crosby have experience leading a veteran group of talented stars in international competition.Because everyone on our team is capable of being a captain, for them to be a bunch of leaders is going to be important for our group to have success, Babcock said, adding that the familiarity helps. They know me. I know them. They know whats expected.Toews has won three Cups as Chicagos captain. Babcock said hes thrilled to coach Toews, whos determined like no other player.Hes a humble leader, Babcock said. He takes his business very seriously and very personally. He goes about his job with such determination that he makes you a better person and a better coach just to be around him. Weber spent six seasons as captain of the Nashville Predators before being traded to Montreal for P.K. Subban in late June.Canada begins training camp Sept. 5 in Ottawa. The World Cup begins Sept. 17 in Toronto.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . Carli Lloyd Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Lynn Williams USA Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. http://www.officialsocceruswntshop.com/adrianna-franch-usa-jersey/ . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Megan Rapinoe Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Ashlyn Harris USA Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Sameer Verma missed out on a chance to become only the second Indian to win the Hong Kong Open after losing 14-21, 21-10, 11-21 in the final against NG Ka Long Angus in Hong Kong on Sunday.However, he became the first Indian man in 24 years to enter the finals of the Hong Kong Super Series after defeating third-seeded Jan O Jorgensen 21-19, 24-22 on Saturday.Prakash Padukone, who won the tournament in 1982, was the last Indian man to make the finals in Hong Kong. Verma is only the second Indian man to make the finals of a Super Series event. Kidambi Srikanth, who was the first Indian to do so, won the China Open in 2014 and the Indian Open last year.Here are five things to know about Sameer Verma:Early storyHe was born in Madhya Pradesh and has been training with the Gopichand Badminton Academy since 2010.His elder brother Sourabh Verma is also a badminton player, who is currently ranked 45th in the world. Sorabh won the Chinese Taipei Masters earlier this yeaar.ddddddddddddnitial successHe won silver at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships and the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2011.His first international title came in 2013 when he won the mens singles event at the Bahrain International Series.Form in 2015He won the TATA Open and Bangladesh Open in 2015. Verma, who was ranked 262nd at the start of 2015, saw a jump in his rankings in 2016. He achieved his career-best ranking of 35 in March.Recent formVermas best performance this year came at the Bitburger Open, where he made the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Yuqi Shi.He also won the senior national championships this year.Playing styleVerma is known for his wristy play at the net and has solid retrieval shills. However, he has a tendency to be erratic with his smashes and isnt as powerful as some of the other Indian players. ' ' '