Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Friday 24 January 2020
Philadelphia Flyers' Jakub Voracek, center, celebrates with Matt Niskanen, right, and Joel Fara- up to the Olympic tourna- times bigger," American
bee after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh
Penguins, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Associated Press
Most dangerous lead in hockey?
This season, it's all of them
By STEPHEN WHYNO rallying going on, ranging based on their effort. They
Joel Quenneville remem- from rules designed to cre- won 6-5 in regulation.
bers years past when NHL ate more offense to better "One of the things we talk-
teams leading going into power plays, more skill and ed about in between the
the third period could feel talent, and human nature first and second period
comfortable chalking up when it comes to holding a was: 'Don't play the score. If
two points. A win was a comfortable lead or facing you do the right thing over
pretty sure bet. a difficult deficit. and over again, the game
Earlier this season, his Flori- "It's very difficult to hold will reward you,'" Quinn re- U.S. won gold medals in opinion."
da Panthers erased a four- leads now just with some called. "And I thought that's
goal deficit to win a game. of the rules that have been what happened. Within
And then they did it again. added," said coach Todd a game, you've got to be
Even the three-time Stanley Reirden, whose Washington mentally tough, and you're
Cup-winning coach didn't Capitals recently erased a going to have to have re-
see that coming. three-goal deficit to beat siliency."
"We didn't envision coming the New York Islanders. See the Panthers, who
back either game," Quenn- "Just different little nuances stunned Anaheim and Bos-
eville said. that have helped scoring ton with those four-goal
It's becoming easier than increase in the league. It's comebacks. Quenneville
ever to envision. There just the way that penalties has been behind an NHL
have already been five are called, too, and the bench for a long time and
four-goal comeback wins league wants offense and doesn't have a scientific ex-
this season, tied for the they love that aspect of planation for this phenom- Mexico for games in Fu- will
most in NHL history. And the teams coming from behind enon. "You get a fortunate
18 three-goal comebacks like that." break on a bounce here,
are the most through the Those rules include more and it can really shift the
same number of games in penalties called for ob- momentum," Quenneville
30 years. structing, hooking, holding said. "There's been a lot of
No lead is safe. and slashing and increased offense in this year's game,
"Used to be the dreaded, advantages on faceoffs for teams going for it. You've
two-goal lead is the most the offensive team. Just like got a 4-0 lead, whether you
dangerous in hockey, but the standings that are set take your foot off the ped- attempt to qualify, wast- portunity for the sport's
now it seems like the four- up to be neck-and-neck al and all of a sudden you
goal lead's the hardest one down the stretch to the maybe relax a little bit, but
to hold on to," Tampa Bay playoffs, the modern game the other team's pressing,
Lightning coach Jon Coo- is designed for no team to they're pinching, they're
per said. "Teams believe be out of a game. taking more offensive zone
they can come back at When David Quinn's New chances and thinking that
any time." York Rangers went down way. You get a couple of
Coaches and players 4-0 at Montreal this season, breaks and all of a sudden,
point to a number of dif- the second-year coach the other team's on their
ferent factors for all the considered it a little unfair heels."q
Major League
Baseball to sponsor
U.S. Olympic softball team
NEW YORK (AP) — Major Arizona from March 22-26
League Baseball is using and a final tournament in
its financial muscle to sup- Taiwan from April 1-5.
port the U.S. women's soft- MLB is not allowing play-
ball team, which already ers on 40-man big league
is assured a spot in the rosters to compete in
Tokyo Olympics while the qualifying, and few top
American men's baseball pitching prospects were
team struggles to qualify. at the November tourna-
MLB announced an ment.
agreement Thursday to Softball has no such is-
become presenting spon- sues. The Olympics are
sor of the women's "Stand the sport's highest-profile
Beside Her" tour, a slate of event.
exhibition games leading "The platform for us is 10
ment from July 22-28. outfielder Haylie McCle-
"We're both bat and ball ney said. "For us, it's a
sports. Even though we're great opportunity for
not the same sport, there people that have never
are so many similarities watched softball before,
that you just can't ignore," people that have only fol-
said Kim Ng, MLB's senior lowed it at the collegiate
level, to really see how
vice president for base-
ball operations. "It was fun our game is to watch,
important for us to make how pure it is. If people
sure that they have this are baseball fans, I guar-
acknowledgment and antee they're going to
recognition of their ability love softball because it's
and their talent." pretty much just a faster
Softball began as an game — it's shorter, it's
Olympic sport for the quicker, it's more enter-
1996 Atlanta Games. The taining to watch, in my
1996, 2000 and 2004 with The 2008 gold medal soft-
players that included Dot ball game took 1 hours,
Richardson, Jennie Finch 45 minutes — less than
and Jessica Mendoza, half the 3:45 average for
then lost to Japan in the this year's World Series.
2008 gold medal game. As part of the deal with
Baseball and softball MLB, the softball team's
were dropped for the official training facility will
next two Olympics, then be at the Jackie Robinson
restored for this year, Training Complex in Vero
when the U.S. and Japan Beach, Florida, the old
will be joined by Austra- Dodgertown spring train-
lia, Canada, Italy and ing camp. MLB Network
include program-
kushima and Yokohama ming from the tour, which
but not Tokyo. The sports currently starts Feb. 4 in
are likely to be dropped Tampa, Florida, and has
for 2024 in Paris but could about three dozen stops.
return four years later in The U.S. women's soccer
Los Angeles. team has attracted huge
The U.S. men's baseball television audiences. MLB
team stumbled in its first sees softball as an op-
ing a ninth-inning lead growth. "These are world-
against Mexico in the final class athletes," Ng said.
game of the Premier12 "Because we have not
tournament in November been in the Olympics for
and losing in the 10th. The the last 12 years, they just
U.S. has two more chanc- haven't had that stage.
es to join Israel, Japan, So it's really important at
Mexico and South Korea this point that we show as
in the Olympic field: an much support as we can
Americas tournament in for them."q