seems like teams suffer a letdown – rather than an

SOCHI, Russia – It was the third game of the Olympics for the Canadians in Torino, Italy when the wall of Martin Gerber emerged in shocking fashion. Gerber stopped each and every one of the 49 shots peppered by Team Canada en route to a highly improbable 2-0 victory for Switzerland. In a two-week tournament like the Olympics, goaltending performances of that caliber have the potential to shock, rattle and awe even the most powerful foes, hindering medal hopes with save after unlikely save. Eight years after Gerber shook up what was an ultimately doomed 2006 Canadian bid – they finished seventh – lies another Swiss goaltender in Jonas Hiller capable of doing the same, if not more, at the Sochi Olympics. "Every year at a tournament like this you need a good goalkeeper to have success," said Andreas Ambuhl, a winger for Switzerland and teammate of Hiller for years with Davos in the Swiss League, "especially a team like us." Switzerland is still buzzing from a silver medal finish at the 2013 World Championships – the now 39-year-old Gerber teaming with Calgary netminder Reto Berra – and though they have no grand illusions about their chances at these Olympics, possession of a goaltender like Hiller poses at least the possibility of a little unlikely noise. Hiller is back to top form in Anaheim after a couple bumpy seasons punctuated by injuries. The 31-year-old stopped 36 of 38 shots in his final game before the Olympics and owns a .943 save percentage in his last five starts. "Theres no doubt," said Swiss head coach Sean Simpson, a Canadian and former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick who has yet to actually coach Hiller during his four-year run as bench boss of Switzerlands national program. "Any of the goalies, they stand on their head they can make a difference in a one-game scenario thats for sure." Simpson would consider a trip to the quarterfinals as success for his squad, which sits in a group with Sweden, Latvia and the Czech Republic. In the past 50 years the Swiss have never finished higher than sixth which they managed during that unlikely 06 run with Gerber at the forefront. Sizzling efforts in goal have the potential to alter the face of the Olympics, both for powerhouses like Canada, who must decide between Carey Price and Roberto Luongo, and lesser limelight squads like the Swiss. Its why Finland still holds dark-horse medal potential despite losing potential captain Mikko Koivu and second centre Valteri Filpulla to injury. With Tuukka Rask, Antii Niemi and Kari Lehtonen as sterling options between the pipes, the Finns have the goods in goal to rattle more than a few cages. It was during those same 06 Olympics in Torino that then-Flyers goaltender and Finnish product Antero Niittymaki carried his country to a silver medal – they fell to Sweden, who was led by Henrik Lundqvist – leading the tournament with a mighty .951 save percentage. One need only remember the heroic efforts of Dominik Hasek in 1998. Hasek allowed just six goals in Nagano – posting a crazy .971 save percentage – willing the Czech Republic to their first and only gold medal. "Theres going to be lots of strong goalies here," said Simpson. "Jonas, hes got a great personality and hes going to give the team a lot of confidence when hes in net there for sure." Air Force 1 Canada Online . A night later, he was back to help lead a rout of the Detroit Pistons. John Wall had 20 points and 11 assists, and Beal scored 10 of his 15 points during the second quarter as Washington pulled away for a 106-82 victory on Saturday. Nike Shox Canada Cheap .C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action. http://www.airforce1canadasale.com/nike-air-huarache-canada.html . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent. Air Force 1 High Canada . Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major. Nike Sf Air Force 1 Mid Canada . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.After winning Sundays Heritage Classic game in Vancouver, there is a sense that perhaps the Senators can use that victory as a springboard down the stretch. One would think that winning one of the NHLs signature events – with 50,000 fans watching in the stadium and a larger-than-normal television audience – could propel this team onto a much-needed winning streak. But looking at the brief history of these events, there is hardly any connection between winning an outdoor game and any subsequent success in the NHL. A few years ago, the 2008 Penguins and the 2009 Red Wings each made it to the Stanley Cup Final in the same year after winning the Winter Classic game – although that was more likely the result of having a powerhouse lineup than anything to do with playing in an outdoor game. For the Senators, a better comparable would be to look at some of the less dominant teams that have won an outdoor game and how that affected them immediately afterwards. This season, for example, the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor – but then turned around and lost their next four games. In 2011, the Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium. The Flames ended up losing three of their next five games, so any momentum they gained from winning the outdoor game was non-existent. The same can be said for the 2003-04 Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Edmonton Oilers in the first-ever outdoor game at Commonwealth Stadium. The Habs managed to win only two of their next five games – although they did manage a pair of ties as well. This seasonn, we even saw the Anaheim Ducks stumble after winning the outdoor game at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Kings.dddddddddddd The Ducks lost four of their next five games – marking their worst stretch of the regular season. The same thing happened to the 2010 Boston Bruins and the 2011 Washington Capitals – each team lost four of their next five games after winning the Winter Classic. So in many cases, it seems like teams suffer a letdown – rather than an uplift – following a big win in an outdoor game. Heres a look at how every team that has won an outdoor game fared in their next 5 games: 2003-04 Montreal Canadiens – Won Heritage Classic 4-3 at EdmontonNext 5 games: 2-1-2 record 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins – Won Winter Classic 2-1 at BuffaloNext 5 games: 4-1-0 record 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings – Won Winter Classic 6-4 at ChicagoNext 5 games: 4-1-0 record 2009-10 Boston Bruins– Won Winter Classic 2-1 at BostonNext 5 games: 1-4-0 record 2010-11 Washigton Capitals – Won Winter Classic 3-1 at PittsburghNext 5 games: 1-2-2 record 2010-11 Calgary Flames – Won Heritage Classic 4-0 at CalgaryNext 5 games: 2-2-1 record 2011-12 New York Rangers – Won Winter Classic 3-2 at PhiladelphiaNext 5 games: 4-1-0 record 2013-14 Toronto Maple Leafs – Won Winter Classic 3-1 at Ann ArborNext 5 games – 1-4-0 record 2013-14 Anaheim Ducks – Won Stadium Series 3-0 at Los AngelesNext 5 games – 1-4-0 record 2013-14 NY Rangers – Swept Stadium Series 7-3 (Devils) and 2-1 (Islanders) at New YorkNext 5 games: 4-1-0 record ' ' '