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CALGARY -- Canadas cross-country ski team is poised to make Olympic history next month. While Canadian women have stood on the Olympic podium in the sport, a Canadian man never has. Led by Alex Harvey of St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., and Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., that drought could end on the Psekhako Ridge in Sochi, Russia. The hard goal of Canadas cross-country team is to claim at least two medals in Sochi. Its the men who have the best chance at winning them this time. "I really feel if this team doesnt get two medals Ill feel a bit of disappointment or maybe we did something wrong," Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth said. "That doesnt mean were incapable of four or five medals. "This is an amazing team. We could do better than two medals. We could blow other teams out of the water if everything comes together." The 11 skiers wholl represent Canada in Sochi were introduced Tuesday at an elementary school with six being present for the announcement. Harvey, Kershaw, Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., Daria Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., and Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., were in Europe and en route to a World Cup event in Poland. Chandra Crawford and Jesse Cockney of Canmore, Torontos Lenny Valjas, Graeme Killick of Fort McMurray, Alta., Heidi Widmer of Banff and Emily Nishikawa of Whitehorse will join their teammates in Italy next week for pre-Games training. Cockney, Killick, Widmer and Nishikawa claimed their Olympic berths at last weeks trials in Canmore. They, along with Valjas, will make their Olympic debuts while the rest of the team has previous Games experience. Harvey won two races and finished in the medals four times in this seasons Tour de Ski, which is a gruelling series of 10 races spread over 16 days and three countries. Harvey and Kershaw finished first and second, respectively, in the series opening race. "I feel like our team is in a really good place," Wadsworth said. "We started out slowly this year. The results werent good early and weve built and built. I feel like were in a place where were building still in confidence. We havent peaked out in any way shape or form. "I feel like the whole team is starting to rise and its how we wanted to time it." Wadsworth is married to Canadas Beckie Scott, whose bronze at the 2002 Winter Games was eventually upgraded to gold when two Russians ahead of her were disqualified for doping. Scott was the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. Scott and Sara Renner combined for team sprint silver in 2006 before Scott retired. Canadas cross-country skiers were shut out of the medals at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., although the men posted seven top-10 finishes. Harvey and Kershaw were fourth in the team sprint and Babikov fifth in the 30-kilometre event. Kershaw was fifth and an agonizing half a second from the podium in the 50-kilometre event. Harvey and Kershaw won world championship gold in 2011 in the team sprint. The mens sprints are fertile ground for Canada, but Babikov is also a contender in distance events. Those three and Valjas also give the Canadian squad a strong mens relay team. Medal prospects are thinner on the womens side, although Gaiazova and Jones won World Cup bronze in a team sprint in Sochi last year. Crawford, the 2006 Olympic womens sprint champion, is a wildcard. The womens sprint Feb. 11 will be a skate-ski race again as it was in 2006. The womens sprint in 2010 was a classic race and not Crawfords forte. The 30-year-old is more in her element in skating races than in classic, the striding technique requiring more finesse and less power. But Crawford has struggled first with injuries and then burnout since 2006, to the point where she cut her 2012-13 European racing season short and returned to Canmore. She trained on her own last summer instead of joining the national team at training camps. The 30-year-old isnt shouldering the same weight of expectation she did prior to 2010. "Its so different than Vancouver. Its not our Games. We have to . . . there was more of a have-to feeling," Crawford said. "Just the amount of interest was hard to process as well. "This feels like a real gift and I really appreciate the opportunity." Cockney is the first athlete of Inuit descent on the Olympic cross-country team since sisters Sharon and Shirley Firth raced in their fourth Winter Games in 1984. Cockneys father, Angus, is Inuit. Cockney was born in Yellowknife and learned to ski there before his family moved to Canmore. "Its great to have a strong connection to distinct people," the 26-year-old said. "You kind of feel a little bit more unique and for sure a different experience growing up. "My dad was a cross-country skier at a high level when he was younger and he got my sister and I involved when we were quite young. We had ski trails behind our house when we lived in Yellowknife all the way to the nordic centre. "A lot of dark, cold days in Yellowknife, cross-country skiing in the middle of winter, but that hardened us up and made us stronger." Killick beat decorated Paralympian Brian McKeever out for a spot on the Olympic squad by winning the 30-kilometre event and finishing second to McKeever in the 15k at trials. McKeever was eighth in the 30k. McKeever, from Canmore, is a legally blind skier and winner of 10 Paralympic medals who qualified for Canadas 2010 Olympic team. He was poised to become the first Paralympian to compete in a Winter Olympics, but the teams coaches decided to enter four other skiers in the 50k and not McKeever. The 2014 Olympic cross-country ski competition opens Feb. 8 with the womens 15k race. Cheap NFL Jerseys . But sometimes the way you lose takes precedence over the final score. 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Wholesale NFL Jerseys . -- Falcons running back Steven Jackson, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice on Wednesday.TAMPA, Fla. - Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson were too much for the Arizona Coyotes.Kucherov had his first career NHL hat trick, Johnson had four assists, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Coyotes 7-3 on Tuesday night.Amazing feeling, Kucherov said.Kucherov got his third goal from slot off a pass from Johnson at 8:23 of the third that made it 5-2.They were a lot of fun to watch, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said.Brian Boyle had two goals, and Valtteri Filppula and Matt Carle also scored for the Lightning. Johnson assisted on all three Kucherov goals and extended his point streak to seven games.Arizona got goals from Shane Doan, Martin Erat and B.J. Crombeen.Its frustrating, Doan said. I think this is the third game where weve given up way too many goals. As a professional hockey player, you get embarrassed. You have to be embarrassed.Arizona has allowed six or more goals three times this season.Shortly after Radko Gudas had a shot hit the post, Kucherov re-directed the defencemans next try from the blue line past Mike Smith to put Tampa Bay up 1-0 7:46 into the game.Hes a dynamic player, Johnson said of Kucherov.After Filppula scored with 7:42 left in the first, Kucherov gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead on a backhand rebound at 3:20 of the second.I think that first period set the tone for the game, said Cooper about the Lightnings 12-3 shot advantage during the opening period.Arizona has given up the initial goal in seven of eight games tthis season, and been out-scored 12-5 during the first period.ddddddddddddDoan cut the deficit to 3-1 at 14:07 of the second on his first goal this season and second in 24 career games against Tampa Bay. Antoine Vermette assisted on the Doans backhander that got past Ben Bishop for his 400th point.Boyle and Erat traded goals late in the second. Boyle got his second 63 seconds after Kucherovs hat trick during the third.Crombeen and Carle both added third-period goals.Smith was pulled after allowing six goals on 33 shots. Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson finished minus-four.Its the whole group, not Mike, Arizona coach Dave Tippett said. There is no excuses here. We didnt play well. Simple as that.Bishop made 22 saves.Notes: Cooper said he would be bummed out if RW Ryan Callahan didnt return this week from a lower body injury that has sidelined him four games. Callahan declined to address his improved status. ... Arizona C Martin Hanzal played after sitting out three games due a lower body injury and had an assist. ... Tampa Bay C Alex Killorn (four games) and RW J.T. Brown (one game) returned following upper body injuries. ... Lightning D Victor Hedman, who had surgery for a broken finger on his right hand last week and could miss up to six weeks, watched the morning skate from the bench in street clothes. ... 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