around because shell be in Sochi. Instead, Chelsea Carey will make her Scotties debut for Manitoba. In 1979 in Montreal, Britithis time by 22-year-old sk

WASHINGTON - Its impossible for the Chicago Blackhawks not to think about Clint Reif. In the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park, theres a jersey hanging from a locker stall bearing the name of the assistant equipment manager who was found dead at his home Dec. 21.He passed away, but its not like were going to forget about him, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane said. Hes still in our hearts and hes still, I guess you can say, in this locker-room. If we can do something little like credit a stall in his name or wear a CR on the back of our helmet and things like that, I think it goes a long way just for his remembrance.Remembering Reif is a big part of the 2015 Winter Classic, as the Washington Capitals will join the Blackhawks in wearing a decal bearing his initials on the backs of their helmets.That is a pretty cool gesture, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. Weve heard over the last couple weeks the influence and the effect that Clints had, not only on the guys in this locker-room, but guys that hes worked with or gotten to know in the past with other teams.Former Blackhawks right-winger Troy Brouwer initiated the move, talking to Capitals equipment manager Brock Myles, who got in touch with his colleagues in Chicago. Brouwer was hoping to wear CR on his helmet regardless.Myles talked to Washington coach Barry Trotz, who called Joel Quenneville to get that organizations blessing. Quenneville appreciated the kind thought.We didnt want to take anything away from what Chicago was doing and representing, but we do, our trainers wanted to do it, so we reached out to Chicago and asked them, Trotz said. And they were gracious enough to do it.Emotions are still raw around the Blackhawks less than two weeks after Reifs death. The 34-year-old was in his ninth season with the team, and one player declined to even discuss the situation.Winger Bryan Bickell said he thought about Reif on Wednesday when members of the USA Warriors program took the ice with the Blackhawks. Reif was responsible for getting the wounded veterans new equipment when they skated with the Blackhawks at the Stadium Series last season at Soldier Field in Chicago.He was part of our family, Bickell said. Hes always going to be in our hearts and with his family. Were playing for him for this year and probably for a long time. Its definitely tough.Reifs death resonated beyond the Blackhawks in part because hockey players consider trainers and equipment managers almost like teammates. Theyre around all the time and do a lot of the dirty work behind the scenes to make hockey happen.A lot of people say that theyre an extended part of our team and they are part of our team, said Brouwer, who knew Reif and his family well from his time with Chicago. Everything that we do, we cant get done without them. A lot of things that dont get seen is when we get off the plane at 1, 2 in the morning we get to go into our beds. They got to go unpack our gear, which is something that goes overlooked a lot of the time. The guys in here love them for it, thank them for it.Myles is joined on the Caps equipment staff by Craig Woody Leydig and Dave Marin. Troy Parchman is the Blackhawks head equipment manager, and hes assisted by Jim Heintzelman and Jeff Uyeno.Those people are very important within locker-rooms.I dont think people realize that much how hard our trainers do work and what they do on a daily basis, Toews said. You come back to the rink and you expect things to be a certain way so that you can resume your routine and just focus on playing hockey. Theyre making sure you can do that. Theyre there with you every step of the way.Players remember Reif fondly. Toews called him sociable, happy and a connector of people, and Brouwer referred to him as outgoing, upbeat and smart.Clint was an awesome guy, Brouwer said. He always made us laugh, he always had fun with us. He loved what he did. Hes really going to be missed.The Capitals tribute means Reif could be enough of a part of the Winter Classic that viewers hear his story, about how he grew up in Illinois and worked as a stick boy for the International Hockey Leagues Fort Wayne Komets and as an equipment manager for the ECHLs Orlando Solar Bears and AHLs Chicago Wolves.One of the pictures that surfaced after Reifs death was from one of his two days with the Cup. Brouwer remembers the big party Reif and his young family had in the summer of 2010 and knows full well trainers deserve to celebrate like players.Theyre a large part of that accomplishment, Brouwer said.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Wholesale NFL Store . - Jordan Addesis shootout goal helped the Plymouth Whalers to a 3-2 win over the Sault Ste. Cheap NFL Shirts . Al Horford said all he had to do was make the catch near the basket and then shoot a soft jumper. http://www.cheapnfljerseysbest.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . - In about six minutes, the Memphis Grizzlies had allowed their 23-point lead to be cut to seven. Jerseys NFL Cheap . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod.MONTREAL -- It isnt often a Quebec rink gets to play at home in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts but thats what skip Allison Ross of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., will experience this week. A year in which the Canadian curling championship has been pushed forward a week to accommodate the Winter Olympics was deemed the perfect chance to stage the event in Montreal for the first time since 1979. The opening ceremonies and the first two draws are set for Saturday at the 4,000-seat Maurice Richard Arena, normally the training base for Canadas short-track speedskating team. "For us its going to be really fun," Ross said Friday. "Were really a team that likes to have the crowd support. "We respond well to that. Its a bit more pressure, for sure, a bit more media attention, but we are a team that likes it. We are enjoying every minute of it." Interest is likely to be lower than usual with the tournament schedule overlapping the Feb. 8 start of the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. But holding it in a city not known as a curling hotbed and far from the sports heartland in western Canada, is seen as a chance to grow the game. Kruger, which produces Scotties paper products, has its head office in Montreal, also worked in its favour as well. "This will be a wonderful platform to get (curling message) out here," said tournament director Francine Poisson, who played in three Canadian championships in the late 1980s and early 1990s. "Weve had a lot of French media this week, so its breaking the (notion) of curling being an English sport. "Its very exiting. The visibility of curling has never been as great as it is now. People are watching. Now its time to translate eyeballs into people playing in curling clubs." Next years tournament will return to curling country in Moose Jaw, Sask. Facing the likes of defending champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa, the Ross rink wont be among the favourites after going 3-8 at last years Scotties in Moncton, N.B. "We are hoping for a better result than last yearr," said Ross.dddddddddddd "Last year we had three games that came down to last rock. "We could have had six wins instead of three. We take a lot of what we learned last year and come back a lot stronger this year." It isnt home for Homan, but Ottawa is just a two-hour drive or train ride away and shes also expecting some extra support as she defends her title. "Its nice for us," said Homan. "We drove here and a lot of friends and family will be coming up to support us and share the experience with us. "Obviously, there wont be as many fans here as there would be out west, but its good for our friends and family." Its an unusual Scotties in many ways, so perhaps there will be surprises on the ice. For one, Jennifer Jones rink from Winnipeg wont be around because shell be in Sochi. Instead, Chelsea Carey will make her Scotties debut for Manitoba. In 1979 in Montreal, British Columbia won the tournament led by Lindsay Sparkes. This time, B.C. will be led this time by 22-year-old skip Kesa Van Osch of Victoria. She wont be the youngest skip on the ice. That honour goes to 20-year-old Sarah Koltun of Whitehorse. The Yukon/Territories skip is the youngest ever to compete at the Scotties and the first player to skip at both the Scotties and Canadian junior championship in the same year. The favourites include Val Sweeting of Alberta, who is in her second Scotties, and Stefanie Lawton of Saskatchewan, who is at her third. The veterans are skip Heather Strong of Newfoundland, who is in her 11th Scotties, and Kim Dolan of P.E.I., who is in her 10th. "The transition is certainly happening," said Dolan. "There a lot of young teams and new faces, which is great to see. "Womens curling is in a great place, so these new young ladies are keen. That only entices other people to play and go after their dreams." The Ontario team is skipped by Allison Flaxey while Nova Scotia has Heather Smith at the helm and Andrea Crawford will carry New Brunswicks colours. ' ' '