News & Neuigkeiten » He helped the Aeros win Avco

Let the bellyaching begin. The second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking, too.With two weeks left until the Ryder Cup, United States captain Davis Love III has named Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and J.B. Holmes as the first three of his four wild-card picks. Chances are, youre already shaking your head and tsk-tsking over one of these selections. Or even all three.Well, heres the thing about captains picks: Theres inherently something undesirable about all of them. If they were slam-dunk, no-doubt-about-it, ideal-situation options, theyd likely already be one of the eight automatic qualifiers who made the team two weeks ago. The talent pool might be deep for the American side, but its not so deep that players outside that top eight are without fault.Which leads to another thing about captains picks: There are no right or wrong answers -- not today, at least.Judging these selections in the hours after theyre announced is akin to the annual sporting ritual of grading NFL team drafts before those players are ever in uniform, let alone actually playing in games. Its utterly ridiculous and we all know it, but we still cant help ourselves.And so, in the immediate aftermath of Mondays announcement, Love was already being scrutinized for three logical, if not inside-the-box, picks -- none of which should have come as much of a surprise.Some will insist that instead of Fowler, that pick should have gone to another young star with some moxie, like Daniel Berger or Justin Thomas. Fair enough, but that would not only lose the experience of a two-time player to a potential rookie, but it would also snub a guy with a critically better overall résumé.Others will contend that Kuchar should have been replaced by Ryan Moore, whos in better current form. Theres logic in that, too, though the team would lose one of its most malleable partners and a guy who just claimed a bronze medal playing for his country at the Olympics a month ago.Even others will believe the Holmes pick should have gone to Bubba Watson, if Love wanted to assure himself of one of these big hitters. While including a two-time Masters champion, it would also mean including a guy who often toes the line between melancholy and irascibility.All of these ideas lead to one more thing about captains picks: Theres never been a perfect determination for why one player makes for a better pick than another.Is it current form? Thats a cute sentiment, but the fact is that on the games highest level, form is still fleeting. Rory McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship, then finished T-42 at the BMW Championship six days later; Dustin Johnson was eighth at the DBC, well off the pace, then won the BMW. And these are two of the worlds best players. Form is even more volatile for players further away from the top of the world ranking.Is it past Ryder Cup experience? If so, Love shouldnt even have considered anyone on previous teams, which have lost each of the past three competitions and six of the past seven -- except, of course, Holmes, whose lone prior appearance came for the winning 2008 squad.Is it analytics? Poring over recent statistics helps to explain which players can assist the team in need areas such as driving accuracy or midrange putting. Then again, poring over statistics is exactly the kind of thing that Europeans laugh about as theyre enjoying a few pints after another victory.Is it team camaraderie? Well, this intangible has certainly worked wonders for the European side, though picking players simply based on potential partnerships seems to be overthinking the situation -- especially when the entire outcome is always in doubt going into Sundays singles session.The one thing we can all (possibly) agree on is that these captains picks shouldnt go to those players who deserve it the most; they should go to those who can best help the team win.We wont know until the early evening of Oct. 2 whether Fowler, Kuchar and Holmes were the best selections for the team. That can be determined only by their personal records -- and that of the team. If they succeed and the team wins, they were the right picks. If they falter and the team loses, again, they will have proved to be the wrong ones.Speaking of which: Love will make one last wild-card pick just after the Tour Championship final round on Sept. 25. It will presumably go to the hot hand, whoever plays well during the season finale. It will also presumably be Monday morning quarterbacked, with observers shaking their heads and tsk-tsking afterward.None of that matters. The conjecture beforehand is just that, while the real winners and losers wont be determined until the Ryder Cup itself has been decided. Hydro Flask Lilac .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Hydro Flask Cz . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. http://www.hydroflasklahev.cz/ . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Hydro Flask Lahev . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Hydro Flask Heureka . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. TORONTO -- Bill Dineen, the hockey icon who played with and later coached Gordie Howe, has died. He was 84.The American Hockey League confirmed in a statement that Dineen died Saturday at his home in Lake George, New York.Dineen, born in Arvida, Quebec, played 324 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, winning two Stanley Cup championships in Detroit alongside Howe. Dineen made more of an impact as a player in the AHL, where he was a four-time 20-goal scorer over six seasons with Buffalo, Cleveland, Rochester and Quebec.Dineen went into coaching after retiring as a player, taking the reins of the WHAs Houston Aeros for six years starting in the 1972-73 season. He helped the Aeros win Avco Cup titles in 1974 and 1975 with teams featuring Howe and sons Mark and Marty.Dineen was named the WHAs coach of the year in 1977 and 1978. He spennt a final WHA season as coach of the New England Whalers but was fired after 71 games with the Whalers in fourth place.ddddddddddddDineen later coached the NHLs Philadelphia Flyers for the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, giving him a chance to coach son Kevin.He also spent six years as coach of the AHLs Adirondack Red Wings, leading them to league titles in 1986 and 1989. Dineen was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2014.Dineens sons Shawn, Peter, Gord, Kevin and Jerry all went on to professional hockey careers. Kevin Dineen, a veteran of 1,188 NHL games, is a former head coach of the Florida Panthers and is currently an associate coach with the Blackhawks. Gord Dineen played 529 games in the NHL and is an associate coach of the AHLs Toronto Marlies.