Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 8, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page c2 c 2 Winnipeg free press thursday january 8, 2009 sports Winnipeg repress. Com on 2 late Curling legend Sandra Schmirler was named wednesday As the posthumous Winner of the 2009 world Curling Freytag award. Schmirler and her Saskatchewan rink mates Jan Betker Joan Mccusker and Marcia Gudereit won three world crowns in 1993, 1994 and 1997. Schmirler also led the foursome to the first olympic Gold medal awarded in a omens Curling at the 1998 Winter games in Nagano Japan. She died of cancer in 2000. Schmir Lerus widower Shannon England and their children Sara and Jenna will accept the award at the menus world Curling championship in april in Moncton n. B. The legacy of the world Curling Freytag award has just increased with the addition of the Schmirler name said les Harrison president of the world Curling federation. The award honours curlers for playing ability sportsmanship character and the achievement of extraordinary distinction. E Edmonton it was Mats Sun dings coming out party but Steve Bernier and his line mates stole the show. Bernier scored twice in 12 seconds and added one assist As the Vancouver canucks Defeated the Edmonton oilers 4 2 in nil action wednesday in Sun dings first nil game in nine months. Alex Burrows and Pavol Demitra also scored for Vancouver while Robert Nilsson and Erik Cole replied for the oilers in a hard fought game highlighted by hard hits and Sheldon sourly is one punch Knockdown of Canuck defence Man Mattias Ohlund. The win improved Vancouver res record to 22 15 5 and dropped the oilers to 19 17 3. Goalie Jason Labarbera 7 8 6 recorded the win. His Oiler counterpart Dwayne Roloson 11 7 3 took the loss. Sundin As per the plan worked out with canucks head coach Alain Vigneault saw limited action about 14 minutes though he was twice put on the Power play with first line wingers Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The 37 year old former Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs skated primarily Between wingers Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond and was booed every time he touched the puck. The six foot five 231 Pound Centre signed by the canucks As a free agent on dec. 18 to a half season Deal Worth about us 5 million Hadnot played played since the end of the regular season last year. He is slated to make his Home debut Friday when the canucks Host the st. Louis blues and will play his first game against his old teammates when Vancouver visits Toronto on feb. 21. The Leafs All time leading scorer Sundin left Toronto last Spring under a Cloud when he refused a request by the team at the Trade deadline to waive the no Trade clause in his contract. He spent 13 seasons with Toronto after being acquired from the Quebec Nordques and has recorded 555 goals and 1,321 Points in his nil regular season career. But on wednesday it was the line of Bernier Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler that was on fire. After a scoreless first period Burrows opened the scoring at 14 07 of the second streaking into the Slot to one time a Bernier pass from behind the net past Roloson. The Canadian press k Paalua Hawaii Ernie Els looked As though he had not shaved since the last time he was at Kapahua for the season opening Mercedes Benz championship even though the stubble was More like four Days than four years. Standing atop the Steps of the clubhouse gazing across the Pacific to the Island of Molokai Els soaked up a View he sorely missed. Its Good to be Here he said. Especially Here. The Start of a new season is for pea tour winners Only and while the top four in the world ranking Are not Here Tiger Woods Sergio Garcia Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington the 33 Man Field shows How unpredictable the tour is becoming. Thirteen players have never played at Kapahua. Only six players were in the Field a year ago. With so much uncertainty about the Economy the return of the worlds no. 1 player and who will take him on Here Are six questions Worth pondering for the 2009 season. 1. When will Woods return and what can be expected his last shot was a tap in Par on june 16 to win the u. S. Open for his 14th career major. Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee eight Days later and has been Mia on the Golf course since. His wife is expecting their second child in february so he wont return before then. Woods began taking full swings with Short clubs in december and assuming there is no swelling or other complications when he resumes a full practice routine he Likely will make his 09 debut at the accenture match play championship the last week in february. Woods believes he will be stronger than Ever finally Able to swing against a stable left knee and there is no reason to doubt him. He won his first tournament Back after the last two knee surgeries but if he comes Back in Tucson ariz., no other tournament requires As Many Breaks and As much Good timing to win As match play. 2. How will the Economy affect the pea tour prize Money is slightly up but Only because tournaments had increases built into their contracts. So players wont see a change in their pay cheques or their schedule unless anyone was clamouring to play the defunct Ginn sur mer classic in the fall series. Most tournaments Are having to scramble to find Courtesy cars and they might have to Cut Back on personal services maybe its time players started paying for their own dry cleaning. Sponsorship trouble comes in the Middle tier of the financial Structure such As corporate hospitality which is vital for operational costs and charitable dollars. The tour said Charity was up last year but the economic meltdown a snot Felt until the latter part of the season. The tour has Money in reserves for such times not unlike Augusta National going without to sponsors for two years. The biggest blow could come later this year when the tour starts renegotiating with a dozen or so title sponsors with contracts that end in 2010. 3. Which will be the toughest major translation will anyone break Par at the masters Augusta National is not As impossible As some make it out to be. Trevor Ummelman had a Chance to finish double digits under Par until a meaningless double bogey on the 16th Hole last year. Still the concern is that it has become a course where players protect leads instead of charging from behind. Woods was the Only player to break Par at Bethpage Black in the 2002 u. S. Open. The course now is 212 Yards longer 7,426 Yard but Mike Davis has shown sensibility in setting up the last three u. S. Open courses. In other words players might not have to aim for the Walkway on no. 10 to reach the Fairway. The British open returns to Turnberry for the first time since 1994, and while the course has been strengthened the difficulty of links Golf is All about the wind. As for Hazeltine during a visit this summer club president tim Rainey showed guests the new tee on the 545 Yard 12th Hole which is a Par 4. The Minnesota course now can play longer than 7,700 Yards depending on How it is set up. 4. Is Phil Mickelson still a major Factor lefty won a major in three consecutive seasons Only six others have done that since 1934 but he has gone the last two years without one and it a snot been pretty. Since losing the 2006 u. S. Open with a double bogey on the final Hole of winged foot Mickelson has played 10 majors. He has missed the Cut twice and finished a combined 80 shots out of the Lead in the other eight. 5. Will Sergio Garcia finally win a major not since Mickelson has anyone been so clearly defined As the Best player without a major. This is his 10th full season As a pro and he is just hitting his stride. Garcia has been a runner up in a major three times including the last two years. The Talent is undeniable. The temperament remains a question. 6. Can the youth movement continue when Woods returns Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas both won twice last year and Are the poster boys for the dynamic youth movement on the pea tour. Even so Kim has never finished higher than Woods in a pea tour event and Villegas has Only done it twice. Zach Johnson referred to Kim As up and coming when he stopped in mid sentence and said hers already Here. Even so Success is not measured Over one year but successive years. And for All the talented Young players Garcia and Adam Scott Are the Only players who have been part of the conversation year after year. Kim and Villegas Are equipped but their Challenge beyond Woods might be coping with celebrity and staying hungry. The associated press some big questions As pea tour fires up again by Doug Ferguson add Freytag award to Schmirler legacy Bangkok Thailand seve Ballesteros plans to return next year to his role As Captain of eur ropes Royal trophy team. A statement from the Spanish golfing great was read at a news conference wednesday two Days before this years Competition begins Between teams from Europe and Asia. My heart and thoughts Are with you Ballesteros said in his message. I will keep fighting to win my most difficult match. I Hope to be with All of you next year. Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain Tumour last year that required several operations. He was released from Hospital dec. 9 and returned Home to Northern Spain where he began chemotherapy. Jose Maria Olazabal replaces Ballesteros As Captain. Special thanks to Oli for taking Over the captaincy Ballesteros said. Olazabal said Ballesteros who led Europe to the Royal trophy title in 2006 and 2007, was hopeful the team would win the event at Amata Spring country club in thai lands Chonburi province. The last instruction that i received from seve was to win. Period Olazabal said. Seve showed How Good he was As a player and then As a Captain. I will try to follow him. These eight Guys Are great players and ism positive that we will win which is our goal. The european team features Ireland is Paul Mcginley in glands Oliver Wilson and Nick Dougherty so Edens niclas fasth and Johan Edfors Scotland is Paul Lawrie Spainis Pablo Larrazabal and Den Marks Soren Hansen. The asian team is thai lands Thongchai Jaideep and Prayad Marks eng South koreans Charlie i and s. K. To Chin ass Liang Wenzhong and japans Ryo Ishikawa Hideto Tanihara and Toru Taniguchi. The associated press recovering Ballesteros plans Royal return in 10 Lenny Ignelzi / the associated press archives Tiger Woods and wife Elin Nordgren Are expecting their second child next month so the worlds no. 1 golfer wont return to the pea before then. Seve Ballesteros Shaughn Butts / can West news service Mats Sundin who made his return to the nil wednesday night Battles Edmonton is Denis Gre Beshkov in front of the net. Bernier steals Sun dings Thunder a 02_ Jan 08 09. Ind c2 1/ 7/ 09 11 54 49 pm ;