Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. Bruce Arthur, National Post My thumb is down to Russias national mens hockey program, which is still making reverberations a week after Sochi. After falling in the quarter-finals for the second straight Olympics, Russias NHL stars came back angry. As Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin were unhappy for many reasons, but most of all resented the programs bias towards KHL players, which greatly distorted playing time, pairings, strategy, and felt like a punishment to Russian stars who dont play at home. Russia was one of the worlds great hockey powers, and a worthy rival to Canada; now its a mess, riven by petty rivalries. Its a shame, really. The Russians havent won a best-on-best tournament since the 1981 Canada Cup, and somehow they feel further away than ever. Steve Simmons, SUN Media My thumb is down to the International Olympic Committee for the mess it made of the Nicklas Backstrom gold medal game allergy pill fiasco. As a member of Swedens hockey delegation said, the IOC destroyed one of the greatest days in Olympic hockey history for the country. Backstrom, who did test positive for pseudo-ephedrine, didnt disagree with that assessment. The IOC first tested Backstrom last Wednesday. In the three days that followed, they never did do a second test. The Swedish team was not informed of Backstroms status until two hours before game time. Now dont get me wrong, the Swedes could have had Nicklas Backstrom, Ralph Backstrom, and all the Backstroms you can name available for the gold medal game and the result wouldnt have been different. What they didnt need was an unnecessary disruption, born of IOC ineptitude. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is down to John Tortorella, not for his most recent apology but for the continual need to apologize. This time, the Canucks coach launched into a mea culpa after saying he favored Sweden in the Sochi final because he wanted his Swedish Olympians - Daniel Sedin and Alex Edler - to return with smiles on their faces. Tortorella wears blinders. Professionally, he sees the small picture, nothing beyond his team. Belatedly, of course, he grasped context - Vancouver … Canada. So four weeks after apologizing for losing his mind between periods against Calgary, he again was at a microphone wearing a hair shirt and a tight expression. Thats Tortorella, the never-ending sorry. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up to the excellence shown by Canadas Gold-medalists in curling - Jennifer Jones and her rink from Winnipeg and Brad Jacobs and his rink from Sault Ste. Marie. We used to take for granted Canadas worldwide dominance in curling, and then we didnt, because as good as the Canadians continued to be, several other countries showed they were capable of winning world titles. Not that Jones and Jacobs allow Canada to rest on its laurels, but the Sochi results were very impressive, and hows this for proof of Canadas wealth of curling talent - the Brier is underway in Kamloops and the field is strong with Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Koe, John Morris, and Brad Gushue. And imagine talking about a strong field that doesnt include Jacobs, Glenn Howard and Kevin Martin. Air Max 97 Ultra 17 Silver Bullet .com) - Markus Granlund scored the game-winning goal as the Calgary Flames used an early offensive flurry to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, on Monday. Air Max 97 Factory Outlet . "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing. http://www.outletairmax97.com/sw-air-max-97.html. Williams withdrawal came less than 24 hours after losing in the final Auckland WTA tournament final. "I dont believe she has an injury," Hobart tournament director Mark Handley said. Cheap Nike Air Max 97 China . The pair ended pointless droughts when they each scored two goals in a 6-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets that halted a two-game losing skid for the Stars (15-11-5). New Air Max 97 2019 . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday.Paris, France - Former champion Maria Sharapova fought her way into the semifinals at the French Open on Tuesday. The seventh-seeded former world No. 1 star Sharapova came from behind to beat rising 20-year-old Venezuelan-born Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1, on Court Chatrier. Muguruza, who displays easy power and a beautiful forehand and serve, shocked defending champion Serena Williams in the second round here last week. Sharapova trailed 6-1, 5-4 against Muguruza before suddenly catching fire and winning nine of the last 10 games on Day 10. The Russian also posted a comeback victory against Sam Stosur in the fourth round, winning nine straight games after trailing that one, 6-3, 4-3, against her fellow former U.S. Open champ. The 27-year-old Sharapova saved five break points while serving at 2-1 in the third set on Tuesday and then won the next game for a double-break lead, at 4-1, and cruised from there versus Muguruza to reach her fifth career French Open semi, including four straight. Sharapova avoided becoming the latest upset victim in the womens draw, which has lost seven of the top-10 seeds. The veteran Sharapova improved to 18-3 in major quarterfinals andd won her 48th match at Roland Garros (against 10 losses), breaking a tie with Williams for the most among active female players.dddddddddddd. Sharapova completed a career Grand Slam with a French Open title in 2012 and lost to Williams in last years marquee finale at Roland Garros. The Russians semifinal opponent will be the 18th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard, who upended 14th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 7-5, on Court Lenglen. Bouchard came back from a break down in the final set. The 20-year-old Bouchard will appear in her second Grand Slam semi in as many tries this year, as she was a surprise Australian Open semifinalist back in January. Shes 0-2 lifetime against Sharapova, including a straight-set second-round French Open loss last year. Two more quarterfinals will be staged on Wednesday, when fourth-seeded Romanian Simona Halep takes on 27th-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova and 10th-seeded Italian Sara Errani battles 28th-seeded German Andrea Petkovic. The former world No. 2 and former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova titled here in 2009 and was the Roland Garros runner-up in 2006. Errani was the 2012 French Open runner-up to Sharapova. ' ' '