Liam Firus, a 21-year-old Vancouverite with an enviable slip across the ice, can see an opportunity: one of those three Olympic spots that Canada has earned for men. He wants to seize that opportunity. The trouble is, Firus has had more bumps on the road to Sochi than most. Last year, Firus had the skate of a lifetime in the short program at the Canadian championships when he landed his first triple Axel in competition and finished third in a stacked field. He surprised himself, because he had been battling a groin injury in the weeks leading up to the event. The skate of a lifetime doesnt usually happen after such impediments. And it was a painful injury, too. He had endured six tortuous injections of a sugar solution into his injury, meant to inflame the site, bring blood to a bloodless area and help the healing. He and coach Lorna Bauer had considered withdrawing from the Canadian championships, but only the Sunday before the event, they decided to go. And because Firus really wasnt trained, the long program slipped out of his control and he dipped to fifth overall. It was still his best finish at the senior national level. His problems werent over, by any means, when he went home. He immediately set to work with choreographer Mark Pillay to design two new programs for the Olympic season and then he didnt set foot on an ice surface for months. He got six more injections, a week apart. He went to physiotherapy three to four times a week. His life revolved around rehabilitation. He didnt get back onto the ice again until June. "It was tough," he said. With the Olympics coming, he wanted to train like a fiend, but he knew that wasnt smart. "I knew that if my groin was bothering me while I was training for the Olympics, I dont think I would have a shot," he said. "It was just so painful and so mentally hard, too." So restrain himself, he did. He didnt start jumping again until late July, and that didnt mean full-out triple Axels. It meant doing doubles, half a year before the Sochi Olympics. By the middle of August, he slowly introduced triples back into the mix. By the beginning of September, he was finally doing full programs. With five months to the Olympics, his training finally began in earnest. He decided to step things up, by leaving Vancouver to train full time in Colorado Springs with Christy Krall, Damon Allen and Eric Shultz, coaches hed visited sporadically for four or five years. It meant leaving his first and only coach, Lorna Bauer, behind. Visit Skate Canada to read the rest of this story. wholesale nfl jerseys . Speculation on Luongos future with the Canucks was rampant after the veteran goaltender was benched for the second straight game in favour of backup Cory Schneider, who made 43 saves in a 3-1 win in L.A. on Wednesday night. nfl jerseys china . France also turned in a strong performance in the other Group A match, scoring two second-half goals within four minutes to win 3-1 against Ghana. Spain opened the scoring when Deulofeu fires a shot across the goal mouth and Jese volleyed the ball into the net in the fifth minute. http://www.wholesalejerseychinast... .J. Green, the Bengals first-round draft choice, has agreed to terms on a four-year contract and should be on hand Friday, when Cincinnati opens training camp in Kentucky. [url=http://www.wholesalejerseychinastore.com/]wholesale jerseys . -- A week after his team lost by 45 points, Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman showed hes still very much a player to watch. cheap nfl jerseys . The Canadiens announced Thursday that the veteran defenceman has signed a US$17.25-million, three-year deal with the club that will see Markov in a Montreal uniform through the 2013-14 season.MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins have fired three coaches and their head athletic trainer in the wake of a second straight last-place finish in the AL Central. The Twins announced the moves on Thursday. Longtime bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek, third base coach Steve Liddle, first base coach Jerry White and head athletic trainer Rick McWane did not have their contracts renewed for 2013. The team also says beench coach Scott Ullger and hitting coach Joe Vavra have been reassigned.dddddddddddd Ullger will work with the outfielders and Vavra the infielders. Earlier this week, coach Ron Gardenhire said he would prefer to have his staff back next season. Four of the five coaches have been with Gardenhire since 2002. Vavra joined the team in 2006. Stelmaszek has been with the organization since 1978. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '