rider. But I believe that when you are at your best when you t

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are a decade into partnership that has helped guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cups, three combined MVP awards, four scoring titles and a seemingly endless wave of GIF-worthy goals.It hasnt always been easy. There was the language barrier when Malkin first arrived from Russia in 2006 to join Crosby as the linchpins of a franchise trying to restore itself to its former glory. The natural growing pains that come when two supremely talented players try to figure things out. The giddy celebration in Detroit in 2009 that ended with Crosby raising the Cup, a triumph that seemed destined to be the launching point of a dynasty.When it didnt happen thanks to six years of good but never consistently great hockey, the two remained committed to each other. The payoff came during Pittsburghs renaissance under coach Mike Sullivan last spring, when the Penguins sprinted to a championship with their two cornerstone players leading the way.At the end of the day we both chose to be here and want to play together and thats not always the case on every team, Crosby said Tuesday. I think theres a lot of respect there.A sentiment that will be put to the test -- at least briefly -- when Crosby and Team Canada face Malkin and Team Russia in a World Cup of Hockey exhibition on Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center, the final tuneup before both squads before the tournament opens later this week in Toronto.Its not the first time the Crosby and Malkin have been on opposite sides during international play. Six years ago, Crosby and Canada torched Malkin and the Russians 7-3 in the Olympic quarterfinals on the way to gold. Yet Wednesday will mark the first time when both stars will be at home, even if Malkin will end up getting dressed in the visiting locker room.Yes, Malkin knows the way.Its weird, Malkin said. But I dont know how the fans feel, but I hope they support us.That wont be in question. The curious sight of Crosbys No. 87 and Malkins No. 71 in different hued sweaters on Pittsburghs home ice will be jarring. Not nearly as jarring, though, as the prospect of both of them chasing after a loose puck in the corner with different agendas.Seeing two of the best players in the game getting after it would make for great theater, which is exactly what the NHL had in mind when it brought the World Cup back. Yet it may also produce a dash of anxiety for the front office that pays Crosby and Malkin millions to line the rafters at Consol with banners.Its a danger both are well aware of, and theyre hardly the only pair of teammates who will find themselves putting country before NHL team chemistry during the tournament. While Crosby allows theres always the risk of running into each other, at some point youve got to just let that part go and focus on playing the game.Youre not necessarily thinking `Thats my teammate, in a split second, Crosby said. Sometimes you might not even know who has the puck.Even if Crosby and Malkin are unmistakable with a stick in their hands. Crosby anticipates the smack talk to be kept at a minimum, but didnt rule out making a run at Malkin if the moment requires it.If we do, itll be in good fun, Crosby said with a laugh. Were both pretty intense so it could happen. You never know.Malkin expects there to be a little chirping, too, but for an entirely different reason. Turns out Crosby is such a motormouth on the ice Malkin doesnt even bother trying to keep up.Sid talks too much every game, Malkin said. He talks too quick for me. Actually, when hes mad, I dont understand. But hes funny.All kidding aside, the two find themselves with vastly different missions heading to Toronto. The two-time defending Olympic champions are heavy favorites to stand atop the podium on the same soil where the sport was invented.The Russians, meanwhile, will try to erase the memory of a forgettable 2014 Olympics in Sochi when they were knocked out in the quarterfinals at home. The pressure will be firmly on Canada, giving Russia a chance to play the role of underdog, if a team that includes Malkin and Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin can be considered one.We lost the last two Olympics before, Malkin said. Its a new challenge for the national team and we have a great team right now ... its an amazing time to be here in my second `home town playing for the national team.Wholesale Jerseys Online . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. https://www.wholesalejerseys2020.com/ . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Wholesale Stitched Jerseys . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug.Throughout the Tour de France, Australian professional cyclist Richie Porte will be checking in. Here is his first entry, as told to ESPN contributor Rupert Guinness:Stage 1: Mont Saint Michel to Utah BeachSeeing Alberto Contador sitting in the gutter by the side of the road after he crashed in the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday -- and every rider who fell in the opening day of racing -- showcased what is at stake after having spent so much time preparing for the race.The stage, from Mont Saint Michel to Utah Beach in Normandy, was sketchy for the peloton. But thats how it often is on the first day of a Tour that has a road stage like Saturdays. Id prefer it started with a prologue time trial. That would have created some order before the first road stage as the winners team could control the race a bit to defend the yellow jersey.When the Tour starts with a road stage that is raced on narrow roads with plenty of roundabouts, the odds of there being a crash rise so quickly. With the cross winds blowing, there was also going to be some sort of drama.So ... after seeing Alberto down, I wondered, Why do we race on roads like that? ... [We] come into that corner [from a roundabout] so fast when there is hardly any warning, if any at all.I hate to say it, but I believe Sundays second stage from Saint L? to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin will be much of the same. Any Tour start is nerve-racking, but it is not made any easier by some of the roads we are using. And Sunday will be on narrow roads with road furniture, which makes it quite dangerous. It even feels like its a luck thing ... to come out of this first week without any major issues will require a lot of that.What happened to Alberto showed what price it might take. Fortunately, it seems he will be OK; but it is not good to see anyones Tour compromised by an accident. It was the same on Saturday for my teammate Brent Brookwalteer and Luke Rowe (Sky), who also came down in the same crash as Albertos.ddddddddddddCrashes aside, for the sprint finish, won by Briton Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), I was in quite good position. I was up there when the crash occurred and was lucky to avoid it.It was a good end for me, even though it might not go down as one of the most memorable, unless you are Cavendish with 27 stage wins in his Tour career.It was still quite a hard stage. The pace was on, and then, when we got into the cross-wind section, a few teams tried to split up the peloton. In such a situation, you are always covering breaks. Its one of those nervous stages where you concentrate the whole time. Normally, the good art of that is you sleep well, a great thing on any grand tour.But it is still great to have the stage behind us. It at least feels the Tour has finally started.I have to be honest ... when you are sitting around in your hotel room for days before the Tour starts, the mind does wander ... where you are at, where your form is at. You start to ask all the questions. The show that is the Tour can get to a rider. But I believe that when you are at your best when you to try to focus on the race as if it was just another one of the lead-up races.All the races we do are super hard and super stressful. Sure, at the Tour, seeing the massive crowds makes it that bit more dangerous. It becomes harder to move up because you dont really want to move too much on the sides because there are people everywhere. But then, without the people on the roads, where would the Tour be today? That the crowds can be so close to the race -- and the rider -- still makes the sport, let alone Tour, unique.Having a passionate crowd that loves cycling is great, as I believe the next weeks will show. ' ' '