to tamp down those out-of-this-world expectations, poin

PITTSBURGH -- Jaromir Jagr and Sidney Crosby are from different eras and different countries, and the style of play when each entered the NHL was wildly disparate, as well.What they have in common is the Pittsburgh Penguins.Jagr, who is 44 and is 25 years removed from his NHL debut, starred on the first two Penguins teams to win the Stanley Cup. Crosby, who is 29 and is 11 years removed from his NHL debut, starred on the last two Penguins teams to win the Stanley Cup.On Tuesday night, the crisscrossing careers of two of the NHLs most dominant offensive players of the last quarter-century could converge again at PPG Paints Arena.Crosby, who missed the first six Penguins games with a concussion, took part in a full practice Monday -- his first since the season began. He might make his season debut against Jagrs Florida Panthers.It was just good to be back on the ice with the guys. Its not easy watching, Crosby said. To be out there was nice and, hopefully, (it was) a good step.Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, whose team is coming off a 5-1 loss at Nashville on Saturday, no doubt would welcome back the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, although he didnt say for certain if Crosby would play.The Penguins (3-2-1) likely will make sure Crosby experiences no setbacks after going through a full practice before he gets the go-ahead to play.Sid is day-to-day, Sullivan said Monday. Well take tomorrow as it comes.There always seems to be another tomorrow for Jagr, who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins during his first two NHL seasons in 1991 and 1992 -- back when goals were much more plentiful than when Crosby debuted in 2005. He has been gone from Pittsburgh for 15 years -- can it possibly be that long -- yet he still is more closely associated with the Penguins than he is with any of his other seven NHL teams.Jagr played 806 regular-season games with Pittsburgh; he has appeared in no more than 277 games with any other team.My (Pittsburgh) fans are already dead or old, Jagr told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There are new fans. Half of them probably dont even know I played there.Jagr was booed for years -- though never with venom that accompanies some once-popular players departures from a city --after he was seen as orchestrating his departure from what was then a cash-strapped Penguins franchise in 2001.However, he remains an icon in the city, even if it is difficult to spot the once-prevalent No. 68 Jagr jerseys in the stands.Jagr always enjoys playing in Pittsburgh, no matter what jersey he wears; he has 24 goals and 22 assists in 52 career games against the Penguins. (Plus 439 goals and 640 assists in 806 games with them.)Last season, Jagrs 27 goals were the most of any player his age in NHL history. Last week, he joined Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe as the only NHL players to score 750 goals in their careers.When he turns 45 on Feb. 15, Jagr will become -- barring injury -- only the third player to ever play at that age, joining Howe and Chris Chelios.Jagr has one goal and two assists in five games to help Florida get off to a 3-1-1 start.Stanley Cup-winning goalie Matt Murray (broken left hand) also resumed practicing with Pittsburgh for the first time this season on Monday.Im getting closer and closer every day, he said.Marc-Andre Fleury has started in net in all six Penguins games to date. Tubular Shadow Sko . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Nmd Sko Udsalg . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. http://www.nmdnorgesalg.com/nmd-xr1-sko-norge.html . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Ultra Boost Norge . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Billig Nmd Sko . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The story that will accompany Andrew Wiggins first game at Kansas, an impromptu exhibition during coach Bill Selfs summer camp, has already taken on a decidedly Paul Bunyan-esque quality. Those who were in the gym last week, and the thousands of people who have seen video of the game, know the real story. But when is reality as much fun as folklore? And the play that Wiggins made in the first couple of minutes against current and former Jayhawks lends itself to a tall tale. Whats fact is that the top high school prospect in the country, the odds-on No. 1 pick in next years NBA draft -- the Canadian LeBron James, as hes been called -- found himself in the open court with the ball in his hands and only NBA centre Cole Aldrich standing in his way. From there, the folk-hero version goes like this: Wiggins elevated from beyond the 3-point arc, posed midair for a couple of photos, autographed the ball and then slammed it down. The truth: Aldrich stepped aside and watched as Wiggins effortlessly dunked it. Either way, the play was enough to send Jayhawks fans into a tizzy, light up Internet message boards and burnish the almost mythical aura that already accompanies the 6-foot-7 swingman. "I let loose of all my nerves," the rising star from Vaughan, Ont., said, "so I felt good after that dunk. I just let my game come to me. Thats what happened. Thats what the fans wanted to see." Theyll want to see plenty more of it this season. Wiggins is arguably the most talented player to arrive in Kansas since Danny Manning in the 80s, and Self wonders whether anybody has created as much hysteria since Wilt Chamberlain. He has prototypical NBA size and athletic ability, a game already far more advanced than his peers, and an uncanny ability to make the most difficult plays seem pedestrian. He also has the unmistakable swagger, modest though he may be, of a player who simply knows that hes good. Its little surprise that autograph seekers already have descended on Lawrence, hoping to snag Wiggins John Hancock on a ball or a photo four months before his first real game. "Its kind of weird to me because weve recruited other good players before, but weve never had anybody with this kind of attention," Self said. "I kind of feel for him. Hes going to have to be able to tell people no, and we have to make it easier for him." Good luck with that. There are only a handful of college basketball programs in the country that can rival Kansas for pure passion, not to mention history or success. There are five banners hanging in the end zone of Allen Fieldhouse to represent the Jayhawks national championships, and dozens more herald more modest triumphs such as conference titles. Students often camp out for days in advance of a big game, and the raucous environment is one of the most intimidating in college sports. It was the environment that in part helped cconvince Wiggins to pick Kansas over a list of suitors that included North Carolina and Kentucky, a couple more tradition-drenched blue bloods.dddddddddddd. "Everyone here is really loving, friendly, so its good," Wiggins said. "Im getting to know people. Theyve been showing me around, so Ive been comfortable." Wiggins comfort level could be critical to the Jayhawks success this season. They lost all five starters from last years team to graduation or the draft, and return just a couple of reserves who played meaningful minutes. Self restocked with a recruiting class that included five-star recruit Wayne Selden and several other high-profile targets, but the low-key announcement that Wiggins would be joining them stole every headline across the state. It also turned some heads in the Big 12. "He brings so much athleticism to any place he plays," said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, who often saw Wiggins play just up the road from Morgantown at Huntington Prep last season. "When everybody says youre the best player in the country, youre obviously pretty good." Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said Wiggins was "as advertised," while Texas coach Rick Barnes let slip that even as a ninth-grader the lanky forwards game resembled that of Kevin Durant. "Believe the hype. Hes that good a player, a special player," Barnes said. "I think it speaks volumes about our league with the kind of players weve had come in through the years. Hes another one. He is a terrific, terrific talent and a very, very special player." Evidently, rival coaches arent afraid to build upon Wiggins near-superhero status. Self has been busy trying to tamp down those out-of-this-world expectations, pointing out whenever possible that Wiggins is just a freshman. But while he argues that Wiggins is "going to go through ups and downs like everybody else" in one breath, he adds in the next that "hes as talented as any player in the country, because from a raw athletic ability standpoint, he can do some things that Ive never had a player be able to do physically." So far, Wiggins has handled the attention with aplomb. He refused to make his signing news conference into a televised event. Hes often said that he prefers to keep a close inner circle of friends and family -- his brother, Nick Wiggins, plays just down the road at Wichita State. And he comes off as unfailingly polite and quietly unassuming when a camera is stuck in his face, answering questions directly and succinctly. When asked whether all the expectations might be too much, Wiggins just shakes his head. "Its an experience I can enjoy," he said. "A lot of former players always say that college was their greatest basketball experience, all the fans and going to school and being on campus. Its just a great vibe. Thats what Im looking forward to." ' ' '